Post by greentongue on Dec 8, 2010 18:57:13 GMT -6
Having taken shelter in a clump of palms and palmettos, Haikon hi Satara and Karlo hi Choldo hunkered down as wind and rain lashed at them. Bolts of lightning crashed frequently causing the very air to reverberate with the sound of its fury. One bolt split a nearby palm flinging them backward into the palmetto scrub. When they recovered their senses, the rain was beginning to slacken. Staggering to their feet they noticed each other and converged on a wide palm tree. It's fronds offered some slight protection from the rain.
After a time the rain tapered off and the sky lightened. Looking around for others from their party, they determined that they were alone. They also noticed that the palm that had been struck by lightning was nowhere to be found. The trail that their party had been following was still where they expected, though it didn't look the way they remembered.
After talking their situation over they decided to return home to Broken Shells, the village that they had just left the morning before. Something unusual had clearly happened and they were not going to determine what by stand around. On their way back Karlo was able to find some wild fruit, so they didn't go hungry.
Arriving at the village they immediately noticed things did not look the same. It wasn't just storm damage either. The main clan house was larger and some of the buildings were no longer where they had been. Haikon suggested that they should return to the barracks and check in. Maybe someone there could explain what had happened. Much to their surprise, they didn't recognize any of the people they passed in the village or the men that greeted them at the barracks.
What followed was a confusion of paperwork. The clan administrators verified their identity signets were valid and searched the records. What was found was that they had both been declared dead a hundred and twelve years ago. Cause of death was a lightning strike that had killed several people, them among others. The palm that had sheltered them had been blown to bits by the strike and their bodies where never found.
After some more paperwork they were reassigned to the barracks and added to the roster. Dropping their gear in the chest by their sleeping pads, they went to meet their new commander Serqu hi Enoinn. As Serqu hi Enoinn was signing the last of the paperwork to accept them under his command, an alarm sounded. The sound startled everyone since it was the bell signaling that the village was under attack. Not knowing what to expect, the men in the barracks grabbed weapons from the weapon racks and headed for the sound.
The screams of women and children cut through the air as people fled in all directions from the ocean's edge. Behind them, crawling out of the surf was a Ghar. It's fifteen-foot size dwarfing even the fishermen between the women and the creature. The afternoon sun gleamed from its shell and cast shadows over the three dark holes brimming with teeth lining it's front. As it crawled from the water and between the scattering of boats tied to palms at the edge of the village, men in red livery came streaming out of the village's guest quarters.
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After a time the rain tapered off and the sky lightened. Looking around for others from their party, they determined that they were alone. They also noticed that the palm that had been struck by lightning was nowhere to be found. The trail that their party had been following was still where they expected, though it didn't look the way they remembered.
After talking their situation over they decided to return home to Broken Shells, the village that they had just left the morning before. Something unusual had clearly happened and they were not going to determine what by stand around. On their way back Karlo was able to find some wild fruit, so they didn't go hungry.
Arriving at the village they immediately noticed things did not look the same. It wasn't just storm damage either. The main clan house was larger and some of the buildings were no longer where they had been. Haikon suggested that they should return to the barracks and check in. Maybe someone there could explain what had happened. Much to their surprise, they didn't recognize any of the people they passed in the village or the men that greeted them at the barracks.
What followed was a confusion of paperwork. The clan administrators verified their identity signets were valid and searched the records. What was found was that they had both been declared dead a hundred and twelve years ago. Cause of death was a lightning strike that had killed several people, them among others. The palm that had sheltered them had been blown to bits by the strike and their bodies where never found.
After some more paperwork they were reassigned to the barracks and added to the roster. Dropping their gear in the chest by their sleeping pads, they went to meet their new commander Serqu hi Enoinn. As Serqu hi Enoinn was signing the last of the paperwork to accept them under his command, an alarm sounded. The sound startled everyone since it was the bell signaling that the village was under attack. Not knowing what to expect, the men in the barracks grabbed weapons from the weapon racks and headed for the sound.
The screams of women and children cut through the air as people fled in all directions from the ocean's edge. Behind them, crawling out of the surf was a Ghar. It's fifteen-foot size dwarfing even the fishermen between the women and the creature. The afternoon sun gleamed from its shell and cast shadows over the three dark holes brimming with teeth lining it's front. As it crawled from the water and between the scattering of boats tied to palms at the edge of the village, men in red livery came streaming out of the village's guest quarters.
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