The Gilded Hall of Thanksgiving at Kiktar Urb
Fall harvest time is so beautiful in color and season. Golden leaves, flush on trees tall and short, bring forth a dappled light to dazzle the eyes. Over so many millennia, painters and other artists have worked so hard to transpose this miraculous phenomenon in their works. The very air seems to take on a crispness that sharpens color and sound and delight the senses.
So, during this marvelous time, I found myself at Kiktar Urb. A rich farmland community surrounded by forests of all kinds that have attracted visitors every year just for the sight of their fiery display during the Autumn season. The community is very old, dating back at least two thousand years, as far as the records count it - even longer than that, if one believes the stories that came before the writ. Here, the farmers know the bounty of the autumn harvest and celebrate it in a grand feast every year. A feast that has lasted through time and reflects their gratitude of the treasured earth they are so lucky to reside upon.
And so, I came here seeking the Gilded Hall. An ancient structure in style of longhalls of olde. The beams that hold up this structure were carved, so it is said, at the time of the Great Harvest of Huttil, hewn from the trunks of a great Lippiblot tree after it was felled by lightning - an omen (or so the locals believe) which seemed to have blessed the time of the Great Harvest into bounty hitherto unknown. And around this structure were laid fresh smooth long slabs of Jeekiwop in double layers, to give the hall a sweet scent forever after, through the gaps between the wooden planks that were left there to circulate the air over the centuries. And then, on the top layer of these prized wooden pieces, gilding of finest gold was applied - a token of appreciation for the richness that the harvest had given them. Over the many years, the hall has been gilded over countless times, to keep the sheen alive and beautiful, even during the occasional bad harvests that might occur at various points in history (just as in any farming community). But here in the hall, the scent is always sweet and the air always warm and welcoming.
The original tables and chairs have long since gone, replaced many times for various styles over the ages. But then, five hundred years ago, at the time of the famed wood carver Ulamik Yignozzle, the elders decided to add their own mark of respect to the hall with a great table and matching chairs. Ulamik, a native of Kiktar Urb, could not contain his joy at having been chosen to give forth so great a project. That was the year in which another bolt of lightning had downed the great Higgish tree which is said to have been ten thousand years old. But that year as well was one of the great times of bounty for the region. And so, Ulamik took possession of the great wood and used all his skills for ten years to produce a remarkably beautiful set that would forever after adorn this beautiful and unique room. And for those ten years, during the time of his crafting it, the bounty was even greater with every year. The great strong piece of wood took that long to carve, for it is one of the hardest woods known to people. To indicate that quality, he decided to show off his skills by using the least amount of wood for the supports of the chairs and tables, embellishing the fact that this wood is as strong as steel, when carved and treated properly. And so it is. The smooth structures stand in the middle of the hall, thin and gracefully curved. Ulamik had his legacy to survive him for all time.
Though the hall looks warm and yet formal, the atmosphere is jolly and relaxed during the feast. Minstrels perform along the sides, with jugglers to entertain, and stories and jokes are swapped around. It is a great time for the community. Lately, the population has been more than the hall can handle, so there is a rotating yearly invitational now, so as to include as many people as can be accommodated every year, and thoughts are being given to building a new hall to adjoin this one. Another wonderful wood carver from the region, Ilof by name, is being looked at. A young man that shows the same love and dedication to his craft as was said about Ulamik. But for now, the Gilded Hall of Thanksgiving at Kiktar urb stands alone. And even if it is joined by another to mark another era in this warm community, it will always stand unique as well.