Ma’tallon Part Three: A City Touches the Sky

Click here for Ma’tallon Part 1: Geography

Click here for Ma’tallon Part 2: A Further Look

After Kalduuhn broke free of Gathran, leaving the former Empire in its confines of the diminished woods that had in ancient times been the Gathrani’s territory, Lyrnaela Kassor became Queen of Kalduuhn. She introduced the Kalduuhnean Calendar, and added a second city layer above the original one in Ma’tallon. Again, taxes were raised for this undertaking, and again steeloaks were purchased from Honas Graigh.

The elves of Gathran, instead of golden Suns, asked for grain, and every time steeloak or derivates of the trees were requested, the payment was given in form of wheat, spelt and rye. What had once been a lucrative business for Gathran became a means of supplementing her own granaries. They also supplied the crafters needed to work the wood. (It’s fascinating because as Gathran contracted, those versed in working steeloak who remained outside of the Empire’s control died “inexplicably.” ~P) (Gathran made sure they were the only ones with the knowledge on how to cut and work those trees. ~K)

In Lyrnaela’s lifetime, another three layers were added to the city, bringing the floors above the ground level to a grand total of five. Internal riggings against the wind and a protective latticework to prevent people plummeting to their deaths, both made from steeloak bark, were also added during her reign. (One should note that there had been numerous accidental deaths in the first few decades. The initial railings were insufficient for drunkards and careless, unattended children.) Kalduuhn’s engineering had continued to evolve in the millennia of Empire, and while people always associated Gathran with architectural feats, without Kalduuhni ingenuity none of the bridges, roads, aqueducts, arches and so forth would have happened. (Gathran excelled at improving other people’s designs. ~K)

How did people reach the layers above ground level? Nowadays, the answer is more than obvious: elevators. Liarnna’s idea of abandoning stairs for reaching the higher levels (If we are to believe Lyrnaela’s recollections ~P) was initially dismissed, not because it was unfeasible, but because the lifts were used to transport raw materials for houses, at times even fully disassembled buildings to that first level. Construction crews had always utilized magic to operate the rope and pulley systems, but it was this new kind of city’s requirements that required innovation. Yes, ropes and pulleys linked to a wheel propelled by magic had been a staple of builders for millennia before this, but the scope of this undertaking was beyond anyone’s experience. The Great capstaeds and arenas had required hundreds of engineers to conceptualize and build, with ingenious minds solving problems on a scale never before imagined. Sure, once the complications that accompany every such architectural undertaking had been solved, construction always went so much more smoothly. But this was different.

Everything that made the construction of arena and capstaed possible was used for the layer of a new city resting above the old. Steeloak was too expensive to use in houses, and insulating walls against the cold proved even more difficult in light of each new level being bare of vegetation. The engineers determined that the best way to ensure insulated houses was liquid stone plates, saturated with miniature amphorae to make them lighter.

Hundreds of lifts ran for years, transporting work crews and material up to the new level. Soon ropes made from steeloak bark replaced weaker hempen ones, and with the load capacity improved, the number of lifts was reduced while the newer ones carried much more weight up a score-and-a-half of yards. (None of the already existent buildings were reduced in height, so the tallest ones determined the height of that first set of steeloak trunks. ~P)

Add to that the pipes required for both fresh water and sewage. It took years of trial and failure to get it all working properly. (Elves can be flighty at times. Since their lifespan is so much longer than that of a human, their idea of finishing what they started usually differs from that of a human. Considering that Ma’tallon was a concerted effort of dozens of engineers working with nary a break for decades, this human certainly admires, and fears, such single-minded dedication. ~D) (Whoever this D person is, he is not wrong. ~K) As the first layer grew, the workers and engineers, and their families, were the first to move into the new building. Fresh water was pumped into tanks spread across this new layer, at times becoming part of the architecture itself – though as the Kalduuhneans developed more of this kind of engineering, they sought better ways to store and distribute water. Needless to say, the water pressure on the levels depends on the availability of a ceiling. (The cisterns are usually placed higher than the buildings, which made the ceilings the ideal repository for water. Initially, I reckon, the process was rather tedious for a mage to remind a wheel it had been rolling all day long to get the water up to that first level. ~P) They soon began to also store rainwater in those cisterns, making things a little less monotonous for the utility mages.

