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More from *Abiogenisis

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January 18, 2011
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:iconabiogenisis:
These ruins represent the height of Birrin pre-industrial engineering, and continue to impress tourists from more recent, technologically complex societies today.

Part city and part fortress, this gate was built to defend one of the few entrances to a lush, steep walled floatforest valley beyond, in which a society of several million inhabitants flourished for centuries.

Initially a natural stone monolith with only a narrow passageway dividing it, generations of craftspeople and slaves hammered away at the stone to perfect it into its current form, before finally coating it with a resin/sand mixture to protect it from further natural erosion.

The guardian statues warned foreign armies and traders of the power and capabilities of the valley people, who maintained a massive standing army at all times, based in a garrisons built into the gate walls.

Too heavy to themselves be created from stone, the guardian statues were built from the interlaced and cemented trunks and roots of local float-forest and other imported plants. Treated with resin to prevent decay, this meshwork was then coated in the same substance used to smooth the wall standing behind them.

Ultimately, the civilisation responsible was conquered by a society that had developed steam powered warships, and who attacked from one of the seaward entrances of the valley.

Left to ruin by the conquerors for several centuries, it is now of prime interest to archaeologists attempting to reconstruct the history of the valley society.

Seen here, a small camp of nomadic locals pitch tents in the evening glow of the great gate.
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:iconthegranadian:
~TheGranadian Apr 5, 2013  New member Hobbyist General Artist
Whoa. This is truly stunning. The aloneness of the setting makes this piece feel so alive.
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:icondarwin-king:
~Darwin-King Feb 3, 2013
Seeing the two people on the tent-house thing (which is really cool looking) made me think this, with it resembling a scene from a human romance movie, but do Birrin feel the type of feelings we do, specifically affection? Do they get married, or have 'partners'? Do they pair up, or have multiple partners? Do they have multiple genders?

There's probably a place for me to find all this information, but oh well...
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:iconabiogenisis:
*Abiogenisis Feb 5, 2013
The Birrin are sequential hermaphrodites, so they experience both genders. They more form close bonds of friendship and family rather than romantic love. Though they do have a nostalgic sense.
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:icondarwin-king:
~Darwin-King Feb 5, 2013
So they basically have friends that they randomly have children with?
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:iconabiogenisis:
*Abiogenisis Feb 6, 2013
Nope, the younger ones are all males and they compete to mate with the senior females. So often they live in quite large families of males with one or two female 'queens'
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:icondarwin-king:
~Darwin-King Feb 6, 2013
Interesting. Nice that you've come up with such an original way of life for them.
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:iconkingstantin:
~Kingstantin Dec 22, 2012  Professional Digital Artist
wow
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:iconluckybasterd:
Mood: Love ~luckybasterd Dec 18, 2012
this is GODLIKE!
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:iconjuicyindaskull:
Mood: Love ~juicyindaskull Dec 1, 2012  Hobbyist
reminds me of Neverending Story x) but anyway I like the description you gave to this
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:iconalex-brady-tad:
*Alex-Brady-TAD Sep 7, 2012  Professional Digital Artist
i love how hard veins of quartz are less eroded than the surrounding sandstone. super authentic. amazing image.
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