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[Note: This is a thread originally written in posted November 08, 2017 in the Lightning Forums, due to not thinking others would be interested. I was wrong! So I am now moving it here where everyone can enjoy it and use it! Ping me if you have any questions or ideas, this lore is for anyone to take part of.]
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While there were many mistakes, disasters and changes to plan, the flight is coming around. ECO-Sites, or Ecologically Compromised Organism-Sites are areas designated hazardous to life, and a target for further management and cleanup. To understand the sheer scope and scale of the sites, one must first turn to Lightning history.
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The flight is unknowingly blazing its way through the technological pathways that the past denizens of the world did before them. Making use of anything they can get their claws on, trying everything and seeking the hidden potential there. Feeding such an insatiable hunger has meant a high demand for energy sources, resources, and new materials.
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The great machine that is the Lightning Corporation is always demanding raw materials. Iron, Copper, Lead, Chromium. Even Silver and Gold. While establishing a lively trade route with earth provides many resources, the road can be perilous both for attacking beastclan, marauding dragons, or just those who do not take too kindly to the busy road in principal. There is rumor that there is planning and negotiating over a freight rail-line that would make the journey safer, faster and more efficient.
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Inspiration Image: Steam Engine hauling mining freight.
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But industrious lightning did not hesitate to also seek out the natural resources within its own borders, with the natural digging talent of ridgeback dragons cutting through the earth for generations. Mining operations were one of the first to be started in the realm when ridgebacks seeking to excavate more room encountered valuable seams of ore and minerals.
Over time mining would become more automated as new innovations and machines could do the work faster and more efficiently. Mining tailings and contaminated waters were usually dumped on-site and not thought about further.
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Inspiration Image: Chat piles from the Tar Creek Superfund Site. One resident claims one of the piles was 1/4 of a mile tall.
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Being the powerhouse of industry comparable only to fire itself, Lightning is always trying to make the next best thing and streamline the process along the way. It’s these sources that are often where the largest amounts of wastes come from, whether chemical or magical in nature.
Proper procedures would require treating the substances before releasing them into the environment. But with deadlines to make these things can end up on the wayside in the form of dumping it into underground containers, storing it on site, or dumping it where it is convenient.
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When there are labs dedicated to smashing stuff together, mixing things, and seeing how big of an explosion you can make- you can imagine there will be some wastes left behind. While items from experiments can be far more volatile than others, the smaller amounts help reduce the risk.
Much research is put into discovering new alloys, making electronics more efficient and discovering catalysts that can help them mix and match matter in new ways. Though sometimes it could be a matter of testing two building ideas and seeing which one is easiest to blow up.
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Image Inspiration: Navada Test Site house gets blown into smitheroons.
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Fusion & Fission and Oil & Gas are both topics of much curiosity and research. Mostly due to the rarity of the items necessary, even within the realms where it would be most abundant. No major breakthroughs have come about using fossil fuels, but research is still ongoing. By far the most useful discovery was petroleum based plastics.
It is thought deep in the core of the spire is a lightning powered fusion stellerator. It is a sight rarely seen by common dragons and is nearly a myth if not for the stormcatcher’s extensive knowledge of the system that he has shared with his underlings. Not to mention it explains how the spire can produce so much power for industry, its glowing cities, and fantastic cutting edge technology.
But due to the enormous amount of initial power it takes to stabilize such a system, there have been no successful fusion reactors outside the Spire. Therefore, interest has moved primarily on to fission, and if it is a viable source of energy where lightning storms are not so reliable.
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Inspiration Image: The Wendelstein 7-X experimental Stellerator. Kurzgesagt has a great video on fusion.
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The most widely used and by far the staple of the Lightning corporate empire. Most lightning apparati use electricity, and much of their infrastructure is built to harness or gather it. This can also be considered the most environmentally friendly due to its harvestability.
However, this does not take into account other sources that affect the environment. Normal lightning strikes do not affect the atmosphere, but the sheer and near constant strikes has increased the levels of ozone at surface level. Fortunately prevailing winds usually blow these out to sea. But during stagnant seasons or atypical weather patterns can cause a public health hazard for those sensitive to respiratory distress. These dragons are encouraged to wear protective breathing masks, or stay indoors.
Electrical energy is usually transferred two ways. One is via conduit, with great cables crisscrossing the region around the spire. These are insulated from the elements and from discharging from their desired path.
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The second is in the form of lightning canisters. These canisters can hold moderate amounts of energy and act as batteries. These also require heavy and extensive insulation, though despite these measure the charge is slowly lost over time. These insulation materials can be harmful to health, as well as the gases within the canisters.
IT IS ADVISED NOT TO EAT OR STICK BODY PARTS INTO ELECTRICAL CANISTERS AT ANY TIME.
Lightning and magic are nearly equivalent to lightning dragons, as natives are as a whole not usually gifted with it. This has not stopped them from not only making use with what they can for electrical energy, but learning from non-natives whom have come to join the corporation and add their talents to the greater good.
These experiments tend to run at the spire or the University of Lightning Inc campuses across the shifting expanse. Magical waste is produced from these locations, such as goos, oozes, spent magical items or faulty spell parchments. Or items heavily contaminated with magic due to a backfired spell or some sort of incident.
It should be noted that there is a magical extraction process, but it is not always performed if the predicted outcome is not worth the effort.
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Multiple attempts have been made to try and deal with the byproducts of industry. They can be broken down into the five methods below.
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Inspiration Image: Wall-E trash landscape
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The first and likely easiest. Simply dumping the material and leaving it in piles elsewhere moves it out of the way. The canyon in particular was, and still is the location of this type of disposal. Carrion Canyon Dumpsites line the rim of the canyon, either at independent sites or at the location of experimental laboratories. The Atomic Advancement Lab is a particularly famous offender, thought to be the reason for the terrible state of the valley floor.
