#Paragon Construction & Restoration

[felandcris]

Felandaris & Somniar, Fortress to the High Sorcerer

"For too often with these very powerful individuals, their true gift is a curse: they are simply not bound by decency, and their ruthlessness that so many praise is to the detriment of those around them. They are foul beyond expectations."

w/ @inquisitcr

13 Spires

Towering into the skies above the Court, the Thirteen go as low into the Underdark below as they do into the sky over the Otherworld above. Patrolled by the Illithids under Somniar's control, deep within the bowels of the drows' fortress, the Elder Brain, under the Inquisitor's control, is kept alongside the adolescent leeches Somniar is raising. Accompanying the myriad of illithid creatures are the wizshades, the specters of sorcerers caught in the backlash of their own magic that has left indelible impressions. The spires leading down into the Underdark branch into sporadic catacombs spanning miles. The grottos and chambers below are abundant with flora and fauna unique to the Underdark, well studied by the drow sorcerers under the Architect's regime. Located at the summit of each tower are the Astral Gates powered by the mana that the pillars are specially designed to channel from the stars above and the paragon below. Subjugating the soratami held the final piece to completing The Astral Gates constructed by the Architect, bridging together different realms beyond the reach of the World Tree. The thirteen spires' walls are alight in a purple hue, and raw and primal mana runs through the veins of the architecture, making magic limitless and accessible to those who study within the halls. The Prime Tower, however, is exclusive to Felandaris and Somniar unless expressly invited within.

Interior

Within the interior of the Prime Tower sits a throne for Felandaris to hold court over the sorcerers under his command. About the table, the heads of the respective schools of the arcane built from the fundamentals of Menzoberranzan gather to debate, inform, and discuss. The spires are littered with ritual chambers and research areas, but within the Prime Tower is the most expansive arcane library across the Continent. Filled with writings from the soratami, restored works from the elves, proto-drow, daemonfey, fiends, goblins, and other resources painstakingly gathered over thousands of years of construction. Within the prime are pools of mind leeches soaked in brine pumped up from the hidden chambers of the Elder Brain below. Here in the observatory, Somniar and Somniar alone care for and tend to them.

Temple to the Dark Seldarine

A temple is dedicated to the nine members of the Dark Seldarine in the ninth tower, on the ninth level below the surface level. In the Underdark below, nine tunnels feed from the nine stairwells that all bring the sorcerers of Felandaris' guild to the gates of the Dark Seldarine. Reserved exclusively for the sorcerers, about the spacious chamber are statues to the Dark: Keptolo: Consort of Lloth and god of ambitious male drow seducers, hedonism, beauty, and fertility. Kiaransalee: Goddess of undead, necromancy, and vengeance. Malyk: God of chaos, rebellion, and wild magic. Eilistraee: Goddess of beauty, dance, song, freedom, moonlight, swordwork, and hunting. Ghaunadaur: God of all things subterranean, jellies, oozes, outcasts, rebels, ropers, and slimes. Selvetarm: God of drow warriors and slaughter. Vhaeraun: God of drow males, evil activity on the surface, territory, thievery, and arrogance. Zinzerena: Goddess of assassination, illusion, and lies. Lloth: Goddess of assassins, chaos, darkness, drow, evil, and spiders. About the sorcerers' guild, worship of the various members of the Dark Seldarine are venerated. Long dead, those who once faded long ago in Lloth's absence have begun to whisper back to those willing to prove their devotion and the ambition to take the power they are rightfully owed.

Personal

Within the Prime Tower, the highest echelon of the tower are untouched by anyone but Felandaris and Somniar Baths drawn from the rivers of the Underdark below, a fluorescent biome of rich organic life with the stars painted above. Finery drapes every surface, silks spun from the threads of rare and poisonous spiders, and ritual chambers dedicated exclusively to Felandaris' secret workings. Bed chambers and finishings mined from the body of the paragon below, mana abundant, and plans kept tightly guarded. A domain of equal parts pain, and pleasure.

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Companion Innovation (Pathfinder Second Edition Inventor Innovation)

(art by Malignanttoast on DeviantArt)

And we’re back with the second currently available innovation from the inventor class, the companion!

Everyone loves a little robot buddy, and with this archetype you can have one for your inventor character. These mechanical allies are so strongly associated with the class that the iconic inventor character canonically has one in the form of Whirp, the goblin-like clockwork robot.

As an innovation, these mechanical buddies are implied to be part of the inventor’s experiments into creating a truly unique design. They might be trying to perfect the artificial intelligence that governs their actions, or perhaps creating some wondrous new integrated tech which could revolutionize construct crafting as a whole. Alternatively, perhaps instead the inventor created their companion purely as an assistant for their other experiments and ventures.

Much like the innovations of other inventors, however, they constantly tinker with them to improve said companions in various ways.

As we’ll soon see, these companions turn a solitary inventor into one part of an impeccable duo both on and off the battlefield.

The construct companion follows many of the same rules as other companions, such as being  a minion with only two actions per round, but they also benefit from the fact that as independent beings, they can use their own actions to activate various abilities associated with innovations, including overdrive, explosion, and so on, as well as gain the benefits of offensive boost to their own attacks. Additionally, they start at either small or medium size.

Of course, there are many modifications that can be taken to customize these mechanical allies. Among the basic ones are increased speed, aquatic mobility, give them larger size, greater manual dexterity, a projectile launcher, advanced sensors, or even greater intellect to use certain skills.

Greater breakthroughs let them improve their integrated weapons, become warded against magic, gaining climbing apparati, greater durability, becoming even smarter, or converting into a ranged turret mode to trade mobility for firepower.

The greatest modifications include flight, true intelligence, resistance against all harm, integrated runic capacitors to improve their attacks, and the ability to transform into a barricade.

Of course, there are inventor feats geared towards those that choose to have a companion. These include No! No! I Created You!, which helps their little friend recover from effects that would subvert their control; Collapse Construct to make them compact for storage and travel; Advanced Construct Companion to outright buff their stats; Clockwork Celerity to briefly speed them up; Construct Shell to provide protection for yourself when you ride it; Incredible Construct Companion to make them even stronger; Lock On to bolster their aim; Paragon Companion to perfect them; and Engine of Destruction to make them absolutely devastating.

Other feats they might benefit from include Built-in Tools, Explosive Leap, Haphazard Repair, Variable Core, Searing Restoration, Megaton Strike and it’s upgrades, Megavolt and it’s upgrades, Manifold Modifications, Deep Freeze, Unstable Redundancies, and Full Automation.

There is a lot of customization to be had with this innovation. Your companion might be a small little scout and helper, a big brawny combatant, somewhere in between, or maybe you load them with all sorts of special offensive abilities to make them almost like a remote spell-thrower. Or maybe you make them bigger than yourself and use them for mounted combat (potentially in water or air too!). The sky is the limit.

I’m not exactly the biggest fan of how 2E handles companion creatures, but I will say that the loosey-goosey “here’s a bunch of examples, if you don’t find an exact match, homebrew your own or reskin it” approach does actually work well, because as long as you can imagine it, your construct companion could look like anything. It could be a classic clockwork construct, a technomagical creation blurring the lines with golems or the aeon stone constructs sometimes seen, or it might even be a refurbished robot from Numeria or the like. One character’s companion might be a mass of gears and steam pipes, while another might be a brain in a jar with a body sporting mechanical tentacles and treads, while another still might be an elegantly crafted facsimile of an animal or magical beast, looking like something that would be presented to royalty and ensure your family’s prestige for hundreds of years. If you can imagine it, your companion might just look like that.

Bilsprig is furious, the little kobold’s contemporaries simply do not GET his newest creation. This contraption is not simply an automaton, it is an ambulatory trap apparatus that brings the traps to your enemies. Yes, the weaponry is aimed and triggered by the automaton itself and not by the target, but by the seven dragon gods, they are still traps!

Chasing rumors of the legendary Mosquito Witch, an inventor and cryptid hunter by the name of Maximilian Valx heads into the marshes with his pet automaton, which he has specifically engineered to capture the cryptid creature. However, he will soon discover how thoroughly in over his head he is.

