This page details the construction process, general structure and overall life cycle of a typical somatei house built under a blue keltza. The size of a house is usually directly linked to the keltza’s age and shape.
Basic house: A basic house is suitable for up to two somatei. The main part is a cylinder shaped room on stilts that rises up to touch the cap’s edges. The area under the stilts is used as storage and for bathing, while the main room is equipped with one or two beds, a kitchen range and furniture. An outhouse completes the abode.
Big house: big houses are a modularly extended version of basic houses. A house can be extended as its keltza grows. Polycules, families and somatei who need the space typically live in big houses. As it ages, a keltza will naturally grow in height and cap width as well as develop new caps on the sides of its trunk.
As the keltza grows, the house walls are topped up to always skim the cap and at some point, the added space is enough for a new floor.
Caps on the sides of the trunk are usually directed to grow opposite to the main cap’s direction, so that they can be used as roof for complementary rooms.
Variations: Houses can be extended in other ways. Farmhouses for example often feature a whole barn with an artificial roof. A second blue keltza or other types of keltza (like milecoteltza) can be used instead as well, and in some cases one case take advantage of the natural landscape.
To plant a new keltza, somatei will gather soma from mature specimens and put it in a burlap bag that is then half buried where the keltza will grow. Given proper care and enough water, a sprout will appear that will grow slowly. The growth process is as follows:
0-5 years: a young keltza grows from the sprout and the cap slowly opens.
6-12 years: once the cap is open, the new keltza is used as temporary shelter. It can be used as a roof for a small warehouse or a bench cover for example.
13-50 years: once the primary cap is tall enough, a house is built underneath following the blueprint of a basic house.
50-100 years: the keltza grows in size and sprouts secondary caps, slowly changing the basic house into a big one.
100+ years: the keltza’s growth rate greatly decreases and its bark adopts a new purple tint. At this stage, the keltza will live another estimated 700 years but will hardly grow further.
300 years: the keltza has reached the end of its fertile stage and will stop producing soma. At this stage, fairy lights are installed under the cap to compensate for the absence of the soma’s natural glow.