Closed Shipwrecked Survivors [Kel, Tydus, Callispa, Nerida Tempest]

[Callipsia Tempest]

"My morning was simply splendid, Calli! I woke up and started swimming, which sounds far more excitin' then your day."

Callipsia laughed a little and whipped her wet hair at her sister as she came up on board. "I did swimming of my own! Mayhaps not th' adventurous kind you and Rasia do, but I - I swam for my morning devotions to Laviku. I-I spose that counts." Calli felt her stutter return, but paid it no mind. Truthfully, with all the time she had spent with Neri the past couple weeks, it had made some improvement. In a pod with dozens of loud personalities, she was able to slip between them, sliding in the center of a school of fish, every which way they went.

But now my school is two. Who do I follow in a school of two?

With a curt sigh, Calli turned to some rags they salvaged from below deck and used one to dry herself, her eyes naturally averting from the corpses at the other end of the deck. Some seagulls cawed as they landed upon the bodies, and the girl couldn't help a bitter grimace as her gaze drew to the noise's location. There was a time the mere sight of them would have broken her into sobs, yet now when her eyes glanced passed, a hollowness filled them. Not a week ago her grief spilled from her viscerally, as angry as the tides that carried away pieces of their home every night. But now...her grief was tired. It was there, but she could not express it physically anymore. Like her stomach, it was starved. Like her bones, it was weary. So now, her eyes simply skated around them. Perhaps they were a fallen mast, full of tattered holes. That would be easier to think, at least.

"No, unfortunately," Neri's voice responded as the girl dried herself, tossing her eyes in her direction as she did so. Callipsia released a heavy breath, and an understanding nod as she finished her work, and pulled her skirt and shirt back over her head. "Perhaps, tomorrow, then?" Sighing, she set about the fish her pod-sister returned with.

"Though, I think I that-Calli, over there."

Callipsia's head snapped up, the fish quickly forgotten, its blood staining her hands and her already tattered and stained skirt. There was definitely an approaching blur on the horizon. She put the fish on the deck and used her hand to block out the sun, peering hard with her young, bright eyes. Her heart was racing as dolphins do in storms.

Within ticks, she saw it was a boat. A grin came across her face, accompanied by a few giggles and movements, though small on the precarious deck. "A BOAT, Neri!" She cried, gripping her sister's arm. "A boat - we, we can get out of here now. I-I, I mean, hopefully, they are friendly. At, at this point, we really have no choice here. Ri-riverfall's a day's sail away. Unless-"

Letting go of her sister, Callipsia leaned onto a fragile, broken end of the rail and peered carefully at the approaching vessel. The shape of it...the size...it seemed familiar to her. And then, it hit her.

It was a Casinor.

"It's a Casinor!" She screamed aloud. "Those are SVEFRA, pod-sister! We are SAFE!" Tears were now freely flowing from the girl's face as she gingerly ran to hug her, shoulders shaking as she could hardly contain herself.

Focus. You have to get their attention first.

Clearing her throat, Callipsia broke from her sister and refocused towards the approaching casinor, waving her arms wildly with the nearby tattered rag. "HELP!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs. "PLEASE. HELP."

[Nerida Tempest]

8th of Spring, year 514 A.V | Fratava | Common

Nerida grinned as she shielded her head from her sister's attack, raising her arms to block the incoming mass of wet hair headed towards her upperbody. She had spent valuable time drying off her face, at least ten seconds, and didn't want her precious work ruined. With a thwak the hair hit her arms, and soon they were dusted with tiny droplets, the scattered water collecting on a few goosebumps here and there.

Lowering her arms, she caught sight of the corpses on the other side of the deck, most of them faceless and in the midst of rotting. Once a sore reminder of what had happened and why they were here, it now seemed to be the primary attraction to visiting seagulls, already carrying a few hungry birds. Over time, she had become desensitised to the sight, eyes jumping over the mound of dead bodies, as they did now.

After she spoke, she watched as her sister looked in the direction of the blurred ship approaching, taking the chance to glance over once more. As she stared at the horizon, reality began to sink in, and a choked giggle escaped her lips. It was actually happening- they had a chance to leave this prison!

