Completed The Tor by Margaery Tyrell

Margaery_Tyrell

The Dark Lord Sauron
I honestly thought your fig trees were pomegranates, rather than figs.
The figs trees I am familiar with are substantially larger.

Edible fig orchards typically are not allowed or do not grow very tall, if allowed to grow too large they waste energy maintaining their leaf and bark coverage and less on fruit.
 

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AerioOndos

Donkey Lord
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I get your point and stand corrected.

However on the topic of edibles, I found a thing about the Sea Buckthorn I have been mentioning in DMs. Apparently the Greeks used it to make horses coats glossy and shine, and this is where it’s scientific name comes from (hippophea).
Dornish Sandsteeds might be fed such things before showing them?
 
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Margaery_Tyrell

The Dark Lord Sauron
I get your point and stand corrected.

However on the topic of edibles, I found a thing about the Sea Buckthorn I have been mentioning in DMs. Apparently the Greeks used it to make horses coats glossy and shine, and this is where it’s scientific name comes from (hippophea).
Dornish Sandsteeds might be fed such things before showing them?

Sea Buckthorn seems to prefer cool temperatures and dislikes the warm regions of Southern Spain and Morocco, however im probably gonna add some kind of equivalent, im just a bit stuck on how to depict it that isnt just apricot or peach leaves
 
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AerioOndos

Donkey Lord
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Sounds like it would fit in the rockier high places of the Red Mountains. Azulejo is the person to ask on flora of Spain it would seem though.
 
Hey Marg


Good, straight forward application. I have no specific objections to anything.

I agree that the green belt could be extended, but you’ll also have to take into consideration that Dorne has gone through 7 years of summer and most likely is at its driest. You'll need to find a balance in this. I feel there is still some room for improvement when looking at the one around Gosthill. Potentially new schematics with trees that fit the location/climate better? I would help if you decide on doing that. All of this will become a lot clearer once you start working on the actual terrain.

A qanat is quite an interesting idea that would make the town and its surrounding lands more liveable. Maybe add minor irrigation channels to it in the immediate vicinity? They wouldn't use it at the moment due to the heath and water shortage, but it could be a nice detail.

I would like to see a test of how you plan to update the cliffs and a bit more detailed description of what improving the lands to current standards exactly means? Will you update the mountains, including dry streams, etc.?
 

Margaery_Tyrell

The Dark Lord Sauron
A qanat is quite an interesting idea that would make the town and its surrounding lands more liveable. Maybe add minor irrigation channels to it in the immediate vicinity? They wouldn't use it at the moment due to the heath and water shortage, but it could be a nice detail.

Typically qanats are not affected by drought since they rely on exploitation of groundwater from aquifers rather from rainfall, I do think that qanats would allow greater population in the main tor area and could not only used for irrigation but also for the inclusion of (limited) water features in the town such as this which is used to water the gardens the National Library of Iran

Qanat_Niavaran.jpg

I would like to see a test of how you plan to update the cliffs and a bit more detailed description of what improving the lands to current standards exactly means? Will you update the mountains, including dry streams, etc.?

My plans for the cliffs is based on an organic approach based on the land available, essentially I want a full connection from GH to Yronwood through Tor's lands, and I will be amending the land based on need. For example for the two GH adjacent settlements there are a series of tall cliffs over the sea. For that particular area I plan on carving out a crumbling ledge for travelers and carts to pass through, change the angle of the cliffs to be more steep, and add gravelly beaches to the bottom of it where appropriate, where the ocean deposits sand, but on high tide the beaches are covered by water.

Something like this:

Moroccan-Hidden-Coastal-Towns-Morocco-Travel-Blog.png

img_15161.jpg

For mountains I had an approach with ghost hill Id like to continue but refine a bit, where there will be gradual zones from the coastal plains to the hillsides to the precipice of hills which transitions from mediterranean savannah with stands of trees, tall shrubs and grass, to chaparral where trees are 2-3 blocks tall at best shrubs are more abundant rocks and sand are more common, to the precipice where the moisture from the coastal fog runs out and supports grasses, herbs and low lying scrub.

It's all rather hard to test for because my approach with building has always been more "organic" and working with the land I have for inspiration, I very rarely come in with a decided construct of where to knock down and what to build up.
 

Azulejo

Bloodmage
Staff member
Azulejo is the person to ask on flora of Spain it would seem though
Wow I feel honored (and pressured lol). So in regards of sea buckthorn, form what I have read, as Margaery said, it doesn't seem like it is well suited for Dorne. It is very resistant to drought, high salinity and cold, but from its range it doesn't seem like heat is his best friend.

As I said before, Desierto de Tabernas is one place that could porvide species and inspo for dry landscape: retama (white and yellow), taray, esparto (1 and 2), adelfa (which is extremly poisonous, could be used as a source for dornish venoms)... Garrigue/maquis/matorral, slightly wetter, has thyme, rosemary, espino negro (Mediterranean buckthorn), palmito, myrtle...