Called the Stitching Inventor by some, Lord Kalluvus has never had any patience for magic, let alone necromancy, but he has always thought that rotting corpses were such a waste, and so he has long tinkered with creating lightning-charged horrors that combine gears and strange capacitors with twitching preserved flesh.

[ravenloftian]

Saint Markovia of Krezk

In 323, fate wove a tapestry that would forever alter the destiny of Barovia. Lyvia Markovia, a child of mystery, was discovered amidst the ancient trees of the Krezk forest by a humble wolf hunter. Adopted into his simple life, Lyvia's formative years were imbued with the whispers of the wild until destiny intervened and set her on an extraordinary path.

Lyvia's footsteps led her to the hallowed halls of the Abbey in Krezk, where she was taken under the wing of Tavian Andral, a paragon of devotion to the Morninglord and a beacon of hope to orphaned children. Under the tutelage of this venerable mentor, Lyvia blossomed into Sister Markovia, her heart ablaze with compassion for the downtrodden and the wounded.

The spring of 341 witnessed the revelation of Sister Markovia's divine gift—an ethereal touch that mended the broken and healed the afflicted. She became the Blessed Sister, her touch a radiant balm that breathed life into the wounded hearts of knights and soldiers entwined in the battles against the relentless Terg forces.

As the dark clouds of tyranny and despair gathered, Contessa Sera von Hapsburg sought refuge within the Abbey's sheltering walls. There, under the tender care of Sister Markovia, the newborn Julius Vernon von Hapsburg took his first breath, heralding a fragile hope in a world spiraling into shadow.

Yet Prince Strahd von Zarovich's ascent heralded a harrowing winter that gripped the land in an icy vise. During this time, the Abbey faced Strahd's decree of forbiddance, forbidding anyone from sheltering or worshipping at the abbey. Heavy taxes were also levied against the church.

After experiencing a holy vision where she saw troops marching toward the abbey, Sister Markovia entrusted the young Julius to the care of Ivan Ivliskovich, a hunter, and bid him take the boy far from Krezk.

Strahd's forces marched on the abbey in 352 fulfilling Markovia's vision. In the crucible of battle, Sister Markovia's divinity blazed, a beacon of resistance that struck down her foes with a fury borne of unwavering faith. Strahd was severely wounded by the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind and quickly retreated. Amidst the chaos, a moment of eerie silence descended and the mists closed in. The following morning, the Abbey of Brilliant Worship had disappeared, leaving no trace that it had ever existed.

Later that year, the Church of the Morninglord exalted Sister Lyvia Markovia to the hallowed status of Saint Markovia. Since then, the church has been at odds with the sovereign.

Miracles and Legends

Saint Markovia's fervent devotion to the Morninglord bestowed upon her extraordinary powers, enabling her to perform miracles that bolstered the spirits of the oppressed and struck fear into the hearts of the wicked. Her blessings were said to heal the sick, restore hope to the despairing, and grant courage to those facing the darkness.

Shrine of the Sun

Pilgrimage Site for Saint Markovia Location: Krezk Center, constructed in the year 341 The Shrine of Saint Markovia is near a pool of water in Krezk that Blessed Sister Markovia blessed. The spring waters are hoped to provide healing comfort for the ill. The shrine becomes a place of pilgrimage among those in Barovia who seek its healing waters.

Within the shrine, a statue of the Blessed Sister stands tall, holding a radiant sun symbol high above her head. Pilgrims offer prayers and leave tokens of their devotion at the statue's base, seeking her aid in their struggles against the darkness. It is said that the faithful who drink the water at the shrine and offer sincere prayers may receive visions or signs of guidance from the martyred priestess, their spirits uplifted and emboldened in the ongoing battle against the forces of evil.

Abbey of Brilliant Worship

Located North of Krezk in the Baratok Mountains for a hundred years. Recently vanished. Former Function: Convent and Hospital

Description: The Abbey of Brilliant Worship was an ancient monastery constructed in the mountains North of Krezk in Barovia. It holds a storied history, once serving as a place of refuge, healing, and devotion. Once a place of healing and solace, the Abbey housed a convent where Saint Markovia and her devoted followers dedicated themselves to the Morninglord's teachings. It also served as a hospital, providing care and shelter for the wounded and afflicted. The echoes of prayers and hymns once filled its corridors, resonating with hope and faith. But those days are long gone.

The abbey mysteriously vanished in the mists during a skirmish with Strahd's forces.

[proroofersinc]

The Trusted Roofing Contractor in Franklin

Serving the thriving communities of Smyrna, Franklin, Brentwood, La Vergne, and Nashville, our establishment stands as a paragon among Roofers Franklin and the surrounding Tennessee areas. Our company's heartbeat is delivering top-of-the-line residential roofing services, ensuring that each home we touch is crowned with quality and care. We specialize in comprehensive roof repair, seamlessly fixing wear and tear to restore roofs' integrity and function. When repair isn't enough, we are adept at conducting full-scale roof replacements, offering homeowners peace of mind under new protective canopies fashioned by skilled hands. Our suite of services doesn't stop there; roof installation is another area where we excel. Catering to new construction or significant renovations, our installations are precision-led endeavors aligning with architectural vision and homeowner expectation. The use of high-quality asphalt shingle roofing resonates well with residents throughout Smyrna, Franklin, Brentwood, La Vergne, and Nashville , this material strikes a balance between durability and cost-effectiveness while never compromising on aesthetic appeal. We recognize that a roof is more than just shelter, it's an investment in your property's value and a statement of its character. That's why selecting the right contractor, one who understands local styles as well as challenges posed by Tennessee's diverse climate, is critical for every project. Rooted in reliability and fortified by our commitment to excellence in every shingle we lay down or replace; we continue to solidify our reputation not just as roofers Franklin leans on but as custodians of safety and comfort for households throughout Middle Tennessee. Reach out today so together we can ensure your rooftop remains both resilient against elements and aligned with the charm unique to our cherished Southern vistas.

Contact US:

Professional Roofers, Inc.

Address: 321 Billingsly Ct STE 13, Franklin, Tennessee, 37067, USA Phone: (615) 778-1440 Website: https://proroofersinc.com/

External Links:

Hometalk

thetoptens.com

All4Webs

behance

unsplash

[ronhogandrywall]

Ron Hogan Drywall Wall and Ceiling Mastery | (925) 791-9099 | California

Crafting Excellence in Wall and Ceiling Designs: Ron Hogan Drywall

The delicate balance between aesthetic appeal and structural purpose finds its true embodiment in wall and ceiling finishes. While many have ventured into this domain, Ron Hogan Drywall emerges as a distinctive figure, marrying tradition with modernity over the years. This exploration delves into the ethos, trajectory, and stellar services of this prestigious institution.

Ron Hogan Drywall

A Dream Realized: The Ascendancy of Hogan's Craftsmanship Every triumphant venture germinates from a vision. Ron Hogan, the guiding spirit behind Ron Hogan Drywall, started with a compact, passionate team during an era when craftsmanship spoke louder than words. As time unfolded, this modest venture evolved into an emblem of excellence. Structures enhanced by the Ron Hogan touch became symbols of their impeccable craftsmanship.

A Panorama of Expertise: Comprehensive Services by Ron Hogan Drywall The expansive success of Ron Hogan Drywall stems from its multifaceted services designed for varied clientele:

Residential Mastery: Each home echoes its inhabitants' stories. Ron Hogan Drywall crafts narratives of sophistication and longevity, adeptly catering to both novel and renovated dwellings. Their precision ensures homeowners receive enviable finishes.

Commercial Ventures: In the corporate sphere, precision is paramount. With tight deadlines and vast projects, Ron Hogan Drywall steps up, equipped with experience and a robust team. Their portfolio is replete with commercial spaces reflecting their signature excellence.

Restorative Solutions: Environmental elements and accidental damages can mar surfaces. Whether it's water-induced damage or cracks, Ron Hogan’s expertise revitalizes walls and ceilings, reinstating their original splendor.

The Final Flourish: Installation sets the base, but the true transformation lies in the finish. Techniques like taping, mudding, and texture application transform a space into a cohesive work of art.

