Somewhere in the world there is a coast; and along that coast is a string of islands. In more temperate climes, a people have settled upon many of the chains. Tall pines grow upon the rocky soil. The people have a distinct architecture. Their houses are large A-frame houses with roofs covered in grass. All have double doors at the only entrance. The Island People are a sea-faring culture. They build their own sailing ships with lumber from their pine forests. The women weave their sails. Most make their living as fishermen, but there are a number of merchant-traders, whose ships ply the waterways between the different island communities, buying and selling goods. On some of the larger islands, which have grasslands for pasture, the Island people raise pigs, goats, sheep, and lamas or else farm for their livelihoods. The latter also raise a small, stocky horse as work horses for plowing fields and pulling wagons. The only domesticated animals on the smaller islands are dogs and cats. The Islanders don't allow either population of animals to get out of hand. Their culture is infused with a strong conservation ethic that pervades every aspect of their secular and spiritual lives. Island People have little to do with the folks along the coasts, prefering to keep their trade among themselves. They regard the "Coasties" with a mild distain. Most of their interactions with the mainlanders happens when one of the Coastie's ships wreck upon their rocky Islands. The rescued sailors are treated well and the injured are treated. As soon as they can, the Island People return the survivors to the mainland. For that reason, most Coasties think well of their aloof neighbours. No one knows how long the Island People have lived on their islands. Some think they may have settled there hundreds--if not thousands--of years before the Coasties settled the continent. ________________ I'm dedicating this render to Goran Abramovic because the idea for this picture was inspired by his "Island House" model (available at www.sharecg.com). It as a whimsical yet practical look that I find especially appealing. I'd love to see him model some other houses and buildings to add to this one. He also modeled both of the two types of ships in the picture. Thanks for looking! Comments on other postings also appreciated. Jeremy CREDIT: Vue7 Pro Studio, Poser6, PostShopPro5. Atmosphere: from Filip's "Optimized Skies" collection (Renderosity). Terrains: Karen Verba "Islands & Beaches" (Cornucopia3d). Trees: Modualz "Old Forest" (RDNA). Ships: Goran Abramovic "Black Jack" and "Don Gor" (all ShareCG). Wakes: Spacebones "Ship Wakes" primitives (ShareCG). Water Texture: Gill Brooks "Windy Waves" (Renderosity). Bridges: "Bridge-Naginata" freeebie.