[Fish] Syliran Shiner (Peer Review)

[Karyk]

Article: Syliran Shiner
Author(s): Karyk
Other development: Not on this site
Additional Info: Previous Discussion Thread & Approval by Prophet & Workshop Thread
Peer Review Thread: This Thread
Founder Review Thread: Not Yet Available/Applicable

Synopsis: To create a fish with distinct challenges for fisherman and have cultural and economic impacts on cities and peoples in the North Suvan Sea region. This fish will help provide depth for fisherman, to improve in distinct areas of the fisherman's craft, and providing new areas for fisherman to work in.

Outline:

-History
The Syliran Shiner did not exist prior to the Valterrian. They began their life as simple, bottom feeding, salt-water rope fish. When the Valterrian struck, and wild djed surged through the land, a small feeding school of these fish were caught in the effects. They had been feeding on algae and other microbes near an underwater vein of iron. The wild djed killed all of the living rope fish, but there were eggs atop the metal deposit. When these baby rope fish were born, they had some metallic properties, and were able to feast on the iron. These fish went on to populate heavily in the northern Suvan Sea, ingraining themselves in the cultures of Syliras, Alvadas, and the Svefra.

These fish were discovered first by a Svefra woman, named Pearl Waveswept, a member of the first generation of people to brave the wilds after the Valterrian. She was a deep diving fisherman, usually setting cages, creels, and traps for lobsters, crabs, and other crustaceans. One day she noticed that many of her metal cages were deteriorating rapidly, huge sections of metal bars and mesh missing, while her wooden and clay cages remained untouched. She spent many days diving to her cages over and over to figure out what was going on, before she finally saw one of the rope fish latched onto the cage. She tried to yank it free, but it was far too strong.

She cut the fish free from its jaw, taking both the fish and its severed jaws as prize. When she brought it back to her kin, it was soon discovered that the fish tasted heavily of metal and while good in a pinch, was deemed a trash fish and a pest. The metal bones were nice adornment, but without forges, the Svefra had little use for them. But Pearl had other ideas; she knew it was useful, she was just not sure how. She turned the shiny, metallic jaw into a necklace. She dedicated her life to scouring the seas to study these new creatures, which she named Iron Eels.

Pearl learned many things about this fish, sharing her information through her pod, even if many deemed her research as pointless. The Svefran woman even developed a taste for the metallic fish, swearing up and down that they made her healthier and stronger. It didn’t take long to learn that their scales shined especially bright in the sunlight, that they were not particular about the type of metal they ate, and that they sucked up sand when large metal wasn't available to feed upon. Pearl discovered that they tended to be solitary when there were no large deposits of metal to feed upon, but when there was, they came in droves in a feeding frenzy.

But Pearl died before she could learn anything truly useful about the fish, poisoned by her consumption of the flesh, dying from various heavy metal toxicities. Many Svefra viewed her obsession as unhealthy, and that gave birth to the Iron Eel's Jaw being used as a gift and a reminder. Often a Svefra will give this to a friend or family member when they are concerned they are becoming too obsessed with something, to remind them of Pearl's plight, and to free them from it.

The fish wasn't deemed useful until an Isur man in Syliras received the fish during a barter with a Svefra. The Isur was named Torvir Steelthroat Terras, a metallurgist and smith in Syliras, married to Iori Hammertoe Terras, a tavern's cook. Torvir found the bones fascinating, being the first to realize that they were not in fact a single type of metal, but rather a uniquely combined metal. Unlike traditional metallurgy, the metals weren't blended into a new alloy, but rather swirled together, making a unique coloring. It was beautiful, and he immediately saw the profit in it as an adornment. After years of experimentation, he perfected the process of melting the metal just right so as to not force the metals to mix, which would create a brittle, useless alloy. Being able to work with this highly decorative metal, he gained popularity as the man to go to for adorning hilts, armor, and other such items.