Pictured: Aren McFee, ex Spokesdragon for Atomic Advancement Labs
Aren McFee, spokesdragon for the lab made a public statement that “…While AAL has disposed of some of its low level wastes into the basin, the state of the valley floor is due to numerous point sources that have been utilized for generations. The degraded riverbed could not be as damaged as it is by AAL’s disposal alone, as it’s waste would cause no harm to local life or dragons.”
After the widely publicized lawsuit of Residents of Canyon Wall Vs. Atomic Advancement Labs, Aren McFee stepped down as spokes dragon and residents were compensated. However, the lab still operates to this day. Though as mentioned by McFee, other dumping continues from a variety of sources, and even communities.
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The out of sight-out of mind version of dumping. Rather than leaving materials exposed to the elements and potentially cause a problem, large pits were excavated and the material buried in great landfills.
On the surface this appeared to be a great solution. But improper investigation of site feasibility or poor containment practices often lead to materials eventually bubbling up to the surface, into lairs, or seeping into the water table if severe. Much is thought to have drained into the Carrion Canyon.
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Inspiration Image: A landfill following proper guidelines.
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Residents would complain of strange smells or substances, and bizarre ailments spreading through clan members. (See ‘The Fae Incident’ below.)
Resourceful dragons have been making use of the gases the materials can produce as another energy source. Fossil fuels are uncommon in Sornieth due to its frequent geographic upheaval, with most materials found in Plague regions, so dragons are keen on making use of the rare resource. Whether to use it for energy themselves, for experiments to study it, or to sell in canisters.
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Incineration of wastes is also a popular solution. It can easily reduce down most mass, allows for the collection of metallic items for re-use and can be done with little effort. However the added particulates into the air has caused problems in years of extensive ‘wind’ droughts. And the content being burned plays a large role in what might get distributed across the landscape.
The ash left behind is also hazardous, and it is recommended that no dragon go near it due to being radioactive from natural-and dragon made materials containing small amounts. These normally trivial amounts collect together over multiple burnings and create a hazard.
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A method mostly used on the coasts or with shipments from the spire due to costs, it was considered one of the more ‘secure’ options in disposal and neatly took care of the problem.
Either flown or by barge, barrels would be taken past the continental shelf where they could be dumped into the sea. Stubborn barrels that would not sink could be prodded into doing so by either tying rocks to them, or for less of a hassle be punctured a few times by claws.
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Inspiration Image: Sailers on the USS Calhoun County dumping radioactive waste into the ocean.
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Despite perceptions, Lightning dragons will re-use materials if it means being efficient or simply getting their claws on something they need. While this is less often practiced at the spire, outer communities and wasteland scavengers must make use of old materials out of necessity. This is more in the form of scrap metals rather than plastics.
The spire does possess a small recycling plant specifically for plastics as their required materials are rare or must be traded for from the realm of nature.
Image: A group of wasteland dragons making use of scrap, one of the primary ways Lightning dragons ‘Recycle’.
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Even before lightning shaped the expanse to what it is today, this river was compromised by its neighbors. The original name of this river has long since been forgotten. And there has been a lack of any true river at all in recent history. It was this river that slowly carved the massive canyon on its way to the outer oceans.
In the past it was altered thanks to the volatile volcanic nature of the realm of fire from which it flowed along. However life had adapted to these fluctuations, even if it could leave the river water tasting bitter.
But as the land was changed, so too did this river. Over used and not protected, it dried up to a slow, shallow moving sludge that would harden during the dry seasons of the year. This low point in the valley became a natural collection point for all the wastes, toxins, chemicals and refuse poured over the canyon walls at various dump sites.
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Image inspiration: Wall-E paddling through a river of black sludge.
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The canyon became affixed with the name carrion for good reason. Flying too low to the dry riverbed or slow moving slurry without any protective gear is more than enough for a dragon to succumb to its noxious vapors. The bones of fauna, beastclan and dragon alike collect here.
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Inspiration image: The reanimated, radioactive bones of an unfortunate tundra.
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If the acid does not eat the bones, no living thing can decompose them. It is said that the tortured spirits of those who fell remain, animating corpses of the long dead in horrible, volatile monstrosities that are radioactive, caustic and poisonous all at the same time. Other say it may just be those who are not so dead after all, clinging to life as magic mutants in a region that would make even a plague dragon balk for all its death and decay.
Even those who have to live near the lower parts of the canyon often suffer from strange or perhaps crippling maladies. Chronic and Acute exposures both have the potential to be fatal. And those born here or exposed to the toxic, radioactive dust and sludge may experience mutations, chemical burns, appear thin and gaunt, have mutated or disrupted patterns and markings, and have strange growths.
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Design Inspiration: Valley of the Drums: Kentucky, USA. One of the first designated Superfund sites in the US.
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Radioactive materials as a whole were not extremely common in the Shifting Expanse. Not only due to not easily being available, but the difficulty in making it a feasible source of energy. It has been proven useful in other ways, from medical treatments in the spire’s high tech hospitals, to glowing paint that needs no magic to power it.
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Inspiration Image: Dry Cask Storage of Nuclear Waste.
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Most high level radioactive wastes come from the small handful of laboratories able to make it in the first place. Making it takes a great deal of time and energy, and small amounts are precious. Despite precautions it inevitably has gotten out into the environment, most notably from the Atomic Advancement Labs dumping into the Carrion Canyon. No serious investigation has yet been put into other labs, or if they have any hidden accidents that proved hazardous to the workers or those living in the surrounding area of these labs.
