((This is not really a piece I want workshopped. It is just a simple description of Jade Palace. It's full of sentance fragments and the like, but this is how I flesh out my settings.))
Inside Palace Jade
The Outside:
Seen from outside Jade palace is a huge, imposing affair. It hovers over the black and gunmetal towers of Jade like a big black bird of death, a raven one might say. It is made entirely of black adamantium, the most laser proof material in the system. From afar it appears one big mass but as one approaches it is found to be many things. There is a main octagonal shaped building with towers rising from at the cardinal and intermediate points. From the four intermediate towers are glass-like {also laser and everything else} impervious tubes. These connect the castle to small outlying estates belonging to the Elrans. There are more than four estates, of course, but they are all interconnected. The two most trusted Elran's, the head of the Elran, Robard, and the Minister of the Treasury, Erik, passages go through the East wing, and the second most trusted, Diga, minister of war, and Verana, the Diasian Elran go through the West wing. Next down the line goes through the North and then the South wings.
From each of the four cardinal towers are the same glass tubes, running down to the ground five hundred feet below. In these tubes are found glass spheres with a red satin couch ringing the diameter. This is used to lift and lower the castles inhabitants from the ground and back. These tubes, just like everything else about the castle, are more for show then practicality. But they do serve a brilliant defense function. There are no underground passages or other secret ways into and out of the castle. These lifts only take about twenty people at a time and are heavily guarded. Therefore it is a pain in the ass to get a large attacking force into the castle without the use of aircrafts. And the palace has a system renowned air-strike defense force. There is a secret way out of the palace but it is one way and only the Lyra knows about it. It has never been used since no attacking force has ever managed to get that past the huge gates and dome that protect Jade.
Inside; the Main throne room:
Although most tours would start with a wing of the palace it is hard to do that here. All the wings are different and represent different levels of Power. They all intersect in the main throne room in the center of the palace. The main throne room is an octagonal shaped room. On the cardinal points are four doors leading to the four wings. The southernmost door is a gold and jade bas-relief dragon. When the door is opened it splits the dragonhead down the center. This leads to the general areas of the palace such as the kitchen, dining room, etc. The door to the North is a bas-relief unicorn made out of ivory and amber. This leads to the political chambers, such as the Elran council chambers, the state dining rooms, and the ballroom. The western door is made from blue and white steel. Another bas-relief creature is embossed on it, this one a large shark, posed to attack. This leads to the war room, armory, etc. Diga requested his estate be near to this wing since most of his functions were here. The Last door, to the East is made of Onyx and Adamantium. A large raven, wings outstretched, overlooking the destruction of the world, is bas-reliefed upon it. This leads to the Lyra's personal chambers.
The throne room itself is rather impressive, not just the doors. The ceiling reaches it's terminus about fifty feet over head. It is arched, vaulted, and engraved with scenes from popular Lyrian religion, and other strange scenes. There is a Unicorn and a Dragon playing chess with people as pieces {Amber}, a man bound by the flesh of another man with a snake dripping poison on his flesh {Loki}, seven men and women each holding a corner of the world {the Endless}, and others.
The floor is black marble. In the center is a large pool covered over with the same glasslike material as the tubes. Under it swims a few sharks in a pool, the bottom of which is a huge, warped, blackened mirror. White marble pillars are spread out over the room, with a purple budded creeper vine climbing most of them. Against the northwestern are five black marble slabs piled atop each other to make steps and a dias. In the center is the Lyra's throne, a ridiculously showy affair. The Lyra thinks this but understands the need to make an impression.
The throne is made of adamantium. The back spreads out in a huge pair of stylized ravens wings, detailed in black paint. The cushions are made a purple silken stuff. More of the stuff is draped about the throne and spills out over the front of the dias and down the steps. Two large multi-tiered candleholders are set slightly behind and to the sides of the throne. They hold about fifty lit white candles. There are others like these throughout the room. Haunting music plays softly.
The South wing:
This is a simple wing. The servants' quarters, excepting the Lyra's servants, are here. They are fairly lavish, as far as servants' quarters go. Two rooms; a sleeping room and a bathroom, in each. There are communal sitting rooms and it is all well heated unlike most servants' quarters.
A huge kitchen and the medical rooms are here as well. This whole wing is the only one wit ha common theme. It is done to appear as a medieval castle, complete with gray stone walls, wood floors, and strategically placed suits of armor and tapestries. Sitting rooms with balconies, a large library of books from all sorts of places, interesting corners, and other distracting places abound here. it is basically a good place to show around visitors. A lot of distracting things to see, smell, touch, taste, and hear so to keep them out of more crucial things.
