How peaceful the islands below looked; like a resting deer, unsuspecting of the prowling wolf. Undasis was that wolf, Kraken the teeth and Woman the mind. Svieand had proven himself to be an enemy to The Sea's all-consuming will, and so he must be made an example of. Perhaps the Cold One could even earn himself some respect, if he didn't respond like a petulant child... [center]-_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_-[/center] [center][b][i]Aestus[/i][/b][/center] "Now, you're gonna just grab that paddle and push off the beach, there" The well-muscled Sviebarden man moved his arms dramatically as he spoke, motioning how one would launch the canoe from the sandy Sviebard shore and into the waiting sea. Aestus nodded vigorously in response. Upon seeing the opportunity, he had lunged at the chance to finally learn such a beautiful art as sailing. From the age he could first splash around and play in local creeks and rivers, he had been enamored by water. Often times, seeing fish slice through the liquid so simply, he had dreamed of doing the same. A foolish dream, he knew, but that desire to feel at one with the rivers never left him- on the contrary, it followed him like a plague. From a young age he never followed his parents to the temple to worship with the others, despite their urging and pleading for both him and his soul. They often expounded the dangers of atheism to him, how one that lived a life separated from the gods might as well have never lived any life. What his loving- but perhaps misguided- mother and father never noticed was just how much of an impact their words carried. At fourteen, his mother passed away from some unknown illness. It had started years before, her body shriveling away and seeming to dry up and waste to nothing right before the eyes of her mourning family. They all knew she had not long to live, but knowing that never makes it any easier. When he heard the news, Aestus had ran from his home as quickly as his feet would carry him. He didn't know why, he didn't know where he was going, he just knew that he needed to be alone. As fate would have it, the young Aestus did not stop running until he reached a softly flowing river. He had been there many times before, of course, but he now understood something that was lost on him before: the river was shriveling, beginning to dry up and waste away in a drought. It did not have long left. He kneeled before the river, salty tears streaming down his face. [i]Woman of the Water,[/i] he prayed, [i]I've heard tales of you my whole life. Ever since I was little, people told me about that you were the one who watched the rivers. I love the rivers, and I...I[/i] He started sobbing, [i]I don't belong here, really. Please, mighty Undasis, take me away.[/i] That prayer was a long time ago, and no answer had come. As he grew and matured to the twenty-five year old he was today, Aestus came to terms with the loss of his mother. He often wondered whether any greater force [b]had[/b] heard his pleas. But that wasn't important, what mattered was today- and today he was working to learn sailing. "So...are you gonna do it, lad?" The Sviebarden boat instructor's gentle but firm question awoke him from his reminiscing. Once again Aestus offered no verbal response. He gripped one of the two canoe paddles tightly in both his hands, and shoved off. To his earnest surprise, the miniature ship sailed smoothly and gently on the peaceful waves. That is, until the tsunami came. [center]---[/center] There was no warning for the disaster, and no consultation for the pain. The relentless wave toppled over itself again and again, but never lost momentum. Fortunately for Svieand's people, only five men were hit by that initial offense. Unfortunately for him, Aestus was one of them. It was an odd and ironic feeling. Water is perhaps what he loved most in this world, and it was now trying to kill him. The wave easily consumed his small canoe, and Aestus found himself quickly sinking to unknown depths. The tsunami had held more force than a thousand men could muster, and from the feel of it...he had broken a few bones, particularly those on his limbs. He tried to paddle himself upwards, as he had seen fish do, but his right arm would not move below the elbow, and both his legs felt like steel. No. No. He was not ready to die. [i]Lord Undasis, [/i]he prayed, [i]I beg you to spare me. I have naught to offer you, but I will do such as a mortal may for your cause. Please, Kraken, have mercy. Please, Woman of the Water, hear my cry.[/i] It seemed that either Undasis could not or would not hear him, for he kept falling further from the surface. He could not swim, and he would not be able to hold his breath much longer, his face was already turning as blue as the ocean. This, apparently, was his destiny- to be brutally executed at the start of his life by the thing he loved most. He would be a fool to convince himself that he had any opportunity to survive. But he could die on his own terms, at least. He let go. He opened his mouth and let the water enter him, so that he may perish in a dignified manner... To his unfathomable shock, the sea-water drifted into his body as easily as air. It didn't hurt, it didn't sicken him, and, most importantly, it did not kill him. Words cannot express what he felt in that moment: shock, fear, joy, gratitude, disbelief, and so many other emotions all rolled together. A voice somehow even stronger than the tsunami tide spoke: [color=f26522]"Mortal...why have you asked me for mercy? I am not mercy, I am force incarnate."