Architecture

Around the world of Myrrn there are numerous styles of architecture used. These stem mostly from the prevailing climate and from the available materials. To a lesser degree the racial habits of the builders come into play in determining the styles used. Human:     In the inland areas, especially in wooded areas the typical single family dwelling is a thatch-roofed cottage. Walls are generally fieldstone. Most have at least one chimney. Rushes over dirt serve as flooring. A sign of wealth is a stone floor. These dwellings typically are a single room with little differentiation in utility. Furniture is rudimentary, usually consisting of a single table and two benches. Wooden pallets make up the sleeping arrangements and these are put away during the day to allow more usable space in the dwelling. If more room is needed, along one or more walls lofts are constructed. These are used for storage and in some cases sleeping spaces. The lofts consist of rough scaffolding topped by wooden planks. In most cases they are narrow and low ceilinged. Occasionally, the loft will extend all the way across the living area turning it into a true attic. In area where field stones are less common, lath and plaster make up the wall structure.
    For larger, more expensive or public buildings, one will oft times find slate roofed structures. The slated structures almost always have paved floors and internal walls. As a general rule, the slate roofed structures are more than one story tall. The first floor exterior walls are cut stone bricks and mortar. Internal walls are usually lathe and plaster topped by heavy beams. Climates where this type of architecture is found typically have definite changes of season but the winters are not severe. Areas with significant snowfall will show some variation to support the weight of accumulated snow. Where these variations are found one should also find some sort of insulative factor added to the walls. This can be heavy hangings on the walls or paneling. Another sign to look for indicating severe winters is the presence of a covered porch or walkway serving as a storage space for firewood. The larger the woodpile, the worse the anticipated winter. A good example of this type of architecture can be found in the city of Tethys and its surrounding countryside.
   Another example of human architecture can be found in the northlands and on the continent Gofstad. This is the long house variety of dwelling. These structures are generally found in climates where the winters are severe and there is an abundance of large timber. The long house is a heavily built structure that has large horizontal timbers making up the walls. A peaked roof is added, the chinks between the timbers are caulked with mud and moss and then the entire thing is mounded over with earth. The usual arrangement for heating the dwelling is open braziers with smoke holes in the roof. Furnishings are long low tables with benches on either side. Wooden pallets make up the sleeping arrangements. It’s not unusual for there to be trophy banners hanging from the rafters. Torches and the braziers provide light in the windowless building. The typical long house has meat-drying racks in the rafters, as that is where the smoke and heat accumulates before escaping through the vent holes. In many cases attached to the long house is an icehouse. The icehouse is a large room with a double wall arrangement that is open on top. During the winter the space between the walls is filled with packed snow and ice. This of course freezes into a solid mass around the inner room. Then the whole thing is covered over with several feet of wood shavings topped by wooden planks. During the spring and summer the ice slowly melts keeping the inner chamber quite cool. This space is used for the storage of perishables. As a general rule the floor of the icehouse is several feet below the floor of the long house. A bed of gravel provides drainage for the melt water. In autumn the insulating wood shavings are removed from between the walls of the icehouse in anticipation of the first snows of the season.
Another form of architecture found on Myrrn is reminiscent of the Mediterranean style. Dwellings are brick, usually plastered white. Commonly the bricks are an unfired clay, sun dried. Roofs are either domed or flat sloped in construction. Arched doorways are common and floors are usually tiled. This type construction is most common in areas where rainfall is low and summer heat is high. The white exterior of the buildings serves to reflect the worst of the summer heat while thick walls are slow to warm keeping the interior of the building cool for a majority of the day. Also typical in this style is a predominance of large windows allowing good ventilation and lighting. Rather than glass these windows usually have wooden shutters that can be closed to conserve heat at night, as well as keeping out wind and rain during the worst weather. Furniture is usually more elaborate than the two previous styles, consisting of table and chairs in the dining area. Living/sitting areas are usually furnished with low tables and large cushions. In the sleeping areas one will find framed beds with ropes supporting a mattresses filled with either straw or feathers. Although wood is the normal material for furniture, it’s not unheard of to find the occasional piece of wrought iron. There is little in the way of perishable food storage in these structures as the normal daily temperatures in the climes where they’re found preclude the keeping of fresh foods for more than a day or two.
Elven:
There are two prevalent styles of elvish architecture, one used by Wood Elves and the other by Sea Elves.
   The Wood Elves live in the largest of the old growth forests. The best example of this is on the Northwest Coast of Taiga. Platforms are constructed around the boles of larger trees. These platforms are then connected by suspension bridges. Individual dwellings are suspended below the platforms, while the platforms themselves are reserved for public functions. Individual dwellings may also be suspended from nearby branches. Very little of the elfish diet consists of cooked foods or meat, so there is little in the way of a food preparation area. Sleeping arrangements are normally hammocks. Construction of the actual dwelling is usually seasoned hardwoods, slip fitted, such that no fasteners are necessary. There is very little metal in a wood elf dwelling. Additionally, the dwellings tend to be small, they’re used for little more than sleeping and storage of personal property. Elves tend to be very social, a majority of their time is spent on the platforms or on the ground. One thing that a non-elf immediately notices about the style, there are no corners, everything is done in curves. The Wood Elf communities tend to be built on a two dimensional plane in the treetops. Most of the dwellings will be about the same height from the ground.
   The Sea Elves tend to build on cliff faces near the sea. Using a technique whereby sand is fused into a hard glass-like substance, Sea Elves build their houses directly on the cliff surface. There are very few public areas and most homes have provisions for guests. Unlike the Wood Elves, there is a definite social strata defined by the placement of an Elf’s home. The higher structures tend to be smaller as there is a great deal more effort involved in transporting the materials to the construction site. Also, it takes longer to get up and down the cliff. Finally, as much of the Sea Elf diet comes from the sea itself, there is a good deal of cooking involved. Smoke rises and the higher the dwelling, the more cook fires below it. A Sea Elf city, seen from a distance, looks like nothing so much as a collection of iridescent soap bubbles clinging to the cliff face. Ramps and stairs connect the various levels of the city. Interestingly enough, the same technique used to construct homes is used to make the famed elven ships. Thus the terms, “ice ship” and “glass boat” are used to describe elf-constructed vessels.