Proper storage is via large casks after the high powered waste is cooled in cooling ponds and with the assistance of ice aligned dragons. From there it is stored underground on site. These sites were meant to be temporary while a suitable location was found. This has been pushed back multiple times to the point that many don’t think it will happen at all.
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Something of much interest to Lightning scientists is the idea of a natural reactor. It is speculated that one may exist on one of the small islands off the coast, though the search is difficult and time consuming.
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Surface waters are not the only threatened bodies. In a move that would make the Tidelord churn in a fury, multiple points in lightning’s history resulted in dumping into the sea. Usually in the form of drums that were filled with cement or heavy materials to help them sink, the were rolled off of ships or dropped on the wing.
As one can guess, those drums would soon leak their contents into the ocean currents, compromising the wildlife there. And likely angering anything that lives farther below. Radioactive and chemical wastes were the primary type, and it was reported that dragons were not told of the contents of these barrels. This would result later in strange mutated or fused scales, abnormal horn, tooth and fur growth, or falling ill.
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Inspiration Image: Trash Barge
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Offshore fishing and recreation should be done with caution and by referring to local current reports.
Some enterprising dragons have even gone so far as to take wastes from other regions and covertly dumped them in lightning lands, most notably magical slurries and biological waste from the starfall islands due to strict regulation on magic disposal in that region, and creating a problem with finding disposal options. And it is well known that a lightning disposal company serves the Alchemical academy which is famous for its headmaster, Baldwin.
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Pictured: A real book that exists, that I own, but have not read yet.
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Said dragons who do not follow any guidelines in taking care of magical byproducts either would dispose them through the same means as regular lightning materials, or just not try at all. While this will sometimes occur on land in landfills, and in particularly the carrion canyon- the majority is dumped into the sea as it is less effort and avoids additional scrutiny by port authorities. Naturally, the already stressed and possibly mutated wildlife are affected further through the magical goos and byproducts.
Authorities have been attempting in recent years to crack down on these dragons dumping illegally, performing sting operations and cracking down on water traffic inspections.
If this was not challenging enough, there is also the factor of various spills from damaged or sunken ships that would inadvertently dump their cargo into the sea. Two of the worst incidents being the SCB Volt capsizing after striking bottom, and the experimental rig Alpha Wave sustaining damage from a violent tropical storm.
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Inspiration Image: Love Canal, one of the first Superfund sites in the US, along with the valley of drums. Sci-Show did a brief video on Sueprfund Sites.
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Improper burying of material that did not check bedrock, ground water and land use could result in liquid remnants either seeping to the surface, into the water table, or in some cases into the lower level of lairs.
One well known though thankfully minor incident involved both improper disposal and magical waste, which resulted in a whole community of lairs temporarily turning into Fae. Luckily ‘The Fae Incident’ transformation was temporary, though still disruptive and startling.
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Pictured: Victims report that “It was very scary” and “How can any dragon really be that small?”
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Throughout the years, locations have been inhabited and abandoned for multiple reasons. It could be a shift in weather made it inhospitable. Or a bad incident made it uninhabitable. Or its lifeline to the transportation network was cut. Whatever the case, you can find these partial structures all over the region, though rare near the spire.
If not officially taken over to be remade, rebuilt, or be the new home of a clan, the marauders of the wastes will make them temporary homes or places of shelter. Exposed travelers on foot, or anyone caught in a storm would also fare better seeking one of these derelict buildings. Some were homes, some businesses, some defunct towers or factories.
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Inspiration Image: Abandoned plant of some kind, possibly a power plant.
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Inspiration Image: Pripyat, Ukraine
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Inspiration Image: Ordos, China
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With many pollutant sources across the expanse, it is no surprise that the water has been compromised. This can range from being strange tasting and smelling, to downright making a dragon ill. In extreme cases, the water may even catch fire. This is a large problem for fire-born dragons with colds.
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Inspiration Image: High methane content can make water flammable.
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In response, resourceful dragons have been buying or constructing themselves water purification systems in order to provide for their lair. These have worked well for most, and for rural communities there is often a communal well or system in the center of town.
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Pictured: Rough Sketch of Drainage Basins in the Shifting Expanse and Ground Water Movement.
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The excessive mining coupled with the ridgeback dragons natural desire to burrow for their homes has caused major structural damage in parts of the expanse. Sink-holes on the surface and deadly lair collapses have lead to a troubling trend.
The Thunderstone Mesa Collapse, one of the worst in lightning history was a combination of these factors, with the mesa plagued with unauthorized lair expansions, poor planning and database errors on the rock layers composition. Despite all the claw pointing, consensus is that the disaster was preventable and dragon error was to blame.
The toll would have been much higher if it weren’t for good Samaritans and the fast action of emergency responders. Sadly, it was reported that at least one lair had completely perished, with no survivors.
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Inspiration Image: Sinkhole
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Surveyors have been put to work to inspect the land surface for indications that the ground beneath has been excavated too close to the surface or against zoning laws. Ancient lairs with thinner roofs were grandfathered into the program, on the grounds that they manually reinforced their lair to prevent both damage to the surface and loss of life within.
Additionally, underground fires have been a growing problem. A sneeze can set alight a seam of coal and shut down a mining operation completely as these underground fires are impossible to put out. The toxic gases and unstable ground make them dangerous to be in or near.
Demand for resources has necessitated an investigation into mining the unburnt material using special gear and smaller breeds. The program has lead to lots of controversy and funding has been suspended until another review can be made by an independent panel of engineers.
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Inspiration Image: Sign from Centralia, Pennsylvania, a ghost town that had to be evacuated. The fire still burns today.
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The changing of the land meant nothing was left to root down the soil. Harmful materials in tiny forms can now swirl through the air in violent dust storms or be brought down by the rare acid rain. It is currently a major project of engineers to try and find a solution to this tiny and often unnoticed threat. It disproportionately affects smaller breeds, but not exclusively.
