Mare Ingenii

Quote

Story

The sign on her door sums up her services (and her tolerance level for people) quite precisely.

Mare Ingenii
Sage and Seeker of True Knowledge
Three Questions Only - Make Them Count.
Don't speak until you have all the correct words in order.
Fools will be fed to the carnivorous seahorses.

Cleverness is her blessing and her curse. Born with more knowledge than most will possess in a lifetime (mortal or immortal), she spends the centuries gathering new scrolls for her massive underwater library. She rarely consults these treasures, spelled against water damage and rot. Rather, they are pretty decorations to remind her at a glance of all the topics she has committed to memory. (A few were written by former customers who actually managed to contribute to intellectual pursuits after taking her advice. A very few.)

Sapere is her constant companion and helper. While Mare is contemplating a particularly sticky philosophical point, the Seadrite flits from one room of their massive underwater cave to the other, keeping things tidy and keeping the sea chest well stocked with Mare's favorite snacks. She also acts as mistress to the carnivorous seahorses, keeping them in line when they get into a mischievous mood.

The cave itself is a wonder. Walls inlaid with murals of Subeta's greatest historical moments, all of them done in hundreds of colors of sea glass. Floors of mosaic tiles depicting the constellations, shined until they glow almost as bright as the stars they depict. Enormous blue-green vases the contain long, waving sea-grass and small tide pools filled with bunches of healthy coral, each with its own population of underwater minions that act as natural caretakers to the plants they inhabit.

You wouldn't believe how destructive a pack of carnivorous seahorses can be, even a well-trained pack like Mare's. Like their lady, whose name means "Sea of Cleverness" and their training mistress, whose name means "To Be Wise", each of the seven has been dubbed with an appropriate title that details their best feature. They are called Dentes (Teeth), Venator (Hunter), Callidus (Cunning), Fames (Hunger), Alga (Seaweed), Furorem (Fury) and Inanis (Empty).

As for Inanis, the name isn't just for his bottomless stomach. It's also a joke on what typically goes on in his brain.

There's one in every family.

Their cave is in the shallow part of the ocean with easy access to the shore. Unfortunately, that means she gets a fair share of customers on a daily basis.

Now, if all of these visitors were even half as intelligent as Mare, such visits would be fun. With a true intellectual, she can spend hours debating finer points until her opponent eventually concedes that she is the superior wit.

Most of those who seek knowledge are least qualified to possess it.

She has been called too direct in her answers, even impatient. Her answers are costly and if you enter with one or two questions, the third one just about on the tip of your tongue, you will pay as if all three questions had been asked. She doesn't give discounts. She despises coupons. The price is the price. Don't like it?

You'll make a nice midday snack for those carnivorous seahorses.

Those who do their research and take careful note of what she advises always come out well. Two of the counselors serving on the Centropolis Planning Board got there with her assistance. Several of Subeta's billionaires came into their wealth with her help.

Knowledge is power and she's living proof.

Credits

Profile Coding by: Ringo
Edited by: Chrysariel
Story by: Pureflower
Overlay by: Maximoff
Both Backgrounds by: tommyvideo Pixabay
Name Art by Chrysariel