Relics of Atlantis

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Thirty Years Ago — Deep Below the Sea

In the center of the open sea, a vast palace sat beneath the waves. This palace was manned entirely by a staff of merfolk— beautiful creatures half-man and half-fish. For one thousand years the merfolk had kept this palace secret from the surface world. For one thousand years they had been preparing for this moment, the moment when they would be able to resurrect their goddess. Three beautiful mermaids dressed in ceremonial pearl bracelets and scallop-shell chokers swam into a large room with a vast coffer in the very center. As they began chanting in some long-dead language, a large merman swam into the room, head-to-tail in glistening orichalcum armor and wielding a pole-arm adorned with jagged spikes on the end. Because of the armor, not much could be seen of his appearance, but there was a scar across one eye, and his tail was grey and slick, as opposed to the brightly-colored scales on the three mermaid priestesses before him.

"Too long you have slept, our queen," the merman stated grimly. "Too long have the surface dwellers defiled your kingdom. But as the deep ones have predicted, you shall return on the thousandth summer, to bring the world of the humans back to its knees, where it belongs."

He gripped his polearm tighter, then barked an order to the three priestesses. They began to swim in a circle, hand in hand, around the great coffer. The runes on the box started glowing green, lighting up the entire room in a sickening green hue. Then the box opened its lid, and the green light poured out of it. Soon a woman began to rise from the coffer: impossibly beautiful, pale, and with flowing blue hair. As her body rose from the coffer, it was clear that she too was a mermaid, or at least in this form for now; she had scales the same color as her hair, glistening as brightly as the finest sapphires. When her piercing yellow eyes opened, she looked around, a bit confused at her surroundings. When her eyes adjusted, she smirked wickedly, then swam towards a great throne near the back of the room. The three priestesses swam to the floor and bowed reverently to her. The merman swam up towards the throne.

"How dare you approach your goddess, Queen Tethys, without her permission," the woman coldly stated. The merman 'knelt' before her.

"Forgive me, Our Queen. But it has been one thousand years since you last ruled the seas. The humans have not been destroyed as you had hoped. Rather, the humans seem to be.... thriving," the merman admitted.

"They what?!" Tethys dangerously inquired, and the merman gulped.

"In addition..." he added, "They seem to have somehow gotten hold of some of our... magical treasures..."

"What?!" Tethys shouted in a rage, and the entire palace shook as she yelled. The three priestesses looked at each other in fear, then back at the goddess reverently. "You fool! Can I trust you to do anything, Karthos?!" Karthos winced.

"Without you, our Queen, the mer clans have been disorganized, uncooperative—" Karthos tried to explain.

"I don't need excuses, Karthos!" she cried in fury. She then closed her eyes and sighed in irritation, calming herself before she did anything rash. "No matter. This is only a temporary setback. I will personally see to it that our great mission is successful." She waved her hands in the air, manifesting a crystal orb which she held in her hands, looking into it with a mad gleam in her eye and a dangerous smirk. "Those rebellious humans will pay for their arrogance. They have stolen my treasures, and they have proclaimed themselves superior to my will. For their hubris, they shall perish by the hand of Tethys, goddess of the endless ocean." She then turned towards Karthos. "Now go. Lead thirty legions to attack their coastal settlements. Let them know the will of Tethys. Let them know that their queen has returned." Karthos saluted obediently, then he and the three mermaid priestesses swam out of the room. Tethys lounged back in her throne, looking into the orb again, letting out a soft, but cold, chuckle.

