THE
TETHINRHIM
RIÁ
BUILDING |
This awe inspiring building is
perhaps one of the most interesting architectural structures of its time in
Sarvonia, if not of all ages passed as well, as it
is ancient and has much tradition associated with it. The Riá is the large tree
house of the Tethinrhim elves,
which provides a beautiful abode for the elven
rulers, the Rónn or Ránn as they are called, as well as other members of the
Tethinrhim tribe in the
surrounding urban trees. Located in
the Auturian Woods in the central region of
today's southern United Kingdom of Santharia, the
province of Manthria, the history surrounding this
large home is rich, dating all the way back to its first construction in
approximately 11.000 b.S. when the Spiritual Guide of the southward travelling
elves,
Ná’Pherán, changed all the trees in the
Auturian Woods to form a new kind of trees. These are called the
urban trees today, and the
elves christened their home "Riá Iú", meaning
"I want", in relation to Ná’Pherán famous
speech, where she described a famous future if the
elves would stay in these woods.
Humans tend to pronounce the word Riá often
simply as “Ria" in regular Tharian, while the
elves pronounce it Riá, with a stress on the "a".
Description. Note:
many paragraphs of this description are taken directly from the journal of an
unknown visitor to the Riá, and are thus primary sources concerning the actual
appearance of this building.
Upon entering the capital of the
Auturian Woods,
the only visible building is a rather large delicately carved home, which
intertwines with an enormous urban tree.
On the edge, the trees seem of average size. But as you walk deeper and deeper
into the forest, they grow in height and breadth, eventually reaching the
massive Riá. Standing out majestic and grand even from a distance, the
intricate structure entwined with the tree itself comes upon you suddenly. Your
approach is apparently unnoticed, but after looking closely, you see powerful
and fierce Kaierian warriors
flitting from tree to tree. When you reach the base of the enormous tree,
unseen details become apparent. The roots and base almost three
peds up are heavily covered
with greenbark moss and soft vines, creating a beauteous scene. Small
fairy-like bugs fly about the tree and rays of light come beaming down through
the small gaps in the treetops.
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Image description. The different levels of the Riá Building of the Tethinrhim. Click on the various picture parts to view the part in detail. Pictures drawn by Seeker. |
Entrance
There are indents throughout the bottom of the tree forming small rooms and
pathways while the rest of the building looks like it has grown out naturally.
Ladders reach down to the ground, which are guarded by
Kaierian guards invisible to the
public, watching the scene closely from treetops. As you climb up the ladders,
the dizzying sight of the top of the forest almost makes you fall at times. It
seems to reach forever; an endless beauty. Only after a climb of about ten
peds do you reach another
landing. If your destination is a treetop home rather than the sovereign’s
quarters, you might end your climb here and simply take one of the smaller
ladders on all sides into the rest of the forest. If not, you quickly continue
your ascent for another ten
peds.
The ladder ends abruptly, coming to a larger wooden platform that is much wider
than the lower one. It reaches out towards other trees, and has more connecting
ladders that reach even higher up into the treetops. The trunk, which is about
15 peds in diameter itself,
is hollowed out. The entrance to this large room is not covered by a door, but
two guards stand on each side of a delicately carved archway covered with large
leaves from nearby urban trees.
House of the Sovereign
Inside the tree itself the walls are a light green in colour. It's not a foul
green, rather quite tasteful. After a small welcoming room there is a waiting
room and then the main chambers of the Riá where the Ránn or Rónn is seated in
a chair carved out of a smaller tree living inside the larger
urban tree. The sovereign's life mate
is seated to the right while a small group of children play further towards the
corner of the room. To the sovereign’s left there is the chief
Kaierian warrior, again further
still is the Spiritual Guide. Each one dresses in their finest of clothes.
There is a room to the right where the sovereign retires when he/she is tired
of addressing matters in court. This room leads on to both the War room and the
Peace room, each dedicated to the respectful Gods and Goddesses,
Armeros and
Eyasha. Spiraling through the trunk of
the tree is a staircase leading to the private chambers of the sovereign and
his guests.
Upper Level/Surrounding
Village
Although the Ránn's or Rónn's quarters are by far the most aesthetically
pleasing, this is only relative, as the surrounding homes provide a similar
picturesque scene. These homes have been built not only on, but inside the
urban tree, which embraces them.
Everything is either green or brown in colour, ranging from dull to bright.
Linked by large branches, ladders, bridges, rope swings, and even staircases
are a wide array of pleasant abodes. Some have walls and a roof, while others
are simple hammocks that allow the
Tethinrhim to relax in the temperate summer climate found in all the
elven woods in Sarvonia.
This is, at least, until winter comes, at which point everyone moves to an
indoor shelter.
Among the small bridges are quivers full of arrows and
bows close at hand. Each of the arrows is
expertly made. The entire top level is truly a maze; no one would be able to
get from one point to another without knowing which path to take. To infiltrate
this city would be almost impossible. One would have to know someone on the
inside.