While he worked on learning more on the bones, his wife spent her time trying to make the meat safe for consumption and more palatable. She never managed to remove the metallic taste, and therefore assumed it wasn't safe to eat in large amounts, but her efforts did reveal an unexpected effect. All of her pots, pans, and cookware that had been used to work with the fish became incredibly shiny, appearing to be better than new. After many seasons of practicing with the rare fish, she managed to fine tune the processing of the oil, dubbing it Shiner Oil.

Knights and many others clamored to buy this oil, thus the Iron Eel became known in Syliras as the Syliran Shiner.

Across the sea, at about the same time as Torvir's discovery, an Akvatari woman named Ildoge discovered the rose gold version of the fish on the western side of the sea. Their coloring matched that of her wings, and the Alvadan woman instantly fell in love. She experiment with their scales, learning that they retained their color when ground up, and could be used in a wide assortment of cosmetics. For a short while, she cornered the market, and was made quite wealthy from her venture.

But she wanted more, to have the next big thing in Alvadas. So Ildoge dove down with the fish, looking for more like them. She searched for season after season until she found something. A ship had sunk, carrying weapons and armor to be sold, and was resting just a few miles from Alvadas. She watched the Syliran Shiners congregate to the debris, latching onto the swords, shields, and the like. Then she saw them laying their eggs, bright gems of swirling colors, deep oranges and greens and blues, all swirled together. She had found her new idea.

The eggs were soft and squishy, and she wasn't sure exactly how to use them, perhaps their shells could be used to accessorize an outfit. She gathered up a bunch of them, and left the sea. But as the eggs were exposed to air, they solidified, becoming hard as metal and retaining their color. Ildoge only saw mizas in her future. She had found a new type of gem. She decided to call them Ionu Opals.

With her last idea having been so successful, she assumed that Ionu was smiling down on her. She sold the gems in droves, becoming vastly wealthy. But it was not to last. It rained one day, and every Ionu Opal that got wet instantly fell apart into rusted dust. The outrage from the wealthy customers was fierce, demanding their money back. They ran her out of town. The eggs became known as Fool's Opals.

No one knows what became of Ildoge, but every time someone wears a noticeable amount of the rose gold make up, a smirk is made from many people at Ildoge's expense. The Fool's Opals are now given as joke gifts to foreigners and it is considered bad form to ever sell them.

--Cultural Impacts
No one knows how the Syliran Shiner came into existence, except perhaps Laviku. It isn't common knowledge that it did not exist prior to the Valterrian. It's discovery by Pearl is well known among the Svefra, significantly less so in other cultures. It is well known in Syliras that Torvir and Iori made the fish useful and profitable, as well as slightly known in the Isur community abroad. It is well known to many in the northern Suvan that it is not safe to eat over the long term, but in times of desperation it will do. Outside of this area, it is significantly less known.

---Syliras
The Sylirans believe that the fish came into existence during the earliest days of the Order's founding. It is told that a human man named Sheka Hrall, created them unintentionally. He was known for being a hot headed individual, but very strictly adhered to his morals and duties. It is said he got into a heated disagreement with the founding Dyres brothers, and because of this, he left the Order, the first man to do so. Upon leaving, he threw his sword and shield into the Suvan Sea. The Knights believe that the sword became the Syliran Shiner fish and fed upon the shield, representing the first betrayal to the order.

Because of this story, it is believed a very ill omen if one of these fish attaches itself to a Knight's armor, which happens from time to time in the river basins around the northern Suvan. Because of how they feed, the Shiner latches onto the armor through its sucker mouth, and leaves behind a circular indentation. This indentation is known as the Shiner's Kiss. It is often believed that this is a sign that the Knight's will and loyalty are wavering, often leading to that Knight to be mildly shunned until they further prove themselves. This is usually done through an impressive feat of heroism or morality, followed by the Knight traversing the same water that he'd received the Shiner's Kiss. If no additional kisses are received, the shun is ended.

