Completed Reeling 'em in

[Davus]

Timestamp : Morning, 38th of Fall, 513 AV

Davus stared listlessly into the background of the Kulkukan tavern, his expression weary as he flipped the golden Miza. It seemed to catch the light each revolution, spraying the walls in its golden shine before landing back down on his dirty gnarled thumb only to be flipped again. Davus sighed, he was bored. Since his arrival in Riverfall there had been little excitement, no bar brawls or pirate raids, no criminal syndicates or dark magic, and if there had been Davus hadn't been lucky enough to experience it. A voice on the table next to him spoke loudly, it came from a tall, lean human with a large hooked nose and a thick monobrow that was constantly bent into a frown and he sat hunched over a tankard of cheap ale "No your wrong you want a thick juicy ragworm if you want cod. They love the stuff when in wriggles about on your hook" He was arguing with another human, the complete opposite of his friend; he was as wide as he stood, with a flat wide nose that looked like it had been punched several times and fat watery eyes embedded in his skull. A trail of grease made its way down his shirts as he torn apart a chicken carcass.

"A ragworm?" He spoke flabbergasted "A ragworm? If you want to be sat there for hours on end a ragworm is perfect but if you want to catch the biggest fattest cod you have ever seen you want to use hermit crabs."
Continued to flip his coin but was no longer paying attention to it, this conversation as dull as it sounded was more interesting to the Svefra. He had never had the chance to learn how to fish, he much more interested in keeping the pod's casinor in one piece rather than what in the ocean would kill them if he couldn't

"How do you sad excuses for fishermen even make a bloody livin'?" A third voice interjected. She was by far the most normal looking of the entourage, with rounded cheekbones, a high trimmed brow and full pink lips she looked positively noble yet she had one of those looks that said "If you come near me I will cut your bollocks off" and woe betide to any man who missed that look. "Cod is so bleedin' cheap right now. You want to start fishin' for sharks, that's what all those high and mighty blue nobles in this city want. Whatcha wanna do is get an entire mullet and stick in a metal container, the slice open a couple of chickens and stick their intestines in this container as well, then you leave it in the sun or by the fire in winter for about three days, trust me; what you find in their will draw so many sharks in you'll be eaten like nobles all year round. You won't be able to stop reeling 'em in" She finished with a grin as the fisherman stared blankly after being verbally castrated.

The lean fisherman broke the still silence that hung around the table "My son could've used a woman like you at home, he's all soft y'know" The fat one nodded in agreement "He spends all his time reading rather, I wouldn't mind if he wasted all of his time scrapping with his mates but all he does is read. So one day I had enough so I said to him Listen up lad, if you aren't gonna act like a man, you have to start working. So either you learn how to fish or you are gonna feel my boot up your backside when I am kicking you out of this house. So what does this kid do? He gets a book called A History of Fishing!" He shook his head.

"What did you with the runt?" The fat one asked.

"I kicked him out. This world has got no room for soft scholars; it needs men and women who are willing to pull their bloody weight! I had to return that book to that library as well, the welcome was lacking in warmth if y'know what I mean"

The Miza didn't catch the light this time as Davus's hand snatched it out of the air and returned it to his pouch.
"I'm gonna need directions Nystir, I'm heading to the library"

[Davus]

Timestamp : Mid-Day, 38th of Fall, 513 AV

Intimidation. That was the one word that first came to mind when he stepped into the library. The columns of books regarding any multitude of topics would amaze and inspire scholars and nobles but to the common people.... Bah it was nothing more than a power display. Davus treaded lightly around the bookshelves as if to not disturb the dusty tomes or ancient scrolls , they sat there in formation, their rows stretching high into the ceiling like they were designed to look down and oppress whoever couldn't perceive their secrets. Sure castles were more impressive, armies more terrifying, gold more corrupting and the deities more powerful but castles crumble, armies wither, gold can be lost and even the gods can be killed but knowledge, that was eternal.

He snaked in and out through the bookcases running his hands along the leatherback bindings that held the pages together, it was useless though; he couldn't find the book.
"Can I help you?" The voice seemed to appear out of thin air making Davus jump out of his skin as he spun around to find the source of the gentle voice. He found it right next to him, an Akalak of the deepest purple almost black stood in plain view in front of him, clothed in grey robes with his arms tucked into the others sleeve, a expression of inquisition and almost curiosity as to why this dirty, tipsy Svefra was in his library running his hands along books that spun centuries adorned his face though an annoyed look was absent from his face which surprised Davus.

