Seraglio Manse

The harem within the sultan's palace in Taserin is actually a disguised manse built atop a solar aspected demesne during the rule of the Scarlet Empress. Currently, the harem provides housing and accomodations for the wives and concubines of the sultan of the Igani.

The harem is constructed as a series of concentric rings housing the sultan's wives and concubines. The location of the apartment of a wife or concubine determines her status within the harem. The most favoured wives and concubines live near the center of the structure, with the less favoured wives and concubines living progressively farther away from the center.

The harem's recurring theme appears to be water. Throughout the harem paths are flanked with shallow gullies, inlaid with colorful mosaic. Expensive ferns are kept in pots and patches of garden. Small shallow baths are scattered throughout the harem, always connected to the network of gullies.

Description

Central Plaza and Inner Ring

The central plaza is furnished according to the current school of aesthetic thought, with large ferns and other plants providing a measure of privacy to some parts of the plaza. The central plaza is big enough that most of the sultan's wives, and some of his concubines, can congregate without crowding around the baths. Parts of the plaza are covered by a half-dome constructed of wood and linnen atop the harem's inner ring, providing a measure of cool and shadow.

In the middle of the plaza are the baths, again laid out in concentric rings. The outer ring of baths contains six baths that are rather large and can easily accommodate up to ten bathers. The middle circle contains three baths of adequate size, providing additional bathing space for at least eight bathers per bath. The middle bath is large enough that at least 25 people can enjoy it simultaneously.

In the exact middle of the central bath a hole with a diameter of 3 inch spews out large volumes of water, creating a fontain in the middle of the bath. Around the fountain are five holes, each also 3 inch in diameter, that suck in water.

Each bath is connected to one or two baths in a more central ring by way of shallow gullies, with a depth of around five centimeter. The baths are mostly shallow, allowing one to sit in the deepest parts of bath without having the water any higher than the shoulders. The single exception to this is the central bath, which is constructed as an inverted circular truncated ziggurat, with a depth of six and a half meters at its deepest point.

From the central plaza, five paths spread out to the outer ring, slicing each ring in five equally sized sections. Each of the five paths is flanked by two shallow gullies.

The five sections of the innermost ring are the appartments of the five most favoured wives and concubines. Each appartment consists of multiple rooms, including at least a bedroom suite on the second floor and a private bath on the first floor. Most appartments have one or more balconies providing a grand view of the plaza. Each bedroom suite is connected to the bedroom suites of the two neighbouring appartments by way of decorated bridges spanning over the five spreading paths. Each of the five appartment's private baths provide a way into the hearthroom: If one taps the correct sequence of mosaic tiles the bath's bottom will disappear while the water stays in place, allowing one to simply 'sink' through the water into a nicely decorated underground hallway that lead to the manse's hearthroom.

Second Ring

From the outer walls of the inner circle, bridges connected to a walkway on the second ring connect the appartments to the facilities provided by the second ring of buildings. Each of the five sections of the second ring provides a luxury service. Unlike the rest of the harem complex, each section of the second ring is decorated with a distinctly feminine theme. Ranging from paintings in the library featuring women enjoying leisurely pursuits in idillic gardens, to some rather explicit statues of female couples in the massage section.

The first section contains a grand library containing books on multiple subjects. Among the subjects are scrolls on the occult, at least a dozen scrolls containing erotic verse, books and scrolls on etiquette, books of anatomy, a small section on martial arts, and a complete section dedicated to the art of lovemaking concerning both male and female lovers. The library contains small islands of couches providing space to read or talk with others, and lecterns are distributed throughout the library to support the heavier of books.

The second section of the second ring contains a stylish dojo. The dojo hall is two stories high and fills most of the section, and a multitude of balconies provide a view into the dojo from the second floor. The dojo hall is used for both martial arts training and dance practice, and the scrolls on the wall extoll the importance of grace and fluidity in both dance and the martial arts. If necessary, wooden platforms and bars can be set up by the eunuchs to provide for a range of uneven grounds. Because the wives and concubines of the sultan are prohibited from wearing armor or using proper weapons no weapon racks or armor stands can be found in the dojo's auxillary rooms. Instead, an extensive collection of beautiful fans and different styles of equally revealing dancing garbs are available.

The second floor of the section is centered around the dojo hall. A grand stairway connects the dojo hall with the balconies on the second floor. From the balconies one can enter the auxillary rooms on the second floor. Each room is furnished as a small training room for dance or martial arts, and some of the scrolls hanging from the walls describe rather exotic and intimate techniques. The balconies themselves are furnished with soft beds and pillows strewn on the ground, providing a formal training area for a category of techniques not taught in any formal school in creation.

