The trip leaving the isles had been uneventful. Given what their experiences had been thus far left Tamsin rather bored. Stopping in port was the last of their journey on sea, she hoped, left them in a frigid cold climate that her coat of fur did little to help. After provisioning, the group left town. As cold as the climate was, it was beautiful. The crisp snow piling up here and there. The serenity of the gently falling snow called to the part of her where her power came from. To bad the serene landscape hid dangers. Out of no where the group was beset by frost giants. “I should have expected this.” She said to herself as she readied for battle.

The water receded, the cold slowly started to diminish as the wreckage that was the pier was swept back into the sea. There was so much destruction from such a small object it was almost unbelievable, however for the priestess something else was the matter. She could feel inside a missing part that was swept away in the tides, a void that used to be the connection between her and Isis was all that was left now. She fell to her knees from the shock of what occurred, to her it was as if someone reached within her heart and tore it apart. It seemed like an eternity before she could will herself to move again, slowly rising back to her feet with the help of Tybalt. Her hand over her heart she met Tybalt’s eyes, Erima knew there was no time to mourn or grieve for the one she lost there was only time for those that could still be saved. She began moving to the destruction clutching her sacred symbol she would do all that she could, the time for sorrow she would have to deal with later.

The fight with the Kracken had taken its toll on all of us and everyone was taking some much needed rest. Tybalt and Erima were off somewhere spending time alone which was only right, while Ulkraga, Apathy and myself spent some time exploring this beautiful city built on the water. The solid streets were crafted out of stone that seemed to float on the water. Everything was built for use of not only the ones who lived above the water but for those below as well.

After stopping for some of the local food fair the three continued on their way. A sudden whistling sound broke their conversation. Instinctively looking up to try and find the point of origin her eyes scanned the skies. Some civilians stopped and did the same before joining others to look for shelter. Tamsin’s heart raced as a small speck in the sky formed and grew larger. If that thing hit the center of town who knew how many lives would be lost and how much destruction would unfold. She had to act and quickly but could she find the strength. Her arms shot out to either side as water rushed up from the sea, mixing with the water and ice she created. This could very well burn her out but it was a risk she was willing to take. Combining all of your power into one spell was a dangerous thing and very few had attempted it. A shell of water and ice covered a large area protecting those around her. The pressure from the power coursing through her, nearly made her collapse. ‘Just a lil longer please.’ She thought frantically to herself as the object impacted. The force of it could be felt as well as seen, followed by a tidal wave of water and debris. The streets below their feet jarred and it felt as if the entire city had been rocked. The wall of water and magic came down, and with it so did Tamsin. She fell to the street, gasping for breath, but alive. If any magical backlash was there it wasn’t apparent yet. “Well I’m gonna be of little use for the next day or so.” She stated with half a smile.

Tybalt and Erima are finally out of their room and walking the eastern seaside boardwalk where the horizon can be detected by the constant lightning show from the storms out there. Isis is recovered and by her mistress’ side. Apathy, Ulkraga, and Tamsin are, by actual chance, nearby having decided to have a girls’ night out and are headed to one of the nearby taverns. Apathy’s wolf has even recovered and joined his mistress for the outing.

Suddenly, there is a piercing whistle that seems to come from the sky. No one seems able to figure out what it is as it grows louder and more intense with each second. However, by instinct, many people are attempting to get under cover, for fear of something falling. Their instincts prove correct, if useless. Something crashes down on one of the Seafolk ships moored at the end of the pier Tybalt and Erima were just about to start walking down. It doesn’t appear to be very large, but it hits with enough force to penetrate the entire vessel, and hit the seabed a hundred feet beneath the keel. The impact creates enough of a force wave that, even if it hadn’t been mortally damaged, it shatters the ship along with the whole pier. The water within a hundred feet of the impact, what isn’t vaporized, is thrown out creating a small tsunami in the area, swamping ships, buildings, and everything else. It even destabilizes the the foundation piles for the city itself within half a mile of the impact. Ultimately, it is determined that a tenth of the city has to be evacuated until repairs on the foundations can be enacted, over thirty ships have to be scuttled on top of the six that were completely destroyed, and the loss of life is calculated to be near two thousand souls.

The heroes were fortunate enough to have kept their various water survival gear upon them. Even then it took most of Tamsin’s water powers to protect herself and her companions, and it was touch and go for the wolf for a while. Erima and Tybalt did not fare so well. Tybalt managed to teleport himself and Erima, against his supposed restrictions, almost to the landward edge of the city, but they were still caught up in the tsunami, and Isis was left behind. The last thing Erima remembered before the impact of the tsunami carried her away was a thought from Isis, in excruciating pain, “Don’t grieve mistress, I’ll come back.”

Just as rescue and recovery efforts get underway, Tamsin and Ulkraga see an unmistakably hairless dwarf crawl out of the water onto the nearest piece of floating debris. He looks around him at the destruction and says, “What have I done?…I must record this.” He then proceeds to take off his backpack, pull out some surprisingly dry notebooks and pencils and starts scribbling furiously.

Caradon. The capital of the Sea Folk. It’s where our little trip has lead us.

On the way deeper beneath the waves, we came across a Merfolk settlement under the sea. A massive kraken drew our attention with its shadow, and while Erima and myself were combatting the menace (with our guardsfolk giving a good showing as well), some aboleths made an appearance as well. The kraken thing was pretty attentive to where I was heading, seeming to move to attempt to counter me.