"I'm looking for a book" Davus said unaware he was stating the obvious "What's it to you?"

"I am the head librarian, Kvanth is my name" He replied calmly, he was used to some commoners responding to writing with hostility or as if it was magical "Perhaps you could narrow it down for me and I could help you find it"

"A fishing book" He said taken aback by his calm demeanour "A History of Fishing"

"Ahh I wonderful book but I am afraid you are quite clearly in the wrong section, this is war after all" He chuckled, gesturing to Davus to follow him "A riveting read, written by a Leandro Vargas. He wasn't actually a fisherman truth be told, but he did fancy himself as an explorer and he could write a very thorough book. It was a shame what happened with those savages, but if you do bed the chieftain's daughter do expect to be torn apart."

Davus nodded as he followed the librarian through the library, it wasn't even the largest library in Mizahar but the scale still daunted Davus "So is this a particularly large book?"

"Well it is meant to be comprhesive, covering early histories of fisherman to the development of the rod and line and even aquatic life, but then again is two centuries old so some of the newer methods devised by fisherman won't be included. It is strange how much activity this book has received in recent days"

"Oh really" He said trying to sound disinterested "How so?"

"Well there was a young man a couple of weeks ago" He replied turning a corner "Very nice boy, Jonathan I think his name was. I believe he felt isolated, very few human children around here and even fewer aspire to something more than hitting other people or hard labour. And then a couple of days ago a very strange man came in a returned the book, very aggressive he was, he told me I should get a real job. So uneducated, some people just don't appreciate the pursuit of knowledge. And here we are" He gestured towards a particularly large navy blue book. As Davus tugged it off the shelf he felt the weight if pages pull down on his arms "Please be careful with it, it is very old"

They walked back to the desk in silence to sign for the book "Name?"

"Davus"

"Davus?"

"Just Davus"

"Very well, just sign here and return it in three weeks time in its original condition"
Davus signed where Kvanth gestured to and left quickly. As he left he heard a voice calling back to him but he didn't turn around to see where it came from, he knew why he was being called; he signed with an X.

[Davus]

Timestamp : Evening, 38th of Fall, 513 AV

Davus sat hunched over the bar at the Kulkukan Tavern with one hand holding a tankard of ale that he was slowing emptying while the other held his new pipe. Before laid spread out was the book he had taken out earlier that day, He sipped on the ale and drunk in the wisdom while letting his tavan, who sat on his shoulder, sip from the tankard as he brought it down from his damp lips. He ran his hands over the dried parchment, there was just a hint of foxing towards the edges of the pages, and a faint scented musty smell hitting his nostrils as his eyes scanned the pages. How long had it taken the writer to collect the knowledge of the world? How long had the calligrapher taken to write down this knowledge to create such a beaut- "You can't even read can you?"

Davus looked up at Nystir, the barman of the Kulkukan Tavern, despite the cold manner Davus treated him when they first met he had warmed up to the bartender over the past few days "Well... No" He confessed sheepishly "How did you know?"

"Well firstly you signed the visitor's book with an X which sort of gave me the idea you can't write, and secondly I had to point at the area marked signature for you to sign" Nystir answered, a smile touching his lips.

"I see, can I have a tankard of wine?"

"You drink too much ale" Nystir said pulling out a clear cut wine glass "You drink a glass of wine not a tankard" He poured the deep red liquid, filling the glass to the brim and pushed it towards Davus "I thought you only drunk cheap ale, why the change of heart?"

"Wine is the drink of scholars, nobles and women my friend. And while I still don't hold any titles or lands, I am pretty sure I am still a man but with this large, leatherbound book in front of me I am feeling rather scholarly"

Nystir bent over the bar to get a look at the book "Fishing eh? Think of casting your line out into the big blue?"