The Present Day — Aboard the Valkyrie

Captain Erik Sandersson shot up out of bed, sweat covering his face. Another nightmare. This time, Tyria in flames, the king and queen dead, the city razed to the ground. He wondered if the goddess Tethys had been sending these dreams to him on purpose to demoralize him. He would not let her break his will that easily. Composing himself, he looked out one of the portholes. A little past sunrise. He knew that today, the new crew he had requested would arrive to help man the Valkyrie. Dressing himself, he moved to the mirror. Not a hair out of place. He would need to look impeccable for the occasion. Even more impeccable than usual, some would say. He stepped above deck, eyeing the ship; other than the usual powder monkeys and bilge rats, the ship was empty. He looked onto the dock, waiting patiently for someone to approach the ship. After a sigh, he turned around, only to find that some had approached from an unconventional direction!

edited 18th May '15 12:03:43 PM by AllHailThrall

"Captain Erik Sandersson...?" says a voice in the common tongue, touched a bit by a sing song like accent that could only belong to the members of the race ruling under the seas. Indeed, one had gotten into the ship from an unexpected direction, namely, climbing the side of the ship from the open waters. Standing on the edge of the ship, with a trident held in hand there was a mermaid, her lower half still that of shimmering scales and a blue tail holding her human looking half standing. She held her trident in what seemed like a back grip... the three pronged tip aiming back and away from the Captain in a way that probably was meant to seem non threatening.

"My name is Alaryn Brightwaters... heiress and last of the Brightwaters under and over the sea" she says, sadness touching her face and eyes before a resolute look comes back to it "Rumors spread fast... and they say you know what is truly happening now. That you mean to oppose the war that is brewing in the depths in a way nobody else can"

The captain's brow furrowed as he examined the mermaid that "stood" before him. He had never seen a mermaid standing on her tail before, but he had heard that they were able to do this. He thought that they dried out when out of water though? It did not matter. He crossed his arms. "Sven," he called, and a large, tall man with long blond hair dressed in black approached the mermaid from the side, though not getting any closer to her as she was to the captain.

"Yes, I am Erik Sandersson. And yes, I do mean to oppose the war that your goddess has brought to my people. What brings you aboard my ship, sea witch?" he asked, not exactly trusting of Alaryn. "Speak. Or I will have my quartermaster escort you back into the depths from whence you came." He was unaware of her intentions, so he and the quartermaster were making sure she didn't hurt anyone.

edited 18th May '15 12:12:53 PM by AllHailThrall

The mermaid who called herself Alaryn gave a quick look at Sven when he showed himself, her keen eyes making an appraisal of the man... the fin like ears on the side of her head perked up and the one closest to Sven kept itself standing and aimed at him even as the mermaid's eyes moved back to look at the captain "There will be no need for that... I wish to sum my strength to your endeavors and put a stop to this war" she said... at the moment not explaining nothing more, yet speaking frankly and seriously.

Altan was standing behind Alaryn, off to the side. She had mostly ended up following her by chance, though it ended up working in her favor, since she got to ascertain what kind of man her potential captain was. She idly rubbed the sets of orichalcum knuckles that made up Khagalak with her thumbs, a tic she had acquired after finding them.

Neressa stood on the docks. In her hand was a sheet of paper, and on her back, a bag. She looked bored.

".. I guess that's it.." She yawned to herself. She spotted the captain on the deck and walked up the gangplank to meet him.

edited 18th May '15 12:36:22 PM by Daydre

The captain raised an eyebrow at Alaryn's offer. "And how can I trust you to keep your word, Alaryn?" he asked. His eyebrow raised as he saw someone else approaching from behind Alaryn. "Are you a mermaid too?" he asked. When he indeed saw that it was not a mermaid, he frowned. "By Tyr's beard. Does no one know how to use a gangplank? Speak up, girl. Are you here for the crew call?" he inquired to the girl behind Alaryn. He did not see the third woman walking up the gangplank behind him and approaching him. Sven noticed her though, he turned towards her. "Captain, there is another one." The captain looked over his shoulder. "Of course. You must also be here for the crew call."

A certain tall, tan man with an anchor strapped to his back was running towards the ship. His shirt had the telltale stains of dried ale, meaning it wouldn't be too difficult to guess that he had had a bit too much to drink last night. Who could truly fault him - after all, it was his last day ashore for the foreseeable future.

