TATEYAMA
Tateyama is a vast one-slot megastructure built from the remains of a small terrestrial planet in the Ancerious Galaxy. A hollow sphere roughly 5,600 kilometres in diameter, with a crust and outer shell 200 kilometres thick, its interior has been terraformed and artificially maintained to create a habitable structure. The exterior is lined with docking facilities and planetary defenses, which are almost entirely automated
The interior of Tateyama is a covered with rivers, lakes, mountains and forests, dotted with small settlements and buildings constructed entirely in traditional Ingenious architectural styles. The inner geology, geography and architecture of Tateyama does not always follow understood laws of physics, thanks to the magical influence involved in its creation and maintenance. Its flora and fauna are carefully managed and maintained, some species having been magically created and found only on Tateyama. An artificial sun, in reality a vast monopole reactor which powers the megastructure, sits in the centre of the construct, and is artificially dimmed by hardlight emitters to create a day-and-night cycle.
The whole structure is maintained with the assistance of imports from outside, subsidized by a variety of sources including the various Shinto temples, the local government, the Imperial Jade Navy and pilgrims from across the Jade Empire. The primary purpose of the Tateyama is to act as a spiritual center for Jade Shinto in the Ancerious Galaxy, allowing the Ingenious to focus magic from the Far Anomaly and use it for practical purposes. The entirety of the megastructure is treated as sacred ground, and other than elegant temple complexes and shrines, the only buildings permitted on the inner surface of Tateyama are workshops for master artificers of kanji-runes, or tsuyokanji, platinum-infused icons and symbols which can add powerful magical effects to material objects. |
The megastructure was originally conceived and designed in the aftermath of the Curse of Light, when it became clear that not only were the Merger and Corruption still a tangible threat, but that the eldritch forces of the Far were undeniably real and able to inflict material change on the Near, the realm inhabited by the Ingenious. Collaboration between Jade intelligence services and the religious establishments of the Empire was able to divine the basic mechanics of the Far Anomaly and begin working to utilise it for the benefit of the Jade Empire. The project was pitched in late 2487 AT, and the events of the Sarnath Campaign mere days later convinced the regional and national authorities to approve the plan. Construction began several weeks later.
The primary benefit to the Jade Empire is that the Tateyama enables the construction and development, en masse, of magical equipment and schools of learning. The ability to channel the Far and use its powers in the Ancerious Galaxy will allow the Jade Empire to field magic users, weapons, armour and devices, an important ability in their constant fight against the Merger and against all hostile entities. Its significant supply of platinum is vital for the production of tsuyokanji. The Tateyama will also serve to strengthen the national and religious identity of the Jade Empire in the region, swelling support for and belief in the Jade monarchy and its religious institutions and bringing a wealth of funding through pilgrimage and patronage.
The primary benefit to the Jade Empire is that the Tateyama enables the construction and development, en masse, of magical equipment and schools of learning. The ability to channel the Far and use its powers in the Ancerious Galaxy will allow the Jade Empire to field magic users, weapons, armour and devices, an important ability in their constant fight against the Merger and against all hostile entities. Its significant supply of platinum is vital for the production of tsuyokanji. The Tateyama will also serve to strengthen the national and religious identity of the Jade Empire in the region, swelling support for and belief in the Jade monarchy and its religious institutions and bringing a wealth of funding through pilgrimage and patronage.