The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace
The legendary Summer Palace was built by the Incandescent Kings at the height of Zyan's power. It hangs on the eastern edge of the White Jungle, in the Bright Bowers (3rd level), where the air is clear and cool, and the jungle growth much less dense.
The palace is suspended in an enormous floating mesh sphere, half a mile in diameter. This sphere is almost invisible at a distance of more than 10’, revealing itself only by a faint shimmer, or the occasional glint in direct light. The jungle growth stops at uniform fifty feet from the sphere and is held at bay by the sphere’s enchantment, except for a circular column of trees, roughly 650 in diameter that bisects the sphere through its axis. The sphere floats very close to the edge of jungle, leaving a clear view to east through trees of the deep blue of the Endless Azure Sea, dotted with islands of white clouds.
At the top of the sphere is set the great Brass Valve, a disc of shining metal. The brass valve is operated by a massive wheel turned by a crank on the platform just below. On this platform, in addition to the wheel for opening the valve, are two massive ziplines, one that leads to each wing of the castle below. The hooks for the line are operated by a lever that controls the speed and breaking mechanism. These zip lines have several attachments, including loveseats (like a ski lift) and also platforms with bands to which goods and persons can be affixed.
Beneath the platform begins the Spiral Stair, a gorgeous, massive iron spiral staircase, carved elaborately with floral forms. It winds through the light foliage of the tree column down to the gardens below. Winding between the alabaster fronds of the tree column, it affords breathtaking views of the palace below, as well as the surrounding jungle and the Endless Azure Sea to the east. (The tree column does not form the usual lattice structure, until it bursts forth in a canopy at the base of the stairs.
The Summer Palace hangs in the center of this sphere, secured by numerous golden wires of similar material that are affixed to the surrounded jungle. It is constructed of the hardened, lightweight material of the Chittering Masons, which looks like a glittering smooth concrete. It consists of two wings, North and South. The North Wing is four stories tall, and is surmounted by two towers that rise above with twisting onion shaped domes, one two stories higher, and the other larger one three stories. The Southern wing has partially collapsed, piercing the mesh netting and falling below. It is three stories tall, and contains 1.5 of the original three towers that rise two stories higher. As a result of this calamity, the whole structure now tilts very slightly down towards the Northwest.
These two wings are connected by great walled (the walls are three stories tall) gardens. These gardens contain two ponds to the south that flow through winding streams towards what looks like a massive pool beneath the north wing. The tree column that bisects the center of the garden does not branch out into a lattice canopy until 50' above the garden floor. The lattice structure lasts for 20' before ending 30' over the green, overgrown garden paths below.
Hopefully this will clarify and supplement my verbal description at the session. At this point, feel free to ask any questions you like about anything you might have seen with your spy glass on the way down. Chris P. Aleksandr Revzin Eric Boyd Joshua Blackketter
The legendary Summer Palace was built by the Incandescent Kings at the height of Zyan's power. It hangs on the eastern edge of the White Jungle, in the Bright Bowers (3rd level), where the air is clear and cool, and the jungle growth much less dense.
The palace is suspended in an enormous floating mesh sphere, half a mile in diameter. This sphere is almost invisible at a distance of more than 10’, revealing itself only by a faint shimmer, or the occasional glint in direct light. The jungle growth stops at uniform fifty feet from the sphere and is held at bay by the sphere’s enchantment, except for a circular column of trees, roughly 650 in diameter that bisects the sphere through its axis. The sphere floats very close to the edge of jungle, leaving a clear view to east through trees of the deep blue of the Endless Azure Sea, dotted with islands of white clouds.
At the top of the sphere is set the great Brass Valve, a disc of shining metal. The brass valve is operated by a massive wheel turned by a crank on the platform just below. On this platform, in addition to the wheel for opening the valve, are two massive ziplines, one that leads to each wing of the castle below. The hooks for the line are operated by a lever that controls the speed and breaking mechanism. These zip lines have several attachments, including loveseats (like a ski lift) and also platforms with bands to which goods and persons can be affixed.
Beneath the platform begins the Spiral Stair, a gorgeous, massive iron spiral staircase, carved elaborately with floral forms. It winds through the light foliage of the tree column down to the gardens below. Winding between the alabaster fronds of the tree column, it affords breathtaking views of the palace below, as well as the surrounding jungle and the Endless Azure Sea to the east. (The tree column does not form the usual lattice structure, until it bursts forth in a canopy at the base of the stairs.
The Summer Palace hangs in the center of this sphere, secured by numerous golden wires of similar material that are affixed to the surrounded jungle. It is constructed of the hardened, lightweight material of the Chittering Masons, which looks like a glittering smooth concrete. It consists of two wings, North and South. The North Wing is four stories tall, and is surmounted by two towers that rise above with twisting onion shaped domes, one two stories higher, and the other larger one three stories. The Southern wing has partially collapsed, piercing the mesh netting and falling below. It is three stories tall, and contains 1.5 of the original three towers that rise two stories higher. As a result of this calamity, the whole structure now tilts very slightly down towards the Northwest.
These two wings are connected by great walled (the walls are three stories tall) gardens. These gardens contain two ponds to the south that flow through winding streams towards what looks like a massive pool beneath the north wing. The tree column that bisects the center of the garden does not branch out into a lattice canopy until 50' above the garden floor. The lattice structure lasts for 20' before ending 30' over the green, overgrown garden paths below.
Hopefully this will clarify and supplement my verbal description at the session. At this point, feel free to ask any questions you like about anything you might have seen with your spy glass on the way down. Chris P. Aleksandr Revzin Eric Boyd Joshua Blackketter
A further note: I made an error in play. The Chittering Masons HAD in fact told you about "five hanging towers" that would used for "guarding and watching", and were positioned at various points outside the sphere. The crystal ape came from one of these towers, the one directly above the mesh sphere.
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