Belthil

Belthil Tower is a 173-block tall skyscraper southwest of the Shire Mainland (x: 525 z: 865). At the time of its completion in early 2011, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the Observation Tower of Castle Wolfen-Neb in the Central District. It held this rank for over a year, until the height limit change of 1.2.1 on March 1, 2012. Belthil Tower remains the tallest superstructure in the greater Mainland metropolitan area. There is debate as to exactly how tall Belthil is, as various groups argue the inclusion of Belthil's uppermost halo, which floats freely some 50 blocks above the main structure. The skyscraper is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Shire.

History

Belthil was built by Nebbers & Elathuria. An initial idea for a bedrock-to-skylimit tower by Nebbers led to several sketches and revisions between the two collaborators. It was Elathuria who thought of supporting the tower with four chains, and she came up with the name and a backstory for the area as well. After several days of planning, construction started in February 2011. The initial hole was dug out using Worldedit's cylinder tool. Five tiers were created, representing five socio-economic classes for the planned village surrounding the tower. The tower was completed within a week. The development of the village took considerably longer and eventually stalled, having only completed parts of the lower tiers. The area remained untouched until the Shire sewer system was connected to the area in Summer 2011. Belthil was eventually linked to the Intershire Rail system as well. In late 2011, the walls of Belthil were changed from dirt to a mosaic of stone and precious gems. The final addition to the tower occured in March 2012 after the height limit was increased. The tower was extended higher and two new halos were created high above the main structure. Currently, the interior of Belthil remains vacant. It is an open project to any enterprising individuals who wish to see the tower completed. First Sketches by Elathuria:

Ela's original Belthil sketch

Backstory

Belthil was an isolated community, with no knowledge of a world beyond the walls. The truth was known only to the priests of Belthil Tower, who guarded the secret. Since resources were scarce, the area could only support a certain number of citizens. To maintain balance, the priests would choose villagers to participate in an ascension ritual - a dangerous quest to climb the tower to it's highest level. The townsfolk believed the chosen few were ascending into another realm. In a sense, they were correct: If the chosen citizen survives their journey and reaches the top, they would be set free into the wild lands beyond Belthil, never to return.

Tenants

Tier 1:

• Jeffery Doozen's Building Supplies This innocent storefront hides a secret: the Jasperlode Mine. "We've been secretly digging this for years. Maybe the world isn't as small as they told us. We've reached the depths of the Earth, can we reach the heights of the skies too? Will we ever know that thing the Uppers call "Wind"? Maybe if we dig far enough we can get to the Outside world. I wonder if it's as evil as the priests told us..."
• The Blind Fish Ned and Sandra Hook maintain this fresh fish store. It too holds a secret area: a hidden pond and wheat farm. There is also an illegal passageway connecting the Blind Fish to Rapid's Burgers on Tier 2.
• White Rabbit Pharmacy Noishe owns this seemingly ordinary pharmacy. In his cellar, however, he's is performing experiments to fight a plague that's ravaging the people of Belthil. He's lost his faith in the Priests, and seems to suspect something sinister is happening within these walls.
• Sad King Billy's Orphanarium An orphanarium for the unwanted children of Belthil. A poorly disguised closet hides a "euthanasia chamber" - little more than a pool of lava - for particularly unruly children.
• Mikey Lego Dude's Wool Shop Nothing extraordinary. This doubles as his residency.
• Granny Bacon's Bakery This sweet old woman's bakery holds one of the darkest secrets of Belthil: The Shire's first Assassin's Guild, the "Brotherhood of Steel". Find the secret entrance behind the painting in Granny's kitchen.
• Residencies Meina Gladstone Hoyt Residency Poor John's

Tier 2:

• Meloriak & Sons Wood Factory Meloriak has an underground tree farm to supply Belthil with wood. The priests have tried to convince the citizens that Meloriak has gone mad: Once, he was brought to the tower by the priests to build bookshelves. He snuck off and was able to peak outside - over the walls - and witnessed the fields and mountains beyond Belthil. No one believes him, and poor Meloriak is starting to believe that he may really be mad.
• Rapid's Burgers Belthil's own hamburger joint. The owner has doubts over the origins of the plague, and sympathizes with Old Man Meloriak.
• Venezian Fine Napkins A napkin shop built by Andrewpo.

Media

Belthil is featured in several Youtube videos, both on the Shire's channel and visitors pages as well. The original video has been viewed over 100,000 times and is responsible for bringing hundreds of visitors to the Shire, including interviewers from other Youtube channels.

Featured Interview: