Marchitecture 2023 Age of Defiance

House of St'lur

(1. Domestic, 15. Multi-Family)
One of the preeminent examples of a Thangien manor, the House of St'lur counts itself among the oldest families tracing lineage all the way to Queen Danaetanera III. Estates such as these are built large and spacious to accommodate not just the primary family line but extended family as well. The grounds consist of a large courtyard where the family Pegasi graze and a three-level estate. Yainae found herself the lone inheritor of this ancient compound but a few decades ago, but after her pairing with Aleksander Vanstandtvoort, the family has grown by leaps and bounds to include the splinter clan Ru Ru Tiki consisting of Aurora, T'plaureth and their two sons, as well as the newlywed couples of Dais and Danae, and Azuro and Shainie O'Connor.

The Pavilion

(3. Vacation, 5. Plaza, 9. Exchange, 22. Grid)

Spoiler Warning: Unpublished Content!

Spacequake Ch.11

"I really don't get why you guys don't advertise this place more often! It's literally the biggest outdoor mall in the universe! Think of the tourism revenue you could bring in!" Shainie O'Connor gushed as she walked down the main thoroughfare of the Pavilion flanked by Ru Ru Tiki, Aurora and Chi Chi Lina, Australa. "Now that I think of it, I'm seeing alot of missed opportunities for fashion variation. I mean I get why you all would want to cover this up," Shainie tugged up the cuff of her bracer, briefly exposing her Pairing scar. She'd cobbled together a modified Thangien-style combat uniform with a vest, short skirt, and laced boots. "But that still doesn't mean you can't show off a little skin! The upper arms and midriff could use some attention! Think of all this sun you're missing!" Shainie folded her arms behind her head and glanced up at the Twin Suns.
"Oooh! I know! I can combine my fashion sense with my budding business acumen and create a new fashion line that literally combines the best of both worlds!" Shainie clapped her palms together and nodded matter-of-factly, raising one index finger. "That'll be my financial contribution to the family and all. Now where's a fabric stall around here..." Shainie paused and glanced around. Aurora and Australa exchanged awkward glances, unsure why their brother Azuro had settled for such a bubbly Oldworlder, but Yainae had instructed them to accompany their new sister-in-law on a tour of Bainshaebo.

Thananagreia

(Than-anna-gray-ah) (4. Viewpoint, 11. Sanctuary, 21. Worship)
The single largest structure in Bainshaebo-visible from space-the Citadel-Chapel symbolizes the enduring covenant between the Four Queens and the Thangien people. While the Queens themselves certainly have no need of so much space, the immense interior has served as an emergency shelter in the event of grave crises in the aftermath of the City Strife and the Blood Walk. Civilians cut off from the Traedeskaton took shelter during the frenzy of the Genesis Plague and more recently the polished halls served as a field hospital during the Weeping Death.

Citadel-Chapel Concept Doodle by Mardrena

Thananagreia, Old concept by Mardrena

Thananagreia, Entrance by Mardrena

Resembling the Parthenon at a distance, its most striking features are the four colossal stained-glass windows lining the western wall portraying the Four Queens in their respective roles. Muriab's blueprint called for an unfathomable amount of stone-more than the walls of Bainshaebo itself- that would have required all able-hands in the city to assemble. Roth exercised her divine might by conjuring the colossal structure seemingly out of thin air. Thunthen claim she pilfered precious marble from their homeworld, but the exquisite stone seems to have been sourced from the long-abandoned quarries in the Eastern Jungle.

Spoiler Warning: Unpublished Content!

Spacequake Ch. 11

Citizens yelped at the sight of the entourage walking down the main thoroughfare leading to the Rider's Citadel. While the average Thangien had certainly seen a Thunthen-especially during the Blood Dawn festival- no civilian in living memory had ever seen a Reptilloid in Bainshaebo. The Three Allies: Chi Chi Lina, Danae, Bak Thraplek, and Trakar walked abreast of each other, answering the summons to the Citadel-Chapel. Trakar's leg-implants clanked as he walked with his jerky gait.
Tanya raised an eyebrow when she heard banter coming from behind her and looked over her shoulder. She spotted Danae glancing sideways awkwardly and heard Bak and Trakar apparently bickering in their respective languages: Bak in his guttural growling tongue and Trakar with his gurgling snarling dialect. Apparently they understood each other well enough to voice retorts. Tanya paused and scooted to the side out of their path and watched as they walked past. She'd delivered enough potshots in her lifetime to know when she heard them and even though she didn't understand a lick of Thunthen or Reptilloid languages, she sussed out the gist of the argument: that Trakar somehow caused a scene on account of his implants.
"Guys!!" she exclaimed, causing Bak and Trakar to pause briefly and glance at her. "You know-on our planet-talking *censored* about each other means you like each other!" she stated, exasperated before storming past to catch up with the other Ronin. Bak and Trakar exchanged incredulous glances while Danae stifled a titter with her fingertips.

Peirolyth

(peer-OH-lith) (6. Production, 23. Complex, 28. Exercise, 26. Podium)

Peirolyth, Stained Glass Sketch by Mardrena

Academy of Peirolyth, Exterior by Mardrena

Nearly every family regardless of stature has at least one member aspiring to enter the hallowed halls of the Lady of Flames. Both the oldest and smallest of Bainshaebo's major landmarks, Fire-Stone Academy is responsible for the bulk of technical innovation. Eyurodin, Goddess of the Forge, can be seen laboring personally at the High Forge virtually around the clock. Most activity occurs on the vaulted lower level housing rows of anvils, furnaces, foundries, and bellows. The upper chambers are reserved for the Lady of Flames and no one, not even Deres, has seen what lies therein. Peirolyth is a bit of a curiosity since its architectural style vastly differs from the Greco-Roman/Mesoamerican influences of the rest of the city. It looks so out of place many wonder if it is even a building at all...

Rows of Furnaces by Mardrena

The High Forge by Mardrena

Great Forge Hall by Mardrena

Spoiler Warning: Unpublished Content!

Spacequake Ch. 11

While gathered onlookers exchanged excited gossip, Shainie glanced from the crashed object over her shoulder at the distant Academy of Peirolyth. She frowned and raised both hands, making a crude frame from her thumbs and index fingers, fixing her view of Peirolyth. She turned back around and leaned sideways, keeping the "frame" steady as she looked at the crashed vessel. Even sideways, the craft looked like a smaller, shorter version of Peirolyth. Shainie lowered her hands, staring at the craft wide-eyed. Out on the plain, two humanoid figures could be seen stumbling out of the craft, quarreling with each other like a irate couple criticizing each other's driving and navigation skills.
"I must inform the Lady of Flames!" Australa hissed to Aurora and dashed away from her sisters, weaving her way through the crowd. She cupped her hands around her mouth and let out a cry and glanced skyward over her shoulder to see her mount Sandstorm in the distance making his way to her position. She ran towards a open street and waited for Sandstorm to come in low beside her before springing up and hauling herself into the saddle. They veered up, narrowly missing pedestrians and sped through the air towards Peirolyth. Her being a renowned student and frequent visitor, no one thought different when Australa arrived in the courtyard outside and hurriedly dismounted Sandstorm, rushing up the steps two at a time.
She burst into the great hall, running between the rows of glowing furnaces on her way to the High Forge where Eyurodin, Goddess of the Forge, hammered away on the large anvil. "Lady of Flames!!" Australa shouted loud enough to be heard over the din of other artisans and causing some to pause in their work. The goddess herself paused in her labours and peered down at Ander's youngest daughter, raising an eyebrow with piqued curiosity. "Strangers have arrived out on the plain! From the Vault of Stars!" Both eyebrows went up in surprise and activity in the hall came to a standstill. Even the Nobeyl Rares manning the great bellows paused in their efforts and exchanged glances. Very seldom in history did the Goddess of the Forge pause her work and leave the High Forge unattended. Artisans and students could only watch in awe as the Lady of Flames strode down the stairs and towards the exit, accompanied by an excited Australa.
Further inside the city, on the uppermost balconies of Thananagreia reserved only for the Four Queens, Roth, Goddess of Victory, sauntered over to the rail, spying from her vantage point the vessel that had crashed in a lonesteader's field out in Kundain. Dust still hung in the air over the trench carved into the plain.

Northern Ring Sanitoriums

(7. Prisoner, 19. Asylum, 30. Enforcement)

Word reached King Wuelro of roving gangs of Afflicted breaking into homes in search of healthy victims to infect at the height of the Genesis Plague. Outraged, he commanded all Afflicted be rounded up and interred in caves in the Northern Ring. Utterly implacable and irascible, Afflicted were not content to simply stay confined. To this end, Wuelro and Eyurodin collaborated to design facilities within the calcite caverns to house and care for patients. Sporting more of a Brutalist style inspired by the Thunthen and the Palaces of Das Anazhar, caves were divided into cell blocks and the complex network of hanging rails allowed the Wardens to move patients about for care and feeding. Multiple redundant gateways were created to ensure not a single Afflicted escaped the vigil of the grim Wardens. Even after so many centuries, these implements and structures remain intact.

Prepping Patient by Mardrena

Cold Corridors by Mardrena

Abandoned Halls by Mardrena

"It's a common misconception that the Wardens somehow delighted in torture when nothing could be further from the truth. The Afflicted were utterly incorrigible, incapable of being reasoned with. Everything the Wardens did they did out of necessity not just to protect themselves and other Thangiens, but the Afflicted from one another. To this day it remains a subject of heated debate: How much of their behavior is attributed to the virus driving them to infect healthy victims to propagate itself, and how much was a result of their own resentment that if they suffered, others had to suffer as well."

