Ayra Katrin Library – Underground

akl-under-1-patiosThe Ayra Katrin Library was constructed with four main floors and and a small basement area in its center. However, the landscaping on top of Tail Hill ‘buried’ the lower floors, creating an illusion that the library is smaller than it actually is.

The set of covered patios in the lower part of the picture are a new addition to the design. There was only an empty, sloping hill where these now stand.

akl-under-4-outlineHere’s a rough idea of the extent of the lower floors at this point, highlighted in white. Underneath the big hexagon patios are some common areas, including the library’s kitchen. The four triangles adjoining the hexagons are open down to the bottom floor and connect to sets of personal rooms (the two sets of four rooms you can see by each triangle) . Both the main building and south tower have two lower floors that connect to the rest of the underground area.

akl-under-2-mainA view inside the underground area under the hexagon. The pillar design was recently updated, making them thinner. This gave the area a more open feel. At the very right of the picture is where the Library’s kitchen is located.

akl-under-3-entryHere is the entrance to the underground area, looking back from the hexagon. The doors on the side go into the covered patios, and the front door leads under the archway serving as the ‘official’ entrance to the library.

Tail Hill Complex

Tail Hill 5Dominating the terraced hill leading up to the Ayra Katrin Library is the Tail Hill Complex, which is called “pog get bekonah” in the Agwil-Narryd-Prerart language.

Up front are two office-type buildings and the entrance to underground storehouses and workshops. Above those are a patio and a park area. Behind the park’s semicircle fountain is big square opening above the underground plaza. On the next level up and new to this version are the lower Ayra Katrin dormitories. The arch roofed section in the middle is the commons area, flanked on both sides by the individual living quarters.

Below is the last version of the Tail Hill Complex posted (almost four years ago):

Tail Hill ComplexBesides the building upgrades, you can see another big change. The area in which Agwilcress lies is an arid area, so much of the grassy land is being replaced with dirt, rock, and sand.

Here is an orthographic view of the entire tail hill:

Tail Hill 5 OrthoStarting from the lower left and moving clockwise, the complex is surrounded by the National Square and a collection of circular gardens, Civic Square, Civic Hill, the Ayra Katin Library, Agwilcress Grain Factory, and Military Square.

Kylal Palace Ceremony Hall

KP 8-5 aA new design for the Ceremony Hall floor. At the center is an outline of Agwilcress.

KP 8-5 bThe back of the Ceremony Hall now has a dais which includes tiered seats behind the speaking stage. New chandeliers, made out of pairs of three-stars, now hang from the centerline of the roof.

KP 8-5 dAnother view of the dais. Here you can see the seven-star decoration similar to the one at the front entrance, and a better look at the seats.

KP 8-5 cAn overhead view of the palace in its current state. Recently some circular garden beds and fountains were added to the front yard.

The name for the Kylal Palace in the Agwilikan language is “Prikaneko se Kylal”. Kaneko means home (from kanika beko, “people building”), and pri is a common prefix meaning great or greatest.

Residential Block House

Residential Block house, frontThe standard Residential Block house was mass produced during later construction of the military base that would become Agwilcress. Each building contains four upstairs bedrooms, two restrooms, a kitchen, a water room (for bathing and laundry), general living space on the first floor, and a basement.

Residential Block house - roofThe roof can be accessed with a drop-down stepladder, and is a popular spot for gardening and leisure time.
Above the front double doors is the house address. This one has the address “2-12” making it the 10th house in section 2. (Agwilikans use a base 8 number system.)

Here’s how the sections are arranged in the Block:Residential Block Sections

Agwilcress Grain Factory

KeletetoneThe Agwilcress Grain Factory (Kel-et-eh-tone) produces products from the seeds of the Kelet plant. The facility has sections for cleaning, storing, and milling the seeds into flour. This all-in-one design was set up when Agwilcress was a military stronghold, and was intended to ensure a reliable supply of food even if the city was besieged.

It’s been a while since the grain factory was worked on. It used to look like this:

Old Grain FactoryIt was ridiculously oversized. The new design is a bit more down to earth.

Agwilcress Grain Factory LogoThis is the logo for the grain factory, which is stamped on to all products made here. The central three marks represent the purple flower of the Kelet plant. Similar marks are used in Agwilikan culture as a symbol of health and prosperity.

Mother Dragon Foundry


Mother Dragon Foundry 1

Located on the north hill of Agwilcress, the Mother Dragon Foundry (che ya-keen ag-wil bak-e-tone) is the prime facility of the Ayra Katrin Engineers. Its two large furnaces are used to forge metal and the product known as stormstone, the chief construction material used in the Agwilikan and Akelikan cities.

Mother Dragon Foundry 3

The foundry got its name because it produced almost all of the metal and stormstone that makes up the buildings and infrastucture of Agwilcress (which translates literally to Dragon City), so it came to be thought of as the city’s mother. The molds used to make stormstone pieces even picked up the nickname “eggshells”.

Recently the foundry expanded and added a second furnace higher up on the hill. The two furnaces are connected by a ramped tunnel, which in itself was an over-the-top engineering feat. The tunnel’s lower entrance is located under the arch seen on the left side of the first image.

Mother Dragon Foundry 2

“The Cube” is located at the foundry entrance, which was created as a test of the furnace’s maximum capacity. After its forging, the engineers weren’t sure where to put the monstrosity. They ultimately wound up dumping it off to the side of the entrance. An artist was commissioned to turn it into the foundry’s official sign. The sign depicts Salmandano, the legendary Prerart that was immune to fire, who also happens to be the foundry’s mascot. It also bears the insigia of the engineers and the words “The Mother Dragon Foundry / Ayra Katrin Engineers”.

The Agwil-Naryn word for engineer is “Otamajale”, which essentially means “machines master”.

Civic Hill

Civic HillSitting just east of the Ayra Katrin Library is this set of buildings known as Civic Hill. Just across the street at the bottom of the image is the related Civic Square. (Haven’t quite got that area set up yet). The two areas contain offices for various civic functions like record-keeping and land management.

Military Square

Military Square 1 Military Square 2 Military Square 3Military Square is the oldest of the “Squares” (the others being National, Academic, Civic, and Market) and was part of the original construction of Agwilcress. The entire city used to be a military complex, but after the fall of the original capital of Cresselecapera, the area was converted to be the heart of the Seven-Star Nation. This one block of barracks and training spaces was left intact and became the headquarters of the Seven-Star Army. The only other major structures remaining from those early years are the City Walls and the Residential Block. They all share the same reddish coloring scheme.

The design of Military Square evolved from an early version of the Kylal Palace. Over time, the palace changed to the point it no longer resembled its former self. About the only thing the buildings now share is the design of the arched roof and use of arched pillars. Here’s a view of that early version:
Military Square OLDYeah, those are Quake-era graphics.