Gabrielle's Diary 0 (1/16/02)
Description of Ashar
Ashar is both the name of the Shadow and the name of the city that is the center of power. The city is on a small cluster of islands which form the nation of Erato. In terms of size and climate, Erato is very much like the British Isles - a moderate climate, lots of rain, and actual noticeable seasons.
Ashar lies along the southern coast, spilling inland along the banks of the major river. There are a few other cities on Erato, but all much smaller and paler in comparison to Ashar of the Tower and the Tree. Most of the island is agricultural, small rural villages and farmland. Sleek and silent, the silver monorails arc from the city throughout the country, like the rays of a stylized sunburst. Small and spindly black roads run throughout the countryside, clearly not the product of the careful urban planning that created the monorail system.
Ashar has an ancient seawall along the coast, build ages ago to ward off invaders from a culture now long dead. The walk along top of the wall is lovely; most of the coast is stark and rocky, but there are a few beaches here and there. The Tower of Mirrors is along the riverbank, near the estuary; it's a scyscraper, with a façade made entirely of mirrored panels. There are other buildings - churches, museums, a University, some mansions - along the riverbank, but there is far more space between the Tower and its neighbors then any of the neighbors have between each other. All the neighboring buildings are venerable structures, of varying styles of architecture. They are of brick and stone, wood and glass, and each one is a marvel of design and craftsmanship.
These is no visible entrance to the Tower. All of the mirrored panels are tall enough and wide enough to be doors, but none of them have handles or markings. And they are all scrupulously clean at all times.
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In front of the Tower begins a road made of glass bricks. It's not as slippery as it looks, and the glass takes on different shades according to the weather. The road is a huge spiral, leading into the heart of the city. The city itself has a European feel - many of the buildings are old, and none have the depressing lack of individuality and craftsmanship that make American cities so depressing. Frequently people built up; often they've rennovated older structures, remaining faithful to the original design; and on occasion, they've knocked structures down and created something entirely new. It's an eclectic mix that somehow works, giving Ashar a timeless look.
Cars aren't terribly common in the city, as they require a lot of money for upkeep and storage. Most people travel via the Underground; it's clean, fast, and inexpensive. And yes, you'll hear the pre-recorded voice saying "Mind the gap". The Underground is a huge warren of tubes and tunnels, and you may end up using an awful lot of escalators and rushing through a lot of tunnels to make your connections. There are sometimes doors and escalators that lead to places not marked on the convenient and easy-to-read maps; most of them lead down, and the doors are often locked, though the escalators usually work.
There's not much heavy industry in Ashar; what there is, is done in the other cities of Erato. There's a powerful magic in crafts and creations, and the assembly line was never a practical idea here. But the arts flourish in Ashar as nowhere else. The magic flows both ways between creator and work, between work and audience, between artist and audience; an escalating spiral of power, if it works correctly. Venues of all sorts are common - galleries, bars, nightclubs, museums, amphitheaters, restaurants, and more. Workshops and shops, where craftspeople create and sell, and bathe in the energies of the city.
It is an ancient high-tech city of dreams and symbols. In tall office buildings, in marble University halls, in elegant ballrooms and gardens, the powerful negotiate and command, clad in business suits and elegant eveningwear. In underground bars, the pierced and tattooed leather-clad crowds drink and dance to the pulsing rhythms, seeking ecstasy and revelation in sweat and music and motion. On the streets pass struggling artists, members of the permanent population of those whose struggle for power ended in madness, and elegant vampires promising undreamt-of ecstasy for just a little bit of blood. Strange creatures also walk the streets - sidhe, brownies, and goblins. Strange hybrids of condor and hyena created to devour the litter and dirt on the streets.
Ashar is never safe, but it is never dull.
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At the other end of the glass path that begins at the Tower is a large park at the center of the city. There are always people in the park, relaxing and playing. There are fields for games, a small lake, fountains, and at the center is a forest. Rising from the center of the forest, as tall and wide as the Tower, is the Tree of Truth. The Tree is staggeringly immense; it is deciduous, and there are a plethora of small colorful creatures which make it their home.
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Gabrielle maintains a townhouse in the middle of the city that fronts the glass path. It is 4 stories tall, fairly narrow, and shares walls with neighbors on other sides. Behind it is an enclosed garden, in the Japanese style - ponds with gleaming fish and blooming trees and rocks and moss, rather than an English garden. The windows are faceted leaded glass, and dancing rainbows of light decorate the floor. The beams and ceilings and floors are all pale wood, lovingly polished. The décor is rich and intricate, a play of colors and forms.
The main floor is a living room, a kitchen and a dining room. The next floor is a more casual den and a library, with shelves to the ceiling and ladders along them to help you reach the book you're looking for. There's a very fancy and expensive stereo system and a huge array of CDs. Many of them come from a recording company called ShadowPath Music, with a logo featuring a silhouette of a crane. (Yes, it's Gabrielle's company. She finds musicians in Shadow that she likes, and brings them here to do recordings. The main offices and recording studios are down the street, in a steel and glass building decorated with the same logo.)
The next two floors are largely living suites - not huge, but each containing a bedroom, a small sitting room, and a bathroom with a very large tub. There are 4 smaller suites, and 2 larger. One of the larger is Gabrielle's and it has a small studio attached to it. It faces east and had huge windows to get the best light. It is decorated in rose and gold, in an ornate baroque style.
The other belongs to her housemate, Brigit. Brigit is an animated marionette, carved of wood. Her face is elaborately detailed, and she has a wig of dark hair affixed to it, and her eyes seem real - but she's clearly carved of wood, with wooden joints and moves as though there are invisible strings attached to her. She's a poet of great skill, although it can be very disturbing reading her work - she's not human, and if you read enough of her work, you start to see the world through her eyes. She enjoys talking with people, even if she prefers not to touch squishy skin and muscle.
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