— Sarah Ann Goode

Traedeskaton

(tray-DESK-ah-tawn) (2. Community, 8. Care, 25. Gathering, 29. Sanitation)

Patient Ward Isometric View by Mardrena

Central Garden Overlook by Mardrena

Medical Storage by Mardrena

Aside from Peirolyth, the Traedeskaton spearheads a majority of innovation in technology pertaining to medicine. It ties with Raaezen for the largest of Bainshaebo's "four corners landmarks". While not ideally situated being in the northeast quadrant of the city, emergency response teams quickly ferry patients from the furthest corners of Bainshaebo via carriage and more recently Pegasi. More than merely a hospital, the dedicated personnel of the Traedeskaton are notable for identifying the cause and vector of the Genesis Plague and the recent outbreak of Weeping Death. Kin Kin Aega, Coval currently serves as chief physician. Because Thangiens abhor and shun any form of genetic studies, the Traedeskaton focuses on surgical and homeopathic remedies with apothecariums, research facilities, and vast storerooms interspersed throughout the halls on every floor. At a distance it resembles a colossal step-pyramid but inside houses not just patients but the most diverse concentration of beneficial plant-life outside of Tirmutua.

Traedeskaton, Old Concept by Mardrena

Tradeskaton, Old 3d Render by Mardrena

Indoor Garden Overlook by Mardrena

The Archives of Raaezen

(10. Storage, 16. Historical, 20. Education, 27. Play)

Before their untimely murder, the ancient architects Bainshae and Kundai foresaw the need for a repository of knowledge and dedicated the northwestern quadrant of the planned city for such a structure. Comprised of multiple concentric levels and crowned by spectacular stained-glass "story-windows", the Archives contain everything from clay tablets dating to the early days of the Freelanders, intricately woven tapestries and carved sculptures-and more recently-bound paper books. During the City Strife, Yapign and his gluttonous warlords threatened to burn Raaezen to the ground if the peaceful archivists did not wait on them hand and foot. But for the efforts of dedicated llaudaind, much of Thangien history might've been lost forever. Instead of ladders, scholars seeking the upper shelves utilize a complex network of pulley-suspended seats.

Archives of Raaezen, Interior by Mardrena

Raaezen Early Concept by Mardrena

Archives of Raaezen: Exterior by Mardrena

The Halo Forge

(12. Temporary)
Before a student of Peirolyth even touches one of the primary facilities, they are instructed to create what is termed a "mobile forge" using packed earth, heat-refracting gems, raw phergon, and an anvil either created from stone or more recently reprocessed slag courtesy of a Pegasi companion. Chi Chi Lina, Australa oversaw the creation of such a forge to repair the broken Sword of Light, and while intended to be used but once, the facility hidden in the ruins of the Pinnacle Caverns remains active.

Mazzan

(13. Transportation, 24. Mobile)
Somewhat of a misnomer, the "Dome of Mazzan" actually refers to the invisible network of airshields intended to protect beasts housed within the grounds from opportunistic gherfen as well as keep unruly pegacorns and now Pegasi from escaping. More of a complex than a singular structure, the facility itself consists of a large central pen surrounded by smaller paddocks with stables and storage built underground. Mazzan actually went through an unintended renovation recently since the original structure which had stood since Deres' time crumbled as a result of the Thunthen attack on Ru Ru Tiki, Paigasurin. Master-Breeder Dar Dar Vanes, Norin, oversees the breeding and care of animals from chamia hens, fyrhundi, and Pegasi. In its bowels beneath the central pen lies a sealed environment housing the last surviving healthy pegacorns in the hope that a cure to the contagion introduced by the Thunthen can be found.

The Pit of Spikes

(14. Spectator, 18. Marriage)
A relatively new addition to the city nestled between the Riders Citadel and the Traedeskaton, the Pit has become the go-to location to settle duels. In the past duels usually occurred on the spot, but this small arena lends an air of professionalism to otherwise gory proceedings. Ander created the titular Pit during his duel with Roland Ekrich, but the Goddess of Righteous War, Witheren, added her personal touch creating the gruesome spikes. A Trael de Nuca (Trial of Love) is generally fought with the spikes exposed while a Trael de Vaor (Trial of Worth) is fought with the pit sealed.

Lost City

17. Ruined

Spoiler Warning: Unpublished Content!

Spacequake Ch. 11

Ryo staggered to his feet, still dizzy from the ordeal. He glanced at Ritho and another vision entered his mind. He could see dozens-if not hundreds-of Natives gathered in a crowd, teeth bared and ears flattened in rage. Unlike T'plaureth and T'Brandon, they looked fully unclothed, their normally white fur darkened with dirt and their manes disheveled. They snarled and jeered, their rage boiling over and they surged forth in a flood towards a young woman with a blue cowl and shawl. Before they got close, the woman let out an almighty scream that echoed through the jungle and lashed her arm to the side, knocking away the frenzied throngs with an invisible shockwave and sending them tumbling. Behind them, ornate stone buildings crumbled as if flattened by an immense fist that rolled forward further into the city, leveling trees and structures alike.
Ritho flicked a glance at Ryo and scowled, irritated that their minds had touched however briefly. Her expression softened somewhat and Ryo could read remorse in her eyes and that the incident still weighed heavily on her conscience even after so long.

Fire-Stone Academy, Top-view by Mardrena

Citadel-Chapel, Interior by Mardrena

Traedeskaton Patient Floor by Mardrena

Fire-Stone Academy by Mardrena