Kislovan

[Maeve]

This semi-tropical realm of rolling hills and northern mountains, with its endless vineyards and fine horses, is ruled by the Adhiel monarch and noble families, with a largely Human peasantry as their feudal vassals. Although the rebellion is now 50 yahren in the past, two terrorist groups, the Brotherhood of Wolves and the Firelords, continue to fuel the racial fire. Piracy is also becoming an appealing and far more profitable alternative to servitude for some serfs.

[Maeve]

Cerleanne - Harbor Entrance thread
Approaching the city by water, one’s first impression is of a harbour bordering on dense jungle and a riot of colour. Yet it is soon obvious that the riot of colour is not mere vegetation, but buildings and city walls. The city skyline too is a fascinating combination of tropical forest canopy, brightly coloured domes and tiled roofs of less ornate structures. As ships near the docks, the river that divides the city in two comes into view. To the east of the river, the vast, blue, green and gold-glazed domes of the Great Palace glitter in the sun.

New arrivals to Cerleann must pass through a great brick arch, glazed in an intricate geometric pattern of reds and greens, and hugged by lush green vines. Here they are greeted by members of the City Guard; the clashing aromas of spices, horses and hard-working labourers; and the general din of a bustling port city. A small Guardhouse sits just inside and to the left of the archway, and light warhorses stand almost out of sight, at the building’s side.

The City Guards wear the traditional dhotee in red linen, wrapped and tucked to form shorts, with black fabric criss-crossing their otherwise bare chests, and soft Adhiel half-boots on their feet. Each wears a rapier or carries a glaive. Someone with knowledge of weaponry would notice that both weapons appear to be local adaptations.

Once registered and cleared by the City Guard, new arrivals are free to partake of Kislovan’s capital city.

[Maeve]

The Gardens
The Gardens are an exquisite blend of nature and nurture. While one side is formed but the city wall along the east bank of the River Cerl, the other three sides are bound by the more exclusive shops in the city, as well as the fancier inns and taverns in Cerleann. Indeed, the taverns seem to flow out into the lush gardens so that patrons can enjoy their beauty along with a drink or a meal.

Part of the river has been diverted to create a meandering waterway through the Gardens, providing delight in both sight and sound. Small waterfalls and carefully designed river-pebble beds turn the otherwise calmly flowing waters into a babbling brook here and there. Red-lacquered wooden bridges span the stream where the gravel paths encounter it, as if joining various outdoor rooms, featuring their own flora, foliage and form.

Birds of all colours and sizes abound and rival the flowers in brilliance and beauty. There are several small pools filled with various species of tropical fish. Wild monkeys, small deer, and butterflies and other insects also thrive here. However, servants of the Crown work to keep snakes and other dangerous creatures outside the city. Strategically situated benches throughout the gardens allow visitors to relax and enjoy especially striking prospects.

The Gardens are a place to meet with friends, enjoy a few burns of quiet contemplation, or indulge in a private encounter. There is plenty of shade to enjoy during the day, and soft lantern light to set the mood at night.

[Maeve]

The Circular Temple of K’tan – the Portal
At the heart of the Temple Enclave of K’tan, the Mother, stands the circular open-air temple. It spans approximately a dozen paces across, with plastered and painted brick columns supporting a domed roof. The columns are painted to appear as a continuation of the garden landscape, and the domed roof resembles a myriad of leaves. It is here, between two columns that the mysterious portal, only recently discovered, lies hidden.

When inactive, people pass between the two columns as normal. However, when the portal is opened, it becomes an instant gateway to or from points all over Tazlure. It is entered or exited from within the circular space, and it is carefully monitored by the two Shapers who reside within the Enclave with the Priestesses and Priests of the goddess.

[Maeve]

The Temple Enclave of K'tan, the Mother
The enclave of the Kislovan Adhiels’ beloved deity is surrounded by a tall, lush, dense hedge that serves as a living wall. An arch and double gate of wood seem to be growing right out of the trees that form the supports at either side. Only in times of trouble are these gates closed. At all other times, they are swung wide open to welcome all who seek the goddess and the wise council of her priests.

