Syclax
City of the Syrkakang
Located in the middle of Adea Hu: (Pillars of Black Ice') Second largest island in the Mur Fostisyr. Controlled by the Syrkakar, Military capital of Adea Hu.
At the center of the valley there are five great pillars of the glassy stone
surrounded by a 250' wide rock-lined dry moat. There -lining the channels,
covering the escarpments, and spanning the empty spaces of this
remarkable formation - I beheld the city of Syclax, the heart of the
Syrkakar.
It is a town cut from natural towers that were the hardest part of the ancient core of the Kanga Syrn . Arranged like shards from a shattered purple jewel, these impenetrable piers form a circle and elevate the spiritual center of the Syrkakar. l cannot recall a more formidable site. Becauseof the hardness of its rock base, Syclax's builders workedwith, andnot against, the surfaces.
They constructed the town to complement the caves, ledges, and lesions . Here architecture revolves around the use of carved stone stairways and sloping causeways which are cut into the narrow channels of the high rocks. Most of these streets are narrowand intendedonly for pedestrians. Lesser cross streets are often little more than 5' wide defiles or tunnels. There are, however, a few main throughways in each quarter, winding roads where One-horn Oxen (Sy. "Roggi") or Wooly Ponies (Sy. "Torri") are permitted. These routes permit heavy goods to reach most areas, although the vast bulk of goods are moved along an elaborate pully system that runs through a network of chosen hollows and lava tubes. Like the wells, most of this system is open to the public andaccess rooms and courtyards abound.
The residents live in a wide variety of dwellings, most of which complement the rock bed upon which they are constructed. Traditional fivesided Vyrtan (Sy. "Closed Huts") cluster along the flanks of the spires in the lower quarters and house half the population . Caves and overhangs are used by those who live in more elaborate lodgings. Black, blue, and purple stone is abundant at the base of the valley's cliffs and is used for the walls of Syclax's high watches, citadel, and mansions. Almost all these structures are pentagonal and proportioned like squat towers, for the town land is limited; thus the feeling that Syclax is clinging to, or tumbling down, the sides of the great rock piers . In keeping with the Syrkakar fascination for color, all the set stone is placed to form artistic patterns in the walls. Limitations on the number of shades make the scheme tasteful. Wudus told me that each design hadmeaning and corresponded to a mythical or spiritual theme, but Icouldsee no more than abstract designs.
Each of the five pillars holds a districtand bridges link the areas of the town . These arched causeways add an aura of enchantment, since they are all covered with polished copper roofs and are surmounted by graceful watchtowers. They glisten andreflect the sunlight off the adjoining cliffs ofpurple glass . Many of the town's buildings are also roofed with metal, particularly those in the High Quarter (S. "Mar Irm"), so the overall effect is striking. I was even more moved after dusk, for the dancing fires create eerie, dreamlike images.
Syclax's largest area is set at between 400 and 300 feet on a pair of larger, gentler rocks . These two districts are often referred to as the lower city; but they are moreproperly called the Irm Tavir andIrm Olzir, for the clans who reside there. They lie west of the 500 foot center spire, which houses the Olkusir clan and the principal marketplace. East of the Irm Olkusir is the 450 foot Irm Huralir, and north of the center pier rises the Irm Ukasur. The Ukasurare the strongest Syrkakar clan and their home befits them; its crown is 600 feet above the surrounding plain . It is here that the 90' Citadel of Syclax (Sy. "Wasyclax") sits, in a cleft astride the town's largest volcanic shaft. From this shaftsecret tunnels, each located in a lava tube, knife through the rock and link key outposts. Wudus told me that the fertile springs that give birth to the YonSyclax lie at the bottom of this hallowed chasm.
The Wasyclax commands the main approach to the city, a pavedstone highway that enters the valley from the southeast and winds around Syclax's east side. It passes over the Yon Syclax on a pair of five-arched stone bridges and then crosses the wide dry moat by way of a gently vaulted span which has a rock frame anda removable wooden roadway. Twogreat wingedstatues standguardon the valley side ofthe moat. They are the largest stone beasts in the assortment that surrounds Syclax which is collectively called the Vat Huir ("Glassy Eyes') . l realized that their vigil was genuine when Wudus told me tales of the town's history. It seems that during the Syrkakar Clan-war the attacking forces were turned back by the spray from the mouths of these statues . Fed by the steaming waters from Adea Hu'shot subterranean springs, they can be formidable obstacles . Wudus' description made me understand that they are no more than outlets forchanneled geysers, but this secret often escapes the outsider, or even the common Syrkakar.
