Aether Spire
| The Aether Spire | |
|---|---|
| The Consulate Spire | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Avishkar (formerly Kaladesh) |
| Colors |
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| Part of | Eleven Bridges, Ghirapur |
The Aether Spire is the central aether collection tower and administrative heart of Ghirapur, serving as both the city’s main source of refined aether and the most prominent symbol of the Consulate’s technological power and authority.
Description
The Aether Spire is the most striking silhouette on Ghirapur's skyline, towering far above nearby architectural marvels and visible from nearly anywhere in the city. It stands at one edge of the Eleven Bridges, next to the Dukhara Canal. It serves as the hub of the Consulate government—often called the Consulate Spire—and stands as the ultimate symbol of the Consulate's far-reaching authority. Located where the aethersphere is particularly rich, the coils and machinery at the top of the Spire draw raw aether directly from the atmosphere, while vast pipelines channel it into the Spire's refineries and out to distribution centers that power all of Ghirapur. The Spire also acts as a central hub for the Aether Collection Towers spread across the countryside and airships that follow aether currents between towers. Huge Consulate airships dock at the upper tiers, while smaller independent prospectors unload their aether at lower levels, keeping the city supplied like a heart pumping lifeblood through its veins.[1]
History
The Aether Spire was built barely a year after Avaati Vya presented her findings on aether refinement, marking the beginning of Ghirapur's rapid expansion. Since then, it has remained one of the region's most important aether collection and distribution facilities. Airships from across the region have long docked at its various tiers to deliver their cargo of aether, which the Spire refines and distributes throughout the city to fuel its innovation and growth.[1]
During the Aether Revolt that followed the Grand Exhibition of the Inventors' Fair, the Aether Spire in Ghirapur became the secret base of operations for Tezzeret. Hidden within this towering structure, Tezzeret repurposed Rashmi's groundbreaking space-folding device into the Planar Bridge, a machine capable of sending objects through the Blind Eternities. To power this project, he covertly redirected vast amounts of aether to the Spire from the Aether Hub.[1]
When the renegades and the Gatewatch learned of Tezzeret's plan, they launched operations to cut off his aether supply. After an initial seizure of the Aether Hub failed to permanently disrupt Tezzeret's access, the renegades staged a direct assault on the Aether Spire itself. The Heart of Kiran, their flagship airship, led the attack alongside a fleet of real and illusory ships to break through the Consulate's defenses. Amid the chaos, Liliana Vess attempted to assassinate Tezzeret inside the Spire while Chandra Nalaar and Gideon Jura destroyed the Planar Bridge by flying a thopter into it and unleashing Chandra's fire magic. Though the Planar Bridge was obliterated, Tezzeret escaped by implanting its core into himself and planeswalking away, leaving the Aether Spire's laboratory vacant in the wake of his departure.[1]
In-game references
- Represented in:
References
- ↑ a b c d James Wyatt (January 3, 2017) - The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Kaladesh, WotC.