Bamasian Palace
Heart of the Fifth World
It is often said that the man with overflowing coffers, plentiful friends and a full stomach does not truly have anything. I doubt that those living behind the deep red walls of the Bamasian Palace feel themselves paupers or wanting.The Bamasian Palace is a Khomedashi royal residence and the administrative residence for the Great King of the Dobarid Empire. Located in the northeast of the city, the palace is the centre point of state occasions and royal hospitality and is a testament to Dobarid royal power and wealth. BASIC HISTORY The palace has remained roughly the same in terms of architecture since its construction, however several kings have embellished parts of the complex to enshrine their deeds and name. The Great Fire of Khomedasht saw a good portion of the palace destroyed in XBSF and subsequently rebuilt. Since the collapse of the Kanodite Empire, the Dobarid Great Kings have been maintaining the palace with reasonable success but have been unable to expand upon, or mirror, the success of their predecessors. The interior of the palace is decorated lavishly in marble, carved wood and stonework and is seen as a high point of Kanodite architectural achievement. Solite imagery is common and imagery of Kanodite and Dobarid life can be seen throughout, together with details of the life and death of Great Kings. Entrance to the palace is exclusively guarded and only the royal family, their staff and select guests are given access to the deeper recesses. Blueprint doc - 0.025 = 1 metre
Contents
Etymology
Each dynasty of the Kanodite Empire created a palace complex to enshrine their power and supersede the legacy of their predecessors. The Bamasian Palace is named after the Bamasian Dynasty which followed the Kanod Dynasty, the founders of the Kanodite Empire. The deeds and successes of the Bamasian Great Kings are covered throughout the palace complex.History
Kanodite Period
Dobarid Period
Function
Serving administrative, political, and religious needs, the Bamasian Palace caters to a number of differing functions. As the main residence for the Dobarid monarchs, it is the heart of the Dobarid Empire and is where Shaliks travel annually to reaffirm their loyalty and pay tribute. Matters of state are resolved within the palace walls with taxation, diplomacy and civil matters broached before the Dobarid King sat upon the Tranquil Throne. Finally, religious matters of state are catered to within the Bamasian Palace walls at X.Architecture
Site and Plan
Following the typical Kanodite architectural convention, the Bamasian Palace is built on a raised platform with access obtained through a wide staircase at the front. The construction of the Bamasian Palace has a celestial significance for certain features of the complex. This is observed in the east-west orientation that permits the sun to rise and set over the dual pools of Shu-Turul and Ahassunu. Solite imagery is prevalent throughout and access to the rear and eastern areas of the palace is progressively more exclusive and restrictive.
The Bamasian Palace takes centre-place in the city of Khomedasht, symbolising both the strength of the dynasty that ordered it's construction and the Kanodite Empire. The main road through the city, running east-west, has the Bamasian Palace at its center
An architectural plan of the Bamasian Palace. The walls are marked in black and pathways are marked in grey.
Style
The Bamasian Palace is a prime example of Bamasian architectural opulence and the wealth of the Bamasian dynasty. By XBSF, Kanodite architects had access to wider skill sets and materials than the founders of the Kanodite Empire and could comfortably work with sandstone and marble alongside the traditional clay bricks to create buildings.All facilities needed for those to come to Khomedasht and build the Bamasian Palace were made available for use. Housing and food were provided, and travel costs were reimbursed upon arrival if any sums were borrowed. For highly recommended and desired artisans, scrolls were dispatched with the imperial seal and an express order to re-locate to the capital. Showcasing the seal permitted the owner to take money from provincial governors to cover their travel costs.As is typical of Kanodite regal architecture, the key elements of the palace complex are large plazas, colonnades and rectangular buildings with crenellations, porticoes, raised platforms and wide staircases. Typical decorative features include high pillars, painted walls and stone carvings.
Features
Wall of Former Worlds
Facing the city is the Wall of Former Worlds, one of the two sections of the Bamasian Palace visible to the general populace. Running for roughly 640 meters, the wall branches out from the Gate of All Nations from both directions extending forward 90 metres before turning at a right angle and flattening out in front of the main stairway. The wall is divided by six crenellated buttresses and each section of the wall is ornately decorated, depicting the Solite creation story and, on the sections next to the Gate of All Peoples, the creation story of the fifth world.
