The Aviary (ði eviæɾi)
The Visavan Post Office
With holding a vast empire comes a vast amount of paperwork. The Visavan Post Office was founded in 6 VE (PS 36) to meet the needs of the expanding Visavan horde. It wasn't until the alchemist Cheung created the principles of alchemical enhancement that allowed for the creation of courier crows in 119 VE that the post office expanded from a small sorting house at the edge of the government quarter to its current compound.The Aviary Tower
The first aviary was a mesh-roofed courtyard in the middle of the post office quadrangle. This served loyally for over two hundred years until construction of the current tower, designed by dwarven architect Zaro Blyte, began in 225 VE. Construction of the new tower took fifty years to complete. Sixty metres tall, with two rows of bird-entrances ringing the top of the tower, the Aviary is crowned by a gleaming bronze dome built over a vaulted roof. The tower itself is a six-metre-radius hexagon with walls built from basalt blocks cut from the volcano itself and a wooden internal structure.
The central column is hollow, with a rope-and-pulley system set up to allow heavy sacks of bird feed and water to be hauled to the top of the aviary. A spiral staircase allows for pedestrian access to the upper levels. The tower has seven floors, with the top two having openings for messenger birds to come and go. Wooden shutters can be closed over these openings in case of inclement weather, although usually they stand open in Visawashri's mild climate.
Cultural Significance
Over the years, the Aviary has become a symbol not only of the post office, but of Visawashri and the empire as a whole. It is one of the most recognisable buildings in the city, with the only structure taller being the Imperial Palace itself - which is built halfway up the mountain. A common boast is that "The Empire is the post office, and the post office is the Aviary."
Images and cameos of the Aviary have appeared on coins, the Imperial coat of arms, and on the personal blazons of many nɘka who have wished to proclaim their close ties to the organisation.
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