07-11-2016, 01:36 AM
“…And thus I am seeking Cinnibar Island, but you have found me here, with once again an inoperable vessel, and without simple means of my own exit.” The Sage sat cross-legged on one of the less sandy portions of the island. “That is the long and short of my tale, make of it what you will.” He finished, gauging Crota for any sort of reaction. It would be far simpler if your eyes were not so obfuscatingly black! He thought with passing irritation.
The Zora was lounging against a nearby palm tree, finned arms propped up behind his head, listening to the Sage’s story. His clearly far younger brother was nearby, exploring the island with the voracity of youth, and the Sage had to wonder how many times the clearly aquatic being had actually been to the surface.
“That’s a big story for such a little man,” the Zora mused after a while, “I am not saying that I doubt your story, wanderer, simply that it is the tale of a bigger fish than you would seem to be. You are clearly prime then?” he was only half asking the question, but the Sage nodded anyway. “And you seek this Clowney on Cinnibar, why?” This question was far more definite.
The Sage considered for a moment before answering. He had a multitude of reasons that he had prepared for the inevitable questioning he would receive from Clowney himself, and for a moment, the Sage considered using this Zora as practice, since he was going to have to be quite convincing once he reached Cinnibar. He decided against it, however, he had no concept of how connected the different portions of the Vasty deep were. He highly doubted Clowney would be checking his story, but rumors still spread, and keeping his tale as consistent as possible would only benefit him in the long run.
“It’s a largely academic interest, in truth.” The Sage answered, tone and posture carefully molded to deflect attention from the topic, without overtly refusing to answer the Zora. “The man is a scholar of no small renown where he is from, and I have questions that an astronomer of his expertise would be of assistance with.” The Sage attempted to gauge the Zora’s reaction to his half-truths. Just general enough that you can’t get much information, without being obviously fictitious.
He could see the Zora was trying to read him, but evidently didn’t get satisfactory information, as Crota was frowning slightly as he spoke next. “Astronomer? Then you’re seeking the shard of star, I would guess.” He asked with a slight tilt of the head. The Sage did his best to hide his complete lack of recognition, but he could tell that the Zora was aware of his unfamiliarity.
“That is possible.” The Sage answered non-committally, painfully aware that he was losing the offensive in this discussion. The Zora was still lounging against the palm trunk, looking unconcerned throughout the entirety of the conversation. Yet still managing to put me in a corner despite it all. The Sage mused, regarding the Zora with a new wariness and slightly more respect. “What can you tell me of it?” if you are so certain I am searching for this thing, then I have no reason to deny it. Let us learn what
“Not much, we Zoras have heard only rumors, the place where it struck is far out from our Domain, and the seas farther out hold dangers great enough that we seldom venture there.” The Zora sat up now, with something of a gleam in his obsidian eyes. “How will you reach the Star regardless. It will have sunk beneath the waves, no?”
The Sage pondered this. He had no idea whether Clowney was looking for the star piece, though it seemed more than likely, since the object sounded like something that would drag an arrogant scholar away from his studies. He had no idea what the astronomer would be doing, and at this point he didn’t care; there wasn’t enough information to make intelligent decisions. But it was also clear that the Zora was interested in the outcome of this particular question.
“I do not, though I would hazard the man would use some magic.” He answered with the shrug of a man who does not know. The Zora leaned forward eagerly. I do hope you aren’t going to try and accompany me, fish-man. I have no ill-will towards your kind, but I am not seeking an unwarrantedly bloated travelling company. Numbers draw two things, attention and a lack of supplies. The second I can deal with thanks to our blanched benefactor, but I have little interest in the first." The Sage put on a politely curious face, doing his best to hide his distaste for the coming question.
“Would you like to be able to go down and retrieve it?” The Zora asked with an almost showman-like smile. The Sage was taken aback, and paused for a moment before he responded.
“To be clear, you possess the means for me to traverse the depths without difficulty? Does this include my inability to breath in the stuff?” Crota nodded, and the Sage gave an approving nod, it was an important detail. “Then consider me formally interested, though I would imagine there is a rather significant piece of information you are withholding from me at the moment.” He said, eyeing the entirely too eager Zora as he spoke. The Zora leaned back against the palm tree, though he still had the same eager grin.
“I know just the thing for you then.” Crota said, “See, my brother is one of the best clothiers in Zora’s domain.” He said, pausing as if there was some significance to the statement. The Sage looked at him blankly, and after a moment Crota spoke up further “If you wanted… he could create a tunic for you.” Again the Zora’s tone implied the Sage should be taking something away from the statement, but again the Sage simply returned him a blank stare. Without any sort of reaction, the Zora’s momentum seemed to deflate, and instead of his previous excitement, the sense was more one of forced persistence “…which would allow you to breathe under the water.” He said slowly, spelling it out for the Sage.
