Cormyrean Architecture

During the winter and spring, much of the nation is battered by heavy snow and rain. As a result, most houses in Cormyr are built with the weather in mind: sturdy stone houses with high pitched slate roofs to provide adequate drainage are a necessity if a home is expected to last. Among the upper class, balconies are popular, allowing for long lazy days relaxing in the sun during Cormyr's long summers.
Older homes follow a style known as Azounian architecture, named for King Azoun IV who reigned during the height of this syle. It is characterized by symetry and restrained ornamentation in the clas¬sical style. Columns were popular, and often larger than strictly necessary to display strength and stabil¬ity. The newer Alusairian style is, in contrast, charac¬terized by asymetry and ornamentation, particularly along the corbels that support the building's roof. Both architectural styles feature vaguely militaristic elements like towers, even on manor homes not built for the purpose of withstanding sieges. Wid¬ow's walks, small rooftop balconies where families could watch for the return of soldiers, were also somewhat common on larger manor homes, though they were used in peace time for entertaining guests. These militaristic elements went out of style during the reign of King Foril, but are experiencing a revival under Queen Raedra.
Aside from manor houses, a particularly Cormyrean building style is the tallhouse: tall narrow homes in¬tended to pack as much living space into narrow city lots as possible. Many of these tallhouses are three and even four stories tall, and some are divided so that different families live on each floor of a single home.