Closed [GST] An Architectural Masterpiece: Palsa Hydrasa (Clyde)

[Sayana]

An Architectural Masterpiece: Palsa Hydrasa

Summer 56, 517 AV – The Great Library

The Great Library was aptly named, not just for its grand and high reaching ceilings but for the immense collection of books shelved within. Windows were fashioned cleverly to glean as much light as possible from outdoors, despite being in the first basement of the Gug Andjak. The cool air that pervaded the library was a welcome respite from the heat of mid-summer.

Books of varying topics were shelved high upon the walls. On either side there were two narrow cat walks to access the upper bookcases, whereas the back wall was an immense unbroken array of volumes reaching from floor to ceiling. Throughout the room were a collection of wooden tables and chairs. Candles adorned these surfaces in intricate candleholders, although only a few were fully lit. There were three nuit currently in the library, each with a small collection of books laid out at their table. One was scribbling notes in a journal, whereas the other two were deeply lost in a single book and with several candle stubs next to them.

There were a few other pieces of furniture in the library. An empty fireplace stood at the front, some plush chairs were arranged with side tables for more comfortable reading, and a three rung step ladder that was tucked away in a corner. But more notably, were the catalog golems that wheeled about with trays, filing and returning books to their proper home. There were only two which were active and every so often they would reach out their simple arms to slide a book into place.

The books themselves were arranged in alphabetical order. Many had titles relating to magic and specific areas of research. Usually only the successful instances were recorded, but a few held cautionary writings on research gone wrong. Other books which were more faded and worn held historical content and even old titles from Alahea.

On the back wall, second shelf, and nearly reaching the ceiling was a large book with a non-descript beige cover. It was pulled out slightly, whether intentional or not, and was listed along with the other books beginning with ‘A’.

An Architectural Masterpiece: Palsa Hydrasa
by Elliot Rubin

Even for a tall man, the volume was considerably high up and beyond reach. The books next to it held a layer of dust and the volume itself would give off an old musky scent when opened. However, the pages were in reasonably good condition, with only a few tattered edges and some diagrams faded with the passing of over a century.

[Clyde Sullins]

While Clyde was in Sahova he often took the chance to visit the Great Library. Learning was a strong need for Clyde, to expand his knowledge and thereby power. For him learning was its own need, not necessarily tied to a specific subject or end desire, simply the need and desire to grow and learn more... So long as it was in some way useful to him.

Considering his varying interests, skills, and abilities, that often encapsulated quite a few things. Nothing learned was ever enough, and he always was in need of learning something new.

Unfortunately most of the works in the Library were written in the ancient tongue, a rare language except perhaps on Sahova. Fortunately, Clyde had a passing understanding of the language, and while not fluent could read it well enough if more slowly and with more care than the common tongue.

Clyde wasn't sure what specifically he wanted to read about, not having a particular desire or subject, instead settling on browsing until something caught his eye and thus his interest.

Walking about slowly but at a steady pace, Clyde inspected the spines of books as Cha sat snug in his hand. The difference pulling his attention, Clyde noticed one book sticking out slightly compared to its neighbors. His eyes alighted on the book, focusing on reading its title. His eyes caught the word Architecture, and he recalled his relatively speaking recent attempts at building with Reimancy. His pycon cave in Alvadas, and long ago a short lived wall to block arrows... Building with Reimancy was one of his current and only interests for the magic, having learned most everything he could about killing and destroying with it.

The Palsa Hydrasa was a somewhat familiar term to him, having worked in it long ago on Sahova when... His memories appearing muddled, Clyde couldn't quite recall why he'd been there or worked there, as his memories of that time of his life were often odd and sometimes seemingly contradictory. Not finding it important Clyde forgot the forgotten memory, instead focusing on the book at and.

Fetching the ladder off out of the way, Clyde climbed aboard in order to reach the tome. Unfortunately as he wasn't a nuit these particular golem wouldn't respond to him, which meant either asking a nuit for assistance or fetching it himself.

Once he had it down he'd head over to a empty table and chair, and after brushing the book clean of dust opened it to inspect some of its contents. Perhaps, he thought to himself, the book would give him a chance to learn something useful to his side project of building things. Preferably things usable by humans, and ones that didn't crumble shortly after he left them alone.

