Creation Et All/Imperial War Manses

From BluWiki

There are over two hundred known war manses (and possibly as many as a hundred more in secret locations) scattered about the Blessed Isle on positions of geomantic importance. Built to tap the Essence of the land (like any other manses), these buildings funnel the Essence into weapons of immense power and destructive ability. Typically they are squat, forbidding towers with four or more jade-steel spikes on their roofs.

War manses can be controlled in two ways: locally or remote.

Local control of a war manse requires a crew of Exalts (traditionally [{Creation Et All/Dragon-Blooded|Dragon-Bloods]]) who are attuned to the manse and direct its weapons while within the manse to target nearby areas. Remote operation can only be done from within the Imperial Manse by a single intelligence within it and attuned to it, but can direct attacks anywhere in Creation.

In the past, the Empress would use command of a war manse as gifts to officers (outcaste and otherwise) who had rivals in the area so that the army would be watching the local Dynasts who would be watching over each other and the manse, leaving all the war manses carefully guarded against unauthorized visitation. Since the Empress' disappearance, however, the manses have begun to be targeted for capture or destruction.