The Spinning Wheel, previously called the Monastery of Sankt Demyan, is an old monastery turned into an observatory before it was abandoned and used as a base by Nikolai Lantsov.[1] Built from the hollowed-out top of a mountain of the northern Sikurzoi, it was originally a pilgrimage site until a few hundred years before the events of Ruin and Rising. The observatory itself has been abandoned for more than a century.
History[]
The Spinning Wheel was historically within Ravka, but, due to the border wars, is now a part of Fjerda.
Ruin and Rising[]
TBA
Description[]
Around the mountain leading up to the Spinning Wheel, there are stone stairs cut into the cliffside. However, these are too dangerous to climb due to the height and ice, so the Spinning Wheel is accessed exclusively by air via a stone hangar. There is an iron elevator leading from the hangar to the main part of the Spinning Wheel. Elevators are not common in Ravka, as Alina Starkov is confused and surprised by what it is.
The Spinning Wheel is heated by pipes that prevent the glass from frosting. The boilers run on steam heat and melted snow. The boilers are on the floor beneath and can be accessed via a staircase.
The Spinning Wheel features twelve giant bronze columns in the shape of people and animals representing different constellations. Together, they form the "spokes" of the wheel and support the glass dome. The open sky can be seen clearly through the glass dome, and in the center is a twelve-pointed star. It also contains a brass telescope from its use as an observatory. There are open terraces in all four cardinal directions.
Columns[]
- The Hunter
- The Scholar
- The Three Foolish Sons
- The Bursar
- The Bear
- The Beggar
- The Shorn Maiden
- The Horsemen of Ivets
- The Morning and Evening Stars
References[]
- ↑ Ruin and Rising, chapter 6