Issid Block States

The Issid Block States refers to the ancient polities of the Issid-ethnic inhabitants of the lower River Wiyel and its delta, during the Celadon Epoch, c.10,000-7000 BME. They were part of the Issid Block Culture, so named for its characteristic architecture, pottery, and stone carvings.

The Issid States were never a single nation, but at various times were warring city-states, regional confederations, or independent empires, sharing a common languageplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigLanguages

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The most notable feature of Issid cities was their construction, using uniform blocks of coralstone, a strong yet light rock which is easily lifted to construct unusually tall and elaborate buildings for the period. Issid cities were traditionally made of individual towers, two or three stories high, occupied by a single family, often with livestock living at the base.

Towers were clustered in a grid pattern, with more being added as settlements expanded. Later, blocks of three-by-three towers with a square at the centre developed, housing an extended family with a common kitchen garden in the centre. More affluent areas had much larger towers laid four-by-four, with a garden or decorative courtyard in the middle. Each tower was separated by an alley, and each block separated by a street or wider thoroughfare. The purpose of this block structure was to allow air and light into each building.

Toborr, with its grid pattern of towers, is the greatest surviving example of the Issid block style in modern times, though the much of the old block structure has been knocked together into longer streets. The ruins of Ancient Remel are also a good example, although in this case the main thoroughfares were canals. The city of Seqal also has many examples of ancient Issid sculpture and architecture, most notably the great Eidolons of the Goddess which greet all visitors travelling upriver to the city. The Teller's Quad, seat of the Vetthi government in Mezain, also has its origins in Issid culture.