Liam of the Lake (Solo)

[Liam]

Timestamp: 50th of Spring, 511 AV Location: The Waters of Lake Ravok For the past several days Liam had been taking it easy. He had an idea in mind, but had no idea how difficult it would be or if it was even possible. So when Liam stirred some time around mid day he was full of energy, or soul mist, or whatever it was they called the stuff that fueled him. Liam quickly floated to the surface of the lake, glancing around at the various fisherman and ferrys floating about. Liam had taken to sleeping inside his chest of coins at the bottom of the lake. He intended to move it eventually, but for now he had not the strength to lift it and had no desire to transport the coins one at a time. Once he was stronger and could find a suitable location he would worry about moving them. Liam was feeling good and had energy to spare so he decided to have a bit of fun. Concentrating on the shell of soul mist that surrounded his form Liam started to change it. It was a skill he rarely used, dismissing it as mostly useless. What was the point of looking solid if you couldn't even pick things up? It had been some time since he had even bothered to materialize, since he could be visible in his ghostly form whenever he wished, so Liam had to focus even more. Slowly the shroud around his body began to stabilize, taking on a visible and semi-solid form, or at least it appeared to be solid. The form was far from perfect, having worn edges and flickering occasionally, bit Liam wasn't worried about that. His sudden appearance drew several gasps from those nearby, and Liam waved to them all and walked across the water to the nearest boat. He had taken on the form of his youth, appearing as a young man in farmers clothing. Of his three forms this one was his most commonly used. The boat was occupied by a middle-aged fisherman who's hair was just beginning to gray. "Good day," Liam jovially greeted the man, "I was just out for a stroll and thought to myself that it would be nice to sit and have a little chat with someone, if you don't mind." Liam lifted his leg and stepped into the boat, taking a seat across from the astonished fisherman. The boat did not shift when he entered proving his incorporeality, but he doubted the fisherman noticed. Liam felt his form wavering and focused again on stabilizing it, then continued his conversation. "You'll have to excuse me, I can only stay a moment. My name is Liam, Liam Ward. What is your name, good sir?" Liam held out his hand to the dumbfounded fisherman who stared at it in disbelief. After a bit of hesitation he answered Liam's question, reaching to shake the hand. "J.. John. My name is John. What are- ow!" John yanked his hand away from Liam's as if he had just been stung, waving it and staring at Liam in horror. Liam was also surprised and stared down at his hand as if it were some foreign object. "That hurt," the fisherman complained and Liam glanced back up at him before staring back down at his hand. After a moments contemplation he reached out, surprising the fisherman, and laid a hand on his arm. John yelped again and drew back, "Stop that! It stings." Liam stared at his hand muttering under his breath, "Interesting..." He had no idea he could cause pain. Before he had always tried to pick things up, resulting in no manner of success one time even injuring himself. But this could be a useful power if he learned to make it stronger. Liam let his body dematerialize, though still kept it visible in ghost form, and looked back up at the man. He wanted to practice more, but he had other things on his agenda. "I'm terribly sorry sir, I had no idea that would happen. Let me make it up to you. How are the fish biting?" The man blinked and stared at Liam suspiciously but decided to answer his question, his curiosity winning out. "Uh.. They're alright. I've caught a few throw backs but nothing worth keeping." Liam nodded and glanced at the man's fishing pole. "Alright then, maybe I can help you with that. Cast your line, sir, but do not bait it. I promise you will have a catch within mere minutes." The man doubted Liam was telling the truth, but it was worth a shot. After the line was cast, un-baited, Liam blinked off the boat and reformed invisibly under the water. He glanced around and noted that there were actually quite a few fish around but they were either not hungry or had learned not to take the bait. Time to see if this will work, Liam thought to himself as he spotted a decent sized fish swimming nearby. Liam rushed forward, diving into the fish like a stunt diver diving into a mini pool. His body immediately enveloped the fish and he noticed a few things right off the bat. The first was that the fish wasn't very smart. It didn't seem to even notice or care that Liam had taken control and didn't put up any sort of a fight. The only thing to hinder Liam in controlling the creature would be his own energy which could eventually run out. The primary thought in the mind of the fish was simply Swim, followed by Eat, then Poop, and back to Swim. It's memory didn't seem to span more than five minutes, though it did know a few things such as where good food sources were and where there was a cool patch it could rest in during the day. No where was the iron will that resisted Liam's every attempt to move. The second thing Liam noticed was the difference in size. Obviously the fish was much smaller than a human, and Liam had to condense his form to a small enough size to control the fish. This wasn't difficult, he had to shrink down when he rested inside his treasure chest, but Liam had never done so in order to control something. Often when he possessed a person he would have to spread out and fill them up with his essence. Liam wondered briefly if getting larger or smaller weakened or strengthened his form, since it was either more or less dense. Regardless of whether it was from his soul mist being shrink down into one super-condensed fish shaped blob or simply because the fish had a very simple brain, it was rather easy for Liam to pull off the possession successfully. OOCI have verified that it is indeed possible for ghosts to possess animals. Difficulty depends on the type of animal and how intelligent it is.

