The Ganay Tree

Oil Impressionism - Night Climbing - Cleris Dumont 841AP

One of a dozen shiners scattered across Tenglan, and like all shiners it stands well over 400-feet. Within each major Imperial city one Shiner exists. The most famous is the Ganay tree located at the centre of Imperias City. It's name has changed over the centuries going by whoever is the current Imperial king at the time. (Since 819AP it is has been Johan Ganay.) The name shiner comes from the fact the higher up the tree you ascend the lighter the colour of the bark. When at ground level and looking up this colour variation makes the tree shimmer.

Platform Climbing:

People climb shiners passing four coloured platforms on the way to reaching the top and claim a piece of its bark with the brightness revealing how high you reached. Less than 1% of all Imperials have the strength and mental fortitude required to reach Ganay's top. This is not only due to the tremendous height but because of the vicious Ganay spiders that inhabit the tree spitting skin-shredding bark at the passing climbers.

Records:

Crestina Pessola is the youngest and fastest female to scale to the tree's peak at the age of 18. Her record stands at 4 minutes 8 seconds which has yet to be bested by either a male or female Imperial. Coincidentally, her husband; Jasarnus Riggs, was the first Imperial to ascend the tree in under 5 minutes but his time was destroyed by Crestina's effort achieved on the same day just moments later. His record immediately removed and forgotten just like his balter career.

by Cleris Dumont

A Shiners love for a Divine:

Shiners are believed to be blessed by the White Lord and the reason 9 of the most powerful cities in Tenglan all have a Shiner tree at it's centre. Once a city receives a Divine they are allowed to place it anywhere in the city but on each occasion the Dukess - in consultation with the council, have agreed to place it at the top of the city's Shiner. The image a Divine projects to the city masses is a constant reminder the Lord never forgets his people.