TeeA Guide to Essharan Architecture (From a person who mapped a bunch of it)
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While I can't speak for other mappers, all my maps are designed with very specific architecture in mind for various epochs. Hopefully this guide will shed a bit of light on what I had in mind when I mapped things out. These are by no means hard and fast rules about the different styles of building out there but they're a great starting point for RP and I use them myself:

I'll list them here from newest to earliest, with examples.

Modern Cosmopolitan

This style encompasses everything from the past few centuries specifically in Osrona. Largely, buildings are much the same style, thanks to efficient, planned construction methods - comfortable, luxurious, and much more elaborate than in previous eras.



[Image: L7lxScE.png]


Generally this is made of good quality sandstone or marble, and excellent quality, well-treated lumber. Houses are chunky and built to last.



Modern Cheapskate

Nothing likeable about this style, it's all business. Generally most of the construction is made of wood, with a solid stone foundation for stability. It's cheap, it's fast, what's not to love.


[Image: 6039W2L.png]




Essharan Religious

Generally, the religious groups in Esshar use the same variant of the much-loved "Vaulted Center" architectural style the continent over. It's also a common style with schools and universities and has been used for so long nobody even remembers where it first started; perhaps an old Astyan tradition.


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Osronan Early-Modern Fortifications

This style of fortification, as the church structures, has been around for untold centuries using much the same construction methods. Often the walls are so heavily fortified they're considered more like bunkers. Some have been sealed up for reasons unknown, and many have had different uses since their heyday.



[Image: JP7cOON.png]






Early-Mid Magnolian-Essharan

Now we start getting into the good stuff.


A fairly rare architectural style still to be found in Esshara, this style typically is found from the 7th-century onwards. For the most part, the fine brickward is much too weak to resist any kind of siege weaponry and is therefore only found in civilian use. It's considered "quaint, but practical" by today's standards, particularly by those used to the fine stonework in Osrona.



[Image: xSgHplB.png]





Early Rural/Essharan

The same plaster/stucco/wooden housing has been used for over a thousand years, and roughly follows the same general trend- heavy on the wood, conservation of everything else. They're often remarkably sturdy, but just as remarkably flammable. 



[Image: GHuYkpO.png]



Middle Jianghese-Essharan

Though they would consider themselves simply Essharan, these are for the most part descendents of distant Jianghese-or-offshoot ancestors mingling with the local population.  They carry on something resembling the architecture of distant Sheng, though this style is very rare, again, due to the heavy flammability.
(I don't mean your dojo specifically kuriokoiokoyoos, don't kill me please)


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Early-Middle-Late Era Septic Style

Not that anyone in Osrona would believe it, and most anyone would probably find it repulsive, but the stone sewer beneath Osrona has many different layers representing lost history of the city's sewer construction. Many of these have shifted over time and the resulting chambers turned into living areas. The result might not be particularly comfortable for those who have strong senses of smell.

Despite that, the stonework is always a remarkable quality under the slime. If there's one thing that a civilized city loves, it's large amounts of fresh water.


[Image: CAuQ4yA.png]



Upper Magnolian-Essharan

Sometimes confused for Early Magnolian, this style of stout brickwork laced with wood has been in heavy use since the early 1100s; again, only for purely civilian constructions. Rhoynish cities often heavily borrowed this architectural style as well, as the fine brickwork allowed for construction even into the side of sheer cliffs.


[Image: PZDBbzS.png]

Ancient Pagan/Hermit

An enduring style mostly for its ease of hiding in small confines. Not for people who want a lot of dinner parties, they are always found nestled in remote areas.


[Image: yG41mZS.png]



Early/Modern Therian-Rhoynish

A rare, mostly-wooden construction style that's found only in particularly harsh terrain. These are easy to heat and maintain and bear a remarkable resemblance to Vanir villages found on the opposite side of the world. 



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Ancient Astyan - Fortifications

This is an extremely rare style of Astyan fortifications that predate any serious colonization, still using some of the Astyan building styles. Generally over a millenia old.


[Image: NNrCeXO.png]

Therian Homeguard Defenses - "Shield Granite"

The Homeguard of Theria constructed their defenses using a specially-treated type of stone. Though no new construction of its type has been made for over a thousand years, even this early work has endured without anything but superficial damage since then.


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Ancient Astyan/Pagan/Occultic Style




The rarest and most valuable of all architecture on the continent is found only in appreciable amounts in small areas scattered throughout the continent. 



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However, the rarest of all is the dark stone of the early Astyan settlers. These were the first permanent dwellings they constructed across the continent, some populations merging with locals or conflicting with them. Many of these early populations took part in occultic and profane magic, before civilization was brought more forcefully to the continent. Most interesting of all is many of their constructions were chiseled with a multitude of runes and texts, many of which are difficult to translate.





The earliest of this architecture and writing dates back to the second and third century; the best surviving examples are vague reports from the vale of Moonfall.




[Image: vJtav2c.png]







Hope this helps your RP!
Remember, don't take it as gospel, this is just what's in my head when I map.


Also note-> I did not map out all these screenshots myself, particularly the first ones!!
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