WBM: The Five Substances–Bunglefish
I figured I should add more about the unstable substances of my world. There are now going to be five in total, all filling different positions in the earthly spectrum (plant, animal, mineral, etc.). So, here is the Bunglefish. Location and General InformationThe bunglefish is one of the five unstable magical substances. Unlike the other four, this substance is actually an animal–a fish to be exact. It can be found in fresh water lakes and rivers and is most abundant in deeper waters. DescriptionBunglefish are roughly two to three feet long, and three to four feet tall with large finger-like spikes protruding from their backs. Their tails are dominated by loose strands of skin that flap behind them lazily. Two tiny, black eyes are overshadowed by a massive, toothless mouth used for eating other fish and rocks. They weigh anywhere from two to fifteen pounds, depending on where they are found–the deeper the water, the larger they become. One of the strange features of the bunglefish are their gills, which seem to glow a bright gold color underwater. Much research has been done into this area, but the reason for this strange glow is yet unknown–there are no gold flakes on their gills or any deep water gold mineral veins. MagicBunglefish can be eaten or turned into fish oil and rubbed on the skin. The problem is that consuming the meat fills one’s belly with water in unpredictable quantities. Many have died by consuming the fish purposefully or by accident, drowning in water as it came pouring out of their mouths like rivers. This can go on for hours. Rubbing the oil on one’s skin can produce a more painful result if used in large quantities: the skin begins to seep water and blood and eventually this results in an exceedingly painful death.Humans are interested in the bunglefish for its ability to rehydrate almost instantly. Like with cacticles, the bunglefish is hard to control. There is no way to tell how effective a particle bunglefish will be, at least not with the technology available to the people of Altern.Unfortunately, due to the high mortality rate of bunglefish, they are used rarely and are often avoided.
Winter Vacation Help
Now that my girlfriend has returned to England we are planning to meet up again over Christmas. The problem is we have no idea where to go. We’re considering meeting up half-way on the east coast and doing something over there, but since I don’t know anything about the east coast and neither does my girlfriend, we’re both sort of lost.So, if anyone has some ideas of cool places we can spend about a week at, here is what we’re looking for: We have to be able to get to it. Duh :P. Snow, but not too much (we don’t want to get snowed in). Hotels, since we have to have somewhere to stay. Maybe an Holiday Inn or something like that. Stuff to do. We like museums, book stores, book things, things related to science fiction and fantasy, more book things, history, and pretty scenery. It’s only for a week, so if there’s enough to entertain us for a week, great. Obviously some of that time can be spent walking or doing romantic snuggly things. We just don’t want to be bored, obviously. Relatively safe. This goes without saying I suppose. Somewhere nice. We just want to enjoy ourselves. It’s a romantic, Christmas getaway. Enough said. Public transportation options other than taxies a plus (free transportation even better). So, do you have any suggestions? I don’t know if I can rent a car, but I should be able to. I’m 24 and I don’t have terrible credit or anything, but I don’t know much about renting cars, so I don’t know if they’ll let me. I’m not really interested in driving wherever we’re at, so if we can walk around or something, that’s great. Small towns/cities are a big plus for us. We like that cute town feel. Anywho, thanks for your suggestions! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
WBM: Bestiary–the Portunes
Location and General Information The Portunes are a type of faery found almost anywhere where farmland is present, though more often in rural areas as the owners of farmland around cities are less friendly to creatures of magic. Description The Portunes look like old men with long beards that they tie around their necks when working and have abnormally large ears. They often wear coats covered in pockets, presumably for keeping the strange things they find on their journeys. They are roughly the size of a finger in height, however the record height for a Portune was two and a half fingers (a Barthum Mugnus, who died at the age of twelve-hundred and seven; his name was given to him by a farmer that thought he looked remarkably like his deceased grandfather). Sometimes they have extra large noses instead of ears, but this is very rare. They are remarkably friendly during the day and helpful. At night, however, they become a nuisance, unable to resist engaging in acts of mischief (such as leading tired travelers into ditches or ponds, and other such cruel, but relatively harmless activities). As such, they are often locked up at night by farmers; the Portunes don’t like it, but they usually forget about it when the sun rises. Magic The Portunes don’t technically have any magic to speak of. They are exceptional gardeners and are of great use to farmers who need a little extra hand in the fields. Whether this is just a natural talent or actual magic isn’t exactly known. The only magical thing about them, if one must have something to say, is that they live an average of four-thousand years. Creation Mud is the life force of the Portunes. That’s where they are born and that’s where they like to sleep. Humans who see Portunes regularly are always surprised by how clean they are, and they should be, for Portunes never shower; they are just naturally clean. During the fall of every year, just when the rains start to kick in, new Portunes appear from the mud, growing like little weeds until they are whole and can walk. Humans have to be careful of them from time to time because they have a tendency to grow on roads and it’s considered a bad omen to kill a growing Portune, knowingly or not. Culture The Portunes have a simplistic culture that revolves entirely around the farmlands they live in. Because they are mischievous at night and hard workers during the day, they don’t really have the time to come up with anything on their own, so they follow their human “friends” as best they can, mimicking them during the day. This becomes a bit of a joke among humans who find it rather funny to see the little creatures trying to act the part of housewife or farmer.