The news of Zeratans landing was didn't take long to reach the elfling when he entered Jaedaxia. In fact, it was pretty much all he would listen to from speaking with the locals The stories of leviathans and treasures and islands piqued Xyltha's interest. It was even more so fascinating that no-one knew much about these giants of the seas, making it a mystery that Xyltha was bound to follow up. Here he was, just a few cycles into his stay at this seaside town, and already mysterious happenings were occurring. Just his luck!
The elfling decided to check out how much the books and literature had to say about these great beasts. It wouldn't do to show up at the beach and approach one without knowing at least if there were any means of communications. Perhaps they were telepathic, or spoke through blow-holes. Who know what abilities these leviathans had, if anyone did - it would be at the renowned Institute of Research Of Jaedaxia.
With a degree of unrestrained enthusiasm, he hopped and skipped his way to the Institute, and approached the receptionist manning the front desk.
"Serale, I am here to enquire about the going ons down the beach, with the Zeratans. I was wondering if there was anyone here who knew anything about these Leviathans in detail."
It was a fine brightening in Immanis. It was cold, sure, but there were no clouds overhead, and very little hope for rain or even snow. This was good news for the many men who toiled in the oceans during the dark candlemarks of each brightening, fishing, whaling, crabbing, or hunting for other seaside treasures. Blizzard and snow were dangerous foes to contend with, but that was the life of a fisherman in Jaedaxia. While Xyltha went on his merry way toward the Institute, he found many people huddled togehter in the streets, around inns, taverns, restaurants, and cafes, all of them muttering feverishly in Jaedaxienne about the Zaratans and the latest news and rumors about them.
Thankfully, many Jaedaxians, especially the younger population, were speaking more common and so Xyltha could figure out fragments of their conversations as he passed by, or maybe even lingered to hear more. By the time he entered the campus of the Institute, the elf lord found the place ... lacking. Where was the countless students, professors, and experts on the grounds? It seemed near empty. Only a few groundskeepers went along the cobblestones leading from each structure to the next greeted the newcomer.
Upon arriving at the reception desk, Xyltha realized why this was the case.
"Monsieur, the researchers and their assistants and other aides went to the coast", the clerk said, "they are all doing their in-depth studies there, not here. Je suis desole*! Mais, perhaps you would like to visit the coast yourself? There are rumors about ..." the round-faced clerk leaned forward as if disclosing a very intimate secret, " ... dragons and sea monsters among others. It is not safe, many say, but you look like a capable man who might be willing to accept the risks for its promised rewards, non?" The clerk smiled then, childishly, as if wondering whether the elven sorcerer had it in him to pursue such a monumental quest.
Secrets :
OoC: welcome to the Zaratan Quest! * "Je suis desole" means "I am sorry" and "mais" is Jaedaxienne for 'but'. Enjoy!
Dragons and Sea monsters eh?That was the first time Xyltha heard any mention of sea monsters other than the Giant Turtles.By Aeternia, what on Telath was going on? Was the Jaedaxian sea shore to become a slaughter-ground of giant sea beasts?The promise of seeing these beasts of legend only served to whet his excitement towards unravelling this enigma.
And standing there staring blankly at the receptionist sure wasn't going to help solve this mystery. He would have to venture onto the beach in search of the researchers and their aides to gain any useful information.
"Thank you for your help, messer," he attempted to mimic what little Jaedaxienne he had gleaned from his stay. "I'll go see what's happening at the coast now. Sea dragons and monsters, you say? Interesting, interesting indeed."
He bade the clerk a farewell, and marched out of the building. It was time to go down the beach. That was where the action was.
He half-ran and half-power walked to the beach in search of the researchers, sidestepping the pedestrians with practiced ease. Soon he was at the beach.The crashing waves and blowing gales of wind flapped at his cloak, as he strained his eyes in search of a crowd of bespectacled and nerdy looking gentlemen. Where could they be?
