PlaneShift
Fan Area => Roleplaying (Communitive Storywriting) => Single Author Stories => Topic started by: Warhoon on November 21, 2006, 09:59:49 am
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Tales from the Depths
Chapter 1: In the Ancient City
Beneath the depths, the shimmering blue light of the Azure Sun casts a dim glow on the ruins of an ancient city. Ages ago, longer even than the memory of the Elders, this necropolis was a magnificent centre of wealth and power. Hints of its former splendour were everywhere, from the intricate carvings, to the many empty insets where great rubies, emeralds and sapphires would have been placed. Only the largest structures remained, and those had crumbled to a point where they would have been unrecognizable by the former inhabitants. Enormous blocks of stone, their edges marred and cracked from tumbling over one another, lie strewn about on the sandy sea floor, with great strands of Lepora seaweeds forming clumps in every crevice. The histories speak of a great earthquake in this region, which was known to have laid waste to most of the remaining buildings. Slowly, but surely, the city was being claimed by the sea.
Slowly, cautiously, a young Waveglider slides out from under the sands in search of prey. It moves along the bottom, it’s long whiskers feeling deep in search of food. Tenveren Gildor, hidden in a massive stone alcove, watches with curiosity. Suddenly, in a violent explosion of activity, the creature lunges forward. A dense cloud forms around the spot, obscuring his view. Patiently, the elf watches and waits, the dense seaweeds wrapping around him in a forest of camouflage. His gills flare as he takes a deep, slow breath. A strong current pushes into the area, moving the cloud aside to reveal a giant Ghedusa, a large crab-like beast adorned with many deadly claws. It sits above the corpse of the Waveglider, its lifeless body ripped and pinned beneath the pincers of its captor. The big crustacean begins to shuffle, moving back and forth in succession, forcing sand back over its body. Within moments neither hunter nor prey is visible, though the Ghedusa still sits in waiting, ever hungry. Tenveren makes a mental note to avoid the area on his way out, and reflexively grasps his spear.
The elf runs his fingers over alien hieroglyphs on nearby stones, wondering at their meaning and origins. To his people, the Nolthrir, this place was a mystery. Some speculated that it was once inhabited by aquatic elves like themselves, while others believed this was once a terrestrial environment ruled by land dwellers. One could not be sure, since no one had yet decoded the language. And the decorative elements of these ancient peoples were no help, either. Everywhere there were symbols from the sea: seashells, fishes and Cetaraeans, massive pelagic mammals of the deep waters. Was this appreciation they were expressing, or actual immersion? Historians pointed to the lack of fountains as proof that this was an underwater society, but the occasional evidence of staircases seemed to indicate a respect for gravity that ocean dwellers took for granted. Tenveren sighed to himself. This time of peaceful reflection was ending. It was time to head home.
Pushing hard against the rock, the male Nolthrir bursts from the dark crevice, leaving a trail of torn seaweed and bubbles in his wake. Clutching his sharp spear, Tenveren rapidly beats his webbed feet until he achieves considerable speed. In moments, he clears the edges of the city and the ruins become dim in the distance. Like an elven torpedo, he darts and spins into schools of silverspools, their tiny bodies sparkling like metallic flecks against the light above. Tenveren slips a few of the tiny fishes into his mouth, enjoying their salty taste and crunchy texture. Again he whips into a cluster, snapping up another handful. Numbering in the thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, the act is effortless. Enjoying his triumph, he continues on for many minutes. In the distance, he sights the turquoise towers of Neobra of the Spines, his home. And, his prison.
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There is some really gripping detail going on here. I like what I see so far. When do you think you'll have the rest of this finished? You can't possibly stop now, my curiosity has been piqued. \\o//