First Division's Grounds Description

Located in the very center of Sereitei, the First division stands as a monument to everything the former Gotei 13 and the newly formed Gotei 5 stands for. Built along side the Sōkyoku Hill, it is a colossal achievement standing atop a man made mountain. A long whirling staircase leads to the massive main gate which is constructed of solid stained oak and gilded in gold detail. Massive white walls circulate the structure within, standing twenty feet high and over ten feet thick. To the trained eye, one can detect areas upon the wall where stone slides away to reveal hidden rooms and halls within for defensive purposes in case of an approaching attacking force.

The buildings within are constructed of bleached white stone and stained oak wood and have been modified to take on a more Western world civilization appearance. The grounds surrounding the main HQ are nothing but spacious and elaborate in vegetation and decor, several stone statues, fountains and types of plant life make simply entering this place seem like walking into another world. White stone paths lead to the different wings of the grounds.

To the West, one finds themselves at the barracks, a two story building topped with a stained oak roof. Modest in appearance compared to some of the other displays here, it makes up for it's appearance with functionality. The first level houses those of the higher ranking members of the division. Ranks from the Fukutaichō to the 10th seat call this place home, each having their own living spaces, a common sitting room and work area. On the upper floor those from the 11th seat and down to unseated share rooms with at least two other members of the Division. Like their superiors on the floor below, they also have a common sitting room and work area. While decor for each room relies heavily upon personal preference for those living there, the floors are a light stained oak and large wooden beams of the same make and colour support the ceilings and walls of the entire structure.

To the East, one finds themselves within the grounds Dojo. Unlike the rest of the buildings within the grounds, it is a single story building with a red stained roof, however it has a basement level which has tunnels that burrow into the mountain in which the Division rests upon. These chambers are seemingly well lite with mirrors and torches and serve as private training areas for the more powerful members of the Division. Rumour has it that Seki Seki Stone, lines the outer shell of the tunnels and chambers, to absorb most of the exploding forces which might be caused within these rooms. The Dojo itself is traditional in Japanese style, unlike most of the Division. As such it has simple, yet elegant screen doors rather than wooden ones, and an unstained, yet sanded white oak floor.

To the South, one finds the mess hall. It is designed much like the West though the roof is stained black, however it has a basement for cold storage. The first level is more or less completely dedicated to the kitchens and food storage. As such a small corridor leads to the stair case upon coming through the main entrance, leading to the upper floor. Here Division members, eat drink and be merry as hot, fresh food and cool/hot drinks are served to hearts content.

In the center of the compound, sits the core building. This structure compared to the other three is absolutely massive and elaborate, it is also more triangular in shape and has a gilded gold roof. It has a mere three floors, however each levels ceilings are a hair over 13 meters tall. Like the smaller counterparts, the building is constructed bleached white stone and wood, though unlike the others which are oak, the core building is lined with Lophira alata, a red iron wood.

The first floor is dedicated to other divisions, not an overly odd concept as this Division is all about command. Here visitors of other Divisions come to both receive new orders and hand in reports. This floor also contains both the Fukutaichō conference room and the Taichō Meeting hall. The Fukutaichō conference room is considerably smaller than their superior officer's however it serves accordingly, it is painted a soft grass green and has a sanded unstained white floor. Within the center of this room is a round conference table, each seat labelled with a Division insignia. The Taichō Meeting hall, is the exact opposite in terms to the Fuktutiacho Conference room in terms of colouring, while the one is bright the other is dark, in this case a deep red stained wooden room, again Lophira alata. Torches line this windowless room and within the center sits a large, black marble, triangle table each with a large chair labelled with a Division Symbol. Each chair is designed to fit the occupier's personality, though all share the same coloured dark wood and size, other than the Soutaicho's who's throne is considerably taller than the other four.

The second floor contains working areas for Division members, a records room, shared offices for the higher seated members of the Division, and the Fukutaicho's office. The Fukutaicho's office is........

The third floor is much smaller than the other two, but in itself is roughly the size of the main level of any other building on the compound. This entire floor is the Soutaicho's private office. It's open concept, barely any walls whatsoever just pillars holding up the roof with screen walls that can be drug out to keep out cold weather and a fire pit in the very center if it gets cold. This allows the Sōtaichō to see the entire city, a bird's eye view if you will. Otherwise the office is quite bare other than the odd plant here and there. As such when you enter you will no doubt find the Soutaicho's overly sized desk and chair and a few chairs for guests.