#don't perceive me if there are typos here i wrote this out of order and it's almost 2AM

[pinespittinink]

Happy WBW!

I want to know more about Palatruza 🧐 tell me everything 👀📝

*cracks knuckles* here we go! Palatruza is literally the lowest court of the region of the Viridian where ITDOTT takes place [this region is currently unnamed-- there are a lot of names i need to flesh out]. The courts are stacked, so to speak, like a totem pole, and Palatruza is at the bottom, closest to the forest floor and the roots. Physically, the court is made up of structures that are built around and cross between the three largest trees growing in that area; similar to Lothlorien, but Bigger. 

These three trees are named Junroght, Uthru, and Mesoate. Of the three of them, only Uthru is tall enough to reach the canopy, making it effectively part of all of the courts. Junroght and Mesoate are “smaller” trees in comparison that reach their crowns well before the canopy (Mesoate is the shortest). At the low level Palatruza exists at, sunlight is meager, as it has to filter down through the tremendous height of the canopy. The court relies on flame for light but also predominantly on droonmoss, which grows abundantly there, and emits a luminous green light for a long period of time when touched.

The architecture of the court is constructed of bridges, larger viaducts, a few aqueducts, and a ton of structures that grow from the sides of the tree trunks. There are lots of stairs with curl around the trunks. Due to the low position of the court, branches only begin to grow above it. The architecture of Palatruza is largely inspired by Art Nouveau, the Edwardian era, and the settlement of Plainsong in Horizon Forbidden West.

Palatruza receives imports from both the courts above it, and the ground-level village among the roots called Caravaz (this is where Titus is from). Junroght is a subspecies of ore trees, growing organic crystals within their bark and wood, the fruit on the higher branches and canopy bearing gemmy clusters of precious stones. Ore trees also contain great deposits of metals, which can cover a wide range from iron and copper to silver and gold. 

Water is obtained from wellsprings within the trees, and feeds the lotus pond, one of the only locations that is literally inside a tree (Mesoate). The lotus pond is taken care of by a groundskeeper called the Lotus Keeper (this position is currently held by Cyril), who has a home inside the natural tree “cave” where the pool is. There is a little bit of natural light, but it is largely bioluminescent. The people of Palatruza come there to relieve themselves of their burdens, in a manner similar to a confessional; sitting by the edge of the pond and speaking their truths and grievances into a flower held in their hands before letting it go to float across the water. 

The hierarchy of the court is capped by the High Chancellor, who is supported by the Left Hand of the Heartwood and the Heartwood Priest. In the time of ITDOTT, Lialaci is the High Chancellor, and her husband Ormarie is the Heartwood Priest. The sitting Left Hand is a man named Sahil; it is a much more mobile position than the chancellor, as the Left Hand oversees final calls on import and export operations and has influence on general relations with the other courts. 

The definition of “Left Hand” in this context comes from the goddess recognized by all of the Viridian, but given special attention by Palatruza specifically: Lauvedine, Our Lady of the Heartwood. Her visage is portrayed as a woman embedded within a tree trunk, her upper body protruding at an angle from the torso on her left side, arm held out, palm facing up. From the cracks around her and flooding from her right side is an overgrowth of flowers and webbed roots. The Left Hand of the Heartwood thus acts as this extension of power for the High Chancellor, while the Heartwood Priest is the other half, attuned to the nature of the trees, particularly Uthru, which boasts most of the residential quarters of the court and the formal gathering chambers. 

Expeditions into the deep are known as deep delves, and each delving team is led by a person called the Spade. Adrianna is the most renowned Spade in Palatruza at the start of ITDOTT. The purpose of delving is to map out the deep, ward off the sentient creatures that live there from the forest floor, and gather further resources that are used primarily for exports to the higher courts and botanical studies. Travel to and from Palatruza is predominantly reliant on a series of weighted lifts which then come to landings of stairs that make their way up the trunks of the trees. 

🌲🌳 stopping here for the sake of sleep and not going too overboard, heh.

taglist (ask to be added or removed): @aninkwellofnectar , @awritingcaitlin, @muddshadow, @bebewrites, @flowerprose, @laufire-writes, @alternativeforensicscientist, @sentfromwolves, @jess-p-edits

#in the deep of the trees #i'll do another post eventually just for their exports/imports because i find it fascinating #the limits having a bizarre setting puts on a world #aninkwellofnectar #thank you for this cammie i could have added even more but it's long as it is and there's always later <3 #i love thinking about palatruza #asks #don't perceive me if there are typos here i wrote this out of order and it's almost 2AM