However, it is also believed that until their conviction is proven yet again, that the Kiss marks the place where the Knight will receive his deathblow. The cockier Knights that do not believe in the superstition, or believe themselves to be too skilled for it to affect them, will often get the Kiss tattooed onto their body. Especially overconfident Knights will take the tattoo further, buying a live Shiner from a fisherman. They will then place a bit of metal on the Kissed area, and wade into the water with the fish, and letting the fish latch onto their body. This, while not especially painful, does leave a prominent scar.

This fish has also given rise to a slew of insults that are popular amongst the Sylirans.

Armor Sucker - One who cares more for how their armor looks rather than how to use it effectively. One who is especially vain.

The Kissed - Those who've been "cursed" and shunned

---Svefra
The Svefra believe the Iron Eel was created by Laviku himself. They believe that Laviku created them to help keep his realm clean of the metals left behind by men, that often poisoned his waters. This led to many Svefra choosing to not dispose of metal objects into the oceans when possible, so as to not make the Iron Eel's job more difficult.

If a metal anchor is raised by a Svefra, and it has a single Iron Eel latched onto it, this is viewed as a blessing, that the Svefra is choosing a good time to leave the area. None at all, and the Svefra believe it is too soon, but more than one is seen as having overstayed.

Chain Eater - Those who're enslaved by an idea rather than chains. One who is obsessed with an idea, commonly used as an insult for the Syliran Knights.

---Alvadas
The rose gold cosmetics made from the Shiner's scales is often used to represent hubris and greed. Many performers use it often, and is a nod at the rise and fall of Ildoge. Every so often a performance of her claim to fame and subsequent fall is shown, with many details changed for creative measure. The most common story is that Ionu himself punished her by making it rain. Others have said that Laviku made a deal with Makutsi to punish the woman abusing a creature from his realm.

The Fool's Opals are a gag gift, and have no real value in Alvadas. That doesn't stop merchants from buying them to sell outside of the city to unwitting customers.

--Appearance
The Syliran Shiner is a large rope fish, often mistaken as a type of eel, though they are much less thick. They are often about 6-7 feet long on average, with the largest ones reaching 10-12 feet. They often weigh anywhere from 100-300lbs. They range from three inches to five inches thick. They lack ventral fins, with a single, short dorsal fin running along most of its spine. They have two small, feathery pectoral fins just behind their gills. They are covered with small scales that are especially shiny, and reminiscent of the metals the fish consume. It has a sucker mouth, designed to suck up sand to extract metallic particles, as well as to latch onto larger metallic objects.The Shiners that live on the east side of the Northern Suvan near Syliras tend to be more of the blue-silvery colored variety, whereas those on the west side near Alvadas are more of a rose gold hue. This is often believed to be caused by differing metal particles in the sands.

--Habitat
The Syliran Shiner lives

--Unique Traits and Characteristics
The most notable trait of the Syliran Shiner is its blinding brightness. It is not luminescent, but rather incredibly reflective when in shallower waters. In deeper waters, the shine is still noticeable but significantly less prevalent.

The Shiner is also much heavier and denser than it appears, much of which is due to their metallic bones and the thick muscles required to move the added weight.

The Shiner's brightness, as well as its denseness are its chief protections. The brightness often blinds predators that are too close, and can confuse and disorient them. Their scales are not especially strong, providing little protection. However, their dense muscles and metallic bones often make predators regret taking a bite out of them. This, coupled with their horrid, metallic taste, deters all but the hungriest of attackers.

--Diet
The Syliran Shiner has two methods of eating, both of which involve its only source of sustenance, metals. Its primary method is sifting through the sands on the seabed, sucking them up, and absorbing the tiny metal particles that occur naturally. It then expels the sand, algae, and anything else it sucked up as waste.

