Fishing

Learning to fish can be a slow and tedious process. Small fish are flighty and patience is needed to get a good catch. Stray from your spot and you may miss the opportunity for a catch. Show how your rider focuses on the task at hand.

Fishing nets can greatly increase a day's haul, but they take skill and coordination to set out. A steady, calm horse and a skilled set of hands is required to make sure the net is secure and free of tangles. Depict your pair setting up their first net.

Sometimes your nets don't always pull up the intended target. Snakes, snapping turtles, trash and more can be an unwelcome surprise to a beginner fisherman. Depict your rider encountering a less than desirable outcome of their catch.

Learning to weave sturdy and secure baskets is essential to becoming a successful fishermen, but in order to weave baskets, you must first have material. Depict your horse and rider searching for the perfect bark, reeds or grasses for weaving.

Making nets requires fibers, some of which aren't always the easiest to collect. Depict your horse and rider searching for the perfect plant fiber or wool to spin into their netting.

Sometimes regular tools don't suffice and you have to take matters into your own hands. Depict your rider attempting to catch prey with their bare hands.

They say saltwater is good for you horse's legs, but everyone knows it's terrible for your equipment. Depict how your rider combats the salt from destroying their tack and nets.

The weather can be unpredictable, a sudden storm has arrived and caused the sea to rage.  Both you and your horse are caught off guard and swept off your feet. Depict your rider struggling to regain control of the situation, do they attempt to collect their gear or climb back onto their horse and high tail it out of there?

An Elder is visiting your settlement you decide they need something special to remember their visit. Being a good fisherman means not only can you catch the best fish, but also means you know that waste from catches can always serve a purpose. Depict your rider creating a work of art out of fish bones or other waste items to give to the Elder.

Working on soft sand can be treacherous. Sink holes and soft spots hidden under the water can quickly create a dangerous situation for a horse and rider. Depict your rider helping their horse out of an unexpected quicksand pit. Move quickly, tide is coming in!

Fishing isn't all about taking. Preservation of marine life ensures bountiful fishing for the future. One their way out to start the day, your horse and rider encounter a beached whale. The season would be good and harvesting the whale now would be a waste. Depict your rider and their horse assisting the whale back into the water.

Not all fishing is done in open water. River fishing can also be very bountiful, and salmon season can be a very lucrative time of year.  However, it also attracts large predators - bears, wolves and wild cats. Filling your fishing baskets must be done quickly and always on guard. Depict how your rider deters predators while also gathering their catch.

Fishing isn't all about getting out in the water. A smart fisherman knows how to stack the odds. Building water channels is one way to ensure a more successful haul. Depict your rider and horse building a channel out of sand, stone, wood or whatever they have available.

When it comes to the deep seas of Moren Ezen, one never quite knows what to expect, and things very rarely go exactly as planned. In this instance, the boating team had unwittingly driven a adolescent Mako Shark into the channel along with the intended school of fish. The net the horse's are dragging aren't strong enough to secure a shark, but dropping the nets to release it will mean sacrificing a day's work and disappointing the local merchants. Your character has a decision to make - depict how they go about resolving the situation.

The day has been long and hard, but your character is in good spirits as they watch their haul finally breaching the water's surface at the head of the channel. That is, until a shrill squawk pierces the placidity of the afternoon. Your character looks up, and their mood is abruptly spoiled as they watch the shrieking and squabbling cloud of gulls flying overhead. Not only are the birds irritating, but they also have a knack for stealing considerable portions of a haul, and ruining nets. But getting rid of the pests before they've a chance to sabotage a day's worth of labor is easier said than done - Depict how your character handles the situation, and what becomes of it.

Taking on large aquatic prey via horsepower is a challenge that the people of Moren Ezen have ingeniously adapted to. From ice flows in the arctic circles, to sand bars in the tropics, and even man-made stone walls, horses are driven in parallel teams, dragging heavy nets between them through narrow channels. Whales and sharks, driven into the channels by kayakers, are instantly trapped and easily dragged ashore by the powerful horses and their handlers. Depict your rider and horse working together with another team to bring in a large animal.  Special requirement: must be a collaboration.

Cleaning and harvesting large prey is an immense task, usually taking several teams of riders and horses. Efficiency and speed are crucial to making sure nothing goes to rot. Depict your rider and horse filling their baskets with the spoils of their hard work, bringing bounty back to their camp, village or settlement.

Being a successful fisherman usually means there's more bounty than one can consume alone. Whether it be sharing the wealth with their village or setting up market to earn some Valyut, depict what your rider does with their surplus catch.