The Archive Building / Landmark in Cairne | World Anvil

The Archive

Deep within the heart of their sprawling city, Obficina , lies an enormous, vaulted chamber filled will row upon row of glass tubes and jars containing the organic remains of the Syllandyha elves. While some contain merely a remnant part of on of the elves, there are some that remain completely in tact and whole, awaiting their chance to be remade in the image of perfection the Bonedancers view themselves to be. This chamber is the heart and soul of the entire species, allowing a holding place and depository, not only for genetic material, but for relics, archived records, and a way to recycle those Bonedancers that meet with untimely ends. While to the outside world, this is viewed as strange and macabre, to the last of the Syllandyha elves, this is their only remaining tie to who they once were, and a means by which they can remember from whence they came.

Purpose / Function

The primary purpose of this particular structure is the preservation and propagation of the Bonedancers' legacy. This was the first structure to be constructed when Obficina was in its initial stages of construction. It is centrally located within the epicenter of the entire city and the most secure part of the entire structure.

Alterations

The Bonedancers are constantly adding too, expanding, and improving on their city, and the Vault is no different. Over the many years that have passed since it was initially built, a mechanical inventory management system has been designed and implemented, as well as a complex refrigeration mechanism that cycles cold water from below the island through a system of tubes that run through the walls absorbing heat and then transfer it outward to other parts of the city. While it is a marvel of engineering and mechanical design, just like every part of their ever expanding city, it is constantly evolving.

Architecture

THe initial design of the Vault was an oval shaped chamber, half buried under the ground on the exterior, made of brass and steel with only a single entrance and exit. This general design remains static, however as the city grew up around it, the exterior was eventually completely swallowed up by the rest of the construction, hidden within the winding halls and passageways that now make up their city.    Internally, the structure is a tangle of brass pipes, mechanical gearworks, and thousands of glass containers of all different sizes organized within windowed chambers that are shelved and suspended throughout the vast holding area. In the center of the chamber is a single walkway that leads to a hanging platform upon which rests a central control panel for picking and moving the items within the room. The device itself is a work of art in terms of design, but an unlabeled and extremely complicated series of dials, switches, and levers. There is a constant cold fog that clings to the lower regions of the chamber obscuring the lower quarters for the most part, and the entire structure is sparsely lit by carbon arc lamps.

Defenses

Aside from the location being so nestled into the the heart of the inner workings of the Bonedancer city, the room itself is not without its share of mechanical defenses as well. The central control panel by which the room is manipulated must be constantly manned, and the room is always occupied by three Bondancers that work in unison to maintain, repair, operate and guard the chamber. If at any point the control panel goes dormant for more than a few minutes, the room will seal, the only portal in and out locking down with an internal hatch that is heavily reinforced, and the room itself filling with a lethal phosgene gas. The gas is colorless and will quickly render any organisms within unable to breath.

History

The Syllandyha elves, while technically extinct on Cairne, were a very advanced race of travelers from a lost outworld location. In the initial days of their metamorphosis it was decided that they would do their best to preserve their origins by building a central depository for the entire sum of their history and knowledge, as well as to preserve those they were not able to remake right away, the few that stood in opposition, and a means by which organic materials might be recycled and even reharvested should a mishap or act of aggression claim one of their numbers. As construction commenced and the existing Bonedancers slowly began to lose touch with the organic aspects of their culture, much of this initial purpose of preservation was forgotten and even deemed wasteful, and the lower portions of the Vault were filled with the records and archival relics of their past where they could be stored safely enough to keep prying eyes and sticky fingers away from the secrets of their past, but in such a way that the Bonedancers would not have to be bothered with maintaining obsolete information and materials.
Type
Archive
Parent Location
Owning Organization


Cover image: by Midjourney

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