Spirit Gardens
Purpose / Function
Spirit Gardens were cultivated by Raitharan noble households to honor and appease the spirit or spirits invited to live there, bringing fortune and power to the household. Even from a mundane standpoint, the time, expense, and expertice required made the gardens status markers, showing off the wealth and taste of the family.
Architecture
Though each was individual, every proper Spirit Garden was cultivated around a Gate of some kind, which the spirit could travel through to form a small spirit realm of their own. Popular gates included trellises and stone arches, but flat horizontal gates were preferred by some spirits, and could take the form of a small, round pond or fountain or a circle of stones. However, something with full three dimensions--such as a circle of pillars--could make the gate harder for the spirit to activate; these were only used by families sure they could attract (or who already had some deal with) a very powerful spirit.
The rest of the garden's architecture was less critical, but winding paths, natural ponds, and harmonious planting were all considered important for attracting a spirit and enticing them to stay.
Example Gardens
Ilidan's Web
In this garden, the Ilidan patriarch (or more likely his hired gardener) took the unusual approach of inviting the spirit to participate in its construction. While most spirits would consider this against the purpose of the whole thing, a Spidren is unusually hands-on and industrious. Between the paths and trees arrayed by the gardener, the Spidren helped oversee the installation of various insect-attracting plants and positioned the rocks and statuary to create hiding spots in advantageous places. The gate itself is the Spidren's masterpiece--hundreds of small sticks suspended on invisible webbing, forming the requisite arch only when viewed in aggregate from the end of the winding path.
The spirit realm accessible here is a cave system, dimly lit with glowing fungi and insects, where the Spidren and its familiars can feel safe.
History
The first Spirit Gardens came into use early in the Raitharan Era, and continued until the fall of the empire--though new gardens became more and more rare as wealth and power were consolidated. By the end, most gardens were inherited, and any new gardens were created to relocate a spirit, or hoping to attract a more powerful one.
Once an area was free of Raitharan rule, the gardens were either abandoned or destroyed. The abandoned gardens were slowly overtaken by nature, but many of the gates are still viable, if their resident spirit chose to stay.
Spirit Gardens range from immaculately formal to arificially natural and rustic, depending on the image the owner wishes to convey, and the type of spirit they hope to attract.
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