Jaquean Palace

Although not the oldest building on Jaque, the palace is over a thousand years old, dating centuries before the The Interplanetary Peace Alliance was formed. The palace was nearly destroyed in 122 APC, after which the building gained more security features.

Purpose / Function

The palace was built to house the queen of Jaque, as well as her advisors, family, servants, soldiers, and other officials. There are hundreds of suites, dozens of offices, several ballrooms, two throne rooms, a small prison, and many other rooms. Currently, the building is home to the queen and her advisors, as well as the planet’s senator, officials, and important members of the government. Servants and soldiers live in other buildings, allowing over half of the bedrooms to be used by guests.

Alterations

It still has not been modified? That is impressive. I would have thought at least one queen, even hundreds of years ago, would have added something.

— A tourist

Despite its age, the palace is structurally sound and has never required major repairs. Aside from occasional paint jobs and design changes, there have been no additions or removals to the building. The only major changes have been occasional replacements of glass and the wiring of alarm systems for security.

Architecture

The Jaquean Palace is built out of sandstone taken from the Jaquean oceans and strengthened with magic. While some of the building is on one level, a large section in the middle has multiple floors. There are also several towers of varying heights. Each tower is topped with a metal dome that hangs over the side of the walls. Like many Jaquean buildings, there are many windows, and a section has a glass roof. Unlike most Jaquean buildings, however, the sandstone is melded with both marble and granite.
The architecture of the palace is standard for old Jaquean structures. Arches with both soft and sharp curves, smooth columns, and perfect domes are all present. Window and door frames are carved with intricate details. All of the floors are tiled and some rooms have gold pressed between the tiles. The walls are smooth, the doors polished, and the decorative plants well-kept.

Defenses

Upon first look, the palace looks fragile and easy to attack/destroy. However, the building is far stronger than it appears. The size of the walls is deceiving, as the rock is thick and reinforced with magic. The roofs are coated with a varnish that protects the metal from damage, one that is reapplied every year. Since 150 APC, the building has been wired with a fire alarm system, as well as a general alarm for other emergencies, and security cameras. Also in 150, a force field generator was installed to protect the palace from orbital assault.

History

The Jaquean palace was built around 500 BPC by Jaquean architects. At first, the queen and her family resided there along with her advisors and all their servants and guards. As time went on, additional buildings were built around the palace, and the guards and servants moved to live there. By the time of the IPA, the queen's extended family lived in their own homes, with only her spouse and children remaining in the palace.
In 122 APC, a fire nearly destroyed part of the palace, prompting the next queen to install a fire alarm system, as well as one for general emergencies. Over the years, the palace has seen many different rulers and many different issues pass within its walls. One such issue was that of polduf endangerment restrictions, a political campaign headed by the Asuga family that sought to prevent the killing of poldufs. Recently, the palace has seen the election of Queen Victoria, who has financed the improvement of Jaque's schools and academies.

Tourism

As both the oldest building on Jaque and the center of the planet's government, the palace is visited often. Officials and senators from other planets must stay at the palace to meet with the queen and her advisors. Tourists from other planets also visit the palace, but for history and sightseeing purposes. Tour guides are assigned to these guests and only certain areas are shown to them. Important people from Jaque also visit the palace occasionally.

Founding Date

Circa 525 BPC

Alternative Names

The palace

Type

Palace

Parent Location

Jaque

Owner

Queen Victoria

Queen of Fire

(The information in this section occurs from around 502-1002 APC)
After the disappearance of the Nine, Jaque was attacked many times. Despite destroying much of the planet's buildings, the invaders kept the palace intact in order to corrupt the memory of Jaque's golden age. The palace was used by the invaders as a base of operations, a gambling den, and a prison.
For hundreds of years, Jaque was controlled by criminals. As the Commander began to creep closer to Jaque, its citizens began to lose hope that their promised saviors would arrive. Small rebel groups rose up against their oppressors, but only managed to tighten security. The oppressive rulers captured the rebel leaders and planned to execute them, but at the moment when all hope seemed lost, a former queen of Jaque returned to liberate her planet.
With her magic and allies, the queen removed Jaque's invaders and restored the planet to glory. Because of her power, Jaquean citizens started referring to the queen as the "Queen of Fire", and during her absences, they built monuments to memorialize her victories.

by Lilliana Casper