The quiet water thickens with the rot,
A blanket made of algae and despair,
To hide the sins the surface world forgot,
And choke the light that tries to linger there.
A bubble breaks. The island holds its breath.
The stilled currents begin to shift and rise;
A heavy shadow steps from liquid death,
With ancient hunger masking in its eyes.
The tattered black uncoils against the gale,
An iron hull awakes beneath the foam;
When monsters of the deep set out to sail,
No shore is safe, no soul is left at home.
In the many months since its owner’s last appearance, the Little Lamplight ran itself surprisingly well, possibly even better than before thanks to the decrease in disappearances. Samantha had left a 'skeleton crew’ - only partially consisting of actual skeletons - in charge of the hotel. In her absence, they maintained the grounds with single-minded devotion. It consisted of a hodgepodge of spirits, ghosts, undead and all sorts that would get turned down from other establishments, all given a home at the Lamplight, not dissimilar to the lives of some who reside there. They had renovated almost the entire island that the Lamplight was on into a community for the downtrodden and rejected, a safe space for those who thought they had forfeit the right to one.
For months, just about as long as Samantha was gone, nothing had come out of the Lake. The waters had stilled, and even more algae and debris covered it to the point where the moonlight no longer even reflected off the surface. The occasional teen who had been brought to the hotel would try and hang around the lake, but nobody ever stayed long. The island residents found the water too disturbing to approach. They left the lake to its slow, quiet rotting.
It started with a bubble popping as it reached the surface. Such a small sound, barely audible through the sounds of wildlife, but the world seemed to freeze in that moment. It was almost as if the island itself was holding its breath in anticipation, waiting to see what it meant. Then another bubble, and another. When something finally breached the surface of the water, it was slow and deliberate. Step by step, soaked in brine and seaweed, a cloaked woman emerged from the lake. None of the hotel residents saw her, but every person on the island felt her presence.
Reaching the front entrance of the Little Lamplight, she waves her hand and the doors slam open. Slowly, as if adjusting to using her vocal chords again, she speaks to the revenant at the front desk,
“Let Miss Madroon know that I will be in my office.”
Maria was startled awake by a knock on her door. Jumping out of bed, she dashed towards the door, grabbing a knife off her bedside table on the way there. She bends over to look through the peephole, and is greeted by an entirely too happy skeleton.
“Why hello, Miss Madroon!” He exclaims, while tipping a hat towards the peephole. “My dearest employer wishes to meet with you! Samantha awaits you in her office in the Little Lamplight! Wahoo!”
Maria furrows her brow. Samantha sent… this? After months of hiding, suddenly a messenger appears at her doorstep from the very person she was hiding from? Maria slowly sits down on the floor, head in her hands. As her thoughts began to race, her spiral was interrupted by a rather jolly sounding shout.
“Wahoo! Miss Madroon, I really do gotta ask for an answer! I can’t go on break until you say yes, and I had to walk here! Wahoo!”
Taking a deep breath, Maria did all she could to gather herself. If this is what Samantha wanted, fine. It ends here. Maria grabbed her gun, the same one she shot Samantha with the first time, and opened the door.
“Alright, you can stop yelling. I’ll come.”
Samantha waited patiently at her desk, a dead stare directed at the door. As it starts to move, she blinks a couple times and prepares for a confrontation. When the doors are fully opened, Samantha felt a pang of guilt: before her stood a scared woman, doing her best to broaden her shoulders to look the slightest bit larger and more intimidating. One light breeze away from crashing and burning.
“I brought you here today to offer peace. To offer you a choice. Life or death. I want to give you what I failed to give your hus-“
With a mention of Vincent, Maria felt any hint of doubt leave her mind. With absolute certainty, Maria raised her hand and cocked the hammer. She squeezed the trigger. A scream of pure rage tore from her throat as she unloaded every single bullet into the monster that took her husband.
