Creating a world that is, in many ways, much different from our own can be quite the challenge. Which is why I've taken shortcuts to descriptive writing. Not that I omit said writings... the sketches are merely a bridge for the gap that I leave so widely open. Today I will share some of the key locations in the world of Dena (Deh-nah).
But to start, Dena is a very peculiar planet indeed. It is divided into two perfectly equally different worlds, the Ever-Dawn and the Ever-Eve. As the names describe, one side is always shrouded in the variations of night, and the other glows through the motions of daylight. Though the planet has an axis and does rotate around a large blue star, it is the planet's atmosphere of each side that retains the night and day. The Ever-Eve can be as bright as our (Earth) nights lit by our full moon, or as dark as a clouded-new-moon night. While the Ever-Dawn consists of a morning sunrise to the twilight of evening. But neither ever wanes into its opposition.
Dela-Mur is a melding of two words of Greek and Portuguese origins meaning divide.
The Lone Tree
The tree atop the great wall, Dela-Mur. This sketch was drawn on two pages of a journal I keep for basic information regarding the world. The tree, which is much larger than it seems in the illustration, is home to the Masquah. It is the only living object upon Dela-Mur and has resided comfortably there for millennia. It's symbiotic residents which are the Masquah, small lizard-like people with similar tendencies to Native American culture, and the Durja, a hive minded beetle colony which lives among the tree's roots.
As with other animal races in Dena, the Masquah have a stronger and overall natural knack when using their born elemental abilities. For instance, Masquah that have been born under Earth are able to mold the Earth to their will. The extent of this will depends greatly on the user. So doing something like moving a mountain is considered... irregular. But growing trees in mere moments or re-orienting the land around a farm to better suit ones harvest is possible for most Earth movers.
Tree Drop Dwellings
Among the top-most branches of the Tree hang a great number of simple homes for the Masquah that had been grown from the branches long ago. Never cutting or harming the healthy wood of their home. The Masquah tend to the tree as if it were another member of their tribe. When in truth it might be considered the guardian of its inhabitants.
An Earth teacher instructs a young student in tree growing
Even one that is all but a fledgling at their element is able to grow a tree from a single seed. It comes as natural as breathing to some.
© William J Speer
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