The Crystal Waterfall
The Waterfall that Isn't
As seen in
The queen sat on a throne before a thousand foot fall, not of water, but glittering blue diamonds.
Formation
Centuries ago, the formation was the location of an actual waterfall, along the route of the Alzim River, and the capital city was built at its base. This served not only as a source of water, trade, and communication, but earned Fyrmae's ruler the nickname Queen of the Waterfall. In 1211, the city's Flood Keeper tried to hold back the river when a particularly rainy year threatened to the flood the city. When the flood keeper warned the queen of the impending danger and asked to evacuate the city, she replied that it was his job to prevent the city from flooding. The flood keeper succeeded, at great cost to both himself and the city. By the end of the storm, he was dead, and the river had re-routed itself, along the cliff face, curving back in the direction it had come. Where the waterfall had once been now stood a cliff face covered with pale blue crystals, that resembled the water that once flowed in that space.
Cultural Significance
Though the river no longer flows past, the capital city has remained in its location, obtaining water from elsewhere. The crystal waterfall has become an important part of tourism in the country, and the queen is said sometimes to dictate from a throne placed in front of it, keeping the name Queen of the Waterfall. The city also retains a flood keeper because the greatest time of tourism are particularly wet seasons, when the river above floods, and the crystal waterfall becomes real for a short time.
Observations of Marcus Pfieffer
During his travels away from his sister, Marcus Pfieffer made his way into the Fyrmaen queen's court (one of few men to do so) and wrote extensively on the crystals of the waterfall. Pfieffer believed the crystals, which were not known until after the Anti-Flood of 1211, were formed from the waterfall itself, and possibly the lifeblood of the flood keeper that re-routed the river. Pfieffer also posited that the crystal waterfall was more intimidating that a real one, and allowed the Fyrmaen queen to tighten her grip on her nation, only offering pardons at the time when the river flooded and water actually flowed down the cliff face. He himself received one on such an occasion, and shortly afterward left Fyrmae for good.
Though the river no longer flows past, the capital city has remained in its location, obtaining water from elsewhere. The crystal waterfall has become an important part of tourism in the country, and the queen is said sometimes to dictate from a throne placed in front of it, keeping the name Queen of the Waterfall. The city also retains a flood keeper because the greatest time of tourism are particularly wet seasons, when the river above floods, and the crystal waterfall becomes real for a short time.
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