Palace of Lights
- "In those days, of course, the Palace of Shadows had been known as the Palace of Light and, with its countless windows of coloured glass which bathed everything inside it in jewelled light, it had been the most magnificent building in all of Sanctaphrax."
- —Tweezel[1]
The Palace of Lights (later known as the Palace of Shadows) was an opulent but ancient building in Sanctaphrax, located between the College of Cloud and the Institute of Ice and Snow.[citation needed] Traditionally, the palace was the home of the Most High Academe of Sanctaphrax, but after the Great Purges, the High Academe moved to a more modern building and the palace was largely abandoned. However, an ancient caretaker, Tweezel, stayed behind to maintain the structure. Linius Pallitax attempted to revive the tradition by choosing to reside in the palace when he became the Most High Academe. During the events of The Curse of the Gloamglozer, the Palace of Shadows was consumed in a fire caused by Linius Pallitax knocking over a candelabra in a fit of sorrow.[citation needed]
History
The Palace of Lights was one of the early and most prestigious buildings of Sanctaphrax. Built to house the Most High Academe and his staff, as well as to provide a forum for discussion for academics, it was bustling with people and energy. Tweezel, a subject of study for many earth-scholars, was appointed caretaker of the Palace.[citation needed]
When earth-scholarship fell out of favor in Sanctaphrax—becoming unacceptable by c. -60 ᴇ.ʏ.[citation needed]—and the newly elected Most High Academe was a sky-scholar, the Palace of Light was abandoned. Newer and higher towers designed in the spirit of the sky-scholars were built around the palace. Once the new College of Cloud was finished, the palace was cast into deep shadows, earning it a new name.[citation needed] Tweezel looked after the empty palace when the High Librarian died and kept it clean.
Linius Pallitax returned back to the old tradition and moved to the Palace of Shadows with his family.[citation needed] He held his inaugural address from the great balcony and hung his portrait in the Portrait Gallery. With his wife and his daughter Maris, life finally returned to the Palace of Shadows. Very few events were held in the palace due to the suspicions of his fellow academics, leading to many of the rooms and chambers being forgotten and unused.
In The Curse of the Gloamglozer, the Gloamglozer tricked Linius Pallitax into believing his daughter had been killed in the stonecomb, causing him to knock over a candelabra. This caused a fire, leading to the palace burning down.
Architecture
Exterior
Interior
The Palace of Shadows had coloured windows which illuminated the whole building. When Sanctaphrax turned, the light cast intricate patterns of jewelled light on the walls.[citation needed] Many of the smaller rooms, like the Blackwood Chamber or the Caucus Ante-Chamber were wood-panelled.[citation needed] The living room was a vast hallway held aloft by pillars which created a fantastic acoustic for echos.[citation needed] Only a few hanging armchairs filled the room that would open to the great balcony. The kitchen was full of enourmous ovens and boilers that could feed many.[citation needed]
Rooms in the Palace of Shadows
On the ground floor, the Palace of Shadows held
- the Caucus Ante-Chamber, where it was decided who would be the next Most High Academe,
- the entrance hall and
- a big kitchen.
On the second floor, the
- the Gift Chamber that housed generations of official gifts,
- the kitchen gallery,
- a music chamber,
- the Portrait Gallery of former Most High Academes and
- and a Robe-chamber were located.
The Most High Academe's bed-chamber was on the third floor, and the fourth floor held his master-study. On the sixth floor, a balcony-chamber and great balcony for adressing the academics could be found. Quintinius Verginix's bed-chamber was located in the East Turret.
The locations of
- the living room, a vast hallway held aloft by pillars, illuminated by crystal chandeliers,
- a birthing-chamber,
- the Blackwood Chamber and
- Maris Pallitax's bed-chamber are unknown.
There were also a few hidden chambers, dead-end hallways and murder holes [citation needed].
References
- ↑ The Curse of the Gloamglozer, Chapter 1: The Palace of Shadows