The Ashen
Lord Ferentus knew that his brother in law disliked him, but when the king allocated him the Tǎr-Nati and the surrounding areas, he never had imagined that the rancor was so profound. Most probably his sister contributed to the animosity instead of negating it.
As a first settler, he felt banished. Not only from high society but from the known creation. The construction of the first village was arduous. Since the trees that grow near the Tǎr-Nati are brittle and can barely support themselves, all the material had to be shipped from afar at great cost. what should have taken one cycle, took closer to five. During that time, many efforts were put in to transform the soil to be more fruitful. Every known plant, fruit, vegetable and flower was sown into the soil with poor results. Even the most atrocious plant, the mud climber, did not survive in Tǎr-Nati. To the surprise of everyone, it was the humble potato that not only survived but flourished in the ashen soil.
Within six years, every inhabitant had their own wooden house and the potato farm was starting to break even. There was still one thing that needed to be dealt with: the big lake of tar. At first, there was talk of inundating the tar with soil. When it was clear the tar pit was consuming the soil to no effect, it was declared a failure. When rumors of large ships being built for the military and for exploring, there was an attempt to have a boatyard built near Tǎr-Nati. It took less than half a day for the visiting architect to reject every potential building site. The official reason given was the inadequate soil grade but everyone in Tǎr-Nati knew the smell was the real reason.
Not to give up on a possible fortune, two barges large enough to carry ton's of tar, were built. When he signed the contract to use the Tǎr-Nati tar pit as the sole provider of tar for waterproofing the boatyards of Estergan, Lord Ferentus made certain to add a premium for transport of the product.
Those today who travel up or down the kripligo râu river and sees the mansions and all the activity, either in the tar pits or in the numerous gardens, would not reconcile all they have heard about the Tǎr-Nati and the harsh conditions of the tar pit with the opulence they see. That is until they open their windows.
As a first settler, he felt banished. Not only from high society but from the known creation. The construction of the first village was arduous. Since the trees that grow near the Tǎr-Nati are brittle and can barely support themselves, all the material had to be shipped from afar at great cost. what should have taken one cycle, took closer to five. During that time, many efforts were put in to transform the soil to be more fruitful. Every known plant, fruit, vegetable and flower was sown into the soil with poor results. Even the most atrocious plant, the mud climber, did not survive in Tǎr-Nati. To the surprise of everyone, it was the humble potato that not only survived but flourished in the ashen soil.
Within six years, every inhabitant had their own wooden house and the potato farm was starting to break even. There was still one thing that needed to be dealt with: the big lake of tar. At first, there was talk of inundating the tar with soil. When it was clear the tar pit was consuming the soil to no effect, it was declared a failure. When rumors of large ships being built for the military and for exploring, there was an attempt to have a boatyard built near Tǎr-Nati. It took less than half a day for the visiting architect to reject every potential building site. The official reason given was the inadequate soil grade but everyone in Tǎr-Nati knew the smell was the real reason.
Not to give up on a possible fortune, two barges large enough to carry ton's of tar, were built. When he signed the contract to use the Tǎr-Nati tar pit as the sole provider of tar for waterproofing the boatyards of Estergan, Lord Ferentus made certain to add a premium for transport of the product.
Those today who travel up or down the kripligo râu river and sees the mansions and all the activity, either in the tar pits or in the numerous gardens, would not reconcile all they have heard about the Tǎr-Nati and the harsh conditions of the tar pit with the opulence they see. That is until they open their windows.
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