Fantasy Light Without Sun

[RandomBomb]

Tridius closed the map. "We head out tomorrow at daybreak. From the Bay (SF), we send a message to the deep to keep watch for Oceanus. Go to your homes. You need your rest, and need to pack some things for our journey." He turned to Orielle. "Bring your weapon. We'll need it." He left, thinking about how much this would take up. "Also, for reference, sometimes we'll face humans. Under any circumstances, don't get caught. We don't need humans messing this up."

 

[Kattz]

"Whatever you say angelfish." Atina said with a smile and a wink. She didn't really want to perform such a task, but with the threat of death hanging over her head, she supposed that she didn't have much of a choice. Atina couldn't wait to get back to the familiarity of her own home even if it was just for a few moments. As she slowly swam towards the exit, backwards so that she could face the others, she spoke again. "If a human does capture one of you and I'm nearby, just give me a yell. I'll help you out easily and without a mess okay?"

 

[RandomBomb]

Tridius frowned. "Atina, we'll have time for flirting after we capture Oceanus." Romance only slowed him down. His first romance... Well, let's say it was a complete screwup. The girl only hindered his contract. Even when the contract in question was a man who was trafficking mermaids. He was this close, and then the girl alerted him. The man fled that night, and the girl was arrested. From then on, he promised himself he wouldn't get in any romance until he was off a mission.

 

[firejay1]

firejay1 updated Light Without Sun with a new update entry:


Kicking and New Sign ups

I am kicking Aristotle, Delmar, and Serenity for lack of response. This does mean I'm reopening sign-ups briefly in hopes of getting someone from the Heat Streams so all biomes are represented, but I will no longer be delaying the roleplay on account of introductions. Anyone new interested in signing up, be aware that we won't be waiting for you.

Read the rest of this update entry... 
Aquinna threw up her hands. "Tridius. What exactly do you know about this Oceanus? How do we know he'll be near the bay? The last I heard of any manta ray mermaids was an old fish tail my grandmother told me about some ancient traitor, and humans almost never take interest in us. They're dumb creatures." She turned to Orielle. "Orielle Isis. Do you think you could take me to the library? I'd like to find out who this mermaid really is."

 

[RandomBomb]

Tridius shook his head, turned and left. He needed to blow off some steam. He swam over to the barracks he used to train at, and began to throw tridents at a target. As he threw, he realized that it wouldn't hurt to do some work on Oceanus. Maybe he could find something. And if he did, he'd make sure he had a copy by the next time they met. He finished throwing, grabbed his tridents, and walked to the library. However, he wanted to avoid Aquinna for now. It would be one heck of a meeting.

 

[CrystalTears]

"That sounds like an excellent idea! We should know who to look for, so we know him when we meet him!" Mizu said cheerfully as he hoped that this "Oceanus" guy wasn't as scary as he sounded. Even though he had never heard about "Manta Ray Mermaids," and was genuinely curious about their looks. It was a good thing to hear that the humans wouldn't capture them, as Aquinna calmed down Mizu's fear for being stuck in a fish net, it had only happened once though. He swam over to where Aquinna was asking Orielle and smiled to the both of them. "I hope that he isn't as scary as he sounds... He couldn't be that bad could he? We, merfolk, are suppose to live in peace and harmony withe each other after all. That's at least what I think," Mizu said honestly, hoping they really wouldn't have to kill Oceanus, if they found him.

 

[firejay1]

Aquinna glanced at Mizu, quietly praying the boy was right. The eerie silence of the city, however, wasn't the most encouraging. And why them? Mermaids from different biomes rarely worked together. They made it to the library without any mishaps, and began perusing the books. Finally, Aquinna found a mention of Oceanus. It was in "The Fall of the Sea: a brief history." A pamphlet... For tourists. Still, it was something. She called the others over and began reading it aloud...

 

[Dendyne]

Aristotle opened his eyes groggily, beams of light danced through the infinite body of water overhead struggling to reach the sprawling underwater city before him. He felt like he should be somewhere, somewhere important actually.


He stretched out lazily with a yawn, what time was it? what happened last night? his head throbbed subtly as he got up and swam around the corner of a cafe he had been napping behind he remembered. James, a vagabond merlion that had been toting along with him for the past week or so, good kid had a family he couldn't go back to. Cheated on his old lady or so Aris had figured by day 2.


