I was notified that there was a bug causing the maximum character length of the submissions to be 1000 characters and that this has been fixed. I am re-posting my entry in its original, intended format. I apologize that I unable to edit or delete my previous posts. As per contest rules, if this repeat post is not eligible for submission, I understand. Thank you.

Character: Percimont Brisenoix
World: Excalibur
Airship Component: Sky Fish Livewell
Requested Prize: Mandragora Choker

Vanu folklore tells of a legendary white whale said to swim in the Sea of Clouds, but adventurers who have visited the region tell stranger tales of all manner of fish living within the clouds. Yet like all good fishing stories, those telling them provide little to support their claims. But what if the stories are true? What if the skies really are teeming with undiscovered sky fish? What cures could be derived from them? What culinary creations?

Despite a growing curiosity, I held my doubts as to the veracity of these fish tales until one fateful afternoon at The Forgotten Knight. A group of adventurers returning from Camp Cloudtop excitedly burst in and laid a bundle on one of the tables. The stench as they unwrapped it was horrific, but all gathered around to see. Though badly decomposed, the fins, flexible scales, and telltale aether bladder all confirmed this to be a sky fish unlike any seen before.



My doubts were erased. Clearly, undiscovered species of sky fish exist in the skies above Abalathia, and they must needs be found. I learned of an upcoming exploratory expedition into the Sea of Clouds, and they agreed to bring back any sky fish specimens they happened to find. However, the decaying smell of the fish at The Forgotten Knight was fresh in my mind (and perhaps still in my clothes). Fresher and preferably live specimens would have to be obtained. Lominsan fishing barges often employ livewells--large chambers filled with sea water--to keep their catches alive until they reach market. Perhaps a similar structure could be designed for sky fish.



I had two short weeks before the exploratory voyage set sail, so I hurriedly set about creating the livewell. My travels took me to Naldiq & Vymelli's, the Moraby Drydocks, and the fishermen's and weavers' guilds to devise schematics for the modified livewell. I ventured first to the Chocobo Forest and then to the Western Highlands of Coerthas to procure the ramie cloth and cedar that I would need for construction.



Using my carpentry skills and some cobalt nails which I purchased from the markets, I crafted a cubic wooden frame measuring five fulms on each side. I secured the ramie cloth to the four walls and top of the cedar frame. I slit an opening in the fabric along one side and fastened a strip of gryphonskin leather around this to create a securable aperture through which sky fish could be placed into the livewell.

My pride at my construction was short-lived, however. As I arrived with it to the airship landing in Ishgard, I soon realized I was not the only inventor promised space on the exploratory airship. I believed strongly in the importance of my plan, but my simple wood-and-cloth box looked downright amateurish compared to the other designs around me. Still, I presented my proposal with confidence and waited anxiously to learn if it was accepted.