Though with the proper personal protective equipment, one can safely work or travel in even the worst of storms. Young or eggs should not be exposed for extended periods of time as these are when they are most vulnerable. Dragons with respiratory complications should travel only short periods or via train.
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Design Inspiration: Norilsk, Russia: one of the top 10 most polluted places on earth. It is said that the metal manufacturing caused the forest to die in a 20 mile radius around the city.
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During excessive storms there may be unhealthy amounts of ozone near the surface. And during times of the year where the air is stagnant- pollutants can hang low to the ground in a muggy heat bubble. This is particularly a problem at and around the spire, or near large factories.
Not only is manufacturing and exhaust part of the problem, but the burning of wastes is also hazardous to ones health. Either from waster-burner trains and devices, or from incinerators. The smoke itself is dangerous, and the ash left behind is often considered radioactive.
When these gather in the harsh abrasive sandstorms, it can lead to serious injury or death if precautions are not taken. Along with these toxic threats, there is the fact that in the worst of these storms, it is said that scales can be sand-blasted right off of a dragon’s back.
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Life expectancy has become a major concern for some areas in the region, though experts insist that there is no statistically significant decline. It cannot be denied that there are acute and chronic detriments or just inconveniences (such as the Fae Incident) that affect the lives of the dragons and other life in the region.
Guidelines have been released for civilian dragons in the face of various hazards, including recommended attire, cleaning procedures, and how to check and maintain the safety of your lair. Lairs in the major mesas can ever get detectors and alarms placed within to alert of any trouble.
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The ECO-Sites (Ecologically Compromised Organisms) Initiative, signed and approved by Stormcatcher himself, was the landmark step in changing the ailing conditions of the Shifting Expanse. A committee was organized to draft a plan in what qualifies a site for ECO designation.
Following this document, a large survey team was deployed to do a complete and comprehensive inspection of the entire realm. This survey is still in progress and it will be long before it is completed. The task is slowed further by teams being called for specific site complaints or to evaluate new disaster locations.
A new permitting process was introduced with approval of The Iron Order of Engineers to designate best practices and ensure safety of projects and sites. Corporation bureaucracy has made the new process challenging to adopt, slowing projects and frustrating flight members who want to get things done.
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First Responder dragons have been given special mandatory training to deal with ECO-Site type hazards. Additionally special volunteer teams pave been put together specifically for the task of dealing with a major disaster. The Spire Safety Board have outlined a guideline for training requirements as well as PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) required for each type of emergency.
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Local communities are encouraged to establish a monitoring program with the aid of ECO-Site engineers in order to help inform residents and travelers of any safety hazards or substances reaching beyond recommended doses. Some suspicious dragons claim that the readouts are lower than true levels, while others claim hypochondriacs have forced the engineers to report levels that were well above true levels. This is still a hot-button issue in some rural and costal communities.
Inspiration Image: Radiation count for the day, near Belarus
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The rise of concerned clans has lead to a very slow but forward moving change in how work is done in the shifting expanse. The Spire, always being the epitome of advancement and forward thinking was the first to begin to adapt to new processes.
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Inspiration Picture: Wind farm in the ocean.
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Wind farms are being piloted off the eastern coast, making use of the sea wind. While wave action generators are currently in beta testing to see if the technology is feasible. There was a push for solar power, but beyond the northern edge of the territory, the constant storms of lightning and dust make the technology difficult to utilize for large operations.
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Inspiration Image: Dusty solar panels on the mars rover.
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Small communities in the highland scrub are known for making and using solar panels out of necessity, thanks to getting more sunlight then the stormy spire. However diligent upkeep and constant cleaning is required to keep them operating efficiently.
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Operation REPAIR was founded to help restore and clean up the shifting expanse ecosystem, in hopes that one day it may recover. This is an effort that will likely take many generations, but the immediate benefits of reducing exposure rates to harmful substances has improved the quality of life for the dragons all over the expanse.
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Pictured: Dr. Felecia Oakfall
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The progress is slow and the number of sites staggering. Dr. Felecia Oakfall, one of the experts in the Green Sornieth Consortium reported that ”… With the sheer amount of contaminants in the shifting expanse, the first five inches of topsoil in the whole region must be removed and correctly disposed. The water table may be in a degraded state for thousands of years.”
The Consortium has since been debating bringing in nature and water dragons to see to the problem, though lightning natives oppose having outsiders ‘fix what they can fix themselves’. Popular public opinion can be summarized as “This is fine.”
Multiple communities have been slow to take on the recommended guidelines of REPAIR. Some individuals are reported refusing and/or doing the opposite of the guidelines out of spite. And many counter arguments boil down to “ Regulation slows progress.”
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Ultimately, the Shifting Expanse and the Lightning flight is on the road to improvement. It is unlikely that the entire landscape will ever be what it was when the Stormcatcher first built his spire. But hardy lightning likely does not need that drastic return.
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Autopilot's Lore Hub
ECO-Sites of the Shifting Expanse
Introduction
The lightning flight is described as being industrious, innovative and stopping at nothing if it means progress. This break neck pace and indomitable will to move forward has changed the landscape and those within it. Often the innovations moved faster than regulations and proper handling of the results can keep up. And this lag has taken its toll on the air, land and water of the region. Coupled with lightning dragons stubbornness about outside help and determination to solve their own problems, it has resulted in a very very large mess.While there were many mistakes, disasters and changes to plan, the flight is coming around. ECO-Sites, or Ecologically Compromised Organism-Sites are areas designated hazardous to life, and a target for further management and cleanup. To understand the sheer scope and scale of the sites, one must first turn to Lightning history.