[Sayana]

The tome was fairly large with substantial weight to it. The cover, although plain, was made of thin oak while the pages were of a heavy parchment. The first page opened to a luscious depiction of the Palsa Hydras. This would be the only coloured image in the entire book and even so, it was faded with time. The blues of the interior tiles and arches were faint, but the embellished glory of the building could not be denied. At the top of this first page, the title of the volume was repeated once more, in the ancient language, and below the illustration was a date.

Written in 304 AV

The next page opened up to the Table of Contents. The writing was small and precise, despite not filling the entire page and there were page numbers indicating the start of each section of the book.

An Architectural Masterpiece: Palsa Hydrasa

Table of Contents
Introduction
History of the Palsa Hydras
Cultural Significance
Iconic Architectural Features
In-depth Study of the Building Design and Construction
Repairs and Maintenance across the Centuries
List of Figures
Closure

If one were to flip idly through the book, there would be the occasional sketch within the main body, however all the complex figures and diagrams would be found organized near the end of the volume.

[Clyde Sullins]

Upon opening the page, Clyde was presented with a well depicted image of the Palsa. From his own memories it seemed pretty accurate, though the one he knew was centuries older. This was known by the dating below, showing the illustration and the book were centuries old. Not pre-Valt old, but still old.

On a whim Clyde felt out with his aura sense towards the book, a tendril extending out of Cha which was still gripped in his left hand while his right turned the pages carefully.

He wasn't sure what he'd sense, not having spent as much time sensing non-living things, though he imagined since it was non-magical it wouldn't tell him too much. Still, perhaps with a deeper gleaning of its aura he'd sense some trace upon it which might be interesting or informative. Surely after spending centuries being handled by wizards and sitting in the Sahovan library it had an interesting story or two to tell.

Having written a book, or technically a short treatise, he could respect another authors work. Still, he hadn't considered dating his own when he'd done it. Considering it now he supposed perhaps he should add a date to his own works, though felt odd about post dating his earlier copies and creations.

Clyde was more concerned with some chapters than others, or more to the point more interested. He wasn't too worried about culture iconography. Its design, construction, repair, and figures, whatever the last one was, seemed interesting.

But first things first, Clyde turned to the introduction, in hopes that it would tell him something in general that might be of importance later for his reading. He might not read all of the bits, but he'd certainly read the introduction. Depending on its length and if it gave him any reason to go somewhere else, he'd probably quickly page through and skim the other chapters until he got to the chapter on its design and construction.

[Sayana]

The book, if studied auristically and in a material sense, would provide evidence that the physical nature matched the timeline of when it was written. The cover and parchment were old and suggested that this was either an original or a copy made around the time it was written. The parchment was made of sheepskin and the cover of oak, and neither were native to the island of Sahova. There were also many preserving compounds added to the parchment when it was first created. Despite such preservation, one might discover that some of the pages are faded and others torn.

If the master aurist looked further, he might be able to determine that over the last year or so, the book had been subjected to mild exposure to res. Even further into its history, about five to ten years ago, there had been glyphs on both the front and back covers. However, the glyphs have long since been activated and used, and are no longer visible to the naked eye. When the book had first been put together, it had been in possession of a single wizard for nearly half a century, and traces of that wizard’s aura might remain, however even that might be beyond the ability of a master aurist to conclude.

When the mage opened the book to the introduction, the heading was displayed in stylized characters as well as the first letter of each paragraph. Instead of a floral or nature theme to the decoration, there was a focus on construction, building elements and magic. For example the ‘I’ might be displayed as a column or a ‘G’ as a half completed semi-circular arch. Each was utilitarian and not overly complex, but added flavour to the read.

Introduction

It is said that of all structures on the island of Sahova, the Palsa Hydrasa may be the most integral aspect of all society. Others argue that it is the Citadel walls that protect us, but it is the Palsa Hydrasa that fulfills our most essential needs. As such, it should come to no surprise the elegance and function of this unique piece of architecture.

Since the founding of Sahova, as part of the Advanced Rapid Metalife Extraction and Deployment project, the Palsa Hydrasa has stood the test of time across the centuries. To have withstood the destruction of the Valterrian, less than a decade after its construction is a true testament to its superior design. Its beauty need only speak for itself in the moment one first enters this grand building.

Many regard its halls and chambers with wonder and awe, but they do not know how it came to be built with two hundred mages in the span of only three years. They did not know the strength of the Alahean Empire and the fusion of architecture and magic in the days of glory. They were not there. But I was.