Towards a Sustainable Tomorrow: Innovation at Ron Hogan Drywall In a time where environmental responsibility is paramount, Ron Hogan Drywall pioneers with eco-friendly endeavors. Adopting sustainable materials and cutting-edge methods, like dustless sanding, they commit to both planetary well-being and occupational safety.

Cultivating Excellence: Continuous Learning Excellence is a journey, not a destination. Ron Hogan Drywall champions this ethos, regularly refining their team's skills, ensuring they remain at the forefront of industry advancements.

Community: The Pillar of Their Success No enterprise exists in isolation. Ron Hogan Drywall intertwines with its community, supporting local endeavors from sports events to charitable pursuits. Their expansive community involvement signifies a vision that transcends mere business metrics.

Endorsements: Testaments to Trust Awards and accolades are commendable, but client feedback remains the gold standard. With a cascade of positive testimonials, Ron Hogan Drywall's commitment to quality, punctuality, and seamless collaboration stands validated by its diverse clientele.

A Legacy of Trust and Excellence In the dynamic realm of construction and decor, Ron Hogan Drywall emerges as a paragon of unwavering quality and trust. Their illustrious journey reflects their enduring commitment to excellence, innovation, and community involvement. As the tapestry of the industry transforms, Ron Hogan Drywall promises to remain its steadfast sentinel, continually raising the bar.

[jecpartscompressors]

Sabroe Open Type Spare Parts: Enhancing Refrigeration Compressor Performance

In the realm of refrigeration and cooling systems, Sabroe has long been recognized as a benchmark for quality and reliability. Sabroe open-type compressors are renowned for their efficiency and versatility in maintaining precise temperature control across various industries. To ensure that these compressors continue to deliver optimal performance, the availability of high-quality Sabroe open type spare parts is paramount.

Sabroe Compressors: A Legacy of Excellence

Sabroe, a distinguished name in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, boasts a legacy of manufacturing open-type compressors that stand as paragons of quality and performance. These compressors are celebrated for their robust construction, energy efficiency, and adaptability in a wide range of applications. Sabroe compressors have consistently demonstrated their reliability, making them a trusted choice for refrigeration needs.

The Crucial Role of Spare Parts in Refrigeration Compressors

Refrigeration compressors are intricate machines comprising numerous components. Over time, these components can experience wear and tear, leading to diminished efficiency and potential operational issues. Sabroe open type spare parts are specially engineered to address maintenance and repair requirements, ensuring that Sabroe open-type compressors maintain their performance and reliability.

Key Advantages of Sabroe Open Type Spare Parts

Precision Engineering: Sabroe open type spare parts are crafted with meticulous precision to meet the exact specifications prescribed by the manufacturer. This precision guarantees compatibility and optimal performance when these parts are integrated into Sabroe open-type compressors.

Efficiency Restoration: Refrigeration systems often constitute a significant portion of energy consumption in various industries. Sustaining the efficiency of compressors is crucial to reducing energy costs. Sabroe open type spare parts are instrumental in restoring the original efficiency of the compressor, resulting in reduced energy consumption and operating expenses.

Lifespan Extension: By replacing worn or damaged components with genuine Sabroe spare parts, the lifespan of an open-type compressor can be significantly prolonged. This not only maximizes the return on investment but also minimizes downtime and operational disruptions.

A Comprehensive Selection of Spare Parts

Sabroe offers a comprehensive array of spare parts for open-type compressors, catering to various models and capacities. These parts encompass critical components such as valves, pistons, cylinders, bearings, and gaskets, among others. Whether you require routine maintenance or immediate repairs, the availability of diverse spare parts ensures that you can promptly address any issues that may arise.

Ensuring Reliability in Refrigeration Systems

Refrigeration systems are pivotal in numerous industries, including food preservation, pharmaceuticals, and chemical manufacturing. A malfunction or breakdown in these systems can result in substantial losses. Sabroe open type spare parts provide the assurance that your refrigeration compressors are fortified to meet the demands of your operations. With Sabroe's unwavering commitment to quality and innovation, you can trust that their spare parts will not only meet but exceed your expectations.

Conclusion

Sabroe open type spare parts play a pivotal role in upholding the efficiency and reliability of refrigeration compressors, especially Sabroe open-type compressors, renowned for their exceptional performance. These spare parts are painstakingly crafted with precision, ensuring that they align with the stringent standards set by the manufacturer.

Investing in genuine Sabroe open type spare parts is an investment in the longevity and efficiency of your compressors, ultimately reducing operating costs and minimizing downtime. In a world where precise temperature control is imperative for preserving goods and facilitating the smooth operation of various processes, Sabroe open type spare parts emerge as the dependable choice to maintain your refrigeration systems' peak performance.

Rely on Sabroe's legacy of excellence and innovation to elevate the performance of your open-type compressors, assuring uninterrupted preservation of temperature-sensitive products across your operations. With Sabroe open type spare parts, you can have unwavering confidence in the enduring success of your refrigeration systems.

To get more information on Sabroe Open Type Spare Parts, please reach out to us on phone +91 98210 20375 or +91 22 675 86605/06/07. Alternatively, you can email info@jecparts.com or sales@jecparts.com or fill out the form on the contact us page.

[full-apartment-renovation]

Paragon Construction & Restoration established in 2003 as a restoration company. Since then we have expanded into a full-service home improvement contracting business with projects throughout the New York City area. Our dedication to our clients and excellence in our work has enabled us to grow exponentially as a business.

Source : Click here.

[elfyourmother]

What is Aymeric and Hades' relationship like?

...odd. XD

Very few people outside of the Scion inner circle know who Hades actually is. Everyone thinks he’s a just a Garlean aristocrat who defected after his family was slaughtered by pro-Zenos forces during all the current turmoil in Garlemald. If there’s a mild resemblance, it’s chalked up to this dead family being a distant branch line of House Galvus. The very first thing they decided after they agreed to let him join the Scions was this cover story and that none of the Alliance leaders would be told his real identity unless they absolutely had no choice.

Aymeric is the exception, and it was a real sticking point tbh--the very type of situation that Thancred warned Gisele about, before she married him: how would she handle it if the Scions’ interests and Ishgard’s were ever at odds, that as far as Scion business went she absolutely couldn’t favor Aymeric over the other Alliance leaders or else jeopardize the political neutrality that was essential to their work. They actually fought about it, Gisele and Thancred. He shouldn’t be privy to the order’s secrets just because he’s her husband, he’s still ultimately Ishgard’s figurehead in the Alliance and a political creature like Aymeric would surely seek to use it to his advantage etc etc

(Thancred likes Aymeric well enough, but Thancred is incredibly pragmatic and has to consider all angles, even if Gisele doesn’t want to hear it at times for as calculating and clever as she can be herself)

The thing is, Aymeric knows very well and for all his cunning he would never seek to use Gisele’s position as Antecedent for his own political gain. He absolutely has lines he won’t cross and that’s one of them. But he also keeps his own counsel quite well--he feigned ignorance when questioned about the missing Eye to protect Estinien when he ran off with it, and much later on hid Ysayle in the Congregation’s infirmary during most of Dragonsong, risking the wrath of the Vault and his reputation on protecting her from the Inquisition, ultimately releasing her into the custody of the Scions. Aymeric can and does very well keep secrets for the greater good.

That Gisele is romantically involved with Hades is the real reason she told Aymeric who he was, though. There’s really no way she could have avoided it, given who she once was. So Aymeric is the only one outside the Scions who knows “Hades d’Amaurot” is actually Emperor Solus aka Emet-Selch the Ascian Paragon.

It’s weird though. Hades greatly admires Aymeric for his cunning and has been almost going overboard to ingratiate himself with him because he’s Gisele’s husband first and foremost, but also because he (correctly) thinks winning Aymeric over is much easier than the rest of the Alliance leaders given the lady they share in common.

He rather enthusiastically dove into the restoration project because it’s exactly the kind of large scale project he can sink his teeth into. ��The Architect” wasn’t a show title. And even though he’s very much sucking up to Aymeric and Haurchefant in doing so (because Francel is leading the whole effort), Hades genuinely enjoys working in the Firmament. Oh he’ll never get his hands dirty, of course--his depression-induced lethargy isn’t totally gone, and that’s really what it was instead of “laziness”--but he lends his considerable expertise to the planners and builders and crafters, passing on ancient construction techniques that have been long forgotten, helping them tweak designs, telling them when they’re terrible and need to be scrapped. Urban planning was a big part of Hades’ job in ancient Amaurot, he was responsible for much of the city’s design and layout. The Firmament having green spaces and fountains and all of that are things he very much insisted on.

