Return to Alflynd: Station Escape
The hangar bays were some of the first areas infected - The true irony was that if the thief had of taken their own ship and left the Apostate, we'd have been screwed. When we found where she'd hidden her vessel, we found a wayof our own to escape.
Return to Alflynd: Tunnel Infection
Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be able to fly, and it took the easiest path when possible. It advanced down tunnels and corridors with terrifying speed. Organic matter it absorbed almost instantly.
Within moments, the anomaly had 'stung' the side of the station from what looked like its bottom, and began pumping nano-particles into the station - Spreading like a bacteria through a new host, following corridors as if they were arteries.
It’s not done; I’ve got quite a bit of detail to add, settlements, roads, etc. but this gives a taste of the concept I’m heading towards. I like this topology and render now, the mountains look like mountain chains, the hills are hilly, the plains are flat, the rivers are visible and they are all where they should be for the Moonshea isles. There are still issues, I have somehow lost heightmap precision. Getting there. #worldbuilding#mapping#cartography#cartographer#rpg#dnd#map#ttrpg
Return to Alflynd: Stranded with Trouble Coming
And that's how I got into a situation right out of my nightmares - trapped without the Apostate, without the crystal, and with "something" jumping out of hyperspace and coming right for the station.
Return to Alflynd: Ikrele - Enemy Agent
Unfortunately for me, the other buyer had a little chat with my source before she ended his life. She must have been very happy to discover not only my identity, but also that I was back on the station, AND staying with Emily instead of in my ship.
A step closer to the vision I have of a realistic looking topographical map of the Moonshea Isles, Faerun. The challenge is creating a realistic topography for a defined fantasy land. There are plenty of ways to create a new fantasy world, but I need the coastlines, rivers and mountains to be exact. Here I rendered the output of a process to realistically erode the topographical height map I drew to achieve this realism. #worldbuilding#worldbuilder#mapping#dndmap#cartography#cartographer
Return to Alflynd: Dead Mining Surveyor
Wheels within wheels - It seemed my contact tried to 'double dip' with his information about MA862.3 - and the other buyer had a good idea what they were looking for. They were displeased to find out they didn't get the exclusive, and that they had arrived after I'd already left with the crystal.
Return to Alflynd: MA862.3 - Energy Rising
Beyond the station, events were unfolding in my wake. Activity on MA862.3 had awakened something, and that thing, although lacking consciousness, had a purpose, and a destination.
Return to Alflynd: Qwabe Station - Corridor Circle
A patina of dirt and grime covered the entire station, but outside of the industrial areas, it was full of plant-life, and, although cramped, surprisingly bright. Walls of vegetation helped maintain the atmosphere balance, and corridor intersections almost felt like paths through dense jungles.
Between the inhabited areas of the station, foot-traffic tunnels were dug straight through the asteroid, with frequent bulkheads and seal-able blast doors in case of decompression.
Emily had an extremely aggressive auto-immune disease that attacked her skin cells. She began receiving cybernetic transplants when she was five, and by the time I met her, her entire outer body was essentially completely synthetic. She worked in the reactor on Qwabe Station, and had the most biting sense of humour I'd ever seen. She was also my closest friend.
Return to Alflynd: Qwabe Station - Hangar
The station had been built to supply massive colony ships on their way to the very edges of human space. At its peak, ships were lined up to get into the hangars, and the place was crowded with technicians, gaping colonists and Imperial military. I had an entire bay to myself, and the few people around were not in a hurry.
Created during the Diaspora Era under Emperor Malandela, as this sector of the Periphery fell out of fashion, the station became a footnote in the galaxy, clinging to life by supplying prospectors, malcontents and the occasional bandit troupe. I had friends here.
#Lashunta Inspirational Pic of the Week
Artist is Yvonne Clarinval (Salammbo Invoking the Moon, 1910)
This is a piece of historical romance, inspired by Gustave Flaubert's novel published in 1862. I find it intriguing because of the Art Nouveau style, the pose, and also because it deals with nature-centered worship, which is of course a major theme among Lashunta Religion.
It also occurs to me that much of Fantasy - be it High, Sword & Sorcery, or dare I say Planetary Romance - grew directly out of Nineteenth Century Historical Romance. Before we let our imaginations play wild among the stars or on different worlds, we first played in the past, such as this portrait, set in Carthage after the First Punic War was lost to Rome. Thus it is a tale inherent with tragedy, and as one would expect with Nineteenth Century Tragedy, along with paintings like this, there have been a few operas composed.
Return to Alflynd: Hyperspace Corridor
Five years ago, I'd have been jumping straight for Alflynd - taking the crystal to the mages at the Academy , eager to help my people.
I wasn't that person anymore.
I needed to think about what to do, what would benefit me the most. I needed to talk to someone I trusted.
Return to Alflynd: Apostate Interior
Incredibly, even on the Apostate, as long as I was near the crystal, I had some level of magic - My body was the only thing that contained the necessary nanites, so I couldn't affect the environment, but I could perform simple spells on myself. If it worked the same for others, it would be incredibly valuable on Alflynd.
Return to Alflynd: Self Reflection
I'd been the best mage in the academy, off-world for the first time as a graduation gift, when the accident took my arm. If I'd been home, it would have been trivial to heal it with magic, but I was systems away. The doctors made the call, and my right arm was replaced with cold steel. I lived, but there was no point in going home - I was sure that part of my life was dead.
Return to Alflynd: The Ascent
There was no questioning - The crystal wanted me to take it. It knew me, down to an atomic level, and had chosen me. The only question was, for what?
Without magic, getting out of there might have been tricky - but with my power restored to me, it was barely an inconvenience.