Daily Doodle 336

March 31-Minute Imagination Challenge 30/31

When the Head Monks of the Arboreal Order of St. Pausos went into a three-month seclusion muttering about 'divine inspiration' after a particularly long and mead-sodden moonwatching session in 1663, nobody thought much of it.  The Order has always been a bit odd, but valued around the Tethys region for their skill in cultivating plants of all kinds, especially the rare ironwood trees.  When the Head Monks emerged and begin directing great excavations and buildings around the perimeter of the Order's arboretum on their peninsular headquarters near Velandi in Selene, well, the new structures were clearly non-military, and all the work was a boon to the somewhat isolated province.  Few people actually visited the eccentric Monks apart from dedicated plant lovers, and those folks were far more interested in the growing things within than the piles of stone and steel without and below.

When, a year later, the arboretum and its new girdling chain of buildings slowly rose into the sky under the combined glow of three full moons, nobody was particularly surprised.  Selenians are hard to rattle, as a whole.  But the locals continued to talk about it for a long time, you can be sure.

Ever since that night, the Great Arboretum, with its magnificent ironwood tree at its heart, has wandered about the coasts of the lands of Tethys, even occasionally venturing inland for very short trips.  In a rare show of international accord in an age of selfish conflicts, it has been granted 'leave to wander the lands, seas, or skies, without let, hindrance, or harrassment from any Individual, Company, Nation, or State.'  It spends much of its time at rest, for it takes tremendous energy to lift such a mass even a few metres -- it seems extremely unlikely it would ever be as high above the ground as I have painted it here!  Sometimes it seems to be an island far out at sea, sometimes it moves to a pleasant cove, or a storm-swept strand, or sidles up to an industrial town to let the residents taste green light and tree air and unfamiliar plants.

It can spread great sails to drift with the wind as needed, and it has conventional engines for use in a pinch, though these are often in need of repair due to the Monks' general disinterest in mechanical apparatus.  Mechanics are employed to keep the great contraption operational, but often absorb a lot of the Monk's laid-back approach to life.

Tried to avoid any deliberate style references to Laputa (whether the Ghibli or other interpretations of it) but it's hard when you're putting a giant tree on a flying platform.
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^{_{Pfft, that took more time to write than it took me to paint the dang picture?}}

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Clip Studio Paint, Cintiq 22HD.   © Avatar Z Brown.
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