Seven Towers

The Towers of Magic are the key institution of the Kingdom of Meltor and the true centre of its power. Meltor was founded by a great wizard and rests upon magic, so it is the Towers, not the nobility, that form the state's power base: they guard its borders, run its intelligence, supply the kingdom with artefacts and shape its foreign policy. Each Tower is marked by a colour and a clear specialty, and its mages wear robes of the matching shade — a single robe is enough to tell which Tower a wizard belongs to.

Four Towers are named in the novel, and together they are known as the Towers of Magic. The Red Tower is the residence of fire mages and the headquarters of battle mages; it is the most warlike of the Towers, its red-robed adepts forming the kingdom's main military force and spending their time on the battlefield rather than in laboratories. The Blue Tower is famed for cunning, indirect tactics and versatile magic — it is its mages who set up sources of clean water, laundries and sanitation across the kingdom. The Yellow Tower, also called the Tower of Alchemy, is a true 'money-eater': up to 30% of the kingdom's annual budget goes to its research, while its alchemists drive construction and metallurgy. The White Tower is responsible for intelligence and information, trains and escorts the rarest spatial mages, and commands wind techniques that speed up carriages.

The Towers' mages are divided into five ranks. A newcomer is titled a 'basic' mage; with experience he becomes a mid-rank mage; one who earns renown becomes a senior mage; veterans and founders of a Tower hold the title of 'prime'; and finally the wisest, the true masters of a Tower, are the supreme mages. A supreme mage is considered an absolute wizard and one of the foundations of the Kingdom of Meltor, valued more highly than a sword master of the rival Andras Empire. Each Tower is led by such a supreme mage — a Tower Master. Most Masters are frozen at the 7th Circle, and only two have reached the 8th — and it is thanks to them that the small Meltor can contend on equal terms with the far larger Andras.

The two highest figures of the Towers are the Master of the Blue Tower, Blundell Adruncus, a mighty old man over 130 years of age with an enormous wooden staff, who crossed the 8th Circle thirty years ago and raised Sylvia; and the Master of the Red Tower, Veronica — a hot-tempered woman with golden eyes who wields Hellfire while also being a brilliant administrator. In the Kingdom of Meltor only three people may give direct orders to the highest authorities of the state: the Master of the Red Tower, the Master of the Blue Tower, and King Kurt III himself. The Towers also control access to the Zero Library — a vault of original and forbidden books.

Red Tower — fire mages and battle mages; the most warlike Tower and Meltor's main military force. Its robes are red, and snow never falls around the Tower even in winter. Led by Master Veronica (8th Circle, Hellfire).

Blue Tower — masters of cunning, indirect tactics and versatile magic; it supplies the kingdom with water, laundries and sanitation. Water never dries up near the Blue Tower. Led by Master Blundell Adruncus (8th Circle), Sylvia's mentor.

Yellow Tower (Tower of Alchemy) — alchemists and researchers; it consumes up to 30% of the kingdom's annual budget and advances construction and metallurgy.

White Tower — intelligence, information and spatial mages; it is always windy around it, and its agents form Meltor's intelligence network. Among its elders is Schugel.

Five ranks: basic mage (novice) → mid-rank mage → senior mage → prime (a Tower's veterans and founders) → supreme mage (a Tower's true master). Any mid-rank mage and above may take a disciple.

A supreme mage is considered an absolute wizard and a foundation of Meltor — valued above an Andras sword master. Of all the Masters only two have reached the 8th Circle, and it is this pair that lets the small Meltor rival the giant Andras.

Three stand at the apex of power: the Master of the Red Tower, the Master of the Blue Tower, and King Kurt III. Only they may give one another direct orders; even access to the missions of spatial mages is open only to them and the Master of the White Tower.