“I see. I am understanding now why this is an item you think I would be interested in. What would you be wanting in return?” he asked, bracing himself for a cost that was sure to be disparagingly outrageous given his lack of other options.
The Zora simply shrugged, “That would be my brother’s decision, I simply steer what business I can his way.” The Zora nodded his head towards his brother, who was attempting to climb a palm tree, arm outstretched to pry loose an under ripe coconut. He was clearly about to fall, but his brother seemed unconcerned, The Sage got up and walked over to the smaller Zora.
“Zora!” he called up to the fish-man, who lost his grip on the trunk in surprise and barely managed to keep himself from falling. “I am told you can create a garment that will allow me to survive the water as you can. Is this the truth?” The young Zora looked down at him with wide obsidian eyes. The young Zora nodded silently, and began to descend the tree. “Good, I am interested in purchasing such a garment. What would be the associated cost?” he asked the seeming child as it descended the trunk of the tree with significantly more care than the Sage had seen it display with any of its other actions on the island so far.
The Zora seemed to consider for a moment, sizing the Sage up with a critical eye. “A tale worth the trouble.” He said after he had finished his appraisal. The Sage raised one eyebrow in slight confusion. The young Zora shrugged. “I am a tradesman. I believe in progress through fair exchanges.” The Sage was surprised by the articulation of what he had taken for quite a young Zora, but said nothing as the fish-boy continued. “I possess the skill to grant you a garment that will help you immensely, but of what point is money to one such as yourself. You could create whatever I wished for with little more than time and thought.” He raised a finger to the side of his nose. “That would sound to me like I was getting the worse end of the deal, No?” The Zora turned to head back over to his brother, “You want something of use, you must give something equally valuable. Since material things have no meaning to your kind, I want something more… ethereal.”
The young Zora picked up a reed basket that the Sage hadn’t noticed him carrying before. It was full of various reeds and other things that while common on the surface would probably be of great demand in an underwater realm. So that’s why you’ve wandered away from your waves… The Sage thought. To a true craftsman, there was no end to the quest for fresh components for their craft. There is no substitute for experience, but at times the wonder of ignorance can be missed…
The Zora pulled out a blue tunic along with a pair of bone needles. “As it happens, this piece is nearly finished. Tell your tale, and I will work while I listen. If your story matches my craft in quality, the tunic is yours, and payment is made.” He sat down against a tree and his brother glanced over at them, still lounging without any apparent cares. The Sage thought for a moment, sifting through the tales he remembered well enough to tell.
Then he began.
The Zora was lounging against a nearby palm tree, finned arms propped up behind his head, listening to the Sage’s story. His clearly far younger brother was nearby, exploring the island with the voracity of youth, and the Sage had to wonder how many times the clearly aquatic being had actually been to the surface.
“That’s a big story for such a little man,” the Zora mused after a while, “I am not saying that I doubt your story, wanderer, simply that it is the tale of a bigger fish than you would seem to be. You are clearly prime then?” he was only half asking the question, but the Sage nodded anyway. “And you seek this Clowney on Cinnibar, why?” This question was far more definite.
The Sage considered for a moment before answering. He had a multitude of reasons that he had prepared for the inevitable questioning he would receive from Clowney himself, and for a moment, the Sage considered using this Zora as practice, since he was going to have to be quite convincing once he reached Cinnibar. He decided against it, however, he had no concept of how connected the different portions of the Vasty deep were. He highly doubted Clowney would be checking his story, but rumors still spread, and keeping his tale as consistent as possible would only benefit him in the long run.
“It’s a largely academic interest, in truth.” The Sage answered, tone and posture carefully molded to deflect attention from the topic, without overtly refusing to answer the Zora. “The man is a scholar of no small renown where he is from, and I have questions that an astronomer of his expertise would be of assistance with.” The Sage attempted to gauge the Zora’s reaction to his half-truths. Just general enough that you can’t get much information, without being obviously fictitious.
He could see the Zora was trying to read him, but evidently didn’t get satisfactory information, as Crota was frowning slightly as he spoke next. “Astronomer? Then you’re seeking the shard of star, I would guess.” He asked with a slight tilt of the head. The Sage did his best to hide his complete lack of recognition, but he could tell that the Zora was aware of his unfamiliarity.
“That is possible.” The Sage answered non-committally, painfully aware that he was losing the offensive in this discussion. The Zora was still lounging against the palm trunk, looking unconcerned throughout the entirety of the conversation. Yet still managing to put me in a corner despite it all. The Sage mused, regarding the Zora with a new wariness and slightly more respect. “What can you tell me of it?” if you are so certain I am searching for this thing, then I have no reason to deny it. Let us learn what
“Not much, we Zoras have heard only rumors, the place where it struck is far out from our Domain, and the seas farther out hold dangers great enough that we seldom venture there.” The Zora sat up now, with something of a gleam in his obsidian eyes. “How will you reach the Star regardless. It will have sunk beneath the waves, no?”
