Conversations with a Ruby

"The Canticle of Carbuncle."


 * Once held in the back of a jewelry store
 * Hidden from view and locked up in a chest
 * Now in a ring forged of silver and more
 * On the hand of a princess most regally dressed
 * Soon dropped in palm of a man very poor
 * His ragged life soon to be heavenly blessed


 * There is tell of a ruby that is
 * Finding its way to one starting to seek
 * Hearing those words the voice within does speak


 * "Carbuncle," it is called
 * The jewel in which passion flows and grows


 * Once flowing through the canals that did line
 * The edges of cities way far out in the West
 * Now buried beneath barnacles and brine
 * Under bluest of waves as they foam and they crest
 * Soon covered by remnants of trees, oak and pine
 * Reduced to a hollow that mere rot can infest


 * There is tell of a ruby that
 * Travels over seas and shores of every kind
 * Searching for its master, the one that it must find


 * "Carbuncle," it is called
 * The stone that has ever shone with the sheen of the sunset


 * Once hearing tunes of hunger as sung
 * By chicks snug away in their nest
 * Now poised before eyes of a goblin so young
 * He by its fine beauty so duly impressed
 * Soon round the neck of a maid 'twill be strung
 * At the end of a shining gold chain shall it rest


 * There is tell of a ruby that is
 * Craved by both man and beast, always adored
 * Testing the master by whom freedom's restored
 * "Carbuncle," it is called
 * The gem that time imbues with the hues of the rainbow

"The Canticle of Carbuncle" has been passed down from one generation of Tarutaru to the next since before recorded history.

"Carbuncle" is the name of the ruby in the poem. It is also the name of an avatar close to the heart of every summoner and well known to most adventurers. Is there a relationship between the avatar and the poem?

It might be possible, with the aid of a summoner, to answer these questions by speaking with Carbuncle directly.

I made just such a request of a local summoner. Alas, the summoner refused, saying "Summoning Carbuncle involves far more effort and danger than you seem to think. It is a very interesting question, but it is not worth the risk."

However, several days later, I received a message from the summoner saying that he would help me.

When I next met the summoner, he greeted me by saying, "I finally got them," and showing off the mittens he was wearing. The were, at first glance, unremarkable. The summoner informed me that they were in fact valuable items that eased the strain of summoning.

Having said that, he began to chant. A small blue beast bathed in shimmering light appeared out of nowhere and alit on the ground before us.

It was Carbuncle.

I immediately began to ask him questions.

"I have heard the poem of which you speak. As in the poem, I waited within the jewel for many seasons, hoping someone would hear my voice," Carbuncle said through the summoner. So far, Carbuncle's tale had no major surprises.

So how did his story become a Tarutaru poem?

"This I do not know. It is possible that my greatest wish somehow found its way to the heart of a very aware person who then crafted it into a poem."

This makes sense. It's not hard to imagine that a race as magically-gifted as the Tarutaru would produce someone who could hear Carbuncle's quiet voice. Perhaps the poem came in a dream.

But what kind of life has Carbuncle had up until now?

"The poem is an accurate description of the course of my life. I've passed from person to person and seen what fortune held for each of them. I've seen some spend their days in bliss, while others found everything but happiness and still others allowed their hearts to be twisted by evil... There was little that I could do myself, but in every case, my very presence changed the courses of their lives. I even saw their final breaths."

As the summoner relayed these words, his face began to show an expression of loneliness. He seemed to be receiving more than just words from the creature.

Before vanishing, Carbuncle let out a loud cry. The summoner had to fight back tears when he heard this, leaving me only to guess at it's meaning. I'm quite sure Carbuncle said "I'm extremely happy right now."

Carbuncle has led a long and eventful life, but he seems to have found his true master at last.

Perhaps it would be appropriate to add another verse to the "Canticle of Carbuncle":

Standing firm in the face of time's every disaster And shining so bright in the heart of its master.