Marianne tilted the paper towards her crew mate, chewing on her bottom lip. The headlines were written across every page in bold, black writing, bearing concerning news.
Ghost ship spotted off the coast of Frala!
Citizens off the coast of Eris report children gone missing!
The headlines only got worse. Whispers of weapon-bearing Sirens travelling down from their settlements, sailors lured into the water and devoted in the night. Meanwhile, a huge ghost ship has been sighted, and a malevolent one at that. The crew of The Wanderer had dealt with a ghost ship before, but a small one, mostly passive and easy to live past. But this? This was a threat.
Olena bit her tongue in concentration, sliding the final pearlescent bead onto a thin strand of her hair. Finally. It had taken her hours to rearrange the colourful pattern from the traditional design to one of her own, a sign of her growing importance within the pod.
Not sureβ¦ I was planning on having a time skip for her and end up washed up on the shore next to the Wandererβ¦//
Sure, but letβs wait a little for that
Maybe she can interact with one of the Mer first?
"Aβ¦ghost ship? Larger than the ones we've fought before?" Finley asked, glancing up towards Marianne for conformation before she looked back down towards the bolded font. Perhaps she could ask around on the island for anything that could protect the sailors and the crew from the siren's powerful voices.
Not sureβ¦ I was planning on having a time skip for her and end up washed up on the shore next to the Wandererβ¦//
Sure, but letβs wait a little for that
Maybe she can interact with one of the Mer first?
She's now exiled so she can pretty much do whatever.//
Marianne nodded in affirmation. βAnd I doubt its a hoax, itβs much too big. And the Sirensβ¦.β She trailed off, glancing over the side of the ship and into the clear waters. βThat could be a problem. Weβll have to notify everyone on the ship.β Below, their companion sea monster played with the waves, frightening off a seagull.
Not sureβ¦ I was planning on having a time skip for her and end up washed up on the shore next to the Wandererβ¦//
Sure, but letβs wait a little for that
Maybe she can interact with one of the Mer first?
She's now exiled so she can pretty much do whatever.//
When @themarvelousmoony gets on maybe we can do an interaction scene between the three of our sea characters?
Kane bounded up the steps from below deck, taking a deep sniff of the air as he emerged. He leaned over the side of the side of the ship, surveying the docks, and ran a hand through his salty hair. He walked over to Finley and Marianne and nodded to each of them in greeting. βHey Finley. Capitain. Are we good to go down to the docks?β
βHey, Kane,β Marianne greeted, removing her hat to shake out her hair. She tossed the article to him, a troubled expression displayed across her features. βRead the papers first..β Sighing, she turned and leaned over the side of the ship to check on the shipβs companion, Suar. The sea monsterβs head emerged from the frothy waves, tongue lolling excitedly from his mouth.
(How should I start off my traveler?)
Chesh walked up beside Captain Marianne. Her hair blew in the wind as she looked over at Captain. Marianne looked concerned. "Is everything alright Captain?" Chesh asked. "You look troubled." She looked over at Kane. "Looks like someone's excited to be docked." She said laughing.
Kane frowned as he read the headline and his frown only deepened as he read the rest of the article. βShit . . . β he muttered. βIs this-are we taking care of this?β he asked, walking over to Marianne.
(Shadow Knight, I guess you could just have them on another ship headed towards Blarne? I was planning on having the ship leave soon so that they can meet everyone at sea, maybe people who see the sea monster start to get riled up? Or do you guys want to go on shore first?)
Marianne gently extracted the paper from Kaneβs hand, passing it to Chesh. βI donβt knowβ¦β she replied to Kane with a sigh. βItβs pretty big, whoeverβs on it has done something to twenty-two children from Eris. But.. how? Ghosts are mostly insubstantial, it would take a hell of a lot of force to take that manyβ¦.β
(OK. I have to take a test so I won't be on.)
"Ghost ship?" Chesh said, raising her eyebrow. She peaked at the paper that Kane had. "Maybe there not ghosts. They could just be a pirate ship on the slave trade route."
(Kk)
βTypical pirate ships arenβt glowing and insubstantial, nor can they disappear when you get too close,β Marianne responded, chewing on her lip. βI guess weβll just have to avoid the coast of Eris for now, and keep posted for other sightings..β
What to do, what to do?//
(I could have Olena bump into your Siren?)
"True. But magic is also a thing." She suggested. She sighed. "Your probably right though. Kids going missing like that. Probably." She said.
Kane ruffled his hair. "We might need extra firepower if there's a ghost ship on the loose. Maybe I should get some silver or iron cannonballs. That would work, right?"
(Wait, Shadow Knight, the shipwreck hasn't happened yet. We need to get The Wanderer out into the sea, where they'll see the wreck and rescue the two travellers)
Marianne nodded, then paused. "Unfortunately, the best place to get those is Eris.. Pisces (the capital of Copiae, where they are right now) doesn't sell much weaponry.." She paused, pondering something. "I know a provider on an island not far from here, have you ever been to Cirus (volcanic island)?"
(Lex, where is your character right now? I'll have mine swim out and bump into them)
Currently⦠Where ever is best for yours I suppose.//
Olena wove her way between colourful anemones, the powerful strokes of her tail propelling her under bits of coral and around other Mer. The sunlight filtered through the crystalline water, dancing across the sand-strewn rocks below and warming her back as she went.
Suddenly, she felt something close around her tail. She flinched, jerking it forward instinctively, and an exasperated smile appeared on her face when she saw her baby sister clinging too it. "Daphne!" she scolded gently, reaching forward to scoop the tiny child up into her arms. The small child giggled, her pale pink hair floating around her face. "Ol-ma!" she babbled, trying and failing to pronounce Olena's name. Olena sighed, tousling Daphne's hair.
Glancing up at the surface of the water, Olena took a moment to pinpoint the position of the sun. It was just before noon⦠which meant that she'd have to take her little sister home soon. But Daphne clearly had other ideas.
"Tha-way!" she cried when Olena turned back towards their home, pointing out towards the edge of the reef. She wouldn't budge or change her mind, not even when Olena bribed her, and sprung out of her arms when she threatened to carry her all the way back. She sighed. "Fine. Just for a few minutes.*
(maybe Kydah could be at the edge of the reef, just past the settlement?)
Kydah was sitting at the edge of the reef, trying to stop the blood flow as to not attract any of the Sirens spies, which consisted of mostly sharks. "Damn it." She muttered as she tore away a piece of cloth from her shirt with her teeth, she could use it to bandage some of her wounds. "How did I not think of this earlier?" She asked herself with a laugh, obviously a bit delusional from the loss of blood.
A few minutes later, Olena found herself ducking under a low-hanging, splintered mainmast from a shipwreck years ago, all the way at the edge of the reef with a three year-old bundled up in her arms. She bounced Daphne up and down, gently moving her chubby hands away from her newly beaded strands of hair and tickling her tummy. The little girl let out a peal of laughter, and her older sister grinned, glancing around at the sea ahead.
That was when she saw it. A Siren. All the way down South, perched on the edge of the reef not twenty metres away. And judging by the markingsβ a Sirenix. One of the most ruthless tribes. Olena's blood ran cold, panic taking over her brain.
