The Watch Towers

Directions:

The Guardhouse Towers are presented here, east to west as they are laid out in the city:

Gate of Gold Guardhouse - Wideway at Gate of Gold (south)
Path of Money Guardhouse - Path of Money and Pyrtanis Street (southwest)
Processional Guardhouse - Processional and Governor's Walk (southeast)
Maze East Guardhouse - Lizard's Way, north of the intersection (southeast)
Maze West Guardhouse - Street of Smells and Tanner Row (west) [MAGIC AUTOMATON]
Headman's Gate Guardhouse - Street of Red Lanterns at Headman's Gate (east)
General's Road Guardhouse - General's Road (east)
Caravan Square Guardhouse - General's Road at North Caravan Square (northeast)
River Gate Guardhouse - White Foal River Bridge at North West Caravan Square (1e of bridge) (northwest) [COMBAT AUTOMATON]

Zone Writer(s):

Osmium

Aegon (2024 additions)

Zone Reset:

60 minutes (empty)

History:

When Osmium returned briefly in 2006, he spent some time modifying aspects of Sanctuary City and added this sub-zone. The Watch Towers contain nine towers garrisoned by Rankan Guards. They roam, but are not aggro! They will assist one another if attacked, so plan accordingly.
In 2024, Aegon noticed some notes placed in the zone header by Kailyn in 2006 wondering if the zone could be augmented at some point, since it seemed to be an endless set of room/mob copies. Aegon added the training automatons in order to provide accurate damage feedback for combat/magic/skills for those players who had not yet reached perfect stats and complete regen status.
To provide story continuity, garrison guard ranks were added, some simple trigger routines, a series of maze catacombs to link the towers and a trap room for the unwary.

Mobs of Note:

Aye-Golphan (brass embossed targe), guard (long sword), Azyuna Ilsigi Goddess of Betrayal (peaceful), Combat Automaton (!strike !backstab !magic) (River Gate Guardhouse), Magically-Enhanced Combat Automaton (!strike, !backstab) Maze West Guardhouse. Thief Combat Automaton (bstab leaderboard), Strike Combat Automaton (strike leaderboard), Rankan veteran guard, Rankan hoplite, Rankan conscript.

Azyuna, Goddess of Betrayal

Lowest of the low and most hated bitch of Heaven, Azyuna is the goddess of
betrayal, the whore who seduced and cajoled her brothers into attacking their
divine parents.  For this crime legend has it that she was violently taken by
Savankala—indeed, on some level she is always being taken by Savankala, her
punishment unending, her sins unredeemable.  Hers is a terrible and wretched
role to play: the holy scapegoat of the Rankan faith, embodiment of everything
they see as vile, and weak, and treacherous.
 
She comes to you, bearing a gift.

And then, her gaze falls upon you here in the dark, the fading glow of your torch 
holding her pupil-less eyes, lids painted darkly red.

You: Nothing. Emptiness. A final sadness overwhelms you as your eyes glaze and the
flies come to feed.

It slips away.  From a place deep inside, you begin to cry, sorry for it all,
now too late, at the end.

Azyuna smiles.

General Zone Strategy:

Finding them is part of the challenge. There are nine towers within the Watchtowers sub-zone. Can you find them all? You can bet that a GRDN+ will put a bunch of quest mobs carrying tokens in these out-of-the-way towers. The towers are now interconnected via the Sanctuary catacombs. You'll need a skeleton key or picking thief to access the tunnels. Watch out for the trap room, Lost Forever in the Catacombs!

Equipment:

ITEM	TYPE	MOB	DISPLAY
brass-embossed targe	shield	Aye-Golphan	mL 9 !mcpajb 8 ac 1 str 1 dex
leggings, plate	leg	Aye-Golphan	mL 0 !rests 12 ac ench!
mail, banded	body	Aye-Golphan	mL 0 !rests 21 ac ench!
bronze mace	weapon	conscript
bronze lance	weapon	hoplite
bronze falchion	weapon	veteran

Maps:

Created with Google Drawings, Dank c. 2023