Marka-na-Sfal
Marka-na-Sfal is divided into two parts: Inner City, a black dome modeled after the old Dahls, and Outer City, an eclectic collection of constructions made by all the people who passed Marka-na-Sfal.
The most notable structures are all located in the Outer City:
Totemic Tower – build by ashtakurti who fled their homeworld to escape prosecution by the conquering Heskaluns. The highest construction in Sfal—except the Inner City. It’s made of white, porcelain-like material and formed into fantastic shapes, reminding of waves, shells, and tentacles; white but colored on the edges in gold, pink and turquoise.
The Market – surrounded on one side by semi-circular Arcade housing the finest shops and eateries in Sfal, it’s filled with neat, identical stalls of yellow wood. The passages are shadowed by a silken cloth and many stalls are decorated with banners and paper lanterns. You can get all kinds of goods in there, from everyday items to luxurious goods. And, of course, the food. But only if you don’t mind the crowds!
The Wall of Teeth – a row of giant teeth of some long-extinct beast, found by one of the early explorers and brought to Marka-na-Sfal. The biggest teeth are two meters in height and too thick for most humans to wrap their arms around. The original owner invited all artists to cover the teeth with carvings and paintings, but of course, vandals joined in too, so the teeth are currently covered with art and dirt in equal parts.
The Temple of All-Powers – built by Varpulians in the shape of twenty-six rotundas, each dedicated to a different god (one is dedicated to both Inis and Sini since Varpulians portray them as one being with two faces). The walls are made of local red rock, and roofs are covered with gold. Inside every rotunda, there’s a statue of the deity and plenty of space for Varpulians to perform their dancing prayers. Everyone is welcomed to come in worship in whatever form they please.
The Garden of Five Worlds – established by a Csivelinian noble to collect the most beautiful living creatures from five different worlds. In time, it grew enough to incorporate plants from different worlds, but the name prevailed. Open to the public for a small fee (supposedly going to pay the gardeners and animal handlers). The most recent addition is The Tiwwank Pavilion – as tiwwanks are only visible underwater, advanced magic is used to make them visible from the surface. The animals are kept in a large aquarium with a glass ceiling that serves as a floor for visitors to walk on. It shimmers orange, pink, and purple under one’s feet, but below that one can glimpse the fantastic, magical creatures called tiwwanks.
The Pavilion of Paper Blossoms – considered a temple of sorts, it was built by Chaarites. People go there to reflect on their worries and lock them in carefully folded paper flowers that are then left behind.