In this manuscript, I have outlined the details regarding the founding of Sahova, the initial inspiration and design of the Palsa Hydrasa, the purpose and significance of this building, a detailed look at the design and construction, and the repairs and maintenance made across the centuries to keep it standing strong.

I am a historian and architect in the making. This manuscript details many of my findings of the old Alahean architecture. It is my duty to record and safekeep such information so that one day the empire might rise again. The Palsa Hydrasa has utmost importance since my own res, my own ‘being’ resides within its stones.

To Alahea and the days of old.

Let us seek the sky.

[Clyde Sullins]

As he touched the book by hand, paired with what he could see in its aura, he could tell it was quite an old tome.

One of the older ones he'd felt, certainly outside of the libraries of Zeltiva and Sahova, though perhaps not the oldest. He could feel the soft stretched skin of the sheets, the hard wooden cover instead of a leather binding. He couldn't tell what type of either they were, didn't sense a familiar origin in their aura. But then, he'd not spent too much time senses skins and trees for comparison.

He could also vaguely sense traces of djed rubbed off upon the book, though he would need more time to tell more. He did wonder why he would be sensing djed traces across it, beyond the normal ambient djed common to the island of Sahova.

Secondarily he let the aura tendril dig into the book, pondering upon things, letting his main focus slide to reading the book itself.

After a few pages he noted some of the stylized notes, adding to the theme of the book or intended to. It was also obvious soon enough that the book was written by a nuit, leaving Clyde to ponder if the author of centuries ago was still alive and on the island.

He was interested to see the name of the Sahova project, the Advanced Rapid Metalife Extraction and Deployment project... It seemed like a long name, and he couldn't recall if he had heard it before or not, or read it before. He also hadn't realized that Sahova, or at least that aspect of it, had been completed so close to the Valterrian. He'd never considered it before, having always assumed it had stood for centuries beforehand.

The term Alahean empire stirred up memories, but these like his memories of the Palsa were somewhat muddled. He vaguely recalled an odd trip, something he'd thought might have been a dream, only he was fairly certain it wasn't. He'd seen buildings, mages, people, leaving him to wonder for a moment at the odd memories stirred up by the name.

Unfortunately for Clyde, the introduction did hold something of his interest, hinting at something to come. The history of Sahova being formed, not just the Palsa but the islands citadel, that was of interest...

As was the bit at the end of the introduction, Alahea, and then a focus on its meaning. Clyde knew ancient tongue, knew the words, but he'd never really considered that the old empire that Sahova had been an outpost of, Alahea, that its name had further meaning. As a mage, as a user of the ancient tongue, he could see its beauty and logic. What more did a mage do, did anyone seek, but than to seek out and reach for the sky. To strive for more.

He didn't agree in focusing on what was, on the past, as that seemed an unhealthy obsession on what never could be again. Still, knowing the past was important to learn and to avoid previously made mistakes. Clyde would reach for the sky in his own way, but he'd still like to know how others had failed to do so before so as to avoid making those same mistakes.

Letting out a sigh, Clyde turned to the first chapter, the history of the Palsa and per the earlier bit in the introduction Sahova itself to a degree.

[Sayana]

History of the Palsa Hydrasa

War and strife. It is with great irony that they bring about our greatest hardships and our greatest advancements. The Alahean Empire had been at war with the Suvan for over a millennia. Neither side had gained much in the way of territory or strategic maneuvering, but we of Alahea were losing moral and people against the never ending tide of bloodthirsty Suvans. Something had to be done.

In the year following Emperor Kovinus’s death, the situation became dire. Zarik Mashean, the newly appointed court mage, contrived a plan to reinvigorate Alahea’s magical prowess. Long had the empire’s mages suffocated under Kovinus’s reign, and many jumped at the opportunity to be part of Mashean’s new research facility. Some saw Mashean’s initiative as an abandonment to the young Queen Kova in a time where an advisor was needed most, yet the majority saw the need to gain a magical advantage to quell the Suvan hordes.

In 10 BV, Mashean founded the island of Sahova through the ARMED project initiative. A heavily fortified site was chosen and thus began the excavation of volcanic rock that ultimately would form most of three sides of the Citadel, embedded in the cliffs. However even as construction began and wizards flocked to become a part of this new initiative, there became a more pressing concern to the newly created nuit. A need for fresh bodies and a place to store them.