But at the moment, he was rushing towards where he thought the job information had said to go. He had to go off of what the barmaid had told him it said, and did his best to remember. There were already people there, which was a good sign.

"Serrick Anderson?" he asked the group, hoping he had found the right ones.

"I have a hundred ways to back up my claims... but little you can confirm" she says, gritting her teeth sadly as she reaches onto her satchel... pulling out a circlet made of orichalcum, set with clear, bright sapphires "This... is the badge of office of the Lord of Brightwaters. My father... and while you can't see it, I can smell it... the blood of my father would draw sharks from miles away on this circlet. He and most of my clan... my mother, uncles, cousins... they all died fighting for what they believed in. I am the last of the Brightwaters... And by our shed blood, our land walking neighbors and friends of the island Laris are still alive and warned of the danger coming from the depths. They are brave... and they won't be taken by surprise now from an attack from the sea which they once called their friend and allies"

"However... all our shed blood will be for naught if this war is allowed to be carried out. I killed Lord Hardscale and his host was routed and driven away but more shall come until all lands are dragged unto the ocean, the blood of humans drawing the sharks and painting the seas as their bodies sink into the darkness of the deepest pits. To stop that I am now standing under the sun, breathing this air and talking of my slain kin to a man I have just met. My words may mean little to you... but then so be it. Keep watch upon me if you wish... and if you'll drive me off your ship then I'll just swim after it, keeping it safe as I may to see if you are truly what the rumors paint you as"

Altan shrugged. "You weren't around, apparently, so I explored a bit. And yes, I can use a gangplank." Her voice was laced with a strange, guttural accent. "Altansarai Bilguun, at your service as a merchant and brawler." She offered her hand to shake, one part of Khagalak glinting on her hand.

edited 18th May '15 1:12:42 PM by Tojin

Captain Sandersson examined the pendant that Alaryn showed to him. He knew little of mer nobility, but if they were as honorable as Tyrian nobility, then she was telling the truth. He nodded sternly. "I do believe you, as difficult as it can be for me," he assured her. "You have conviction in your words, and you have bravery in your actions. If you wish to oppose the goddess, then so be it. Any enemy of Tethys is a friend aboard my ship." He then turned towards his quartermaster. "Sven. Back down. This mermaid is one of us." Sven looked unsure, but he took a few steps back obediently.

The captain then glanced over at the woman behind her. He reached out his hand to shake the woman's. "Captain Erik Sandersson of the Valkyrie. As he shook, he felt her firm grip, and he glanced at the orichalcum knuckles on her hands. "Those look of Atlantean make. How did you come about these?" Sven instead approached the bear of a man behind Captain Sandersson.

"The captain will speak with you shortly... although that is not his name," he simply replied, with a bit of a smirk on his face. He sniffed the air. Definitely the smell of ale. "Had a bit too much to drink, boy?"

edited 18th May '15 1:18:14 PM by AllHailThrall

"Not enough if I say so myself," Xenon replied to Sven, he had at least gotten to the right place, even if he had bungled the captain's name. "If I had known we'd have Tethys's children onboard, I'd have packed a barrel."

"Believe it or not, Captain, I found them washed up on a beach, several years ago back home. They looked to fetch a pretty penny, so I picked them up and brought them with me to here, though they soon proved their worth as weapons after an encounter with a drunkard that ended with a broken rib of his."

"Your words are most kind, Captain... Then, I shall leave you to assemble your troops" she says, Looking at the arriving humans... her form may be distracting and hinder the Captain's ability to assemble a good force, she thinks. After all, her own people were about to wage war as frustrating and infuriating as that may be. Thus she began to shift her body... to make her lower half legs like those of a human. Even her skin, which was a nice, light shade of blue turned pink and pale like that of humans as she shifted.

By the time she was done she looked mostly human... except for her ears, her tone of hair, the two long blue pelvic fins and a bit of her dorsal one which kind of camouflaged itself with her long hair. As for her clothes... well, at the moment she only had her armored belts to cover her privates, though soon enough she reached into her satchel to produce a parero to tie around her waist. With that done she moved to the front of the ship, away from the plank to sit at the railing, looking out to the sea.