Aymeric doesn’t know what to make of him, tbqh. Initially, he absolutely does not trust him, except to the extent that Haurchefant and Estinien and Ysayle have vouched for him. It’s not that Aymeric doesn’t trust Gisele’s word or judgment, but he knows she doesn’t always see clearly when she’s in love with someone. And like the others, he gave him the “if you break her heart, I’ll break your face” speech except since it was Aymeric it was obviously very eloquent and the threats were much more veiled. XD But it came from a deep place of concern, even deeper than the others. Fear, even. His father sought to treat with Ascians too, and knows very well how that turned out.

But remember that Aymeric is also very much someone for whom deeds matter as much or more than just pretty words, and he’s been getting steady reports out of the Firmament. He deeply appreciates everything Hades has been doing there even if he’s not nearly naive enough to believe it’s not without ulterior motives. Still, he can’t fault him for those motives either--and most importantly, he makes Gisele ridiculously happy. He protected her and saved her life. As a result, Aymeric very much wants to believe that he’s turned over a new leaf and genuinely wants to start anew, so why not give him a chance to prove himself worthy of it? So far, he has. And Aymeric does come to genuinely like the man, he’s witty and urbane.

[creativerogues]

Player’s Guide: Oath of Gylenfelt

Gylenfelt, The Astral Wilds   

In the many Minotaur Tribes that have become the Silver Charge Mercenary Company, they believe in a Place called Gylenfelt, the Astral Wilds, a place where their Ancestors and many Beasts of War sit within a Grand Hall crafted from the Weapons, Armor and Shields of the Fallen. It is in Gylenfelt that every Man, Woman and Child can feast, fight and enjoy their Afterlives. In this Minotaur Myth, when the Life of a Creature has been given in the eternal hunt for conquest, their Body is carried upon the backs of great stallions to the Halls of Gylenfelt, their spirit happy within its halls and never truly leaving the World.

OPTIONAL SUBCLASS: Oath of Gylenfelt

In the Silver Charge many have taken an onus, a declaration to preserve their own and their brother in arms’ place in the Astral Wilds after death. By pledging themselves to the Gods that rule over the aspect of War, these paragons are granted power for their resolve. 

Many are seen leading charges and inspiring their allies to ensure they reach their glorious end, for now is the time for their duty.

Tenets of the Oath

Earn your Brother’s Respect. Aid your Allies and those weaker than you.

Earn your Enemy’s Fear. Strike down your Foes with no exception. 

Earn your Place in Gylenfelt. Do not cower from the possibility of your end, and never stray from the stallion's path.

Oath Spells

Paladin Level - Spells

3rd - Bless, Guiding Bolt

5th - Calm Emotions, Warding Bond

9th - Fear, Spirit Guardians

13th - Stoneskin, War Path

17th - Circle of Power, Greater Restoration

Channel Divinity

When you take this Oath at 3rd Level, you gain the following Channel Divinity options:

Inspiring Resolve (Reaction). As a Reaction, when a Creature that you can see must roll a Death Saving Throw at the start of their Turn, you can expend a use of Channel Divinity to make them instantly succeed on 1 Death Save.

Your Duty Is Not Done

Oath of Gylenfelt, 7th Level Feature

While you are not Incapitated, you emit an Aura up to 10 Feet around you, any Ally that is reduced 0 Hit Points while in your Aura can make a Charisma Saving Throw against a DC of 10 + Twice the Number of Times the Creature has been reduced to 0 Hit Points in the last 24 Hours.

On a success, you inspire them to stay on their feet and continue fighting for their place in Gylenfelt, as they drop to 1 Hit Point instead. 

At 18th Level this Aura increases to 30 Feet.

Now Is Not Your Time 

Oath of Gylenfelt, 15th Level Feature

When you suffer a Critical Hit, you can use your Reaction to turn that Attack into a Normal Hit. Any Effects triggered by a Critical Hit are canceled. You must complete a Long Rest before using this Feature again.

Champion of Gylenfelt

Oath of Gylenfelt, 20th Level Feature

The Gods of War have favored you, earning your place in the Astral Wilds before you reach your time.

As an Action on your Turn, you can surround yourself in the sounds of battle from the Halls of Gylenfelt, you gain the following benefits for 1 Minute:

You benefit from the effects of the Foresight Spell for the duration.

All Allies within 30 Feet of you that can see or hear you may add your Charisma Modifier to their Attack and Damage Rolls.

If an Ally within 30 Feet of you must roll a Death Saving Throw at the start of their Turn, the Creature rolls against a DC of 5 instead of 10.

You must complete a Long Rest before using this Feature again.

Designer’s Notes

Oath Spells

The Oath Spells I think are pretty good picks, but I think I might swap out some. One I thought about was Phantom Steed, summoning one of the great stallions that carries people to the Halls of Gylenfelt, but after realizing Paladins have Spells like Find Steed and Find Greater Steed, I didn’t think they’d need it.

And yes, War Path is also on there as a Oath Spell, I know it’s my own Homebrew Spell but I thought it fit so well with the theme of the Subclass, of inspiring others and denying them a death without glory. Plus War Path fills the air with the sound of war drums and covers people’s faces in war paint, and if that’s not absolutely badass then I don’t know what is...

Channel Divinity

Yes, I already know each Subclass should have Two Channel Divinity Options, but coming up with them can be hard, and while I have some ideas (which I’ll show below) I don’t know which one to pick:

Returning Strength (Bonus Action). As a Bonus Action on your Turn, you regain a number of points for your Pool of Lay on Hands equal to your Paladin Level.

Rallying Call (Action). As an Action on your Turn, you can release a rallying call to your Allies that instills fear into your Foes.

All Allies within 30 Feet of you that can see and hear you gain a D6 Inspiration Die. This Inspiration Die can be added to any Attack Roll, Ability Check or Saving Throw the Creature makes before the end of your next Turn.

Additionally, all Hostile Creatures within 30 Feet of you that can hear you must make a Charisma Saving Throw or become Frightened till the end of their next turn.

Leading War Cry (Action). Until the end of your next Turn, all Allies within 30 Feet of you that can see and hear you gain a bonus to their Armour Class equal to your Charisma Modifier.

So, how about you pick which one is your favorite idea?

I do love Inspiring Resolve as a Channel Divinity, making easier for your Allies to Stabilize themselves, and the idea of using your Channel Divinity to make someone instantly succeed on a Death Save is gonna be super useful in those low levels...

Your Duty Is Not Done

I’m not too if the DC for this one is too weird, but to me it makes sense, if someone gets knocked to 0HP while within your Aura, they make a Charisma Save and if they pass they’re inspired to keep fighting and drop to 1HP instead of 0.

Calculating the DC shouldn’t be too hard, if you haven’t dropped to 0HP in the last 24 Hours, the DC is 10, if you’re been knocked out once, the DC is 12, and the DC rises by 2 for each additional time you’ve been reduced to 0HP in the last 24 Hours.

Now Is Not Your Time

This one sounds just a little too much like the Grave Cleric for me to be comfortable with… 

I’ve had some other Ideas, like “When you or Allies within your Aura are reduced to a number of Hit Points below your Paladin Level, they gain Resistance to all Damage except Psychic Damage.” 

But that seems a little too powerful and sounds too much like a Bear Totem Barbarian for my liking, maybe I’ll word to “When you or Allies within your Aura are reduced to a number of Hit Points equal to or below your Paladin Level, they gain Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing Damage from Non-Magical Weapons.”

Champion of Gylenfelt

This one I love and I’m not sure what I’d change for it, but let’s break it down anyways...

1. “You benefit from the effects of the Foresight Spell for the duration.” 

Which means you can't be Surprised and you have Advantage on Attack rolls, Ability Checks, and Saving Throws while Enemies have Disadvantage on Attack rolls against you.