Thus, one year following the start of the excavation, plans were done up for the Palsa Hydrasa. Within a season, tunnelling had already commenced using reimancy to connect the Palsa Hydras to the Sahovan beaches and foundations of the structure began the season following. Of the task force of approximately three thousand mages employed to construct the Citadel, two hundred mages were specially assigned the task of the Palsa Hydrasa. Many were reimancers, but equal in number were the animators charged with the creation and supervision of construction golems.

The first obstacle of the project was the controversy between using natural rock and reimanced rock in the construction of Palsa Hydrasa. Throughout the excavation required for the Citadel, natural rock was in abundance but its quality and shape was questionable. Conversely, reimanced rock varied by mage and at times was even more unpredictable, despite easily molded to any shape. It was soon forcefully decided that the natural volcanic rock would make up the bulk of the structure’s composition. Reimancers were to be extra mindful during the excavation so that the rock could be reused, and reimanced rock would only be used in the form of mortar between stones. Although the potential for a smoother and refined look ceased to be possible, the importance of consistency and restricted res usage won out.

Over the course of construction, many magical techniques were refined. Animation was most prevalent with five to ten golems for every mage. Such golems came in a variety of shapes and sizes, each serving a single purpose. There were several instances of lives lost. Mostly this was due to instances of overgiving, but occasionally there were collapses and careless excavation with reimancy. Work on all aspects of the Citadel progressed quickly, as both mage and golem alike worked night and day. Construction on the Palsa Hydrasa was completed in 6 BV with full interior finishings, while the rest of the Citadel was finished one year later.

With the fortified facility complete, research began in earnest. However, as with all good things come with disastrous results. A mere five years later, and supposedly on Queen Kova’s wedding day and the start of peace with the Suvan, the world shook like never before. Cracks split open, passages caved in, shields ripped apart, even magma was said to be seen in the lower levels of the Citadel. Even as fortified as it was, Sahova was not immune to the effects of the Valterrian. But with the ash laden skies and the fires that burned across the continent, it was far better off than most places. The nuit were too, as there was no need for food and fresh water. But we had problems of our own. Our need of fresh unscathed bodies was soon in short supply.

For the next two centuries, the Palsa Hydrasa became a sanctuary and gathering point for the nuit on the island. The damaged columns were replaced and large cracks were assessed and sealed as necessary. New research went into better embalming techniques to preserve the few bodies we could obtain. It was our safe haven and truly blessed with structural strength to have withstood the wake of the Valterrian.

Since the Valterrian, there have been few instances that would jeopardize the longevity of this beautiful structure. More notably was the great fire of 244 which raged through the Quarters and set fire to the roof of the Palsa Hydrasa. Many blame inferior shield upkeep on less accessible areas of the Palsa Hydrasa, but the result required a complete replacement of all timber beams used in the roofs of the building. There was skepticism on the use of wood instead of stone, but it was decided that the original plans were to be preserved. On the other hand, the extensive repair work provided the opportunity to install the great Amaryllis Pool which was set into the main hall with extensive quantities of her unique embalming solution.

Today, the Palsa Hydrasa remains a fixture in Sahovan history. With each passing day, more of the Alahean Empire is being rediscovered and we are not the only ones to have survived catastrophic Valterrian. As cities rebuild and people grow and populate once more, there is hope that we may reunite and vanquish our foes once and for all.

Intermittently throughout Clyde’s reading, a catalogue golem would wheel itself past the table he was seated. At first, it would seem like the regular patterns required for filing books, however as time went on, it would repeat the same path several times. As Clyde reached the end of the chapter, the pacing could almost be described as that of an impatient yet shy child.

[Clyde Sullins]

In general Clyde wasn't a student of history, but as it applied to him he was interested. Learning about the history of the island he worked on could only be useful.

Some of what he read he had vaguely known, of some long ago war and Sahova being made in response. Many of the particulars though had been lost on him before if he'd ever been told them.

The ARMED project, the year the island citadel was formed, the name of the mage formerly in charge, and the reasoning behind making the place.

Being mainly nuit, it did make sense that the ability to preserve and store bodies would be of great import.

