Fablehaven

Fablehaven is a tower and preserve around 30 leagues from Puerto Lejos. The tower is on the northern tip of a small chain of islands that occupy  a roughly 50 league square area of ocean to the south of the inhabited islands.

The sole human occupant of the tower is an old woman who calls herself "The Caretaker". She has lived in this tower for at least a hundred years and is a being of unknown (but significant) magical power. The Caretaker has laid claim over the entire archipelago around the tower, which she has transformed into a haven for smaller birds and beasts of all varieties, both mundane and magical.

The Caretaker jealously preserves this area from encroachment by the nearby human settlements, to the point where the locals are petrified to set foot on those lands or sail those waters without her express permission. She also prevents the creatures she protects (who are generally  smaller and (mostly) non threatening) from encroaching on the settled lands

The high tower itself can be seen from the main southerly sea approach to the town, and is usually awash in birds and other flying creatures of various varieties.