Winter 6, 516 - Prairies
Who knew just how hard it would be to find a fishing rod on this island of the dead. Even after going through all the trouble, Sayana only managed to acquire some twine and a thick piece of metal wire. She’d have to make do with fashioning one herself.
It was raining when she left the Citadel, but she was determined she would catch some fish she had promised to Riyanna the day before. Stardust, her mount, wasn’t so pleased with the weather but begrudgingly set out to the Testing Grounds as Sayana spurred her horse onwards.
The first step wouldn’t be too hard – to find a straight piece of wood to be the pole. However as Sayana neared the thorn forest, she was surprised at how gnarled and twisted the trees looked. It took a good deal of scanning to find a good branch that was straighter than the rest, while still sturdy and not too thick. With her splitting axe, she chopped a piece nearly as tall as herself, and found a second one as a spare. Then with a knife she began whittling away at the twigs and thorns that remained.
The rain had muddied the landscape, so when she set off once more upon her white mare, splashes of mud stained her horse’s legs. However, it did mean that something else was made easier: finding worms. Forced from their underground homes due to the excessive water, worms seemed to seek refuge on hard rocks or other places. Frequently Sayana stopped to scoop up a bunch to put into a jar as she made her way towards one of the streams through the prairie.
It was dismal weather but her cloak kept her warm, and moderately dry. At last she set up near the bank of the stream to finish crafting her fishing pole. She was about to tie the piece of twine to the end of the stick, but after a moment of considering what might happen if the rod were to break, she changed her method. Instead she tied it near the base of the rod and wound the string up the length and tied it again at the top. Now if the stick were to break from a particularly strong fish, she’d still have the bottom half that still held the string, so long as the string hadn’t snapped as well.
She broke the piece of wire in half by bending it back and forth several times till it was weak enough to snap. Then she took one piece and curved it around her stick to form a hook shape. Lastly, she looped the top part of the hook around in on itself to form a loop, and secured it by wrapping the wire around itself. She tied the fishing line to the hook and she now had an adequate fishing pole.
Pleased with her work, Sayana took worm from the jar and hooked it onto the end then cast the line out into the stream. She knew there were fish. Riyanna had assured her of that. But it was yet to be seen what sort of fish she’d catch and if they were any good for eating. She also had a fairly large pot next to her for when she did catch something. Now she just had to wait for a bite.
Who knew just how hard it would be to find a fishing rod on this island of the dead. Even after going through all the trouble, Sayana only managed to acquire some twine and a thick piece of metal wire. She’d have to make do with fashioning one herself.
It was raining when she left the Citadel, but she was determined she would catch some fish she had promised to Riyanna the day before. Stardust, her mount, wasn’t so pleased with the weather but begrudgingly set out to the Testing Grounds as Sayana spurred her horse onwards.
The first step wouldn’t be too hard – to find a straight piece of wood to be the pole. However as Sayana neared the thorn forest, she was surprised at how gnarled and twisted the trees looked. It took a good deal of scanning to find a good branch that was straighter than the rest, while still sturdy and not too thick. With her splitting axe, she chopped a piece nearly as tall as herself, and found a second one as a spare. Then with a knife she began whittling away at the twigs and thorns that remained.
The rain had muddied the landscape, so when she set off once more upon her white mare, splashes of mud stained her horse’s legs. However, it did mean that something else was made easier: finding worms. Forced from their underground homes due to the excessive water, worms seemed to seek refuge on hard rocks or other places. Frequently Sayana stopped to scoop up a bunch to put into a jar as she made her way towards one of the streams through the prairie.
It was dismal weather but her cloak kept her warm, and moderately dry. At last she set up near the bank of the stream to finish crafting her fishing pole. She was about to tie the piece of twine to the end of the stick, but after a moment of considering what might happen if the rod were to break, she changed her method. Instead she tied it near the base of the rod and wound the string up the length and tied it again at the top. Now if the stick were to break from a particularly strong fish, she’d still have the bottom half that still held the string, so long as the string hadn’t snapped as well.
She broke the piece of wire in half by bending it back and forth several times till it was weak enough to snap. Then she took one piece and curved it around her stick to form a hook shape. Lastly, she looped the top part of the hook around in on itself to form a loop, and secured it by wrapping the wire around itself. She tied the fishing line to the hook and she now had an adequate fishing pole.
Pleased with her work, Sayana took worm from the jar and hooked it onto the end then cast the line out into the stream. She knew there were fish. Riyanna had assured her of that. But it was yet to be seen what sort of fish she’d catch and if they were any good for eating. She also had a fairly large pot next to her for when she did catch something. Now she just had to wait for a bite.