Half running and half walking to the beach was actually pretty tiring after the first half candlemark or so. In truth, the location that the clerk alluded to was far outside Jaedaxia, north in fact, along the peninsula that stuck itself between the Trident Isles and Libertas Bay. The wind was much more fierce here, buffeting travelers and aspiring Sorcerers alike. But in a distance, after almost one candlemark of hurried walking, Xyltha happened upon the several figures on the beach below. The peninsula was elevated, forming cliffs on its eastern section. This dropped a good deal against the rocky beach below.
Fortunately, Xyltha noticed an odd set of steps carved from the cliff face itself. They were narrow and a little dangerous, but it spiraled and descended down toward where the Sorcerer assumed the researchers were. The figures below were, after all, donning white lab coats and had strange equipment with them that looked like massive hair combs which they pressed over the sand, in obvious search for something.
Curious as to what these researchers were doing, Xyltha slowed to an ambling pace, breathing heavily from his exertion. The winds buffeted and billowed his hair, like seaweed in crashing waves. He gave them a wave from afar, not expecting them to notice him as yet. With a last spurt of energy, he sprinted towards them when he was a few metres away.
"Serale, I am Xyltha Thanole. I have heard news about the Zeratans, and naturally was intrigued with their recent behaviours. I hear that you men of knowledge are the people to go to, and I see you have taken to the coast in search of knowledge. Pray tell, dear sirs, what new information have you gleaned about the happenings of these strange creatures?"
He sure hoped they wouldn't mind a curious elfling intruding in the midst of their pondering. There seemed to be a lot of PondeRing going on around here.
There were about a dozen or so researchers in total. Most were aides by the looks of them, and their current assignments which included being knee-deep in sand, combing the place for clues and such. The head ponchos of the operation were on their polished shoes, of course, their arms crossed over these chests while occasionally adjusting their glasses over a crinkled nose.
When Xyltha approached them, one of the researchers looked up at the elf lord and threw up his arms to halt his progress.
"Ay! Don't come any closer!", he called from about ten paces away, "Official Institute business!"
And as for the Sorcerer's question, he simply scoffed. "Behavior? Do you see Zaratan around?" He chuckled bitterly. "We're looking for scientific evidence, young man, so unless you have a Zaratan hiding someplace we don't know about? Hah!"
"Eh, forget them", came a voice form behind Xyltha. And should the Sorcerer press his attention backwards he would find a young woman standing there. She was dressed in what looked like leather armour but it formed around her curved features rather well. Her skin was also tinged with blue and some green ... and immediately, Xyltha realized why. She was a sea elf, or whatever they were really called.
She was lithe, just like the average elf, but stood only slightly shorter than Xyltha. She was also miracolously gorgeous. Her almond shapes eyes were the color of turqoise shells and her form looked particularly fit for swimming the great blue. With a flick of her hair, she grinned at Xyltha who just realized that he was staring at her lady parts.
"What, you never saw a Theyri before?" She laughed melodiously then added, "ditch these morons and help me out will you? I seem to need a ... man's touch." She winked then waved for him to follow her down the beach.
Affronted by the rude erudite elite from the Research Institute, and clearly intrigued by his Theylri seductress, Xyltha followed like a delighted puppy behind her. This was indeed the first time he had seen a sea-elf, and she looked good. Drool-worthy good. He wondered if she was also from the Research Institute, though she looked rather different from the white-coated men from before.
"Xyltha's the name. Where are you taking me? What do you need me to help you with? And who ARE you?"
The Theyri laughed again, this time with a little less humor. "I told you", she replied, "I need a man's touch. Here", the turned the tossed Xyltha what appeared to be a roll of sea weeds. It was the size of a small rock but definately not something he would have put in his mouth. "You need to eat that", she laughed, "if you want to come with me that is ..." she purred then winked. With that, she waded into the ocean and waved the elven sorcerer to follow her. "Hurry up!"
With that, she threw herself into the ocean with a great splash. By now, Xyltha was well within the reach of the waves. Several washes tossed some of the water from Libertas Bay, touching the elf lord's skin and causing him to shiver uncontrollably. It was bloody cold.