"It really is a boat," She said quietly, clasping Calli's forearm in her hands in slowly growing excitement. Letting go of her swiftly, she joined her sister in looking at the vessel, the ship growing clearer and more familiar as she gazed at it.

"A-A Casinor?!" Nerida cried in shock, her voice laced with barely hidden excitement. Small tears of relief welled up in her eyes, a few beginning to run down her cheeks as she embraced her pod-sister, trembling slightly. It's not over yet, they might not have seen us. Breaking the hug gingerly, she stood next to Callipsia, Rasia appearing by her side. "HELP! She cried in unison with her sister, waving her arms frantically to catch their attention. Rasia joined her with loud barks, in the process scaring off the seagulls dotting the deck. "HELP US. PLEASE."

[Tydus Tempest]

Time had done nothing to preserve the majesty of what had once been the Waverunner's Fist. The flames had long died down, the ship broken into pieces beneath the surface of the sea. The young Svefra reached down from over the bulwark, Tydus' chest pressed against the gunwale as he dipped his fingertips into the water. However, this time, rather than feeling relief and connection to the All-Father Laviku through his gnosis, he felt grief.

The presences were almost entirely faded away in the immediate vicinity, the wreckage and its parts sinking below the surface and forcing wildlife either away, or to take residence within the remnants that had likely sunk deeper into the ocean. What he could feel was a singular, long life form, the presence of coral alerting the Tempest scion of potential danger.

"Kel... make sure to sail carefully... there's a large reef supporting part of the structure of the ship... We've got to keep a lookout for rocks. Don't want to be stuck here again..."

He spoke loudly enough for Kel to hear him, Vesh quickly approaching the Svefra as he rested his body against the gunwale. A hand reached out to the penguin as it pressed itself to the Svefra's body, the bird's plumage imprinted with the shape of the Svefra's fingers as a sadness moved through his mind. Normally confident features were twisted into agonized misery, regret returning to the forefront of Tydus' mind as he looked beneath the crystalline surface of the water.

His eyes met with the bloated form of a younger Svefra child, pieces of flesh picked away, presumably by seagulls, but Tydus didn't consider it.

Kel was right... We might very well have to sail through the bodies of a... massacre...

His eyes closed suddenly as he shook his head violently, wishing nothing more than to shake the image out of his mind, to forget, but it was impossible. He could never forget. He never would forget. The single face of Colden Tempest, a lad that Tydus knew to be a fair sailor and nice person, permanently imprinted itself into his mind. He coughed twice, pressing his face against the gunwale just as he heard voices call out in the distance.

Tears stained at the Tempest scion's cheeks, red burning into the bags beneath his eyes as he rose just slightly, enough to cast his gaze about, over the surface of the water. He rose his head up, reddened eyes locking upon what he perceived as the origin of the pleas for help.

No... Even the ghosts are screaming at me, plaguing me for my cowardice. They want me to help them... He cursed under his breath, shaking his head as he murmured under his breath, "I can't... I cannot assist you..."

Then, it happened again. This one, just like the last, was familiar. It was real, voices sailing through his ears as he looked up again to see the distant figures of two women. One he recognized by sight, but her name escaped her in his shock. The other...

"CALLIPSIA?"

The Tempest straightened up his posture immediately, looking back to Kel before he said, "Kel... we have to go forward. Into the wreckage. We'll swim if we have to. I'll swim if I have to."

Callipsia was Tatianna's biological daughter. The closest woman to him in the Pod other than the Lia herself. He shook his head, as if attempting to cast the doubt from his mind, hoping to Laviku that he wasn't hearing things, seeing things as he looked again. He couldn't see the two, but he heard them. Two distinct, female voices. The Lia's legacy can live on...

[Kel Tempest]

Day 8 of Spring in the Year 514 AV

Kel cursed at the mention of the reef. He had seen too many ships having been destroyed by the blasted rocks. He didn’t know where the reef started or where it ended and he felt his stomach clench up. The last thing he needed was for them to end up just like the Waverunner’s Fist.