The Sage pondered this. He had no idea whether Clowney was looking for the star piece, though it seemed more than likely, since the object sounded like something that would drag an arrogant scholar away from his studies. He had no idea what the astronomer would be doing, and at this point he didn’t care; there wasn’t enough information to make intelligent decisions. But it was also clear that the Zora was interested in the outcome of this particular question.
“I do not, though I would hazard the man would use some magic.” He answered with the shrug of a man who does not know. The Zora leaned forward eagerly. I do hope you aren’t going to try and accompany me, fish-man. I have no ill-will towards your kind, but I am not seeking an unwarrantedly bloated travelling company. Numbers draw two things, attention and a lack of supplies. The second I can deal with thanks to our blanched benefactor, but I have little interest in the first." The Sage put on a politely curious face, doing his best to hide his distaste for the coming question.
“Would you like to be able to go down and retrieve it?” The Zora asked with an almost showman-like smile. The Sage was taken aback, and paused for a moment before he responded.
“To be clear, you possess the means for me to traverse the depths without difficulty? Does this include my inability to breath in the stuff?” Crota nodded, and the Sage gave an approving nod, it was an important detail. “Then consider me formally interested, though I would imagine there is a rather significant piece of information you are withholding from me at the moment.” He said, eyeing the entirely too eager Zora as he spoke. The Zora leaned back against the palm tree, though he still had the same eager grin.
“I know just the thing for you then.” Crota said, “See, my brother is one of the best clothiers in Zora’s domain.” He said, pausing as if there was some significance to the statement. The Sage looked at him blankly, and after a moment Crota spoke up further “If you wanted… he could create a tunic for you.” Again the Zora’s tone implied the Sage should be taking something away from the statement, but again the Sage simply returned him a blank stare. Without any sort of reaction, the Zora’s momentum seemed to deflate, and instead of his previous excitement, the sense was more one of forced persistence “…which would allow you to breathe under the water.” He said slowly, spelling it out for the Sage.
“I see. I am understanding now why this is an item you think I would be interested in. What would you be wanting in return?” he asked, bracing himself for a cost that was sure to be disparagingly outrageous given his lack of other options.
The Zora simply shrugged, “That would be my brother’s decision, I simply steer what business I can his way.” The Zora nodded his head towards his brother, who was attempting to climb a palm tree, arm outstretched to pry loose an under ripe coconut. He was clearly about to fall, but his brother seemed unconcerned, The Sage got up and walked over to the smaller Zora.
“Zora!” he called up to the fish-man, who lost his grip on the trunk in surprise and barely managed to keep himself from falling. “I am told you can create a garment that will allow me to survive the water as you can. Is this the truth?” The young Zora looked down at him with wide obsidian eyes. The young Zora nodded silently, and began to descend the tree. “Good, I am interested in purchasing such a garment. What would be the associated cost?” he asked the seeming child as it descended the trunk of the tree with significantly more care than the Sage had seen it display with any of its other actions on the island so far.
The Zora seemed to consider for a moment, sizing the Sage up with a critical eye. “A tale worth the trouble.” He said after he had finished his appraisal. The Sage raised one eyebrow in slight confusion. The young Zora shrugged. “I am a tradesman. I believe in progress through fair exchanges.” The Sage was surprised by the articulation of what he had taken for quite a young Zora, but said nothing as the fish-boy continued. “I possess the skill to grant you a garment that will help you immensely, but of what point is money to one such as yourself. You could create whatever I wished for with little more than time and thought.” He raised a finger to the side of his nose. “That would sound to me like I was getting the worse end of the deal, No?” The Zora turned to head back over to his brother, “You want something of use, you must give something equally valuable. Since material things have no meaning to your kind, I want something more… ethereal.”
The young Zora picked up a reed basket that the Sage hadn’t noticed him carrying before. It was full of various reeds and other things that while common on the surface would probably be of great demand in an underwater realm. So that’s why you’ve wandered away from your waves… The Sage thought. To a true craftsman, there was no end to the quest for fresh components for their craft. There is no substitute for experience, but at times the wonder of ignorance can be missed…
The Zora pulled out a blue tunic along with a pair of bone needles. “As it happens, this piece is nearly finished. Tell your tale, and I will work while I listen. If your story matches my craft in quality, the tunic is yours, and payment is made.” He sat down against a tree and his brother glanced over at them, still lounging without any apparent cares. The Sage thought for a moment, sifting through the tales he remembered well enough to tell.
Then he began.
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If history is to become legend, it first must be recorded.