A small insight to one particular concept in the upcoming comic I'm expected to spew out by the end of the year. At least a few first pages that is anyhow.
This was the first real attempt I had with bringing a scene to life in digital form. There's some good and bad points all over the joint. I've had some mixed responses about it, but overall this was a lesson. More so on landscape and shadows. I'm still proud of the result.

Original post can be found here.
http://lexplosion.deviantart.com/ar.....nded-267944315

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Dak' Rahn's Dead Zone, also known as the Zone of Alienation by non-Rahnites, much like the area of Prypiat, Ukraine.
Except it wasn't radiation, or war that scarred this place. And there are hardly any ruins left to show. In the 1st Era of Rahnite existence, the very peak of technological advancement was coming to fruition. Many things such as space travel and new forms of energy were among the fastest growing.
The former cities in the area were heavily draining the natural supplies and bleeding the very planet core dry. There were many protests and campaigns to fight against these companies that were killing the planet. The campaigners never won their battle. No matter how much damage they tried to cause to the factories, mines and people at the very heart of control.
There came a time when parts of the area started to collapse, vegetation and plants started to wither and die. In the time of a single year the zone started to become a very dry desert, which would normally take many milleniums naturally. Populations withered globally as the damage started to spread from the epicentre, all around, until Dak' Rahn became a weak, dying rock.
Many of the Rahnites then tried to escape to the caverns where atmospheric machines would continue to work for many, many years. The ones in space, would need to resupply at some point, but they return to a world that was no longer the Dak' Rahn they once knew.

It wasn't until a fair chunk into the 21st Century that the planet was given a boost of life by the neighbouring Dra' Gemnan. This boost came from environmental materials and plans from scientists and explorers, originally trying to start a colony.

That time the first modern Rahnites emerge from the ground in awe of the beauty of something they never thought would happen.

This fateful event is known all around as the Rahn Rebirth.

Currently, the 2nd Era is extremely careful to not cause any future damage to the world, as it is still recovering from an epic length of time of being a ghostly shell.
The original site that all this happened has ever since been a place for visitors, Rahnite or not to have a look at the devastation that carelessness hand-in-hand with ignorance can do.
In fact it is widely believed that the Dead Zone will forever be called the Dead Zone.
Especially by people such as Manxis Alertyr - Banshee U2130.