Liberty Hall

At long last, freedom

We, the people of Arconisium, overthrew our masters. We cast the Nobles who weilded whips over us into the Depths. So why do we still allow them whips? Why do we turn our heads when the imps come with their chattle?

— Sayles, by Sagar Pol

One of the oldest buildings on Sayles, Liberty Hall has a very storied history. It stands imposingly over the old city, which is still nearly 300 years newer than it. Liberty Hall is also one of the busiest places in Sayles, with a steady flow of traffic both foot-based and skiff-based. Slavery, while not explicitly banned in the Trade Union, is not protected either. Any slave that makes their way to Liberty Hall can have their brand removed, allowing them to live free.

Architecture

Liberty Hall, having changed hands several times, has several building styles on display. The exterior is often renovated to suit the new owner's intrests, but interior design is much slower to change.

Architectural Styles

Neocolonial:
An attempt to recreate the original style of Liberty Hall, this design utilizes thick wooden pillars. These pillars would have originally been from the trees felled by colonists, and are several feet in diameter.

Bloodworked:
Built first during the early Sorcerous Age, the blocky, Earthblood-shaped stone was considered a modern marvel. It is the rarest style still present in Liberty Hall, as people nowadays consider it a bit ugly.

Modern:
The current exterior design of the Hall, the layered arches of this design are quite imposing, and are built in a way to appear even taller from the ground. It gives the impression of great height despite being fairly stocky.

Purpose

Liberty Hall is, officially, the headquarters of the Clan known as Vengeance of Liber, who have owned it since 878 IA. They fund and house the sorcerous technology that allows for slaves to be de-branded, as well as plan raids on Imperial settlements. Liberty Hall is also the clan's primary recruiting ground, as there is a fee for freedom, albeit a small one. If a slave does not have the money, they can instead sign on to work for VoL until they have paid off their brand-debt.

Do not ask for your chains to be broken. Ask for the tools to break them yourself. Tear them from your masters' hands if you need to.

— Descendants of Liber, by Sagar Pol

History

Colony Ship

1226 - 1571 CA
Liberty Hall started out repurposed from the colony ship sent from Ilysium. The hull was split into sections and upended as the roof, and trees cut down from the forests of Sayles were used to support it. It stayed as a temporary shelter for the colonists until construction had been completed on all of their homes, at which point it was turned into a sort of town hall. Roughly a generation later, a newer, more sturdy town hall was constructed and the building that would become Liberty Hall was more or less abandoned.

Slave Proccessing Center

1571 CA - 1172 SA
When riches were found in Sayles' mountains, there was a flood of new colonists, and, more importantly for Liberty Hall, slaves. At this point in time, slaves were not born on slave colonies but rather willingly admitted themselves to pay off debts to the Empire. Many such slaves had taken on debt to travel to Sayles in the first place, in the hopes that the riches they excavated there would be more than enough to buy their freedom once again. This soon changed, and the slaves on Sayles shifted from willing to unwilling. New procedures were needed to keep the masses of workers in line, as well as a place to make sure nothing was overlooked. The unused old town hall was perfect for this task, and so it was repurposed into the center of slavery on Sayles.

Broken families have cried tears enough to feed our farms for generations. It is past time to march on the blight that mars our island, excise it, and then sail towards the shining city soaked in the blood of innocents.

— Ilysium, by Sagar Pol

Anti-Slavery Sentiment

1172 SA - 31 IA
Spurred by the proto-revolutionary writer Sagar Pol, several groups staged protests against slavery on Sayles. At the height of their fervor, the building that would become Liberty Hall was surrounded and nearly set alight. At this point, the exterior was still in the blocky, bloodworked stone, and so the fires did not take. These inital riots were quelled with force, but the tension remained until the beginning of the Industrial Age, with the advent of Brandblood. This new technology allowed for far more humane treatment of slaves, and the issue was largely forgetten except by the most zealous of freedom fighters.

Trade Union

31 IA - 878 IA
As the need for the sprawling slave processing facility dwindled in the mid industrial age, the ever-growing trade union took control of the building. This is quite a boring period in the building's life, as it was used as a warehouse to store goods bound for Ilysium.

Vengeance of Liber

878 IA - Present
Tensions once again started growing between the Sayles and Ilysium. Vengeance of Liber bought the warehouse from the Trade Union, and started freeing slaves brought to it. When the Trade Union refused to step in and stop them, the outraged Nobles on Ilysium demanded blood be spilt. During the ensuing war, VoL directed much of the strategy of the previously-scattered clans from inside Liberty Hall.

General Information

Location: Sayles
Owning Organization: Vengeance of Liber
Date Built: 15th Nadir, 1226 CA
Dimensions: 200 x 70 feet, with four 30 x 10 feet protrustions

Renovations

Liberty Hall has changed hands many times, and has been rebuilt by several of its new owners. The following is a non-comprehensive list of changes.
1633 CA: The inital building was expanded to suit its new purpose in slave management.
41 SA: Rotting wooden supports were replaced by the newest technology: earthblood-shaped stone.
120 IA: Many interior rooms were cleared to make space inside the building.
12 RA: The exterior bloodworked stone was replaced with the modern style, and some rooms were furnished with neocolonialist trappings.

Brand Removal

VoL tries very hard to keep the exact process of un-branding slaves a secret, but some information has leaked. Reports claim that some combination of Chargeblood and Shiftblood magic is used to warp the brand back into the slave's natural shape.

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