The wall is made of clay bricks which have then been glazed in bright colours. The background glazes are a deep red, the colour of the Kanodite Empire. Gold and brown is used for any animal and plant life and silver is used for the gods. The borders are glazed in white and black. On the far left section of the wall, the world of eternal spring is shown with overgrown canopies and tall grass seas. Next to that, the wall depicts the second world; a desertscape under an unending sun, filled with insects. Adjoining the Gate of All Peoples, on both sides are stories of the current world's creation. Following the wall more, the next section of the wall showcases a world of eternal autumn, one where elephant riders lost their way in mists and rainfall. The final section of the wall showcases the most recent world, one of eternal winter and snowstorms.
Gate of All Peoples
The only entrance to the Bamasian Palace is through the Gate of All Peoples which adjoins the Wall of Former Worlds. Reached by climbing a broad and decorated staircase, capable of having twenty men walking abreast at once, the gate is constructed of clay bricks that have been glazed a deep red, matching the walls on either side. Fronted by a portico with double columns at the far ends, the main door is flanked two black marble statues of war horses, rearing up on their hind legs, on raised platforms. The gate itself is roughly 12 metres high and the door is intricately carved with imagery of a lion hunt conducted by the king and decorated with bronze.
Once inside, the gate is divided into three rooms. The central room is large and perfectly square, held up by four tall columns that reach up to a wooden ceiling, painted red, with a hole at the centre permitting sunlight in. The rooms to the left and right are symmetrical and used as guardposts and entranceways to the corridors that are used to navigate the palace. Most visitors to the palace will not see these side rooms and are instead ushered straight ahead. The floors throughout are made of marble and typically clothed with red cotton. Of note is the Inscription of Bakhyar, the monarch who ordered the palace, raised high on the wall and written in three different languages.
The interior walls of the gatehouse are decorated by stone etchings showing scenes in Kanodite life throughout the empire, for example fishing in the Cambic Sea, harvesting crops on the shores of the Leyabad River and metalworking in Malastar. Each of the scenes links to the tributary system employed by the Kanodite Empire and their successor kingdoms. Once through the gate, the portico seen from the entrance is mirrored although the statues of warhorses are replaced with buffalo, the animals favoured by Bakhyar, the founder of the Bamasian Palace.
By the grace of Ahassunu and Shu-Turul, who created the sun and moon, who made fire and water, who crafted land and sky and all those who inhabit our world, who crowned Bakhyar Great King, one ruler for all rulers and one general for all generals.
I am Bakhyar, the Great King, master of all and equal of none, protector of the world and those who inhabit it, the mouth and hand of the gods, enactor of their will, son of Andya the Bamasian. With Ahassunu's and Shu-Turul's blessing I rule the wide earth, the mountains and plains, the shores from one ocean to all and the numerous nations that preside within.
The works I have completed here, and those that are to be made, I did by the grace of Ahassunu and Shu-Turul. May their favour protect me, my kingdom and those who I rule.
Pools of Ahassunu and Shu-Turul
Once through the Gate of All Peoples, visitors would see the Pool of Shu-Turul, the God of the Sun and fire. The pool is rectangular in shape, measuring 40 metres by 110 metres, and deep enough to support a large array of fish. The fish are hand chosen based on their colouring and their usage in Dobarid cuisine with red, orange and yellow being the preferred choice. Fish pulled from this pool often find their way into the opening dishes of feasts hosted by the Great King.
The Pool of Shu-Turul
On a raised marble platform in the centre of the pool are three statues of Shu-Turul. One holds the sun raised in his hands, another holds a spear and shield and the final holds jagged shards of stone. Each symbolises a different role held by the god. A small bowl of oil, continuously lit, sits at the feet of each statue. At the back of the pool is a decorated wall, showcasing some of the deeds of the Sun God.
Behind the Pool of Shu-Turul, divided by a closed colonnade, is the Pool of Ahassunu. The back wall of the colonnade is decorated with imagery of the Moon Goddess and her deeds. The pool is the same size as its sister opposite and also contains fish chosen for colouring and usage in cuisine. Black, blue and silver fish are the most popularly chosen. In the centre of the pool, on a raised marble platform are three statues of Ahassunu. The first holds the moon to her chest, the second has a sword thrown at her feet with an olive branch in her hand, and the third calls water down from above. At the foot of each is a small bronze bowl filled with water.
