Architecture in the Illuminated regions of the southern Spires
I spent six weeks on the southward line, traveling from the Daggerspire to the Ardenspire. I was tired, I was dirty and my nerves were frayed from too long in the Penumbra. I needed sleep and to be away from my traveling companions - though I love them dearly; six weeks is a long time.
I found a spire-facing inn, but while my body screamed at me to go inside, grab an ale and some desperately-needed sleep, I could do nothing but stand and gape; the entire spire-face of the inn was missing!
These southerners must have no concept of privacy at all! Each of the rooms, from the taproom to the bed chambers were open to the sky, with only a thin wall of glass to keep out the elements. They looked like the eyes of a glow-fly - dozens of smallish hexagons cemented in place with some sort of silvery metal, and they left nothing to the imagination, let me tell you! I could see all of the patrons in the taproom on the ground floor, and when I looked up, there was a woman - naked as the day she was born - fixing herself up in a mirror! I practically ran inside then, eyes staring at the ground, and asked the innkeeper for a dark-facing room. It didn't matter though, because even they were open to every eye in the city!
I slept in the closet that night and every night until I left.
Scrivener Jarlus Tolan, Dagreni Sanctuary, first Lamp East out of Daggerspire
Architecture
Across the cities and settlements of the southern illuminated regions, a particular architectural style has emerged, reflecting a cultural obsession - or anxiety - about remaining illuminated. Most public and private residences in the south are constructed such that the spire-facing or lamp-facing side of the building is as open to Spirelight as possible. In most communities this means constructing walls of various types and thicknesses of glass in place of stone, wood, or plaster. The preferred glass is always the clearest available, but income and scarcity often ensure that the more common working-class homes use bubbled glass or other opaque forms.
Many communities will have enclosed, private sleeping chambers and bathing rooms, but in several of the larger cities such as Ardrenost, cultural norms dictate that as much of the home should be open to the light as possible. This often results in casual displays of public nudity and as a result, social mores governing clothing are somewhat more relaxed than in other regions.
Most buildings are constructed using heavy wooden beams and solid stone support columns. Internal walls are plaster, though half-walls and open areas are increasingly common.
Type
House
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