Vanguard Tower

The vanguards' tower (aptly named Vanguard Tower) is tall and visible, at the front of the school. It's incredibly massive, built to hold hundreds of dragons as well as their riders, with several windows and a door at the bottom, large enough to fit two large dragons through. There's a visible balcony off the class head's suite, the only balcony in place. Looking straight on at the school, you can't see it, since it's at the back of the tower. The outside of the tower makes it look ancient, made of a strong gray stone that's held up for two thousand years and will continue to stand for thousands more.

There are two main rooms towards the bottom of the tower, the "classrooms." There's one room for each of the three stories that these classrooms and dragonkeep are in, with a door connected to a hallway. A wide staircase is the only way to travel up and down the tower. The first level is not a classroom, but the dragonkeep. The dragons are kept here when they sleep at night, but are often free to roam the Evercrest grounds. Large enough to fit four hundred dragons comfortably (there are typically only one hundred students, one hundred mentors, and the class head, meaning there are typically only about two hundred dragons, which means plenty of room). Most dragon riding practice is held outdoors, so there is no need for a room for this.

The second level is a large sort of "gymnasium." Obstacle courses are set up, but not the ones you've seen in gym class. An entire realistic background (typically a forested area, ruins, or village) is set up for stealth training. Practice scenarios will often be held in class. Not only are there obstacle courses, but there are also mats set up for sparring practice. Weapons line the walls, especially knives and smaller weapons that can be hidden on your person. Typically, vanguards are trained in defense more than offense, as they don't fight nearly as much. Alongside the weapons on the walls are gold and silver (vanguard colors) "Vanguards" banners with their insignia on it, a silver tiger. Vanguard pride is everywhere to be found in the towers, banners everywhere.

The third level holds only one room: the other classroom. Looking much more like the typical classroom, there are lots of desks in the area. The class head teaches the class on a raised platform with a microphone stand nearby. A projector in the back of the room can display maps or lessons on the wall behind her (it's angled to project onto the wall only and not her, no matter where she's walking). Textbooks and other materials for the class are on a gold bookshelf (gold colored, not solid gold) in the classroom.

On the fourth level is a main living area for all the vanguards, consisting of three large rooms. One room is like a lounge of sorts: plush seats, games, and various forms of entertainment. The second room, also meant to aid in their studies, is a library consisting of lots of books and files of vanguard adventures. Occasionally, mentors (or the class head) will assign projects that require library usage. The library is very informative, and it would do vanguard students well to read up in the library. The third room is a large dining hall of sorts. Food is available for all students, and students can come at any time of day or night (yes, two am snacks are perfectly fine) that serves both meals and has snacks available, all for free-- the benefits of being a vanguard at Evercrest Academy.

Above these levels are the dorms. The fifth, sixth, and seventh level are for mentor dorms. In most cases, mentors won't be required to share rooms, unless there is an overflow of mentors. The eighth level is for the male student dorms, and the ninth is for female student dorms. Typically, there will only be two students to a room, but in the event of an overflow, there may be some rooms with three or even four students per room. If so, the proper accommodations will be made. The mentor rooms are slightly more plush than the student dorms. Each mentor room has a king size bed, desk, kitchenette, bathroom, throw rug, silver "Vanguards" banner, and a bookshelf. Each student dorm has two full beds, two desks, a "Vanguards" banner, and a bathroom. Mentor rooms are bigger in a per-person way, but the student dorms have more space to make room for multiple people.

The tenth level is the master suite of the whole place: the class head's suite with a balcony outside her bedroom. This level is locked away from students, but people can come attempt to speak with her if they need to. There's a room in her suite specifically for her dragon, as well as a large door in the tower (no balcony... Just a door), so that her dragon can leave the tower conveniently (and the class head doesn't always have to use the stairs just to leave). She has a small kitchen, as well as a sitting room with a few overly comfortable chairs, a couch, multiple bookshelves, and a table. She occasionally has friends come in this room, hence the nice setup for it. The only other room in her suite is a bedroom, with "Vanguard" posters, a desk, a queen bed, filing cabinets, and a closet full of her clothes.