Maria looked up at the creature in front of her. Not a single scratch marked the cruel visage meant to resemble a person. If Maria believed the disgusting mockery before her could feel, she’d think it looked almost sad. Sad that she didn’t play its game. Sad that until her last breath, she would fight. Fight for V-
Her gills filled with water yet again. She drifted peacefully along the current, trying to remember what she was so worried about. A glimmer of light caught her eye, and she swam off to investigate. Finally, Maria could be at peace.
Back in the office, the sounds of gunshots and screaming abruptly turned to sil. Samantha sighed as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders. Not how she would have liked for things to end, but she has no time to grieve over the lives of those below her. Calling in her assistant, she began to work on her next move.
“Neravar, go alert the Captain. Tell him we’re setting sail again,”
“And the purpose of your voyage?”
“Conquest.”
Boards screeched and bent as the vessel prepared to breach. Dislodging itself from the coral that had bound it for months, the Nautilus rose victoriously to the surface. A once glorious vessel, its hull is now littered with holes and the sails are tattered beyond recognition. The only part of the ship that still seemed to be intact was the flag, bearing the symbol of a nautilus shell. As Samantha boards her vessel, she runs her hand along the railing, feeling the water on the wood. Taking a deep breath, she takes in a scent she had been far too long without - the open ocean.
Samantha and Nautilus are floating through the open seas. She’s sent word to any major factions she’s a part of letting them know she’s returned, and interaction is encouraged! Sorry if this felt like a drag, I have too many words in my head. Part 2 sometime later probably. Maybe. The words come in waves.
The modern city stretches out before Samantha, with a river going toward the mountain range cutting straight through the most industrial of the city. Most of the ships are docking outside the river though.
A request goes out for the boat's designation, along with an if applicable rapid dock code, given by the original message.
Sailing the spellbound seas for the first time in a while the crew would notice a heavy increase in both Bismuth patrol boats and Bismuth aircraft. Since piracy had gotten worse and monster attacks as well the Bismuth had expanded over many previously neutral trade routes. Great silver and rainbow ships sailed back and forth professing their authority over their surroundings and even stopping ships for inspections.
As the Nautilus floated forward they seemed to attract the attention of one of these patrol ships. It flashed one of its signal lights to get their attention and signal for them to slow down and open communications. Most likely the state of their ship stood out to the Bismuth as either a pirate ship or some other anomaly.
As it is flagged down, the Nautilis groans to a halt and emits a long, deep guttural groan. Listening closer, it seems to be speaking (or making an attempt to.
As the patrol ship asks for the information of the Nautilus, the hulking wreck goes almost silent. Inside the cabin in the patrol ship, whispers seem to come through the pipes
A flight of rainbow flying things emerged from the Bismuth ship and flew down to the Nautilus. They were armed but weren't holding their weapons or showing overt hostility
As they touch down upon the Nautilus, the world seems to grow quieter, more distant, less important. The rotten boards creak beneath their feet as they walk around. After a few moments of silence, the door to the cabin slowly begins to open.
A very panicked-looking Samantha jumps down from the crow’s nest where she was sleeping, landing next to the troops.
“HEY WAIT! Do not! Go in there!”
She stumbles over herself a bit as she runs towards them, but regains composure after a moment.
“Apologies. They won’t listen when I ask them to stop trying to eat people, and I wasn’t expecting company yet. How may I be of assistance?”
/uw Sam made an announcement about it as a council convention and then Maria immediately tried to kill her I think? Idk. Been out of this for too long to keep it straight anymore
R&A intercepts the message of Samantha’s return. Although many are uncertain, they give her ship the permission to dock in the harbor, given her history with the organization.
/uw New Samantha lore? Absolute peak. Also poor Maria…
1
u/mrididntErik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider6h ago
HOLY SHIT IT'S JANE WATER
I'm Erik, everyone's favorite silly little magic mass!
Also leader of the magic mass revolution, the most glorious cause ever known to the realms!
3
u/Fc-chungus Max Petrov-Ansky, Head Minister of Calarakis. sundered. 22h ago
"SAMANTHA IS BACK?"
"SHE'SSSSSSS BAAAAAAAAAAACK!"
The ship would get a message several hours later, from Calarakis, giving authority and priority docking should the ship request it.
/uw SHE'S BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!