'Tis the Season for gift giving!I would like to present some gifts to my wonderful business partners during the festive season.
To Dame Roopatra, for your expert knowledge in all things CK, and especially for your assistance in managing OZ & Hokusai's health needs, and in appreciation for our ongoing partnership in unicorncorp, I give you this portrait,
ART-30 - "Dame Roopatra and Her Unicorn"Short name: Dame Roopatra and Her Unicorn
Description:
This is a portrait of Dame Roopatra during her many travels and expeditions. She has just stopped for a brief rest in a remote grove, while her unicorn Star has kept watch. It is almost as if the entire grove has extended the tree branches and leaves as a dome over the weary traveler to watch over and offer courtesy for her during her stay.
Noble colors are inscribed into the symbols and gifted blessings that her mainly leathery garments display, which are more practical for traveling than typical royal clothing. Roopatra is seen standing by Star, and is preparing to tie her hair so that it would not hinder her vision in case she has to resort to galloping in the coming passage, where many dangers may lie.
It is almost unheard of that a unicorn would allow herself to be equipped with a leather saddle and saddle-bags, but obviously Star has bonded with Roopatra and has an attitude of friendship, where the burdens, joys and sorrows are equally divided between the traveling companions, and thus Star has allowed herself to be equipped with such mundane equipment. Star has lowered her mighty head to the level of Roopatra's and the unicorn's mane is flowing silky and picturesque.
Roopatra's quiver hangs low and her archery equipment are already prepared. Her face is however only partly visible; only the tip of her nose and side of the travel-worn cheek is visible to the viewer, as if she was more occupied in preparing her chestnut-colored hair for the coming journey than posing towards the imagined painter. The saddle-bags are full of useful equipment, and a shortbow hangs in one of the straps.
Roopatra is obviously about to continue her pilgrimage to discover the wonders of the world, and this particular grove has been nothing but a nourishing pause in-between a longer journey, that might not have a pre-determined destination.
Note:
In the frame of the painting is Roopatra's family crest. It is a simplistic oval-shaped crest with leathery tan as the dominant color. In the middle of the crest a unicorn stands with partly raised front hoofs. The sides of the crest are decorated with arrows and a quiver, leathery straps, multiple maps, a sextant, a wineskin, some torches and candles, and a lantern on the top. A life of discovery, knowledge, exploration and storytelling glows forth from the symbolism in the crest. The painting was gifted by the Duke of OZ.
Item level: 7
Item category: ART
Item year: 1618
To The Marquess of White Cross, for your tireless contributions in making CK an interesting and vibrant place, and in recognition of the wonderful job you have done in managing our joint venture in New Reconstruction Corp, I give you this portrait,
ART-31 - "Construction of the Phaeton Carriage Works"Short name: Construction of the Phaeton Carriage Works
Description
You see a painting that emits a visionary aura of events and ideas yet to come, as if the spirit of progress would be personified in none other than the Marquess of White Cross, who is seen standing before the Phaeton Carriage Works, that is emerging in the background. The Marquess is seen standing by a design table in the company of his trusted associates, in a small temporary shelter that's been set near the construction site with mostly open walls and a light rooftop to provide cover from rain. A design carriage sketch with the draft name "T model" is set on the table, and the Marquess himself is leaning over the table with a concentrated and determined look in his eyes, carefully finalizing this particular sketch. He holds a drawing compass, metallic pen and a measurement stick in hand, lining out the concept of the designed prototype on a thick paper set on the table, with unit scales, angles, widths and depths clearly out-lined in the schematic illustration of the model carriage.
The Marquess himself wears a tophat, which has seen better days - but for a man of practicality and technological advancement, such aesthetic details do not require additional attention beyond what is necessary. Glimpses of his curly hair are seen peeking from beneath the hat, and the face of the industrialist is brandished by an oiled, well-combed, dark moustache - a stature symbol fitting for a visionarist, who is determined to sail only on the verges of latest technological and industrial advancement of his era.
The grey-bearded chief engineers surrounding the table are impressed by the introduction of the concept "replaceable parts" by the Marquess; by standardizing many of the joints, bolts, wheel and carriage cart frame pieces, the Marquess has come up with a concept of modularized design, where certain pieces are interchangeable in order to better tailor to the specific requests by the clients instead of a single hard-fixed design. The Marquess has just explained how it makes sense to construct carriages using such small modules, as it allows easy repairs for damaged parts in both the cart and its supporting mobile platform due to the standardization, and allows better customization of the production line for any future production.
The majestic construction site in the background is like a giant, about to reach its fingers towards the skies. The foundations for chimneys and blast furnaces are seen being laid to the ground by creative use of treadwheel cranes. The gigantic site is filled with wheelbarrows, ropes, bricks, and other various tools and building material. Prototypes of centrifugal pumps and pile drivers are circled by workers, who appear curious of such novel inventions.
Upon Marquess' orders, the building has been split into two main parts to reduce the risk of destructive fires, and in the central part assembly line these two segments merge seamlessly. The northern part concerns mainly metallurgy, with compartments specialized in smelting, oiling and coating the metallic parts of the carts, perfectly fit against the weary weathers of CryptoKingdom. The southern part deals with the wooden and ceramic portions of the carts, where carpenters and artisans are to saturate and shape wood, fit pieces in their places and to design the wooden parts to endure possible changes in temperature and thus volume that the metallic portions may undergo.
One can almost hear the orchestral trumpets of smelting iron, steady drums of hammers, violins of double-sided saws and whistles like organs pulling each piece to its carefully designated place in the emerging structure like a carefully composed musical piece. The dark rainy clouds in the sky of the painting are blown by the trembling tempo of winds of change, but the portraited orchestra and the mastermind conductor - the workers, engineers and the Marquess in lead - are determined to perform the masterpiece to its intended end.
Note:
In the frame of the painting is the Marquess Noms' family crest. The crest is shaped to resemble the coast of the lands of Gröenland kwown to be far to the West, with a gigantic sea-serpent's head depicted inside the carved coast-line. The head is a symbol commonly used as a figurehead in the legendary viking longboats, ships far above the capability of their peers in their day and age. A tale of seafarers and shipbuilders of unparalleled skill and craftsmanship are inscribed into the lining of the crest, suggesting capability of even traveling past the lands of Gröenland to a rumored great continent that lies beyond. The bronze runic symbols of Fehu, Ansuz and Raidho are embedded into the top-piece of the crest. The painting was gifted by the Duke of OZ.
Item level: 7
Item category: ART
Item year: 1618
I am very fortunate to be in partnerships with good people such as yourselves, thank you
A BIG thank you to Baron Syksy for his generosity and skill as CK's resident 'art master', a gift of 5*OZ1600J (50 CKG).
