High Castle Towers
High castle towers are towers found in fictional castles and are an especially prominent fictional element of enchanted castles. These fictional towers often house a prisoner cell, dungeon, observatory, bird roost, or laboratory of mad science. They are often set apart from the rest of the castle and may connected to it via a narrow bridge or drawbridge. If the castle is in ruins these towers may be broken. High castle towers are home to wizards, captured princesses, and experiments gone wrong.
| Synonyms: high towers |
| Example Mythonyms: the Northwest Tower, the Quarter’s of the Mad King, the Upper Dungeon |
| Places |
Designing High Castle Towers
Archetypes
Overview
Fictional high castle towers often hold things that are meant to be kept secret or kept safe. Often these are the hardest to access locations within a fictional castle and narratively are often places that are locked away. Frequently they contain treasure chambers or dungeon cells. They are also commonly depicted as sites of experimentation be it magical or mad science.
The high castle towers of fictional worlds are often completely separated from the castle grounds, and may reside on nearby islands or sea stacks. They may be a hidden passage into or out of the castle.
In worlds that contain airships or other fictional aerial vehicles, high castle towers may be perfect sites for a landing pad or docking berth.
Historical Context
Castle towers played important roles in the defense of a castle. Not only did these elevated positions act as watchtowers to observe the movement of attacking forces, they were also typically positioned in such a manner as to be able to provide flanking fire during a siege. This latter point was particularly true of towers located along the castle wall or adjacent to the castle gate. Towers located deeper within the castle were often used as castle keeps.
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