Kel quickly swung the wheel around, sweeping the boom away from the wind. The sail listed until it was completely dead, hanging limply from the spars. Kel snatched up the knotted rope and looped it over the peg of the wheel, keeping the boom in place. The Svefra jumped onto the roof of the cabin, avoiding the sea otter, feet planted firmly as the ship swayed side to side in the water.


Kel deftly grabbed ahold of the line to balance himself and then seized the winch. He slowly began pulling the level up and down, loosening the lines holding the sail up in the air. Satisfied that there was enough sail on the bottom spar to tie up, Kel let go of the winch and grabbed the sail. He tied it to the spar with a short pieces of rope to keep it from catching the wind.


He took two steps across the cabin and jumped down onto the deck, beside Ty. He ignored his podmate, making sure to stand on the opposite side of the boat to distribute the weight so the boat didn’t flip. Kel grabbed the other winch and lowered the main sail. He repeated the process and tied the sail to the spar.


The boat slowed considerably but had enough speed to keep it moving towards the wreckage. Kel leaned over the bow hand hovering just over the latch that held the anchor in place. He saw the bloated corpses of the dead, slowly drifting by and he grimaced. “I TOLD him this would happen…” He grumbled to himself, quiet enough so that Tydus couldn't hear, but kept his eye on the water.


The sailor deemed it unsafe to get any closer to the wreck, in fear that he would crash his beloved vessel into the coral. He pulled the pin and the hunk of metal released from the side of the boat, crashing into the water before disappearing below.


Nothing happened for a few ticks. But then suddenly the ship jerked to a stop as the anchor caught ahold of the ocean bed. Kel sighed with relief, nothing having happened to his boat. He finally stood and looked at the wreck, fifty some yards away. The destruction was even more evident than it was before.


A pile of half eaten bodies were piled atop of each other, birds swarming around them. Burn marks crisscrossed the deck and a huge hole gaped where the coral had bitten into the hull.


But it was the two survivors that caught his attention. He stared at them in astonishment. Two woman sat perched on the deck of the semi submerged ship. Tydus shouted out, what Kel assumed, was one of the woman’s name. He eyed his podmate skeptically.


“Yeeeeeeah…you’re going to have to swim…” Kel looked at Tydus, unmoved by the carnage around him. “I ain’t bringing the Laviku’s Wrath any closer, mate. Or we are gonna end up just like them. I don’t trust my sailing skills to risk navigating the coral.”


The black haired Svefra strode across the deck towards his cabin. A few minutes later he reappeared, holding a long pole with a grappling hook on the end. He grinned at Tydus, not caring what emotion trauma his friend might be feeling. “But when you come back with the woman I will pull you all aboard.”


He winked, “Gotta make a good first impression and show the ladies I’m a hero after all.”

[Nerida Tempest]

8th of Spring, year 514 A.V | Fratava | Common

Nerida watched with bated breath as the Casinor drew closer to the shipwreck, two moving figures visible on the deck. Stopping her shouting, figuring they had noticed by now, she peered at the Svefra on board, attempting to discern their features. One was a complete stranger to her, but the other, especially as their vessel grew closer, seemed all too familiar, though their name escaped her mind.

As one of them shouted her sister's name, Neri turned to her, mind slowly coming to what seemed like an unrealistic conclusion. "Calli..This is feels unlikely, but...It feels like they're part of the Pod. Do you think there's a chance that.." She trailed off, hope slowly rising in her chest at the situation.

With a splash the Casinor's anchor entered the water, keeping it anchored not too far away from the shipwreck. Rasia gave a bark of excitement, sliding into the ocean and remaining there, bobbing in the water as she waited for Neri to join her.

Nerida grinned at her Tavan's actions, turning around and glancing at the deck behind her. "Well Calli, whatever you found here you might as well take with you, we're not going to come back," She said, a hint of cheerfulness entering her tone as she picked up the backpack she had found, filled with some supplies and her two weapons. It was the only thing worth keeping, as even her clothes were basically wrecked, her shirt sometimes not worth the bother of wearing.