Ahetram, Audience Hall
The Ahetram is the largest building in the Bamasian Palace and the throneroom and audience chamber for the Great King. Each year, the Shaliks of the Dobarid Empire arrive at the Bamasian Palace to deliver their mandatory tribute. It is in the Ahetram that the tribute is counted and then delivered before the Great King who sits upon the Tranquil Throne. Envoys are given a week to arrive before a grand feast takes place during which the Great King takes renewed pledges of allegiance. Whilst this feast is the largest in the calendar year, the Ahetram is also used to entertain foreign dignitaries and for the royal council.
Built-in typical Kanodite style the Ahetram is a square building, 100 by 100 meters, and is built on a raised platform reaching a total height of 30 meters. At the front of the Ahetram is the Tributary Steps, the main entranceway to the building. Designed as a split staircase it is decorated with painted plaster showcasing the nations of the Kanodite Empire. The varying tributaries are shown in their traditional dress and armour carrying the offerings demanded from their Shalikdom. Each new conquered or admitted nation was painted onto the Tributary Steps, showcasing the vast array of those living under the Kanodite Empire at it's height. Despite the end of the Kanodite Empire, and the much reduced variety of people now living under the Dobarid Empire, the images on the steps have remained unchanged.
Painted in vibrant colours, the images of those bring their dues on the Tributary Steps are a reminder of the towering heights that the Kanodite Empire reached. From here the world was ruled. Yet the fraying paint and fading hues are a poignment reminder that much has been lost. More may yet be lost still.
At the top of the steps is a portico, held up by four sets of double pillars painted in crimson red. Each pillar is topped by carved bulls. Once through the main door, the Ahetram is one large hypostyle room with decorated stone pillars supporting the ceiling. The floor is made of red marble, smoothed at the seams to make it look like one large piece of stone. Rising from the floor, dozens of pillars created from black marble support the decorated wooden ceiling. Sunlight holes cut into the ceiling permit light to come through day and night to illuminate the room.
At the back of the Ahetram, directly ahead from those entering from the Tributary Steps is, is the Tranquil Throne. The throne is where the Dobarid Great King sits during council, festivities and religious events.
Royal Treasury
In the western portion of the Bamasian Palace is the Royal Treasury. The treasury is the home of the treasures of the Dobarid Empire together with a repository for the annual tribute when it arrives. Externally, the treasury is surrounded by roads and does not back onto any other building. There is a single portico entrance to ensure that all entrants are vetted by the Afetkharan Guard that are posted throughout.
The walls are flat and with little decoration, unlike most of the palace. Midway up the walls on the left, right and rear of the building are decorative arrow slits that have been carved into the wall. Whilst they are not usable, they symbolise the difficulty one would have attempting to break into the Imperial Treasury. At the top of the walls are small wide windows that allow light to cascade into the rooms within that are separated by a small open courtyard at the center.
Once inside, many of the rooms are stocked with gems, gold and silver together with specific items that hold importance to the Dobarid Great Kings. Most of the valuables have come as tribute from the Shaliks who send a pre-agreed amount of gold and silver annually. Once accounted for and recorded, the tribute is secured if already in coinage or sent to the Imperial mint to be smelted down and then minted.
Royal Residence
Nested in the back corner of the Bamasian Palace are the residential quarters of the Dobarid royal family. Sleeping quarters, dining halls and private meeting rooms are found here together with a smaller audience hall that is used for smaller personal engagements, typically for those that are exceptionally close to the royal family.
Bamasian Palace Gardens
Following on from the Kanodites, the Dobarids mirror their love and pursuit of botany and agriculture. At the rear of the Bamasian Palace are the gardens, divided into growing fields and manicured grounds broken up by paths and fountains. The fields supply the palace kitchens and are a melody of cereal crops, fruit trees and herbs. A series of animal pens and coops house pigs, goats, chickens and ducks which are kept accenting the common feasts held in the palace.
A king who does not sow, cannot reap.
A high wall divides the fields and the gardens with a series of doors allowing access between the two. The gardens themselves are maintained by an astute team of groundskeepers, gardeners, and arborists with support from Asdini College scholars. Divided by paths, colonnades, statues and fountains the Dobarid Royal Gardens are home to an exceptionally wide variety of plants brought back during the Kanodite conquests. Saplings and seeds remain a popular gift in Dobarid culture and to receive them from the Royal Gardens is a sign of favour and a sign of ongoing ties to the monarchy.
