79.squall-longleg.14.5

Yesterday Shad and I made a trip out to Mam Tor -- the murk was exceptionally light, and it seemed worth the risk. I was most surprised by the number of folk out there for the time of year -- we're well into Windstrom, but the humidity plants have been all over the place of late.

The visit backed up my position that I mentioned in Chronicles book one, about The Dark Peak being opened up to the populace by the DPDC (and likely the nascenti), yet still being a dangerous place to go, if you were to step outside of the artificial boundaries that have been established.

This is a DPDC ad, that's all over the-hivemind, all of the time:

Background music: Uplifting and adventurous tune. Aerial video, moorlands, rolling hills of The Dark Peak.
Escape to a land shrouded in mystery, where rugged beauty and untamed wilderness collide.
Image: Hikers on scenic trail.. waterfall.. wildlife..
Welcome to The Dark Peak, for nature lovers and adventure seekers.
Image: Climber on rocky peak.. cyclists..
Unwind and indulge -- where comfort meets nature.
Image: Murkrise over The Dark Peak..
The Dark Peak. Discover the magic. Experience the adventure.
This was a public utility broadcast by The Dark Peak District Council.

Sounds great, eh?

Forget that advertisement, The Dark Peak is a dangerous place, at least so I am led to believe. But The Nascenti overlords are obviously keen to share the impression that it is something of a leisure space for their unsuspecting human slaves to enjoy, despite the risks. Maybe they're correct, I suspect they have it pretty well segregated so that if you were to visit the Winnats Pass or the Ladybower lake, or you were to hike up Kinder Scout or run along Stanage Edge, you would not see a single xin or Dyapnid, or any other of the warlike denizens that live out there. They will have had some fenced off reserves constructed, I'm sure, just to provide some semblance of normality -- but rest assured, should you cross the fence, or wander off the track well trod, you would be taking your life into your hands.

This photograph from my psycmask is a view from between Back Tor and Lose Hill, across the Edale valley towards the Kinder plateau, and shows what I've talked about in the book perfectly -- see that fence in the foreground?

Signs say that the fencing is to "keep animals out, rather than you in" -- you can do what you like, feel free to roam, at your own expense, obviously; you really don't want to cross that barbed wire fence, better stay this side, where it's safe from those nasty unknowns that lurk out there in the murk.