Woa Cool - Blog Posts

House/structure concepts. The human characters I’m developing come from a lineage of marsh and delta-dwelling peoples that have a thriving ceramics culture due to the naturally abundant clays carried by the river and deposited on its shores. Settlements appear on scattered hilltops along the borders of the delta and the plains, which rise above the highest seasonal flooding. Temporary structures on floating platforms are common further into the delta floodplain during summer food-gathering expeditions.

Permanent homes and buildings are made from a cob-like clay and fiber mixture, often with wooden supports; young saplings are preferred due to their flexibility and can conform to the desired circular shapes. In resource-rich areas, some structures can be “fired” by filling the chambers with wood and charcoal and burning for days, partially or wholly vitrifying the thin walls. Most towns have a large central kiln; ceramics are a major trade export.

Their architecture takes on rounded shapes due to an ancient association of thrown bowl forms with the hearth and womb, though that history is not necessarily relevant or common knowledge to everyday people. Circular and spiral motifs recur in design and architectural planning due to wider cultural and religious understanding of The Spiral as the guiding force of magic and the rhythms of existence. The arrangement of cosmic bodies is conceived of as an overlapping spiral pattern, the intersections of which have tangible effects on magic-users’ ability to channel The Spiral’s cosmic power. It is said that dragons’ ichor contains fine particles of starstuff which reverberates with cosmic energy and increases their power and connection to The Spiral beyond what any human could achieve.