Composed of three enormous panels, the size of this installation transforms the room and imposes itself upon the viewer's field of vision. Each panel is identical both in size and the impenetrable blackness of deeply layered brushstrokes. Forms are suggested as one examines the lines and swirls of the piece, but nothing definitive becomes apparent.
There appears to be something written on it.
In the Common language, it reads:
"Dawn"
A closer look at the otherwise transparent cylinder reveals veil-like inclusions in the heart of the glass. These shapes distort the light coming through the column, showing areas of increased density. While the hazy forms in the column's interior form no recognizable image to the eyes, they might create a distinct tactile impression to anyone phasing the column.
There appears to be something written on it.
In the Common language, it reads:
"Union"
Ten feet wide and eight feet high, the painting envelops the viewer's gaze in darkness. The entire canvas is covered in black with enticing wisps of charcoal grey, demanding close examination to distinguish the subtle details of the haze. The gilded frame is carved all over with cylindrical protrusions reaching outward. A small plaque is fixed to the center bottom.
There appears to be something written on it.
In the Common language, it reads:
"Shien'tyr"
Time has stolen the warmer and more ephemeral hues from this image of a man delivering a speech atop a flight of broad stone steps, casting the scene into a stark chiaroscuro of cold blues and bone white. The central figure commands attention both with his pose and with the slanting light that bathes him. Forced perspective creates a feeling of immense space between the speaker, his rapt crowd, and the pyramidal buildings behind them.
There appears to be something written on it.
In the Common language, it reads:
Yshryth Silvius Faendryl
With wide eyes and an intense gaze, the giantkin-sized statue appears caught mid-summon, his mouth open in an incantation, and his robes and long hair frozen in disarray as if caught by a tempest. One arm is extended upward with curled fingers, while the other is lowered behind him grasping a tightly spiraled stave held level with the ground. Gold, crimson, and black paint accent the statue and provide ornamentation to the carved marble while still allowing for its pale lavender hue to show through.
There appears to be something written on it.
In the Common language, it reads:
"Drawing of the Rift"
Gaius Cassian Faendryl
c. 3900
The circle's inky surface is made of countless bar-shaped onyx tiles to form a nearly seamless whole. At its center is one perfect marble square no larger than a thumbnail. Marble and carnelian chips set in spiraling bands around the outside of the circle create the illusion of movement that disappears as soon as one stares directly at the circle's edge. An outer band bears an unbroken stream of calligraphy that seems to be formed from a single length of silver wire.
Standing tall and with a pensive expression, the carved Palestra is the size of a giantkin and nearly lifelike in her features. Her mixed uniform of plate armor and flowing cloth is sparsely painted with gold, crimson, and black, allowing the pale grey hue of the marble to show through. Both fabric and cropped hair seem caught by an unseen gale with deep folds painstakingly rendered for the effect. She holds a halberd in one hand at the low ready, and her steady gaze focuses on the opposing statue.
There appears to be something written on it.
In the Common language, it reads:
"To Wield Retribution, Castigation, and Grace"
Gaius Cassian Faendryl
c. 3900"
A specimen of masterwork calligraphy, the stylized Faendryl script on this page twists and wends around itself to form the image of a bird in flight. The drawing is surrounded by a border of gleaming gold leaf providing a double-framing effect with the geometrically patterned lor encasing the manuscript itself.
Painted in layers of tinted wax on a silvery round of lor wood, the tiny portrait of an umber-skinned young man in a three-quarter view has the luminous quality of natural skin. The subject's gaze is focused somewhere beyond the gilded frame of the miniature, and his lips are turned up in the faintest of smiles. Even the blackwork trim on his cloak collar has remained sharply detailed. The portrait's obverse side bears an inscription and a fingerprint, but no name.
Smooth enamel in rich ultramarine blue covers this broad disc except where pinpoints of silver fleck its glassy surface. Etched lines connect the silver points to form constellations, some of which are still recognizable as their modern counterparts. A central hole in the disc allowed it to be mounted on a clockwork device that set the artificial sky wheeling through seasons at the touch of a lever, but corrosion has stilled the moving metal parts within the disc's alabaster case.
The central figures in this painting are two men and a woman, but the lush garden around them is almost as attention-getting. The woman is disheveled and moon-faced, her stance aggressive and her mouth open in an angry shout. She's trampled some of the garden's blooms already and looks ready to do more damage. Standing opposite her, a Faendryl man in robes holds his runestaff in front of him as if to ward off an incoming attack. A third figure crouches near the woman, gazing up at her worshipfully.