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With the Rise of Innovation Comes a Rise in Waste
.The flight is unknowingly blazing its way through the technological pathways that the past denizens of the world did before them. Making use of anything they can get their claws on, trying everything and seeking the hidden potential there. Feeding such an insatiable hunger has meant a high demand for energy sources, resources, and new materials.
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Ore & Heavy Metals
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The great machine that is the Lightning Corporation is always demanding raw materials. Iron, Copper, Lead, Chromium. Even Silver and Gold. While establishing a lively trade route with earth provides many resources, the road can be perilous both for attacking beastclan, marauding dragons, or just those who do not take too kindly to the busy road in principal. There is rumor that there is planning and negotiating over a freight rail-line that would make the journey safer, faster and more efficient.
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Inspiration Image: Steam Engine hauling mining freight.
But industrious lightning did not hesitate to also seek out the natural resources within its own borders, with the natural digging talent of ridgeback dragons cutting through the earth for generations. Mining operations were one of the first to be started in the realm when ridgebacks seeking to excavate more room encountered valuable seams of ore and minerals.
Over time mining would become more automated as new innovations and machines could do the work faster and more efficiently. Mining tailings and contaminated waters were usually dumped on-site and not thought about further.
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Inspiration Image: Chat piles from the Tar Creek Superfund Site. One resident claims one of the piles was 1/4 of a mile tall.
Manufacturing Byproducts
.Being the powerhouse of industry comparable only to fire itself, Lightning is always trying to make the next best thing and streamline the process along the way. It’s these sources that are often where the largest amounts of wastes come from, whether chemical or magical in nature.
Proper procedures would require treating the substances before releasing them into the environment. But with deadlines to make these things can end up on the wayside in the form of dumping it into underground containers, storing it on site, or dumping it where it is convenient.
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Experiment Byproducts
.When there are labs dedicated to smashing stuff together, mixing things, and seeing how big of an explosion you can make- you can imagine there will be some wastes left behind. While items from experiments can be far more volatile than others, the smaller amounts help reduce the risk.
Much research is put into discovering new alloys, making electronics more efficient and discovering catalysts that can help them mix and match matter in new ways. Though sometimes it could be a matter of testing two building ideas and seeing which one is easiest to blow up.
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Image Inspiration: Navada Test Site house gets blown into smitheroons.
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Experimental Energy Sources
.Fusion & Fission and Oil & Gas are both topics of much curiosity and research. Mostly due to the rarity of the items necessary, even within the realms where it would be most abundant. No major breakthroughs have come about using fossil fuels, but research is still ongoing. By far the most useful discovery was petroleum based plastics.
It is thought deep in the core of the spire is a lightning powered fusion stellerator. It is a sight rarely seen by common dragons and is nearly a myth if not for the stormcatcher’s extensive knowledge of the system that he has shared with his underlings. Not to mention it explains how the spire can produce so much power for industry, its glowing cities, and fantastic cutting edge technology.
But due to the enormous amount of initial power it takes to stabilize such a system, there have been no successful fusion reactors outside the Spire. Therefore, interest has moved primarily on to fission, and if it is a viable source of energy where lightning storms are not so reliable.
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Inspiration Image: The Wendelstein 7-X experimental Stellerator. Kurzgesagt has a great video on fusion.
Electricity
.The most widely used and by far the staple of the Lightning corporate empire. Most lightning apparati use electricity, and much of their infrastructure is built to harness or gather it. This can also be considered the most environmentally friendly due to its harvestability.
However, this does not take into account other sources that affect the environment. Normal lightning strikes do not affect the atmosphere, but the sheer and near constant strikes has increased the levels of ozone at surface level. Fortunately prevailing winds usually blow these out to sea. But during stagnant seasons or atypical weather patterns can cause a public health hazard for those sensitive to respiratory distress. These dragons are encouraged to wear protective breathing masks, or stay indoors.
Electrical energy is usually transferred two ways. One is via conduit, with great cables crisscrossing the region around the spire. These are insulated from the elements and from discharging from their desired path.
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The second is in the form of lightning canisters. These canisters can hold moderate amounts of energy and act as batteries. These also require heavy and extensive insulation, though despite these measure the charge is slowly lost over time. These insulation materials can be harmful to health, as well as the gases within the canisters.
IT IS ADVISED NOT TO EAT OR STICK BODY PARTS INTO ELECTRICAL CANISTERS AT ANY TIME.
Magic
Lightning and magic are nearly equivalent to lightning dragons, as natives are as a whole not usually gifted with it. This has not stopped them from not only making use with what they can for electrical energy, but learning from non-natives whom have come to join the corporation and add their talents to the greater good.
These experiments tend to run at the spire or the University of Lightning Inc campuses across the shifting expanse. Magical waste is produced from these locations, such as goos, oozes, spent magical items or faulty spell parchments. Or items heavily contaminated with magic due to a backfired spell or some sort of incident.
It should be noted that there is a magical extraction process, but it is not always performed if the predicted outcome is not worth the effort.
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Dealing with the byproduct
Multiple attempts have been made to try and deal with the byproducts of industry. They can be broken down into the five methods below.
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Inspiration Image: Wall-E trash landscape
Dumping
.The first and likely easiest. Simply dumping the material and leaving it in piles elsewhere moves it out of the way. The canyon in particular was, and still is the location of this type of disposal. Carrion Canyon Dumpsites line the rim of the canyon, either at independent sites or at the location of experimental laboratories. The Atomic Advancement Lab is a particularly famous offender, thought to be the reason for the terrible state of the valley floor.
