Unathyr's Garden
formerly an area of desert, the great concrete sorceress Unathyr created Highwater to regulate the water supply of this aqueduct-strewn land.
merely watering an area isn't sufficient - not in The Srem, where water spontaneously vanishes even from sealed vessels. hence the magically-infused concrete of the aqueducts, and the vast reservoir of highwater.
consistently under-populated for most of its millennia-long history. Was extremely powerful and disruptive to the political order for a few centuries after Unathyr's death, before declining. it is now made up of several relatively small and peaceful communities, each raising their food and mildly feuding with their neighbours.
over the centuries, the Garden's population has gone through crests and lulls as the good grain lures in waves of invaders from The Srem or Edesenkol, or there is a blight on crop or population. As the population does better, it draws more water, depleting Lecris bay to the north as the Highwater overflow wanes. Sremic invasions tend to end with population mixing and little overall change to the status quo; Edesenkolic invasions end with Edesenkol retreating under internal resistance.
Majority of the population are serfs.
Currently, Unathyr does a brisk trade with the neighbouring desert regions, with access to the products of the long trade routes of The Srem in exchange for the plentiful grain surplus it supplies. the population is currently relatively low.
questions:
- what is the architectural style? what has it influenced?
- outside of religion, what it the local culture like?
Geography
The rounded hills of Unathyr's garden, legacy of ancient sand-dunes, cascade down from the southern side of Highwater, where they are at their highest.
In many places, the hillsides are carved into terraces watered by aqueducts that carry water from Highwater. there are also bridges to cross the deepest valleys, made-up roads, and even structures like villas, markets, field divisions, and so on. much of this architecture is now decrepit, but it is still maintained by devout Unathyric. these citadels often have sophisticated sewage systems.
in most places, life abounds - crops, wildflowers, and grazing animals thrive. where the aqueduct network has been broken down, however, there are barren areas, some even beginning to revert into desert.
around the perimeter of the region, high walls of concrete keep out both desert sand and enemy invaders. these defenses are now holed in many places, and as they are unguarded along most of their length, it is not difficult for an army to construct ladders, towers, or ramps to bypass them.
the thousands of miles of Canals and aqueducts in the Garden do more than just move water - they are also highways for goods and people. Some are as broad and strong-flowing as rivers; others are precipitous water-bridges hundreds of feet high and barely wide enough for a single boat; and others still are mile after mile of stoop-roofed and pitch-black tunnel. They can be far from safe. The Lighterworkers who ply these ways are an ancient and respected (if not affluent) profession - not formally trained by any central organisation, but rendered highly skilled by experience and long apprenticeships. Their code is to never leave a fellow traveller in danger, but to always extend a helping hand. They also carry out much of the maintenance required to keep the network running - from dredging to patching concrete. They also tend to be devout worshipers of Unathyr, spending so much of their lives on her waterways.
water-bowls for hand-cleaning kept in the entryway of every house, and the cleanliness of that water bowl is taken as an indicator of status. this is inspired by the fountains that are commonly found in the original houses built by Unathyr. Door-to-door water-sellers are used elsewhere.
specific locations:
- Tomb of Unathyr:
- Aqueduct nexus: The Aqueduct nexus, with hundreds of locks, and and dozens of boat-lifts and dockyards, this is the largest of several junctions between various waterways throughout the Garden. stacked across an entire hillside and centred around a large oval reservoir, it is here that Lightermen and Lighterwomen gather on the occasions that they do.
- Outposts: far into Caracar lie ancient concrete outposts, resulting from ancient conflicts - their remains were torn down in Edesenkol. one particular outpost is noteworthy for its 4-stage history, as well as the sentient constructor that acts as a servant to whoever the current occupiers are. Originally a Mattihan settlement (still "haunted" by ancient traces of this), then the main unathyric structure, then some time as a Caracaran Waystation, and finally the modern habitation.
Fauna & Flora
- Constructors: terrifying Golem-like creatures that protect the ancient infrastructure.
Natural Resources
- concrete infrastructure
- wheat and other crops
Type
Grassland
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Contested By
Characters in Location
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