Whales?

[RequiemsRose]

This might have some mild spoilers but mostly about whales themselves, which are mostly discussed by the second area you get sent to. I'm just not sure what is going on with the whales lore-wise. The retired whaler gives the impression that Ingfell "used to be" a whaling town that has steadily been in decline for the last 20 years because of the lack of whales, which would also imply that the whales still aren't exactly plentiful or the town probably would have gotten back into the trade. Except, I seem to spot a whale almost every time I hit open ocean.

The waters do seem to be more dangerous than they used to be so maybe that's a huge factor in why the town gave up on whaling, but the whales really don't seem rare enough to be the main reason the trade stopped. Then again it's also a trade that saw people hucking spears at a massive water beast and then blowing it up to haul it in soooo, not exactly the safest form of fishing to begin with. Maybe the whales came back since and people just didn't notice because of all the critters the fog introduced making people less likely to notice, except Ingfell is also fully aware of a traveling merchant across the bay who is actively cataloging aquatic wildlife and where they can be found so you'd think she may have mentioned that whales are still out there in decent numbers (i know i see a decent amount just travelling between the same places she supposedly does).

My only current theory is maybe they have recovered their population but the act of whaling is still just too risky because the explosives especially may draw the attention of the other large ocean critter that tends to roam the same areas. So...what is actually going on with the whales as far as the lore is concerned?

[Glemt]

I don't have any answers, but considering I also saw something about ten times the size of a whale in open waters in the east (and I don't mean going off map), I'd say that hunting what might be the primary food source of that creature is suicide.

So, maybe they know the whales have come back, but cannot get to them because of Notzilla.

[Moodyman90]

What most likely happened was that the whaling had reduced the local population to the point of scarcity, then the events of 20 years ago put a stop to it all and in that time the whales have come back. As for why they're not whaling again, there's probably too few who could actually do it anymore. Twenty years is a long time, the ones who use to go whaling are old and worn out, and if there's anyone who's of working age still around they'd all have to be taught from square one rather than actively growing up in and around it.

That's the issue with professions like that, it requires a constant supply of new blood the older timers can pass their knowledge to over time before they're unable to do anything any more. To get a better idea of what I'm talking about, go watch Deadliest Catch.

And yes, it probably doesn't help that there's creatures from the deep straight out of nightmares roaming the waters either.

[Fuzzy_Slipperz]

It would be fun to be able to go whaling though.

[.]

whales and dolphins are here - but this game not about Japnise or Norway fishers...