Parallel to building cisterns underneath the ceilings, the Kalduuhnean engineers also began to explore the option of an underground cistern for the surplus rainwater. Sure, Broggagh’s clergy could have asked the god for less rain, but that would have been as selfish as the rulers elsewhere asking for better weather in their vacationing spots. Plus, Queen Lyrnaela and her advisors had not forgotten the sunargh-created monstrosities. (Isn’t it curious that we can remember that something happened, but not why? ~K) (I read something about… something. Not only did it slip my mind but the notes I had made have vanished. ~P) The Queen was all too aware of the need for pristine water. Sure, mages aided in water purification, something they had been doing in all the bath houses all over Gathran for millennia. The problem was that a reliance on mages, or even the River Tallon, might prove catastrophic in the future. What if a horde of barbarians were to lay siege to Ma’tallon? What if the protective chain had to be raised, thus creating an obstacle for animal carcasses? Sure, the river’s current is rather strong, but that did not mean the water could not be contaminated. They needed to store more water, just in case the cisterns underneath the layers ran dry, or an opponent began to poison the river . . . or worse, go the Empire’s way and simply redirect the river to cut the city off completely. Broggagh had never interfered with dams, canals, or the digging of a new riverbed. To hope on the gods’ interference, they thought, was the epitome of foolishness. (They’re not wrong. ~K) (They’re also not completely correct. ~P)

But as Ma’tallon’s original level was plunged into twilight, not just the nobles complained. Traders, priests, ministers, anyone who lived in the lower city felt the absence of Lesganagh’s glowing orb. The alleyways between houses felt like soulless canyons, with the walls’ deepening shadows allowing for hiding places for all sorts of undesirables. The darkness cast as shadow on people as well as places, and despair drove people to seek release by means of various intoxicants. Queen Lyrnaela conferred with both her daughter Liarnna and Kaer, the chief builder. By that time Liarnna had begun learning with numerous philosophers. (We’re good for some things after all. ~K) The girl suggested a series of mirrors not unlike those used in defeating the Zyrreni when the Bridge was still held by Gathran. Her idea: to have a series of mirrors redirect sunlight into the gloom of that lower level. Kaer, obviously impressed with the young girl’s inspiration, suggested a few additions.

Now there are mirrors on top of several prominent buildings, most importantly the Royal Palace, which in turn redirects the light from the outside to the ceiling beneath whose sewage pipes and cisterns hang many reflective surfaces to disperse the light in a pleasant manner. The outside mirrors are adjusted manually according to the time of day.

With illumination being a problem no longer, the intoxicant problem became more localized, but became more of a problem when criminals tried to lure less well-to-do people into their devious nets. Lyrnaela tasked one of her Upholders with the creation of the first law-enforcement group. That group, ultimately, became the Knights of Kalduuhn. Breiamhbéo’s own police force is based on these Knights. (Far less bloody, but still. ~K) (Just because we don’t have Cullings… ~R)

The underground cistern wasn’t forgotten either, but it took time to locate the perfect place. Unfortunately that place was right underneath the Royal Palace and the adjacent Capstaed. (When the gods piss on you, they never stop in mid-stream, do they? ~D) (Crude but accurate. ~R) What followed then was as revolutionary as it was audacious. (Not to mention bold, unheard of, with a part of “What the bloody Scales?” thrown in for good measure. ~K)

With four layers added in her lifetime, Lyrnaela now planned for the next step on the path of reshaping not only Ma’tallon but also Kalduuhnean society.

The Law of Consequence had been in effect for a few years already, and now with the shape of Ma’tallon finally changing, the Knights of Kalduuhn finally began their work in earnest.

