Citadel d'Havere
The most classical of Ancient Elven architecture can be found in the Citadel d'Havere which, at its highest is a large brass dome supporting an unusually tall spire. The dome is supported by white marble arches all around who are in then in turn supported by external curving buttresses. Scholars agree that originally the citadel was not meant to be a defensive building but most likely some sort of Ancient temple, but the addition of ramparts, towers, portcullis, drawbridges and other fortifications throughout the millennia has turned this building into a strange combination of Elven grace and Human practicality.
Purpose / Function
Formerly a temple to an ancient Elven God. It is now currently the domicile of the Crown of Havere, the center of bureaucracy in the city and in Terdiore, and the most defensible structure in the the city.
Alterations
The original building was a large dome structure on tallest bluff overlooking both the harbor, river, and lands to the east. When Havere was settled, and the temple was chosen as its seat of government, a wall with ramparts and battlements was constructed around it, and a moat with water diverted from the river was dug around it. Ramparts were added to the high balcony around the dome, and portcullis and arrow slits were added to the base structure below.
Later when the work of government became complicated and cumbersome, the King commissioned an addition to be added to the citadel. This addition, now called the State Building is where all folk come to deal directly with the government. It also directed all uninvited visitors away from the main citadel and into a more controlled location. The Trade Council of Havere also has their offices there.
The State Building is rectangular (unlike the citadel), with its own copper dome and arches. Built from a similar but not identical while marble that the citadel is made from.
Architecture
Architects have marveled at the Citadel d'Havere for centuries admiring its arches and flying buttresses. Many foreigners have come to Havere to study the support structure of the giant dome and a few have been able to replicate it in other countries.
Every detail about the citadel informs the architecture of the city. The white marble is the building material of choice, and even if one cannot afford their walls to be build from solid marble, people often at least guild the outside with marble tiles. Domes and arches are included in every building, and large buildings (like the temple of Olastra) make use of the flying buttress technique.
The human aspects of the citadel have been praised but most agree that the citadel would be better without them. The ramparts are oval in shape rather than square and the battlements around the wall look more like dome towers each with its own spire.
The bridge to the spire
History
Not much are known of the Elves that inhabited the old city, but what researchers have been able to gather is from folk stories from Sea Elves or the Summer Elves that infrequently visit the city. Originally, the temple was dedicated to an ancient Elven God. When the War of Ascension was won, faith in the nameless Elven God waned, and the temple and city were abandoned.
Shortly after the founding of Havere the restoration process for the temple began. It took 100 years to fully restore the temple and make the subsequent upgrades to make it a defensible building. The temple was renamed the Citadel d'Havere and was dedicated to Olastra for His blessing on Terdiore.
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