Sven nodded. "Indeed. I am not sure about the captain's judgement, what with inviting that mermaid to join our crew. But I guess we need all the help we can get. I am Sven Morgenstern, quartermaster aboard this fine vessel. I would love to exchange pleasantries but it seems like we have another fresh catch aboard," he stated, approaching the red-headed woman who had just arrived. "Welcome aboard the Valkyrie," he told her. "The captain is occupied at the moment, but if you want I can review your application."

The captain was intrigued by the orichalcum knuckles. "Let's just hope you can keep that fighting spirit of yours directed towards our enemies and not at the rest of the crew. As it stands, welcome aboard."

edited 18th May '15 2:00:51 PM by AllHailThrall

Altan smiled. "Thank you, captain. And don't worry, I won't turn Khagalak on my crewmates unless I must." She went into the cargo hold, the better to familiarize herself with the ship she now served on.

Something was moving quickly underwater towards the ship. It remained at a low depth until getting close, where it turned sharply upwards towards the ship. A young, pale man in only shorts and some kind of mask came launching out of the water on an orichalcum board, and landed on the deck of the ship with a loud THUNK. "Mnph-a Mnnnph-a!" the young man exclaimed to himself in an unintelligible, muffled yell, throwing up one hand with his pinky and thumb outstretched.

He then reached up and pulled the strap of the mask up off the back of his head, so he could pull the mask away from his face, gasping for fresh air directly as he did so. He looked at the other people present, blinking once. "Is this ship hiring?" the young man asked, afterwards taking a moment to shake some of the water from his hair.

edited 18th May '15 6:48:41 PM by FirockFinion

Erik and Sven turned suddenly towards the source of the noise that had suddenly hit the ship. Erik raised an eyebrow in confusion, moving towards the young man who ended up on the deck of the ship. "Hiring...? Yes.... but what sort of skills can you bring to the table, Mr.... ah...." he murmured. Sven winced.

"Captain, this is a child," he sighed. "I don't think we're looking for children in this endeavor." The captain crossed his arms and nodded.

"Yes, you are correct... but that is certainly a strange device on his face. Again, it looks Atlantean in origin," he pointed out. "Go ahead, explain yourself, boy," the captain urged.

"What skills? Come on, you saw that didn't- woah!" the young man tried to step forward, but with his feet currently attached to the board only managed to throw off his balance and fall on his face. "Right, still getting used to that" he muttered, propping himself up and back so that he was sitting with the board in front of him now.

"This thing can move on or under the water pretty fast, while this mask lets me breathe and see underwater as good as a fish" the young man explained, motioning first to the board then to the mask in his hand. "That's gotta be helpful to a ship somehow, right? I can like, go spotting stuff and come back, or go pick things up underwater and bring them to the ship" he continued, unhooking the clasps to free his feet from the board.

"Name's Toby, by the way" Toby finally introduced himself, offering his hand up to the captain for a shake.

Snake's boat was not good for travelling, he needed to find a boat good for travelling. He couldn't depend on his tail when it's like a fish, the bag would slow him down and the contents would be ruined by the water. He found people gathering around one boat, it seemed like that boat would be good for travelling.

When he got close enough to the ship, he heard they were hiring. If he does a job, he'd get to travel. They also seemed curious about objects made of the metal of his spear judging how they acted towards the boy with the floating circle. Guess he'll need to show that off to get hired.

Snake slithered onto the deck of the ship. Either the tall brown haired moustache man or just as tall blond man was in charge. He went closer to the two and asked "This ship is good for travelling right? I just need you to give me a job to travel with you right?"

Snake's mind wasn't focused on the fact that he's half snake was going to the main thought of something laying on him for the first time or the scaly legs and fins of one of the ladies. He was just focused on finding out if this ship is useful.

edited 19th May '15 8:27:23 AM by JustaUsername

"On second thought, considering everything on your plate, just one barrel wouldn't be enough...." Xenon muttered to Sven. He balled his left hand into a fist before opening it up again. "You're going to need a boatswain of my talents if you want to keep things running in ship shape."

