Construction techniques

Wall construction methods

Timber and masonry buildings are common in Kalderesh. Sophisticated construction methods, based on old Malanthean principles, allow long-lasting structures to be built. The table and sceens below detail the methods employed. Interestingly, dressed stone blocks (ashlar, rusticate, etc.) are never used for construction in Kalderesh, because its use is definitive of Malanthean architecture.

Table: Building construction types common in Kalderesh

type	walls	floor	roof	foundation	social status
full timber buildings	wood	earth; wood	thatch; wood; sod	packed earth; wood; stone	Lower Class
high-timber buildings	low stone; brick	wood; stone	thatch; wood	packed earth; stone	Middle Class
basic half-timber buildings	wood frame filled with wattle-and-daub	earth; stone	thatch; straw; wood	packed earth	Middle Class
advanced half-timber buildings	wood frame, filled with fieldstone; brick	wood; stone	tile; slate; wood	wood; stone	Middle Class (Upper Class)
masonry buildings	brick, stone	wood; stone	slate; tile	stone	Noble, Upper Class (Middle Class)

Full-timber buildings

Full-timber construction

Structures made primarily from wood range from a simple shed to large warehouses. Most homes in rural areas and villages are made of timber.

Local wood is used, with hardwoods being the best choice. The sized timbers are usually treated with a mixture of whitegum and bistrop, and sealed with red cypress gum. If prinwork is to be done on a piece of wood, this is carried out before being sealed with the gum.

Smaller structures are made of vertically layered runnils (individual logs split in half or sometimes thirds) joined with corner splices. Barns, houses, and larger structures are constructed from a solid timber frame which is then clad with planks.

Timber is commonly used for roofing construction. Solid timber roofs are laid down by partially overlapping plank courses. A technique using much less wood for roofing starts with a chequer frame, infilled with woven wattle or reed mats, and covered in thatch or sod.

Simple full-timber buildings rarely have proper foundations; instead, the ground is compacted and sturdy corner posts are sunk down to a depth of about 3.5 feet. Larger homes usually have a substantial hardwood or stone foundation. Some homes have basement storage, mandating a stone foundation. In certain parts of Kalderesh, wooden structures are elevated, between 2 and 5 feet, in which case the building stands on top of a timber frame, which itself rests on a compacted ground surface.

Flooring is either of compacted earth (sometimes with fieldstone inlays) or wood planking.

High-timber buildings

High-timber construction

High-timber structures are so called because the timber components start “high off the ground”. These buildings are generally highly rectangular A-framed structures and are common in villages and towns. They may also be the focal multi-purpose building in a rural settlement. Exposed timber surfaces, inside and outside, usually display elaborate prinwork.

The two long walls are made of mortared field stone, no more than 5 feet high. The two short walls extend double that height or more, tapering to a triangular or cropped-triangular upper course. Fireplaces or kilns are usually built into the short walls. Interior walls are often plastered and decorated.

Timber A-frames are constructed and placed atop the low walls and cross-connected with runnils. In some cases, one or more of the A-frames rests on the ground on the outside of the low wall. Some high-timber designs have the roof structure extend all the way to the ground, hiding the masonry long walls.

Roofing is as for full-timber buildings, except sod is never used.

As with full-timber buildings, solid foundations are sometimes absent, with the low walls resting on compacted earth. However, broad fieldstone foundations, consolidated with mortar, are not uncommon.

Basic half-timber buildings

Basic half-timber construction

Half-timber buildings feature prominent and substantial timber elements, decorated with prinwork, which frame coloured plastered panels. Such buildings can be quite substantial, and may support an upper floor. They are common in towns and cities, where they are popular as middle-class homes and smaller guild halls. In a village, an important building may be of this construction.

The walls are made of exposed timber runnils assembled in a broad lattice fashion, creating the load-bearing superstructure. The gaps in the lattice are filled with wattle-and-daub wall work which is plastered, either with a rough or a smooth finish. A stone fireplace is usually set into one of the walls.

The floor is made of compacted earth (in lower class cases) or laid out with fieldstone, often with symbolic patterns. Roofing is as for high-timber buildings. Foundations are normally of packed earth, except in cities where by-laws usually require fieldstone foundations.

Advanced half-timber buildings

Advanced half-timber construction

Advanced half-timber buildings are enhanced versions of the basic half-timber design. The homes of Middle and Upper Class citizens of cities are usually of this type, as are major guild halls and other important civic structures.