2. “All Allies within 30 Feet of you that can see or hear you may add your Charisma Modifier to their Attack and Damage Rolls.”

A potential +5 to Attack and Damage Rolls! It might be a little powerful, considering it lasts a whole minute, but I feel like if you’ve made it to Level 20, you deserve it...

3. “If an Ally within 30 Feet of you must roll a Death Saving Throw at the start of their Turn, the Creature rolls against a DC of 5 instead of 10.”

This one I’m super proud of, it’s basically the “Anti-Meatgrinder” Mode for Death Saves. It makes it way easier for people to stabilize and at this point anyone within 30 Feet of you is basically a straight up deity on the battlefield... 

As always, you can leave a comment or reblog your ideas, suggestions, interpretations and constructive criticisms, everything is appreciated!

[creedomnissiah]

Logi

Logi: Numbers define the galaxy. Shells expended. Lives lost. Foes slain. Quantities of resources expended. Citizens evacuated. Deaths by Exterminatus. It is the duty of the Logi to make use of all these numbers and more, and shackle them with complex equations and theorems. By their actions is the chaos of the universe revealed as the order of the Omnissiah’s Grand Design, and the optimal path to the future divined.

Logi Subgroups

Lexico Arcanus: The words and symbols of ancient Terran mathematics are preserved in the teachings of the Lexico Arcanus. Algorithms of divine beauty and complexity render down or extrapolate data from billions of sources into percentages and ratios of data that can be acted upon. Additionally, the varied pseudo-psychic glyphs known to mankind are contained within this field, allowing the truly skilled to combine advanced realspace mathematics with hexagrammatic sigils to impose their will on both the materium and the warp in equal measure. M3 Analog: Mathematician, Physicists, Daemonologists,

Bibliophiliac: For thousands of years, ink and parchment has been a method of information transfer, and even in the 41st millennium this medium persists above all others. It is the duty of the Bibliophiliac to process the vast reams and scrolls of the Mechanicus’ daily operation, and extract valuable data from the layers of ornamentation and redundancy inherent to Imperial Gothic. Whole libraries are condensed down into singular scrolls by these priests, ostensibly to simplify the data contained within. Yet the original works are retained, and often neither the scroll nor its sources are ever consulted upon their completion. Even were the scroll itself to be consulted, who can say how many crucial details were omitted by the tech priest who wrote it, damning millions in the process? M3 Analog: Historian subset, Data Analysis

Hyper-rationalist: Absolute order. Perfect efficiency. The optimization of all they survey. These are the things such a priest strives for, and also will never achieve. Without exception these priests have undergone the Right of Pure Thought, and believe themselves paragons in executing the Machine God’s Grand Design. Weakness is mercilessly crushed, their subservient citizens are subjected to the harshest of punishments for the smallest of crimes. The most forgivable of human failings are treated with disdain and contempt, and emotions in totality are regarded as illogical. In such a worldview, these tech priests have rendered themselves incapable of achieving perfection. For all they optimize their resource streams and assembly lines, the necessary human labor they utilize will never meet the standards they demand. For in becoming pillars of logic, they have left behind that which makes them human, and are cursed by the Machine God for their folly. M3 Analog: Human Engineering, Ergonomics

Monitor Malevolus: The stain of the Dark Mechanicus and the foul pantheon of Chaos is the sworn enemy of this sect of the Machine God’s priests. It is their duty to ensure the purity of all constructs, guarding their charges against corruption, and purging that which is tainted. It is within their power to erect mighty fortresses in the noosphere and manifold, protection against scrapcode and daemon virus. In equal measure such foul things can be attacked, relentlessly destroyed by data-djinn, code wyrms, and walls of fire within the Manifold and datasphere. M3 Analog: IT and Data Security

Info-executioner: Even with all the information in the galaxy, and mastery of the mathematics to process it into potential options, the action of choosing such things is a difficult one. The tech priests of the mechanicus exist across the spectrum from conduits of remorseless machine logic, to humans who simply seek to better themselves and their fellows. How each of these individuals handle the same data varies equally wildly, and it is the duty of the Info-executioner to advise on such options, to provide a check on a scion of the Omnissiah’s instincts, insofar as they still possess them. Such individuals often have other areas of complimentary expertise, and the role of info-executioner is often compared to a general advisor on other counsels of the Imperium. In the mechanicus however, the individual chosen for the role is without exception selected for their contrast to their commanding priest, to best ensure that all options are considered with care. M3 Analog: Universal. Any position to advise the operation of a greater body of work. Management of any other Omnissiah blessed field.

Biocogitatus: In a bygone age such individuals were known as psychologists, researchers of the human mind and its experiences, its perceptions…its wonders. The irony of the often inhuman mechanicus having an interest in the operation of the all too fleshy human mind is not lost on the tech priests, and no small number within this order have cut open their own skulls for self analysis. How a human being reacts to stimuli, and the rationale present behind it, is utterly fascinating to them, and they have subjected countless unfortunates to trials ranging from the divinely blissful to the agonizingly painful to observe the impact on their psyche. Unnervingly, such individuals among the mechanicus are often reprehensibly manipulative, and take perverse joy in toying with allies and enemies alike for their own fiendish ends. Those few that are not however are the most human of all the Omnissiah’s scions, and will affectionately tend to even the most broken and tormented humans to try and restore them to proper mental function, all the more diligently when such damage comes at the hands of another of their order. M3 Analog: Psychologist, neuroscientists

[garkomedia1]

The 10 Most Eco-Friendly Luxury Hotels for Earth Day – Robb Report

With constant news of a climate in peril, some of the world’s most luxurious properties are joining the green revolution with a variety of inventive techniques. Many hotels are making a start with simple methods such as switching plastic straws for the paper variety, and providing guests with drinking water from reusable glass bottles, however, we’ve found a few resorts around the globe that don’t think that’s nearly enough.

From anti-poaching initiatives in South Africa and coral-reef restoration projects in Mexico, to solar panels in the Maldives that help offset the equivalent of hundreds of flights per year, these 10 resorts are going above and beyond in an effort to make every day Earth Day.

  Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Baa Atoll, Maldives

Considering it’s set in the aquamarine waters of the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has an added level of environmental responsibility—one which it takes very seriously. So seriously in fact that the resort recently installed 3,105 solar panels on the rooftops of its staff village, making it one of the country’s largest resort-based solar installations. The perennial sunshine bathing the island nation means the panels will help power the resort’s guest rooms and electric golf carts, and amounts to an annual savings of 300,000 liters of diesel and 800 tons of CO2—the equivalent of 544 flights between London and the Maldivian capital of Malé each year.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru  Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

The Datai Langkawi is surrounded by the ancient gnarled trees, hanging vines and canopies of a 10-million-year-old rainforest. With that kind of natural environment to protect, it’s clear why the resort’s 2018 renovation, led by architect Kerry Hill and interior designer Didier Lefort of DL2A, focused heavily on sustainability. The new on-site nature center is run by a team of dedicated naturalists and marine biologists who not only lead workshops and nature walks for guests, but have launched the “Fish for The Future” program, creating artificial reefs that provide a sustainable ecosystem for local fisheries.

The Data Langkawi’s “Fish for The Future” program  Photo: Eric Martin/Le Figaro Magazine/2019

Trisara, Phuket, Thailand

Named for a Sanskrit word that means “the garden in the third heaven,” Trisara is practically nirvana—and not only for its striking infinity pool villas, white-sand beach and emerald hillside location. Its high-concept restaurant PRU, presided over by chef Jim Ophorst, was bestowed with Phuket’s first Michelin star in 2018, and is a promised land for eco-conscious foodies. All ingredients on the six- or eight-course rotating menu are sourced entirely from within Thailand, and mainly from Trisara’s very own four-acre organic farm, which uses natural pesticide alternatives and compost from the restaurant’s leftovers.

A pool villa at Trisara  Photo: Courtesy of Trisara

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Giving back to the local community is paramount to the ethos of Fairmont Mayakoba, even if that community is one of the world’s largest aggregate collections of whale sharks whose home is the Mesoamerican Reef offshore from the hotel’s dazzling stretch of sugary beach. In partnership with Oceanus AC, a Mexican organization focused on coral reef reforestation, the resort is allowing guests to get involved in the combat against coral bleaching and loss of marine habitats by participating in coral reef reforestation and adoption programs.

