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Submitted: October 13, 2009
Image Size: 529 KB
Resolution: 1000×757

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Gaslamp Dragonby ~Fandragon

Traditional Art / Sculpture / Fantasy

Dragons are the traditional gaslamp-tenders in the mountain city of Citha Vale. The exact details of the arrangement aren't discussed with foreigners, but it all began during the Great Dragon Diaspora, which is a fancy name for the time when the Industrial Revolution had made the dragon lowland-cities unlivable with smog. Most of the population emigrated to the coastal areas, but a few made the arduous trek across the inland mountains. After several years and great hardship, they finally reached their first sighting of the gaslamps of Citha Vale.

It would be difficult to describe the horrified dismay and disgust that the hungry dragons felt upon seeing the glowing ironwork lanterns. The gas that the cities used for fuel was similar to what the immigrants used to render down for food, and it was also tinged with an element that the dragons considered sacred. And here the humans were, setting it on fire for decoration. A few attacks of righteous indignation began in the outlying areas. Worse, some of the dragons tore down the lampposts and tried to ingest the fuel, with predictable results. The attackers mistakenly believed that the city-dwellers had deliberately booby-trapped the fuel, and the city-dwellers thought the explosions were a new form of attack. Both sides also had access to some basic transformative thaumaturgy, which didn't make the situation any less confused. What followed was...unfortunate, and fairly embarrassing. It's considered the height of rudeness to ask anyone about this part of Citha Vale's history, but if you go to some of the shadier sections of town you might find a tavern singer old enough to remember (and drunk enough to sing) a few stanzas from the bawdy tune, "I've Got New Feathers, And Your Underwear's On Fire".

Eventually things settled down. The two sides signed a treaty, which in turn became a complete merging of the populations, and the fuel mixture for the gaslamps was tweaked to become less offensive. The human population is polite enough to never mention the unpleasantness (and the fact that it was pretty much the dragons who started it), and in turn the dragons look the other way when they spot someone wearing a piece of heirloom jewelry containing sparkly bits from exploded dragons.

"Harmony of Iron and Light: A Brief History of Citha Vale"

Obviously this piece gave me a LOT of time to think of some explanation for why a dragon would be curled around a gaslamp, holding a wrench. This staff is exactly six feet tall (the dragon figurehead is maybe 18 inches), and was carved in one piece from a sweetgum sapling. Currently on display at the NC State Fair craft competition.

Edit: Second Place Ribbon in the Carved Staff or Cane category!

~anonygrazer Sep 24, 2011

Well done story and I like the idea of dragons wearing goggles!

~Fandragon Sep 28, 2011

Thank you!

~knotcarver Oct 14, 2009 Hobbyist General Artist

I'm not really into the dragon myths but after reading the little story it's very easy to understand how soo many people are.
Very well exectuted when concidering the size.

~Llyzabeth Oct 13, 2009

The fact that it's ONE. PIECE just boggles the mind. Amazing stuff, the scales the SCALES, so cool.

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