Open The Depths Of Faith (Pulren)

[Meriann]

4th Winter 517 AV

Meriann sank into sleep with the kind of tiredness that only came from years of hard graft on the seas and a lifestyle that encompassed a fair and fresh amount of ocean air. The bed warmed her through, and the familiar creak and slap of seawater on the hull of her casinor reassured her that everything was well in the world. Sleep came easily, and the dream pulled her in almost as soon as her eyes had closed.

She was suspended in water, although that wasn't a surprise. She wasn't floating stationary though. Soft currents that felt like the gentle caress of tiny fish against her skin tugged her downwards in the surprisingly warm water. She didn't fight them, that would be madness. The gentleness was not something you could fight, it was something primordial and organic, and Meriann knew in her heart that it was Laviku's will that she fall to the very bottom of the ocean floor.

Her dark hair floated all around her like the night sky, and indeed the last of the moon's feeble rays pierced the skin of the sea quite impossibly to light her descent down into the abyss. The currents were propelling her faster than she had realised too, as soon enough the calm Svefra woman could see the white and glistening hide of the sandy sea floor. Her blue eyes widened as she landed, her feet burying into the soft sand. She luxuriated in the comforting embrace of it, then reached down to grasp a handful of it and watched with a quiet laugh as it drifted down to where it had come from.

She began to walk slowly, letting the currents guide her wherever they wanted her to go. The weight of the sea above did not seem to affect her, but she could still feel a significant pressure around her. It wasn't dangerous though, although she had no way of knowing that for sure. If she was awake, like most Svefra she knew both the calmness and the terror of Laviku's domain. If not respected, she could easily be crushed and drowned and beaten to smithereens on the sharp teeth of the shore in the gales of Laviku's fury. But she was not awake, and in the dream she wore a smile of silver and lightheartedness as she walked serenely across the deserted sea bed.

Finally, her view was disturbed by a great, vast whale. She gaped in amazement and lifted herself from the ground and began to swim closer, her strength much greater than it had ever been as she effortlessly approached the great leviathan with broad strokes through the shimmering water. As she neared the creature, a singular eye gazed at her dispassionately from within its battle-scarred face. She reached out, almost fearful that it would flee, and placed her palm flat on it's body.

As eerie sound echoed from its core, and Meriann felt a shiver shudder it's way down her spine to her feet. "I don't think I have the words to acknowledge the respect I have for you, great creature of Laviku." She murmured, and swam up the whale's body to reach the top of the animal. She could see all around her, and suddenly the quiet waters were teeming with life that gradually approached from every direction as she looked around. The still, moonlight shade of the landscape filled with flickering shoals of minnows, the colourful swarms of coral, and lonely, majestic sharks that all swam with the elegance of practised dancers.

Then, as she looked around in wonder, through the water weeds she could see a figure. This was a person that somehow she knew she must meet, no matter the consequences. It was odd enough that she was able to survive under this massive pressure of water without once breathing, but that another was the same was quite amazing. Meriann dove down and swam masterfully towards the shadow of a man, only thinking that she must find out who he was and why he was here in this glorious paradise of hers.

[Pulren Marsh]

Pulren Marsh
Your Favorite Uncle

It was one of Pulren's most common and recurring dreams. He would awaken from sleep in near complete darkness, his hair and clothing swaying in currents. The clothing he wore was always the same. A long green loincloth, wrapped around like a sash around his waist and over one shoulder. Complete darkness. He floated in that darkness, perfectly serene. It was the deepest feeling of home that he had ever felt in his life.

Usually, he would float effortlessly and just absorb the darkness and silence. Sometimes, he would see others and interact, their forms myriad and fleeting. This time, something was different. From far above, he could hear the long echo song of one of Laviku's children. He could sense its mass up in the lower ocean. Piqued, he moved his legs like a tail, undulating and pushing himself up from the womb of depth and up into the darker light.

Black to dark blue to deep blue passed before him as he glided up through the water, the forms of landmass coming into view, form coming from nothing until he found himself at what most believed to be the floor of the sea. A symphony of life came into view, the light of the faraway surface coming up like lights before an opening act. Shifting schools of colorful fish moved in concert against the silent percussion of great predators. He felt obliged to move with them, in their harmonious rhythm, his body following the melody of the great whale song Spinning like a slow corkscrew, his arm extended in the direction of the sound and the depth of the great beast, moving him toward it in acceleration.

When the majestic creature came into view, Pulren slowed his ascent to nothing, allowing his feet to touch the floor, small puffs of sand spinning up between his toes. His florescent eyes marveled at the grand scale of the whale, closing as the song moved through him. They opened again when he realized he was not alone. He did not consider the ocean life apart from him, but someone was. Another energy, another who was blessed by the Father, moved toward him. It had a woman's form and it swam toward him. His arms moved down to his side and he simply waited.

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