Geography
This paragraph is a bit out dated, we need to update it and make one nice
written submission rather then these notes.
The mountain side of the kingdom that spills out to the ocean is dotted by
caverns and smaller grottos with either cave entrances or small shores. Most of
the mountain is straight down to the sea. Homes are also perched on the mountain
top, with paths that wind from home to home, with formal gardens and fountains.
We need a good graphic for carved mountain stairs worn smooth with age. I am
back to thinking that the building type should be marble. I think it suits the
culture better I think. I'm also thinking we should have wall carvings of snakes
and that the windows should be tall and narrow. What should the building
material of inside the caverns be? Should these be smaller homes, almost lower
class? Perhaps marble blocks, as opposed to marble slabs? We can also use a
variety of marble textures, black shot with white, pink, lavender. Maybe green
marble. We'll need to look for pictures.
Three types of Jillhani. The interior mountain dwellers, ancestors were the
creators of the caverns, generally miners, smiths, metal and gem dealers. The
source and backbone of the merchant class. The "hillfolk", pragmatic, middle of
the road politically, rich and poor, living in "suburbia". Shopkeepers, farmers,
types. And finally the river people who live down in the jungle along the river.
Keenly in tune with the land, omens and portends..
Perhaps go with a Grecian temperate zone. Here are some samples of plants and
gardens.
http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/plants/
The Mountain City feels like Greece or Angkor Wat with marble buildings, dark
shades of marble. Lots of snake carvings and statues, both land snake and sea
serpent. decorations could be enamel or mosaics, inlayed with silver. I see a
lot of fabulous paintings, perhaps even stone wall carvings.
http://www.angkorwat.org/
http://www.vwam.com/vets/angkor/angor1.htm
Angkor Wat was once a holy city deep in Cambodia, huge spires and a gigantic
statue of Buddha was lying on its side, streets were long cobbled roads, kind of
a grayish stone, mostly from the rainforest -- water stained
She rose, her body moving fluidly, and she glided towards the balcony to
watch the practice arena. The smooth black marble of the railing was still cold
from the evening chill, but it would soon warm to the mid day sun. The streets
were tiled in soft blue and green mosaic, making the city seem like a gleaming
underwater expanse.
Rock, coral and gleaming plants were neatly tended along the side of the walk
ways, interspersed by serpentine icons of Ji'Kalna, the great mother. A small
shrine lay to the side of the Dojo and the instructor sat quietly in mediation
as the two figures repeated their practices.
Temperature on the mountain is cold nights and hot days, buildings are
designed to catch as much of the mountain breezes as possible. The center of the
mountain has an even cool temperature almost year round. Down on the river is
hot and humid. There is very little variation between seasons.
They take pride in the city, art is important, specially mosaics, painting,
stained glass. They are architecturally colorful. "Myriads of colors" gleaming
in the sun. A darkly painted Grecian city of marble winding upwards. The culture
prefers sturdy materials no matter what the cost. Not a lot of flowers used.
Pillars with ivy growing up them.
City streets lined with the plants, rocks and coral, and a grassed in area
off to the side of the dojo hidden from the streets lined along the edges with
the same.
| 
