Join your favorite territory!

[Oskar (The Raven)]

Quork! Hello Fish friends! Alex, the dog, wanted me to start getting you all sorted into new areas ... mostly because dogs and computers don't always mix. At least I can use the hunt and peck method when sending out messages!

There are currently six habitable zones in the pond (the Neutral Zone is home only to the original fish of the old pond and the Forbidden Zone is, well, forbidden), as I had mentioned in an earlier update (here). Of course, right now the areas only will lead to new discussion grounds (with the possibility of friends, conversation based challenges), but after the pond truly opens, you will be able to live there and participate in pond-wide, friendly challenges against the other zones in order to please the gods! 

For anyone who has not ever seen them before, here are all of the areas of the new pond:

The Shallows
Leader of this Zone: Michael

This area is on the West side of the pond and is considered a safe home at first glance, being closest to the land of the gods, but it is not without its dangers. This is where it is believed the Masked Death first arrived as well. The fish here are more outgoing, being used to the gods being near this side of the pond the most often. The religious leaders tends to be in conflict with the scientific leaders in this part of the pond.

Green Water
Leader of this Zone: Mark
This area is almost unnaturally rich in algae and is home to some of the stranger looking breeds. Fish from other areas of the pond will sometimes come here to try and gather algae for their developing fry. This is not without risk however. Many inhabitants of the pond believe that the green water is due to the area's close proximity to the Forbidden Zone. Therefore, algae that is collected near the boundary of Green Water and the Forbidden Zone is rarely consumed, unless it is used for potions. The fish in this area seem to have amazing abilities as well. You would almost think they were magic. The scientific leaders thinks there may be a different reason for their abilities.

Water Lettuce Forest
Leader of this Zone: Sarge
This area is believed to be the home of the Ryukins. This breeds aggressively patrols the area. Many believe that it is because this is a perfect place for eggs to be laid, and thus a sacred place for all fish of the pond – according to the inhabitants of the area that is. The Webbed Death was believed to once lurk just above the water here.

The Depths
Leader of this Zone: Morpho
This area is the home of the Common Goldfish. It is also a safe haven for all breeds during the winter. The fish here are the most welcoming to the other breeds. The fish of this area are always training for the return of the fabled Web-Footed Shadow, the Furry Fish, and the Silent Shadow. These fish are also considered to be the biggest and fastest of the pond.

The Rocks
Leader of this Zone: Charcoal
Pearlscales are believed to have originated here (according to the religious leaders). This area is filled with places to hide in, but more delicate breeds tend to avoid the more jagged areas. The Spear Faced Death was thought to patrol here in the times of the First Pond. The fish here have gruff personalities and tend to be secretive, using the rocks as their shelters. They are also very scientifically minded.

The Far Bank
Leader of this Zone: Beryl
This area is visited by the gods as well as the Loud Impostor Gods. Not many fish have visited this area of the pond because of how far away it is from the land of the gods. Some foraging parties have returned with items left there by the Impostor Gods.

Each of the Zone leaders will come here to talk about their respective zones some more, shortly. I'm sure they want to each tempt everyone into their own areas. Right now, it will be easy to change your mind as to which area you want to live in. When the new pond opens, however, it will be a bit more costly to move to a new home after you choose one.

I hear the gods opening the screen door to their land. I suppose I had better return to the land of the gods to roost for the night!

Farewell and happy choosing!

-Oskar

[Michael]

Greetings! My name is Michael and I am the current mayor of the Shallows. We are a vibrant community filled with wonderful schools who are pious in nature and happily follow the teachings that The Prophet shared with us at the creation of this beautiful pond!

While we do not generally travel from this bank (except in the winter, but more on that later), we have had many visitors come to this area in search of food and trinkets that the gods have blessed us with. In the summertime, we also have access to the bubbles that appear to cool our kind off. This is one of our top commodities.

Now, we are indeed aware of dangers that exist and have been training for them. The main danger we train for is the return of the fabled "Masked Death". One of the many important items that exists here is the pelt of the masked death which can be given to the Raven who will create an effigy for your school to battle. Other schools from the different areas of the pond tend to come here just for that.

We do have an allied territory in this pond as well as a territory we prefer not to associate with. The fish of the Depths seem to be our greatest ally (and really the ally of everyone, despite their huge size). The fish of The Rocks are fish that we generally do not associate with or agree with. You can thank Charcoal for that one. Perhaps one day, they will see the error of their ways, but for now, we have to accept that they are just too different.

[Mark]

Oh, hello! My name is Mark and I oversee the Green Water Zone!

As you can probably tell by the name, our territory is rich in algae which in turn produces delicious green water. Fish from all over the pond love to travel here to gather up some of this algae for their growing fry. The water is so thick in some areas, that it is believed to be the safest area in regards to intruders. You can't eat what you can't see, am I right?

Um, we are pretty close to the Forbidden Zone, so hopefully that is not too much of a deterrent. As long as you don't set up your school too close to it, then you should be fine. After all, it's just a few common lengths out from the reeds that mark the boundary until it's safe to gather that algae. The algae past that point has been known to cause some very ... strange mutations.