Xyltha looked at the vanishing back of the mysterious Thelyri in askance, then promptly swallowed the seaweed. He choked back a gasp, not knowing whether to spit it out, or swallow it faster. In the end, the bolus of sea weed vanished down the bobbing slender neck of the elfling. Wading tentatively after the Thelyri, he clenched his fist tight as the waves crashed into him, as if by sheer desire alone he could make the cold go away. Harrumphing at no-one in particular, he shut his mind off from rational thought, and leapt forward with greater purpose. No small annoyance would get in his way of getting to the bottom of this mystery!
"Where are we going? What's out there?" He gestured outwards.
The next sentence that left Xyltha's mouth came only as bubbles and some type of distorted sound thanks to the water around him. Of course, had the elf remained on land a few moments longer, he would have found breathing a tad more difficult than he'd like. From the sides of his neck were slits of skin, a new organ it seemed. He had gills. And moments later, Xyltha would find his fingers becoming webbed while something incredible happened to the lower half of his torso.
Where his legs and booted feet were was now replaced by a single giant green-colored fin. He gasped at the sight, but the movement behind him quckly replaced his attention. "Over here", came the sea elf. She moved gracefully in water, her arms and legs working in perfect syncronization. "You'll get used to it, hehehe."
It was then that Xyltha also realized that the sea elf maiden's mouth was not moving. She was speaking directly into his mind. "We don't have much time. Maybe a few candlemarks ... if that." She grinned, beautifully, causing Xyltha to momentarily numb the sheer cold that assaulted him. "Follow me!"
With that, she kicked with her legs, moving toward the deep with the elven sorcerer behind her. At this level, Xyltha could only see the sparse amount of creatures and off colored underwater plants beneath him. But within several minutes of swimming and getting used to his newfound fins, they ventured deeper into the ocean, meeting an assortment of silvery fish, spiney plants, and even large predatorial animals.
"Over there!", the sea elf cried after some twenty minutes of swimming. By this time, Xyltha could feel his thigh (or was it fin?) muscles burning. He was not used to the awkward movements associated with moving like an overlarge fish. But ahead, he saw something ... something large, definately forboding.
It was a sunken vessel, a merchant ship by the looks of things. It sat there, at the bottom of the ocean, restless yet undistrurbed. The sea elf grinned in ancticipation. "Hurry now!" Then, she swam off toward the fallen vessel, spraying bubbles behind her as she kicked and twisted onward.
It didn't take the elf too long to figure out what effected the change, what with the seaweed being eaten before the transformation and all. But oddly enough, he wasn't feeling the slightest bit suspicious of the Thelyri's motives at all, even when his legs sprouted into a tail. A mighty handsome one, at that.
It was an exhilarating sensation, flying under the sea and guided by the enchantingly beautiful enigma. The strange creatures he encountered bedazzled him with their exotic shapes and colours, and even the large predatorial creatures were mesmerising in their own right. Ah... how much he loved this! He wished it would go on forever, the eternal silence of the ocean his new playground. But even he, revelling in this new joy of underwater swimming, began to realise his limits. The newly formed muscular tail began to ache, from the exertion and lengthy swimming, especially since he had no aptitude for swimming at all prior to this expedition.
Fortunately, it would seem that they had reached their destination. Following the Thelyri's gleeful exclamation, Xyltha likewise pumped his tail in a spurt of energy, propelling himself after the bubble trail.
A ship! A merchant ship! It must be loaded with treasures! Fething super find!
Even as he caught up with the sea elf, his mind was spinning with the possibilities of what could lay within.
"Do you know what's inside?!" He tried to say; only bubbles exiting his new orifices. Frustrated by his mutism underwater, he could only watch on, awaiting further instructions by the Thelyri.
Does it have anything to do with the recent unrest of the turtles? Maybe there might be a clue on board too. Of course, she was searching for clues at the beach wasn't she? Maybe she found something to lead us to solving the mystery.
