Fishing for Answers: Theories for Bedtime Pondering

     1. Books

     Bookworms are elated when they reel in books of any kind to add to their collections or reading lists. However, many Neopets are astounded as to how many books they’re able to fish over time – the average number per year is reported to be approximately 200 books per Neopet, which, coming from the deep waters, is an alarmingly large amount! How could these precious tomes and scrolls, which are treated like treasure troves to book lovers, be so carelessly scattered on the seabed?

      Rumour has it that the Vortex was once home to an ancient underwater town, which had a small but grand library housing some rare texts. They were prosperous for as long as Old Maraqua thrived, until that fateful day when the treacherous pirate, Captain Dread, cast a terrible curse to roil the peaceful waters, effectively wiping out entire kingdoms and civilizations including this one. It could potentially explain why we occasionally get Ancient Shopping List Scrolls and Mouldy Tomes from our fishing ventures.

     The Waterlogged Books and Soggy Scrolls that can also be obtained from the underwater lake are in a bad state as well, in which case a tale that a certain whistle-blower connected to the Darigan Citadel court has been spreading around Neopia could perhaps hold true. King Skarl had apparently once orchestrated the clearing out of King Hagan's numerous libraries; he had commanded his knights to disguise themselves as Brightvalean guards, sneak into King Hagan's castle to carry out the wretched deed, then discard all the books into the sea, all because he was enraged over some trivial issue and felt that his brother was looking down on him. The story seemed unbelievable to us then; we couldn't imagine how someone could show so much disrespect for books! We had reason to believe that the Darigan was creating tension between the two lands, but knowing the Meridell King’s disdain for his haughty brother, it might not be a false accusation made by them to tarnish the enemy’s reputation after all.

     Besides that, many Neopets are fishing up numerous copies of books like Fishing Made Easy, The Gelert Pond and The Old Mynci and the Sea. This may be attributed to an ambush planned by pirates several years ago, where they assailed a shipment of books that had been heading to Maraqua from Brightvale. Thousands of publications were looted, but the pirates later deemed them 'useless and unprofitable' and chucked them irresponsibly into the Ruins of Maraqua. The reason why we think these books are still in tip-top condition is because they're waterproof, seeing as they were printed for sale to the Maraquan masses.

     2. Battledome Weapons

     Our fishing hooks also draw in a plethora of weapons, shields and magical battle items – a handful of them brand-new, many worn out and the rest rusty. Although there are no confirmed sources or conclusive research findings, it isn't exactly a mystery as to where most of these items may come from. We're all aware of the intense conflicts and battles that took place during the Curse of Maraqua*. The final outcome of the three-month war may have ended on a positive note, but most Neopians will never forget the sacrifices made by thousands of warriors as they fought bravely to protect the sea. The dents and chips found on more than half of the surfaces of these arms may very well be the telltale signs of the struggles they faced before they unwittingly relinquished their hold on their equipment as they took their last breath. It's highly likely that most of the equipment were drawn into and concentrated in this area by the Coriolis force of the Vortex.

     As for the unblemished ones, we have an inkling that it's got something to do with a couple of shady guilds who strongly advocated for peace after the war. Neopians who were members of these guilds supposedly swore to forgo war and demonstrated their commitment to this cause by giving up all of their Battledome weapons and handing them over to their guilds for disposal. However, word has it that the guilds were lying about their intentions and not to be trusted, for some Neopets have observed the weapons that they gave up later ended up in the hands of another. The guild leaders vehemently denied that there was any possibility that the weapons could be the same but because of the increasing scrutiny of their actions, they decided to unceremoniously dump their collected stock of weaponry where it was most convenient for them to do so without being found out. After all, who would pay close attention to yet more weapons turning up near the Vortex? While some may be appalled by the audacity of these fraudulent Neopians, others are more than delighted to be able to collect free and functional weapons like the Cheap Water Ring, Magical Healing Potion and Pike Pike to use against numerous warmongers in the Battledome. A win-win, we would say, except for those Neopians who genuinely believed that they were contributing to a cause for peace.

     *If you’re unaware of this infamous event, the Maraquan Study Guide is a good book to catch up on all things related to Maraqua.

     3. Seafood

     Of course, we can also fish up various fish and other marine life from the waters. These range from the fairly forgettable Blandfish and Scrawnyfish, to the fear-inspiring Neopet-Eating Carp and Titanic Giant Squid. Someone’s fish-based mechanical creations also appear to frequent the spot, although they tend to be more adept at recognizing and avoiding the hook. Only Neopets who are more experienced in fishing are capable of snagging these wiry creatures.

     However, the shoals of ‘fish’ that pique our interest the most are those that appear to be items but in fish form. Specifically, we’re referring to the Breadfish, Butterfish, Bombfish, as well as the logic-defying Waterfish. (Dare we consider the Eyefish part of this group?) Their origins surely cannot be natural, so it begs the question of how they could have come about.

     One theory is that they came to exist in a similar way to how Neopets came to be able to be painted Maraquan in June 2003. Is it too far a stretch to imagine that the same force/energy that is captured in Maraquan Paint Brushes could have influenced otherwise ordinary objects in this unusual way? We’d once thought of testing this theory by applying a Maraquan Paint Brush on our own loaf of bread but gave it up quickly because the total cost was far beyond what we could bear to spend on an experiment, even if we could afford it.

     Aside from that, another theory credits the wild-eyed, red-haired Scorchio known to operate a nefarious secret lab ray not far away. Whilst the Scorchio jealously guards access to his secret lab, he’s rather lax about disposing off the waste generated, routinely discharging effluent into the waters around his lab. We almost heard a Madfish’s cackle when this thought swam into our minds… perhaps our imagination has gone too wild.

     4. Bottled Surprises

     Even if wastewater isn’t exerting an effect on the area, trash certainly is. All Neopets who frequent the fishing spot would have experienced the rush of excitement when the hook appeared to have caught something, only to be disappointed when a rotten old shoe is dredged up instead. We might be a tad bit happier if there was a possibility of fishing up a complete set of rotten old clothing – it could make a decent Halloween costume.

     Amongst the general trash, however, are two particular items that capture our attention: the Mysterious Swirly Potion and the Flask of Rainbow Fountain Water. The former has the ability to change a Neopet’s form, while the latter blesses a Neopet with a fresh colour (reminds you of a certain lab ray, doesn’t it?). While these transformations may sound amazing, the fact that they produce random results suggests that the two items were probably experimental, and discarded after being considered failures by their creator. Nevertheless, there is a healthy demand for them by wealthy Neopets with a penchant for leaving their fate to chance. Poorer Neopets too pray to be fortunate enough to get their hands on these magical liquids so that they have a hope of taking on their dream form without having to fork out a single Neopoint, or sell the same for a hefty sum to the aforesaid wealthy Neopets.

     Before we end our article, we’d like you to consider one more item that’s shrouded in mystery: the Irritable Genie-in-a-Bottle. The Genie could possibly have been painstakingly bottled by an unknown individual (Balthazar, is that you?) and thrown into the depths of the sea. We can only guess whether their intentions were for good or for ill, so should we really let it out in return for some trifling increase in power?

     Concluding Thoughts

     We hope that our theories have provided some satisfying answers instead of flooding your mind with more questions. However, if you enjoy your pre-slumber musings, do join us in pondering if there is more story behind our catches than what we can ‘sea’, and perhaps dream of the day when our fishing hook finally reels in that Paint Brush we’ve been longing for. Let’s be honest… that’s what almost all of us are actually fishing for, isn't it?