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It was a warm April day, and with wildflowers beginning to bloom among the rocks along the river, everything was in a state of beauty. Thomas looked out to sea, where a schooner was sailing by from Harper’s Bay to the distant capitol of Dieteria in the north. He did not know the name of the city, but longed to visit such a place; even if only for a day. Thomas knew the castle was always there, as Harper's Bay was governed by it, but his mother would never allow him to travel so far away. Thomas would often sit by the waterfall to collect his thoughts and dream that someone would come to take him to see the world, but he was convinced that such a thing would probably never happen. Thomas enjoyed the falls not only for their peaceful beauty but also because they held a special secret—it was a place of visions. When he was very young, Thomas had been drawn to the falls on a foggy day. As soon as he’d arrived, the fog dissipated and a ship appeared beyond the point to the south. A few moments later, the ship vanished, but then he heard a voice. “Thomas... be good to your mother, and I shall be good to you....” This experience remained somewhat of a mystery until a later vision proved that the voice was indeed his father’s. The second vision was of a horrible shipwreck on an island west of Cimmordia Castle. The voice cried out his father’s name, a voice that often reminded Thomas of fear itself. It was unclear if his father was speaking from beyond the grave, but Thomas knew that his father was trying to tell him something…. Now there was no fog or mystery, and Thomas relaxed blissfully as the afternoon wore on. The scene was indeed amazing, as the skies were crystal blue, the wind was calm, and the rhythm of the gentle waves was very soothing. Thomas slowly began to drift asleep when suddenly the skies grew grey. He opened his eyes. "A storm?" The winds increased. Clouds rapidly blocked out the sunlight, and the ocean groaned as its waves grew wild. Lightning struck as a deep voice began to shudder inside of Thomas's mind... ...You shall feel my wrath, my creator... "Thomas!!" Thomas was started as his mother's voice brought him swiftly back to reality. All was as it had been before... as if he had dreamed it all. But violent waves broke the ocean's surface several yards from shore. There was a shadow in the sea, and Thomas stood up to investigate when.... "Thomas! Come home for dinner!" From the First Chapter, The Buccaneer of Nemaris
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"Mer-somethings, the cabin boy called them...
rubbish."
T.Scyhathen, Captain of the C.S. Nemaris
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At the bottom of the ridge, the sound of the fife grew louder. There, in the shallows of the waterfall pool, a young girl with long blond hair sat with her back turned towards the two men. She was trying to play the fife, but with little success. “That is my fife all right... but who is she?” Jared whispered to Thomas. “I think she’s my age, maybe I should try to talk to her.” He reached out a hand to stop Thomas. “Wait, what if she's a demon? Like that Jennings is always saying?" "Jared, look at her. Does she look like a demon to you?" Jared shrugged. "No! Not from this distance... but if she's no demon, you might scare her.” “She’s probably just trying to learn how to play it. It’ll be okay.” Thomas carefully approached the pool, stopping about ten feet from the girl. The air around the young girl smelled like sea lilies, and the entire scene had an aura of peace and calm. The girl was in her own little world as she turned the fife over in her hands. The object seemed foreign to her, yet she seemed to know it played music. She put the fife to her mouth, but not at the end- rather, she blew into it through one of the holes on the side. The sound of air blowing through it was the result, rather than the steady pitch of the intended note. Thomas couldn’t help but offer assistance. “If you wish, I could show you how that works.” With a slight yelp, the girl slipped underwater, taking the fife with her. She didn’t surface again, and with the exception of ripples from where she went under, there wasn’t anything else moving except for the waterfall. “Where’d she go?” Thomas asked, looking into the shallow water. Although he could see the bottom, with the exception of a flat rock slightly submerged where the girl had been sitting, there was nothing else to be found. “Ye blew it, lad.” Jared chuckled. From the Fifth Chapter, The Buccaneer of Nemaris
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"Everything seemed of the ordinary... to be trapped so easily embarasses me yet to this day."
-Scyhathen
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