Bamasian Bedr
Wall of Former Worlds
Facing the city is the Wall of Former Worlds, one of the two sections of the Bamasian Palace visible to the general populace. Running for roughly 640 meters, the wall branches out from the Gate of All Nations from both directions extending forward 90 metres before turning at a right angle and flattening out in front of the main stairway. The wall is divided by six crenellated buttresses and each section of the wall is ornately decorated, depicting the Solite creation story and, on the sections next to the Gate of All Peoples, the creation story of the fifth world. The wall is made of clay bricks which have then been glazed in bright colours. The background glazes are a deep red, the colour of the Kanodite Empire. Gold and brown is used for any animal and plant life and silver is used for the gods. The borders are glazed in white and black. On the far left section of the wall, the world of eternal spring is shown with overgrown canopies and tall grass seas. Next to that, the wall depicts the second world; a desertscape under an unending sun, filled with insects. Adjoining the Gate of All Peoples, on both sides are stories of the current world's creation. Following the wall more, the next section of the wall showcases a world of eternal autumn, one where elephant riders lost their way in mists and rainfall. The final section of the wall showcases the most recent world, one of eternal winter and snowstorms.Gate of All Peoples
The only entrance to the Bamasian Palace is through the Gate of All Peoples which adjoins the Wall of Former Worlds. Reached by climbing a broad and decorated staircase, capable of having twenty men walking abreast at once, the gate is constructed of clay bricks that have been glazed a deep red, matching the walls on either side. Fronted by a portico with double columns at the far ends, the main door is flanked two black marble statues of war horses, rearing up on their hind legs, on raised platforms. The gate itself is roughly 12 metres high and the door is intricately carved with imagery of a lion hunt conducted by the king and decorated with bronze.Once inside, the gate is divided into three rooms. The central room is large and perfectly square, held up by four tall columns that reach up to a wooden ceiling, painted red, with a hole at the centre permitting sunlight in. The rooms to the left and right are symmetrical and used as guardposts and entranceways to the corridors that are used to navigate the palace. Most visitors to the palace will not see these side rooms and are instead ushered straight ahead. The floors throughout are made of marble and typically clothed with red cotton. Of note is the Inscription of Bakhyar, the monarch who ordered the palace, raised high on the wall and written in three different languages.
The interior walls of the gatehouse are decorated by stone etchings showing scenes in Kanodite life throughout the empire, for example fishing in the Cambic Sea, harvesting crops on the shores of the Leyabad River and metalworking in Malastar. Each of the scenes links to the tributary system employed by the Kanodite Empire and their successor kingdoms. Once through the gate, the portico seen from the entrance is mirrored although the statues of warhorses are replaced with buffalo, the animals favoured by Bakhyar, the founder of the Bamasian Palace.
By the grace of Ahassunu and Shu-Turul, who created the sun and moon, who made fire and water, who crafted land and sky and all those who inhabit our world, who crowned Bakhyar Great King, one ruler for all rulers and one general for all generals. I am Bakhyar, the Great King, master of all and equal of none, protector of the world and those who inhabit it, the mouth and hand of the gods, enactor of their will, son of Andya the Bamasian. With Ahassunu's and Shu-Turul's blessing I rule the wide earth, the mountains and plains, the shores from one ocean to all and the numerous nations that preside within. The works I have completed here, and those that are to be made, I did by the grace of Ahassunu and Shu-Turul. May their favour protect me, my kingdom and those who I rule.
Pools of Ahassunu and Shu-Turul
Once through the Gate of All Peoples, visitors would see the Pool of Shu-Turul, the God of the Sun and fire. The pool is rectangular in shape, measuring 40 metres by 110 metres, and deep enough to support a large array of fish. The fish are hand chosen based on their colouring and their usage in Dobarid cuisine with red, orange and yellow being the preferred choice. Fish pulled from this pool often find their way into the opening dishes of feasts hosted by the Great King.The Pool of Shu-Turul
On a raised marble platform in the centre of the pool are three statues of Shu-Turul. One holds the sun raised in his hands, another holds a spear and shield and the final holds jagged shards of stone. Each symbolises a different role held by the god. A small bowl of oil, continuously lit, sits at the feet of each statue. At the back of the pool is a decorated wall, showcasing some of the deeds of the Sun God.
