Rose Palace
Rose Palace | |
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by Lyraina
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Usage | Palace |
City | Imperial Seat |
Nation | Rose Empire |
World | Sel |
Universe | Cosmere |
The Rose Palace is the Imperial Palace of the Rose Empire on Sel. It is located in the Imperial Seat. It is the residence of the ruling emperor and houses the Rose Throne.[1]
Architecture[edit]
The palace is a vast establishment composed of many different wings.[2][3] The central wings of the palace, including the Imperial Wing, are made of quarried stone, and many rooms have stained glass windows installed.[4][5] To connect the wings, there are many long hallways that are often decorated with portraits and pottery.[3] The faction in control of the government decides which wings to utilize and maintain, often changing the style and decorations completely to fit their desired aesthetic. Because of this tradition and the size of the complex, some portions of the palace are largely ignored at any given time and used primarily for storage.[2] The palace is considered to be a beautiful structure, despite the general disrepair of some sections.[6][1]
Features[edit]
The palace includes an Imperial Gallery that boasts a vast collection of artwork and relics from across the Rose Empire, including the Moon Scepter.[7][2] The arbiters have a shared study[7] and at least some arbiters and other staff members also have personal offices or studies.[8][9] The palace also has a well-equipped dungeon,[10] at least one kitchen complex,[11] a guardhouse for security forces,[4], gated walls, stables, and an extensive servants complex.[3] It presumably has at least one dining hall that serves alcohol.[12] The dungeon includes a cell specially designed to hold Forgers, with forty-four types of rock in the walls and a ralkalest lining intended to make escape via Forgery impossible.[7]
Staff[edit]
The palace is the residence of the emperor and his family, along with the five arbiters of the ruling faction. The palace's many servants have a dedicated section of the palace, near the stables.[3] They wear buttoned uniforms with embroidered insignia on the left breast to represent their particular function in the palace.[3][9] The emperor also employs an Imperial Fool.[7]
The palace guards are led by Strikers due to their high esteem in the eyes of the arbiters, along with their natural athleticism.[7] Strikers are required to be literate to work in the palace.[13] The guards, who are both male and female,[13] have military-style ranks, and some Strikers oversee lower-ranked "common" guards.[3] Weapons used by the guards include swords and daggers.[3]
History[edit]
Life in the palace was strictly regimented.[6] The post arrived early every morning, and servants went about their tasks like clockwork.[1] The palace hosted many notable personages, such as Atsuko of JinDo[1] and an ambassador from Fjorden.[3]
During the reign of Emperor Ashravan, the Heritage Faction made extensive use of Rememberers to turn the Imperial Wing into an imitation of a much older building; Ashravan took particular interest in the beauty of the palace.[6] The faction recreated ornate Lamio stonework and impressive Lamio relics; even the emperor's headboard was Forged to resemble a Lamio style known only from historical texts. A study used by the arbiters was transformed into an imitation of a fifth century hunting lodge.[7]
The palace was the site of an attack attributed to the Glory Faction that killed Kurshina and incapacitated Ashravan.[7] Around the same time, Wan ShaiLu broke into the palace with the assistance of the Imperial Fool so she could test her skill by Forging a copy of the Moon Scepter in the Imperial Gallery.[12] She also broke into Frava's study and replaced the priceless painting Lily of the Spring Pond with a copy so she could destroy the original at the behest of its artist, Han ShuXen.[1] Shai was captured when the Fool betrayed her and stole the original Moon Scepter; she was scheduled to be executed until the arbiters cut a deal with her to reForge the emperor's broken soul.[7] Shai was given one hundred days to complete the task; she was isolated in a small room in an abandoned part of the palace that was constantly guarded and Bloodsealed.[14] Gaotona allowed Shai to Forge different parts of her quarters until they were the nicest in the palace.[1] Shai eventually completed her task, but she had been plotting her escape all along and was able to get out of the palace.[3]
Trivia[edit]
- The palace was temporarily the residence of Hoid in his guise as the Imperial Fool. He wanted the Moon Scepter for unrevealed reasons that have implications beyond Sel.[15]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ a b c d e f The Emperor's Soul - Day 76#
- ↑ a b c The Emperor's Soul - Day 3#
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i The Emperor's Soul - Day 98#
- ↑ a b The Emperor's Soul - Day 30#
- ↑ The Emperor's Soul - Day 58#
- ↑ a b c The Emperor's Soul - Day 59#
- ↑ a b c d e f g h The Emperor's Soul - Day 2#
- ↑ The Emperor's Soul - Day 101#
- ↑ a b The Emperor's Soul Epilogue#
- ↑ The Emperor's Soul Prologue#
- ↑ The Emperor's Soul - Day 12#
- ↑ a b The Emperor's Soul - Day 42#
- ↑ a b The Emperor's Soul - Day 97#
- ↑ The Emperor's Soul - Day 17#
- ↑ Skyward Houston signing
— Arcanum - 2018-11-19#