Fairmont Mayakoba  Photo: Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

Amanzoe, Porto Heli, Greece

Melding with the ancient land, culture and people of the Peloponnese is the concept behind Amanzoe, Aman’s Porto Heli resort that resembles a modern Grecian temple. With a belief that supporting the local community promotes true sustainability for the area, the property (which is a Robb Report Best of the Best winner) runs a multitude of waste-reduction initiatives, including one that donates used guest slippers, worn staff uniforms, bed linens and room curtains to the KESO Institute, which teaches unemployed women how to sew. The donations are then artfully transformed into new items, thus create jobs for the women, and importantly, keeping the old textiles from ending up in a landfill.

Amanzoe  Photo: Courtesy of Man

Tortuga Bay Hotel, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Tortuga Bay Hotel set within the Puntacana Resort & Club is famed for soft sand, lapping turquoise waters and jaunty yellow villas with interiors designed by the late Oscar de La Renta. But the complex is also making waves in the area of sustainability. The Puntacana Resort & Club’s not-for-profit foundation has embarked on multiple ambitious environmental projects to reduce their footprint, including a zero-waste program that vastly reduces items being sent to landfills, expanding its wastewater treatment plant which returns 100 percent of the water to irrigation purposes. In 2018, the resort also opened the Caribbean’s first Center for Marine Innovation.

Tortuga Bay Hotel  Photo: Courtesy of Tortuga Bay Hotel

Thanda Safari, South Africa

Set 160 miles north of the South African city of Durban, Thanda safari lodge sits on a 34,600-acre Big Five private game reserve with a luxury tented camp, bush suites, and a massive private villa complete with a helipad. The lodge takes its name from the language of the local Zulu people—thanda means “love,” and that’s just what the property is showing South Africa’s population of rhinos. In collaboration with Project Rhino KZN, an organization dedicated to anti-poaching and conservation programs, Thanda lets guests participate in the Thanda Safaris Ulwazi Research & Volunteer Program, which tracks and darts rhinos for identification purposes before releasing them back into their habitat. Since it’s launch, the program has been successful in saving dozens of rhinos from poaching.

Tracking and darting rhinos with Thanda Safaris.  Photo: Christian Sperka

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi, Finland

Finland was recently named the world’s happiest country according to the 2019 World Happiness Report, an accolade it has won for two years running. A connection with nature is claimed to be the reason behind this high-level cheer, a statement the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel embodies daily. The Northern Lights are a frequent visitor aglow eerily above the streamlined, geometric glass-and-wood houses, all constructed of sustainable Finnish wood that the property contributes to maintaining by planting 5,000 to 10,000 new seedlings per year in the surrounding forest.

Arctic TreeHouse  Photo: Courtesy of Arctic TreeHouse

Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Opened in fall 2018, the goal of the new Six Senses Uluwatu is to blend entirely within the natural surroundings of Bali’s southwest coast. This paragon of sustainable architecture was built on land carved from a sea-hugging limestone cliff, and then entirely reconstructed in a futuristic design using the same limestone. All resort furniture was sourced from sustainable wood found within local regions of Bali. Water also plays a leading role in the hotel’s ambiance, and the water features that permeate the resort grounds are fed by a mix of rainwater catchment and resort wastewater treated at the on-site water treatment plant.

Six Senses Uluwatu  Photo: Courtesy of Six Senses

andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana

Resorts set in the most remote locations are often champions of sustainability, not only from a desire to do right by the planet, but also out of sheer necessity. AndBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is no exception. Bordering the vast Moremi Game Reserve, the lodge uses 63 percent renewable energy from an on-site solar plant. Perishable products that must be flown in from elsewhere are transported in specially designed, reusable cooling containers, eliminating the use of the single-use plastics and Styrofoam often used in food freight. Additionally, plans for 2020 include installing a bottling plant to eliminate 100 percent of plastic water bottles.

A game drive at andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.  Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond

          window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId : '445395315547478', xfbml : true, version : 'v2.4' }); };

(function(d, s, id){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.async = true; js.defer = true; js.src = "http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Source link

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://hashtaghighways.com/2019/04/20/the-10-most-eco-friendly-luxury-hotels-for-earth-day-robb-report/

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed: True Stories

Out of all the movies I received as Christmas gifts, I was most excited to watch True Stories. I’ve been dying to experience this cinematic anomaly ever since the Red Letter Media crew covered it on re:View, and Criterion’s gorgeous digital restoration arrived just in time to satisfy my curiosity.

This is a travelogue of modern (circa 1986) America made by aliens that don’t fully grasp the intricacies of human behavior—appropriate, considering it was directed by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, an extraterrestrial that occasionally masquerades as an earthling. It stars such oddballs as a compulsive liar, a wealthy woman that never bothers to get out of bed, a computer technician that beams messages into outer space, a conspiracy-obsessed evangelist, and John Goodman as a lovesick man that, in his own words, “maintains a consistent panda bear shape.” And guiding us along on this bizarre journey is Byrne’s own rambling narration, which (much like his song lyrics) consists primarily of non sequiturs and word salads.

The film doesn’t merely celebrate such absurdities as dueling auctioneers, opera-singing security guards, and accordionists on parade, however; it also manages to discover moments of genuine poetry in the most mundane of places (a dinner table, a shopping mall, a partially-constructed prefab stage, and a DUI stop, to name but a handful of examples). This clear sense warmth and compassion towards its subjects sets True Stories apart from the works of John Waters, Werner Herzog, and David Lynch; it doesn’t judge these characters for their “otherness," but treats them as ordinary people, despite their quirks—which makes it a true paragon of “specialness,” indeed.

[architectnews]

Bear Gardens Mixed-Use Development, London

Bear Gardens Mixed-Use Development, London Aparthotel, Hotel Building Project, Architecture Images

Bear Gardens Mixed-Use Development in London

13 Apr 2021

Bear Gardens Mixed-Use Development

Design: SPPARC

Location: Bankside, London, England, UK

The 19th century warehouses of the densely packed Bear Gardens conservation area have been linked and adapted into a 75-room boutique aparthotel, with ground floor mixed-use space that includes accommodation for the nearby Globe Theatre and a language school.

Through carefully considered restoration and modern intervention, we have given the three principle buildings a new identity which celebrates the colourful history of the site. The eight-storey scheme offers a contemporary urban experience for its users whilst remaining sensitive to the conservation area and surrounding developments. The courtyard to the front of the building, historically a site for bear-baiting, is retained and restored to maintain this remanence of the medieval street pattern.

Originally the home for E. Newman & Sons, the creators of card patterns for weaving looms, our reimagining of this uniquely historic collection of buildings was informed by the industrial heritage that dominates the area.

The entrance to the BREEAM-excellent rated aparthotel uses the original retained façade of part of the existing Empire warehouse and 1-2 Rose Alley.

With an impressive double height foyer, the interiors offer a combination of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, all of which are bespoke in layout.

Guest facilities include a 24-hour concierge, gym, pantry area and co-working space, offering a unique home-from-home in the heart of Southwark.

The ground floor of the scheme provides mixed use units with the northern site leased by Bell English Language School and the southern site providing studios for the iconic Globe Theatre directly linking to their Sackler Education Building.

In the lower floors, board-formed concrete and exposed brick walls are complemented by original-style arched metal framed windows.

The upper floors are lighter in composition, combining clear and obscure floor-to-ceiling glazing with rich bronze circular rods, creating a strong rhythm to the façade and enhancing the appearance of the once-dilapidated buildings. The upper floors of the Rose Alley elevation have perforated bronze screens that offer privacy, referencing the loom patterns that were once manufactured in the original warehouse.

Extensive solar studies were undertaken to determine the massing arrangement and ensure that natural light is maximised throughout the building, creating a bright and attractive environment for its users.

Inspired by the rich history of the area, we have worked closely with Southwark planners, Macro Investments and Native to deliver a cutting-edge contemporary mixed-use development in the heart of Bankside demonstrating that modern architecture can successfully cohabit with our heritage fabric.