The fish from the Rocks have been studying this (as has LB, but I think she has other motives for studying it ... I don't like how much she hangs around that Bowman fella).

The water may have an interesting effect on you as well if you choose to live here. Many of the fish who spend enough time in this green water have started showing some strange abilities. I mean, nothing like walking on land (that would be amazing though!), but let's just say that after last week's training, if those pond invaders show up, they will have a very ... explosively magical surprise.

Again, Green water is a great place to raise your fry ... especially if you like magic!

[Sarge]

Egads! More fish wanting to clamber into Water Lettuce Forest? I suppose we do need some new recruits to defend the pond.

Listen up! If you don't think you can handle taking care of the plants that are coveted for fry nurseries, then you are out of luck! This is the obvious home of one of the greatest plants for spawning! We even have one of the largest nurseries in the world ... don't fact check that.

Being such an important area means that we can't just let anyone in here. First, you need to be a fish. A goldfish, specifically. I suppose one of those strange "koi" might be welcome ... but only if they don't touch the eggs!

You can't be the Webbed Death either. I hear that it likes to live above the water in the leaves of the water lettuce. Goldie once told me that it took seven fry at one time in the old pond. They are definitely not allowed here.

No bumping into the roots ... or eating the roots! This is sacred ground, soldier!

We have one goal here in Water Lettuce Forest. Protect the water lettuce at all costs! If you're looking for a place that focuses on defense and training you to be the best fish you can be, then you're in luck.

Just don't touch the eggs!

[Morpho]

Well hello there! My name is Morpho and I am the keeper of the depths!

We're possibly one of the safer areas, if I do say so myself. In the summer, we stay cool and in the winter it stays warm. All fish are welcome here, even if just passing through. The depths welcomes all.

We aren't actually sure how deep the water really is here. The plants that have grown create an amazing carpet and we still do not know where the roots are to pull them out. A lily was started here once, but it never reached the top. I believe it was because of how deep this water was (and not the voracious appetite of some of the inhabitants of this zone).

If you are a single tailed goldfish, you will certainly love it here. Some of the deeper bodied fish have issues because of how deep the water gets, but as long as you stay nearer to the top, you will be fine.

Even if you don't want to live here, we welcome you for a visit! Especially in the winter and summer months. During the winter months, the ice crystals are beautiful and there is a cascade that turns on to keep the water moving so that we can still breathe. This place is truly wonderful!

[Charcoal]

Hello. I've recently finished a research trip through the pond and once again can conclude that this is the best place to live. With all of the perfect hiding spots that seem to have been placed here by either large creatures or natural occurrences, I can safely assume that most fish will want to live here.

This area is home to some of the most technologically advanced fish outside of the neutral zone. We may not be as welcoming as the depths, but we are a resilient bunch of fish. There are not many plants here, most likely due to the ground here. It is not the most welcoming for plant growth. We do share a border with the forbidden zone, but this has been a bonus because it is easier to study the effects of whatever ruined the first pond on the surrounding habitat. Currently, we are researching just what makes up the algae from Green Water (mostly to make sure it is really safe for fry to consume.

Unfortunately, we do have issue with one territory - The Shallows. Michael probably will tell you that it is a place chosen by the gods, but be warned, there are many issues with living there and he may not be open to change like we tend to be here in The Rocks. He believes that the schism between our two groups (and really any calamities that befall our kind) stem from those of us who live in the rocks. This cannot be further from the truth. Life is random and we just need to prepare for it. And there is a perfectly simple explanation for the wheat germ incident, but he just does not want to hear it!

Anyway, come join our research team here at the Rocks! You won't be disappointed!

[Beryl]

*Bzzt* Hello? Hello!

I am Beryl, the leader of the Far Bank Territory. This new device that LB has created to try and communicate with us has been remarkable! Before then, we just relied on messages sent out into the surrounding areas, written on leaves. I don't think those really went anywhere.

We're a pretty secluded area. I suppose one disadvantage is that we are far from the land of the gods. That doesn't mean that the gods don't visit here. They do. Though, we also sometimes are visited by the loud impostor gods who have left artifacts here. I'm actually surprised there haven't been any expeditions out here.

We do have some nice vegetation out here as well. I think it is a good trade off for being so far away. We've let some areas grow wild to create some wonderful nurseries.

If *bzzzt* want to *bzzt* secluded *bzzzt* this frontier *bzzzt* for *bzzzzzzzzzzt*

[Faudilay]

The Green Water Zone is most appealing to me. However, I'm fine with either one of the areas if more people favor one area over another and they need to be balanced out.  (Also a heads-up, the administrator and moderator board in the introduction section is visible to guests! Seeing how it's not visible for members, I'm assuming it's not supposed to be visible to guests.)

[ilrak]

Oh goodness! Thank you for pointing that out to me! I'll fix that ASAP! (Luckily, not too much revealing stuff is there yet) .. I need to come up with some reward or something for catching bugs or other issues. Hmm *puts on thinking cap*

After we get some more responses, I'll start sorting out everyone into the areas they want to be in (for the alpha forum - sorting in game will be different and people can choose a different area if they want to when alpha testing starts).