Editing Campaign:Essence Inversion/Zar Big Stomach (section)

=== Background ===

Pre-Exaltation: Zar grew up in a fishing village near Mantaville in the Coral Archipelago. At 7 feet tall, he was the largest man in his village, he also became the best fisherman and fighter for islands around. He fought wyld barbarians, wrestled a tuna, and one time he drop kicked a crewless pirate captain that thought he could order people around. Life was good, if mostly uneventful (except for the tuna, that was quite a day!) until he was set to marry a young woman from a nearby island.

Exaltation: One week before his wedding day, a small horde of wyld barbarians arrived at Zar's village late at night, but this time they brought a new friend. Inside a huge cage of coral and bone was the biggest wyld mutated SOB anyone had ever seen. It stood over 10 feet tall, had hair of squid tentacles, and (which he discovered much later) roared like a yeddim. And with a mighty "ALRIGHT SONNY JIM, GO GET 'EM!" the barbarians opened the cage and let the monstrosity go berserk. The men of Zar's village fought bravely with their whale-bone harpoons, but the barbarian wasn't even fazed by their attacks. Before long, it was Zar alone facing down a hooting, bellowing, and slightly drippy super barbarian (imagine Macho Man with squid hair and shark skin). Unfortunately, Zar was a bit outmatched. After being thrown bodily into a rock, the world started to spin, and the superbarb charged. Time slowed down, and a cloud passed over the moon. A woman made of ethereal light appeared before him, and said "You can succeed, I know it," and flashed him a smile he would have waged war for. Time resumed, he got to his feet, and looked over his shoulder at the women and children of his village. Zar knew he was the only hope they had to see tomorrow, and suddenly everything got red and tunnel-visiony. He fought the wyld barbarian for over an hour, trading blow for blow, until they found themselves on top of a round flat rock about 15 feet from shore. The details are a bit fuzzy, but Zar picked up the barbarian, flipped him upside down, grabbed his legs, jumped high into the air, and crashed the barb on his shoulder. Breaking its legs, spine, shoulders, and the rock, Zar looked down at his fallen opponent and held high the Hang Loose as the moon broke through the clouds. Unfortunately, he got a good look at his reflection in the now calm waters, and decided that, as a horrifying neon monster beast, it would be best if he left the village.

Post-Exaltation: After sulking on a beach for a couple days, a weird old man approached Zar and told him what he was and what happened to him. He introduced himself as As The Tides, and he became Zar's mentor for a time, giving Zar his tattoos and instructing him in the finer forms of not getting stuck like a pig. After several years of training and education, a sea serpent attacked several fishing boats not far from Zar's village (now named Splitrock Village). With harpoon in hand (and As The Tides taking a nap), Zar defeated the serpent by breaking its back with a mighty hug. As The Tides saw the whole thing, and decided he had no more to teach him when Zar divided the serpent meat between several villages on 3 islands. "Zar Big Stomach," As The Tides always said his full name, "I have no more to teach you. I will give you the name of an old friend of mine, he lives waaaaay out East, near the Meander River. Oh, and take this." As The Tides handed him Five Seas Fish Slayer, a long fishing pole made of moonsilver and black jade.

Zar Big Stomach, the greatest fisherman Splitrock Village had ever seen, hopped a boat to Chiaroscuro, and after 3 months of rowing and boozing with real sailors (and catching a street urchin named Sancho trying to steal his food) Zar finally arrived in Lookshy, where he was no longer the greatest fisherman, but he wore the guise of a crusty old man travelling with his "grandson" as he made his way up to the Meander River.