The other method involves locating larger metallic objects. This is done by a very finely tuned sense of smell toward metals. Once it is found, the Shiner will latch on with its sucker and excrete a small amount of enzyme. This enzyme dissolves the metal into smaller particles, which it then sucks into its mouth. This process can take roughly 1 bell per 1/4th inch of metal, with little to no variation between different types of metals.

--Social Structure
The Syliran Shiner is a fairly solitary fish due to the scarcity of the metals in sand, having to work over large areas during the day. Males and females are equal in standings and are nearly impossible to differentiate from each other. The fish only come together in a single event, a feeding frenzy. When the Shiners detect large deposits of metal, they gather en masse to feed and breed.

--Reproduction and Lifespan
The Syliran Shiners only breed during a feeding frenzy, where there's a large availability of food. During this frenzy, the females feed heavily, then lay dozens, usually two to three, of eggs atop the metal. This keeps some of it saved for when the babies are born, as other Shiners won't disturb the eggs to get to the food. Once the eggs are lain, the males will fertilize indiscriminately over as many eggs as possible by ejecting their sperm over the vast area.

Once the eggs are fertilized, it takes roughly one-third of a season for the eggs to hatch. The parents do not stay with the eggs to protect them, and once the baby Shiners are born, they are capable of living entirely on their own. They feed on the deposit upon which they were born, and the cycle begins anew.

The eggs are unique, they share a similar swirled coloring as the metallic bones. In the sea, they are soft and squishy, the size of marbles. When brought up into the air, they crystallize, taking on the form of gemstones. These stones are easily cut and crafted. However, if they are ever gotten wet, or even exposed to higher humidity, the egg will shatter into rust. Many believe this is so that if the eggs fail to hatch, they can return to the sea as food for their brethren.

Shiners can live for many years, always growing larger. The biggest ones are easily ten years or older.


-Requirements for Catching
--Location
Syliran Shiners are only found in the Northern Suvan Sea, at any depths. However, they typically only feed near the seabed, as they are more exposed in the open ocean. There is a higher frequency of Shiners near Syliras and Alvadas, due to the increased likelihood of metal being dropped into the waters. But the largest and oldest of Shiners are only found in the middle of the Northern Suvan, all the way down at the bottom.

--Recommended Skills
The following skills to both catch and process this fish are recommended. This fish is more challenging than your standard fish, and these skills are meant to reflect that. These are not hard and fast requirements, but will greatly improve your odds of success if you have them.

---Fishing (Competent or Higher) - This skill is necessary as to have finer control over the line. Having nonstandard mouths and eating habits, Shiners don't move the line much when latching onto the bait. If they are unharmed in the baiting and catching process, they put up no fight until removed from the water. However, if injured, for instance by a hook, they put up a massive fight, and have broken many a fisherman's rod, caught on the large hooks by mistake.

---Bodybuilding (Competent or Higher) - This skill is necessary for the Shiner's weight. Being metal and of dense musculature, they are incredibly heavy. And the larger the bait, the more Shiners that are attracted. Fisherman often have to cut their lines free because too many Shiners took the bait to be lifted free.

---Swimming (Expert or Higher for non aquatic races) - This skill is necessary to reach the depths where the eggs are laid.


--Necessary Gear
Syliran Shiners need to be caught with an extra strong line and rod, both of which usually make the entire rig heavier. Nets very rarely ever catch them, being a thin rope fish. Cages rarely work as well. Rods that are too flexible or light will snap, lines that are too weak will break. Strength and patience is everything when catching a Shiner.

In order to catch the largest and oldest of the Shiners, one needs access to a fishing boat. They also need an incredibly long line in order to reach the seabed. Finally one always needs metallic bait. Some fisherman believe in specific types of metals, but Shiners will eat any and all.

-Uses
Syliran Shiners have many uses. Their metallic bones are used for decoration, their scales ground and used for makeup, their meat used to extract Shiner Oil. Their meat can be eaten but is the least used part of the fish.

