Dear Mikko,
I'd agree that most DP towns are, as you suggest, pretty open behind = earthwork defences, with enclosures for animals, unused scrub land, even = small fields and allotments. Indeed, there may also be scope for a = motte-and-bailey approach, with a central complex on a natural or = artificial hill. This inner section might also be stone or wooden-walled = and would generally have a major religious role, not least as height = brings an Orlanthi temple closer to the Winds. The fact that it also = allows you to see attackers and rain arrows (or thunderbolts!) down on = them further and more easily is, of course, just a plus.
A 'typical' Orlanthi town - not that there probably are any! - would, I = would think, be all or part walled, but this would generally be an = earthwork, perhaps with palisades and towers or stretches of walls at = especially vulnerable points, but not a medieval-style stone-walled = settlement. Walls would often not be particularly effective military = defences, but would be there primarily to keep out predators (wolves, = outlaws, etc) - hence a closing of the gates (often just moving a = barricade into place) at Elmset. Of course, cities which Sartar and his = successors chose to fortify might have full stone walls, but they're = crumbling now...
The focal points would be the market square, temples and the = chief/king's stead. Temples might cluster together or more likely = cluster in appropriate groups at appropriate places: Orlanth and the = Thunder Brothers near the chief, Issaries by the market, field and = farmer temples together by a sacred grove, etc. High status houses are = upwind and upslope. Any 'roads' - the term is used loosely - would link = these focal points and the gates/fords/etc. These might be marked with = edge stones and runes, but would generally just be stamped earth paths, = visible as much as anything else simply by the absence of buildings. Of = course, as you go towards Far Point, where the ground gets marshier, = these roads might need more substantial basis. 'Corduroy' paths of logs = would be laid - with a new path being laid over the old ones as they = start to sink into the mud. (Excavations in the RW city of Novgorod came = up with over a dozen such paths laid over each other in one site!)
Otherwise, the fact that the Orlanthi have no God of Town Planning would = be pretty obvious - clusters and rows of houses scattered hither and = yon. Clusters might house extended families or folk from the same home = village. Longhouses and smaller (2-3 room) townhouses would often have = outbuildings for livestock and woven-twig fences marking out small = pasture and allotments. Around them would be wells, hen-houses, oven = kilns, all the paraphernalia of village life - it just happens to be in = a particularly large village.
But DP is also a cultural crossroads with a long history of settlement. = So you can expect to see, as Mikael suggests (V8 #17, 24 September), all = sorts of other influences and structures to make the mix thicker and = richer:=20
And so it goes.=20
Especially given the presence of a travelling trader cult as well as an = adventurous tradition that leads to many thanes and chiefs (ie, people = with the spare resource to spend on building) having seen other lands, = there is likely to be considerable cultural cross-fertilisation. Of = course, just as Roman architecture was 'winterised' for British use, so = too will the distinctive conditions of DP drive all but the most = extravagant building. Most buildings will be variations on the = tried-and-true longhouses and thatched plank-built or wattle-and-daub = townhouses (easy to build, everyone knows someone who knows how to build = them, they work in cold weather, etc).
As regards Aldachur, I think John Hughes and Mikael have set up a very = interesting and specific context. I'm actually working on a my-game map = and picture of the city, but the basic defining features, drawn from = their ideas, are a huge central palace-temple complex (the Place of = Bronze), dating back to EWF days (Minoan-come-Aztec.trust me, it works!) = and partial glassy walls from those days. Newer stone walls built by = Terasarin in the late 16th century (KoS 140) connect up with these = soaring glories, within which are a series of quarters, such as the Moon = Quarter, largely taken up by lunar barracks and high-status housing for = lunars and nobles identified with them. Buildings range from longhouses = (especially in traditionalist Elmali quarters), lean-tos and thatch = through to those built with brick and stone scavenged from the ruins of = the old city and the marble and granite of recent constructions by the = lunars and Harvar Ironfist.
Hope this is of some help!
