#happening elsewhere

[thegreatsurvey]

The Dam was now the edge of the world for inhabitants of The Vathys Valley. Once an opening to a lush marshland that stretched from the foothills to the edge of the delta, the dam rose in the west pass seemingly overnight. Not one Valley Dweller could recall a single hammer being swung or shovelful heaved, but the dam stood nonetheless, allowing just enough water to trickle through for the Valley Dwellers needs. Apart of being an impenetrable barrier, it simply didn't impede much on everyday life... The first day after the dam appeared was near chaos, but with each passing hour it seemed less and less like whoever built the dam was even concerned with their existence, let alone interested in oppressing them. It wasn't necessarily comforting, but it seemed more like a human happened to set a rock near an anthill rather than purposefully covering it with poison. While a wary pall has been cast by its shadow, the people of the Vathys Valley have generally kept life moving as normal. An expedition to the top of the dam will be sent out eventually, but without further disruption community leaders are somewhat reluctant toward anything that might antagonize the builders. Check out the making of this drawing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFUpkCjBIXw

[thegreatsurvey]

The Sea Bird is a massive floating community built for the booming South Sea tourism industry, currently in its third decade of service. Initially planned as a large, but much more typical floating casino-cruise ship, the size and design became excessively large and more flamboyant over its decade of development as obscene amounts of money were poured into the project by a never ending flow of investors desperate to cash in on the innovative behemoth.

At launch it could hold 7,258 passengers and 2,112 crew while staying at sea for four months at a time without outside support. About a decade into service, the utilities and fittings were updated, living-areas expanded, and its propulsion system dramatically upgraded. Today almost 10,000 passengers board the bird, where they are presented with a never-ending cavalcade of entertainment and dining options, lavish accommodations, and an experience specifically tailored for comfort and relaxation. 

Though faced with enormous construction costs and daily expenses, the Sea Bird has proven extremely popular amongst the upper class and rarely sails with an empty suite, making it one of the more profitable floating cities on the south sea route. 

Sea Birds.

12x12"

Acrylic on panel. SOLD

[thegreatsurvey]

The Rotunda.

The Rotunda was a grand 'residence' just beyond the foothills that was largely ceremonial and, other than a few stays from the random traveling statesman, is occupied almost entirely by the custodial staff and caretakers. It spanned over thirty floors, not including the vast multi-story cellar, which featured every comfort and amenity one could likely imagine, along with ballrooms, suites, lounges, libraries and dressing rooms that one would expect in a wealthy retreat.

Though highly fashionable for its first hundred and twenty years of existence, The Rotunda is now viewed as a representation of the opulence currently disavowed by the latest generation of ruling families. It still features the occasional party and gathering, but it's use as a state symbol has been largely left behind.

[thegreatsurvey]

The Distant Temple, called so because most will only ever get as close as the riverbank, sits atop a crumbling column of stone at the edge of the Vrychithmós Falls and hosts a rather secretive congregation, not known for much mostly because no one ever leaves, and rarely anyone ever enters.

Occasionally one or a small number of people will be seen scattered amongst the rocks, apparently collecting something, but other than that, lights at night and chimney smoke, no other signs of life are seen. At some point in the recent past a massive modern antennae was added to what's assumed is the church's spire, but no one in the surrounding villages has reported seeing any part of the process or selling any materials of that sort or scale.

The random passing adventurer, enamored by mystery and myths of wealth and indulgence will attempt to reach and enter the temple. Most come back gasping for air, sopping wet, defeated by the merciless rapids, whirlpools, and torrents. The rest go over the falls. A small handful have made the crossing and scaled the cliffs, climbing the stairs and disappearing into the structure, but nothing is known of their fate. As it was said before, no one ever leaves.

[thegreatsurvey]

The Club. 

Though long rumored, the yearly club meeting was not publicly confirmed until a fire broke out during the gathering twelve years ago, requiring the attendance of emergency personal.  Word got out and a few prominent attendees, with permission of the club, revealed its existence through planned statements, but the location and date has remained a secret to anyone not invited. 

It’s the biggest ticket imaginable for those choosing a life of crime; a remote gathering of the world’s wealthiest and most influential people, purposefully cut off from the rest of society. But recent reports of a map have surfaced, and it’s only a matter of time till someone tries to get the score of a lifetime. 

The question isn’t if it will happen, but if we’ll ever hear about it when it does. 

[thegreatsurvey]

The Old and New Observatory

The old and the new observatory stand just a stones-throw from each other, about 340km from the eastern edge of the k’Patnas Cliffs, so-called as the Observatory Plain is an ancient lake bed formed inside a crater suspected to be from the mythic War of Twelve. 