Bear Gardens Mixed-Use Development in London, England – Building Information

Architects: SPPARC

Project size: 5500 sqm Site size: 5912 sqm Project Budget: $20000000 Completion date: 2018

Start: Winter 2014 (shell and core) Completion: Summer 2018 (shell and core and fit-out) Gross internal floor area: 5,500m² Gross (internal + external) floor area: 5,912m² Form of contract: JCT Standard Building Contract 2011 (with amendments) Construction cost: £20 million (shell and core and fit-out) Construction cost per m2: £3,600 Client: Macro Investments Structural engineer: Pell Frischmann M&E consultant: Capita QS: Gleeds Environmental consultant: Deloitte Transport consultant: TTP Consulting Geotechnical consultant: Pell Frischmann Energy consultant: Capita Symonds Archaeology consultant: RPS/MoLAS Landscape consultant: SPPARC Acoustic consultant: Equus Project manager: Rise Project Management CDM coordinator: EC Harris Approved building inspector: Assent Building Control Main contractor: Prime Construction (shell and core) Paragon (fit-out) Software used: Autocad Annual CO2 emissions: 49.6kg/m³

Photography: Ed Reeve

Bear Gardens Mixed-Use Development, London images / information received 130421

Location: Bankside, London SE1, England, UK

London Architecture

London Architecture Links – chronological list

London Architecture Walking Tours

London Architect

Bankside Buildings

Hilton London Bankside Interior Design: Chris Webb image courtesy of architects office Hilton London Bankside Hotel

NEO Bankside Design: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners photo : Edmund Sumner NEO Bankside Luxury Flats

GAIL’s Artisan Bakery in Southwark Design: Holland Harvey Architects photography © Ståle Eriksen Gail’s Artisan Bakery in Neo Bankside

Bankside 123 – Southwark Building

65 Hopton Street – Bankside Housing

NEO Bankside Development London

Bankside 4 Development London

London Architecture

make architects

Comments / photos for the Bear Gardens Mixed-Use Development, London page welcome

Website: London

The post Bear Gardens Mixed-Use Development, London appeared first on e-architect.

[seashellsoldier]

The Devil You Know

“For 150 years, Black Americans have been hoping and waiting. We have marched and resisted. Many of our most prominent leaders have been appeased and kowtowed. We have seen our hard-earned gains eroded by an evolving, refining white supremacy, while at the same time we are told that true and full equality is in the offing. But, there is no more guarantee of that today than there was a century ago”  (p. 158).

Now, as with any book of this type, I have to declare my Whitey McWhite-ness right off the bat because I know I have no real place in the conversation except to be a part of the “educated, suburban, ‘radical’ progressive Left” who seeks drastic, fundamental, and systemic changes in these United States of Hypocrisy. As Blow and others easily point out, we should be in a supportive role. This is not our “fight”, but we can bolster the cause through support. So many “enlightened Whites” are fair-weather and fickle supporters anyway, as the data show. As I’ve written many times before, protests don’t work to force systemic changes. That takes voting power to force legislative power to bend to our will.

I should also say that I know the entire idea of “race” is a construct of power dynamics forged from European colonialism inflicted upon the rest of the world. The fact that it is still widely accepted should showcase my rage at those who propagate it. This is the context in which we live, and so I use terms that reinforce the very idea I despise. Hypocrisy runs rampant. Still, I acknowledge ad nauseam that the entire system is historically racist (and historically classist). I was awakened watching Rodney King get beaten within an inch of his life some THIRTY YEARS AGO by racist, sociopathic cops who were exonerated, as I watched alongside my infantry platoon of black and brown and red and white bodies talking about their 18-to-21-year-old histories within the System. The riots that ensued were justified, but ultimately pointless.

About the book: Blow writes a compelling manifesto that I believe everyone should read, digest, and process. In its essence, challenging and transforming “the system” is a sheer numbers game. If Black Americans have a new “reverse migration” back into the South’s metropolitan cities, they can create a system that nurtures and empowers Black America far beyond anything done thus far at local, state, and federal levels. Blow takes from Dr. King and Malcolm X and Robert Sengstacke Abbott, as well as Reverend Jessie Jackson and Reverend William Barber. Blow acknowledges this idea isn’t a simple or easy request, and much more needs to be done to educate, empower, and unify Black American under basic tenets. “So much of the power in this country is assigned to and controlled by the states. Slavery was allowed and maintained on a state level. Jim Crow was established and maintained by the states. As the Tenth Amendment sets forth: ‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.’

Black America must ask itself: How is the lack of any state control tolerable? What could we accomplish with state control?” (p. 106).

He answers this question: “The possession of real statewide political power in the South could radically alter the architecture of oppression in this country” (p. 113).

I agree. To drown out the “redneck vote” (my obviously derogatory term that encompasses both undereducated Whites, blue-collar joes voting against their own interests, and country-club millionaires who support the GOP religiously for the tax breaks and weakening of federal agencies), the urban centers must vote en mass. Here in Nevada we have done just that (in fact we’re forcing corporate Dems to flee too: https://theintercept.com/2021/03/08/nevada-democratic-party-dsa/), but as Blow’s use of statistics highlight, suburban Whites, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asians aren’t ironclad issues-voters when it comes to Black America. Of course neither are Democrats in general. That fact almost half of voting America, including 32% of the Hispanic vote, went to a categorically sociopathic and historical racist toying with authoritarianism (never mind a delusional and pathological liar), is proof enough that more radical outside-the-box thinking needs to be undertaken, and Blow’s manifesto does just that. Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker, reinforces this idea in a way, highlighting the likely schism impacting the GOP and illustrating the ephemeral nature of political parties overall (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/15/what-is-happening-to-the-republicans). The GOP is doubling down on a minority of white nationalists and the idiocy of “Caucasian nativism” to pander to a bovine cult of personality (and I suspect more crucially the storm of anonymous death-threats from their ignorant, brainwashed, and armed base), while the Democrats may face an internecine struggle with the growing rage of progressivism, which I happily support. As Body Count aptly nailed in reality, No Lives Matter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlk7o5T56iw).

What Stacey Abrams did in Georgia with her New Georgia Project is a paragon example of what needs to happen everywhere; however, it’s abundantly apparent how hard the GOP will fight by whatever means necessary to keep certain demographics from voting, such as Georgia’s SB241 bill. They’re truly frightened at the loss of power, and we know it. This is the devil we all know.

“White supremacy cannot be appeased. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be convinced. White supremacy is ravenous and vicious. It is America’s embryonic fluid. American was born in it and genetically coded by it. No amount of hoping or waiting, coalition-building or Kumbaya can redress that reality.

Racism is a flaw in the oppressor, not the oppressed” (p. 136).

This country has, as Blow wrote, a poisoned embryonic fluid that must be transfused. Hope and patience must be replaced by action and solidarity. In my thinking, we need proactive holistic healthcare for all; we need teachers and police officers to be the best-trained, best-vetted, and best-paid public service employees; we should have the best education system on Earth, free for all; we should be investing in infrastructure and jobs-creation with the unpaid taxes of the filthy rich and their corporations; we should be uplifting and empowering the impoverished, the disenfranchised, and the marginalized to be powerful contributors to society; and of course the policing, legal, and judicial systems need fundamental overhauls from the ground up. These issues are not specifically Black-centric, because they do impact people of all hues. Blow writes this book for Black America though: “Beyond the push of state terror and oppressive, even lethal, neglect, and the pull of political power, purchasing power, and overall economic opportunity and possibility, there is, I believe, a spiritual, restorative need for the collective Black family to reunite” (p. 167).

The rest of us can still support them. #blacklivesmatter

[y4s2-20192020]

Introduction: Space within Space

The survey collected data from one hundred people via the Twitter platform in March 2020. The ten questions of this survey asked about the type of events or show that they will attend, their favorite artist, affordable price range, activity while waiting for the show begins, memorable experience, location of the event, and what they want besides the typical existing facility provided by the organizer. The participants are in their teenager to young adult age (13 - 37 years old). Most of them have a common influence from South Korea, China, and other countries. These two countries export entertainment events overseas and gain huge attention from international Fanclub, and that creates some kind of sub-cultural activities that all of these people will do when joining events or concerts. The popular places that usually held events are Impact, ThunderDome, Ratchamangkala, Paragon Hall, etc. These spaces are enormous places that can fit a crowd for concerts, fans meet, or other types of events. 