Mostly confident the bag would survive the swim to the ship, Neri slipped into the water, joining her Tavan. As she entered Laviku's realm, she felt a sensation at the back of her mind, telling her of more then one mark of Oceanus in the area. The feeling filled her with more tentative hope as she waited for Calli to join her.

[Callipsia Tempest]

"CALLIPSIA?"

Callipsia felt her heart stop and she gripped the faded rail, shuddering in emotional euphoria as the faded shout called her name. Looking across the water, her eyes strained through their tears to look at the face that shouted her name, ears reaching in her memories to attach a name to those echoes. Neri's musings passed over her as she lost herself in thought, thinking back to the last time she heard someone scream her name like that. The process felt like chimes, though it took only the blink of an eye, and the flash of Syna's light on his brilliant blond hair.

"TYDUS!" Calli screamed back, leaning her body over the rail before breaking into more joyous sobs. "Tydus...Our pod lives on," she muttered to herself in between tears in disbelief. A smile broke over her and she raised her watery eyes to Laviku's horizon. Her pod-brother. Beyond her pod-brother. Her friend. her companion.

She meant to begin offering her prayers of thanks to the Great Father, when the rotted and burnt rail broke from under her. A gasp escaped her in surprise as she tumbled forward, hands grasping the air for something, anything to save her from tumbling into the coral and otherwise infested waters she otherwise navigated into so carefully. Her hands found splintered wood and clenched hard, causing a whimper to leave her as here body very nearly leaned over the edge. Pushing back, she examined the blood on her hands with a frustrated sigh, breathing deep to try to bring herself back down to a center.

"Well Calli, whatever you found here you might as well take with you, we're not going to come back,

Nodding shakily, Calli turned to find her pack and donned it carefully, struggling slightly as the blood on her hands made her slip on the straps, but she made do. It bulged slightly, Lia Tatianna's atlas shoved in the middle of the pack and barely fitting the shape. However, this now presented an entirely different issue, as she began whispering her prayers to Laviku for safe passage to her pod-brother along side her sister, and praising him for their rescue.

"I need to try to make it on driftwood," Callipsia shouted down to Nerida, wincing as she climbed down the wreckage to meet her on level. "I have Lia Tatianna's atlas. We can't risk ruining that in the water. It's too valuable to us. Don't forget to be careful - They approached us through the coral, and it's a very dangerous route."

Looking across the way, the girl found a piece of driftwood about four feet across and two feet long. Hesitantly, she jumped onto it with a slight splash; it managed to hold her weight, to her great sigh of relief. As the sea water splashed into the cuts on her hand, Callipsia winced before raising her eyes to her sister.

"It might take me some time still," Calli called, finding a long piece of driftwood and using it as a makeshift oar to row by. "Navigate carefully, sister. I'm right behind you!"

As her hands dipped down into the ocean to push her along, and the red of her lifeblood mixed in the tides of Laviku's waves, adrenaline took over, and Callipsia no longer felt pain. Only determination.

[Tydus Tempest]

The Tempest scion's blood pulsed through his body, an adrenal response kicking in as his eyes widened. It really was her, and another Tempest girl... Two female heiresses to the Tempest name. It was a miracle bestowed by Laviku himself, yet the trial wasn't yet over. Laviku was not a God known for his mercy. He gave to those that deserved it, blessed those that warranted it, and destroyed those too weak to survive within his sphere. The Svefra were once-blessed at birth, then repeatedly blessed through their lifetimes, but the favouritism was not extended to every aspect of seafaring life.

There were dangers, tragedies. The shipwrecking of the Waverunner's Fist was a prime example of this. Tydus only hoped that those who were swallowed by it found peace rather than haunting Laviku's seas as ghosts, like they did in his dreams. He shook his head out, clearing his mind of the thought as he moved towards the living quarters. He kicked open the door, quickly seizing a coil of rope and draping it around his shoulder. He ran back to the ship's bow, turning to the left just slightly before setting the rope down. He took to one knee as he set about the task of securing the rope to the ship.

