Lake Onetre

Lake Onetre (Mirselec Onetregaide) is a lake in Besurgana Province, on the island of Masalne. It is one of the many high-altitude lakes found on both sides of the Central Mountain Range on Masalne, but its beauty has made it one of the most famous of these lakes, as well as earning it a place amongst the Five Great Scenes of Risevne.

Geography

The lake is a barrier lake, formed by lava dams from ancient eruptions blocking the course of streams and eventually creating a lake; in this case the lake is estimated to be around 370,000 years old, and was formed from a particularly powerful eruption of nearby Tatzerik volcano.

The lake itself occupies a valley around 330 metres above sea level, oriented east-west before bending north for its western third. In all the lake is around 9.5 kilometres long, and its width varies from around 180 metres to nearly 1200 metres. The water of the lake is around 16 metres deep on average, though in certain areas it reaches up to 68 metres deep.

Surrounded by the relatively steep slopes of the eastern Mathormagos, the lake nonetheless is flanked by plains, mostly on its north side and especially along the bend of the lake; that plain is the site of the town of Sepora, which straddles the small river also called Sepora that drains into the lake.

Human Impact and Importance

The shores of the lake have been inhabited by people ever since around 1,800 BDN; the town of Sepora traces its founding date back to around 200 BDN. The remoteness of the lake did not stop people from visiting the area, both for leisure and to fish; the lake, fed by many small mountain streams and being quite deep, was home to several species of well-known food fish.

Environment

One of the prime factors that has allowed Lake Onetre to remain relatively pristine is its relative inaccessibility; even now there are not easy to reach the lake by any means, there being just two main roads that lead up to the area. Furthermore, in 1866 the lake was formally accorded a Royal Protected Natural Region, and under the resultant regulations construction along the shores of the lake is heavily restricted.

Cultural Significance

Lake Onetre's extraordinary natural beauty earns it a place amongst the Five Great Scenes of Risevne, and scores of paintings have been done of the area over the centuries. Of the five scenes it is considered the most colourful, while the strange rock formations on the north side of the lake are also famous as studies in form and shape.

A famous convention in classical Risevan painting is to paint four pictures of the lake, each from a different season and a different angle; many famous studies of this type have been done, including one by Gelgor Surinban over 1834 and 1835, and another by Adresil Mude in 1954, of which the "Autumn" painting is one of the most renowned Risevan paintings.