[Liam]

Getting the fish to move was a different story all together. Liam had never been a fish before, it wasn't like he was a kelvic or something. Are there fish kelvics? Liam wondered idly as he tried to figure out the fishy movements he needed to do to go forward. Also he was sinking.. apparently this fish didn't just float on it's own. And also the fish seemed to be growing distressed, although Liam didn't speak fish so he wasn't entirely sure what was wrong.. Oh! He had forgotten to make it breath! Liam ordered the fish's body to breath, sucking water through it's gills. Liam had no idea how one could breath water but apparently the fish's body did and it's distress quickly went away once it wasn't suffocating anymore. Alright, time to move. Liam made the fish wiggle a bit but didn't really achieve any kind of forward momentum. Pausing after his failure Liam examined the fish body a bit closer. He had a tail that wiggled, some fins that wiggled, eyes that were invulnerable to stick poking, gills that could somehow breath water, and a mouth that was apparently hungry. Hmm... Okay, let's try this again. Tail.. wiggle. Liam wiggled the fish's tail again and this time he did a little better, achieving actual forward momentum. Okay.. now let's see what these fins do. Liam caused one of the fins to move and suddenly he changed direction, catching him off guard. Just keep swimming, Liam thought to himself, Just keep swimming and you'll figure it out. The fish was much happier also now that Liam was following it's primary directive, Swim. After about three or four chimes Liam had learned the basics of swimming as was ready to follow fish directive number two, Eat. The fish mouth was certainly easy enough to operate so all Liam had to do was locate the hook. Liam looked around, searching with his little fish eyes, until he spied the boat from which he had come. Swimming in that direction he quickly found the bare hook and was ready to bite. The fish seemed a bit skeptical at first, the hook didn't look like any food it had ever seen, but Liam was certain it would be delicious. Who was the fish to argue, it's new brain was clearly the smarter of the two, and so once again Liam was met with no resistance whatsoever as he wiggled the fish tail and came closer to the hook. Liam opened his fishy mouth and bit down on the delicious hook. ... ... The fish did not like that one bit. Liam was suddenly met with the first bit of resistance the fish had given and it was a doosey. The fish's fight or flight instinct kicked in and Liam was overwhelmed by the flight part. The fish took control, trying to flee the pain in the hook which only caused it to dig in deeper. By the time Liam regained control the fisherman was already fighting the fish, but Liam ended that stopping the fish from struggling and allowing John to real them in. It may have been an easy battle for the fisherman but Liam quickly discovered that instinct was almost as hard, if not harder, to overrule than an intelligent mind. Still, the fish was quite weak willed and Liam was able to keep it still all the way into the boat. Once on board Liam blinked out, appearing in his seat across from the man. "Do you like the fish, John?"

[Liam]

