Lamass (Nonlit. 'Short Rest')

Public architectural record
Property of the Royal Atheneum of Hövnís, Eörpe

Lamass are small, communally maintained settlements sparsely located along commonly used migrations trails. They serve as emergency shelters for any passing Bieggjan tribes or groups in need.

Purpose

Lamass is the term for any smaller settlements without permanent residents, typically found strategically built along commonly used migration trails. Especially on or close to locations where two or more nomadic tribes’ trails cross.
They are communal and not owned by any one tribe. It’s customary to stop by any unoccupied Lamass you pass by to see if it needs repairs, even if there’s no intention to stay at it. As well it’s customary to donate part of your preserved foodstuffs or other amenities to its supply cache. This way, any tribe seeking shelter from an unexpected accident or disaster won’t find themselves potentially locked in place with few or no supplies to survive.

Material Composition

A typical lamass house is built from whatever available dirt, clay, sand, stone, wood, and hide can be found in the nearby region or is carried by the tribe building and/or repairing. It’s not uncommon to see materials from far off regions mixed and matched, as tribes usually use whatever they currently have available.
Depending on the rock types used for building the domes of the lamass houses, they may be covered with a non-reflective paint called harjgga in order to avoid unnecessary glare when ultraviolet light is reflected against their surfaces.

Structure & Layout

The base of a lamass house is a dug-out circle, circa one meter deep, that’s covered with a dome made from stones held fixed in place with a clay and sand mix mortar. A small entrance is typically covered with a cured hide stretched across a sturdy wooden frame. The center of the roofing typically feature a means for smoke to escape.
Since a lamass settlement isn’t meant as a permanent residence, function and safety is prioritized above comfort and decoration. Their designs are purposefully simplistic and sturdy in order to make them easier to maintain, and to reinforce their role as an emergency shelter. A tribe that’s utilized a lamass will clean up, issue repairs, refill its supply cache if they have supplies to spare, and then resume their travel.

by Nimin N.

Exterior

A lamass is a collection of primitive housing built primarily out of dirt, rocks, and a clay/sand mixture called harjgga serving as mortar. It’s common to have the houses built as a circle with each entrance facing the center of the lamass. The lamass center consists of a solid rock slab with a relatively flat surface that serve as a communal shrine where the current residents can place offerings and prayers to the deities.
Near the central shrine there’ll usually be a supply cache consisting of a deeply dug hole in the ground and covered with a flat rock, where preserved foodstuffs and other emergency supplies can be safely stored. Usually, the walls of the hole will be covered with a thin layer of the same mortar mix used for building the domes of the houses.

Defenses

Lamass don’t normally feature any type of defenses or fortifications, and it’s rare to raise a lamass within four stone throws distance of a Oniiji Tjakha.
A lamass that prove to have been built in a problematic region may have a low wall or drain ditches added to avert mudslides or floodings, but its far more common to just abandon the lamass and build a new one in a better location.

Interior

A lamass house has a circular interior consisting of a packed dirt floor and domed stone roofing. A shallow pit in the center is used for a simple fire pit, and the residents will sleep in a circle around it. 4-5 people can comfortably live in a single house, but up to eight people sleep in the same building if necessary.