The Great Storm of Winter 512

by **Theo Coaststrider** on February 15th, 2013, 8:38 am

OOC Info :

60th of Winter, 512.

Theo Coastsrider can be heard cursing loudly as he stares at his idling pod. For days the dozens of ships that make up the Coaststrider pod had been left bobbing like corks in the mighty barrel that is the South Suvan Sea. Normally, the man and his extended family would be able to make excellent time through this particular trade route taking advantage of the regular, and powerful, winds to drive the wide variety of small Svefra made vessels, ancient warships and pirated trade barges from market to market. A period of calm that lasted this long was almost unheard of for this time of year, normally a pod could expect to be wind blasted up and down the coast, excellent sailors pushed from port to port by quarrelsomeness winter squalls. Normally this was a very profitable time for the Svefra, but not this year. The young man had never seen a calm this foul before, and so soon after The Great Storm.

For the Svefra, and the other people of The Suvan Sea, storms are an inconvenience that only cripple the foolhardy, truly unlucky, and those who draw the ire of Laviku. Many of the finest sailors from the mightiest pods have used foul weather to their advantage for decades, predicting their powerful winds and using them to generate profit for themselves and their families. This one, however, felt different. If a storm is large enough to take away all hiding spots, the weather can be a nearly genocidal force for a nomadic people like the Svefra. They can't tuck themselves away in little stone mansions or bury themselves in the dirt when their entire world becomes a foe.

The fear of a major storm is weighing heavily on Theo Coaststrider. His huge frame, usually full of vitality is visibly fatigued. His warm tenor, which often rings out from the edge of his Casinor has been silent for many days as he slowly takes account of his possessions, and the supplies of his father's and mother's, his brother's and sister's. Large, dark bags have appeared under Theo's eyes and his skin appears oily, his poweful figure drained by worry. Some of the older folk have been marked by Laviku, and by the blessings of the God of the Sea are able to transform and drink salt water, which in the case of a truly miserable storm will be a huge boon. Many of the others, including the children of the pod, are not so lucky. They've already been forced to live through one storm of the century, with the depleted resources of the pod another cataclysm is ill tidings indeed.

One of the larger independent pods in the South Suvan, the community has decided to make their way north. Theo Coaststrider's mother, the Lia of the clan, has sent word the Lia's of the other southern pods suggesting they do so as well. The plan, though nobody can be sure it will be successful, is to gather together into a makeshift giant pod and use the combined weight of the fleet to protect the many smaller, or older, ships that will find it difficult to weather a major disaster alone.

"We won't be able to move the pod if we're left with no wind." The man points to his left shoulder. A rich, blue tattoo of a massive, crashing wave swirls about, as if animated by magic. The mark, the blessing of Laviku and the birthright of all true Svefra has been spinning for days, as if to warn his people.

"Even the Gods are trying to warn us, and you haven't even so much as made a sacrifice in thanks." His tone is sharp, and unusually agitated. The man is standing on the deck of his birth-mother's ship, a massive vessel that forms the backbone of his pod's fleet. Shouting at the closed door of her cabin, when he hears no response he begins to hammer on the door in anger.

"What would you have me do? Throw what insufficient stores we do have overboard? Leave your brothers and your sisters to starve so that we can fatten up the God of the Sea? In another time, in another place I might agree but now is a time for us to protect what we have." The calm and controlled voice of the Lia can barely be heard through the thick door. A woman of power, she is not one to waste her ire on an impetuous son.

"Leave me and prepare your own ship. We'll be leaving shortly. Warn our family of my decision and let the larger vessels know that they are to tie themselves to those that are too small to move in the dead wind. We'll be tackling when we can, and rowing when we can't. We will join the smarter pods on our way to the Middle Suvan. I suggest you read your charts." Her tone was one of no insignificant finality.

The next hours move by in a flash. Jumping from vessel to vessel Theo spreads the message amongst his family. He is careful to note the fear in their eye's and offers what words of consolation he can, stopping to hold the younger members of his family and offer a little candy or bauble to the more distraught children. After he has informed the pod, or had the older of his siblings spread the message for him, he returns to his own ship to prepare. Given the magnitude of the issue, his own pod has been joined by a number of other pods that were in the area, he informs those people as best he can curious about the many members of his extended family he has yet to meet.