Function. The Riá
has multiple functions, besides simply being the capitol and main building of
the
Auturian Woods.
This treetop home is the residence of the sovereign of the
Tethinrhim elves.
The Ránn, or Rónn, depending on the gender, conducts all matters of government
from within this building.
The Riá also houses the rest of the sovereign’s family, except the Acrónn or
Acránn, and any other young heirs to the regency. These are separated from
their family at a young age for safety reasons. This tradition began when a
human, possibly an
Avennorian, though this is
unconfirmed, kidnapped the second daughter of
Ná’Pherán,
at the young elven age of 34, and threatened
through messages, to kill the child if the demands were not met.
Ná’Pherán
had to sacrifice her child for the sake of the tribe. Since then, all heirs to
the regency have been considered the responsibility of the tribe and are looked
after by the community, and are usually kept safely inside the upper reaches of
the Riá until they are deemed able enough to defend themselves. This last is
true for all children, of the Ránn and Rónn, or otherwise.
Naturally the Riá and the surrounding trees are also living quarters for much
of the tribe, and throughout the upper branches many
elves, including those not in the positions of
power, make their abode. Sometimes houses are built actually within the tree.
Small children can be seen playing the common
Ihanobe'todo game and running around
throughout the Riá, and very few areas are closed to the public save the
sovereign's private quarters and a few meeting areas.
Elven families visit the Peace and War worship
rooms connecting through the back of the large chamber where the Rónn or Ránn
receives visitors.
Originally, Kaierian warriors not
only guarded, but trained in the Riá. After successfully repelling the
Avennorian invaders, marshaled
by Anir, in the 804 b.S. attack on the Riá during the Age of Blood, the
sovereign of the Tethinrhim issued
a decree ordering a secret military camp to be established between the capitol
and the enemy Avennorians. This
military camp, known as Quel'avelyá, replaced the Riá as the training center
for the Kaierian warriors.
Nowadays, the basics are still usually taught in the Riá, but as soon as the
trainee is deemed worthy to begin training in fitness of their body, the first
step of their advanced training, better known as the Iteh, begins.
Lastly, when the first Spiritual Guide of the
Tethinrhim,
Ná’Pherán, died, her staff was lost from
record. Some believe it was burnt with her body and strewn into the
winds, but it is possible that it has been
passed down within the Riá over long years. While we are unsure of the truth,
this seems to be the most viable possibility, and local lore tells us that an
object as powerful as the staff might actually still sustain the life of the
urban trees, and thus the Riá. The
Riá might actually contain what some would call one of the more powerful
elven artifacts of all time.
Location. The
Tethinrhim Riá is located in the
heart of the
Auturian Woods.
It is found built off of a great
urban trees,
located in almost the exact center. The woods are located in the mid to lower
regions of the southern Sarvonian continent, west of
the human city of
Marcogg, and northeast of the Gulf of Maraya. The easiest acess route is to
take the path from Greywold past the village of Ealeron and continue on the
path to the Riá. This is approximately a two and a half day hike assuming you
reach Ealeron by the end of the first day. The
Auturian Woods
are a huge part of today's Santharian province of
Manthria and form the Auturian Stýcal (land
inhabited by elves solely), of which the Riá
represents - among other things - the governmental center.
Myth/Lore. When the
Tethinrhim arrived somewhere
around the eleventh millenia b.S. in the Auturian
Woods after the Great Sundering
at the completion a long trek south,
Ná’Pherán, their Spiritual Guide, decided they had eventually found their
destined home. Using earthen magic the likes of which have yet to be recreated,
she changed all the trees in the Auturian Woods
to a new kind, known today as urban trees,
allowing the Riá to be built. Although many elves
felt the woods still looked jungle-like and uninviting,
Ná’Pherán gave a speech that convinced
them to stay. This speech was recorded by an unknown scribe, and can be found
below.
“My
companions, last night I had a vision. I was shown that the place where we
sought shelter this night is the place destined for us. I sense it in my
heart, my soul, at each step I make in these woods that these grounds are
sacred and have been a God's abode when the world was still young. I feel
the aura of the millenia here, future and past. I see the future
generations of my children, your children, our growing up within this
forest of beauty. I want us to settle here, to make this place our home.
This canopy of trees will shelter us from the summer heat, and eventually
bring back the beauty of winter that we see before us even now. I want
those children to see this, to hear this, to smell this, to walk upon this
ground and be humble for the Gods have blessed our path. |
This speech provides us with
insight into the origination of the word "Riá", as well as the season and
appearance of the forest when the
Tethinrhim first entered what we now know as the Auturian Woods.
It is widely believed that the main city was actually called the "Riá Iú" (some
sources also say "Ría'iú"), meaning literally "I want" for many more years
before it was shortened to Riá, though exactly when this change took place is
unknown. The name Riá is now a symbolistic word that is the name of this
elven "city", as well as the name of the tree
it is built of.
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