The Floating Treehouse

"After months trapped upon a lifeless sea, we were unprepared for the sudden return of winds and currents, a return so violent it cast our ship into the air. It landed in the trees of the sea-forest we had been harvesting, and shattered. I was the lone survivor of this final catastrophe." - Xabi Xanturi

While many stories arose out of the aftermath of The Becalming, none are better known than the tale of Xabi Xanturi, who was stranded in a Floating Forest for over five years before miraculously being rescued. His tale of survival and adventure has become a major part of Uhartekoan literature, and the treehouse he constructed to keep him safe from giant crabs was salvaged afterwards and was reconstructed on Irlandia. Today, it is a part of the royal forest, and has been meticulously maintained for centuries.

Purpose / Function

"I have been forced to spend all my time in the branches, as the roots are the domain of the crabs. These hungry beasts are as long as my leg, which they could neatly snip off with their great claws. Luckily, they are not good climbers." - Xabi Xanturi

Xabi Xanturi built the treehouse as a safe place to sleep, away from the predators located in the lower regions of the floating forest. Over the years he was stranded there, it became his home and workshop, where he constructed his tools and weapons, cooked his food, and made his plans for escape.

Alterations

"It shortly became clear that the temporary and fragile building I had built would not survive the duration of my exile from humanity, much less the next great storm. While I hoped for rescue, I was happy to distract myself with improving my home." - Xabi Xanturi

The first room in the treehouse was a little more than a platform with a rudimentary roof to keep off the rain. As Xanturi's residence in forest grew longer, he began to expand and improve this structure immensely. He added storerooms, bridges, and tower that extended above the canopy so he could signal passing ships. Much of the construction was intended to protect his food supplies from the ubiquitous tree octopuses that lived in the forest, and who could defeat all but the most ingenious protections.

Architecture

"My resources were limited. Fragments of the ship were the first materials I had at hand, and I was fortunate to find some of the carpentry tools that had been on board lodged in the branches near the wreck. That allowed me to modify what I could salvage, to better fit my needs. Still, the Etxe Zura always looked somewhat ramshackle. - Xabi Xanturi

Xanturi was a carpenter, but had never built houses before, much less one that was supported by the branches of a dozen trees. The resulting structure is makeshift and eclectic, with salvaged components and mismatched parts. The later components were formed from the wood of the forest itself, and it is at this stage that he began to become artistic, and these rooms often look like they were coaxed out of the trees rather than constructed from them.

Alternative Names

Etxe Zura

Type

Tree house

Parent Location

The Middlesea

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