Pictured: Aren McFee, ex Spokesdragon for Atomic Advancement Labs
Aren McFee, spokesdragon for the lab made a public statement that “…While AAL has disposed of some of its low level wastes into the basin, the state of the valley floor is due to numerous point sources that have been utilized for generations. The degraded riverbed could not be as damaged as it is by AAL’s disposal alone, as it’s waste would cause no harm to local life or dragons.”
After the widely publicized lawsuit of Residents of Canyon Wall Vs. Atomic Advancement Labs, Aren McFee stepped down as spokes dragon and residents were compensated. However, the lab still operates to this day. Though as mentioned by McFee, other dumping continues from a variety of sources, and even communities.
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Burying
The out of sight-out of mind version of dumping. Rather than leaving materials exposed to the elements and potentially cause a problem, large pits were excavated and the material buried in great landfills.
On the surface this appeared to be a great solution. But improper investigation of site feasibility or poor containment practices often lead to materials eventually bubbling up to the surface, into lairs, or seeping into the water table if severe. Much is thought to have drained into the Carrion Canyon.
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Inspiration Image: A landfill following proper guidelines.
Residents would complain of strange smells or substances, and bizarre ailments spreading through clan members. (See ‘The Fae Incident’ below.)
Resourceful dragons have been making use of the gases the materials can produce as another energy source. Fossil fuels are uncommon in Sornieth due to its frequent geographic upheaval, with most materials found in Plague regions, so dragons are keen on making use of the rare resource. Whether to use it for energy themselves, for experiments to study it, or to sell in canisters.
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Burning
Incineration of wastes is also a popular solution. It can easily reduce down most mass, allows for the collection of metallic items for re-use and can be done with little effort. However the added particulates into the air has caused problems in years of extensive ‘wind’ droughts. And the content being burned plays a large role in what might get distributed across the landscape.
The ash left behind is also hazardous, and it is recommended that no dragon go near it due to being radioactive from natural-and dragon made materials containing small amounts. These normally trivial amounts collect together over multiple burnings and create a hazard.
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Sinking
.A method mostly used on the coasts or with shipments from the spire due to costs, it was considered one of the more ‘secure’ options in disposal and neatly took care of the problem.
Either flown or by barge, barrels would be taken past the continental shelf where they could be dumped into the sea. Stubborn barrels that would not sink could be prodded into doing so by either tying rocks to them, or for less of a hassle be punctured a few times by claws.
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Inspiration Image: Sailers on the USS Calhoun County dumping radioactive waste into the ocean.
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Recycling
.Despite perceptions, Lightning dragons will re-use materials if it means being efficient or simply getting their claws on something they need. While this is less often practiced at the spire, outer communities and wasteland scavengers must make use of old materials out of necessity. This is more in the form of scrap metals rather than plastics.
The spire does possess a small recycling plant specifically for plastics as their required materials are rare or must be traded for from the realm of nature.
Image: A group of wasteland dragons making use of scrap, one of the primary ways Lightning dragons ‘Recycle’.
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Social, Economic and Environmental Impacts
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Carrion Canyon & The Canyon River
.Even before lightning shaped the expanse to what it is today, this river was compromised by its neighbors. The original name of this river has long since been forgotten. And there has been a lack of any true river at all in recent history. It was this river that slowly carved the massive canyon on its way to the outer oceans.
In the past it was altered thanks to the volatile volcanic nature of the realm of fire from which it flowed along. However life had adapted to these fluctuations, even if it could leave the river water tasting bitter.
But as the land was changed, so too did this river. Over used and not protected, it dried up to a slow, shallow moving sludge that would harden during the dry seasons of the year. This low point in the valley became a natural collection point for all the wastes, toxins, chemicals and refuse poured over the canyon walls at various dump sites.
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Image inspiration: Wall-E paddling through a river of black sludge.
The canyon became affixed with the name carrion for good reason. Flying too low to the dry riverbed or slow moving slurry without any protective gear is more than enough for a dragon to succumb to its noxious vapors. The bones of fauna, beastclan and dragon alike collect here.
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Inspiration image: The reanimated, radioactive bones of an unfortunate tundra.
If the acid does not eat the bones, no living thing can decompose them. It is said that the tortured spirits of those who fell remain, animating corpses of the long dead in horrible, volatile monstrosities that are radioactive, caustic and poisonous all at the same time. Other say it may just be those who are not so dead after all, clinging to life as magic mutants in a region that would make even a plague dragon balk for all its death and decay.
Even those who have to live near the lower parts of the canyon often suffer from strange or perhaps crippling maladies. Chronic and Acute exposures both have the potential to be fatal. And those born here or exposed to the toxic, radioactive dust and sludge may experience mutations, chemical burns, appear thin and gaunt, have mutated or disrupted patterns and markings, and have strange growths.
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Design Inspiration: Valley of the Drums: Kentucky, USA. One of the first designated Superfund sites in the US.
Radioactive Materials
.Radioactive materials as a whole were not extremely common in the Shifting Expanse. Not only due to not easily being available, but the difficulty in making it a feasible source of energy. It has been proven useful in other ways, from medical treatments in the spire’s high tech hospitals, to glowing paint that needs no magic to power it.
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Inspiration Image: Dry Cask Storage of Nuclear Waste.
Most high level radioactive wastes come from the small handful of laboratories able to make it in the first place. Making it takes a great deal of time and energy, and small amounts are precious. Despite precautions it inevitably has gotten out into the environment, most notably from the Atomic Advancement Labs dumping into the Carrion Canyon. No serious investigation has yet been put into other labs, or if they have any hidden accidents that proved hazardous to the workers or those living in the surrounding area of these labs.
Proper storage is via large casks after the high powered waste is cooled in cooling ponds and with the assistance of ice aligned dragons. From there it is stored underground on site. These sites were meant to be temporary while a suitable location was found. This has been pushed back multiple times to the point that many don’t think it will happen at all.
