Fortress of Virlette
The central base of operations for The Order of Wind & Scales, the Fortress of Virlette casts a long, sharp shadow over the central habitation in Shenodarth.
Purpose / Function
The Fortress of Virlette is at once a training ground, dragon hatchery, barracks and guild hall. There are communal and meditative gardens scattered across the fortress. While the fortress is limited to Dragon Riders, their dragons and those within Shenodarth who tend to the riders, their needs and the maintenance of the fortress, on the rare exception others within the six realms are free to visit if they have need of the Order.
Layout
The Fortress of Virlette is a sprawling, open spaced facility that must accommodate the needs of humans and dragons. New recruits report feeling overwhelmed by the immense size and spacious layout, often taking weeks or longer to build the layout within their mind. Visitors or new recruits enter through the eastern iron gates where the administrative offices, accessible meeting spaces and other mundane facilities are located. Given the inhospitable terrain that separates Shenodarth from the other realms, it is rare that distant travelers visit the fortress and only business related to the Order is conducted inside.
To the south and west lie the living quarters for active and retired members of the Order. The dragon's hatchery and roosting tower sits at the western most point, directly on top of the cliff side, with the Yarrow Sea crashing below.
Training facilities and classrooms are to the north.
Administrative Offices
Visitors to the fortress report to the administrative office where they are separated based on the urgency of their needs. Dignitaries and those of higher status are ushered to private, elegant offices where they are waited upon. Visitors who are not of high status are still treated with care and have their personal needs tended to upon their arrival.
There are small overnight rooms to house visitors when the local inns are full. An older auxiliary room was refitted for this purpose, with rickety beds arranged in two long columns and curtains to act as a privacy screen. Squat bedside tables are close to the bed and small foot lockers are at the foot.
Guild Business
Business that relates to the management of The Order of Wind & Scales is conducted in rooms far from the eyes of non-members where Order secrets are less likely to be overheard. Current commanders of the Order have private working suites in a wing adjoining the administrative arm and the private archives of the Order are located near these suites.
When all members of the Order are called to meetings, they congregate in an amphitheater built into the cliff, nestled under the administrative wing.
Living Quarters
While recruits and fully fledged Order members are free to visit their hometowns or are assigned to patrol and monitor specific regions across the Continent, there is space for members to seek shelter, continue their studies or commune with their fellow Riders. Nestled in the southwest quadrant of the fortress is The Hall that is both the dining facility and dormitory for Order members. The formal and informal dining rooms are located on the bottom floor of The Hall. The next four levels are the dormitory for First Riders (Order members in training) and Graduated Riders. The topmost level are reserved for Scalebacks, the senior most Order members.
A handful of split-level cottages dot the perimeter of The Hall. These cottages are for the current leaders of The Order.
Dining Facilities
Like many spaces within the fortress, the primary dining pavilion is intended as a shared space between dragons and their Riders. The back wall was constructed with artificial paneling that may be removed so diners may sit in the adjoining courtyard when weather permits. The interior is fashioned with long tables and backless stools where Riders and their instructors may dine together. It's stone floors are perpetually warm from the cooking fires beneath the dining hall and the hatchery even further down. To the front of the room is an open fireplace where a fire burns throughout the day, constantly tended to by a member of the kitchen staff or one of the Riders who are tasked to assist in the kitchens. Stylistic depictions of dragons in flight and Riders performing their duties to the other realms are depicted in colorful paint along the top paneling.
The exterior has less furnishing than the interior, except for several benches. A wide grassy field is there for riders to lounge outside when the weather permits. It is one of the spaces where new and seasoned riders regularly interact.
Sleeping Quarters
Sleeping arrangements are divided based on a member's status (first rider, graduated rider, scalebacks) . First riders, the recruits who are undergoing proper training, have dormitory style lodging with a minimum of three others. The pods share washrooms, laundry rooms and study spaces.
Graduated riders are given private rooms, though they are not as spacious as those afforded to scaled riders. These rooms are split into living and sleeping spaces. They are equipped with a sofa, short table, writing desk with accompanying chair, a bed and a standard sized dresser. As these riders complete tasks and earn their own money, they are free to decorate and commission carpenters for additional furnishings.
Scalebacks, those who have served within the Order for years and completed daring missions, live in the topmost level of The Hall in spacious, airy rooms that wall length windows that give full views of The fortress. These rooms are equipped with much more luxurious furnishings spread across the bedroom, living room, private study and trophy room. They also have stone fireplaces built in for better heating during winter nights.
The cottages are the most coveted lodgings by first riders. While they are much more spacious and welcoming than the lodging in The Hall, the cottages are more diminutive than even the most humble house in Shenodarth. The cottages are furnished similarly to each other with inviting bedding, plenty of storage, several trophy rooms, a study and a private plot of land that may be used for gardening.
Dragon's Tower
Where the human riders live and dine in The Hall, dragons make their home in the tower that is visible even on the road to Shenodarth. From the road or down in the town, laymen glimpse the black or gray silhouette of a dragon launching from the open tower bays or banking in the sky as they descend in preparation to land. Adult dragons are given individual bays high within the tower where they may rest, take their meals or meet with their respective riders. Lower tiers are reserved for young dragons who learn to stretch their wings and attempt lift off, flight and descent.
The structure of the tower extends well into the sky, while the foundation reaches into the rock of the cliff and expands out. Located here is the hatchery, nursery and the EverHearth.
Located in a cavernous chamber, the EverHearth is the system that heats the walls and floors of the entire fortress. A deep pit where coals and timber burn year round, the system is maintained by dedicated engineers and minders who are intimately familiar with the intricacies of its design. Hollow openings in the ceiling of the chamber catch the rising heat and direct it through crafted piping to the different parts of the Fortress or Virlette. Dedicated piping lead directly to the dragon hatchery where new eggs are kept at a sustain temperature to coax dragons to emerge. Above the hatchery is the nursery where freshly hatched dragons are kept for no more than three months. After that time, young dragons are given space higher in the tower where they develop their early skills before attempting their First Flight.
Even in the early hours of a new day or the final hours of night, it is not uncommon to see dragons of various hues and sizes scaling the tower's walls or looking to the horizon in quiet judgment of how to achieve liftoff.
Training Wing
The training grounds for Riders is split between formal classrooms and the open pasture that slopes down towards the edges of the forest.
A detached building houses the series of classrooms, academic library and gymnasium available to all Riders. Copies of the history of the Order of Wind & Scales are kept in the library, with new histories added on a near yearly basis. In addition to these texts are works on world and regional history, combat training, observations on contemporary customs, philosophy, political theory and select poetry and novels.
The gymnasium is outfitted with cordoned off martial arts rings, archery bays, blunted weapons, saddles attached to mechanical dragons and an interior and exterior running field. Several paths stretch from the gymnasium's exterior to the open pasture or down in the woods.
Architecture
The Fortress of Virlette is built with rock and iron, with much of the foundation carved directly into the body of the cliff. It is built in a style that favors arches, open rooms, high ceilings and windows that allow for natural light. When the fortress was created, it was done so with the aid of the Tinkers of Bharuum who designed the EverHearth and the heating system that fortifies the building and its inhabitants.
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