Walls are made of massive timber frames, infilled with packed fieldstone or brick. The exposed timber is decorated with prinwork. A ground and first floor is commonly found except in large workhouses or elite warehouses. Ground floors are usually of fieldstone and any upper floors of wood. Roofs are made of a wood substructure covered with fired tiles or, where available, slate shingles. In towns and cities, foundations are always stone; in smaller settlements, a solid timber foundation is sometimes used.

Masonry buildings

Diverse types of masonry structures

Buildings of stone run the widest gamut of all constructions, ranging from a small hillside cottage to the largest single structure in Kalderesh: Castle Kalder in Camfor. The tall spires and towers for which Kalderesh is known, are all made of brick.

In cities and towns, temples, upper-class homes and elite buildings are normally made of stone, and have two or more floors. In rural regions and villages, stone cottages are sometimes found.

For these types of structures, a solid stone foundation is mandatory. Walls are made of carefully packed fieldstone, or courses of fired clay bricks. Generally, they are not plastered. Prinwork is usually applied on one or more particularly striking fieldstones, or in patterned brick sections created for this purpose.

Slate or clay tiles are used for roofing.

Spires and towers

Towers and spires are free-standing structures, many times taller than they are wide. Towers are intended to be wholly or extensively inhabited, and may be used for military purposes, for trategic reasons, as a stronghold for a mage, or as an elite guild hall. Spires are not inhabited and are intended as landmarks and often serve symbolic purposes.

Towers are built from brick or fieldstone, with a square or circular footprint, atop a massive foundation. The body of the tower is decorated with coloured prinwork. Most towers have pyramidal or conical roofs, made of metal cladding or tiles. Some military towers have no roofs, being capped instead by a crenelated battlement. The largest tower in Kalderesh, the Tower of the Moon, has a footprint of 100 x 100 feet and rises up for 520 feet. It was designed and built by Maximo B. Tauws and is part of the Grand Temple of Oohm in Azerel.

Typical towers have a 40 x 40 foot footprint and a height of 180 feet.

Spires have a circular or polygonal (three to seven sides) footprint and, for the most part, are made of timber. In addition to a substantial stone foundation, a spire may have a one-storey foundation building made of stone. The timber framework is covered with tiles, slate shingles, and in some cases, metal cladding. The largest spires have a footprint of 25 x 25 feet and extend upwards for up to 150 feet. Taller spires, up to about 400 feet, require the use of transformational magic to overcome material limitations.

Towers and spires are typically topped with a flagstaff, often with multiple flags for signalling and identification.

Architectural embellishment

Structures are generally painted or coloured in subdued pastels and soft shades. Frescoes are common, with the complexity of the designs increasing with the social standing of the structure’s owners/inhabitants. Such designs often incorporate religious elements, such as dominant colour, geometric patterns and other religious symbols. High-status buildings are adorned with statues and figures, often depicting historical themes.

Unplastered surfaces – commonly found in cheaper structures or those that are purely utilitarian – are given an outer coating in monochromatic shades.

A uniquely Kalderani custom is prinwork, writing and decorative markings carved or engraved into timber and masonry. Prinwork is always on the outside of a structure, and it serves to memorialize the history, heritage, and legacy of the structure, its current owners and/or its inhabitants. On particularly old buildings, the prinwork can essentially be read as a public history of Kalderesh. Even the most modest homes will include at least a single cornerstone embellished with commemorative words.

Table: Comparison between Kalderani and Malanthean architectural elements

nation	visual motifs	colour scheme	building adornment
Kalderesh	Symbols of the Seven + geometric patterns	Subdued pastels and soft shades + monochrome shades	Frescoes and painted plasters + prinwork + statues
Malanthea	Facial crests of rulers + noble heraldry + family heraldry + symbols of the Seven	Bright but complementary colors	Huge flags & unfurrled banners + solid blocks of colour + religious symbolism

Construction details

Common details used in construction and dressing of building include glass windows and door locking mechanisms.

Fasteners, latches, simple locks and advanced pin tumbler locks are used to secure doors. Refer to the illustration on p 180.

Window glass is common, and its primary use is to let light in to an enclosed space. Glass is made from sand and typically the ash of certain woodland plants, of which bracken is the best. Potassium in the plants lower the melting point of the sand, while magnesium acts as a stabilizer to make the glass durable. These components give the panes a distinct tint and surface texture, resulting in somewhat indistinct images. Magical glass such as glassteel is completely clear but extremely costly.