After my slaying of the kraken, and the collective death of the foul aboleths, we recovered the item calling to Erima. A single copper coin, seeming nearly worthless despite it’s age and the powers concealed within it. The grateful Merfolk actually had it in their possession, and gave it to Erima.

So now the honeymoon may finally commence…

Erima and I will be in our room. Don’t come calling for at least a couple of days, alright?

Tamsin hugged the rail on the side of the ship. The trip to the seafolk isles had not been a pleasant one. Being of the Marid bloodline, Tamsin had been very sure that of all she would be the least likely to get sick, however she was one of the worst affected. The several weeks since leaving port had been a mix of trying to calm the roil in her stomach and coating the side of the ship and waves bellow green with what little she could get down. Finally they arrived to their destination, Tamsin all but ran down the plank and onto the ‘solid’ ground of the wharf. Taking a few moments to compose herself, she readied herself for what could possibly come next. As long as it wasn’t on a ship for a few days she would be ok. She hoped.

He had to find new territory. Another had run him out of his last spot, and now it seemed there were few choices to be made. He did not like to be near those Merfolk. They were too social, and tended to work together too well. He was much larger now than he was the last time he encountered them. He thought that if he picked one of the outlying settlements, hit it hard and fast enough, he could wipe it out. Then he could use their structures to establish his demesne and finally attract a female to mate with. Quietly scouting his chosen target, he realized that he’d grown much more than he’d realized. He could now easily swallow one of them whole. Which reminded him that he was rather hungry as well. Time to make his move.

The battle was over quickly, the assault being thwarted by the adventurers. Four prisoners had been taken out of sixteen assailants. Two had escaped to whatever safety the river could afford them. Many of the crew were somewhat fascinated by these elves and their wooden implements. They seemed as tough as steel, the sounds they made during combat seeming ominous and deep rather than ringing. Their surprise at finding someone who could speak their language greatly facilitating their interrogation. Their team leader had been the sorceress who had also been commander of most of the region along the riverfront. Not wanting to have any of their brethren decimated as they had been, the prisoners suggested a token to hang over the starboard side of the ship which would warn any other teams to leave the ship alone. With a little magical determination from Erima and Tamsin, the sincerity of these elves was verified, and the token hung. No further attacks came before The Bearden’s Price reached Delta.

Interrogation of the prisoners revealed that they had been tasked with the duty of guarding the river border and watching for invasion. Their commander had taken it upon herself to determine that shutting down river traffic would be the best way to prevent attack from that direction. So she had ordered teams to board any ships caught traveling down the river and slay the crew, then sink the ships near the south bank to begin creating a barrier preventing other ships from crossing the river. Many of the others had argued against this tactic, but, as she was commander, and there had been no orders otherwise, her orders were being followed. This had been their third assault and they were particularly glad not to have to commit such slaughter again. The two who had escaped would probably carry news to the other teams and a new commander chosen until higher powers could send or appoint one. The assaults would likely stop as a result however.

The Bearden’s Price came into port at Delta amongst a storm of rumors and alarm. Apparently there had been over thirty ships attacked and only two other than the Bearden’s Price had survived. One of those had been beyond repair when the crew limped her in. When the harbormaster was informed of their prisoners, a contingent of guards was sent from the Governor’s palace to take them into custody. A guard over 100 strong. The rumors having spread like wildfire throughout the city that there were elven prisoners, had people lining the streets. And no few objects were sent flying at the prisoners as they were walked up to the palace. It was so bad, that one of the prisoners caught a stone in the eye, blinding it. And a several of the guards were injured by people trying to reach the prisoners. Three people were trampled to death during the march, two guards received broken arms, and one guard was killed by an overzealously thrown, but badly aimed, knife.

If the heroes had not realized it yet, the War was on.

After some much needed time to recuperate from the ceremony. Erima and I stopped by a shop owned by an acquaintance of hers and Tybalt. An odd little sorcerer with a penchant for inappropriate touching. After travelling down stream for roughly a month down river with nothing more then local wildlife as entertainment, we were attacked. Night had fallen, star shown in the sky like a web of beacons. A hush fell over the reedy shores, a blinding pain shot through my side. A moment of disorientation showed a group of men had boarded their ship and they had gotten on board somehow with no one being the wiser. Battle could be heard ringing from all over the ship. As swords and staves clashed, Tamsin heard a mighty roar. Spinning she came face to face with an Ice Giant. “Where the hell did you come from?!” She shouted as a plan started to spin in her mind. It would be tricky but would take this ‘little problem’ out of their hands. With a flick of her wrist and a single word the beast was encased in ice. Moments later the mass of ice and giant disappeared. “Our little friend, should have fun with that.” She giggled to herself before rushing back into the heat of battle.

My ears drooped as the pain throbbed. Last night was a blur of ale and more ale. The wedding festivities were fun and painful at the same moment. Not only was the morning after left my mouth dry and my body sore, but my heartaches. Since leaving my tribe in the free lands i had yet to come across another of my kind. I missed my homeland and my own people’s. As my tail swished I longed for a male to spend my night and extra energy on.
“I knew it would be lonely even surrounded by others but not this bad.” I sighed as I plastered a smile on my face and ‘enjoyed’ the festivities.