<strong>1st day of June, 241th year of 4th age. (241e4) // Morning Light // Shore south of Rashaan settlement</strong><br/><br/>The shattered hull of the<strong>Tiderunner</strong>merchant galleon rested against the stones near the beach, with a pair of rowboats moving between the ship and the shore, unloading the crates from the ship's hold. Much of it was soaked, the ship had taken in a lot of water during the storm. The ship had arrived during the last night's darkness, striking against a reef it had been already in a poor shape, having lost some of its cargo during the storm's rush when the ship's side began to fall apart. The ship was doomed to rest at the bottom of the waves it seemed when a strong tide carried the ship and as if irony had been on its side, threw the ship to rest upon the stones near the shallow shore.<br/><br/>There it lay, a proud ship now damaged beyond any hope of recovery. It would be easier to break it apart and use the wood to build a new ship than to try and fix the damage it had suffered, but unlike a vast majority of ships, it had held intact long enough to reach the shore.<br/><br/>What had lay in wait had been a group of villagers from Rashaan with blankets, hot water mixed with medicinal leaves, and strong hands carrying people off to rest. How each person took upon this hospitality was their decision, but the villagers spoke a simple truth.<br/><br/><em>Those that the sea does not swallow deserve a better chance than they would have, left alone on their own. We only ask that you consider our words and contribute back to our village in time when you are capable of doing so.</em><br/><br/>So when dawn's light illuminated the makeshift campsite, the cheap fabric of the tents let light touch the faces of the survivors of the last night, bringing them back among the living. Exhaustion and nausea should all be gone after a chance to finally rest without constant sway back and forth. By the sounds of it, the settlement's folks were already working hard to unload the ship.<br/><br/>It might have been idyllic if not for a sudden scream and people shouting. A large splash sounding out and creaking of wood.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Rising from the waters and tearing sailor from a rowboat only to color the water red, a pair of grey arms reached for another man while the sailors began to strike at the waters with spears, panicked.<br/><br/><em>"Sea-demons!"</em>Someone shouted, panickedly, the people of the settlement on a full on run towards their palisade-protected home.<br/><br/>The beach campsite of the survivors mostly left alone, other than a young peasant girl running amongst the two dozen tents and the three now slowly smoldering campfires. "Wake up, wake up everyone or you might never wake up again!"<br/><br/>Rising from the tide a group of six grey-skinned men emerged, tall and muscular, but their heads seemed to join their torso with relatively little to speak of in terms of a 'neck', but the sharp row of teeth and the large jaw made them resemble sharks more than people. Webbed fingers and feet, and armor that looked like living coral worn as breasplates covered them, waters around the now broken rowboat sharing a red shade, the three sailors in it having vanished in mere moments. The rowboat that had been closer to the shore had no blood showing around it, but that was a small mercy.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Mechanics</div><div class="spoiler_body">Good Morning everyone, as you can see, your characters first choice of what to do is already there. I'll say this up front, there's no shame in running if you prefer to, and at this point given how others are fleeing, your characters would hardly be looked down upon for such behaviour. However, if they feel like they like a challenge right up at the wake up call, feel free. Your characters might have been awake already watching what is going on or asleep in their tents, but the villagers would have refused help politely from the folks 'before they even get a chance to recover' as it stands. <br/><br/>However, everyone ought to start with some 20 yard distance from the shoreline, and the 'sea-demons' are roughly 23 yards away, partially standing in the water still.</div></div>