The Defiance is a well build Casinor. Fast, agile, and roomy, as long as the only people it needs to accommodate are Theo and a few guests. He looks the ship over carefully, happy that his regular maintenance of the vessel has left it in tip-top shape. From the far side of the pod he can hear the loud cry of his mother's conch ring out, signalling a time for departure. The whispers of wind that now skip across the bow of fleet must have been deemed sufficient. His vessel, neither large enough to tow, or small enough to be towed winds its way to the front of the fleet. Its captain turning his thoughts to his extended family in the other pods of the South Suvan who must be making similiar preparations.

by **Theo Coaststrider** on February 17th, 2013, 10:10 am

Late Winter, 512

Amidst the crashing of the waves and the screaming winds Theo Coaststrider regrets ever wishing that the weather would change. The fleet had been on the move for two days, and the situation had changed drastically. As expected, a storm was beginning to descend on the South Suvan and all signs suggested it was going to be cataclysmic. Unlike the magical storm that had devastated The Anchorage and scattered the Coaststriders months before, this was a beast of nature and, as such, a very different challenge. With every passing moment Theo's hope that the fleet might outrun the storm was dwindling.

The fleet had grown impressively in the last two days. His mother's birds had done their job well and Theo guessed that a sizeable majority of the Svefra in the South Suvan were now fleeing together to try and escape the tropical storm. The massive pod flexing, and swaying, and merging like a school of fish--or as the beauraucrats of the Northern city would more likely describe them, a swarm of locusts--as they drove north as quickly as their sails could carry them. A deeply communal people, accommodating the complex logistics of such a massive fleet was no great challenge. The ships of the Svefra, and even the vessels that they had taken from their enemies over generations, had been adapted to form a sort of symbiosis.

The smallest children had been assembled on the largest vessels, deep bellied barges and other trade vessels that were designed to hold up to the mightiest of storms. Many of the most sea-worthy Casinors, vessels like Theo's own defiance were heavily laden down with extra goods, food and medicine in particular, to ferry between the larger vessels. Given the superior maneuverability of the smaller ships they could easily slip between the gaps and makeshift shipping lanes to keep the movement of goods within the fleet efficient and effective.

In his free moments, Theo had been carefully copying out his own nautical charts using any spare copies available in the fleet as a foundation. During the brief lulls in the increasingly violent gales Theo was hunched over a poorly lit bench onboard the Defiance, copying out his people's wisdom on how to most effectively travel through the traitorous straights of the Middle Suvan. He suspected that he would be called upon to help navigate some of the larger and clumsier vessels of the fleet when that time came, and he wanted to be ready. While he would never make a great cartographer, the act of directly copying the information was simple enough for his untrained hands.

It was during one of these brief breaks that Theo received the summons. It started as a loud scratching on the door to his cabin. The noise, a patient scritch-scratch caught Theo's attention immediately and he shot up from his chair to open the thick door. As he twisted the knob the door blasted open and a massive gull flew into the cabin. With a series of loud squacks the bird landed roughly on Theo's desk and extended an orange foot. Theo's eyes were drawn immediately to a tiny scroll tied to the animal's legs. With gentle hands, Theo untied the tiny scroll and offered the animal a small piece of fish before sitting down to read.

It seemed the Lia of one of the larger pods had requested his attendance at a ritual to Laviku. Not everyone had agreed with his own Mother's stubborn practicality and there was a large number of Svefra who believed a proper sacrifice to the God of the Sea would go a long way to protecting their passage through the dangerous middle passage during such a savage storm. The man leapt into action immediately, turning his vessel around and steering his way towards the large barge that would host the ritual.

by **Gabrielle Seawind** on February 18th, 2013, 7:01 pm

‘This is ridiculous.’

Gabrielle had spent a considerable amount of time to get to the southern seas. She had sailed through the middle passage, and while that was a fun challenge, it was always a grueling task. It was even more difficult for someone who travelled alone—since her pod had been wiped about from the storm from seasons past.

And what was she met with when she finally arrived in the south? She discovered that a rather sizeable group made up of several pods had decided to go back to the north! And they were convincing her of the same thing, saying that the storm was a bad one, and it would be smart to escape its wrath.

‘Nothing can rival the storm that wiped out my family. These people are being cowards.’

However, there she was, on the deck of a large barge. She had climbed up on deck, along with other sailors, and had left her casinor tied to the bigger ship.

A mass of people had gathered to give their sacrifices to Laviku. In the middle of the crowd were barrels of food and pouches of mizas. She spotted a pack of salted fish and she felt her stomach grumble. Oh, that would be a waste. There was no way she would say that out loud though—not, that would just be stupid.

