R'koll by Edarneor on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

The local name of this archipelago (and also each one of the islands) is “R’koll”, which in local language means “land”, or, rather more precisely — “rock”, since that’s what you basically have for land there.

Nearly everything on R'koll is happening around the sea.
Fabrics, clothes, even suspension bridges are made of seaweed that abundantly grows on the underwater rocks. Fishing nets, also produced from seaweed, are hanged down into the water from the bridges that interconnect islands. This allows to pull them up comfortably right from the bridge and take the yield.

Objects of everyday use are made of all sorts of fish bones, crustacean and mollusc shells, while the basic building material comes from a type of coral, with its colonies forming ready-to-use rectangular building blocks. To avoid erosion, some houses are also faced with seashells, carapaces, and other durable materials.

The locals have tamed some species of sea mammals, and are using them for transportation, fishing and other purposes. They also breed a minor population of sea birds.

The most precious resource on R’koll is fresh water. It is collected by means of condensation in special caves, where walls are carved with numerous grooves to maximize the effective area of the surface. Strangely enough, at some point, these grooves began to act as a writing system. With its aid the inhabitants of R’koll write down their history, myths, songs, and such.

The other thing that deserves attention is their way of counting time, based on the tides. For this, a smooth vertical stone surface located near the water is polished in several places. After that, the newly polished surface is etched by the daily tides, exposing distinct marks, by which months and years are counted.
_____________________________
gonna paint it some time soon... stay tuned