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Alcarinque
Alcarinque is a city of perhaps a thousand. Alcarinque is elvish for “the glorious. The city itself has the appearance of alabaster although its stones were simply quarried from the mountains that stand behind it. The stone is of such purity and whiteness though that the original Elen could barely resist it. The architecture is of an ethereal quality, and the city’s higher spires and towers seem to float away into nothing as one’s eyes gaze upward to find their tops. When one is able to view the city from a distance it almost seems to blend into the mountains ranges behind it, adding to its illusory nature.
The city’s bright whiteness is relieved by the Elen’s absolute love of color. They focus mostly on the jewel tones and the buildings are decorated with banners of amethyst, ruby, sapphire and emerald. The occasional yellow topaz is thrown in for variation. Pennants fly proudly from the towers and decorate the city’s walls at periodic intervals. Each of these feature the rising star of the Elen in their center. The insignia is silver in color.
The city does not know poverty or homelessness. The poorest of the poor have stone roofs over their heads and full bellies – all are employed one way or another. Slavery is unheard of and is an abomination as it is the worst fate besides death that is visited upon the Elen outside their city’s walls.
The palace lies toward the north and is a sprawling affair that boasts the highest towers in the city. These towers are not the round, base affairs of humans however. These are the high, floating, narrow affairs one would associate with sidhe as the Elen are indeed sidhe. For those of Terran sensibilities, add a distinct Oriental flavor – that of the Far East – to the mix and you have the Elen’s sense of style and architecture. Silks more often separate rooms than stones, though walls have their uses.
Before the place is a vast compound of gardens. This author is an absolute lover of roses and thus that is what dominates the gardens of the Elen. It is here that only certain varieties of the everlasting kind are found including a rare blue variety. Sometimes the roses become mazes, other times lush arbors harboring entire miniature worlds of ponds, flowers and ambiance. Perhaps two hundred of Alcarinque’s population, maybe more, are royal gardeners whose visions are realized in the palace’s grounds.
Behind the palace it is a bit more wild. Adarin, the current king created an artificial lake out back. In the center dwells a small island on which he had built an incomplete temple. On that temple’s walls and pillars are written the incomplete story of his love of Edrienne, his wife who died prematurely and before she could issue heirs. There is a single dock and one narrow rowboat that will take one to the island. It is infested with maples, though purposefully. The maple symbolizes loyalty. At least to the Elen and one deluded King.
The city more or less circles out from the palace. There is a market that lies to the west of the palace – it is held daily and human gypsy caravans are allowed in to provide agricultural fare to customers. They also bring news, warnings, stories, music and other marketable fare. The Wanderers of Berelath are the only humans allowed the key to the wards of Alcarinque and the Aeglos stone.
Rooms:
The palace is made of white stone, interiors and exteriors. The floor are also stone – in Galain’s apartments the floors are covered with area rugs and rushes. In Adarin’s apartments the floors will be covered in layers of area rugs – again in jewel tones – amethyst, emerald, ruby, sapphire and yellow topaz. The corridors are bright – most of them actually hug the exterior of the palace so there is usually a long series of tall, arched windows letting in plenty of light. The side corridors that extend more deeply into the palace are lit with orbs of fey fire – they never go out. They burn much cleaner than torches too. The light is a warm yellow in color.
The walls of the corridors and Adarin’s apartments will have tapestries – again using the gem tones I’ve described above There may be carvings and statues – all in alabaster or white in nature – vaguely reflecting an Oriental theme. The whole palace smells… “green”. There are gardens and courtyards everywhere and one has the feeling of openness and airiness. Originally the Elen were probably tree dwellers.
Adarin’s apartments are extensive and at one point his rooms had mementoes of his wife here and there – a portrait of a hard-eyed woman with golden hair dominated his main foyer. That’s Edrienne. These days the rooms are littered with toys and other various and sundry items that result from raising twins.
Galain’s apartments extended to a number of rooms during his marriage to Ghetsuhm, but he has since sized back down, deliberately returning to a bachelor’s sense of style or lack thereof. He has downsized to a waiting room, an office, a small bedroom off of the office and two extensive rooms beyond that for Aarien and her nurse, and which can be reached by a second door in the office.
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