Approaching Krakatos upstream over the Volaga River
by Robin
Early Morning 15th Vatermont 1012AC.
Volaga River.
Clear Sky
This magnificent view reveals the rebuild Krakatos ruins, now the Karameikan School of Magecraft,
After the clockwork beholder battle and apparant demise of Teldon the headmaster of Magician's Guildhall, the said Guildhall was also destroyed. King Stephan Karameikos allowed the new courtmage Master Terrari to use the Ruins of Krakatos to be used for recreating a School of Magic in Karameikos.
Now sailing upriver, the huge structure dominates on its hill just behind the statue of King Stefan Karameikos the 3rd. The Bridge over the Volaga is just around the corner.Drivers for draft animals to pull the tugboats upriver always hated this spot as they have to go behind the statue (until 997AC only a simple rock), draft long ropes down the river and then pull the vessel upstream, or else they have to pole this section upriver.
Robin, The wandering Witch on board of the Elven Vessel Vesperia from Specularum to Kelvin. (using a "Micky's Instant Picture Scroll" )
I made this picture by cutting and pasting the Dan Frazier's picture of Krakatos from the Dragon Magazine 207 pages 40-44 on the Magic of Karameikos. To enable the right location I also mirrored the original and enlarged it.
Added this following funny and somewhat insane idea. Yet what did they do? For to the common eye, the bridge looked as it did before in all respects, except one....the central part which could be opened, was now a peculiar grey stone instead wooden pull hoist bridge. The tolkeepers and guards were dumbfounded, this way only merchants on wagons could pass, yet no longer the larger vessels. That was not a real solution, they said. Master Terari smiled and wandered to a large vessel stalled north of the bridge. To the captain Rugo Wolowitz he said to steer towards the bridge and the central part. Bewondered (and certified that foreign mage would reimburse any damages) the captain set sail south. As he came closer, he still became feared for what disaster he expected to happen, and the risk if his life, his crew and the Vessel Mary Dubiary. Yet Master Terrari assured the captain to continue, and so he did. The vessel moved forward and then hit the rock of the bridge....or so it seemed at first. Yet in effect the mast passed through the stone as if it was not there at all.
In all effects the grey rock imbues a phase effect on the bridge section only. All objects touching the bridge will phase through, while able to continue their direction. The effect transports the movement into the Ethereal Plane, yet keeps the solidity bound to the direction. This in effect means those on the bridge can still act normally (touching everything), yet can't interfere with those passing underneath, and viseversa.
Using a picture if the Decabel statue from Rumania which was cleaned up(removing Real World sections) and rightside adjusted to mimick the lower hills of the Karameikan region, and adding more sky, I could merge these together. Adding the map of the region. and the few flying dragons from Dan Frazier's Krakatos art, cleaning up some coloroff minor pixels, creating the Krakatos bridge in the distance, it finished the picture.
I hope you enjoy it.
The New Karameikan School of Magecraft slowly became a prominent feature in the area. weird uses of magic in the direct vicinity became normal, and normal items often became imbued with strange yet useful magical abilities.
One example of these is the Krakatos Bridge over the Volaga; Originally being a standard Thyatian bridge with reasonable high arches to allow low vessels (or those with lowered masts) to pass unhindered. The mages noticed however that the typical larger vessels had to wait long times to open the central bridge section manually to allow the vessels pass, while at the maintime stalling the merchant vessels and mage students coming from the other side of the river. It was a year long mutual examination project of 7 young mages, who with this all raised to above name level and received their diplom afterwards with all egards. The opening of the adjusted Bridge was on 11th Sviftmont 1011AC.
That was very handy indeed...a bridge which is not there. Experiments done with merchant vessels on the bridge at the same time revealed that both on and under the bridge could pass through each other on this grey stone section, without any harm, or any delay.
Most merchants initially were scared are still halted, yet in a few weeks all got used to it, except the animals, they still react to sudden masts, sails and even lookouts to pass through the rock and all on it, and it is thus advised to temporarily blind the animals with a cloak , brlap sack or cloth, to avoid panik.
And so the Krakatos Bridge became the one which can be used in all but the vertical direction at the same time.