kulmahin

Kulmahin is a traditional architectural term used in the fictional Tarendel carpentry tradition to describe a specific type of timber corner joint. The kulmahin joint is notable for its rounded inner face and its interlocking exterior corner, which together provide both load transfer and decorative texture.

Etymology: the word is derived from Tarendel kul- meaning corner and mahin meaning binding or fastening.

Construction: A kulmahin joint typically combines two load-bearing beams at a near-right angle using a carved interlocking tenon that fits into a corresponding mortise on the adjacent beam. The joint is secured with wooden wedges and, in many regional variants, a copper or leather strap for added restraint against displacement. Variants include a rounded-kulmahin with a smoothly curved inner corner and a sharp-kulmahin with a more pronounced external edge.

History: The technique appears in Tarendel architecture by the late Bronze Age, with later refinements in the foothill towns. It spread through trade routes and influenced neighboring carpentry traditions.

Cultural significance: Kulmahin is valued for structural resilience, particularly against shifting soils, and for its aesthetic representation of balance between strength and grace. In modern practice, it is preserved in ceremonial buildings and is sometimes reproduced in furniture and interior detailing as a marker of Tarendel heritage.

See also: joinery, wooden architecture, Tarendel carpentry. References: in-world catalogs and surviving architectural drawings.