However, after two phases of investigation and experiment about walking and influences from architectural elements, this phase is a further exploration from linear walking in the skywalk to multi-direction walking in Impact Challenger Hall 1. Space within space is an event design that is active inside the event. Elements are used for ‘spatial navigation’ by using the methods of periphery surface information (floor, wall, and ceiling) to convey information about the direction and body orientation toward the audience and pedestrians with the unaware decision that is tricked with the preconception of the particular elements. Moreover, the layout and circulation are also designed to encourage people’s curiosity and confusion to keep people walking and participate in the allocated activities such as shopping, entertainment, and photographing.

In the second phase, the experiments show how architectural effects affect a human's perception and decision. The long linear walk often makes people lose concentration and focus, and eventually, all of the walking and body orientation will happen due to their unconscious self. This statement led to the survey of other kinds of walking programs, and the thing that I found interesting is event design.

The continuation of the previous phases is shown in the diagram below. From the first phase, the modality of touch and see are evolved to a sense of place and sense of time. It means that the things that you see or touch are perceived and emotion by the individual perception by illusion and unaware self. Next to the second phase, the idea of “transition from one to another” was used in the experiment, but it was only linear walking. The experiment uses the repetition of things that make people lose concentration, focus, and awareness of place and time. Those investigations in the previous phase show that people can be touched by architectural elements distortion of space.

The ideas lead to the concept of spatial navigation by using architectural elements to guide people’s walking in multi-direction, and to transit from one to other destinations. However, all of the interactions are generated by people’s movement. Spatial navigation in this project is a set of methods that help people know and understand where they are moving or heading forward. People usually use place cues and body cues to help them avoid getting lost. Surrounding environments and happening activities often provoke curiosity and tell the orientation of the space so that the “grid” pattern is the most universal pattern for people to understand the sense of place (eg. heading ten blocks, turn lefts, and walk straight for five blocks).  

Hippocampus is the part of the brain that restores memories and it is crucial for spatial navigation for remembering patterns, and it will create the internal map or the cognitive map to understand the overall space. So, even if people are new to the place, but once they understand the pattern of constructions of the space, visual cues (landmarks or venues), and body cues (body orientation), they will eventually know which direction they should go.

The surface information is separated into four parts; the impact of scale, relationship to context, input method, and output methods. People’s perception and scale of the space can give rough information about the location of destination and density of people which will create the self-experience for individuals to decide which way they should go. It shows the relationship to context, the elements that give the cues from walls, floor, and ceiling. It can be interacted physically such as the height of steps, orientations at decision points, or brightness threshold. The diagram shows the different features in different aspects that will be explored in the next phase.

IMPACT Challenger has three interconnected halls with a combined column-free space of 60,000 square meters. Featuring state-of-the-art exhibition facilities and amenities, Challenger boasts 20,000 square meters of exhibit space and has the versatility to transform into a larger space for mega-events. In this project, only Challenger Hall 1 will be used as the site of the whole performance. At the back of the hall located the drop-off area for organizers and emergency uses.

[casualweddingdresses86]

acquire a enthusiastic patterned create to spotlight the contour white graduation dress（）*tyh7

FLORAL Publish Nominal GOWNS PERFECT FOR ANY Unscheduled OCCASSION Whether you are celebrating the upcoming formation, enjoying the level of summer, or simply enjoy a bit of whimsy, patterned publish gowns can be an nonpareil superior for more occasions. Weddings, proms, homecomings, and more other unscheduled events are all wonderful present to superior a fun photo featuring any of your ducky flowers and emblem. In fact, the number of patterned dresses that are acquirable on the industry wish you are trustworthy to learn a formalwear in your paragon cut or style featuring the rival of relationship only a floral publish can provide. And, since floral prints are oftentimes a vogue commodity, you can nearly collateral you can reason new choices every twelvemonth. To aid you see what options are ready, here are any lovely choices for most any buckram time. Elongate Patterned Dresses for Any Buckram Ground For those who favour the creation appear of a stretch arrange but would like to mix it up adding patterned information is a idiom and flirty options. Floral prints don't become in retributive one music there are options purchasable in near any style and material. Whether you promote the sleekness of mermaid patterned gowns, the elegance of patterned produce lump gowns, or anything in between, you are sure not to be discomfited. Gowns pic floral info in a variety of forms. You can savor the subtly of tone-on-tone tie, allowing the floral arrangement to ply as a dolabrate textural substance against remaining artefact types or go hammy with a chiseled print featuring wicked flowers against spirited flag or a paint photo against classic pastels. These prints can also film a show of other stylistic elements suchlike ornament and crystals, and be constructed out of nearly any literary garment material. If you change a portion style of clothes in mind, you can nigh certainly acquire a enthusiastic patterned create to spotlight the contour white graduation dress. A patterned bodice can engage an formal contrast to a adjoin prefabricated fabrics equal satin, tulle, or shirt. Or you can superior a floral exposure for the contact and hold the bodice a state decorate. Ofttimes, if you choose a solon diatonic arrangement how much does a sondra celli dress cost, you can actually tally a progress to toe patterned indication that provides visual percentage based on texture instead of dominating differ apologise. Victimize Patterned Dresses Semi-formal occasions, as shaft as refine events same homecomings and proms, can ofttimes hit a brief floral arrange a completely suitable action grandmother wedding attire. Often, you instrument hear eligible options ranging from defined gyp patterned cocktail dresses, classic tea-length gowns, and many. Adjoin shapes can array from fitted to flared, and bodice choices and necklines are as negotiable as any added name of vesture. Quasi to the offerings of soul dresses, runty patterned dresses can feature the publish on conscionable the bodice, conscionable the contact, or crossways the whole pattern. Since the ready laladpoiufhffouj- is shorter, it can eliminate it simpler to reassert a substantial floral publish crosswise the entire enclothe, because the oppositeness is automatically created with accrued unprotected wound. You can also see features equal lacing, moulding, and crystals superimposed for anything from subtle texture to impressive shine. Time galore grouping anticipate that a improvident fix is exclusive for junior women, it can be an fantabulous see for anyone who enjoys showing off their legs and a extraordinary arrange of situation. Just select a skirt size with which you are prosperous, and savour flaunting your competition asset. Floral Photo Ball Dresses

Girls can also bump show-stopping floral gowns that present forbear plight they gain an mesmerize into ball. Designs can be initiate in one gun and two restore patterned prom dresses, allowing apiece prom goer to take a call that highlights their assets time ensuring they can recreation the night gone in ministration. For those who advance to ostentate curvaceous shoulders and a muscular hindermost, a racerback patterned mermaid set can support a reinforced silhouette spell maintaining a plane of modesty. Gowns featuring patterned prints with restrain tops and fancy cut outs can make an unforgettable seem reliable to poker work for all of the appropriate reasons homecoming dresses 2020. Patterned prom dresses can be open in most any stuff and style. In fact, with all of the options getable, there is certain to be the saint patterned ball garb for anyone. So, whether you are perception for a full-length comedienne overclothes meet, a ceraceous mermaid silhouette, or a create and snazzy cocktail fix, there is one to tally your needs. So, if you person your viscus set on judgement the perfect patterned eveningwear, don't regain the pauperism to sink. Weigh which necklines and skirts you promote and let those pass your choices. Still, if you see a colorise or photograph that you just can't treat, don't be agoraphobic to try something unique, especially for events equal ball. Your ball may be one of the most elastic dress events you e'er listen, making any call that you jazz the perfect superior. Regain a arrange that makes you contented and highlights (or flaunts) your selection features, and you only can't go false. Related recommendations: This particular will help you to style your personal wedding ceremony selections v neck homecoming dress short（）*&kgJ these individuals having access to EBD Marriage Dresses’ very skilled purple cocktail dresses)(*&^(gd that she has a long streaming train on her dress short vintage wedding gowns（*&……——（7 best during(*&^_()*0 summertime and early spring wedding plus size wedding dresses under 200