Within are three flourishing gardens, separated by shell-covered paths. The air here is fresh, with the soft fragrance of the abundant blooms and soothing with scent of herbs. The atmosphere is tranquil and contemplative, but welcoming. Bird song is the music here.

Each of the three garden features an altar, dedicated to an aspect of K’tan. To the east is the alter to the Maiden Warrior, an image of the armed and armoured goddess holding back the sea carved lovingly into the wooden pillar altar, formed from huge tree stump. To one side of this, in a little alcove created by bowing Yews, stands the shrine to Madeliefje, featuring a bronze scupture of the Bard, with Daisies and Forget-me-nots growing at her feet. Directly ahead is the altar to the Mother, a topiary trained into the shape of a woman tending the garden that grew around it, with a concave-surfaced offering stone at her feet. To the west is the altar of the Matron, with a large up-ended stone, its jagged top resembling the peaks of a mountain, and a small tree stump forming a low altar before it.

Either of the paths, beyond these three garden rooms, leads to the temple at the heart of the enclave. The open air temple is circular, approximately a dozen paces in diameter, with columns of plastered and painted brick supporting a domed roof. The columns are painted to appear as a continuation of the garden landscape, and the domed roof resembles a myriad of leaves.

The temple is flanked and backed by the living quarters, and meeting and study rooms of the priest of K’tan, in a u-shaped configuration. Although there is a small guest dormitory, only students and clerics have access to the meeting and study rooms, expect by permission. Only clerics have access to their living quarters. This u-shaped structure is of the usual brick construction, with a tiled roof, but vegetation provides its decoration, rather than plaster and paint.

Priests and Priestesses tend the gardens, meditate and pray throughout the day and night, and there is always someone available to greet visitors as they enter the gates and provide them aid.

~~~~~

“Seodhiu ta eabh inaidha,” an ageless Adhiel woman, dressed in a batik sari of greens and browns, with a beaded edge, stood up from her meditation and turned to offer her greeting in her native tongue. Although she had been facing the altar to the Mother, the Priestess seemed to know that someone approached. Her smile was welcoming as she enquired, “How may the servants of K’tan assist you?”

[Maeve]

The Market District
With the exception of the few exclusive shops that skirt the edges of the Gardens, the Market District lies to the west of the River Cerl, joined to the upper city by three impressive bridges that span the river and separated from the seashore and the bustling docks by a number of warehouses. The district ranges from small workshops selling fabrics, leather goods, pottery and the like, to the open air market stalls at the heart of the district, where all manner of food stuffs can be found.

The buildings of brickwork generally house shop owners and their families on the stories above the street, with employees generally coming from homes in the Peasant District to the west and north. Shops are usually marked with a brightly painted sign; Adhiel always featuring more prominently than Human when text is included. The more prosperous shops, or those that hope to cater to a better class of clientele have painted plaster borders around doors and arched windows to decorate the otherwise plain brick exterior.

Even here, trees and other plant life abound, and the scent of tropical blooms mixes with the aroma of spices, roasting meat and fish, baking, and the less pleasant odours of the unwashed populace and horseflesh. Serfs, vassals of the Crown, work though to keep the cobbled streets clean and inoffensive to both eye and nose. There is a ceaseless cacophony during the daylight hours of the babble of business and the music of street performers, often punctuated by the calls of various tropical birds, and yet a few burns of respite can be found in a tavern or inn.

There is much to see here, although not all is pleasant. The ever-vigilant mounted City Guard, in their traditional dhotee of red linen, wrapped and tucked to form shorts, with black fabric criss-crossing their otherwise bare chests, and soft Adhiel half-boots on their feet, cannot completely rid Cerleann of crime. Still, or sometimes as a result, one can usually find what one seeks here.

[Maeve]

The Drowned Maiden Inn
This three-storey brick townhouse was originally a private residence erected in the Docks district, the folly of an adhiel merchant who wanted to keep a close eye on his wares and their comings and goings. Misfortune claimed the merchant’s daughter, and the building changed hands several times before its establishment as an inn. Now run by a conniving achadhiel named Laisrean Duwainiel, the 'Maiden' as locals call it, is a well-known gathering place for those who seek the rougher, shadier walks of life, or by those unfortunates who cannot afford a more respectable choice.

Its façade, once an impressive combination of carved decoration and fanciful glass windows, is now merely pitted and stained with neglect, it windows covered with rusty iron grills to guard against unwanted intrusion. Double doors of scarred teak sitting underneath a curved archway mark the entrance to the inn, and on the half-wall that contains the small, overgrown courtyard in front of the building sits a faded sign depicting the name of the establishment, along with the ghostly countenance of an adhiel lass.

Inside, the taproom further underscores the lost glory of the townhouse, its dark wood paneling faded and gouged, the red velvet coverlets stained and threadbare, the brass lamp fixtures corroded and tarnished. Several tables are scattered throughout the center of the room, and booths line the walls to allow more private conversations. Along one wall of the long, narrow room sits the bar, and at the rear of the taproom doors lead off to the kitchen and to the stairs leading up to the handful of rooms available for rent, where it is said the merchant’s daughter still roams from time to time, auguring doom with every appearance.