The third section's first floor contains a sauna split into several rooms containing baths and sauna's of different styles. Mosaicked walls show scenes of beautiful natural settings. One can only comprehend the true ingenuity of the saunas if multiple people are using the saunas at the same time. If one of the saunas is viewed while people are within, they form a scene with a strong resemblance to feminine intimacy in the majority of cases. The few wives who speculated about this effect ascribe it to the organic layout of the room, but in reality it is a very subtle influence of the essence flows within the manse. Most of the upstairs rooms are furnished for either group massages, and personal massages, with wooden furniture and the softest of linens. The massage rooms are equipped with at least a dozen oils, ranging from very thin scented oils to viscous gels that tingle the skin when applied.

The fourth section of the ring used to contain an appartment with an extensive bedroom suite, used by the previous sultan if he wished to visit his wives. Directly after the coronation of the current sultan this section was closed and its contents removed. The section has recently seen new use. Although officialy still closed and empty the section has seen new use since the arrival of Azizah al-Suhaylah as the sultan's fifth favoured wife. The section seen new use as a temple dedicated to Azizah al-Suhaylah, with the first floor providing prayer spaces both ascetic and palatial.

The second floor is partially restored as a bedroom suite in which Azizah resides if she wishes physical worhsip. The other spaces on the second floor are unused at the moment, but preperations are being made to transform these rooms into luxury bedroom suites and rooms with complicated furniture crafted to order from the finest woods and the softest linens, sometimes featuring silken restraints or, in one case, without furniture and with a multitude of silken ribbons hanging from the ceiling. The purposes of the latter rooms is unclear to anyone but Azizah.

The last, and fifth, section of the second ring is furnished as a combination of teahouse and theatre. All decorations in this section are aimed at drawing attention towards the stage, which is shaped like a crescent moon, and situated in the middle of the section. The second floor balconies and raised parts of the first floor provide an excellent view of the stage. Most of the furniture is aimed at relaxation and informal discussion, a few of the couches have exotic shapes that allow for creative seating arrangements. The section's small open kitchen is stocked with an excessive amount of teas, including at least one known aphrodisiac in the form of fair folk nectar.

Third and Fourth Ring

The space between the second and third ring of the harem complex is filled with smooth pavement, in which geometrical patterns subtly indicating the hierarchical construction of the harem. Five baths, together forming a five-sectioned circle, seperate the inner rings and the plaza from the outer rings. Each bath connects directly to the gullies flanking the five spreading paths. small bridges provide a way to walk around the complex without getting wet. These baths are mainly used by the least important of concubines, most concubines and all wives use the baths in the central plaza.

A few long bridges span over the baths from the walkways and terraces on the outer side of the second ring to the roof gardens and terraces on top of the third ring.

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The third ring is again split into five sections by the spreading paths. The complete ring is used as housing for the wives and favoured concubines of the sultan, with accomodations ranging from small appartments to shared bedrooms. The ring is only one floor high, with splendid roof terraces containing furnished with delicate wooden furniture and roof gardens with expensive potted plants.

The fourth ring is even less prestigious than the third. The sleeping quarters of the least important concubines are located in this ring. Although the third and fourth ring are described as being less grand and palatial, they are still extremely luxurious when contrasted with normal living conditions in the city.

Gardens

The harem is seperated from the rest of the palace by a large garden containing small pools, each of which is connected to all other baths in the gardens and the harem complex by carefully crafted gullies of hewn stown. The gardens contain rare plants like ferns and decideous trees. The garden of the harem is actually a sectiond of part of the palace garden proper, with the garden stretching out into the palace garden, away from the palace centre.

Around the garden is stone wall with a height of about 6 yards. A single gate in the wall, toward the palace centre, allows acces into the harem. This gate is continuously guarded by at least six eunuchs. Eunuch patrols regularly traverse the length of the outisde wall.

In relation to the rest of the palace, the harem is located in close vicinity to the sultanic bedroom suite and the palace throne room.

Social Structure and Traditions

Within the harem a rather strict social hierarchy is to be observed. At the top of the hierarchy are the five favoured wifes. Directly following them are the other wifes, each of which ranks above the favoured concubines, who rank above the rest of the concubines. In practice, the favoured concubines rank at least as high as the less favoured wifes, with some even ranking in between the five favoured wifes and the other wifes.