The captain looked a little puzzled, not sure what to think of Toby, but then reached his hand out to shake. "Captain Erik Sandersson of the Valkyrie. Though your skills are unorthodox, you could have some that might make themselves useful..." he murmured. Sven winced.

"You can't be serious, Captain," Sven sighed. The captain shot him a look.

"I like to think I have a keen eye for the character of a man," Erik replied, then turned back towards Toby. "Or a boy." He then looked at Alaryn over at the front of the ship. "Or a mermaid." Sven shrugged.

"If you insist, captain," Sven grudgingly admitted. Then he glanced a little bit to the side, and his eyes widened, taking a half-step back as Snake approached. Erik whipped around, eyes widening as well, startled by the snake-man aboard his ship. Erik then suddenly composed himself.

"Travel?!" the captain exclaimed indignantly. "Does this look like a ferry to you? This is a galleon... and we are on an important mission. If you wish to secure passage, find a ship that takes passengers. I must admit, I was not expecting to see someone of your... form," he told Snake.

Sven said nothing and instead looked back at Xenon. "At this rate, I'm inclined to agree with you. What are your credentials, Mr...?"

edited 19th May '15 11:22:10 AM by AllHailThrall

"Mr. Xenon," Xenon said with a mighty laugh, and slapped Sven on the shoulder. "But you can call me Xenon. As for credentials, I've been working ships up and down the coasts for just about two decades, as everything from deckhand to boatswain. I started out taking short jobs as a deckhand for whoever had the coin - Lynn 'The Coward' Richmond, Moreland Tempest, Vicious Talon, Atwater Ramsay, and Lavina Hex to name a few. Then I spent a year as a deckhand aboard the Hateful Whore of the South, sailing for Handsome Orford Newberry. He promoted me to boatswain when the previous man... well, when they said he had a girl in every port, they never mentioned that some of them were vengeful firecrackers with dead aim. But fortunately for me, that meant I could spend a good two years in that position before seeking other employment."

His face narrowed and his eyes drew closer and sharper, his mouth flattening grimly. "And for most of the last seven years, I was Boatswain for Pendleton Black, aboard the Golden Hangman. Every last man and woman aboard that vessel was my brother, and it be Tethys who drowned them all in the abyss. I sail not for coin, nor profit, nor adventure, nor pleasure, but for a greater purpose. So long as you sail against the salty bitch of the seas, plundering her treasures and sacking her temples, then you'll find no man more loyal in all the endless ocean. I won't jump ship at the first sign of trouble, as it is only in the heart of the storm that I will find a fair shot at ripping out her black heart myself."

edited 19th May '15 12:06:13 PM by nman

"Oh, I'm Neressa. You may call me Neri though, if you'd like." Neressa finally responded. She looked at the new arrivals with an expression of slight interest.

Ahhhhh I thought I had this in my watchlistttt

When the two tall men looked were a bit shocked, locking at below Snake's waist at first before focusing on his face. "Ah right my tail! Well, I touched a strange scale and now, I don't have legs anymore. Now I just have a choice of tails, this one and one that looks more like a fish. I'm on a mission too, I'm trying to figure out how to have legs again..."

Snake got back to the matter he was focusing on. "And, I can't really secure any passage on passenger ships. I don't really have much money and they feel my tail would make other passangers worry, either because of the fear ot snakes or because the people with tails have gotten more aggressive recently, one of the two. But this ship is looking for workers rather than passangers right? I'm good at hunting, fishing and traps plus I can speak two languages, so that might be useful."

The snakeman then went to the edge of the ship, dropped the Orichalcum spear he had on him and then soon after had it reappear in his hand in a flash. "Plus my spear can do that. It's also able to be thrown as well in water as it could be on land!"