He was hardly recognizable. Blood clouded the water around the blonde merfolk making him hard to see but it there was no doubt about the beads in his hair, they were a gift from his sister in another lifetime.


Aris was dizzy and nauseous, he almost punched him in the jaw for making mom jokes now he was dead, dead. Dead. Time stood still and stretched on endlessly in the limelight of their short friendship, it wasn't the first time he saw someone die but it was the first time it was someone.. it was so out of nowhere and he was a good person, a good friend albeit not one for a long time.


James still clutched an untouched letter in his lifeless grip. Aris swam over slowly and pried the letter from his hand and backed off trying to avoid the lifeblood mixing with the water around him. He had to go someone was going t come soon, he gave the merman one last look before swimming off to the heart of the city unsure of why this was all happening.

___

​

The city had been empty, dead. The lights were out and nobody was home, it was ominous and gave Aris the worst case of the creeps until he heard something like a voice. His jaw clicked. He tail flicked out and he went in tow of the voice, he would find his answers one way or another but he seriously hoped it wouldn't be int he form of James' killer.

 

[PrincessKarai8]

((sorry for not responding yesterday. I was at my family's house for the holiday and didn't have time to reply))


Orielle looked around the library, taking in it's enormous size. She recalled the last time she had seen it and frowned. Her parents had taken her there when she was a child.


Shaking her head, she replaced her frown with a serious expression.


"What's the pamphlet say, Aquinna?" She asked aloud, genuinely interested.


As she waited for her to respond, an image began to form in Orielle's head of the manta ray merman.


Tall, menacing, and all together evil were words that described the image.


"Does it say anything about Oceanus and who he is?"

 

[firejay1]

((It's no problem. Just a note guys, I'm slaughtering multiple culture's legends here, not using them directly. Take out with a grain of salt. Also, Aquinna's question at the end of this post is genuinely directed to all of you.))


Aquinna nodded in answer to Orielle's question and began to read, noticing a red haired merman surreptitiously joining them. " 'Oceanus: A manta ray merman said to be the son of King Tangaroa and Queen Atargatis. Wanting to take the kingdom from his parents, he warred against them with strong black magic, causing massive casualties everywhere. The war was named the 40 Day Flood, and was stopped only by the magic of his sister, who sealed them both away.' It says there's a longer version in the back. Do you want me to read it?"

 

[CrystalTears]

<p><span style="color:#0080ff;">"So... He wanted more power, but wouldn't he be King eventually? I do not understand this with power, only that it's not a good thing. It can drive you mad," </span><span style="color:#404040;">Mizu said as he listened to Aquinna read, thinking of how his parents must have felt when he decided he wanted more than he already have. Betrayal hurts, but among yourselves must be even worse. </span><span style="color:#0080ff;">"If there's more then... we should read it. To know who we are up against, we are suppose to... confront him. The least we should do is to make sure what might happen if he attacks," </span><span style="color:#404040;">Mizu said, a bit more serious in his tone than earlier, but he was still smiling a bit, tilting his head when considering if they should read on or not, but decided it was the best to get as much information as possible, so they weren't too surprised if they ever met him, but him being sealed away, that sounded unlikely. </span></p>

 

[firejay1]

((This is going to be a pretty important post, but also really long... Sorry. I do suggest you read all of it though.))


Clearing her throat, Aquinna flipped to the back, where she finally found the entry.


"Oceanus’ Legend:


The world you know now is not as it always was. All six biomes were once one, united under the power of the King and Queen, and they named their empire the Sea, for the sea is surrounded by land and is therefore one entity. To those who still remember it, magic was not just any old fish tale, but the strength and heart of the Sea. The Queen Atargatis and the King Tangaroa ruled for many years in peace. They had two children, a girl and a boy. The girl was Thalassa, adored by the other mermaids for her beauty and temperament, a sailfish mermaid. The boy was Oceanus, free-spirited and wild, a manta ray merman. He was the ocean, she was the sea, and they were the best of friends, of one soul.