[/color] Was this truly the Kraken of legend, speaking to him? To lonely Aestus? [i]"I do not deserve your mercy, O Kraken, but what else do I have to ask for? If I cannot be spared in this life, please allow me to have peace in the next. Take my soul, remake me into what you please, but do not curse me to walk once more on the land, and allow me not to be taken by Escre- who will reincarnate me into someone other than myself. Allow me to live as you do, as one of the waters. Please, it is a man's dying wish."[/i] The Kraken's cruel laugh echoed through the mortal's mind. [color=f26522]"Very well, fool, but you know not what you ask. Prayers will not always be answered in the manner you wish, when the gods have other plans. Did you not pray to me before, to take you away? I have done so, have I not? You are indeed far from home, in a strange place beneath my depths..."[/color] With that final foreboding warning, Aestus's prayer was answered. The water poured once more into his lungs, but this time it [i]did[/i] hurt, it [i]did[/i] sicken him and, in a way, it [i]did[/i] kill him. His young, somewhat weak body died, and his soul rose up from the corpse. Kraken then went about fashioning a new body for his soon-to-be servant. In a moment of inspiration, the Sea God decided to create his hero's body after the [url=http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/94/d9/94d96378f06618539055d625b2ebfaa2.jpg]form [/url] he and Woman had taken at the start of the universe, when the merged together at the touching of the Orb. He plucked the floating soul from the water and fused it into the new body. Undasis's hero had been born. [center]---[/center] When Aestus awoken from his temporary slumber, he found that Kraken's promise (and threat) had been followed out. He was now a new lifeform entirely, one that had never been seen before on the face of Galbar. He lifted his hands, and found that they felt as strong as steel and as sturdy as rock. He looked down to his feet and found that they weren't there- in their place was a single, strong fish tail, obviously built for paddling through the sea. Other men might have panicked at such a transformation, but Aestus felt only exilaration. He knew that somehow, somewhere, this had been planned. This was his purpose, to be the first of Undasis's beloved children. [color=f26522]"A fine form, is it not? But you have no time to admire it, you have work to do. We have blessed you as our own, and you must prove to us your loyalty. Tell me, what do you think of Sviebard?"[/color] Aestus answered honestly. There was not point in lying to a god, especially Undasis. [i]"It is beautiful, and, truthfully, I love the islands."[/i] [color=f26522]"Interesting...now sink them. Do not doubt! You have been given the power, you only have to make the choice. If you will it, these islands will begin to flood, and I will finish the rest."[/color] He was horrified. It was not his want to kill these people, but he knew he must do it. Undasis had willed it, and their will was the will of the sea. Perhaps he would not have felt that way before his transformation, but now that he had been made the Hero of the Sea, he saw it all so much more clearly. If Kraken commands the death of Sviebard, then Sviebard will die. So it must be. Aestus swam through the waves, and came close the the shore. He lifted up his hands, and he felt all rivers, lakes, and pools in the isles swell to absurd sizes, spilling out into the land. Then, he felt Kraken pull the islands down. [center]-_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_-[/center] It was a short affair. Within a matter of hours, almost half of Sviebard had vanished back into the ocean as suddenly as it had appeared. As for the people who fell into the waters, they were telepathically offered a choice: they could be remade according to the will of the Water God, and serve his greater purpose, or they could die. Naturally, many of the frightened humans submitted to Kraken without argument. These were shaped into [url=http://flipside.theiet.org/tasty/stories/63/images/scary-mermaid.jpg]new creatures[/url], and became the first Merpeople. Many died that day, but through their sacrifice new life was made. [center]-_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_-[/center] After the sinking of the islands, the Mermen were without purpose, and void. They had no sense of where to go or what to do, and the vast majority of them had lost memories of their life as humans (having your brain reshaped will do that), loosing all skills, emotions, beliefs, and knowledge in the process. They had been granted with an inherit ability to communicate telepathically, but, other than that one gift, they were like newborns. The new race gathered around Aestus in search of hope and leadership, and so he prayed again: [i]"Mighty Undasis, these creations view me as their master, but I am no more than they are. Help me, please, to guide them, and to show them your glory" [/i] At that moment, Aestus was suddenly granted knowledge, which he was able to convey to the others. It would not be long before they had advanced and spread across the sea. The Merpeople had been born! [hider=Mighty Summary] 8 Might at start 5 Might spent to level up to 4. 3 remain. 1 Might spent to create a Hero. 2 remain. 1 Might spent to flood the islands, using inland rivers and lakes. 1 remains. 1 Might spent to create Merpeople. 0 remain 2 Freepoints spent to teach the Mer: - Animal Domestication - Nature - Stone-tools - Fishing/Hunting - Free Will - Home - Learning - Metropolism (will be explained) - Civic/State/Law - Biral Manipulation (also will be explained) No Freepoints left. NOTHING REMAINS [/hider]