Mark
Mark Galeotti
hia15_at_his.keele.ac.uk
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2014.210" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#f0e8d8>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3>
<P align=3Djustify>Dear Mikko,</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>I’d agree that most DP towns are, as you =
suggest, pretty open=20
behind earthwork defences, with enclosures for animals, unused scrub =
land, even=20
small fields and allotments. Indeed, there may also be scope for a=20
motte-and-bailey approach, with a central complex on a natural or =
artificial=20
hill. This inner section might also be stone or wooden-walled and would=20
generally have a major religious role, not least as height brings an =
Orlanthi=20
temple closer to the Winds. The fact that it also allows you to see =
attackers=20
and rain arrows (or thunderbolts!) down on them further and more easily =
is, of=20
course, just a plus.</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>A ‘typical’ Orlanthi town – not =
that there probably are any! –=20
would, I would think, be all or part walled, but this would generally be =
an=20
earthwork, perhaps with palisades and towers or stretches of walls at =
especially=20
vulnerable points, but not a medieval-style stone-walled settlement. =
Walls would=20
often not be particularly effective military defences, but would be =
there=20
primarily to keep out predators (wolves, outlaws, etc) – hence a =
closing of the=20
gates (often just moving a barricade into place) at Elmset. Of course, =
cities=20
which Sartar and his successors chose to fortify might have full stone =
walls,=20
but they're crumbling now...</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>The focal points would be the market square, temples =
and the=20
chief/king’s stead. Temples might cluster together or more likely =
cluster in=20
appropriate groups at appropriate places: Orlanth and the Thunder =
Brothers near=20
the chief, Issaries by the market, field and farmer temples together by =
a sacred=20
grove, etc. High status houses are upwind and upslope. Any =
‘roads’ – the term is=20
used loosely - would link these focal points and the gates/fords/etc. =
These=20
might be marked with edge stones and runes, but would generally just be =
stamped=20
earth paths, visible as much as anything else simply by the absence of=20
buildings. Of course, as you go towards Far Point, where the ground gets =
marshier, these roads might need more substantial basis. =
‘Corduroy’ paths of=20
logs would be laid – with a new path being laid over the old ones =
as they start=20
to sink into the mud. (Excavations in the RW city of Novgorod came up =
with over=20
a dozen such paths laid over each other in one site!)</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>Otherwise, the fact that the Orlanthi have no God of =
Town=20
Planning would be pretty obvious – clusters and rows of houses =
scattered hither=20
and yon. Clusters might house extended families or folk from the same =
home=20
village. Longhouses and smaller (2-3 room) townhouses would often have=20
outbuildings for livestock and woven-twig fences marking out small =
pasture and=20
allotments. Around them would be wells, hen-houses, oven kilns, all the=20
paraphernalia of village life – it just happens to be in a =
particularly large=20
village.</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>But DP is also a cultural crossroads with a long =
history of=20
settlement. So you can expect to see, as Mikael suggests (V8 #17, 24 =
September),=20
all sorts of other influences and structures to make the mix thicker and =
richer:=20
</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>- Pelorian city-houses next to wooden longhouses next =
to=20
Esrolian square-houses (low stone buildings around a square central =
hall) next=20
to wattle-and-daub huts next to Heortland roundhouses (thatched large =
circular=20
wooden-framed family houses).</P>
<P align=3Djustify>- Thatched roofs, turf roofs, wooden beam roofs, =
stone roofs,=20
tiled roofs, metal-covered roofs (especially for temples).</P>
<P align=3Djustify>- Old buildings which have gone through a variety of =
changes of=20
use over time: houses become storehouses, stables or barns as =
populations=20
contract, for example.</P>
<P align=3Djustify>- Ancient earthen berms, by now so grassed over as to =
seem more=20
like low, long ridges around a settlement and modern, stone walls</P>
<P align=3Djustify>- Dry-stone walls and crude log palisades next to =
new-fangled=20
mortared stone and even brick walls and plank fences</P>
<P align=3Djustify>- Settlement creep, especially where rivers meander =
or towns=20
decline, so that old walls might now be far too large for a shrunken =
town, or=20
else around only part of the built-up-area.</P>
<P align=3Djustify>- Following on from that, many walled settlements =
will have=20
buildings outside the walls – sometimes this may be prestigious =
new developments=20
(eg, the fortified houses and barracks of lunar occupiers), but more =
often some=20
shanty town, like Aldachur-Outside-the-Walls.</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>And so it goes… </P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>Especially given the presence of a travelling trader =
cult as=20
well as an adventurous tradition that leads to many thanes and chiefs =
(ie,=20
people with the spare resource to spend on building) having seen other =
lands,=20
there is likely to be considerable cultural cross-fertilisation. Of =
course, just=20
as Roman architecture was ‘winterised’ for British use, so =
too will the=20
distinctive conditions of DP drive all but the most extravagant =
building. Most=20
buildings will be variations on the tried-and-true longhouses and =
thatched=20
plank-built or wattle-and-daub townhouses (easy to build, everyone knows =
someone=20
who knows how to build them, they work in cold weather, etc).</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>As regards Aldachur, I think John Hughes and Mikael =
have set up=20
a very interesting and specific context. I’m actually working on a =
my-game map=20
and picture of the city, but the basic defining features, drawn from =
their=20
ideas, are a huge central palace-temple complex (the Place of Bronze), =
dating=20
back to EWF days (Minoan-come-Aztec…trust me, it works!) and =
partial glassy=20
walls from those days. Newer stone walls built by Terasarin in the late=20
16<SUP>th</SUP> century (KoS 140) connect up with these soaring glories, =
within=20
which are a series of quarters, such as the Moon Quarter, largely taken =
up by=20
lunar barracks and high-status housing for lunars and nobles identified =
with=20
them. Buildings range from longhouses (especially in traditionalist =
Elmali=20
quarters), lean-tos and thatch through to those built with brick and =
stone=20
scavenged from the ruins of the old city and the marble and granite of =
recent=20
constructions by the lunars and Harvar Ironfist.</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>Hope this is of some help!</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>Mark</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P>
<P align=3Djustify>------------------</P>
<P align=3Djustify>Mark Galeotti</P>
<P align=3Djustify>hia15_at_his.keele.ac.uk</P>
<P align=3Djustify></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
Powered by hypermail