The Grand Imperial Canal
The Grand Imperial Canal
The Grand Imperial Canal is constrained by the mighty city of Manscinium - City in the west and the city of Ithsmia to the east. It is approximately 1,500 Imperial Kilometers long and Bisected by the Glittering caverns. It is thought to have been built around 210 L.O.M. by The Manscine Empire to allow to ships to travel between the Iristrian Sea and the larger Tsearian Sea without being limited by the various straights that otherwise connect the two seas, allowing for both quicker and safer travel between the two bodies of water. While the length of the canal is certainly impressive, whats far more impressive is that it is never less then half a kilometer in width, only getting so narrow within the Glittering Caverns, staying closer to a kilometer in width for most of its route. The exact methods used to craft this truly impressive canal are not known though it is believed that the empire spent great cost on geomancers to excavate the majority of the length in tandem with their military forces. It is also known that there is some powerful enchantments in place to ensure that both sides of the canal remain in balance and level despite Tsoria's powerful moons causing huge tidal differences between the two coasts at certain times of the day, meaning the canal has no locks. Another impressive feat is how the Empire, determined not to have any bridges restricting the size of ships that could navigate the waterway created powerful auraducts, as they were termed, to allow for temporary crossings. These auraducts are still maintained to this day despite the fact that the Republic is not aware of the system that allows them to work nor how the mage's that operate them are able to access enough energy as its needs should be far beyond the capabilities of most casters. The Manscinium Republic which currently controls the entire length of the canal, although it shares control of the subterranean section in the Glittering Caverns with the Deep Kingdom of Hrothian, ensures and maintains the entire length of the canal as it is the key to its economic power and has been vital in allowing the fledgling republic to not only maintain its freedom but also protect many of the surrounding cities.
Alternative Name(s)
The Canal, The Great River, The Manscine Way
Type
River
Location under
Owning Organization
Contested By
That's some mighty impressive magic! Y'know, you often have 'lost technology' and sometimes 'lost magic' from forgotten empires, but it's a neat twist that the predecessors of the current owners built it.
Too low they build who build beneath the stars - Edward Young
Thanks! I thought I'd give it a go, I am sure I won't win regarding the competition but a good and timely excuse to add some relevant lore to my world. I love your Space Sea Shipping canal concept, love playing with concepts, since we often think of space as a sea, referring to the vessels that navigate it space'ships' and many bits of myth and folklore also refer to it as a great expansive ocean and such.
Yeah it's fun to have some way of actually sailing space, go deeper into the metaphor (though not to the point of actual sails). I also wanted a setting where those asteroid field dodging scenes from movies are actually realistic, so that's what happens if you're a small ship rushing through the high Relativity areas: avoiding random dark matter clumps. Hope to work it out more in Summer Camp.
Too low they build who build beneath the stars - Edward Young
Finally logic in asteroid moments! Someone needs to tell film-makers that all those rocks are miles apart! But that'll never happen, they fun to watch though so I'll forgive them