--Metalsmithing (Expert or higher) - Only highly trained metal smiths can process the metal into usable material without ruining it. By heating it slowly, and carefully, the metal smith can increase the shine, without allowing the metals to blend, thus losing the metals unique swirling coloring scheme. Too hot, the metals blend, making a junk alloy; too cold and the metal loses its luster and becomes brittle.

--Blacksmithing (Competent or Higher) - Once the metal has been treated by a metal smith, it is usable. It is only used as adornment in weapons, armor, and tools typically, due to its impurities and lack of strength.

--Jewelrycrafting, Metal (Competent or Higher) - Jewelrycrafters use the metal often as settings for jewelry, to let solid colored gemstones to stand out from the swirling colors of the metal.

--Jewelrycrafting, Fool's Opal (Novice or Higher) - The opals are a good starter gem to work on. They aren't valuable, but still cut like a normal stone.

--Cosmetics (Novice or Higher) - Cosmeticians can grind the scales to make a powdered coloring agent, often used as makeup. The Shiners near Syliras yield a blue-silver powder, whereas those near Alvadas yield rose gold colored powder.

--Cooking, Meat (Novice or Higher) - Chefs typically do not prepare Shiner meat, due to its metallic taste and its metal toxicity. It's a whitefish that cooks easily, and will do in a pinch.

--Philtering, Shiner Oil (Competent or Higher) - The oils from the Shiner can be extracted by cooking the fish and separating the oils from the rest of the fish. This needs to be done slowly. Overheating makes an oil that dulls the shine of metal rather than greatly improving it.

[Salara Kel'Halavath]

Extremely thorough and imaginative description. Very well done in my opinion!

[Aladari Coolwater]

I don't have the time to do a full peer review immediately (although I will!), but I wanted to ask quickly about the list of requirements.

It's not something that's generally utilized in skills except for herbalism and related, as far as I've seen, and I'm not sure if I like it or not. I can see where limiting the ability to powerplay is necessary, and of course to make something as rare and valuable as this appears to be, you need to restrict it, but does it not also restrict players' creativity?

Knowing your character strictly cannot do something seems to dampen the spirit of telling a story. I see it like this; a Novice Jewelcrafter can work with Diamonds and other very hard jewels. They may take the time to learn them, and even if they aren't high in skill points, maybe they are very good with a single gem. Or maybe they try once and ruin it completely, but it doesn't make sense to keep them from working with it entirely, you see? So if a fisherman spends all of his time working with Shiners, why can't he catch them- whatever the success rate- at Novice?

Perhaps I'm reading into this too much, or perhaps I'm downright wrong on how this is supposed to work, but I thought I'd mention it all the same. I'll get a real full review done soon, including all my grammar, organization, and clarification notes.

[Karyk]

@Aladari - Thank you so much for this review, it really is helpful, gave me a decent bit to think about.

I'll be changing the Required Skills to Recommended Skills. The whole point of the skills sections after all was not to police the players interacting with this creature, but rather to provide a higher challenge in an area (fishing) that isn't necessarily challenging as it currently stands. And I mean that in a sense that there is much more to fishing than just throwing a net/hook/harpoon into the water, and I wanted to reflect that not only in this project, but others down the road.

This whole project was inspired by a very informative conversation in chat one day, where there was discussion over the difficulty and threat level of monsters. There was much confusion over which monsters could be beaten by someone with Novice level skills, competent, etc. So I wanted to create a guideline for this fish, to make it more challenging as well as more rewarding, while also making it easier to see what is truly needed to capture it and work with its rewards.

So rather than saying these skills are required for this fish, I'll go ahead and change it to recommended. I've already included with each of the skills why I feel it is needed, so that helps support the recommendations.

[Karyk]

Added the following.

--Recommended Skills
The following skills to both catch and process this fish are recommended. This fish is more challenging than your standard fish, and these skills are meant to reflect that. These are not hard and fast requirements, but will greatly improve your odds of success if you have them.