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Something of much interest to Lightning scientists is the idea of a natural reactor. It is speculated that one may exist on one of the small islands off the coast, though the search is difficult and time consuming.
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Bay Dump Sites & Ocean Pollution
.Surface waters are not the only threatened bodies. In a move that would make the Tidelord churn in a fury, multiple points in lightning’s history resulted in dumping into the sea. Usually in the form of drums that were filled with cement or heavy materials to help them sink, the were rolled off of ships or dropped on the wing.
As one can guess, those drums would soon leak their contents into the ocean currents, compromising the wildlife there. And likely angering anything that lives farther below. Radioactive and chemical wastes were the primary type, and it was reported that dragons were not told of the contents of these barrels. This would result later in strange mutated or fused scales, abnormal horn, tooth and fur growth, or falling ill.
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Inspiration Image: Trash Barge
Offshore fishing and recreation should be done with caution and by referring to local current reports.
Some enterprising dragons have even gone so far as to take wastes from other regions and covertly dumped them in lightning lands, most notably magical slurries and biological waste from the starfall islands due to strict regulation on magic disposal in that region, and creating a problem with finding disposal options. And it is well known that a lightning disposal company serves the Alchemical academy which is famous for its headmaster, Baldwin.
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Pictured: A real book that exists, that I own, but have not read yet.
Said dragons who do not follow any guidelines in taking care of magical byproducts either would dispose them through the same means as regular lightning materials, or just not try at all. While this will sometimes occur on land in landfills, and in particularly the carrion canyon- the majority is dumped into the sea as it is less effort and avoids additional scrutiny by port authorities. Naturally, the already stressed and possibly mutated wildlife are affected further through the magical goos and byproducts.
Authorities have been attempting in recent years to crack down on these dragons dumping illegally, performing sting operations and cracking down on water traffic inspections.
If this was not challenging enough, there is also the factor of various spills from damaged or sunken ships that would inadvertently dump their cargo into the sea. Two of the worst incidents being the SCB Volt capsizing after striking bottom, and the experimental rig Alpha Wave sustaining damage from a violent tropical storm.
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The Fae Incident
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Inspiration Image: Love Canal, one of the first Superfund sites in the US, along with the valley of drums. Sci-Show did a brief video on Sueprfund Sites.
Improper burying of material that did not check bedrock, ground water and land use could result in liquid remnants either seeping to the surface, into the water table, or in some cases into the lower level of lairs.
One well known though thankfully minor incident involved both improper disposal and magical waste, which resulted in a whole community of lairs temporarily turning into Fae. Luckily ‘The Fae Incident’ transformation was temporary, though still disruptive and startling.
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Pictured: Victims report that “It was very scary” and “How can any dragon really be that small?”
Ghost Towns and Abandoned Facilities
.Throughout the years, locations have been inhabited and abandoned for multiple reasons. It could be a shift in weather made it inhospitable. Or a bad incident made it uninhabitable. Or its lifeline to the transportation network was cut. Whatever the case, you can find these partial structures all over the region, though rare near the spire.
If not officially taken over to be remade, rebuilt, or be the new home of a clan, the marauders of the wastes will make them temporary homes or places of shelter. Exposed travelers on foot, or anyone caught in a storm would also fare better seeking one of these derelict buildings. Some were homes, some businesses, some defunct towers or factories.
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Inspiration Image: Abandoned plant of some kind, possibly a power plant.
Inspiration Image: Pripyat, Ukraine
Inspiration Image: Ordos, China
Contaminated Water Sources
.With many pollutant sources across the expanse, it is no surprise that the water has been compromised. This can range from being strange tasting and smelling, to downright making a dragon ill. In extreme cases, the water may even catch fire. This is a large problem for fire-born dragons with colds.
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Inspiration Image: High methane content can make water flammable.
In response, resourceful dragons have been buying or constructing themselves water purification systems in order to provide for their lair. These have worked well for most, and for rural communities there is often a communal well or system in the center of town.
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Pictured: Rough Sketch of Drainage Basins in the Shifting Expanse and Ground Water Movement.
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Abandoned Mines & Sink holes
.The excessive mining coupled with the ridgeback dragons natural desire to burrow for their homes has caused major structural damage in parts of the expanse. Sink-holes on the surface and deadly lair collapses have lead to a troubling trend.
The Thunderstone Mesa Collapse, one of the worst in lightning history was a combination of these factors, with the mesa plagued with unauthorized lair expansions, poor planning and database errors on the rock layers composition. Despite all the claw pointing, consensus is that the disaster was preventable and dragon error was to blame.
The toll would have been much higher if it weren’t for good Samaritans and the fast action of emergency responders. Sadly, it was reported that at least one lair had completely perished, with no survivors.
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Inspiration Image: Sinkhole
Surveyors have been put to work to inspect the land surface for indications that the ground beneath has been excavated too close to the surface or against zoning laws. Ancient lairs with thinner roofs were grandfathered into the program, on the grounds that they manually reinforced their lair to prevent both damage to the surface and loss of life within.
Additionally, underground fires have been a growing problem. A sneeze can set alight a seam of coal and shut down a mining operation completely as these underground fires are impossible to put out. The toxic gases and unstable ground make them dangerous to be in or near.
Demand for resources has necessitated an investigation into mining the unburnt material using special gear and smaller breeds. The program has lead to lots of controversy and funding has been suspended until another review can be made by an independent panel of engineers.
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Inspiration Image: Sign from Centralia, Pennsylvania, a ghost town that had to be evacuated. The fire still burns today.
