Tales From the Crab Trap
Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2004 11:46 am
Something occurred to me the other night as I was bargaining with the mud crab. Morrowind, despite being a fantasy, has a lot of realism to it. However, one has to wonder how a mud crab would come have such wealth. He's obviously always there, and what on earth does he do with all of that stuff and his money?
So I came up with a theory, and thought it might be fun for everyone to post their ideas
I figure that at one point in Vardenfell's past there was an extraordinarily wealthy, greedy and acquisitive lord with a penchant for exploring ruins since they engender vast riches. On one occasion he decided to visit Ald Sotha and Mzahnch....
While at the latter he found... you guessed it.. a curious bottle...
Naturally, he opened it.... and out popped the proverbial genie
As is customary, the genie (one of a particularly sadistic disposition) granted him three wishes, and they were:
1. immortality
2. endlessly regenerating wealth
3. a private home on an island with its own beach
Now the lord thought hard, since he really wanted them all. Having been accustomed to a life of privilage he told the genie he wished for all of the above. The genie, of course, refused.
At this point, the lord (who had a long history of temper tantrums upon not getting his own way) threw up his heels and began pounding his fists on the cavern floor.
The genie, thoroughly unimpressed, finally said, "Okay, I'll grant you all of those choices."
And poof! He polymorphed the lord into a mudcrab....
Nonetheless, the genie was not completely heartless and every so often he visited the former lord. Knowing that the poor man was likely in need of entertainment the genie quietly spread rumours about Vardenfell about the fabulously wealthy crab.. so that weighted adventurers and fortune seekers would journey from far and wide to sell their goods to him.. and then *poof* they would disappear in a way that the 'lord' never could. Yet.. the genie did provide some escape by frequently supplying the crab with copious quantities of brandy....
And so it has been from setting sun to setting sun. Seasons come and seasons go, but the mudcrab lord remains, always there to barter with money grubbing fortune seekers on their way to fame.

So I came up with a theory, and thought it might be fun for everyone to post their ideas
I figure that at one point in Vardenfell's past there was an extraordinarily wealthy, greedy and acquisitive lord with a penchant for exploring ruins since they engender vast riches. On one occasion he decided to visit Ald Sotha and Mzahnch....
While at the latter he found... you guessed it.. a curious bottle...
Naturally, he opened it.... and out popped the proverbial genie
1. immortality
2. endlessly regenerating wealth
3. a private home on an island with its own beach
Now the lord thought hard, since he really wanted them all. Having been accustomed to a life of privilage he told the genie he wished for all of the above. The genie, of course, refused.
At this point, the lord (who had a long history of temper tantrums upon not getting his own way) threw up his heels and began pounding his fists on the cavern floor.
The genie, thoroughly unimpressed, finally said, "Okay, I'll grant you all of those choices."
And poof! He polymorphed the lord into a mudcrab....
Nonetheless, the genie was not completely heartless and every so often he visited the former lord. Knowing that the poor man was likely in need of entertainment the genie quietly spread rumours about Vardenfell about the fabulously wealthy crab.. so that weighted adventurers and fortune seekers would journey from far and wide to sell their goods to him.. and then *poof* they would disappear in a way that the 'lord' never could. Yet.. the genie did provide some escape by frequently supplying the crab with copious quantities of brandy....
And so it has been from setting sun to setting sun. Seasons come and seasons go, but the mudcrab lord remains, always there to barter with money grubbing fortune seekers on their way to fame.