As long as they remained in their own homes, keeping an eye on the wealthy and powerful was bound to become a full-time occupation. With the only place for an additional cistern being beneath Palace and Capstaed, Liarnna, having succeeded the aging Kaer as chief builder, conferred with her sisters and her mother as to what had to happen. Queen Lyrnaela wanted to make it easier for law enforcement to keep an eye on the wealthy and nobles. The plan: to tear the old palace down, carve the cistern into the bedrock beneath, and the build a new palace, bigger than anything seen before. One of its sides would touch the capstaed, its balconies serving as boxes for the royal family and the wealthy and powerful. This new palace was to have all the amenities one could think of, from baths to steam rooms. Each wing would have a number of suites, comparable in luxury as a noble’s villa, if not better, albeit occupying a smaller space. The best crafters from all over Taogh were to be hired to create a luxury domicile the world had not seen before. (At least Taogh hadn’t seen before. The Imperial Palace in Breiamhbéo was designed to reflect Ma’tallon’s Royal Palace, and while it surpassed it in terms of spaciousness, its architects could not copy the unique vision behind the original. ~P) (Shit, I tried to find an argument against this but I couldn’t. ~K) (Ha-ha. ~P)

A model of the new palace was presented to the public, read nobles and wealthy, in 44 K.C. and caused quite a stir. It had taken Liarnna a decade to plan and map out everything, from the cellars and sewer system, the heating of all levels, modifying those designs again and again, whenever her mother or sisters had an idea too good to ignore. (Every woman of the Royal House of Kassor has traditionally only had daughters, aided by magic, if I were to guess, though there have been persistent rumors that boys were given away to be raised by political allies. ~K) (Yeah, that makes sense, especially since they started adopting human boy children in the last few centuries. ~P) (This requires closer inspection. ~R)

Soon many of the buildings surrounding the old royal palace were donated to House Kassor. The owners were compensated with several canthans each. (Canthan, in this case, is not the military unit but an area, consisting of 100 Douffields. Please refer to the appropriate scrolls about lengths and such. ~P) (Don’t bother, it’s a big area, that’s all you need to know. ~K)

The donated buildings, in turn, were torn down as well. Soon the area that was the Royal Palace and its immediate surroundings was bare, all buildings torn down. Excavating the granite that lay beneath the palace took a decade. The Rule of Consequence was voided until the completion of whatever reconstruction the Queen and her ministers had in mind. One of the reasons for the slow pace for the cistern was that the granite needed to be cut out of the stone in the near perfect size that has been the standard for all bricks since the early days of the Empire. The goal was to reuse these stones in the construction of the new Royal Palace.

Within a few months of excavation, the construction began, next to the capstaed. In addition to the cistern, existing cellars and the sewer system were enlarged and overhauled. As the cistern grew, so did the palace. (I’ve seen the thing with my own eyes, it’s magnificent. The walls’ exteriors are encased in marble, statues and mosaics displaying gods and elves alike, scenes from battles alternate with still lifes depicting triumphs and nature. Where the Palace touches the racetrack’s seats, the stone has been selected to match that of the capstaed, even extending the graffiti ecstatic fans have adorned the stadium walls with. And inside, – gods, if there had been any doubt who Gathran’s architects and engineers had been; doubt no more… ~P)

It took years to complete the Royal Palace, and by 60 K.C. it was finally finished. A monstrosity if ever there was one. Roughly u-shaped fifteen Slighes at its widest and around seven Slighes deep in the wings, each wing in turn is around three Slighes wide. (In other words the bottom of the U is 1800 feet wide, with the wings 840 feet deep, and both 360 feet in breadth. ~K) As the capstaed’s height of one Slighe had already determined the height of the pillars, one Slighe plus a Sgoltadh, (or 130 feet) The Palace could not be higher. The flat roofs all over the old city provided additional pillaring for the sewer pipes underneath the platform, eventually plunging the ground level into twilight again, despite the mirrors. (A few centuries later, an engineer and mage came up with a solution that helped illuminate the city. ~P) The Palace’s U-form frames the cistern, and while Liarnna had initially suggested erecting a bathhouse or an arena between the wings, Queen Lyrnaela demanded a garden be built in the space, and her will was done. The garden is an oasis of green in the stone of the lower city. (Most of it is open to the public, aside from a sanctuary reserved for the royal family. Frolicking there is not quite the same as in a meadow, but with enough drink, one can imagine being in a clearing, surrounded by massive trees. ~T) (I must admit, I’ve never seen anyone frolicking. ~P) (Neither have I. ~K) (You’ve been missing out. It’s an orgy for the sophisticated. ~T)