Azadi Tower

An idyllic view of the Tower

An enormous structure the Azadi are building in the middle of "Tower Square" in Marcuria. The pinnacle of the Tower is so high that it disappears into the clouds. The construction of the Tower is almost complete at the beginning of Dreamfall; although it is not finished, it is already home to the Azadi Emissary's offices. However, it is secured and no one who is not 'trueborn' is allowed to enter. Most of the Azadi soldiers are proud of the edifice, saying there is none like it anywhere in the world, but Kian Alvane's feelings about it are more ambiguous - he thinks it is too extravagant and overbearing, and it seems to offend his pious sensibilities. The Rebels see the Tower as a target because it is so representative of the Azadi occupation. April has a particular dislike of it because the Azadi demolished the Temple of the Balance to construct the Tower on that particular site.

The "Dream Chamber"

Image carved on the outside of the Dream Chamber

The building of the Tower was ordered by The Six and the Prophet. The 'official' reason appears to be as a monument to the greater glory of the Azadi Goddess, and to solidify the Azadi hold on Marcuria. However, there seems to be a more sinister purpose behind the Tower's construction. The Prophet visits the Emissary in person to ensure the construction of the Tower is completed on schedule for its inauguration - for some reason, the timeframe is vitally important. When April follows the Prophet into the Catacombs beneath the city, she enters a Dream Chamber filled with what seems to be hundreds of crying voices. April identifies them as people's dreams. The Chamber is connected to WATI's DreamNet in Stark... and is located directly beneath the Tower. It would also seem to be significant that the outer wall of the Chamber appears to bear an ancient stylised engraving of the Azadi Tower.

Thunder and roiling clouds surround the tower

At the end of Dreamfall, concurrent with the release of the Dreamer Console in Stark, clouds and lightning gather around the Azadi Tower, and there is audible feminine laughter. The Tower is clearly some kind of focal point.

Interestingly, the Tower in the Guardian's Realm has collapsed from the sky. The raising of the immense Azadi Tower almost seems like a counterbalance.

In the real world, there was an Azadi Tower built in 1971 by Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran to commemorate the the historic Shahs of the Sassanian and Safavid periods. Dubbed the 'Shahyad Tower', it was designed with both the Sassanian and Islamic styles in mind, and the end result could be seen as similar to Dreamfall's Azadi Tower. After the Islamic Revolution it was renamed the Azadi ('freedom') Tower, and remains the symbol of both Tehran, and Iran itself. As with the Tower Square of Dreamfall the real-world tower stands at the centre of Azadi Square.