An Inventor's Tale - Hidden Tower History

     Esunai’s career started with her providing just a little bit of help here and there, carting around the standard and magical resources that her colleagues would transform into objects of intrigue, weapons and paintbrushes alike, and drawing up designs. She worked up the ranks, watching carefully and receiving detailed and practical instructions on how to combine the right sprinkles of magic with a bit of ironmongery or carving. Every creative skill you could think of was an option within the workshop; painting, sculpting, welding... At night, when her brain was whirring from everything she had experienced and learned that day, she would fill sketchbooks with ideas for future inventions, always coming up with something that would add a bit of whimsy to Neopia as well as items practical and beautiful in nature.

     It was one cold day, midway through the month of Celebrating, that she had her best idea yet. In her opinion, of course, but she hoped it would be one received enthusiastically by others too. Perhaps this one would be her first wholly unique new item contribution to the collection, the one that would graduate her to the role of the master crafter. At dinner that night, you see, when an unruly Mynci from the janitorial division started an impromptu food fight by flinging a brussels sprout across the table (you would have thought he would know better seeing as he would be responsible for cleaning up) Esunai saw that ball of tightly packed leaves launched through the air and decided: a cannon for sprouts. That’s what she’d create and get in front of Queen Fyora to earn both her recognition and appreciation.

     That night, tucked up in her room, scribbling in her notebook, the ‘Baby Sprout Cannon’ was born. This marvellous contraption only needed loading up once to become a perfect Battledome weapon that could fire ‘high projectile sprouts at any opponent’ and due to some magical trickery, customary to a Hidden Tower piece, would be able to provide a never-ending supply of ammunition. Perfectly seasonal too - even though sprouts never go out of style.

     The next day it was prototype time and Esunai arrived bright and early at the workshop to start tinkering. Digging into the pile of materials reserved for testing and experiments, she grabbed a huge pile of cardboard and set to work, getting the shapes and sizes right first before moving on to the more technical details of the mechanisms within. She realised that she would also need some fresh sprouts soon too, so she set to penning a letter to her friend Knem in the kitchens so that they could procure some of the very best produce from Merridell to be the foundational ammo for her cannon design.

     She worked tirelessly all day and into the evening, cutting out cards, using a mix of magic and glue to hold it all together, and figuring out a way to include a projectile firing mechanism. In the end, she sorted out a way for the cannon to harness the power of air pressure, propelling the sprouts (which she also thought of fondly as baby cabbages) with just the right amount of force to create a spectacle that would capture the hearts of Neopians everywhere, she hoped. Once she got the first version together to test the next morning, she gathered a crowd of her peers together to give feedback and to observe the test run. It wasn’t quite there yet but she had time to tinker and improve.

     As she worked on further refining the cannon, her colleagues asked her questions out of curiosity, throughout her additional sketches and each new construction period, and were able to provide help here and there when she needed something holding in place or a bit of advice about the best way to angle the cannon. They were, of course, busy on the production line of the usually stocked Hidden Tower items and deep in the construction and testing of their own new creations too. However, everyone in the workroom would collaborate too, it’s what made it such an enviable place to work. There was always a special feeling in the air when someone was in their invention stage and Esunai revelled in it.

     It took a week in all, and about four full prototypes until Esunai was happy with her final product. She put out a memo for a great unveiling because she wanted a public display for all her colleagues and friends to see. It would take place after dinner on Friday evening and everyone in the Faerie castle would be invited. She wasn’t sure if Queen Fyora herself would be there but she hoped so because a successful trial could help her secure her creation as a potential for the next line of products to become a staple of the Hidden Tower.

     She was nervous but, as the curtain rose revealing her whimsical but fearsome creation, there were gasps of awe as her fellow Neopians marvelled at the sight of the baby sprout cannon. It was simple and sleek, not adorned with too much decoration. There had been a paper target set up at the other side of the stage and Esunai made her way over to the cannon to start her demonstration. Speaking to the gathered crowd, she told her story of the food fight inspiration, the helpful nature of her pals, and the choices made throughout construction.

     With a gentle push, the first sprout shot out from the cannon, soaring through the air in a graceful arc. The crowd erupted in applause and laughter, captivated by the adorable sight. One by one, the baby cabbages flew through the air and punctured holes into the paper target’s surface. Showing both the accuracy and the power captured in the cannon she had constructed. The overall consensus was that she had done a superb job and that her design would go into production forthwith. It was agreed that her magnificent idea, complete with the detail and expertise incorporated into it, the cannon could retail for nearly 4 million Neopoints! Esunai was delighted, it was a dream come true.

     When it came to the eventual launch of the Baby Sprout Cannon, it did fairly well in the Hidden Tower, but it was its rebrand to the Baby Cabbage Cannon that really set it in the eyes of collectors. It was a staple of the Tower’s collection for nearly a decade and then was retired to make way for a different array of new creations. Esunai was so proud of her first solo invention and went on to contribute towards other precious items, but those must be detailed in another story.

     The End.