Air Pollution, Fine Particulates, Dust, & Acid Rain
.The changing of the land meant nothing was left to root down the soil. Harmful materials in tiny forms can now swirl through the air in violent dust storms or be brought down by the rare acid rain. It is currently a major project of engineers to try and find a solution to this tiny and often unnoticed threat. It disproportionately affects smaller breeds, but not exclusively.
Though with the proper personal protective equipment, one can safely work or travel in even the worst of storms. Young or eggs should not be exposed for extended periods of time as these are when they are most vulnerable. Dragons with respiratory complications should travel only short periods or via train.
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Design Inspiration: Norilsk, Russia: one of the top 10 most polluted places on earth. It is said that the metal manufacturing caused the forest to die in a 20 mile radius around the city.
During excessive storms there may be unhealthy amounts of ozone near the surface. And during times of the year where the air is stagnant- pollutants can hang low to the ground in a muggy heat bubble. This is particularly a problem at and around the spire, or near large factories.
Not only is manufacturing and exhaust part of the problem, but the burning of wastes is also hazardous to ones health. Either from waster-burner trains and devices, or from incinerators. The smoke itself is dangerous, and the ash left behind is often considered radioactive.
When these gather in the harsh abrasive sandstorms, it can lead to serious injury or death if precautions are not taken. Along with these toxic threats, there is the fact that in the worst of these storms, it is said that scales can be sand-blasted right off of a dragon’s back.
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Public Health
.Life expectancy has become a major concern for some areas in the region, though experts insist that there is no statistically significant decline. It cannot be denied that there are acute and chronic detriments or just inconveniences (such as the Fae Incident) that affect the lives of the dragons and other life in the region.
Guidelines have been released for civilian dragons in the face of various hazards, including recommended attire, cleaning procedures, and how to check and maintain the safety of your lair. Lairs in the major mesas can ever get detectors and alarms placed within to alert of any trouble.
Sandwaste Protective Apparel
Rebreather Aparatus
Wasteland Survival Gear
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Policy Changes and Response
The ECO-Sites (Ecologically Compromised Organisms) Initiative, signed and approved by Stormcatcher himself, was the landmark step in changing the ailing conditions of the Shifting Expanse. A committee was organized to draft a plan in what qualifies a site for ECO designation.
Following this document, a large survey team was deployed to do a complete and comprehensive inspection of the entire realm. This survey is still in progress and it will be long before it is completed. The task is slowed further by teams being called for specific site complaints or to evaluate new disaster locations.
A new permitting process was introduced with approval of The Iron Order of Engineers to designate best practices and ensure safety of projects and sites. Corporation bureaucracy has made the new process challenging to adopt, slowing projects and frustrating flight members who want to get things done.
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Emergency Response Plan
.First Responder dragons have been given special mandatory training to deal with ECO-Site type hazards. Additionally special volunteer teams pave been put together specifically for the task of dealing with a major disaster. The Spire Safety Board have outlined a guideline for training requirements as well as PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) required for each type of emergency.
Haz Mat Team A
Haz Mat Team B
Emergency Response Team
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Local Pollution Reports
.Local communities are encouraged to establish a monitoring program with the aid of ECO-Site engineers in order to help inform residents and travelers of any safety hazards or substances reaching beyond recommended doses. Some suspicious dragons claim that the readouts are lower than true levels, while others claim hypochondriacs have forced the engineers to report levels that were well above true levels. This is still a hot-button issue in some rural and costal communities.
Inspiration Image: Radiation count for the day, near Belarus
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Green Energy Adaptation
.The rise of concerned clans has lead to a very slow but forward moving change in how work is done in the shifting expanse. The Spire, always being the epitome of advancement and forward thinking was the first to begin to adapt to new processes.
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Inspiration Picture: Wind farm in the ocean.
Wind farms are being piloted off the eastern coast, making use of the sea wind. While wave action generators are currently in beta testing to see if the technology is feasible. There was a push for solar power, but beyond the northern edge of the territory, the constant storms of lightning and dust make the technology difficult to utilize for large operations.
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Inspiration Image: Dusty solar panels on the mars rover.
Small communities in the highland scrub are known for making and using solar panels out of necessity, thanks to getting more sunlight then the stormy spire. However diligent upkeep and constant cleaning is required to keep them operating efficiently.
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The Future
.Operation REPAIR was founded to help restore and clean up the shifting expanse ecosystem, in hopes that one day it may recover. This is an effort that will likely take many generations, but the immediate benefits of reducing exposure rates to harmful substances has improved the quality of life for the dragons all over the expanse.
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Pictured: Dr. Felecia Oakfall
The progress is slow and the number of sites staggering. Dr. Felecia Oakfall, one of the experts in the Green Sornieth Consortium reported that ”… With the sheer amount of contaminants in the shifting expanse, the first five inches of topsoil in the whole region must be removed and correctly disposed. The water table may be in a degraded state for thousands of years.”
The Consortium has since been debating bringing in nature and water dragons to see to the problem, though lightning natives oppose having outsiders ‘fix what they can fix themselves’. Popular public opinion can be summarized as “This is fine.”
Multiple communities have been slow to take on the recommended guidelines of REPAIR. Some individuals are reported refusing and/or doing the opposite of the guidelines out of spite. And many counter arguments boil down to “ Regulation slows progress.”
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Ultimately, the Shifting Expanse and the Lightning flight is on the road to improvement. It is unlikely that the entire landscape will ever be what it was when the Stormcatcher first built his spire. But hardy lightning likely does not need that drastic return.
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As usual, this lore is free for folks to use and alter to their liking. Linking back helps others find it so they can make use of it too!
Special thanks to @SilverSkies614 for mentioning the energy farms. That is a good idea!
Special thanks to @SilverSkies614 for mentioning the energy farms. That is a good idea!
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Peace Out
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