Oddly though, there was one other who didn’t think this ritual was a good idea. It was quite strange since the Svefra took their sacrifices very seriously, yet this person was focusing on practicality.

“I am not saying we shouldn’t offer to the father… I am saying we should keep enough behind!” she negotiated to another woman. Gabrielle immediately assumed that these were Lias, though she didn’t know who they were exactly. The woman’s statements had been shared by other individuals as well. Whispers of agreement could be heard.

“Maybe we can take it to a vote!” yelled out Gabrielle. Her voice ran through the crowd, and several turned to glance at her, though most didn’t really know who had said it.

by **Theo Coaststrider** on February 19th, 2013, 4:18 am

As Theo watched the proceedings his blood began to boil. It had all started predictably enough, his bull-headed mother caught wind of the sacrifice and flew with all haste to the ritual barge. Like a fly to honey she floated about the outskirts of the group and, as if my magic, doubt began to fill the mind of the crowd. An argument that Theo was quite certain he had heard at least once before, that a sacrifice was not prudent given the current situation and that Laviku would understand the plight of his people and forgive them this one omission. He knew the Coaststrider Lia was not a particularly godly woman--always choosing to stack the deck in her favour through more predictable and physical means than divine intervention--but this had gone altogether too far.

Looking back on the situation, it would not be hard for Theo to pick the exact moment his temper had exploded. As if on a cue, a relative stranger from a pod he couldn't quite place, a distant cousin it would seem, began to holler about holding a vote. Taking a few powerful steps towards the centre of the assembly he built up a pocket of saliva and spit hard onto the deck, putting his protest to the notion in no uncertain terms. Without a moment's hesitation he began to shout at the assembled onlookers. "Since when did my people turn into fools? Are we little city rats now? Are we going to forget our true father and begrudge him his offerings because of some minor adversities? Did we squirrel away our pennies during the Djed storm when he guarded us from the foolishness of mages? Did our forefathers spit in his eye during the Valterrian when he shielded us from the tsunami's and gave us a home?"

Perhaps his time spent in Zeltiva hadn't been a complete waste. He doubted his mother would have been so sparing with her coins if she knew this is how he would use his education. In a flash he ripped the thick, padded leather armour vest he had recently purchased and through it on top of the pile of offerings. "There. What need have I for armour when Laviku guards me? How poor a replacement is padded leather, foreign gold and salted fish for the bounty and security of the sea?"

As if to emphasise his point, his improvised disrobing left him standing bare chested in the centre of the crowd. The loss of his vest clearly revealed the surging blue tattoo, his mark of Laviku, surging across his chest. He had hoped this would help hammer home his exercise in amateur theatrics. His shouting finished he cast a defiant eye at the most vocal complainers, as if to intimidate them into providing offerings. He knew that he was no match for the expert politicking and poignant whispers of his mother, so forcing the action was likely his only chance of winning over the crowd.

He cast a particularly long gaze at the woman who had suggested the vote. He would never admit it, but he felt a slight shame that he had put her in such a difficult situation with his outburst. That wasn't his only doubt. If he managed to convince the assembly to make the offering, he had made himself an easy scapegoat for the hunger and difficulty that the fleet would surely experience on it's way through the Middle Suvan. If he failed, he would be mocked as a fool. Regardless, now wasn't really the time to consider the result of a cast die. He had put himself into this position by acting in anger and it wouldn't do him much good to start doubting himself now.

"So let's have your vote then, Sister. Everyone in favour of paying our debts to our true father and the guardian of our people say Aye. Those who would rather sit on their meagre riches say Nay." His lecture completed, he waits for a few agonizing moments, projecting confidence as best he can while his insides were performing somersaults."

by **Gabrielle Seawind** on February 19th, 2013, 3:39 pm

‘How melodramatic.’

Those were the words that came across Gabrielle’s mind. She didn’t utter them out, but she said them in her thoughts. Truthfully, both sides had good points to them. Food and resources were vital to their survival, and it would be foolish to give it all to the sea god—would Laviku want them to escape the storm with their lives, only to perish because of starvation? No, that was silly!

She whistled in a joking manner as Theo disrobed. The tattoos on his chest were impressive to look at, she’d give him that. Around him, people shrugged but conceded. They stepped forward and dropped more into the pile of tribute.

That was when Gabrielle started to fume as well.

