The Menagerie
One of the most well-preserved buildings of the citadel, it has survived nearly in-tact.
The menagerie, in ancient times, was the living museum and pride and joy of the Dracians. The building was circular, with a giant glass dome in the center to let in the sunlight. In the center of the dome was a tall tree, rumored to be one of Laisidhiel's saplings, which was home to many exotic birds and aerial mammals & primates. Dracians had an affinity for studying flight, birds and the biology surrounding naturally flying non-magical creatures.
On the walls inside the menagerie were various displays and artifacts reflecting flight, including dissections of bird wings, various skeletons, paintings, scrolls and many books on the subjects.
The glass in some of the panes of the dome included very beautiful and intricate stained-glass images, some telling stories.
Today, the menagerie is eerily intact. But first glances can be deceiving. The tree in the center of the dome is void of life, and there is a giant crystaline owl perched in the upper boughs with wings spread, looking like it was about to take off. The glass of the dome is not intact but not broken or missing, instead, looks like it was frozen in time just before it was catastrophically destroyed. Some of the stained-glass scenes are perfectly preserved, showing images of dragon-like creatures in battle, forging, in celebration, in peace and in prayer.
The museum displays have been preserved as well, however all of the text is written in an ancient pictograph language, decipherable by no modern pae. (well, maybe one).
The tables and chairs that were once used for guests have been long destroyed, unable to be preserved as the displayed artifacts. Cloths cover the old tables and there are make-shift cages all over the room. In some of the larger cages, animals remain; some of the gruesome mutants that sometimes wander out of Dragnid Forest to attack innocent Pae'il.
Actually, many of the cages in the menagerie contain these abominations. There are also tools and vials scattered around indicating that has been turned into some sort of animal laboratory.
