The Civic Festhall
Contents
Overview
The Civic Festhall is one of the tallest buildings in Sigil, built to rival the most spectacular and beautiful places in the Cage at its time, it has yet to be surpassed by even the wealthiest of nobles.
‘Course, it’s been a long time in the making. The Festhall took just over a century to finish, needing thousands of hands and an unholy amount of coin. Any books detailing its cost have been burnt (likely for tax reasons), and records of its construction are hidden away somewhere within the bowels of the building.
From an Architectural point of view, the building is utterly bizarre… and yet somehow well-thought through. Sensates were sent all across the Planes in search of the perfect materials for use in its construction - be it Arborian wood, Elysian felt, or even Baatorian greensteel. It even leverages the bizarre dimensionality of Sigil to appear even bigger on the inside, taking its 750,000 square footage and making it seem 4 times the size.
Visiting the Festhall (from a distance)
"One of the tallest buildings in Sigil by far, the Civic Festhall towers dozens of floors in height. Its many spires, towers, and buttresses weave between one another in a captivating display, with bridges and aesthetically placed drapery drawing the structure together. Even from a distance, the sights, sounds and smells are enough to tempt a headache."
Every public space within is a bustle of activity and music, from the haunting arias of the auditoriums, to the rhythmic drums of the training rooms and whooping applause of the theatres. The main entrance is overly ostentatious, with 90 foot tall doors of glittering stone and golden filigree. A geyser of crystal blue water erupts upwards for hundreds of feet like a whale surfacing for air.
The ground floor is home to three theatres and two sensoriums. Then there’s the faction quarters: assembly rooms, lecture halls, training rooms, and Factol’s quarters. The remaining floors hold countless more means of entertainment - even the most dedicated berk couldn’t experience everything on offer in their lifetime.
Visiting the Festhall (up close)
"Everything about this place screams out to be touched, smelled, and even tasted. The walls are over 50 different textures, blending seamlessly from smooth, to bumpy, to ridged. The marble floors are a dazzling display of all colours of the rainbow… and then some. The windows are made from rock crystal from forgotten caverns of Pandemonium; delicate tinted glass woven with shifting patterns and hues. The air is full of incense and spices, with each room taking observers to a different plane with its scents."
Key Areas
Elloweth Theatre
Elloweth Theatre is a smaller and more intimate setting; used for serious drama, high-brow readings, and interpretive dance. Its ceiling is made of capiz shell, a thin, near-transparent material that lets in more light than hits it - and refracts and bends its colours to boot.
This theatre tends to be used during the day, the rainbow hues of light setting a moody backdrop to monologues and poetry readings.
Northumber Amphitheatre
About as large as Elloweth Theatre, the Northumber Amphitheatre is an open air playhouse - with seats carved of shale and limestone that descend deep into the ground. Contests are staged here: from grudge matches, to wizard duels and gladiatorial showdowns. The wizard duels tend to be held at night time - all the better to see the fireworks.
Speaking of fireworks, the Northumber Amphitheater has been used recently in combination with the newest advancements in gunpowder technology. Terrific firework shows and displays of illusory magic are held here to mark major events and cultural festivals from across the planes… which just about amounts to firework shows on a weekly basis. Due to the curved, doughnut-like nature of the Cage, the most explosive of these displays are capable of being seen from anywhere in Sigil - the skies exploding with lights and illusory dragons.
Sensoriums
A Sensate speciality, the Sensoriums are rooms within the Civic Festhall where folks can experience past events and exquisite sensations, as recorded by Sensates and their Memory Stones.
The Sensoriums are split into public Sensoriums, and faction Sensoriums (for Sensates only).
Public Sensoriums
Always crowded, and often understaffed, these rooms are open 24 hours a day with more than 200 suites available. Most are individual rooms, offering sensations of up to 60 minutes at the cost of around 10 gold pieces. There are a number of dual suites, capable of being used by two people at a time (and very popular with couples and the closest of friends). What’s more, they've just opened a set of group sensoriums for whole teams of people - perfect for corporate icebreakers, group excursions, or adventuring parties training against their latest replayed encounter.
The Deluxe Sensoriums are for the rich and dedicated. They give you four whole hours of access, but come at a pricey 100 gold per visit, and must be reserved a week in advance.
Faction Sensoriums
Experiences to be had in the Sensate Sensoriums are more detailed and overwhelming than the public Sensoriums, and are home to a wider range of experiences. The Factol has mandated that Sensates must contribute to the store of memories, and record any new experiences that they encounter, needing to contribute particularly great or numerous memories in order to advance in the ranks. These Sensoriums are free to Sensates.