These were Svefra and they looked at Laviku first and foremost. She understood that fully. But where was the reason? Gabrielle was no fool, though. She knew it was utmost silliness to proclaim that they didn’t have to sacrifice most of what they had to the god. He was known to hold much importance in tributes, and he would know if they held back. They did not usually offer everything, but this was a special case. They were trying to escape with their lives, and that resulted in the need to call for the god’s utmost attention with as much as they could.

Seeing that he had gazed at her, she knew that it was acknowledged that she had been the one to suggest the vote; a vote that he had implied as nonsense, as if the result should have been evident from the start. And because most didn’t want to disagree and call the wrath of their god, or because they saw complete reason in Theo, nobody went against him.

Gabrielle wasn’t going to suggest not giving all they could as tribute, not at this point. However, she pointed an accusing finger at Theo. “You speak with no whatsoever practicality, but perhaps Laviku will guide you because you put your trust in him. But if instead he decides to laugh at the foolishness of travelling with limited resources, we know who to blame. It will be you! So I say Aye. Aye, let’s offer it all—and if it turns out a dim-witted choice, it is all on you.”

Just to taunt him, she stuck out her tongue. Then she put her hand back down and started to rummage in her pockets. She didn’t have any food with her, but she did have golden mizas. With the little that she currently had in her pocket, amounting to about ten golden mizas, she tossed them at the pile. They fell with a clanking sound.

She glanced around, wondering if anybody else would have the gall not to concur to the offering.

by **Theo Coaststrider** on February 19th, 2013, 9:47 pm

It hadn't occurred to Theo that he might be mocked as a fool *and* succeed in making himself a scapegoat for any future misfortune. He seemed to recall a piece of wisdom from his childhood,the Lia muttering something about 'fools rushing in where wise men fear to tread,' that suddenly fell into focus for the hot-headed young Svefra. A keen observer might have noticed a brief change in his complexion, a subtle embarrassed flush. When he spit on the deck he hadn't quite pictured himself standing shirtless while his family heaped their meagre possessions into a makeshift pile as the final result. If the man didn't know better there might have been some lesson about the importance of tact and forethought buried away in this situation, he hoped he lived to an age where he might understand it.

As he stared down the young woman he was momentarily glad that he didn't come from a race of assassins. His people might cut your purse or break your nose, but they weren't particularly likely to sneak aboard your ship and cut your throat, at least not to his knowledge. Based on the accusatory finger and visible disdain on the face of that young woman, Theo thought there might just be a first time for everything. Perhaps this was a time to exit his improvised stage and bring an end to maudlin.

He cast a stern glare at one or two of the stragglers as he made his way away from the the offering. His heart wasn't really in the threat, but it wouldn't do to start to show a lack of confidence now. For better or for worse, he was all in. He noticed that during his little performance his mother had shifted away from the group and out of sight, he wouldn't even get the satisfaction of watching his mother make an offering. His victory would have to be a hollow one.

Perhaps there was something he could do to wash the sour taste from his mouth. He took a few quick steps towards the woman who had been so brave earlier and made a motion to pull her aside. "I don't recognize you. It doesn't seem right for family to be so distant. I'm Theo Coaststrider. Who might you be, cousin?"

He spoke in a low tone, the polar opposite of his previous outburst. This too had the makings of a precarious situation, but he had no interest in making an enemy today. His own people would complain for a day, but they did not carry grudges, there was no such guarantee with is young woman however. With any luck, thought Theo, a quick change of tone might catch her off guard.

by **Gabrielle Seawind** on February 20th, 2013, 5:08 pm

With a bothered look, Gabrielle stared at him. She had been startled when had had singled her out with the apparent task of speaking to her. The young Svefra woman’s eyebrows knotted slightly and the corner of her lips curved into a visible frown.

The pile of offerings was growing in size, and the crowd was starting to disperse. Whispers of prayers towards Laviku could be heard. Soon it would be time to cast the tributes afloat.

“Oh, a Coastrider! You are a son of that Lia who did not want to cast these offerings… yes, I recognize her now. That is quite funny! You went against your own Lia, I hope she does not punish you for such a thing. What do you want?” she said without much pause between her words and sentences. She looked straight at him, interest and ridicule burning in her eyes. Gabrielle could be quite immature, and she did not take it lightly that he had somehow ridiculed her decision to suggest a voting.

It wasn’t her intention to be rude; she simply did not understand why he wanted to know her name. They were in a mass of people, all with the purpose of running from a storm, and he wanted to know her name?