For edibles, there's hundreds of vegetables and fruits that arabs introduced or increased in production in the Iberian Peninsula: almonds, pistachios, eggplants, artichokes, apricots, rice, lentils, peas, bitter oranges, lemons, bananas, mango, sugar cane, chufas (rhizome from where a sweet beberage could be made), saffron... There's also dyes, like henna (alheña) or indigo. Most of this crops are from tropical and subtropical regions. They can be cultivated here with irrigation, because Southern and Mediterranean regions already have the heat that they require. Madroño (strawberry tree) and algarrobo are native to the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, both trees that produce edible fruits.

Taray in Algeria.
800px-Tamaris3.jpg

Anti-Atlas, Morocco.
800px-Panorama_Djebel_el_Kest.jpg

Sugar plantations in Salobreña, southern Spain.
SALOBREÑA CON LA PIEDRAGRANDE.jpg
800px-Tabernas_-_003_(30064345113).jpgTabernas_al_sur_de_Mini_Hollywood_OASYS-5.jpg800px-Almeria_01.jpg
Potentially new schematics with trees that fit the location/climate better?

In Morocco in desert regions where olive trees can't grow argan takes its place: produces an oil suitable for cooking, burning and cosmetics. Drier regions of Dorne could use this tree.
800px-Argan_Tree_near_Tafraoute.jpgLV_20150730_LV_FOTOS_D_54434239944-992x558@LaVanguardia-Web.jpg364.jpg
 

AerioOndos

Donkey Lord
Staff member
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Not trying to pressure you, Azulejo. It is just you bring in many many ideas for the region. Thanks!

I'm not too sure about Argan Oil being in Dorne. It sounds like something for Slavers Bay, where the oiling of hair is much more prevalent and extreme hair styles are more prevalent.
 
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Azulejo

Bloodmage
Staff member
Not trying to pressure you, Azulejo. It is just you bring in many many ideas for the region. Thanks!
Don't you worry, I was just joking :p. Your welcome! Thank you all for been so nice about my long posts!
I'm not too sure about Argan Oil being in Dorne. It sounds like something for Slavers Bay, where the oiling of hair is much more prevalent and extreme hair styles are more prevalent.
Argan Oil as a cosmetic is used mostly for nourishing skin and hair, not so much for styling (in a similar fashion to olive oil). I don't think it is viscous enough to be able to hold the shapes described for the Ghiscari. But it could be used there in combination whith wax and other products, so I understand what you said. It could fit perfectly in Slavers Bay.
 

jmcmarq

Envoy
Hi Marg,

I read your appl for Thetor and I am really amzed with the terra and the ideas of the andalusian looking of the area.

As you are planning the town, i´d like to recommend you some inspitration from the ancient hispanic-arabic medieval towns. Here I send you a plan of an example:
unnamed.png

The urban structure of these towns tended to be really intincate, being most of the streets really narrow, is important to conceeive the acess to the houses from semi private yards/alleys. as well as the placement of yards, as I saw in your current town planning.

You can find examples of this planning in the hystorical districts of Toledo, Córdoba, Cáceres, Málaga, Granada, Úbeda, Baeza...

Greetings
JMC
 

Azulejo

Bloodmage
Staff member
Just some pics to expand on what JMC said. I like the first one because it could be used as a model on laying plots and streets. That being said there are examples of planned cities with orthogonal/concentric streets in the islamic world (Medina Azahara, Bagdad, Samarra, the outskirts of Córdoba...)

InShot_20201216_194707583.jpgFig-12.jpg
 

Azulejo

Bloodmage
Staff member
Have you considered joining our lord, giver of light, R'hllor? Dorne is the only region of Westeros were Red Temples are found outside of the main cities. Not all settlement in the region needs to have one, but given the fact that it seems to be one of the main comercial hubs and how you related it to Myr and Tyrosh in the application, I think it would be very fitting and a nice addition. Maybe there's one and I missed it, in that case forget all of this.

Regardless, beautiful town! It's amazing how fast you managed to plan and built it, all while making it look great. It reminds me a lot how Almería's walls conform to the terrain.
Muralla de San Cristóbal -Jesús Muñoz.jpg1280px-Muralla_de_Jairán.jpg1275px-Almeria_Capital_-_012_(30610093621).jpg
 
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Margaery_Tyrell

The Dark Lord Sauron
Have you considered joining our lord, giver of light, R'hllor? Dorne is the only region of Westeros were Red Temples are found outside of the main cities. Not all settlement in the region needs to have one, but given the fact that it seems to be one of the main comercial hubs and how you related it to Myr and Tyrosh in the application, I think it would be very fitting and a nice addition. Maybe there's one and I missed it, in that case forget all of this.

Regardless, beautiful town! It's amazing how fast you managed to plan and built it, all while making it look great. It reminds me a lot how Almería's walls conform to the terrain.

Theres a small Lord of Light shrine at the docks.

Also theres a Red Temple at Oldtown as well