"Yes actually" He said taking a sip on the wine "That is awful, how do people drink this stuff" He wiped his mouth trying to avoid spilling any of the wine on the book "Can you read this section out for me?" He pointed towards a large paragraph underneath a picture of an anatomical dissection hammerhead shark

"Let's see, Shark fishing is a profitable and exciting business that attracts only the most adventurous or greedy fisherman. A common consensus amongst fishermen is that night time is the best time to cast the line is night time as sharks are more active while a less agreed upon yet still popular myth being that a full moon brings the biggest and most deadly of sharks. A Charodian fisherman told me that the bait must be secured on a large tri-hook, these are fairly expensive hooks consisting of a three hooks welded together to secure the shark more. The hook must be weighted with no float so the line can be cast out further. Always fish for sharks in pairs with one holding the rod and the other holding him back so they aren't pulled in by the sheer force of the shark and they must be ready to kill the shark or at least pull their partner away when the shark is brought aboard. Ok, why are you reading about shark fishing?"

"Because I am going to catch the biggest shark you have ever seen"
"I don't how much you have drunk but for someone who has never fished before you can't start fishing for sharks" He flipped over to the start of the book "Why don't you start by spear fishing?"

"Spear fishing?"

"Yes spear fishing, listen to what the book says." He flicked the pages over to stopping near the start of the book before reading from the page aloud "Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing that has been used throughout Mizahar for millennia. Early civilizations and current-day tribal communities are familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks. Using a hand held spear I have witnessed spearfishing occur on both land, shallow water and a boat. See, it is cheaper and much safer than shark fishing"

"Okay, okay I'll try spear fishing but if don't catch anything it's on you"
Davus slid out of his stall and stumbled towards the door "Davus, turn around and go upstairs. I am not letting you fish while you are drunk. I'll look after the book and you go to bed" Nystir ordered. Davus protested but only with unintelligible mumbles as he clambered his way upstairs.

[Davus]

Timestamp : Sunrise, 39th of Fall, 513 AV

It was a beautiful morning, the sun had just broken the horizon spraying colours of inexplicable magnificence that have no known name, turning the furrowed clouds into balls of deep oranges and reds that dotted throughout the sky. Davus stood ankle-deep in the clearest of water, the surface seemed to glisten and shine in the rising sun. The light of the morning sun awakened the life in the rock pools that Davus stood in, shoals of small fish darted in and out around his feet while large crabs emerge from the sand making vain attempts to catch these fish in their cumbersome claws. Davus's stood in the centre of the rock pool, his trousers rolled up and an unflinching gaze upon his face as he stared into the depths of water.

In his hand he held a makeshift spear, in truth it was just a long stick that he had sharpened against a rock while he waited for the sun to emerge before setting out into the rock pool. The water was freezing cold this early in the morning and without any ale to warm his bones he had to physically resist shivering to avoid scaring any fish off. It felt like one of the longest bells of his life before a fish large enough to interested him came along, by then his lips were nearly as blue as his good eye but Davus was too engrossed in his fishing to notice, it was a fat grey lumpfish, about a foot in length started to nibble of the sand near his feet. He took a deep breath of anticipation; he gripped the spear tightly "Over here you little bugger" He muttered in an undertone as and fish seemed to oblige as it swum closer. He jabbed the tip of the spear into the water.

The spear broke the surface of the water, sending shattered waves rippling off in all directions. A cloud of sand was churned up from the sea floor; a flurry of activity occurred as shoals of fish fled and crabs scattered back underneath the rocks. Davus triumphantly yanked his spear out of the water to see the spoils of his endeavour yet he found none, cursing the sea he examined the hole left in the sand by his spear "That should have gone straight through it" He muttered. He shook his head as he moved to another spot, he had disturbed this area too much and few fish would return to it for a while.

He had become impatient so the first fish that even came close to him he struck out at it, but once again he did little expect disturbing the dirt and life around him. He adjusted his position, perching himself of some nearby rocks he waited again, and again, and again before he had started to stab at the sand wildly "Why isn't this working!?" He cried out as he made his way again to another area, stamping the ground in frustration as he went. From the sky a seagull swooped down and dropped something at his feet, a small blenny fish floated next him as the seagull perched himself on a rock outcrop in front of Davus who picked it up "Hilarious, you are a real bloody comedian aren't you" He said lashing out at his tavan, chucking the fish at him and missing. Shoal tilted his head back at screeched out loudly which seemed to closely resembled laughter.

