Slip for julestress – Besøg solbeskindede Karnaca

Welcome to Karnaca – where we loosen our shirt collars and let down our hair. The city’s bold character is as vibrant as the people who settled here, leaving behind the drab and dreary for sunnier and, as you will find, much healthier climes.

A number of unique districts are parted by the spectacular Grand Serkonan Canal, and from the shoreline, shimmering waters expand toward an unspoiled horizon, attracting artists and photographers from across the Empire. From the heights of Batista, breath-taking views of the bay are savoured in the mountain breeze.

When you’re not filling your lungs with nourishing air, Karnaca’s splendid history feeds the scholarly mind. Renowned centres for the learned include the old Royal Conservatory for natural history, and the ‘Clockwork Mansion’ of Kirin Jindosh that provides a glimpse of the future. Meanwhile, disease research is conducted at Addermire Institute, once a pioneering facility for restorative health care*.

Just one visit to Karnaca can be a life-changing experience. Indeed, several of the Empire’s greatest thinkers have made this special city their home; attracted by its alchemic power. Rumor has it that none other than Anton Sokolov resides at the edge of the city, still painting portraits of the important and powerful.

* Offered exclusively to the region’s key patrons and premier figures.

A handsomely appointed dining room is often bustling, where an excellent breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner are served. Note how the staff benefit from the Institute’s modern medicine too.

At night when the glare of the sun has waned, the lavish décor becomes more noticeable. Elaborate, traditionally-crafted encaustic tiles are neatly aligned to construct the floor; the most delicate ceramic adorns immaculate umberwood furniture.

Book shelves are heavily laden with literature to peruse while recuperating after a day of fine care. Some of the newer leather-bound volumes add to the spiced aroma of slowly evaporating digestifs, exotic seafood dishes, rejuvenating ointments and the oceanic air.

Access is via private rail carriage; a thrilling ascent with time to appreciate the cascading waterfall beneath the mansion, said to be used as a power source, and to marvel at the domed-roof.

An old umberwood tree stands adjacent to the building, towering above. Perhaps this was left as a reminder of nature’s grandeur before entering an establishment that celebrates man-made marvels. The Deep Rift Watcher statue in the entryway is likely symbolic too, as Mister Jindosh has installed security mechanisms throughout, one would assume to protect the mansion’s secrets.

The parquet floor takes on a golden hue beneath the warm electric lighting. Its ambience is further supported by floral and fernlike wall coverings, bordering large, shuttered windows. Everything suggests a comfortable home, though it also serves as an impenetrable fortress.

The most talked-about feature is surely the series of conspicuously-placed levers, that when pulled instigate the immediate reconfiguration of the rooms. Stairwells arise from the pristine floor, of which sections are drawn back to reveal flooded caves beneath, while new ceilings are swiftly assembled overhead.

One must gain special permission for access to avoid being harmed by the mansion’s principle security, the infamous Jindosh Clockwork Soldiers*.

*Permission must be applied for in writing. Please allow up to four months for a reply.

Should you be in any doubt as to the purpose of the place, to instill visitors with wonder for the worlds of natural philosophy and art, standing beside the gargantuan turtle in the lobby is your first reminder. In case that fails, the enormous stuffed owls swinging from the rafters will drive the message home: we are here to admire the world’s life in all its forms.

While ceiling fans quietly hum, the whirring of minds is almost audible as visitors scrutinise display cabinets full of rare antiquities, from the collections of some of the Empire’s greatest explorers. The Conservatory remains active all year, with scholars busy within offices on the upper levels.

On certain days, those in attendance may descend the soft-carpeted staircase of curator Breanna Ashworth’s office, padding past the bookshelves and enormous oil-painted portraits. This special tour extends to the stone-chilled basement Archive where new specimens are restored on heavy tables.

Idling by the tranquil pond with its lily-pads and local species of fish, you will feel refreshed in body and mind. Such a magical place at the heart of Karnaca.

Originally a miner, Aramis Stilton arrived in Karnaca with tremendous industrial ambition, resulting in what is today a shrine to his mine-workers’ outstanding achievements. Stilton Manor is considered one of the most tasteful homes in Batista, and along with the statues and paintings within, contains quite a selection of pianos, harpsichords, and other instruments providing insistence of the owner’s cultured nature, despite his origins working in the mines.

The entrance to the home features a wide garden, with a nod to Serkonan sea-life in the form of a plinth-mounted rayfish. Once inside you are welcome to tread the marble floors, explore voluminous sitting rooms, and the cavernous kitchen manned by an army of cooks and servants. There is often a mountain of luggage by the double-doors indicating that one Mister Stilton is currently entertaining one of his many friends from abroad.

Whilst in the rear-garden gazebo, try to place oneself in the mind of Aramis Stilton, whose reading material veers from the subject of mining to the history of the Isles. His manor represents his life’s work.

Sadly, tourists are denied access to this property. A publicity brochure does provide candid glimpses of the interior, however. VIP parties thrown by the Duke’s inner circle are said to enliven the outdoor spaces, with dainty tables put out beneath lanterns, cloaked in pure white linen to assume the resemblance of jellyfish.

The Duke’s residential suite evokes a mariner theme with wooden hull-and-keel roof tops, with the doorways usually shuttered for privacy and shade.

Despite his imposing abode’s appearance, incongruous with the historical architecture of his homeland, the Duke has at least chosen to decorate the walls with paintings of Serkonan Legends. Among them the ‘Old Sea Beast’ and faintly disturbing ‘The Knocker’. Rare visitors quietly speculate whether Duke Abele’s obsession with the exotic tales could signify some larger related to his thinking.

It is also rumoured that the Duke keeps a vault beneath the Grand Palace, but no reporter has managed to substantiate this.