Thanari Greenhouse
The Thanari Greenhouse is an old slaughterhouse that was turned into a place to keep all kinds of plants and vegetal life.
Purpose / Function
Currently, the Thanari Greenhouse is used by the inhabitants of Thanari to keep most of their weaker plants in proper conditions for harvesting and cultivation. However, the greenhouse is also home to some of Barenae's most lethal carnivore plants, kept as guardians for its lesser siblings.
The original building was used as a meat market on the front, but mainly as a slaughterhouse to process the animals hunted by the Thanari. Everything, from their blood to their skin, was later reused.
Sensory & Appearance
As with any building in the cold parts of Barenae, the interior is unusually warm, especially given that temperature in a greenhouse is a crucial matter. A ton of light pours in through the ceiling as the sounds of conversations and farming tools fills the air. The nose is attacked by the familiar smells of vegetable soup, but also from the unusual stench of the saps used by the carnivorous exemplars to lure their prey.
Alterations
The original wooden structure, of square shape and medium size, was expanded as bigger and bigger predators were brought to the slaughterhouse. After a particularly fierce fire that burnt half of the exterior, the wooden planks were replaced for stones, coinciding with the construction of the first stone structures in Thanari around the 2060s. Once the walls were constructed, many installations were applied to them such as hooks and alcoves to keep the carcasses, which would later also be repurposed.
The banners have also been changed frequently as the power in Thanari shifted hands and many other families rose. This, alongside the fact that a fountain was constructed in the part destined for the public, made sure the slaughterhouse could be used as an actualized place to discuss, turning it into one of the social centers of the city.
The reforms post Zephyr empire have focused on making the structure more reliable by solidifying the older parts such as the stairways with metal.
Architecture
The architecture used to be from the foundational stone style of Wyevrak, but once the Zephyr Empire reformed it to turn it into a focal point of the city, the style became a mix between both. The visible white blocks from the nearby quarries converge with the more jagged features of the Chosen of Heryz. The building itself is distributed on two floors, accessible by multiple spiral stairways.
The bottom floor's most notable feature is the fountain in the middle. Around the fountain, multiple pathways allow the workers and visitors to access the various crops and alcoves containing subterranean plants. On the rear end, there's a small stand that sells seed bags and gardening guides. All crops harvested are transported to the town's hall warehouse to be consumed or sold on the town's festivals.
The top floor contains the hooks where pots are hung and the carnivorous plants. Said carnivorous plants have to keep a close watch on any insects or parasites that may access the building through the ceiling or the main door. The structure is topped by a glass ceiling, originally destined to let light in to dry the pelts of the animals faster. Its actual purpose is to proportionate the much-needed light for plant life development.
History
The Hall of the Thousand Eyes was founded as Thanari's slaughterhouse in order to have a place to make use of the hunted animals. The people of Thanari were struggling to survive their fights with the predators of the Outer Rim of Yekiach and, as the cold from the Fifth Pulse persisted, it became an essential part of the city, providing food for the periods when the crops would not suffice and pelts for when the cold was harsh. The production of predator blood was also necessary to keep the Greakin shapeshifters ready for battle.
With the invasion of the Zephyr Chosen of Heryz, the building maintained its use, but also served as a place for punishment. In the record books kept from the early periods of the occupation, frequent acts of torture and murder are registered next to the offender's name and the deliverer of the punishment. An especially infamous name that appears way too often is that of Pristinos Hinoer Guldunir.
Once the Chosen were pushed back to Li'Rinth, the people of Thanari concluded that since the advances of the Chosen had eradicated most of the predators, the slaughterhouse contained too much free space. The change happened in two steps: first, the normal crops from Thanari were planted on the ground level, while the superior level was kept as a meat market. Around the 2905 D.R, some exotic carnivorous plants were imported from Ferolia as part of a Brother City agreement. These plants would be kept on the higher level, replacing the original purpose of the building in its entirety, to the discomfort of some of the more traditionalist and old families of Thanari.
Tourism
Since Thanari is on the Outer Rim and it's only the second-most important city of Wyevrak, behind Theach Glade, it doesn't attract much tourism from other countries or extraplanar visitors. However, as people from Wyevrak's villages come to the city's regular market festivals, many like to spend a couple of hours looking at the plants in the Greenhouse. Nearby schools also like to schedule excursions with their students to learn about botany and agriculture. All visits are lead by a Greakin initiate, which also introduces the story of the place and talks about the nature of each plant.
In terms of what's to see, the original banners from the Zephyr period are still kept hanging on the walls, as no new families have risen to gain Thanari's favor. Obviously, the main attraction is the plants. While it's certainly inspiring and educational to watch the farmers work on the plants at ground level, Ferolia's species attract many eyes by their pretty colors or their dangerous nature.
The Greenhouse's collection includes some exemplars of Baranui Deathbell, Ij Spitters and Swimmer's Bane, amongst others. The most notable addition was a Gargantuan Kolip that is affectionately nicknamed by everyone as "Buri", which takes a big part of the middle section of the Greenhouse, possesses minimal sentience and affectionate nature, and loves to be scratched behind its inferior jaw.
Founding Date
1956 D.R
Alternative Names
Hall of the Thousand Eyes
Type
Garden
Did you know...?
That the name The Hall of the Thousand Eyes comes from the fact that whenever the Thanari would come back home successful from a hunt, the biggest animal hunted would have its eyes pulled out, cleaned, and conserved inside ice blocks. These eyes would later be replicated in a full head model of the predator, normally made out of wood or mud-clay, that would be kept under the banner of the responsible of the hunt. Some of these sculptures can be found in one of Thanari's history museums.
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