Still, they were of the same race. And yes, they were fighting towards a common goal. While her instincts told her to dismiss him immediately, she thought better of it. In a way, she could never truly turn down another one of her race that easily. Besides, he had changed his tone of voice to a much more pleasant one. That calmed her down.

“I apologize, where are my manners? The name’s Gabrielle,” she said. Immediately after saying her name, she paused. What was she supposed to say next? The Seawinds were known to have perished in the storm of Spring, and frankly, she was tired of her cousins trying to force her into their pods. The idea of being the last Seawind alive somehow told them that she needed a new pod.

With a sigh, she decided against lying.

“Gabrielle Seawind,” she finally said. Then she repeated, “What do you want? Look, they are to make the offering soon.”

by **Theo Coaststrider** on February 21st, 2013, 12:20 am

The furrow in Theo's brow unknit itself immediately upon hearing that the woman was a Seawind. He hesitated for a moment. Normally Theo wasn't the sort of person to find himself short of words, but he realized the sensitivity of the situation. Gabrielle was clearly a strong woman, and he suspected that she didn't need his pity. "The Seawind's were a mighty pod. I had a rib broken in a scrap with one of your brothers, and one of the elders of your pod gave me my first sip of ale."

He gave Gabrielle a soft smile as he recalled his previous encounters with her kin. Seldom did a chance encounter between Svefra pods end in anything other than a multi-day celebration. It suddenly made more sense to the man why Gabrielle might have been reluctant to make an offering to Laviku. Not every pod had been as lucky as his own during the Djed storm, and it wasn't unusual to find Svefra with a less than positive opinion of the God in the wake of the storm. Of course, this was all conjecture on his part.

"As far as my mother is concerned, I'm not too worried. This certainly isn't the first time we've disagreed. Though, I suspect I won't be invited to dinner in her cabin any time soon..." As far as Theo was concerned, it wasn't so strange that he would defy the Lia. She guided the family, she did not own them.

"I *want* to apologize for that situation. We're cousins, and in difficult times family shouldn't fight. Even if I can be bull-headed, I would hate for you to leave this barge carrying a grudge." He punctuated his statement with a gentle chuckle. Theo could be quite agreeable in the wake of a victory, even one that was sure to carry some consequences. With his apology made he spun on his heel to watch the remainder of the ritual.

A ritual to Laviku could be spectacular. There was quite the pile of gold, food, salt and various random possessions on the deck of the barge. The mound was being sanctified by an unfamiliar Lia as the pair chatted. As she shouted her words of offering, Theo cast a gaze to heavy black clouds that had gathered above the fleet. It wouldn't be long now until the sky split open and wrought a fresh hell for the Svefra fleet.

by **Theo Coaststrider** on February 26th, 2013, 10:47 pm

OOCI'm going to skip ahead briefly! Don't let this derail our chat. I'll just copy this, and move it to it's proper place after our conversation later. I just wanted to move the storm ahead so that our dear southerners can make it to the north in time for the celebration with their friends.

The world was exploding around the young Svefra, and he barely broke his stride. The water rose in frothy walls around the side of the defiance and collapsed with a spectacular crash, showering the deck with a salty sheet of water. Calmly, Theo surveyed the scene around him. He could make out seven ships in his immediate area, two Palivar's and five Casinors, if he wasn't mistaken. He took stock of the bobbing corks, doing his best to assess the state of their sails and the strength of their crews. Unfortunately, it was hard to discern from his distance, his cousins looked like frantic insects fighting against the raging sea to keep themselves afloat. Just as he made a final pass to make sure none of the vessels were lilting too seriously the world vanished again behind a massive wall of sea water. With a deafening swoosh, his casinor topped the wave and hurled down the far side of the crest with a roar, bathing Theo in a fresh hell of foaming Suvan.

With a gentle shrug he turned his attention back to his own furrowed sails. At first the din of the storm and the crashing of the ship had been a real terror, but that was--by Theo's reckoning--days ago. It was difficult to tell how long the fleet had been beset by the storm. The cloud coverage was so thick that time had to be marked less by a definite day and night and more into the distinctions of dark and slightly less dark. It also wasn't as Theo could demarcate time by his sleeping schedule. His baggy, swollen, bloodshot eyes and the dull pasty complexion told the tale of his sleeping habits succinctly and accurately. Theo was almost certain they were drawing up on the central passage of the Middle Suvan, but it was nearly impossible to guide himself when the landmarks he needed were on the far side of a hundred crashing walls of water.