John jumped at the sound of Liam's voice, causing the sometimes friendly ghost to smirk in amusement. "That was you who made the fish bite so quick and then give up? Easiest catch I ever had." Liam quirked a translucent eyebrow. Something about the way John had said that sounded off.. But what was it? "Is there something wrong, John?" The fisherman looked up from the fish slightly startled for some reason. "What? No.. It's just, well. I appreciate it an all, but the struggle is half the fun." Liam laughed. Leave it to the living to complain about getting a free meal. "Well if you like I can bring you some more, but after I have them hooked I can let them fight back." John seemed to consider for a moment until Liam added, "Think of all the money you will make coming back to Ravok with the all the largest fish in the lake." That sealed the deal. Liam would hook the fish, practicing his possession, and John would still get the fun of reeling them in. The next two fish Liam brought in with little difficulty. One managed to get off the line but Liam quickly repossessed it and snagged it again, learning from his mistake and swallowing the hook deeper. Liam was running low on energy after that, but he wanted one more. Liam told John to be patient, Liam was going to find him the biggest fish in the lake, or at least something close to it. Liam dove beneath the surface, gliding through the water as easily as any fish. He saw many big fish but none were what he was looking for. Liam went deeper and further out, towards the center of the lake. Just when he was about to give up Liam saw it, the biggest fish he had ever laid eyes on. It was truly a monster, such was it's size. It reminded him of a story he had heard once from a drunken fisherman in the Silver Sliver. "Oh it's true I tell ya. They call 'im The Defiler, fer legend 'as it 'e was 'ere when it all begun. Swam right through the first drop o blood, 'e did, right afore it turned inta the Temple. He's a monster, that's fer shure. Bigger an any fish in tha ocean. 'e swims with a school of 'is own spawn, horrible creatures with tha blood o Rhysol swimmin in their veins. They protect 'im, ya see. But I snagged 'im once, I did. Nearry took me an me boat under. 'e would 'ave too had I not let go the line. It's all true I swear it on tha blood o Rhysol!" Liam didn't know if this was "the Defiler", bit it was certainly the largest, ugliest fish he had ever seen. He had to catch it. The Defiler, if that was his real name, swam lazily through the depths. Though no school of chaos spawn guarded him, Liam was certain the fish didn't need it. One didn't grow to be that large without knowing how to defend itself. But could it do anything against Liam? Liam dove in. He knew right away here was nothing special about this fish, other than it's size. It's mind was like all the others, leaving Liam just a bit disappointed, but it would still be an excellent catch for John who was still waiting patiently for Liam to return. Liam tested the waters, so to speak, swimming Not The Defiler in a little circle before heading back in the direction of John's boat. Liam could feel his soul mist depleting, but he was certain he had enough time to reel in the big fish. Willing the giant fish to swim faster Liam quickly covered the distance to John's boat and approached the small hook. Under normal circumstances Not The Defiler wouldn't have even given the hook a second glance, but these were not normal circumstances. Liam ordered the giant fish's mouth open and swallowed the tiny hook, making sure it went all the way down into it's stomach. Nothing happened... Normally this was when the fish would freak out and flee the scene, but apparently Not The Defiler couldn't even feel the small hook inside him. Well, that had to be dealt with. Liam swam deeper and tugged at the line, causing the hook to dig through the fish's stomach lining. That got Not The Defiler's attention, and the big fish jerked control away from Liam and began it's terrified flight away. Liam felt the fish jerk as the line caught even more and John began to fight back, but the fish was winning the battle. John had a quality pole and a quality line, so it did not snap, but he had made one mistake that day. He realized this when Not The Defiler began to drag the boat across the lake. John held on tight, hooking his legs tight on his seat as the fish dragged him along. Liam watched all this from within the fish with amusement. Surely John would eventually get the fish reeled in, but Not The Defiler was clever. It changed direction and headed toward the floating city. While the fish could simply swim under the boat it was pulling could not and was heading for a nasty crash. Liam realized this as well and tried to reassert control. He was blasted back almost instantly. Not The Defiler had not survived as long as he had without having a strong will to survive, and he was not about to let Liam take him without a fight. Liam fought hard against the aquatic monster's will and instincts and he managed to slow the fish down a bit. This was accompanied by a strong tug from John, jerking the fish around. Liam struck hard again, freezing the fish in place, and John was able to reel it in a few more feet before the fish kicked Liam out again. Now it's massive body was breaking the surface and John, along with every other fisherman nearby, stood wide eyed at the miraculous sight. The other fisherman cheered him on and Liam silently joined them as John battled the beast and forced it's head above the surface. Liam exited the fish, no longer needed, and appeared behind John. Nobody noticed him, to busy watching the battle, and Liam joined in the cheering as John hauled the fish into his boat, nearly capsizing it in the process. "By Rhysol's boot, this is the biggest fish I have ever seen," John exclaimed as he grabbed his "beat-in" stick and proceeded to knock the monstrosity out cold. "Thank you so much, Liam. This fish will cover my expenses for the rest of the season, I think." Liam shook his head. "No need to thank me John." John laughed and beat the fish again just for food measure before looking back to Liam. "Well surely there is something I could do for you? Buy you a meal.. Oh wait, I guess you don't eat. Maybe some coin? I don't have much on me but I could get you some more after I sell this beast." At first Liam scoffed at the notion, but after a moments consideration an idea came to him. Liam looked down at Not The Defiler, watching as the last bit of life drained out of him in the form of a few last violent twitches. When the fish had gone still Liam looked back up at John and responded. "Drop what coin you can spare onto the lake, and spread the word. I am Liam of the Lake! Pay me tribute and I may bless you with the same luck I gave John this day!" Liam spoke loudly so that all the other fishermen could hear. It seemed like a good idea to Liam. Make himself a "living" legend and get the people's support so that one day, when the time came, they would be on his side. His proclamation was met by cheers and the dumping of coin into the lake. Liam could care less about the coin, though he might gather it up at some point to add to his chest, but he had plenty at the moment and wasn't too worried about it. Liam gave John a final friendly nod and then vanished, going invisible and returning to his chest to rest. OOCMaybe a new source of income for Liam?

[Growl]

Appreciation Time! Name: Liam Experience: +2 Materialization, +1 Interrogation, +4 Possession, +1 Observation, +1 Rhetoric Lore: Frightening the Fishermen, Possessing a Fish, Observing a Fish, Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming..., Helping a Fisherman, The Fisherman's Tale, Liam of the Lake Ledger: +2 GM from John the Fisherman (Assuming Liam bothers to pick up everything) Additional Notes: The skills should be pretty self-explanatory. Materialization for showing yourself in the beginning. Interrogation for asking so many questions. Possession for controlling the fish, rhetoric for convincing John to see things your way, and observation for figuring out why it was not breathing/what it looked like. Overall, it was a cute thread. Sorry for the long wait. Feel free to pm me with questions and/or concerns.

OOCGraded with permission from Gillar.