Riparian: Fantasy

[penthius]

The riparian nomads were known to the water spirits, and vise versa. This did not help their popularity in the communities that they visited. Anyone untouched by the same kind of drownings, sudden floods, and other waterborne calamities was not viewed popularly, no matter that their caravan barges held all manner of useful things and their plays, put on by torchlight on the wide boards of their barges, brightened dull lives. Oh, they were looked forward to, but they were not exactly trusted. Who knew what evil bargain they'd struck with the sylphs to allow them free reign of the rivers? The sylphs knew. So did the nomads. They knew, and their eldest sons knew. Sometimes the boys came back from their year beneath the water moonstruck and unable to concentrate on anything else until they fell over the railings--

Inspiration: "riparian" - related to or living on the bank of a natural river or watercourse.
Story Potential: Medium.
Notes: I like the idea of a culture of water-gypsies with a dreadful bargain, but that's background, not a story. Basically, I was writing along and naturally the locals are suspicious of the outsiders, and the outsiders are poor misunderstood--but no, wait, what if there *is* a dreadful bargain?

Comments

[wilowisp.livejournal.com]

I'm very intrigued. Is the setting wet or dry? Are the Riparians outsiders because they are so connected to the water (and thus the unknown to the dryland peoples), or because they are immune to the everyday calamities of towns and villages that eke out their livings in the humid deltas?

[penthius.livejournal.com]

I was thinking more like--it's hazardous to live by the banks of the rivers, so most don't. These people travel on the river and set up temporary settlements--and survive. And they'd not be trusted for much the same reasons Gypsies weren't/aren't--and are weirdly untouched by the dangers that have wiped out so many others.

Though I also like the idea of having it be very deserty elsewhere, with the fertile land along the rivers because of flooding--like the fertile crescent, in some ways.

[wilowisp.livejournal.com]

Nice. The fertile crescent idea is intriguing. It inspires to tie the nomadic movements of the Riparians to the flood season or the rainy season, and the myths associated with those times. "The Riparians come with the Rains". Ooo, and then if they are associated with the flooding time, then they get blamed for it too. It's not just that they are immune to the dangers, they are viewed as bringing them, even though in reality they are subject to them like everyone else.

...sorry. This is your story. Just got me excited.

[penthius.livejournal.com]

To me, this is only a medium-potential idea. I will probably not do anything with it. If you want to write your interpretation of it, go ahead! Just post a note here if you do, for future reference.