There appears to be something written on it.
In the Common language, it reads:
"Impatience and the Lily"
Painted with vivid realism, you could almost mistake the canvas for a window just barely separating you from the central subject: three ridiculous halflings. One plunges a tart into his gaping, rotten-toothed maw. A second wipes jelly-jam from his face with pages torn from a book discarded near his feet. The third has an upside-down timepiece in his hand and a robust mid-section tied up with a sash reading "Mayor."
There appears to be something written on it.
In the Common language, it reads:
"Icemule"
Rendered in watercolor and gouache, a lushly overgrown swamp languishes under a misty yellow sky that looks nothing like a sunset. Towering trees festooned with grey beards of moss stand silhouetted against the jaundiced sky, giving the scene a closed-in, oppressive quality. Violet and aquamarine shapes move through the mist, and dark foliage crowds the edges of the canvas. As alien as this landscape is, it also has a surreal and compelling beauty.
There appears to be something written on it.
In the Common language, it reads:
"Lorae'tyr"
A smiling bride in scarlet, and her groom in grey, sit at the center of this intricate mosaic. A low table before them holds a feast, but many of the bright fruits are unfamiliar. As each of the attendants is dressed in the colors of a different elven house, the image could as easily be an allegory as a portrait. Stones no larger than grains of rice capture every detail, from the net of gilded chains and gems in the bride's hair to the revelers' brilliant silks.
On the ebonwood cart:
other (4): a slim glass of lavender honeybush iced tea, a tall glass of passionfruit iced tea, a frosted glass of dark spiced tea, a small glass of honeyed mint tea.
Lavender and rosemary create an unusual, but refreshing pairing against a backdrop of mild honeybush and mint.
Herbaceous and floral notes predominate in the pale golden tea, but beneath them is the sweet mellowness of honeybush to keep the flavors from growing too sharp.
Citrus notes blend with just enough honey to balance the luscious passionfruit that is the tea's heart. A kiss of mint leaves a refreshing aftertaste.
Sparkling notes of orange peel and lemongrass lend brightness to the honey-infused passionfruit iced tea, finishing with a hint of tangy rose hips.
Warm notes of ginger, cardamom, and clove provide a surprising contrast to the chilled black tea, while a faint aftertaste of apricot lends sweetness.
Redolent of saffron and ginger, the iced black tea is barely sweetened with a touch of honey that cuts through its sharper tannic notes.
Bits of fresh mint in the straw-colored tea lend it extra potency, creating a cooling contrast to the hot, sweet drink.
A potent burst of mint, fresh enough to detect herbaceous and grassy notes, cuts through the hot tea's almost overwhelming sweetness.
On the linden cart:
other (6): a cup of ginger-infused lime and cardamom ice, a cup of goat's milk and vanilla ice, a cup of black cherry ice, a cup of pale green honeydew ice, a cup of lemon and mint ice, a cup of honeyed pomegranate ice.
The celadon green ice's bright citrus tang is given dimension by the piquant addition of ginger and a lingering hint of cardamom.
The warmth of ginger mingles with the tangy acidity of lime juice in the iced treat's bold and bracing combination, stimulating your palate.
Hints of cinnamon add warmth to honeyed vanilla and mildly tangy goat's milk as the ice melts on your tongue.
White and cool, the iced treat might be bland save for lashings of honey and spice enlivening the sweet goat's milk poured atop it.
Wine-dark and lush with honey, fresh black cherry juice poured over shaved ice combines sweet and tart flavors in perfect balance.
Hints of merlot in the black cherry and honey mixture infusing the shaved ice add complexity to what might otherwise be a simple dish.
Suffusing the crushed ice, the delicately sweet taste of the melon mixes with the refreshingly clean flavor of chilled goat's milk for a surprisingly tangy, yet honeyed treat.
Faintly sweet goat's milk infuses the subtle, honeyed melon flavor, the combination blended with crushed ice for a pleasantly chilled concoction.
Citrus-infused honey drizzled atop the shaved ice cuts the tart lemon flavor, while a burst of fresh mint keeps the concoction from becoming cloyingly sweet.
Tart lemon zest and fresh mint meld with a generous infusion of honey to transform shaved ice into a refreshing treat.
Ruby-hued crushed pomegranate seeds provide a tart counterpoint to mellow honey and finely shaved ice.
Laced with sweet honey and fresh pomegranate pulp, the shaved ice melts at the touch of your tongue, releasing subtler citrus flavors.