It is a town cut from natural towers that were the hardest part of the ancient core of the Kanga Syrn . Arranged like shards from a shattered purple jewel, these impenetrable piers form a circle and elevate the spiritual center of the Syrkakar. l cannot recall a more formidable site. Becauseof the hardness of its rock base, Syclax's builders workedwith, andnot against, the surfaces.
They constructed the town to complement the caves, ledges, and lesions . Here architecture revolves around the use of carved stone stairways and sloping causeways which are cut into the narrow channels of the high rocks. Most of these streets are narrowand intendedonly for pedestrians. Lesser cross streets are often little more than 5' wide defiles or tunnels. There are, however, a few main throughways in each quarter, winding roads where One-horn Oxen (Sy. "Roggi") or Wooly Ponies (Sy. "Torri") are permitted. These routes permit heavy goods to reach most areas, although the vast bulk of goods are moved along an elaborate pully system that runs through a network of chosen hollows and lava tubes. Like the wells, most of this system is open to the public andaccess rooms and courtyards abound.
The residents live in a wide variety of dwellings, most of which complement the rock bed upon which they are constructed. Traditional fivesided Vyrtan (Sy. "Closed Huts") cluster along the flanks of the spires in the lower quarters and house half the population . Caves and overhangs are used by those who live in more elaborate lodgings. Black, blue, and purple stone is abundant at the base of the valley's cliffs and is used for the walls of Syclax's high watches, citadel, and mansions. Almost all these structures are pentagonal and proportioned like squat towers, for the town land is limited; thus the feeling that Syclax is clinging to, or tumbling down, the sides of the great rock piers . In keeping with the Syrkakar fascination for color, all the set stone is placed to form artistic patterns in the walls. Limitations on the number of shades make the scheme tasteful. Wudus told me that each design hadmeaning and corresponded to a mythical or spiritual theme, but Icouldsee no more than abstract designs.
Each of the five pillars holds a districtand bridges link the areas of the town . These arched causeways add an aura of enchantment, since they are all covered with polished copper roofs and are surmounted by graceful watchtowers. They glisten andreflect the sunlight off the adjoining cliffs ofpurple glass . Many of the town's buildings are also roofed with metal, particularly those in the High Quarter (S. "Mar Irm"), so the overall effect is striking. I was even more moved after dusk, for the dancing fires create eerie, dreamlike images.
Syclax's largest area is set at between 400 and 300 feet on a pair of larger, gentler rocks . These two districts are often referred to as the lower city; but they are moreproperly called the Irm Tavir andIrm Olzir, for the clans who reside there. They lie west of the 500 foot center spire, which houses the Olkusir clan and the principal marketplace. East of the Irm Olkusir is the 450 foot Irm Huralir, and north of the center pier rises the Irm Ukasur. The Ukasurare the strongest Syrkakar clan and their home befits them; its crown is 600 feet above the surrounding plain . It is here that the 90' Citadel of Syclax (Sy. "Wasyclax") sits, in a cleft astride the town's largest volcanic shaft. From this shaftsecret tunnels, each located in a lava tube, knife through the rock and link key outposts. Wudus told me that the fertile springs that give birth to the YonSyclax lie at the bottom of this hallowed chasm.
The Wasyclax commands the main approach to the city, a pavedstone highway that enters the valley from the southeast and winds around Syclax's east side. It passes over the Yon Syclax on a pair of five-arched stone bridges and then crosses the wide dry moat by way of a gently vaulted span which has a rock frame anda removable wooden roadway. Twogreat wingedstatues standguardon the valley side ofthe moat. They are the largest stone beasts in the assortment that surrounds Syclax which is collectively called the Vat Huir ("Glassy Eyes') . l realized that their vigil was genuine when Wudus told me tales of the town's history. It seems that during the Syrkakar Clan-war the attacking forces were turned back by the spray from the mouths of these statues . Fed by the steaming waters from Adea Hu'shot subterranean springs, they can be formidable obstacles . Wudus' description made me understand that they are no more than outlets forchanneled geysers, but this secret often escapes the outsider, or even the common Syrkakar.
Maps
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Syclax
Type
Large city
Location under
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