The North wing:
This wing contains the necessities of political life; a ballroom, sitting rooms, and a council chamber. The largest room is the ballroom. It is done in a Versailles/Renaissance fashion. Gold gilt and white paneling, along with a polished floor. A large white marble staircase leads down to the floor from the balcony that rings the room. An absolutely sickeningly overly-decadent room. The Lyra hates it and avoids it like the plague. Robard and Mikhale, however, use any excuse they can to throw lavish balls here. The sitting rooms, of which there are seven, are each done in a different style. The one closest to the ballroom is also a French style affair. The others are completely random. The other most commonly used rooms are the "isle of chaos" and the "Salvador Dali" rooms. the isle of chaos is a simple sitting room, with almost an Asian type style. the chairs are low to the ground as are the tables. The floor and ceiling is made out of a mahogany like wood. The walls are glass windows overlooking a red sky and total destruction, sometimes from strange four-legged creatures fighting and sometimes natural disaster. These scenes cast a red glow over the room. The Salvador Dali room was inspired by the famous painter. Conceived and designed by the Lyra herself, this room is eccentric at best. Everything in it is warped and half melted. The clock runs of the wall. The mirror is warped. the chairs bend and twist awkwardly, but are some of the most comfortable furniture in the palace. Ones eyes are deceived by the room and things appear to move when they do not. Hidden behind a wall of water are two huge speaker banks. They play whatever music one desires but are often set to a comforting of not slightly surreal and ethereal music.
The elran council chamber is in the center of the wing. It looks a bit like mission control from a sci-fi thriller; dark, metallic, and sterile. This room is function only, not diplomatic party oriented. The council seats are placed on a balcony that rings the circular room. Computer displays and touch-sensitive monitors are built into displays before the seats. In the center of the room is a little platform for 3-d projections, speakers, and other things. The head of the Elran's seat is raised about six feet above the others. Robard, the current head, was given a circlet by the Lyra that has Divine Apathy engraved on it for his lax rule of the Elran. He, in turn, gave her a pair of horns and a scepter. He wears his circlet on occasion.
The west wing:
Another simple wing. Mostly wood, stone, and steel. Black iron and glass rooms on occasion, Highly functional, devoid of the knick-knacks and distracting decorations of the North wing. Diga, Robard, Mikhale, and surprisingly Erik, frequent this wing. Gunmetal corridors split the rooms into orderly rows. The lighting is plain, ceiling mounted fluorescent lights. An exercise room is almost always full of people working out, troops running through maneuvers, etc. The other large room is the war room. A long blue steel table occupies the center of the room. The wall behind the head of table is a large computer screen {the WHOLE damn wall}.
The East wing:
the wing that few see. it is not as sterile as the West wing, nor is it as showy as the North wing. Each room is a completely different style, in accordance to the Lyra's wishes. A small dining room, a log-cabinish sitting room, a modernist multi-media room, a fully functional kitchen, etc. The Lyra's personal chambers are a combination of gothic and modern, much like her city. Green potted plants in marble vases, statues, tapestries or paintings from a multitude of artists all fill the room. Most of the furniture is dark wood, black iron, white leather, and/or glass. The walls are a warm white, as is the carpet. The Lyra's bed is four-poster, made of black wrought iron with filmy white drapes. The same material frames the huge French doors that lead out onto the balcony.
The Lyra also furnished lavish apartments for her personal staff. Each got three rooms done in whatever style they chose. Since they were mostly confined to this wing she made sure they were comfortable. She has a maid, Ellora, a butler, Resson, a cook, Thessle, the cooks assistant, Frea, and her own personal guards, of which there are twenty, ten men and ten women. The staff are allowed free run of the castle but most chose to stay in the East wing since most everything they could desire is here and they are not worked anymore then necessary. The Lyra believes in fair treatment to all, also, the nicer you are the less likely it is that your servants will betray you. Most of her staff owes her a debt of some kind that she has never called on and all are her friends. She's not stupid.
The Lyra also provided several suites for close friends. Erik spent his first few weeks on Liriel in one of these suits. There has been some talk about Robard's frequent stays in these suits, or even more likely, the Lyra's chambers. Most of this talk is done by the general staff, who have not seen this. Therefore, the rumors' veracity is in question and talk of a romance between the head of the Elran and the Lyra remains unproven. The originators of these rumors are either the Lyra's staff of Mikhale's. No one is really certain.
One of these suits was built for the Lyra's parents, Mandor and Fiona. Done
in black, white, lavender, and green, this room has never been used, though
it is regularly cleaned. The tables have a chessboard top and a large pentagram
engraved over a purplish mirror hangs over the bed. The bed itself is made from
a large silver ball that was halved, hallowed and filled with lots and lots
of goose down. The sheets are Black and lavender silk. The chairs in the room
follow the silver ball theme. The balcony has one of the best views of Jade
and the Burning seas beyond it. {One of Liriel's seas, more of a HUGE lake actually
since it is land locked, is made of liquid fire. Only about 140 degrees, this
lake/ocean is known as the Burning seas}
Copyright me 1998