As they grew older and wiser, the Princess became tied to the sea, magically linked to its strength and happiness, whereas the Prince could never be satisfied with the kingdom, vast as it was, and was constantly traveling all over it. He grew stronger, struggling with an emptiness in his heart he tried to fill with powerful magic. But the emptiness and loneliness only grew as his sister turned to caring for the kingdom and their interests diverged. Hatred came to replace it. Hatred for all the things that took his sister away from him - the kingdom, and the people of the Sea - and hatred for his parents, who shunned him the more his sister grew beautiful. His love for his sister was buried in the hate caused by its absence, and he forgot it.


With his charisma, he drew others who were discontent with the current Royals, still others who believed he belonged on the throne. With his magic, he conducted a fierce war against his parents… and his sister. The war raged for 40 days, his magic infecting the waters, brewing up a storm that flooded the world, and killing many innocents, on land and in the sea. Thalassa could ignore it no longer, and with all the power of the Sea and with the magic her parents bestowed on her, sacrificed herself to seal them both away.


Where? No one knows. The King and Queen lost all their power to complete the powerful spell, and only Thalassa knew where she was taking them. Over time, those who followed Oceanus remained, headed by Gong Gong, his son, a pike merman, sinking into a secret, exclusive sect controlled by Oceanus’ lingering black magic. Without the magic to maintain unity, the kingdom splintered into the six biomes, only the Ocean remaining under Atargatis and Tangaroa’s complete control.


Only one clue for Oceanus’ location was left behind: a note in Thalassa’s hand, said to contain the song of the Prince and Princess.


“Vast, beautiful, the endless blue...


This, our song, once a sign of our unity, shalt seal us, here on, in enmity, ‘til all the waters that know light without sun, remember, at last, that they were once one.”


The only one now who knows the song in its entirety is an ancient sea creature hidden in the Deep Dark. A horned kraken of the name Iku-Turso, who taught Oceanus the darkest of his magic."

 

[CrystalTears]

Iku-Turso... The name wasn't known for him, and going down to the Deep Dark sounded even worse, his parents told him that was a place for the more braver and stronger mermaids to go. Mizu was not one of those brave mermen, and just thinking of meeting a kraken... It gave him chills down his spine. "That's a sad story..." Mizu muttered, as he felt sorry for how it had to end, and how the biomes were no longer connected to each other as it once was. "Then... must we seek this Iku-Turso, to find where Oceanus and his sister's rest place is?" Mizu asks the group, to make sure he didn't get anything wrong.

 

[SachiGrl]

​

Caspian found himself asleep in the corner of the library. Being accustomed to the colder climates, these regular climates made him drowsy. He found himself in and out of sleep, trying to listen to all the commotion. Umm... Isn't the world in danger? He reminded himself. If I keep this up, the entire sea could be forsaken... He slapped himself on the face. "Ow." He blinked a bit then decided he felt more alert. He heard Aquinna telling a story. When he heard of the war, it made him think of the plague his family would speak about endlessly. "This... Oceano guy... The magic that infected the waters... could that be what my family mistaken it as the plague?" Could the tattoos on his body represent the magic that killed several mermaids? At least, his family wasn't completely mistaken. Mizu mentioned some unknown name and claimed that they must meet with that unknown name guy, "Iku-whako?" Caspian asked while trying to be funny, "Didn't Aquinna just say not even the parents know? How could some random guy know?" He crossed his arms ignorantly. Maybe he missed something while he was sleeping.

 

[RandomBomb]

As Tridius walked over, he saw everyone circled around a pamphlet. What the hell did he miss? He figured he was out of the conversation, so he just sat and waited for them. There wasn't much he could do, but whatever. Best to listen and wait.

 

[firejay1]

((Explaining the main parts, but I expect you all to read the long post.))


Aquinna summed it up for the people who'd missed out on the story. "It is a sad story, but more importantly, you're right Mizu, we have to find Iku-Turso. The pamphlet said he's a kraken who lives in the deep dark and knows some song that could lead us to the location of Oceanus and his sister, who sealed them away somewhere." What she didn't say out loud was "why now?"

