At the very center of Shariz, surrounded by walls of gleaming alabaster sandstone and guarded by gilded spearmen, stands the Palace of the Sun—once known as the Sultan’s Palace, now transformed into a monument of rebirth and legacy. A fortress, a garden, and a sanctum, it serves as the ceremonial and political heart of the Serrakhan Sultanate, and now the administrative seat of the Senate of the Sun following the rise of Avatar Talyen. Enclosed within its sacred walls lies the Sun Garden, a miracle of cultivation—lush, fragrant, and defiant in the face of the surrounding desert’s harshness. This garden is among the last remnants of a botanical lineage stretching back to the first pilgrims of Malekith, those who followed the exiled god across the sea (from Tolria) into Osira and founded what would become the Sultanate.
History & Transformation
The original structure was built in the Fourth Age, a bastion of authority and divine right for the line of Sultans that ruled Shariz. Under Sultan Hakim Atis, the palace became a gilded throne of decadence and statecraft, its inner chambers adorned with statues of past sultans and murals glorifying Malekith’s supposed benevolence—his triumph over The Great Serpent, his creation of the Primarchs of the Sun, his blessings to his followers.
That legacy crumbled in the Sultans Showdown, when Avatar Talyen publicly deposed Hakim Atis in the palace itself, exposing the corruption of the Holy Order of the Sun and the hidden deceit of High priest Ishmael, a Lich in service to Malekith. After the Conjunction of the Realms, the palace was reformed—not destroyed, but reborn.
The statues of the sultans were torn down. In their place, Avatar Rozan, Avatar Lumina, and now Talyen himself stand in quiet poise within the Sun Garden, bearing the flame of history forward.
The Sun Garden
Lush and enclosed within high walls, the Sun Garden is a marvel of ancient horticulture—verdant groves of flowering desert fig, sapphire aloe, fire-reed stalks, and golden sunlilies, all cultivated from the original seed vaults brought across the sea by Malekith’s earliest followers.
Many of the plants found here do not grow anywhere else in Osira, surviving only due to the tireless work of the talented gardeners and arcane irrigation channels said to be crafted by the Runewrights. Morning meditations are still held here beneath the sun’s first light, and many senators walk the garden paths when deliberating matters of great importance.
The Senate Chamber
To the eastern side of the garden lies the Palace proper, its towers rising behind crenellated walls like pillars of gold and cream. The grand chamber within—once the Sultan’s Throne Room—has been repurposed into the Senate of the Sun, a circular hall where emissaries, guildmasters, nobles, and foreign dignitaries now gather.
A large circular sun-shaped table dominates the center, carved of radiant marble with gold filigree inlays. An opening in the ring allows public petitioners to address the Senate directly, speaking their grievances, proposals, or discoveries to the gathered assembly.
The dome above—once decorated with blasphemous murals glorifying Malekith—has been entirely repainted. Now, it shows a sweeping tale: from the burning ascent of Avatar Rozan, to the gentle wisdom of Avatar Lumina, to the trials and victories of the Serrakhanian people surviving the Conjunction. One can follow the story around the entire dome, ending in a golden sunburst at the zenith—where the sunstone embedded in the dome’s crown catches the light of day and refracts it across the chamber.
Current Status
Today, the Palace of the Sun is a place of enlightenment and decision, where faith and governance walk hand-in-hand, and the voice of the desert’s people is no longer drowned beneath tyranny or divine deception. It is a beacon—not only of Sharizian endurance, but of its willingness to grow, to change, and to remember.
From within its walls, the Sunsations are honored, new laws are penned, and the Serrakhanian future is shaped—beneath the gaze of the sun, and the eyes of those who have come before.