Dun dun dun... A sense of anticipating welled within him. He could barely contain his excitement.
"Treasure of course", the sea elf grinned as a flash of bubbles sprouted from her graceful mouth. Motioning for Xyltha to come closer, she leaned over to him and whispered into his ear, "lots and lots of treasure." She laughed, or giggled, causing more bubbles to form around her. "But you have to promise me one little itty bitty thing first." Her smile grew wider and her eyes seemed to shine in anticipation. "Once we get on that boat, do not touch anything until we get the Pink Pearl. Then", she shrugged her slender shoulders, "you can have all the treasure you want!"
Upon reaching an agreement, the sea elf began to descend, spiraling, flapping, and swishing until they reached a hole near the bottom of the merchant ship's hull. It was dark inside, and Xyltha could see that there were areas covered in sharp coral along with splintered wood formed by the shattering of the ship's structure when it met her demise. "It's in the main quarters", the sea elf said before sliding through the awkwardly shaped halls of the once-floating vessel. Despite the obvious dark, however, Xyltha felt his eyes slowly adjust ... he could see, though just barely. He could make out the shapes and various other things with the limited light. But still, that was better than groping around blind in an underwater wreckage.
Ever so intrigued by the mysterious Thelyri's statements, Xyltha followed her spiral underwater acrobatics towards the hull of the boat. Treasure! His assumptions confirmed by her claim, he was even more keen to see what lay within the ship. Especially what seemed to be the Grand catch of the day: The Pink Pearl.
He nodded at her statement, his movements slowed by the altered viscosity of the watery environment. Peering into the dark hull of the boat, he boldly followed her inside... The darkness engulfed him. Dark and brooding. He hoped it harboured no denizens of the deep within. Especially those large teethy predators he spied during his descent.
An eerie silence followed the forbidding darkness within the sunken ship's hull. With his new eyes, however, the elven sorcerer was able to make out enough shapes to guide him forward, following the steady and graceful form of the sea elf maiden. When she avoided over hanging beams crushed by the immense pressure of the deep, Xyltha was wise to follow; and when she seemed to edge a little closer to the left or right, the sorcerer did likewise. This went on for several minutes, down a dozen or more broken, shattered corridors and hallways until they paused in front of a gaping hole that may have once been a fair sized stairway leading lower into the deeper decks of the ship.
"Down we go", she whispered naughtily, "come, hurry!"
She kicked once, twice, and she was off, into the darkness. Suddenly, Xyltha felt a swish behind him, causing him to spin around in nervous anticipation. Nothing. Perhaps it was his own vibration in the water. The new senses he acquired were still foreign to him after all; that, and his piqued sense of smell and hearing did not register anything particularly ominous.
Should Xyltha venture onward, he'd easily catch up to the sea elf within a few counts ... and a few heartbeats later, they happened upon what looked like a massive chamber. Due to the lack of light, there was no way of seeing exactly what lay ahead. But with his strange dim-seeing vision, the sorcerer could make out the shapes of hundreds, maybe thousands, of coins littering the bottom of the hold. They were stacked so high and so thick that it was a wonder no one else had found the treasure cove sooner. Among the carpet of coins were pieces of jewelry, gems, an assortment of rods, and sceptars, and even chests bursting with even more shinies.
A quick jolt in the form of a slap to his shoulder woke Xyltha from his reverie however. The elf maid, grinning, then motioned toward the corner of the hold. There, a strange glow came and went -- a pinkish color, no less. "There it is ...", she said, her voice rining with excitement, "I can't seem to pry it loose", she went on, purring and sounding ridicolously sexy. She swam closer to the elf lord then and placed her perfectly shaped body around him, wrapping her legs over his waist. "Won't you get it for me ....? Since you're so strong ...? Please ...? Pretty please ...? With me on top?"
![[Quest] Ze Zeratan, wee?](http://www.playbypost.com/forums/iconimages/jaedaxia/quest-ze-zeratan-wee_ltr.gif)
[Quest] Ze Zeratan, wee?
Enjoy! 