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| "Oh my, what is this? *gasp* There are little people inside! They seem to be rather frightened, for some reason..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A particular cruise liner returned to port one day, a week earlier than it was to be expected. The ship had been chartered to take it's passengers on a tour of the sea, it's checkpoints circling five major reefs off the coast of the continent, before coming back home to rest before the next group of passengers. Upon returning, the ship seemed to have sustained some sort of damage, indentations along the hull that seemed to have been gently pressed, as no area on the ship suffered fractures or breakage. The metal had simply been bent inwards. The crew had barely managed to control the passengers aboard for the return trip, their nerves shattered equally as those they had ferried back and forth. As the cruiser made it's way to port, some passengers could be seen lowering rafts and lifeboats, intent on getting to shore as fast as possible. As port authorities rushed to the boat, pushing their way through the crowds of anxious people attempting to disembark all at once, they heard cries of "Monsters", "Run for your lives!", and "Mermaids! They're real!". The last one actually turned a few heads, mind you. When they reached the captain, who was now sitting in his chair, hat in his lap with a shaking hand holding a mug of coffee, he explained everything: As the cruiser had been making it's way to the second reef, the crew spied a strange island out the port side. Their navigator could not seem to find the land anywhere on the maps that the ship had on the bridge, and so, laying anchor nearby, the crew dispatched a small portion of itself towards the island, to search it briefly, and determine whether it would be a safe and suitable resting spot for the passengers, and for further excursions. The search crew had trouble climbing the bluffs of the island, their unusual curve and strikingly pliant nature making scaling them difficult, much to their dismay. The island, at first glance, appeared to be very much abandoned, or completely untouched by man. On a second glance, they noticed to lacked any kind of sedimentary beach or sand, or any known rock layers. As strange as it was, it got stranger, especially when one of the crew attempted to hammer in a stake to tie the rope to, making it easier to scale the bluffs. As soon as the man drew back the hammer, the earth began to quake beneath him, a resounding wind would come from the north-northwest direction, seeming of a vocal nature, almost as if someone were giggling. The crew, unnerved but not entirely shaken, attempted again, but this time, were met with a more violent upheaval. The entire island began to shift sideways, the northwestern end lifting up out of the water as the opposite sunk. The crew scrambled over the sinking surface, attempting to scramble into their tiny boat, which was soon pushed back by the waves coming from the submerging island. Two men were not recovered, tossed as the island lifted up into the water. The Raft was hurled back towards the cruiser by the displaced water, whose onlooking passengers became uneasy as they looked on, watching the crewmen frantically hoisting the partially full boat up to the deck, and herding the passengers inside, urging them to stay in their rooms. Perhaps even more unnerving, was the fact that the island had begun to seem like a different form than it did, originally, as it tilted. The crew that had just returned were even more astounded, piecing the picture together even faster than the others, considering they experienced first-hand the island's properties. As the northwestern end rose from the sea, the figure of a woman rose with it, seemingly hitting each and every person who saw it with reality. Now that it was displayed to them, everything about it made sense... ...Besides the fact that the person in question was gigantic in proportions to a normal human. Even worse, as the creature looked towards them, having stretched and yawned, as if she'd been sleeping, the onlookers would have glimpsed a marine tail beneath the water, and shimmering scales beyond her waist, sinking down into the deep blue. She peered at the vessel, curious, and soon reached out, plucking the steel hulled liner from the ocean, her hands gentle, but even so, not able to avoid denting the sides a bit as she inspected the contents and people aboard. Her attention would change, however, setting the boat back in the water as her gaze directed itself down to her waist, looking towards the ocean. The two men from earlier were clinging to her in terror, the will to survive having overridden their fear of the large woman. To avoid being swept away and drowning, they had latched onto the upper scales of the beast, clinging now for life as the water undulated around them, rising and falling, making them have to take breaths at intervals. As the creature reached down towards these two, the Cruiser's captain ordered the ship to return to shore in haste, speeding off as the woman lifted the two sailors from the water, supposedly, as the crew and passengers, now frenzied with fear and panic, thought. The port authorities knew not what to make of this story, the entirety of the cruiser's passengers made confirmation of the same tale, but to admit to marine tales of giant sea monsters, mermaids, or a blending of both would be highly unorthodox, and likely cause massive criticism and skepticism to be aimed at them, with noone believing the actual cause of the ship's return. Surely enough, as well, the crew was missing two members, neither anywhere to be found. Later that evening, as the sun was setting, and the last of the passengers had been tallied, questioned for testimony, and sent home, a larger than average wave swept the shore near the vessel. It rocked the boat about, causing officials on board and on the docks to look about in curiousity, making sure all restraints were still properly tied and functioning. As one such man looked over the side of the boat, he spied the bodies of two men, laying on shore, and called out to all hands with 'Man overboard'. As the crew and authorities rushed to the two men, they were shocked. The two matched the description of the crew members who were lost to the creature; Indeed, the other crewmen surrounded them and proceeded to validate their identities, as well as attempt to move them to safety. Aside from some delirium and mental trauma, the two were fine, and recovered quickly. They could recall very little of what occurred when questioned... but as they looked out into the ocean, their eyes went wide. Those surrounding them, curious, looked as well, and soon a full group of mouths lie open. Out in the distance, a figure of a woman was seen half-risen from the water. Silently, it raised a hand, and waved, before diving into the sea, a finned tail following after. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On a side note, I made a D&D sheet for Undine, as per her role in my campaign in the World of Tirr; Check it out!  |