Ahetram, Audience Hall
The Ahetram is the largest building in the Bamasian Palace and the throneroom and audience chamber for the Great King. Each year, the Shaliks of the Dobarid Empire arrive at the Bamasian Palace to deliver their mandatory tribute. It is in the Ahetram that the tribute is counted and then delivered before the Great King who sits upon the Tranquil Throne. Envoys are given a week to arrive before a grand feast takes place during which the Great King takes renewed pledges of allegiance. Whilst this feast is the largest in the calendar year, the Ahetram is also used to entertain foreign dignitaries and for the royal council. Built-in typical Kanodite style the Ahetram is a square building, 100 by 100 meters, and is built on a raised platform reaching a total height of 30 meters. At the front of the Ahetram is the Tributary Steps, the main entranceway to the building. Designed as a split staircase it is decorated with painted plaster showcasing the nations of the Kanodite Empire. The varying tributaries are shown in their traditional dress and armour carrying the offerings demanded from their Shalikdom. Each new conquered or admitted nation was painted onto the Tributary Steps, showcasing the vast array of those living under the Kanodite Empire at it's height. Despite the end of the Kanodite Empire, and the much reduced variety of people now living under the Dobarid Empire, the images on the steps have remained unchanged.Painted in vibrant colours, the images of those bring their dues on the Tributary Steps are a reminder of the towering heights that the Kanodite Empire reached. From here the world was ruled. Yet the fraying paint and fading hues are a poignment reminder that much has been lost. More may yet be lost still.At the top of the steps is a portico, held up by four sets of double pillars painted in crimson red. Each pillar is topped by carved bulls. Once through the main door, the Ahetram is one large hypostyle room with decorated stone pillars supporting the ceiling. The floor is made of red marble, smoothed at the seams to make it look like one large piece of stone. Rising from the floor, dozens of pillars created from black marble support the decorated wooden ceiling. Sunlight holes cut into the ceiling permit light to come through day and night to illuminate the room. At the back of the Ahetram, directly ahead from those entering from the Tributary Steps is, is the Tranquil Throne. The throne is where the Dobarid Great King sits during council, festivities and religious events.
Royal Treasury
In the western portion of the Bamasian Palace is the Royal Treasury. The treasury is the home of the treasures of the Dobarid Empire together with a repository for the annual tribute when it arrives. Externally, the treasury is surrounded by roads and does not back onto any other building. There is a single portico entrance to ensure that all entrants are vetted by the Afetkharan Guard that are posted throughout. The walls are flat and with little decoration, unlike most of the palace. Midway up the walls on the left, right and rear of the building are decorative arrow slits that have been carved into the wall. Whilst they are not usable, they symbolise the difficulty one would have attempting to break into the Imperial Treasury. At the top of the walls are small wide windows that allow light to cascade into the rooms within that are separated by a small open courtyard at the center. Once inside, many of the rooms are stocked with gems, gold and silver together with specific items that hold importance to the Dobarid Great Kings. Most of the valuables have come as tribute from the Shaliks who send a pre-agreed amount of gold and silver annually. Once accounted for and recorded, the tribute is secured if already in coinage or sent to the Imperial mint to be smelted down and then minted.Royal Residence
Nested in the back corner of the Bamasian Palace are the residential quarters of the Dobarid royal family. Sleeping quarters, dining halls and private meeting rooms are found here together with a smaller audience hall that is used for smaller personal engagements, typically for those that are exceptionally close to the royal family.Bamasian Palace Gardens
Following on from the Kanodites, the Dobarids mirror their love and pursuit of botany and agriculture. At the rear of the Bamasian Palace are the gardens, divided into growing fields and manicured grounds broken up by paths and fountains. The fields supply the palace kitchens and are a melody of cereal crops, fruit trees and herbs. A series of animal pens and coops house pigs, goats, chickens and ducks which are kept accenting the common feasts held in the palace.A king who does not sow, cannot reap.A high wall divides the fields and the gardens with a series of doors allowing access between the two. The gardens themselves are maintained by an astute team of groundskeepers, gardeners, and arborists with support from Asdini College scholars. Divided by paths, colonnades, statues and fountains the Dobarid Royal Gardens are home to an exceptionally wide variety of plants brought back during the Kanodite conquests. Saplings and seeds remain a popular gift in Dobarid culture and to receive them from the Royal Gardens is a sign of favour and a sign of ongoing ties to the monarchy.
Bamasian Bedr
Bamasian Palace
Heart of the Fifth World
General Information
Type:
Residence
Location:
Khomedasht
Sarmazin
Sarmazin
Construction Started:
XBSF
Construction Completed:
XBSF
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