 

[SachiGrl]

​

Caspian laughed, "A random guy sings a random song and we're chasing him down for it?" He slapped his forehead in disbelief, "For all we know, he could of made up that song!" He walked around the library looking for a book. "Ah." He picked off a blue book from the shelf, "The Little Merman that Called Shark. Sounds familiar?" This was his other attempt at being funny, "Is this really our only lead?" Caspian wasn't the skeptical type, but he's certainly not the type to do something without reason. There has to be more proof. Will confronting a complete stranger really get us any answers. Maybe fake ones. He sighed in frustration and ruffled his hair with his hand.

 

[firejay1]

"I know." Aquinna agreed with him in full, but they couldn't just ignore the potential threat. "But it's the only lead we have. Do you have any other ideas?"

 

[SachiGrl]

​

Caspian pondered for a moment. He rubbed his chin with his left hand while still holding the blue book. An imaginary bright light appeared above his head, "The King and Queen MUST know the extent of their powers..." Caspian placed his book down excitedly, "Let's say for example... they had magical powers that could do teleportation. They should know approximately how far they could teleport..." He leaned against a table and tapped his fingers as he continued to think, "Multiply that by two or add them together..." He ruffled his hair as his other hand tapped annoyingly. Since both the King and Queen gave the princess their power, Caspian is assuming she has twice as much power as her parents, "Someone must know where was she last seen, so we can approximate her location..." Finally, he stood up confidently, "If this random singing guy pin-points her location within or close to the radius of her location... He's more than likely not lying." According to Caspian, this was there best shot at not going at this blindly. He'd prefer that than swimming around like a headless dolphin.

 

[firejay1]

His reasoning seemed to make sense, so she nodded her compliance, but inside her head a hundred questions were running around. How did they know how far they could teleport? True unadulterated magic hadn't existed in the kingdom in ages. What if the King and Queen had had more power than they thought? What if Iku-Turso or whatever his name was didn't actually know the place, or didn't care to tell them? He was the one who was supposed to have taught Oceanus all the dark magic. What if they couldn't find the King and Queen? It seemed like everyone had disappeared. What if she hadn't used teleportation at all, but suspended them in some sort of secret limbo? But he was right, no point just swimming straight ahead into the orca's mouth. She took a deep calming breath, and looked around. "Does that sound alright, guys? If we go find the King and Queen, they could tell us something."

 

[RandomBomb]

Tridius nodded. There were a couple ways to get in. Their letters was one of them. That, and that he wasn't on an active mission. But missions had to wait. "I assume everyone has their letters? Or one of us has to explain to the guards why we need entrance." If the royals didn't know, then they didn't lose anything. No risk there.

 

[CrystalTears]

"But the Queen talked to us for a second, and then she disappeared. How are we supposed to find them?" Mizu asked, as he hated to be the party breaker, but he had to break it down to the too. The King and Queen was just as big as a mystery as this Iku-Turso guy, except they are less scary to meet. Magic... is it truly that rare? Maybe I should keep my abilities for myself then, I would rather not draw attention to myself... Mizu thought as it seemed as a great idea to at least find the King and Queen.

 

[RandomBomb]

Tridius replied, saying, "I can get to the throne room. The King's usually there, and he's where I get the missions that I do from. Besides, we can always split up once we pass the guards." Tridius pulled our the tip of his trident and began to sharpen it. He did so, however, so that no one saw it. There might be a pacifist among the others. Tridius hoped the King still attended to the Seas. That would be bad if he wasn't. Total anarchy bad.

 

[firejay1]

Aquinna stayed quiet, letting the others figure out what they were trying to do, and hoping the more quiet members would speak up. As they were discussing finding the King and Queen, however, there was a deep rumbling sound and the whole library shook. What was going on? She rushed outside, searching for the disturbance and stopped short when she found it. A giant black monolith that certainly hadn't been there before was rising up not too far in the distance. Quietly, she spoke to the others. "I haven't been here often before, but... wasn't that where the castle was...?"

 

[SachiGrl]

​

Caspian was glad most of the people participating in this mission agreed with him. In his head, he jumped in the air and said a thematic 'Yes!' In reality, he was just smiling in relief. Caspian swam under the table when the entire building shook. Aquinna went to investigate and spoke softly about her findings. Man, she's cute... His face melted with a dreamy look in her direction. Then, he shook his head. Snap out of it! We could get her number at the end of this mission... He swam upright, face to face with Aquinna. "Anything magical happening is clue. We must investigate!"