~~~~

“Namaste,” calls the achadhiel barman from behind the bar. Lean as a whip, he has long dark hair pulled back into a single, thick braid and his rough angular face is dominated by a livid scar from brow to cheekbone that cuts across a milky white eye. “What’ll you have?”

[Maeve]

The Lotus Blossom Inn
Situated on the eastern bank of the Cerl and on the south side of the Gardens, the Lotus Blossom Inn is clearly in the ‘better’ part of the city. The off-white plastered building, decorated with a painted frieze in a floral motif and many flourishing vines, is marked by an elegant lacquered sign depicting a purple lotus blossom and its name in stylish Adhiel calligraphy. The double doors of the main entrance and many arched windows puncture the façade of the inn. A pair of dhoti-clad doormen hold open the double doors for those who come and go.

Beyond the double doors awaits the spacious common room, with its gleaming wood floor, off-white walls and high ceiling. The space is luxuriously decorated with bright woven rugs and wall hangings, and many sofas and chairs upholstered in purples and yellows. Lush plant life abounds, and white cane cages of little tropical song birds are strategically placed amongst the foliage to give the impression of a natural setting, the floral fragrances and sweet songs completing illusion.

Beyond is the central garden, surrounded by a covered portico. Tables and cushioned chairs welcome guests to enjoy beverages or meals. At the garden’s centre is a pool; home to water lilies and golden fish. The first, second and third floors look down into the central gardens from balconies that circumnavigate the open space, and accommodations range from simple rooms to sumptuous apartments.

The Lotus Blossom Inn caters to a range of Adhiel and Achadhiel patrons, from somewhat modest to quite outrageous means.

~~~~~~

“Namaste and welcome to the Lotus Blossom Inn,” a blond Adhiel man, standing just inside the doors and wearing yellow dhoti and a lavender shoulder cloth, offered in greeting in lyrical Adhiel, as he bowed respectfully.

[Maeve]

The Sure Haven Inn
This unassuming brick establishment is marked by a wooden sign with the name painted in Adhiel and then again in Human, although many of its patrons would find either a challenge to read. A plain wooden door with a small window on either side, as well as several more on the floor above, are all that meet the visitor’s eye from the outside. The inn offers the local peasantry a place to gossip and relax in the taproom amongst their own, and travelers of modest means a reasonably safe bed for the night. The clean, simple inn is run by a no-nonsense Achadhiel matron and her Human husband, although it is Maina who is considered the proprietor by the authorities, who consider her husband, Vince, a mere employee. Rumour has it amongst the peasantry that one can make connections to both the Brotherhood and various nefarious seafaring types through the Sure Haven. Such gossip has never been substantiated though.

The taproom opens onto a central atrium garden, with the bar and the kitchen and alley access beyond. Natural light floods the atrium and the room that occupies three of its sides, and simple but clean tables and chairs beckon to patrons in both spaces. Candles and a few small lamps take up the task of illumination after dark, when the place takes on a distinctly intimate atmosphere, more conducive to private or even secretive conversations.

A flight of stairs across the right-hand wall of the taproom leads to the balcony that overlooks the little central garden on all four sides. From the balcony at the front and rear, doors open into the small guestrooms of the upper floor. Each room is sparsely furnished, but clean and reasonably comfortable.

