#ascendant artifacts

[druzydabbles]

please, tell me something neat about siren's for Storyteller Saturday! what's your favorite type of siren? is there a particular myth or lore about them you really like?

Happy Storyteller Saturday, my friend! And thank you for the opportunity to go on a rant of my love for my siren childs.

(I’m using this divider from now on because tumblr decided to delete the simple one. -n-)

I’ve actually answered what my favourite siren type was already! But to elaborate a little further:

The whole concept of Light sirens was inspired by the deep sea creatures of real life, the ones that we know so little about that they seem alien and in many cases absolutely terrifying. But, are they really? Appearances may be one thing, but do any of those rumours about baby-eating monsters actually hold truth…?

Plus, I’m a physics nerd who loves to play with the concept of a light wave manipulation ability. Do you know how over powered that could be? Light sirens have so little to work with down deep in the twilight zone, having to rely almost solely on the light given off by their own and others’ bioluminescence. But what would happen if one were to come to the surface?

One problem: adapted specifically to low-light levels or none at all, light sirens have a high sensitivity to the sun that would cause their skin and eyes to burn extremely painfully.

Particular myth or lore, huh? Did you ever hear the one about the lost Ascendant?

Some of the more research-oriented citizens of several Havens have banded together to explore their people’s past, focusing on translating old documents, verifying old stories and rumors, and recovering ancient artifacts to investigate their history and magical effects. Through recording their findings, they create hypotheses for why magic works the way it does and what the link between humans and sirens is–or whether there exists one at all. 

They call themselves the Soul Seekers. Sound familiar?

As with all sciences, there is plenty of debate over many theories. But one of the most popular ones is that of there having existed (or existing!) a fifth Ascendant. It would explain why there’s a fifth Ascendant Artifact that appears to have no connection to the other four. It would explain the empty space in the Garden of Memories (a place that has been around for tens of thousands of years) that, if the pattern of statues is followed, would hold a missing Ascendant statue.

But what no one can explain is, if there’s a fifth Ascendant, why isn’t there a fifth siren race? What would its element even be? 

[druzydabbles]

Happy Storyteller Saturday chillest of the Quillest! I have some questions for you. If you were a siren, which one would you be and what would your scale pattern/character design be? Which ship would you stow away on? If you were the captain of your own vessel, who would be in your crew and what would it be called? What kind of captain would you be and what would be your most sought-after treasure?

Storyteller… Sunday! Oh well.

@bookenders my friendo, my creator of the cactus, my magic mayhem maker, what a list of questions! What a wonderful curiosity!

What a long answer!

Fun fact: Quill has a lot of trouble putting themselves into their own worlds or writing. Maybe I dissociate and daydream too much, since I don’t have a clue how I would describe myself, my personality and the like! So these were tough to think about!

If you were a siren, which one would you be and what would your scale pattern/character design be?

Well. Uh. Most likely I’d be a Forest siren! Thirst for knowledge, interest in plants and a pacifist nature and all that~ Mostly because I absolutely love the look of these fish but also because they’re commonly found where I live: the Atlantic mackerel would be the base for my design!

Blue and green and yellow and purple backed with black bands and silver bellies with an iridescent sheen. Small scales, torpedo shaped tail with small but efficient fins and small spikes. They’re very fast and must constantly keep moving to survive (like me) and honestly I’m just biased towards how pretty they are~ (They’re much prettier in person, by the by. I’ve caught so many of these fishing. Their colours depend on where you catch them, and can range from purple to green to blue to yellow, and they sparkle in the sun!)

Which ship would you stow away on?

Of the ones in One Siren’s Soul, I think I’d go for the Compass, if that’d be possible under Io’s strict watch, since it’s the cleanest and largest of the vessels. If I didn’t want to die from being found, I’d go for the Rồng Naga, since Xuân does a good enough job of keeping her vessel tidy and fancy, despite the fact it’s a pirate ship. Heck, if she found me she’d probably just not care and forget I was there, and I’m home free! Or she’d kill me. Depends on what she’s feeling like, then.

If you were the captain of your own vessel, who would be in your crew and what would it be called? What kind of captain would you be and what would be your most sought-after treasure?

What a question, indeed! Wow!

Who would be in my crew? I mean… Everyone wants a Phoenix. Scary tall lady legendary for her skills in battle and her love of fire? But is also really respectful and fantastically compassionate? Yes please. Both George and Isabel are incredibly competent sailors (and fighters, in Isa’s case), and Colin’s a requirement with them. He does well for the crew’s morale! Alixandre is amazingly resourceful and super quick to pick up new skills, and he nonetheless has a lot of sailing experience already~

What kind of…? Wha? Uh. Um. I mean I’m not sure if I’m cut out to be a captain, let alone a pirate captain. But if I was? I dunno, mate. Maybe I’d be a lot like Captain Samuel Bellamy, often known as “Robin Hood of the Sea” because he was so well known for his mercy and generosity to those he captured! My most sought-after treasure, if I was in the OSS world, would definitely be the Ascendant artifacts, the legendary objects told to hold the immense powers of each siren race. There are stories about what would happen if all five were brought together…

Long answer ahoy! With a spoiler treat at the end for anyone who got through it~

[druzydabbles]

What was/is your favourite bit of worldbuilding for OSS? A place, piece of lore, a character from the world's history?

Happy Storyteller Saturday!

You’re really making me choose, aren’tcha? You folks just love to make me choose favourites. XD

Although I’m not sure about a favourite, one of the aspects I’ve been working with lately that I really love is the Ascendant Artifacts! What are these, you ask? Well, without being overly spoilery, let’s just say the Ascendants left some super powerful magical objects behind, and one of our main cast may just have one in their possession...

There’s also the Garden of Memories in a major Forest siren haven that comes up in book two! Ooohhhh gosh I want to visit that place so badly. Think about a library with shelves made from living plants and kelps and corals, scrolls of water resistant seaweed parchment and magic inks hanging from or tucked into each leaf or branch. I’m still developing the details, but think an open underwater library with statues woven from living flora, altars and memorials to ancient warriors and the Ascendants themselves!