Description
All known Valtian greathalls are identical in appearance. They appear to be made entirely out of an unknown type of metal that shows neither wear nor stain nor corrosion. The building material on the exterior is mostly a creamy beige colour, with trim in places of a darker hue, more of a chestnut brown. The greathalls appear smooth and mildly reflective, with a metallic sheen that tends to catch the light.
The greathalls have a broad balcony near the top, made of the same metal and blending seamlessly with the rest of the building's exterior. The walls are dotted with small windows shaped like upside-down teardrops on each of the various levels. These "windows" are invariably closed and cannot be opened from outside. The coverings are simply part of the same metal as the rest of the buildings, leading some to wonder if they are truly windows at all.
The greathalls are aptly named, for they are quite extensive. A greathall's frontage is some 150 feet long, with a depth of 60 feet. The peak of the sloping roof is around 40 feet in height. The greathalls are a highly noticeable and very visible symbol of the erstwhile Valtian dominance of southern Epiros and northern Notios.
At either end of the peaked roof rises a large metal prong. Formed upon a square foundation that forms part of the roof, the pair of thick, cylindrical metal poles stand another 10 feet proud of the structure and are topped by a horizontally-oriented cylinder of metal about 2 yards long and half so thick which points over the edge of the building, parallel to its long axis (that is, eg., the prong at the northern end of a greathall points north, while the corresponding south-end prong points southward). There is no obvious purpose served by these devices.
The main visible point of entry into the greathall is a large set of double doors at the centre of one of the long sides. They do not respond to any physical attempts to open them and it is unknown how the Valtians accessed the greathalls. No amount of physical force seems to have any effect on the doors, not even causing to rattle slightly in their frames. They are like a wall and might be believed to be impenetrable, but it is known that certain intrepid folk have entered the greathalls in the past and examined the interior, without drawing much in the way of useful conclusions. There have been books written by scholars and sages about the workings of the greathalls, but such texts are rare and tend to be found only the libraries of Mevron.
A set of smaller doors front onto the balcony above the main doors, but these are no more responsive to attempt to open them, even for those who have dared to climb onto the platform to examine them.
Purpose
The purpose of the Valtian greathalls is unknown. It is thought by some that they were probably a sort of communal living space, a town hall, or a fortress of some sort (perhaps all three), but such conclusions, while reasonable, are mere speculation. Others believe that the Valtians used the greathalls as nexus points to transmit magical energies across the land via the grid, though to what end one can only guess.
Function
It is not known how the various aspects of the greathalls function, nor indeed what purpose those functions might have served. The Valtians are known to have made use of extensive and powerful magics, and these immense and commonplace structures are thought to be merely another example of that ancient empire's magical prowess.