~~~~~

“Namaste,” the barman called from behind the bar. He was a well-tanned, middle-aged man, of average height and build, with salt and pepper hair and hazel eyes. “What’ll it be, friend?”

[Maeve]

The Great Palace - the Great Hall
The Great Palace of Kislovan is perched on a small hill overlooking the coast on the eastern side of the River Cerl. Its colonnaded approach runs up the hillside through terraced gardens, kept lush and gorgeous by the Shaper Royal, Master Bandir; nature and artifice beautifully entwined. The sounds of bird song fill the air, even as the heady fragrance of tropical blossoms drifts on the warm breeze.

Surrounding the walled palace, in truth a highly decorated castle, is what at first glance appears to be an ordinary small lake, as if it is merely a large reflecting pool in the gardens. However, it server a definite defensive function, for it is a moat, crossed only by a red and black lacquered wooden bridge which could apparently be retracted if the palace were to come under attack, although the mechanism for this was well concealed. Yet the simple beauty of the lake and bridge in this setting obscures their practicality.

The high, unyielding exterior walls are softened in appearance by plaster in off-white, and topped with large half-circles, painted in patterns of blues and purples. Here is one place where vegetation had not been encouraged, or even allowed, to grow. The barbican can be sealed off, as is evinced by the ivory tips of a stout wooden portcullis showing across the top of the broad opening. This traditional gateway opens into an inner garden court, rather than a bailey; a more intimate floral experience than beyond the walls. Tropical birds and blossoms abound; a wondrous experience for the senses.

The palace itself is of several storeys, differing from point to point, making it a cacophony of varying roof-lines, including several domes of varying sizes, plastered and painted in blue, green and gold, as well as tiled roofs. The walls are also plastered in off-white and decorated with painted friezes in geometric designs in brown, red and blue. Plants seem to be growing on parts of the roofs and on balconies, making it look as if the structure is alive with vegetation.

Long, broad steps lead up to a colonnaded entry that appears to be formed by trees forming a canopy above the huge wooden double doors. The gilded doors soar well over twice the height of the average Adhiel, and stand open during public hours, welcoming visitors into the vast entrance chamber known as the Great Hall. This chamber, its ceiling forming the first dome, is a huge open space, broken only by plastered and painted columns. Clerestory windows bathe the space in natural light, augmented by lamps hung on the columns. The Great Hall’s walls are hung with brightly coloured fabrics, depicting historical and mythological scenes; works of great art and craftsmanship. Potted trees and flowering plants flourish even here.

Here the nobility and wealthier merchants and artisans mingle, the buzz of conversation rarely pausing during public hours. Deals are struck, fortunes made and lost, as the vague scent of incense and the nearly invisible servants weave their way through the chamber. Not all who gather here are awaiting a royal audience. Indeed, there are those who merely come to see and be seen, or hear and be heard.

~~~~~

“Eabh ta seodhiu inaidha,” a young woman called in greeting, sweeping into an appropriately gauged curtsy. She was clad in the traditional sari, and the pale green of the cotton fabric declared her position as a servant of the palace. “How may a Page of the Great Palace be of service to you?” she asked, with a polite smile.