[Aladari Coolwater]

The changes look good, Karyk. I'm also glad to hear that you're thinking of giving fishing some support here and further down the road. My character is personally pretty involved with fishing, but as a person I am not nearly as much, so it's good to see some more options out there.

Anyway, here's the full review as promised. Suggested changes are in red. Comments are below the -dashed section.

History
- "But Pearl had other ideas, she knew it was useful, just not sure as to how"

This sentence feels weird. I would break it up a little. "But Pearl had other ideas; she knew it was useful, she was just not sure how."

- She learned that their scales shined especially bright in the sunlight, that they were not particular about the type of metal they ate, and that they sucked up sand when large metal wasn't available to feed upon."

- The Isur was named Torvir Steelthroat Terras, and he was a metallurgist and smith in Syliras, and his wife Iori Hammertoe Terras, was a cook.

There's three "and"s in this sentence.

- She never managed to remove the metallic taste, and therefore assumed it wasn't safe to eat in large amounts, but her efforts did reveal an unexpected effect.

- she managed to fine tune the processing of the oil, dubbing it Shiner Oil

Myths
- The first section labeled "myths" only talks about common knowledge, not myths.

- However, it is also believed that until their conviction is proven yet again, that the Kiss marks the place where the Knight will receive his deathblow.

Appearance
- "The Syliran Shiner is a large rope fish, often mistaken as a type of eel, though they are much less thick. They are often about 6-7 feet long on average, with the largest ones reaching 10-12 feet. They often weigh anywhere from 100-300lbs. They range from three inches to five inches thick."

Keep it consistent. For numbers, you use both the numerical characters and spell them out in this blurb.

- "The Shiners that live on the east side of the Northern Suvan near Syliras tend to be more of the blue-silvery colored variety, whereas those on the west side near Alvadas are more of a rose gold hue. This is often believed to be caused by differing metal particles in the sands."

Super cool fact by the way. I like it.

- "Even more so due to the fact that they simply are not tasty."

Incomplete sentence.

- "It's Its primary method is sifting through the sands on the seabed, sucking into them up, and absorbing the tiny metal particles that occur naturally."

- "This is done by a very finely tuned sense of smell toward metals."

Uses

- "It's a whitefish that cooks easily, and will do in a pinch."

Wouldn't extracting the oil be considered Philtering, rather than Cooking? I thought cooking was for the express purpose of consumption.

What about the eggs? Are the eggs edible at all? Do they taste better or worse?

Let me know if you ever need any other ideas reviewed. I love WD, and I'd love to see it back on the road again.

[Karyk]

Change made

But Pearl had other ideas; she knew it was useful, she was just not sure how.

Change made

She learned that their scales shined especially bright in the sunlight, that they were not particular about the type of metal they ate, and that they sucked up sand when large metal wasn't available to feed upon.

Change made

The Isur was named Torvir Steelthroat Terras, a metallurgist and smith in Syliras, married to Iori Hammertoe Terra, a tavern's cook.

Change made

She never managed to remove the metallic taste, and therefore assumed it wasn't safe to eat in large amounts, but her efforts did reveal an unexpected effect.

Change Made

After many seasons of practicing with the rare fish, she managed to fine tune the processing of the oil, dubbing it Shiner Oil.

Hmm I may have labeled Myths and Common Knowledge improperly. I made 'Myths and Common Knowledge' a header, with the following paragraph being more general, followed by subheaders of Syliran Myths and Svefra Myths. I'm not currently sure as to how to fix it, but I'm open to ideas. Maybe label the whole section as "Cultural Impact" then breaking it down further?

Change made

However, it is also believed that until their conviction is proven yet again, that the Kiss marks the place where the Knight will receive his deathblow.

