The Wizard (part 1 of 4).

Hey guys, I originally wanted to wait until I had all of the pages on the wizard complete, but the scope of the section on him just kept expanding. I realised that because of the wizard’s long life, I could tell a bit more of the history that led up to the events of Humanity Lost through him. I also wanted to produce some more artwork depicting snapshots of what I’m describing in the text. That is adding to the page count, of course, because it’s pushing the text onto the next page, but I think it’s nice having an image on the page rather than just wall after wall of text. This is just page 1 of 4, but I’ll have the rest coming out shortly. The art for the next one is complete. I just need to shade it.

In this one, we get a look at what it’s like in Doggerland. In the background, we see the North Sea dam wall. It is lined with wind turbines for power generation and also a high-speed rail line, making transport across the Doggerland territory quick and easy. That massive neo-Gothic structure we see cut into the dam actually doubles as a colossal rise lock gate for cargo ships, as well as a mega sluice gate that regulates water levels within Doggerland. Hydroelectric power is also generated with the management of water levels. These gates can be seen spaced out across the many sea walls.

While little seaside settlements like this one Myrddin grew up in might seem remote, they’re actually never far from a nearby centre of culture where locals can have access to and enjoy orchestral performances in regional theaters, view high art, visit museums, walk among some beautiful architecture, watch and partake in sports and loosen up in the lively nightlife that exists there.

To avoid the urban-rural divide and the political polarisation that it produces, the population of cities are kept to a minimum in Doggerland. Rental accommodation in cities is provided by the regional council to help fund the preservation of the city and the surrounding countryside, this is mostly occupied the youth, students and people who work at hospitals and the like. There are no sub-urban sprawls around cities like we see today and Ingwine cities are little more than what would be considered tight city centres by us, making them easy to get in and out of. The cities are walkable, pedestrian friendly and public transport is readily available in the form of trams, trains and buses. There is no permanent residence within the cities either, making them transitory spaces for the surrounding country folk to enjoy at their leisure without the feeling of alienation. They are regional cultural hubs that all in the surrounding area feel a sense of connection to as a meeting place for their various agricultural communities. Nearly everyone in Doggerland lives out in the countryside in little farming communities. In fact, the majority of people either have small holdings of their own or are farmers who provide a surplus of food for others and for trade with other nations. Doggerland is an agrarian powerhouse, many call it the breadbasket of the world.

Doggerland, besides principally existing as a homeland for its people, is a state founded on the principle of being a nation of free yeomen. The state is small, but extremely efficient in the management of the various damns, washes and canals, the national health service and the defence of the nation, but other than that, it stays out of peoples lives. Small villages are self governing political entities and require very little in the way of top down government involvement, this is why Doggerland is made up almost solely of them.

Thomas Jefferson was perhaps the strongest advocate for this agrarian ideal. In a 1785 letter to John Jay, he wrote:

"Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their land and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds."

His Notes on the State of Virginia (1785) expand on this idea, arguing that agriculture fosters moral and civic virtue.

Livy in his book Ab Urbe Condita, where he writes about the Roman republic, regularly expresses this same sentiment that the farmer is the backbone of the state.

This is the basis of the society of Doggerland.