In the east, the cliffs soar up to 843 meters, blocking solar winds and preventing most cloud cover from the area, creating an almost perfect environment for astronomy especially during winter when just a flicker of Solas rises and falls for about 35 minutes each day. 

The old observatory stands on a peak which originally formed a small island in the lake. The new observatory was constructed on a man-made mound to the old observatory’s south with a long processional staircase leading to its doors. The initial plans called for a towering base for the new observatory that would rise to the height of the surrounding cliffs, double that of the original, but a pseudo-religious reverence for the thousand-plus year-old observatory had developed and the dedicated clergy and followers disagreed with any structure even approaching its peak. One pylon for the planned behemoth stands in ruins to the west of the new observatory indicating the massive footprint of the intended megalith, not to mention the strength of the opposition from the locals.

While the new observatory was intended to replace the old, it was never a truly realistic proposal. The original had become more of a temple than a place of science, hosting spiritual leaders, ritualistic gatherings, and becoming a place of pilgrimage for a wide variety of mystics and immaterial worshippers. The telescope still functioned but the findings were used to further religious and spiritual interests rather than scientific. In a way, the two towers stood in opposition to each other, each performing, essentially, the same task, but the stewards molding the findings to their own particular needs. 

The community surrounding the old observatory is passionate, but welcoming. Anyone is allowed to claim their spot on the plain and begin their own journey, given they do so without disturbing the journeys of those around them. The new observatory is also open to the public and contains a state-of-the-art astronomical museum, in addition to labs, offices, and a small boutique hotel. They charge 49 kren for a day pass, 79 and you get a shuttle in and out from the nearby town.

[thegreatsurvey]

Happening Elsewhere: Salvage.

Not long after the First City Outpost fell, the market for gleaming new vessels, while lucrative for a select few, became so focused that the majority of ship builders transitioned to maintenance and “upgrade” construction, increasing the size and power of older vessels at a fraction of the cost. As old ships continued to grow, gradually adding rooms, corridors, antennae and engines, “designing” a ship became a thing of the past. The majority of vessels resembled wearhouses, almost anti-aerodynamic in their shape, and chugged along near the surface, incapable of reaching too great a speed with their underpowered, rebuilt and bolted-on engines. The ships regularly broke down and required abrupt landings, often becoming damaged, stuck and being abandoned when the cost became too great. The population would scatter to nearby port cities and, like a corpse, smaller ships and other conglomerates would scavenge parts from the fallen vessel.

Only the wealthiest merchants could afford upgrades that would keep the ships airborne for extended periods, and only the wealthiest of them could even hope to reach speeds that would escape the planet’s thick and humid atmosphere, not that any of the “conglomerate ships” would survive those forces even if they did have the engines for it. Over time the sight of a newer ship became rarer and rarer as they tended to remain in the clouds. Remnants of fallen vessels were highly contested and a sort of piracy arose between the larger conglomerates that roamed the plains. Territories arose and it became fairly dangerous for any ship, old, new, small or large to venture beyond their usual habitat. Small ships began to shadow the large, sometimes acting as scouts, and port cities, along with the conglomerates, began to develop strong defenses. 

Anything with a shine became virtually unheard of below the cloud cover, and even ownership of the oldest scrap piles was hotly contested. Owners of the conglomerates were masters of their territory, as long as their ships stayed aloft, but disputes were regular and dominion short-lived. 

Salvage.

24x24″

Acrylic on panel (Destroyed in flood 2025)

[thegreatsurvey]

Gates of Nation States #2: The Wet Gate.

When the Seafarers blocked off the western shore, it set off a race between the other nation states to obtain any remaining natural water resource throughout the continent. Many already had vast lakes, rivers, bays and underwater reserves, but desert regions, up till now, had relied on now-restricted reservoirs, and a few saw opportunity for expansion and seized the chance to increase their holdings.

The Wet Gate sprung from this mad dash across the sands, taming the once rugged and wild Cheímaros River. Essentially a fortified dam, The Wet Gate created what has become the largest artificial reservoir in the Southern Region, becoming the de-facto financial capital, and bringing immense wealth to the operators.  Unlike other gates, The Wet Gate is not considered as much a barrier as it is symbol of ownership and place of business. Representatives from throughout the area gather to discuss water and hydro-electric contracts, the reservoir itself is a sort-of “regional park” open to outsiders (for a fee), and virtually anyone can move into the tower cities that spring from the water. Relative to other great gates, The Wet Gate’s purpose is not to divide politically or to restrict access to an area, it is simply a capitalistic endeavor generating wealth from as many consumers as possible. While there are factions and communities that protest the Gate and its operator’s rights to the land and water, more specifically their right to restrict water flow and effect downstream settlements, the majority see The Wet Gate and its owners as somewhat benevolent groundskeepers of what has become an oasis amidst a parched and once-untamed landscape.