Change made

Their scales are not especially strong, providing little protection. However, their dense muscles and metallic bones often make predators regret taking a bite out of them. This, coupled with their horrid, metallic taste, deters all but the hungriest of attackers

Change made

Its primary method is sifting through the sands on the seabed, sucking them up, and absorbing the tiny metal particles that occur naturally.

Change made

This is done by a very finely tuned sense of smell toward metals.

Change made

It's a whitefish that cooks easily, and will do in a pinch.

Change made

--Philtering, Shiner Oil (Competent or Higher) -

Note: I'll be adding eggs as well as lore for Alvadas concerning cosmetics soon. I wasn't going to originally, but after receiving feedback, I feel both inspired and compelled to.

[Karyk]

Added the following

Across the sea, at about the same time as Torvir's discovery, an Akvatari woman named Ildoge discovered the rose gold version of the fish on the western side of the sea. Their coloring matched that of her wings, and the Alvadan woman instantly fell in love. She experiment with their scales, learning that they retained their color when ground up, and could be used in a wide assortment of cosmetics. For a short while, she cornered the market, and was made quite wealthy from her venture.

But she wanted more, to have the next big thing in Alvadas. So Ildoge dove down with the fish, looking for more like them. She searched for season after season until she found something. A ship had sunk, carrying weapons and armor to be sold, and was resting just a few miles from Alvadas. She watched the Syliran Shiner's congregate to it, latching onto the swords, shields, and the like. Then she saw them laying their eggs, bright gems of swirling colors, deep oranges and greens and blues, all swirled together. She had found her new idea.

The eggs were soft and squishy, and she wasn't sure exactly how to use them, perhaps their shells could be used to accessorize an outfit. She gathered up a bunch of them, and left the sea. But as the eggs were exposed to air, they solidified, becoming hard as metal and retaining their color. Ildoge only saw mizas in her future. She had found a new type of gem. She decided to call them Ionu Opals.

With her last idea having been so successful, she assumed that Ionu was smiling down on her. She sold the gems in droves, becoming vastly wealthy. But it was not to last. It rained one day, and every Ionu Opal that got wet instantly fell apart into rusted dust. The outrage from the wealthy customers was fierce, demanding their money back. They ran her out of town. The eggs became known as Fool's Opals.

No one knows what became of Ildoge, but every time someone wears a noticeable amount of the rose gold make up, a smirk is made from many people at Ildoge's expense. The Fool's Opals are now given as joke gifts to foreigners and it is considered bad form to ever sell them.

---Alvadas
The rose gold cosmetics made from the Shiner's scales is often used to represent hubris and greed. Many performers use it often, and is a nod at the rise and fall of Ildoge. Every so often a performance of her claim to fame and subsequent fall is shown, with many details changed for creative measure. The most common story is that Ionu himself punished her by making it rain. Others have said that Laviku made a deal with Makutsi to punish the woman abusing a creature from his realm.

The Fool's Opals are a gag gift, and have no real value in Alvadas. That doesn't stop merchants from buying them to sell outside of the city to unwitting customers.

--Jewelrycrafting, Fool's Opal (Novice or Higher) - The opals are a good starter gem to work on. They aren't valuable, but still cut like a normal stone.

---Swimming (Expert or Higher for non aquatic races) - This skill is necessary to reach the depths where the eggs are laid.

The eggs are unique, they share a similar swirled coloring as the metallic bones. In the sea, they are soft and squishy, the size of marbles. When brought up into the air, they crystallize, taking on the form of gemstones. These stones are easily cut and crafted. However, if they are ever gotten wet, or even exposed to higher humidity, the egg will shatter into rust. Many believe this is so that if the eggs fail to hatch, they can return to the sea as food for their brethren.

[Prophet]

As you are addressing specific domains, you will need to get the STs from those places to look over the items and histories that you are creating.

[Karyk]

Will do, I'll get with Kaleidoscope for the Alvadas bits. And I guess... You're ranking officer for Syliras now? Would you mind checking it over?