There were small holes in the gunwale already set for such a task, Tydus looping an end of the rope through once, making sure that two feet or rope was available to tighten and re-tighten the knot, a task which he set about doing. He looped the rope about itself once, tying it through and pulling the rope until there it was taut against the gunwale. He did it again, capping off the first knot with a second, pulling it once to ensure its utility before he gathered up a segment of rope. He then carefully wove a ball knot, holding it in his palm once before he gauged the distance.

he ship was about fifty feet from the Sloop itself, but as Callipsia rowed the other two forward, the gap lessened. Forty... thirty-five... thirty! At this point, Tydus flung the ball knot forward, hoping that the added weight of the balled up rope was enough to carry it through the breeze. Luckily, the breeze was not their enemy this day. It was light, coming form the port side, adjusting the ball's trajectory, the rope following suit, soaring through the sky before the ball landed on the raft, teetering on the back edge of the raft,

"Grab onto that and pull yourself forward, Callipsia! I'll help you onto the casinor!"

But, Tydus was wrong. The ball fell into the water, though it floated just shy of the raft. As Tydus looked away from the raft, for just a moment, he noted that a finA Drum-Throat fin. Since none of us possess Fauna lores, we're going to assume it's just some random shark. hovered in the distance, menacing in nature and approaching the raft. The Tempest scion's eyes widened, the young man motioning to Callipsia's right side towards the fin as he shouted out, frantically making his way towards the heavy harpoon crossbow that was set on the ship's bow.

[Kel Tempest]

Day 8 of Spring in the Year 514 AV

The wreckage of the beautiful ship sent mixed emotions through the Svefra. Part of him wished he could have been a part of the Tempest pod when it was attacked. He would have made sure the pod took some causalities to the grave with them. His gaze hardened as he thought about his own pod.


At least Tydus’ pod had a fighting chance against the raiders with their pirating history. Had the Greytide pod, a group of simple fishermen, been ambushed everyone would have been slaughtered. There would have been no survivors to tell the tale. Kel was glad that Tydus had survived but had it been him on the ship, he would have gone down fighting. He wouldn’t have abandoned vessel. Not when there was blood to have been spilt.


He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his head as he stood on the opposite side of the deck, leaning against the grappling pole, balancing the weight on the ship as Tydus busily tied the rope against the gunwale. He had hoped that the younger Svefra would have jumped into the sea and swam towards the women just so he could tease him with the pole as he tried getting back into the ship.


He watched idly as the two women struggled in the water on their makeshift raft as they navigated the jagged coral, debris and murky sea. From what he could see, they were barely women, just mere slips of a girl. He snorted in distain as he realized one of them would most likely become the Lia of the Tempest pod.


Kel did not respond well to authority. He hadn’t growing up and not much had changed since then. The new Lia would have to prove herself in combat as a capable leader if he were to ever follow her willingly. Otherwise she was going to be fighting him every step of the way until she either fought back or broke under the pressure.


Kel smirked, he always enjoyed that portion of a leader’s beginning. He called it the “incubation period.” If they could survive constant resistance and talking back for an extended amount of time from him, they could withstand anything. He was really doing them a favor if they thought about it. He patted himself on his back for being such a stand up citizen and valuable asset to the pod.


The Svefra sighed again as he waited impatiently for the other two Tempests to get to his vessel. A thought struck him and he groaned inwardly. The new members wouldn’t have a place to stay. They were going to have to live aboard his ship as well. There just wasn’t the room. It was barely big enough for one person to live comfortably. Now the ship would be housing five Svefra.


That just wasn’t going to fly.


Kel opened his mouth to speak up and bring that matter to Tydus’ attention when suddenly the blonde haired Svefra shouted fearfully. Kel looked in the direction his podmate pointed and his eyes widened. A fin silently rose through the water, cutting through waves swiftly. The predator made its presence known and seemed to lock onto Callipsia and Nerida’s scrap wood raft.


A thrill shot through Kel’s system. Finally, something happened to make this trip worthwhile. Maybe this excursion wasn’t a waste of time after all.

