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 Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:20 pm
Gabriel smiled a bit as he watched the uncomfortable man keep his gaze away from him. He merely nodded as he spoke then smirked at his question. "Ah, that is one of the few magic spells that is beyond my ability. Emperor Manakel has his throne because he was born with the sacred marks of the Atlantian King. Only the next king is born with these marks, never have they been reproduced on another."
"Another ability that assures him his throne is the spell that is bound to his very blood. The Water Breathing Spell. Only the Emperor can bestow the ability to breath underwater to air breathing creatures. I have attempted to learn it from him with no luck. Also it is always rather worrisome for the air breathing creature I attempted the spell on." He smirked a bit, trying to hide his embarressment of the few near drownings he had caused in his foolish attemps to learn the spell.
"From the sacrifice of our ancestors, only one bloodline has ever born a child capable of this power. So our family was made the ruling family. All the merpeople of Atlantis view this spell as life giving and safe guarding even nonwater creatures." He smiled.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:36 pm
Lysander listened intently, and with fascination as Gabriel described the descriptively-named Water Breathing Spell. He couldn't say much for the imagination of Atlantean spell-crafters. Or spell-namers. The spellcraft was perfectly fine, but the naming left little to wonder about. Looking Pool. Water Breathing Spell. At least it made misinterpretation difficult, he supposed, stifling an amused smirk.
"I imagine it would be exciting to attempt to breathe underwater - providing there was some assurance that my lungs wouldn't instantaneously fill with water and cause my subsequent death," he mused.
"And it's very practical of your nation, however it manages to keep that power to one line of direct descent. I've noticed a number of prolems tend to arise when there's some question regarding legitimacy or right to inheritance." He knew he didn't sound properly awed by the sacrifice of Gabriel's ancestors, and it wasn't that he didn't find it noble, but he couldn't help thinking that things would certainly be inconvenient if the leadership wasn't so obvious: he who lets people breathe underwater gets to rule. "It's almost like choosing a leader based on merit, which I hear works quite well for some societies, though I'm a firm believer in monarchies, myself."
Lysander knew he was an elitist, and that it came from the company he'd kept growing up. Malecoda held almost everyone in disdain, and Lore had once lived in a constitutional monarchy which seemed to function much better than the republics which also existed in Lore's world. However, the Atlantean way, combining familial inheritance with the necessity of possessing a particular skill made a great deal of sense. The difficulty was, very few other cultures had that same scenario to work with. Camelot had a sword...
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:05 am
"Practical as it may be there has been arguements over the throne before." Gabriel dipped his feet into the cool water. He hardly needed a swim after so short a time out of his native element but he still liked the feel of it. It was reassuring.
"Thankfully there has always been someone with the mark and ability born before the current ruler passes on. And it is not confined to his child to his child to his child. From what I have read that leads to even more problems if the ruler dies without child. I had as much chance of being Emperor as my cousin because my father was the Emperor's brother. But I was not born with the mark or the ability." His mother still thinks the world of him he thought. He might as well be Emperor of her world. He imagined she was still secretly interviewing merwomen to try and find the perfect bride for her beloved son.
"Monarchies can be good and can be bad. Every type of government has that potiential I believe. A monarchy is good because there is very little question over the next ruler, but it has a weakness in that the people may dislike the ruler and revolt against him." Since coming to the Goblin Kingdom Gabriel had spent much time in the library. It was a wonder the merman and fae hadn't met before as much as he read. But he had studied other forms of government the air-breathers used and was usually quite thankful for their own version of the monarchy.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:40 am
"Why're you staying here? Continuing diplomatic relations?"
He really had not been following what was happening diplomatically in court. He found it interesting, but far too close to home to follow current events. He preferred the past. it occurred to him that he was becoming quite reclusive, and he wasn't sure he liked the tendency he saw developing there. He would have to make an effort to rectify that. Later.
Lysander ceased his study of his own hands, and listened intently, waiting with equal interest for Gabriel's response. He was morel ikely to get accurate information by asking one of the main participants in the matter, anyway, than by going based on hearsay. There was a great deal of hearsay regarding relations between the Goblin Kingdom and Atlantis.
"Also, if I may ask, what made the former emperor decide to open relations with the Goblin King?"
Much of what was written about Atlantis in the library was very outdated, and that which wasn't out of date was based solely on the imagination of the author. He'd done some research initally on Atlantis because he'd come to court at the same time Emperor Manakel's delegation arrived. He'd actually walked in on the ball celebrating the Emperor's arrival. It had been quite the welcome. Not that it had been for him, but it had still been an interesting thing to walk in on.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:03 am
Gabriel nodded. "Yes, continuing talks with King Jareth whenever he returns. Also I am to establish contact with other kingdoms as the Goblin Knigdom attracts those of other races and lands."
He thought about Lysander's next question. In truth he didn't know the Emperor's exact feelings and couldn't ask as he was deceased. "Well King Jareth's sudden appearance in our court certainly opened the idea. But Manakel's father was a visionary. Even when I was but a minnow in his eyes he always talked about the wonders of the world above the sea. I assume it came from contact with sailors."
