[Location] The Pressorah's Palace

[Colombina]

The Palace The Pressorah's white palace floats lotus like in the midst of an estuary that leads into the sea. In the day, Pressorah Bashti's banners dance from the ledges, and in the evening the lit windows cast a golden sheen across the water. Citizens often watch for the shape of their Pressorah as she paces the walls late into the night. She is a comforting sign to all that they are thought of and the city is worried over. To visit the Pressorah, Nobles, Hawks and Gilded cross the water on barges with bright sails and painted sides. They petition Bashti or attend the late morning court held beside the narrow reflecting pool in the Pressorah's garden. From under the shade of a white columned and covered hall, Bashti tends to daily petitions and makes edicts. She speaks from a gold chaise, while the Inkara and Scepters lounge on pillows or cool their feet in the pool. The Palace is constructed in a square with a lush courtyard at its heart. Past Pressor's have taken great pride in the garden, a luxury in a desert land. It is carefully cultivated to have the appearance of an accidental effusion of nature. Paths ramble and heady flowers tangle colors and perfume. The floating Palace's walls offer a broad view of the city and a glimpse of the eastern sea. Only the Pressorah and those few she invites may walk the highest wall. Interior rooms are needlessly tall, held aloft by painted columns in the hues of precious desert stones. The constant wash of natural light through the palace keeps the massive structure from being ominous. Following the paths of Syna and Leth, the Eastern half of the Palace is adorned in gold and henna hues with splashes of turquoise on the floor. Airy linen and cotton are hung and draped where needed. Two rooms on opposite ends of the Palace mark the transition from Eastern to Western wing. These rooms are open hypostyle halls that let in the glow and air from the garden. Couches and rugs are blushes of pink, persimmon and violet, mimicking the feminine glow of dusk and dawn. The Western wing is rich with indigo, silver and purple with lapis lazuli set in the stone. Exotic furs warm cold stone and wooden furniture, making this the preferred area when cold night falls. But this glorious display is only rarely seen by those of lower rank. They stare across the water watching the motions and colors of a world they may never taste, but are proud to have wrought.