VIDEO | un: hythlodaeus

[nomoresharks]

[The feed opens to a rather disheveled looking Hythlodaeus, his hair slightly undone from it braid and the sleeves of his robes pulled up and bound somewhere behind his elbows. Behind him sits the failed remains of his attempts to create a bow for himself, lopsided and uneven, some splintered and cracked, some scarcely begun before being given up on in a sudden burst of frustration.

He tries to keep a bright, cheerful, pleasant expression, but his efforts look plastic at best, not helped by the irritation that occasionally slips into his voice]

I don't suppose anyone has any advice when it comes to making a bow by hand?

I've attempted to do so in the manner I'm used to but--

[He raises a hand, and light gathers before it, starting to pull together to form the shape of the bow Hythlodaeus so dearly desires only to suddenly dissipate at the last second, tiny motes of magic dispersing and dissipating into the air.

And he has to take a moment to catch his breath, a bead of sweat rolling from his temple down to his chin.]

As you can see, that's going splendidly.

[The last thing he needed: to become even more useless than he already was]

Comments

after way too long of me looking it up, comparing, and still not being wholly sure....

[nomoresharks]

Interesting... And here I thought the composite was meant to make up for the weaknesses of its components. Now I know not to assume.

A recurve. While a longbow may be more accurate on the whole, I have ever preferred to stay out of conflict whenever possible, and so something a little lighter and easier to use seemed best.

friend u do the gods work... 🙏

[fussiest]

[ in turn, kaveh's voice curves into a smile. ]

Hah! That's sensible of you. You sound like a friend I know. I think I have a solution for you, then. I'll send you Tighnari's way - at least the two of you can talk shop about bows.

But in terms of actually making one, would you mind a pair of extra hands? I haven't made anything in ages, and I've a hankering to put my hands to work again.

[nomoresharks]

By all means!

[No. Seriously. He's all but begging here. Politely.]

The more the merrier, as they say. And I'd rather not use up the whole city's supply of wood on my failures.

[fussiest]

Friend, you need not worry about that. I believe the supplies in this city replenishes itself, though I'm not certain when the wood will. If anything, we should not fear failure - on what else is progress based on?

Besides, I'd like to see what that glowing light is again. What was supposed to happen if it worked as intended? Does it mold and treat wood by itself?

[nomoresharks]

Not quite. 'Tis creation magic, meant to conjure the bow in its entirety--a task I normally have a... well, not necessarily easy time of, but easier than other tasks that require aetherial manipulation.

[fussiest]

Well, you've more than caught my interest. You can conjure an entire bow. I'm assuming the term 'aetherical manipulation' presumes the existence of something like 'aether' - is that an energy or a material?

Or could it be both? You are creating something and it wouldn't be from nothing. That would violate laws that I haven't seen violated in any of the case studies I've seen in this world.

[nomoresharks]

Hm... Both, I would say. 'Tis the key to life, the smallest piece that helps form everything from the earth we walk upon to our very memories, but it also flows in currents throughout our star, much like a series of streams and rivers.

Or so is the case where I am from, at least. Here is an entirely different story, where there is little to no ambient aether to be found. I had to use some of mine own in my attempt, which as you saw can be quite exhausting.

[fussiest]

Ah, your description truly is something - the key to life; while I'm certain that there's a literal degree to what you're saying, I can't help but admire the poetry. Still, I'm starting to see a pattern - I have something called a 'Vision' which relies on Teyvatian Elemental Laws in order to function. I'd assumed that there simply weren't Teyvatian elements around, hence why it's no longer functioning; but recently my theory's been debunked. I'm leaning to what you're saying now. Just as there may be little ambient aether, maybe there's also little ambient elemental particals. There could be very little ambient anything here, really.

[ - but that's beside the point. kaveh pauses as he considers the information he's been given. he nods to himself unseen. ] But thank you, I appreciate your explanation. How's this - I'll give this bow-making thing a go, get back to you in a few weeks and we can trade stories. Maybe by then one of us will have a viable hypothesis or two to test.

[nomoresharks]

My thanks, though mine own I'll have to give to my teachers. The wording is theirs, and it has stuck with me to this very day. Every bit as true as it is poetic--at least to my knowledge up to this point. Whether or not the theory needs altering now is another matter entirely.

[At least if what he's been hearing about other worlds so far is true. He still hasn't completely ruled out the idea of it being a difference of language or perspective.

As the man stated, the lack of ambient anything makes it difficult to tell for certain.]

And that sounds like a wonderful trade. I look forward to bow and stories both! And I'll try and procure some tea for the both of us in the meantime.

[fussiest]

[ through the receiver, the bright flash of kaveh's grin is audible: ]

Chai, please, if you can find it.