Imperial Court Palace Complex
The Imperial Court Palace complex is one of the oldest continually-occupied buildings in the Known World, with documented use dating back approximately 2,000 years before the beginning of the imperial canon . It is currently maintained as the residence-in-waiting of the Feloran Emperor, as well as continuing to house the principal campus for the training of the civil service from the Empire and some mail storage.
Purpose / Function
The Imperial Compound was constructed to be the new residence of Crown Princess Leswena I, and subsequently expanded by other Emperex' as the Ancient Kingdom morphed into the early Empire. During the height of Imperial power, the Court Complex housed the headquarters of the Imperial Bureaucracy, which processed goods throughout the Empire for distribution to other bureaus in the Provincial Capitals, which had smaller palaces and compounds constructed in a similar fashion. These centers helped manage surpluses and shortages, helping prevent famine or disease, allowing Feloran subjects to exhange their excess goods for that which they lacked.
Alterations
The compound has been continually expanded. As subsequent Emperors added more uses for the complex, and as the bureaucracy grew in power, the palace has been modified to stockpile food, support Ëlhyaean rituals and festivals, and at one point even been a drydock to construct ships in. Much of these alterations are still there, but have fallen into disuse and decay.
Architecture
The oldest parts of the palace are made of mud bricks from the surrounding lowlands. A majority of the building is made from the earth dug up during the construction of the massive Feloran canal system, while the latest imperial additions are with Sarendian limestone. Remarkably, the building is built in consistently the same style, Palatial Feloran, which evolved out of the building method of the Royal Era. Organised around a circular courtyard, the compound is divided into quarters that each serve a distinct function.
Defenses
The inner compound is completely walled-off from the rest of the complex and the city of Soren, a legacy of the forbidden palace. There are 8 lookout towers, ranging from 40-50 meters tall, at the corners of the complex and it's main entrances, which provide vantage points from which the entirety of the city may be observed.
Founding Date
~1780-1580 RE (Royal Era of Felora)
Alternative Names
Imperial Compound
Type
Palace
Parent Location
Owning Organization