[Nerida Tempest]

8th of Spring, year 514 A.V | Fratava | Common

Nerida bobbed in the water, watching her Pod Sister with slight concern while Rasia swam around underneath her. She nodded in response to Calli's words, swimming forwards a few strokes to hold the makeshift raft still. Looking at the room left on the driftwood, she took off her pack, holding it by the straps in her left hand. "I think the wood will be able to hold this pack, right?" She said, the end of her sentence turning into more of a question. Gently, well, as gently as she could whilst floating in the water, the Svefra lowered the bag onto the end of the driftwood, relieved when the raft showed no sign of breaking.

"If you say so, Calli!" She responded, kicking her legs and moving ahead of the raft. Slowly she swam through the water, keeping an eye on her Pod-Sister's progress while being led by her Tavan. That feeling in the back of her mind was growing stronger as she grew closer to the ship, and as she cut through the water she thought back to what she had heard a few minutes ago- her sister screaming Tydus, a name that was way too familiar. She recognised the name, and knew him to be a part of the Tempest Pod. It would make sense for others to have survived, right?

Drawing her foot up out of the way of some coral, she turned her head and caught sight of an approaching fin, her connection to Laviku's realm telling her it was definitely a shark, and one too old for her to control. As it seemed to lock on to the two of them, a small tingle of fear grew in her mind, before she re-focused. A glance at the Casinor nearby showed Tydus making his way to the harpoon crossbow, but who knew if he would make it in time.

She turned and swam to the side of Calli's raft, prepared to attack the shark when it came too close, but she was nudged out of the way by Rasia. Trusting her Tavan to watch her back, Nerida moved to the back of the raft, catching eye contact with Calli for a second before she reached out to her pack and took out her Kris, laying it within her reach. Spotting the rope Tydus had thrown floating just infront of the raft, she pushed the driftwood forward with the best of her strength before slipping onto the back of the raft, effectively balancing it out. Taking hold of the Kris, she called Rasia over, ready to strike at the shark if it came close to her side.

"Rasia, go ahead to the Casinor," She told the sea lion, motioning towards the ship they were approaching. "You can't take on a shark!"

[Callipsia Tempest]

Callipsia sighed gratefully as the ball of rope landed with a plop near the raft. The driftwood splinters ground into her hands and made it hard for her to row without constant pain, so it was a welcome site indeed. But an eerie silence set in that the girl couldn't ignore. She bit down on a cracked lip, and listened carefully around her. Tydus was suddenly afraid, pointing and wailing in a way she hadn't seen since he was a child.

Before her eyes, a large fin breached the water, and Calli knew why fear struck him so. She reached out with Otani in a moment, but felt instantly that it was in vain.

My petching blood, she thought as she cursed under her breath. The shark was heading right for her, too quick for her to be pulled along the rope and out of the way. No, she would have to withstand it first. If she used the driftwood against its jaw, or perhaps its gills, she could stun it long enough to pull herself along and out of the way of the creature.

"Aim for it's gills as it comes from the water, then bolt for the boat," she hastily told Nerida as she felt the weight shift, realizing her sister had little time to run as she did.

She felt her whole body warm and pulse as the fin came closer and closer, time both speeding and slowing in it's approach. As it did so, she felt a gut-wrenching echo sound below her and quake her legs, silencing all fish life. Callipsia's eyes widened.

"DRUMTHROAT!"

As she shouted such, the beast of the ocean launched itself from the water from below her in hopes of grabbing herself or Nerida from the raft, it's vast mouth teeming with small fish and water sloshing to and fro within. The action caught her off guard, but she strengthened her resolve, knowing this may be her only clean shot. With all her might, she swung the rotten piece of wood at the thing's gills, just managing to graze them before the thing went down below again. It moaned audibly under the water, though the driftwood piece completely fell apart. Callipsia screamed, her hands in agony from the force of the blow on her salted and bleeding hands.

Rope. Rope. Rope.

Letting adrenaline dull the pain, she grabbed for the rope, and prayed her dear brother would pull her ashore as quickly as she would pull herself. She left a red hand print with every desperate pull, leaving tiny waves as she used the last whims of strength left in her frail body.

You are almost home, She found herself thinking, as the echoes of the drumthroat sounded below her feet from the ship. You are almost home.