Sinque

FAR out in the ocean, where the water is so dazzlingly blue and vast, it is so very deep. Unfathomably deep that the tallest mountain ranges piled on top of each other still could not reach the bottom of the abyssal depths. Two monsters met, one with black ichor through the veins, the other with a mythical voice beyond human understanding. These two beings, ostracised by their own kind, sought to be consumed by each other in a love beyond carnal attraction, creating within each other an obsession to understand and seek out others like them.

The ichorous monster returned to the surface, beckoned by his men who called out to him. Yet he would spend two more years on sea to search for his mythical lover, with no avail. Unbeknownst to him, she had travelled to warmer waters to raise and nurture her new progeny – a single child. He was the prettiest of them all, with human features that resembled his father while retaining the unearthly beauty of his mother. In the depths of the ocean, his skin was clear and delicate like a rose petal, his eyes sparkled like pure gems. 

The child without a father grew precocious without his aid, almost as quickly as sea kelp grew. However, he was cursed with a lifespan that paled in comparison to most creatures on the planet. On the surface, there might have been people that could help extend his life. Born curious, he desired to seek out his father. His mother did not have the ability to trade her beautiful tail for the two props known as legs, nor did she wish to. So he wished to bring his father down into the sea with him.

When he followed the ships that his mother described about, he found himself in a bustling port town: Therion. He found that land-dwellers covered their bodies with peculiar wrappings. Observing their conversations, he saw how each land-dweller wore something that signified a purpose to others. A specialised language. He asked where one could find these wrappings, and discovered that they were called garments, made of something known as cloth that were derived from plants and animals. He then realised that his state of undress meant that he was nude. Though for he was so unearthly, entrancing and beautiful, they were in admiration of him and clothed him in fine garments for noble girls. The people took him to Therion’s Cloth Hall, where he modelled clothing for prospective buyers. 

At the Cloth Hall, he learned much about the textile industry. He was fascinated by the ways in which humans communicated via their clothing. With the help of clothiers, he designed fabrics with his knowledge of marine life, so that he would be able to wear clothing both on land and in water. The material was highly sought after by independent sailors and seafarers, though he still did not find his father. 

Word of this new cloth reached the authorities in Therion. They deemed this innovation as a threat to their own power — a foreigner who was making waves in the textile industry. Sinque was arrested as he was unaware that he had to pay tariffs. He was tried and judged in the Maritime & Commercial High Court in Juris. He was acquitted, though he was now a long way away from Therion. A pink-haired lawyer found him without a place to stay. She was about to arrange accommodations for him, until her parents took him into their care (for he was beautiful). They taught him about how to become a tailor while formalising the production of his textiles. Due to the high population of merfolk, Amphelise Tailoring was bestowed with a high number of clientele that desired highly specialised outfits. 

In the meanwhile, Sinque told the lawyer everything he knew about his father. After a cursory investigation, she found that he was the estranged eldest son of the LeFer family, established on the other side of the Kingdom in Einsen. Sinque embarked on a journey to find the members of his land-dwelling family, travelling over Ashiera in search of the LeFers.