Info
Version: 1.13
Build Time: Too much

Some Unoriginal Lore

In the wake of decades rising seas, humanity had to adapt. They flocked to mountains, the poles, but most notably, skyscrapers. Mercer Tower, now aptly called Mercy Tower due to a broken sign, is home to a few hundred survivors. Three villages are home to the majority of this population - Mercy Cove at water level, Midpoint halfway up the tower, and Thunderway on the roof. The cove's population is mostly comprised of fishermen, while Midpoint and Thunderway revolve around farming.

The only way to travel up the skyscraper is through the main stairwell and a series of planks, ladders, and several levels of collapsed concrete near the top that the inhabitants call The Heap. The journey is quite perilous, and can take days to complete for those who are not prepared.

Throughout the tower, there are a few oddities to note. Just below Midpoint, there is a secluded room home to a hermit painter who spends his days with a brush and a palette in his hands. One of his paintings even made its way into the hands of the High Priest, a man whose room would suggest he has a particular fondness for the colour green. Most of the locals consider him with respect, but also with caution, for he is quite influential. However, he isn't the only powerful individual in Mercy Tower - many know that the Red Alchemists are famed for their wealth, and more notably, their addictive brews.

Despite all this, the people treat each other with absolute kindness. Their cots sit side by side in rooms and hallways, and each night, friends, families, and complete strangers gather around fires to speak of the long-gone past. They cook together, live together, and always look out for each other. These people are tired and toil worn, but they are proud and strong. They've endured the worst, and they are the embodiment of a settlement that serves as a reminder that humanity can overcome the worst.


Regarding Creepypastas
For a good week, I listened to creepy pasta readings while I was building. Most of my ideas for the build became darker, but on the day I am writing this (hours before the deadline), I changed my mind. I actually wrote a diary that followed the story of an exiled man who found his way to Mercy Tower, only to discover the place is condemned to fight off waves of underwater entities - the drowned. They eventually overran Mercy Cove, (somehow) managing to reach Thunderway. The man descended into insanity, having been bit by one of the drowned. It was interesting to me initially, and it's also where most of the names and concepts for the current lore derive from, but overall, it was just too much for this simple skyscraper.





The reason I scrapped this was because, firstly, it was a bit too dark, and secondly, I decided on a whim that I wanted this place to be more living and cheery than an eerie ghost... skyscraper. I had already laid out a lot of redstone to serve as blood and even built nests along the ocean floor for the drowned to live in, as well as a bunch of underwater fauna scattered around. I intended to make the most out of 1.13, but in the end, the only thing I ended up including were kelp blocks to serve as piles of fish.

No Boats?
I had built a few boats and rafts but they were even more disgusting than the build itself so I ended up just removing them, and due to a lack of time, I didn't replace them. This probably wasn't the greatest decision, considering Mercy Cove is a fishing town...

'Original' Idea
I wanted to capture 1.13 by placing the skyscraper in water and filling the depths with mystery, but as previously mentioned, this didn't come to fruition. That being said, I like how the build still feels like a welcoming apocalyptic community.



Final Thoughts

Admittedly, I spent too much time on the interior (which in reality is just the same thing done a couple dozen times over with minute differences scattered about). However, I was too far into the build to just change, so I stuck with the design. If anything, it’s not what I hoped to submit, but I’m happy with how it turned out. Mercy Tower is more of a world than a build now; each of its corners hold a story that is waiting to be told.


This build is rushed, sloppy, and like all my other builds, too simple and blocky. I really need to learn how to implement more form into my builds. Either way, for the most part this was an enjoyable experience and I’m glad to have at the least finished it. Although it may not look like it, this build took me longer than anything else I've done. I actually finished the skyscraper in an hour, but all the details took so long.




Thanks to PMC for the opportunity, and I give an unnecessary good luck to all the amazing builders who have done some incredible work for this contest.