The island of volcanic rock was cut into, tunneled, and reformed with Reimancy. Golems and Animators also played a role it seemed, perhaps making various golems to do simple or repetitive construction tasks... Djed wise it made sense he supposed, as not everything could be built and made with Reimancy. Taking away with subtractive use of the magic was much easier than adding with it, which he supposed was something a golem could do much better at less djed cost.

Clyde had also not considered before the types of rock made with Reimancy. Its type, consistency, feel, density, and use. It would make sense, he supposed, that not all res created elements would be the same among different mages.

Using Res as mortor therefore, to hold the stone together, made an odd sense. Something also that Clyde had not considered before. Of course Clyde felt it was somewhat reasonable to assume that though there were many mages, may Reimancers, they wouldn't all be equally skilled. Certainly, Clyde thought, not as skilled and efficient at creating and controlling res as Clyde himself was.

As Clyde finished the excerpt, he paused in thought, mulling over all he'd read. As he did he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. A golem, apparently interested in Clyde, was buzzing by. One hand still on the book, Clyde turned to see the golem looping around again, the same one buzzing by.

Frowning Clyde stared at the golem as it neared in its passing. “Yes, can I help you with something?”

Of course, Clyde wasn't sure if the golem could even understand him, let alone his tone. They didn't after all work for pulsers, so he supposed it might not even detect his words.

If the golem didn't reply or respond in some way that Clyde could understand he would simply turn back to the book, turning to read the next page while keeping an eye out for the golem buzzing by. Perhaps he could even figure out what it was getting at, or trying to do.

[Sayana]

The catalogue golem, which was comprised of a tray, two appendages with pincer-like hands, and a wheeled contraption for movement, was unresponsive to Clyde’s words. However, it did make two attempts to reach for the book on the table. Neither attempt was successful due to the mage’s hand on the book, but it did manage to nudge the book slightly before wheeling away. The golem appeared to give up for the time being, but if Clyde watched its movement, it could be seen rolling itself near the tall bookshelf in which he had originally found the book.

Should the mage flip to the next page, it would be substantially faded compared to the other sections so far. Only the title was clearly legible.

Cultural Significance

Th oughout th centu ies, the Pal a Hydrsa has been a corne stone for nu t soc ety on Saho a. Desp te each mag conduct ng the r day to day rese ch
ind vidually, the Palsa Hyd asa unites all membe s of he isle and is a centr for renewa. Not on y is it essent al for eve y rebirth, but th ough the advanced emba ming p ocesses, bod es have been p eserved for long r and onger du ations.

Fo such a signif cant funct on, the Pa sa Hydrasa has a st ucture and interior to match. The Rube um Chamber has an ntensely comp ex yet structu ally sound set of vau ts. Wh le the uppe en rance hall is tiled with pr stine decor, the epitome of both beau y and cleanl ness. . .

If Clyde were to magically inquire as to the nature of the faded ink, it could be determined that these pages lacked the preservatives that the others contained. However, he might notice low quantities of a much newer substance, not on these pages, but further into the book and quite possibly in the later chapters. He had the option to linger on the faded ink or press onwards to make the most of his time.

[Clyde Sullins]

From the golems response, it appeared to Clyde that it was trying to take the book he was reading. Why it was doing that he wasn't sure, but he sure as petch wasn't giving it up until he was done with it.

Perhaps once he was done he'd let it have the book, and see what it did, but for now he wasn't letting it out of his grasp.

Reading onward, Clyde found some of the text wasn't quite so legible, namely the next section. From the context and words visible he was able to make out most of what was said, though it took him several read throughs till he felt he'd understood most of it.

It seemed to be all about nuit getting together, being able to better preserve bodies, vaults(for storing bodies?), with the tone of the building... Matching its function/use? Though he more or less got the gist of what was being said, Clyde didn't really get it. Or at least, he didn't get why it was intended as being interesting or useful. He'd decided not to skip any sections due to what had been said before, but now that he was in the section of the book he found it just as boring to his mind as he'd expected.

Why would people care about longevity of body storage, or social interactions of nuits? Clyde supposed some might find it interesting, perhaps nuits, but then as he wasn't a nuit perhaps it made sense he had less interest than the nuit that had likely written the book.

Pressing onward Clyde would flip through any remaining pages on the cultural chapter, skimming and reading chapter headings for anything that caught his interest, before quickly skipping to the next chapter in hope of finding something of true interest to him.