This time he took no chances, he left several fish that came close alone until a particularly slow, old lumpfish came right up to him. This time he took careful aim, jabbing swiftly at the fish. "Ohh sh-" He screamed out, he had aimed to close to himself and the tip had torn through his big right toe spraying blood all over nearby rocks "By Laviku that hurts!" He yanked the spear out of his toe, sending another stream of blood into the water "Ah! I really shouldn't have pulled it out!" He felt his eyes water and his knuckles whiten as he gripped the spear for support "That's it I am done with this" He limped through the rock pool back to Riverfall muttering curses as the salt water stung his wound.

[Davus]

Timestamp : Mid-Day, 39th of Fall, 513 AV

Davus limped back into the Kulkukan Tavern shivering with a deep set scowl and a wounded pride

"If looks could kill" He heard from the bar as he sat down on the nearest stool and rested his right foot on another "That looks like a nasty little wound there, were you attacked by a big, mean fish? Or did a shark happen to swim by?" Davus glared up a Nystir who leant against bar with a smirk on his face.

"I don't care how big you are, if you make one more comment I am going to smash that stupid blue face of yours against this bar, then I am going to get the finest bottle of wine you have in this place and pour it over your head to set on fire" Davus threatened.

"By Sivah you are grumpy when you are not drunk" He filled up a tankard and pushed it over "You should get that checked out you know"

Davus waved his hand to dismiss the comment "Do I look like a child? I don't need a healer to tend to this" He poured some ale over the wound "See problem solved, you do not burden others with your problem Nystir, they are yours to carry and carry alone. Besides this is last time I try fishing with a spear" He threw down the makeshift spear onto the bar "Stick that in fire"

"Well this is only good for firewood, you didn't try to use as a spear did you?" He asked and shook his head as Davus nodded "And I guessing you didn't catch anything? Do you give up at everything? I assumed you went out drinking somewhere else, you need to know more before you attempted it, if you hadn't have left so early I could have stopped you" He pulled out the book from under the counter "Let's see what else this book say then"

"What's the point? I am not trying it again, we should just set fire to that bleedin' book" Davus moaned

"Yes you are going to try it again; I am tired of you moping around in this bar all day. You have no job, and no responsibility so we are going to read this book then you are going to get yourself a proper bloody fishing spear not some sharpened stick, you are Laviku marked for the gods' sake, and then we are going to return this book. Have you got that?" Davus didn't favour him with a reply as he sipped on his ale and rubbed his bandaged eye nervously "Good now, Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing, blah blah blah, using a hand held spear I have witnessed spearfishing occur, blah blah blah" He skipped forward to the next paragraph "Ah! Here we go, by some trickery of Laviku or Makutsi fishermen tell me that the fish appears higher in their line of sight on water surface then they actually are and this requires fishers to aim lower than they would anticipate if they wish to actually catch anything. This is a skill refined by the experience of fisher. Calm and shallow waters are favoured by spear fishers as water clarity is of the upmost importance. Another little lesson learned from the Myrian tribes of Falyndar" He looked up at Davus before continuing "Is that you should never aim from a fish that is too close to you, I have had too witness and hear the cries of many a young novice attempting to get a better aim only to find a spear through their foot."

"What's that stupid grin for?"

"Well if you had taken two more minutes to listen to what I had to say instead of stumbling off drunk you wouldn't have stuck the stick through your bloody toe"

"Yes well...." He look at his toe, it had yet to seal over but it was coated in dried blood, he could still feel it throbbing slightly with every heartbeat, It had taken a decent size chunk out of the tip of it and was going to scar "It will take a couple of days to heal" He mumbled.

"Good, then we have plenty of time to get you a proper fishing spear and read over this book properly"

"Don't you have customers or somethin' like that?" Davus complained

"It's the middle of the day, unlike you most people work for a living"

OOCAny idea how much a fishing spear costs? A fishing rod is 1 GM so I am presuming it is around the same

[Davus]

Timestamp : Mid-Day, 41st of Fall, 513 AV

The sun hung high in the sky bearing down on the land, the wind rolled in from the Suvan Sea taking the bite off the surprisingly fierce autumn sun. Davus had found himself once again ankle deep in the rock pools along the coast of Cyphrus, shoals of fish darted in and out of each other to flee from Davus while crabs scuttled about triumphantly with fish trapped in their claws. As the wind continued to howl around his ears, distorting any other sounds he might hear he bent over and examined the water surface. The surface rippled from the wind, any sights he might have seen were warped and deformed "Water clarity is of the upmost importance" He reminded himself in an undertone.

