The Maril Cadon

Written by strawberryAle

My people built this not to me, but as a testament to the strength and will of the Elven people. We were nearly wiped to extinction, and yet here stands one of the greatest buildings in all of Kalni -- all of Veska, built within just a few years of arriving upon the Chain of Fire.-- Queen Thalia Yelsaan

The seat of Elven power, the Maril Cadon is widely regarded as one of the greatest buildings constructed in not just Elven history, but through history as a whole. It is a great architectural accomplishment, and remains as one of the few buildings where magic was required to make the construction of the building remotely possible. Despite that, the enormous castle of marble took roughly an entire year to complete, even with the various help of magi throughout the world.
It is not a home to just the Elven King and Queen, but to all Elven Nobles that call Valonde their home. The building was created with the intention of housing every member of Elven royalty.

Purpose / Function

The Maril Cadon was created to serve as both a temple and grand estate for all of Elven nobility, and is the seat of power for the Elven people. All Kings and Queens are expected to be crowned and live out their years within its walls. Noble families also receive their own personal halls and rooms to live within the Castle, for both convenience and as a method to keep the noble line close-knit.

Denizens

Nobility can be found living within the Maril Cadon. The four wings are dedicated to four different noble houses. The central building, while built in honour of Yelsandrel, is so large that it is also dedicated to the various vassal or smaller noble found within it. There are many rooms within the Maril Cadon, with entire sections dedicated to living quarters.

Alterations

Having only been built roughly 40 years ago, the Maril Cadon has undergone a few changes over time. The Castle only ever changes when introducing a new noble family within the castle, wherein special architectures and sorcerers work together to craft new halls and chambers dedicated solely for those people trusted to live alongside the King and Queen. Elves are generally very elitist when it comes to nobility and seldom allow it outside of great deeds or bloodline; this, coupled with them measuring their lives in decades rather than years leads to the Maril Cadon remaining relatively the same over the previous years.

Architecture

The building gets its name for being a literal castle constructed of marble, and is found at the heart of the city that has the apt title of 'The White City'. It is a multi-storied building with a total of four wings; one for each cardinal direction. Each wing actually leads outside with a bridge connecting to a two story lodge. These bridges cross the open fields and are surrounded by various topiary bushes modeled to resemble the various Wild Gods found within the Elven pantheon. The northernmost wing instead has a bridge built over Valonde's lake, with an enormous, squared platform constructed to keep it upright. While most of the Maril Cadon is dedicated to housing nobility, the North tower is instead solely dedicated to prayer.
At the center is the most important part of the castle; an enormous multi-storied building that slowly grows smaller towards the top. A spiraling tower is at the center of the Maril Cadon, with an enormous chamber dedicated to the King and Queen at the very top, overlooking the entire city itself.

History

The Maril Cadon was constructed shortly after the Elves arrived from their pilgrimage in Kalni; some 40 years ago. With no capital or home to call their own, Queen Thalia and Sergyn found it wise to nestle their home within the mountains at the center of Kalni, hidden by an enormous swamp known as Nornfeist. In honour of their King and Queen's efforts in saving their people, the Elves decided to build a grand capital that would put their old home to shame.
With magic at their side, the Elves had no trouble in procuring marble and shaping it into their liking, taking only a year after their arrival to finish the Maril Cadon. The Maril Cadon was planned from the beginning, but was marked as the final project due to its enormity. When Valonde had been properly established, the Maril Cadon was built with five total wings in honour of the five Elven houses. Talathel received the western wing, Reyrona the east, Val'Ren the south and Ilfaren the north. At the heart of it all, the Yelsandrels, who are still considered to the the leaders of Elven kind. Not much else has occurred during this time, with the Elves simply using the Maril Cadon as their primary seat for nobility for the last forty years.

Alternative Names

The Marble Castle, Sar Cadon sha Maril, White Castle

Type

Castle

Parent Location

Kalni