The queen's palace, called the Sunlight Home, lies in the center of the city, at the end of the People's Road. It is a complex of huts built within the branches of an enormous agafari tree. The tree, called obata, is believed to be the tree from which the forest goddess first emerged into the world. Compared to the palaces of the other rulers of the Tablelands, the Sunlight Home is small. It is, however, a true wonder. Stairways run both in and around the trunk of the enormous tree. Templars live in huts among the lower branches, while Lalali-Puy and her court dwell in the tree's highest branches. The queen's dungeons lie along twisted passageways amid the roots of the tree. Tunnels lead from the palace to the parade ground and to the Red Moon Grove outside the city.
The court of Lalali-Puy consists of an assortment of nobles, entertainers, visitors, templars, sages, and a few favorite gladiators. The oba spends much of her day hearing proposals and requests from her templars, and ruling on the petitions of her citizenry. Ambitious courtiers attempt to curry favor with the queen throughout the day without raising her anger. The structure of the oba's government is rather simple in comparison to the huge bureaucratic machines of her rivals. She assigns unrelated responsibilities to individuals she believes to be talented, rather than tying jobs to a particular institution or function. Thus, a templar who is in charge of armaments for the infantry may also be assigned to manage the training of slaves for work in the fields. The responsibilities of the government are generally divided between two high templars: Mogadisho, Warlord of Gulg, the master of the army; and Hoopidjo the Gatherer, administer of city affairs. Lalali-Puy herself tends to rule on legal questions. She also personally supervises her defilers. Perhaps the only other person of formal authority that affects the management of the city-state is Shala, Hunt Mistress of Gulg. Shala is a courtier but not a templar. She does, however, rule over the affairs of the hunter nobles when Lalali-Puy herself does not take an interest in them. The queen's true inner circle, however, consists of a secret society called the Paper Nest. While the group meets formally only on rare occasions, this handful of templars and advisers who have the queen's confidence are often consulted on an individual basis.
The Paper Nest
The real center of power in Gulg lies in the Paper
Nest. This secret society of the queen's most trusted
advisers is comprised of the highest ranking templars, a
few favored nobles, and one or two elders from the Seer's
Dagada. Membership in the group has varied between
eight and 20 individuals over the centuries.
The Paper Nest takes its name from the nests built by
the paper wasps. As paper supplies dwindle, she alerts
her chief templar, Mogadisho, to gather the Nest. In the
dark of night, cloaked by the queen’s spells, they enter
the forest and walk to a baobab grove no other citizen
may enter. There they harvest mulberry branches from
its many bushes. Back at Sunlight Home, they begin the
paper-making process in a taboo chamber, in the trunk of
the Sunlight Home’s tree.
In Gulg as elsewhere on Athas, few cultures make
paper in large quantities, and some know nothing of the
process. Paper serves as an emblem of office and only the
queen and nobility may use it.
During this process the members may speak
freely with the queen without fear of reprisal. In this
odd sanctuary the queen seeks advice from her most
trusted servants. Once the paper has been made, the
group disbands until the supply dwindles. Then they are
again called to the Paper Nest.