this is my entry for the CGTantra matte painting challenge:
won first place in the challenge, the forum is at this link:
http://www.cgtantra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19267

Essentially the challenge set by Philip Straub was to create something that aligned with his description as follows:

Votussoloum : (vo-chu-su-lo-um) It is here, amidst the towering fires of hatred, the concept of war was born. Beginning as nothing more than a seed of negative thought The Votussoloum fed on the Utherworlds unyielding desire for control and power. Each unique tale of war from the corners of the universe is destined to repeat itself within the Votussoloum, over and over. Every skirmish, every conflict, every battle, and every war, at some point in time, has been fought here. These re-enactments help the hateful emotions to grow stronger, every horror fuelling the next, each clash increasing the severity of battles fought in the Utherworlds. The flames of war reach countless feet into a shape shifting sky with purpose, eventually channeling their energy through to the other side. For as far as the eye can see fire consumes and destroys one civilization after another, a replacement always waiting in the shadows.