The Middle Suvan was treacherous, but he suspected they were drawing near to tend of the most trying part of their journey. It had been a brutal week. After the offering food had started to grow short, and Theo donated his reserve to one of the larger vessels carrying children. For 4 endless days he had been munching on dried kelp and trying to satisfy his hunger by chewing a strip of leather torn from the leg of his pants. After nearly 70 hours, the scrap had become a truly foul thing but it helped distract him from the pain in his stomach.

Sailing his Casinor alone in a storm was back-breaking work. He could not leave the wheel for more than a few moments at a time, and the teak deck of "The Defiance" was constantly covered in sea water which made moving quickly a suicide mission. Fortunately, his well kept vessel had handled the storm with grace. In the few moments where the gales seemed to die down he took his chance to bail any water that had leaked into his cabin, but all in all damage had been limited. He did not know if that could be said for the rest of the fleet.

Perhaps the most distracting aspect of the journey was his inability to clearly sense his surroundings. Normally he could reach out through the Suvan using his sea sense to get an idea of what was occurring around and beneath him, but the chaos of the storm made that nearly impossible. If it wasn't for the charts he had copied detailing the worst stretches of the Middle Suvan, and the occasional bird born message from his mother, Theo and the other ships that had been serving as an "advance party" would surely have been lost on the rocks during one of the storms less predictable moments.

In an instant, Theo was snapped from his reverie. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed one of the Casinor's of the forward group hit a wave at a bad angle and come back down awkwardly. He could make out two shadowy figures being thrown roughly about the deck as the ship began to tilt badly. As the thick mast began to tilt towards the angry sea, the world seemed to slow. A feeling of incredible dread washed over Theo as he he saw the vessel get swallowed by another wave. Theo let out a shout just as another wall of water crashed up to impede his view.

If the ship had tipped there would not be much time to respond. No doubt, the Casinor was already lost and he would only have a few moments to help recover the Svefra that had gone over with it. As he turned his vessel towards the sinking ship and let out some sail he prayed that one of the other ships had seen the Casinor go down.

by **Gabrielle Seawind** on March 4th, 2013, 4:05 pm

OOCSorry for taking quite a while to reply!

As expected, she didn’t like condolences, even if they were cleverly hidden. She was also quite relieved that he chose not to focus on the topic that made her uncomfortable. Theo Coastrider was someone she would definitely be able to get along with, despite their previous disagreement.

For a while, Gabrielle just stood silent. She stared at him with absolute iciness, but that soon melted away. Finally, she stuck her tongue out at him. “I would not carry a grudge. Do not worry; I do believe I have better things to fret about.”

Soon enough, the sacrifice was made and they returned to their ships. The black clouds were catching on, and the winds were wreaking havoc on boats and sails alike. Gabrielle had a difficult time moving her sails to the right position as the wind fought against her. Remembering a previous time when they had sailed through a dangerous storm, the young woman adopted a tactic that a man named Daske had once taught her. She tied a thick rope around the mast and then around her waist.

She waved her hand at Theo who was a distance away, but she was sure he would be able to see her. Gabrielle pointed at the rope knotted around her waist and gestured for him to do the same.

The Middle Suvan was a tough route to sail through, especially when the weather was as such. It was difficult to see, especially when the sea water splashed against their face and the wind was, for most of the time, against them. More than once she found herself screaming and fighting to keep her sails in place. Gabrielle was getting worried, she was fighting for her life, and she knew that the others were as well. How were they faring? Were they still in the same numbers? The blurry vision of the other ships was foreign to her eyes, and she was more on the lookout for rocky land that her casinor might crash into.

She couldn’t even tell for how long they had been sailing. But at one point, and as dangerous as it was, she was soon sailing close to the other casinors. Gabrielle had her eyes on the horizon when she frantically turned back to the casinor ahead of her—and saw it topple with the waves.

“Petch…!” she screamed. She examined the wreckage and was scared to sail too close to the sinking ship. The debris would be dangerous to her own casinor. Gabrielle started to untie the rope around her waist and she tossed it over the side of her ship when she thought she was in a close enough range. However, to her horror, she couldn’t see the two of her kin who had fallen over.

That was when she saw Theo.

“Heeeey!” she screamed at Theo. Her voice was barely audible, and she doubted he could hear her. “Can you see them!? Can you see them!?” she repeated herself several times more.

Open The Great Storm of Winter 512