He looked down into the water, it's blue hue reminding him of his dear departed uncle. "The Emperor was a great scholar, he loved to read which is why we have such an extensive library in the main castle. He collected books from sailors then had mages cast spells on them so they would not be destroyed by the water. I suppose the great things he read made him think it was time to reconnect and perhaps better ourselves through the trade of ideas."
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:41 am
Lysander couldn't help smiling at the mention of a scholar-king. As far as he was concerned, anyone who liked to read was a fine person, worthy of respect, and probably worth knowing. Personally, Lysander did not think he read great things. He read informative things. He liked to learn. He was interested in almost everything, and so he was indiscriminate in the choice of his reading material.
"Have you every had any contact with sailors? Before relations opened between Atlantis and your surface neighbors, did you ever...how can I phrase this without being even more offensive thank I've been already? Did you ever play pirate?"
It was not an appropriate question to ask, he knew, but he was genuinely curious. It sounded exciting and fun to do things piratical. He never really played games growing up with Lore and Malecoda. Everything had centered around Lore's education and Malecoda's mercurial mood swings. He had not been ignored, but there had been no time for play, really, and by the time he'd grown into a corsea, he'd been turned thoroughly into a scholar with almost no sense of fun. Even Malecoda had a better-developed sense of fun than he.
"Is it fun?" he asked earnestly, meeting the merman's black eyes with his mis-matched pair of blue and yellow.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:39 pm
"Ah fear not, I have yet to be offended by you. You are simply ignorant of my people. If you already knew of such things and still acted so simple minded then I'd have a different opinion of you." He grinned a bit, as Gabriel did so dislike those who chose to ignore knowledge.
"Well are not the only merpeople in the ocean. Atlantis is just a large city of them. So merpeople have had contact with air-breathers for quite some time. We simply hid under the waves for a period of time. And yes we did have occational contact with ships but only outside of city's boundries."
"But none of our merfolk have ever left Atlantis unless it was to join other merclans. We've also had those from outside our city join us in similar fashions." It would hardly be practical for none to enter or leave, it would lead to a lot of inbreding which is never good. So Atlantis always welcomed new merfolk to their city provided they adopt their peaceful way of life.
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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:51 am
"I am trying to remedy that," Lysander remarked, referring to Gabriel's assessment that he was ignorant of Gabriel's people. Despite the fact that he knew a great deal more about many things than many people, he could still be astounded and occasionally embarrassed by the depths of his own ignorance.
"Is it different in Atlantis than in other merclans?" Lysander asked.
He did feel guilty because it seemed to him a little like he was pumping Gabriel for information, which was not quite his design, it was just the role in which he was most comfortable - that of a student. He was a good student. He made connections quickly, and he remembered almost everything he heard or read. That's part of the reason the role of the student was so comfortable for him. It's always easier and more comfortable to do something one is good at.
"Mm. Perhaps I should have asked, how is it different in Atlantis than in other merclans?"
It was, of course, obvious that there would be differences between clans and groups of people. There always were. And though most differences tended to be very much the same no matter where one looked, he wondered if merfolk might've developed new forms of being different from their neighbors, besides the standards of physical appearance, religion, language, government, and the like. He wasn't entirely sure he would be able to come up with a conflict between two nations which didn't stem from one of those broader areas. Not that all differences had to result in conflict, but most did.
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:38 pm
"Oh it can be quite different. Some merclans are rather primitive. A clan is defined by it's land. Our land is quite plentiful." Gabriel grabbed some more water and made another Looking Pool. "As you can see here, we have many fields of Kelp and Seaweed. We grow different kinds for different purposes. Air breathers would think of it as corn and wheat fields."
The scene changed to giant shoals and schools of fish. Strong looking mermen rode large seahorse looking creatures. Next to them like a faithful hound was either a sword fish or a large eel. "Here are our herds of fish. Some are raised for their eggs while others for their meat. The School herders use swordfish for rangling them and eels to break off small groups for collecting eggs."
Another shows what looked like a coral reef. Brightly colored fish swim about as merwomen collect shells and shellfish from the area. "This is where we harvest oysters, muscles, and our more exotic fish. These take more time and require us to be closer to land. There are a few lonely islands that are uninhabitable by land dwellers"
The merman ended the looking pool spell and placed the water back in the lake. "Our home is very good for a large colony. Some areas cannot support much kelp or seaweed due to lack of light. Others are limited in their fish schools due to the water temperature and the proximity of land dwellers."
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:06 pm
Lysander watched and listened, taking in everything. He took particular notice of the fish herders, and their assistants. It was very like shepherds and others who kept flocks and herds. He wondered how one directed the swordfish and eels. Did they have a language, or did they respond to simple commands? Did the eggs of different fish have different flavors? He had tried a few sorts of fish eggs before someone had told him what he was eating, and found them rather unpalatable anyway.
"Do you like it in the Goblin Kingdom?" Lysander asked.
Personally, he had conflicting opinions on the Goblin Kingdom. He had enjoyed the time he spent in Malecoda's castle, because there had always been new things to do or to learn, and because the people there were generally kind and he loved them. The time he spent at court felt more like he was marking time, waiting for something to happen.