Traditionally, the wifes and concubines of the sultan are forbidden to leave the palace grounds. Recently, however, the sultan has allowed some of his wifes to leave the palace grounds to attend to matters outside the city.

Hearthroom

The manse's hearthroom is directly underneath the central bath. The hearthroom originally started out as a natural cave. During the construction of the manse the hearthroom was sculpted to include five pools that appear to be natural formations. The water of each pool is provided by a hole, about 3 inch in diameter, above the pool that connects directly to middle bath in the central plaza.

From the five pools water flows through a carved channel into the central pool of the hearthroom. In the central pool the water flows towards the middle, and then proceeds to flow upwards in a clear column. The column of water flows through a hole in the ceiling, and produces the fountain in the central bath. In the middle of the column, a yard above the pools surface, the manse's essence flows converge through the upwards flowing water and form it's hearthstone: the Gem of the Coming Spring.

Supernatural Powers

The supernatural sense of the manse extend beyond the harem walls through a network of jade beams burrowed 3 yards in the ground. The whiskers extend up to 900 yards from the harem plaza, which puts the complete sultanic suite, the palace throne room, all of the princesses' quarters, and the guest quartes for the most important guests within range of the manse's senses.

The harem manse harmonizes so well with it's hearthstone bearer that she can communicate with the manse symbollically while sleeping. She knows what has transpired within the manses senses since the last time she slept. This doesn’t provide the manse with any special intelligence or cognitive functions, but manses with such a sympathetic link have reacted to their owners’ unconscious wishes. If the hearthstone bearer’s temporary Willpower falls below 3, her manse may act on her secret desires without explicit orders.

Once a month the manse requires that a maintenance ritual be performed. The ritual is performed mainly to appease the guardian spirit. Anyone with the correct instructions can perform the ritual, but it takes a full day and is performed by six women bathing in the pools of the hearthroom.

Guardian

The manse is protected by a powerful spirit that protects all harem residents and serves the one attuned to the manse. The guardian is as powerful as a second circle demon.

When manifested, the spirit appears as a supernaturally beautiful woman composed entirely of water. The spirit is akin to a nymph, but it has significant combat prowess and is less likely to suddenly leave. The spirit will only take physical shape if the harem or its residents are threathend, or if the hearhtstone bearer requests it.

The spirit has control over the water within the harem, whether it has manifested or not. She mostly uses this control to keep the water within the harem fresh and clean, but she occasionally uses it to soothe, tease or feel up the women in the baths. The spirit has a strong connection to the harem, and can both sense anything the harem senses and communicate with the hearthstone bearer while she sleeps.

Construction

Construction Points = (Manse's rating :times: 2 + Drawback rating's) = 9

Drawbacks

Maintenance (:dot2:): The manse requires simple maintenance that can be accomplished by anyone with instructions, but takes a full day and must be performed once a month. If the maintenance is forgone for one season, the manse might destabilize.

Fragility (:dot1:): The manse has 6L/9B external soak, 3L/6B internal, and can take (rating :times: 10) points of damage before Power Failure.

Powers

Geomantic Subtelty (:dot2:): The manse’s Essence structures are more complicated than usual, or a skilled architect disguised

tell-tale architectural stereotypes. Unless an observer succeeds at a (Perception + Occult) roll, difficulty 3, she can’t determine its aspect.

Rolls to find the manse’s hearthroom, damage its powers, or to otherwise figure out anything at all from its geomancy also suffer a -3 external penalty. This power has no effect within the hearthroom, where Geomantic Subtlety is impossible.

Pasiap's Buried Whiskers (:dot2:): Buried jade channels or harmonic receivers extend the manse’s sensory range beyond its walls. It can sense, but cannot use other powers, within a radius of (rating² x 100) yards.

Sympathetic Dream Link (:dot2:): So well-harmonized is the manse with its hearthstone bearer that, when she dreams, they “communicate” symbolically. The hearthstone bearer always knows the condition of the manse and if anyone has intruded—but only while dreaming.

This power doesn’t provide a manse with any special intelligence or cognitive functions, but manses with such a sympathetic link have reacted to their owners’ unconscious wishes. If the hearthstone bearer’s temporary Willpower falls below 3, her manse may act on her secret desires without explicit orders.

Guardian (:dot3:): The manse has a servant creature dedicated to protecting it and serving the hearthstone bearer. It could be just about anything: a clockwork automaton built using Craft (Magitech), a life form engineered using Craft (Genesis), an undead thing animated by necromancy, a bound demon of the Second Circle, or some other enslaved unfortunate. Other sorts of bound servitors can have game traits comparable to Second Circle demons.