What's in a Plan

Ever since I was young I have been fascinated with floor plans. I recall being irritated with doll houses because their floor plans made no sense. Also, they only had three walls. At an early age i began drawing floor plans of houses I would like to build. Some were quite stupid. Others even more elaborate than the stupid plans. On a couple of occassions I even attempted creating models of my plans, succeeding once. But that house was burned. By me. Another story.



Apparently I vision rooms, buildings, whatever, differently than most people. Once I went to a store devoted to doll houses and doll house furniture. My plan was to get wallpaper. It was frustrating because I could never find more than three sheets of any pattern (in the inexpensive area). Eventually, one of the store clerks (reps/associates - I can't keep up) came to offer me assistance. She seemed amazed that I would want four sheets of paper. After all, doll houses only had three walls. I explained that my doll house would have four walls. Trying to avoid calling me a complete nitwit, she (and a customer) mocked me saying, people don't think of rooms from the ceiling. I responded with equal incredulity: yes, they do. Who do? I do. You're thinking of this store as though seeing it from above? Yes.


I wound up leaving the store without making a purchase.



But it's true. When I am in a room, I often try to see it as though I were the ceiling, placing the room in pattern with the other rooms which surround it. What's above it? What's below? What's on the other side of that unusual corner? Why does it have to be that way?



None of this, of course, has anything to do with anything. It's just that I've been a bit dark with some of my postings, and then I took a couple of days off with nothing to say. I decided to post something light. What I decided to post is Sovereign Odelmaar's house, as it was when Khirsha visited it in the year 352, which coincides with the year Swords of Fire: Book I takes place.


I've actually drawn more than a dozen floor plans for the houses, halls, shops, which exist in Swords of Fire. This includes some cave dwellings in Book II. I chose Sovereign Odelmaar's house because it is probably the most elaborate - after the fortress which gets built some time after Book IV.



To put it simply, Odelmaar's house is cool. It started out as a large square with the southeast corner chopped at forty-five degrees. Then tower additions were placed at the remaining corners. The center area also raises to a tower. The house is huge and the rooms are huge. It was very expensive in Odelmaar's time. It would be frightfully pricey now, I think.



A monstrous porch wraps around the house's southeastern side. Entering, you find yourself in a foyer area. Before you are double doors leading to the main library. To the left is the way to Pulich's apartments. The right way leads to Ovaer's apartments. Upstairs is Odelmaar and Taylich's private quarters. This includes another large library and a large study.


Pulich and Ovaer's apartments are virtual mirror images of each other. They are basically houses within a house. The formal dining room is behind the library to the north. The parlor/lounge and small study are behind the library to the west. The kitchen is beside the dining room.



In the back of the house, private, are Tavaar's apartments. Tavaar modified the floor plan to better accomodate her private attendant, Hetahna, who her father bought for her just before the birth of her first child. Yes, I said bought. In Swords of Fire, the so-called good people are far from perfect. Not only is Hetahna Tavaar's slave, but she traces her ancestry back to the same pair of twins. She's family. That's part of the struggle in Swords of Fire, although it is only hinted at in Book I.



Here, though, is a sample of my floor plans. I'm not sure how the picture is going to look on the blog, so here is a small legend.



Blue areas are beds


Brown areas are fireplaces


Yellow areas are bureaus, dressers, chevereaus.


Green areas are tables.


Striped areas are stairs.


Grey areas (kitchen) are shelving and cupboards