While the house tubers that provide many of the dwellings in this part of the world are relatively straightforward to grow and excavate, the tall watch-tower tubers are much more troublesome to grow. Granted any good patch of dirt and an uninterrupted decade, a house tuber is reasonably easy to cultivate (although the huge mansion tubers are notoriously difficult, and the secret of their vast size jealously guarded by the growers.) Watch tubers, however, require both a special variant of the house tuber strain, and very particular soil, dry on top, but with access to deep groundwater. The plant will send down long taproots until it reaches the groundwater, then bulging into the familiar shape deep in the earth. Excavation is exceedingly difficult because of this depth, particularly since great care must be taken not to damage the taproots, which, once cured and dried, form the tough base of the tower. The enormous outlay of manpower to uproot the tuber leads to the equally enormous pricetags.

Once uprooted, the interior is hollowed out by skilled artisans, windows, floors, and fixtures placed, all of which must be done upside down. The finished tuber is taken to the final location and flipped up on its stem, then anchored into place. While they appear to defy gravity, the immense taproots are as strong as steel, but flexible enough to withstand powerful storms, and the tough rind of the tuber holds against wind, weather, fire, and lots of angry people with arrows. The large wing-like wooden fans serve as semaphores, transmitting simple messages, whether an "all clear!" or "invasion incoming!" While watch tuber duty is often boring or lonely, it's no physical hardship, as the interiors are warm, well-fitted, and surprisingly light and air for what is, in essence, a giant vertical potato.
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I have been obsessed with buildings made out of tubers lately. What can I say? And in my efforts to overcome my loathing of the airbrush, I may have gone a little overboard on the pastels. Okay, a lot overboard. Okay, I feel unclean! But the cheesy fantasy misty mountains and this monsterous rough lumpy thing seemed to go well together, anyway.

Digital, painter 7, intuos tablet. Two sizes of prints available, for $10 and $20 plus shipping, drop a note or visit [link] for details!