"For that matter, how did you get here?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:07 pm
"It is an interesting place. I am not use to such vegetation. I suppose I have spent most of my timein Jareth's library and the gardens." He chuckled softly. "Trees are rather scarce in my home." He looked along the lake side at the tall willow branches of said plants. They were amazing things. Skin hard and rough like corel but leaves soft as kelp. Flowers had sweet scents and attracted the strangest little living creatures. He felt even more of an oddity in that light, once again being pure white in a colorfilled world. He wondered if there was such a place where someone like him was the norm.
He looked to the man as he asked how he got here. He could not reveal their actual travel path but he could at least describe a few things. "There are several forms of transportation for merfolk. First of course is swimming, but hardly good for long distances. For a moving about the kingdom we usually ride our Hippocampi." Again the the Looking Pool, for it was easier to show than to describe. "Magnificant creatures. I own a solid black named Baltic myself." The pool showed the large black beast that looked like a mighty stallion of the plains, but with a fish tail. It almost seemed wild in the way it swam and bucked.
"For even longer roads we travel by Current. There are very strong currents in the ocean that only the hippocampi can withstand swimming in. So they pull a giant clam shell into the current and take us all over the sea." The strange contraption was of course the royal one. It was decorated in pearls, coral, glistening fish scales, and other strange things. But it was a sight to see.
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:56 pm
It was easy to see that Gabriel took pride in his mount. Lysander had actually seen a hippocampus before. Among the many fascinating mounts Malecoda kept in her stables, she had a hippocampus stallion that she tended to call Fishlips, but whose actual name was something far more suited to a noble creature, though Lysander wasn't sure if it was Corellian or Do'retep. Despite the difference between the names, he simply could not recall which belonged to the hippocampus. He was more used to hearing Fishlips. The poor creature answered to it more readily.
"That's fascinating. Almost like the highways humans use for their mechanized vehicles, I suppose. Easier upkeep, though."
He considered it a moment longer before returning his thoughts to Baltic, the black hippocampus he'd seen in the Looking Pool. He wasn't about to tell Gabriel about the disrespect Malecoda treated her hippocampus with, though he might have asked how she might have acquired one if it wouldn't have meant mentioning Fishlips. Maybe he could talk around it. He was clever enough to do so, he knew, but possibly not on demand.
"Baltic is very fine," he added. "A creature of his quality would be difficult to find, on land or sea. But, should one want to acquire such a beast - a hippocampus, I mean - how would they do so if they lived on land?"
He'd always wondered where Malecoda got the exotic creatures in her stable. And how she got them.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:57 am
"How might a land creature gain one? Well I suppose like any other large fish it would require a net. However Hippocampi are exceptionally strong so it would take several men to hold them. Not to mention they are very fierce and violent creatures before they are tamed. Many a merman has been severely injured when we go out to wild pods to put more in our stable." He showed Lysander the magnificant pods of Hippocampi. One large stallion would lead a whole group of females and their babies.
"The only time we have any luck in keeping injuries down is breeding them while in our stable. Then we can handle them from a young age and they trust us more." Gabriel didn't mention that, if a fisherman were smart enough, he could easily steal a baby from these wild herds. How he would accomplish that was unknown to the merman.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:28 pm
"Somehow, I just can't see Malecoda trawling for hippocampi with a net," Lysander muttered.
He could imagine the beautiful sorceress at the prow of a ship, looking regal with the wind blowing, but not hauling nets. More likely, she bought Fishlips from a merchant or had him specially captured for her. Or she used magic, but in his experience Malecoda had always frowned on the use of magic for that sort of thing.
He looked momentarily horrified as he realized what he had said. At court, he had found that mentioning the sorceress, once a close companion of the Goblin King, caused distressing reactions among folk. Some despised her, saying that she was a cold, evil b***h. Those he always assumed were jealous of her beauty or her power. Others were afraid of her, and he could tell easily by how they quickly changed the subject and then moved away from him. Very few people liked the prickly woman. Everyone seemed to view him differently upon hearing Malecoda's name mentioned in conjunction with his.
He hoped Gabriel had either missed his slip, or that the merman had no knowledge of Malecoda, which was likely. She had been away from court for many years, and though she was terrifyingly powerful, absence causes obscurity.
"Was Baltic bred in a stable?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:39 pm
"Actually no. My father caught him for a birthday present for me. You see, a merman with my coloration or lack there of, is very rare. I was basically born to be a great mage. Because of this I was locked away with tutors and other mages to learn my craft. Father thought I would waste away into nothingness with no physical activity." He still remembered the very loud arguements his father had gotten into with his tutors about allowing Gabriel to swim about and get exercise. But thankfully, his uncle the Emperor had stepped in and made sure the merchild was allowed his free time.
"So he went out into the great wilds of our kingdom and saught me out a colt that would allow me to be active. He's been mine ever since. Loyal and proud." He smiled at the man, wondering why his sudden fearful look after mentioning this Malecoda.
"Who is this person you speak of?" He was generally curious.
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