He stood back up and scanned the landscape, looking for a spot that might be shielded from the wind. Shoal spotted first, some remnants of a shipwreck still stuck up from the sand, relieving the waters behind it from the breeze. As he walked over to wreck he still had slight limp, the wound had not yet fully healed and he still felt discomfort whenever he put pressure on his toe or when he had to wade through salt water. It wasn't long before he had reached the wreck, so he stood behind a protrusion of the remaining hull, wafting for the tide to come in to bring it bigger fish.

He examined his new spear while he waited, about three feet long it was a simple thing yet far more sophisticated and effective then his crude attempt at a spear. Most likely made of pine or yew, perhaps even oak at a stretch, it had been varnished in an attempt to make it resistant to rotting. The spear had no protruding head, but about one foot of the spear had been sharpened to a cylindrically fine point as to penetrate the water as quick as possible. Or at least that was what he had been told by the merchant, he was very insistent to let it go "No doubt stolen" He thought to himself. Then again how would he know the price? And 3 Mizas seemed reasonable enough.

By now the water had reach his knees and was rising fast, depending on how long this took he would probably would be swimming back to shore. While the wind continued to howl overhead the water flowed clearly through the wreckage, the only disturbance came from the waves passing through to shore. Davus stood completely still, his body frozen as he stared into the water waiting for any sign of movement. The water had reached his waist by the time as turbot swam by, he adjusted his hand; it had become sweaty and his grip weakened but he couldn't swap hands without scaring it off. He lifted the spear up, readying himself for the strike as the fish approached. He took a depth breath of anticipation and gripped the spear tightly hoping it wouldn't slip as he jabbed the tip of the spear into the water.

The water was deeper than he had experience so compensated with sheer force, the tip broke the surface of the water, sending shattered waves rippling off in all directions. He felt more resistance then he anticipated so the spear didn't go far enough in the water to hit the sand bed but made enough of a disturbance to send shoals of small fish fleeing the shipwreck and crabs scattering back underneath the safety of their rocks. Davus cautiously pull his spear out of the water to see if he had caught anything. The struggle of a dying fish confirmed it as he let out a sigh of relief, the turbot flapped about on the head of the spear with it bloods running down the shaft "'Bout bloody time" He said exasperated.

Back at the inn....

"And the spoils of the hunt go to the victor" Nystir chuckled as he placed a wooden bowl in front of him "And don't worry I didn't let of it go to waste, you need your energy after a vicious hunt like that"
"And swim, it was bloody hard to swim back holding a spear above the water so your quarry doesn't swim away" He examined the food, a distinctly grey with colourless vegetables and chunks of a strange meat "Are you sure this is my fish?" He inquired
"Well... No, just the eyes"
"The eyes?" He repeated as a pair of slimy fish eyes rose up to the surface of the soup
"Those fish eyes" Nystir explained
"Ohh nice" He picked on the eyes out of the soup and took a bite out of it
"Juicy! My pod used consider them somewhat of a delicacy, in fact my uncle used to have one in every tankard of drink"
Nystir pulled a face of disgust "He sounds like a real character. I think that other eye is looking at me"
"He was a real character" Davus replied in a sombre tone as he examined the rest of eye before eating it
"Is there a story there?"
"They always is"
Nystir decided to change the topic "Well now that you have caught your first fish are you going to move up to sharks or are you going to listen to me?"
"Nah, I don't think I could handle sharks" He continued "But some blokes over there were talking about whale hunting" He said turning to Nystir with a grin.

[Taylani]

Davus

Skills :

+2 observation
+1 socialization
+4 Fishing

Lores :

Fishing: Cod Bait is Ragworm
Fishing: Recipe for Chum
Fishing: Best to Fish for Sharks in Pairs

Notes :

Don’t forget to deduct 2 SM from your ledger for the wine. Don’t forget to deduct the 3 GM’s from your ledger for the spear. A very good read, and I enjoyed how you RP’you’re your level with the fishing. Please PM me if you have any concerns about your grade and don’t forget to delete/edit your grade request