Originally posted April 16, 2019 by UO Dev Team on the UO Herald:
As the story of Rising Tide continues and we invite you to sit back and enjoy, Sea of Tears.
Sea of Tears
By EM Malachi
In the large iron-girded aquarium, the nixie in chains sang to herself. The song started as a wordless child’s melody of warm seas, full of wonder and beauty. It became a dirge as the song spoke of her capture and years of captivity. The final verse rose into a defiant ballad of escape. Her voice channeled the magic around her, fighting the manacles holding her. The iron resisted, glowing red and burning against the bracelets of scars around her wrists.
When she could bear the pain no more, she fell silent, the spell song breaking in a shower of sparks. Across the room, there came a mocking applause. Noxum turned her head toward the pirate lord with a small wooden chest under his arm. She looked away. “You have returned. You didn’t die.”
“You shouldn’t sound so hopeful.”
“I’m always hopeful.”
“Sea elf, hope has no place here, nor do any more escape attempts.”
Noxum held up the cooling manacles. “This cannot be suffered forever. Even death would be preferable to this existence.”
Hook scowled. “I have never harmed a scale on you.”
“Only because you see me as part of your collection, something to be owned. But I have witnessed your cruelty to others. I will never forget what you are, nor be a willing part of it.”
Hook shrugged, as he put down the chest. “Your approval is not required.” He removed the Rune of Valor from a bed of cotton and held it up to the lantern. A cut on his hand left blood on the etching of a sword on the Rune’s surface.
Something about the Rune made Noxum remember an old ballad about a nixie who saved her kin from a shark. “What is that rune to you? Something else for your treasure pile? Something to ransom with?”
Hook laughed. “On no. This is a weapon.”
*****
Hook watched as Rankin placed various objects in the circle around the rune. “Are the human bones really necessary? I thought they were the props of dramatic little pretenders.”
Rankin adjusted a femur. “Normally, you would be correct. Skeletons aren’t actually required for necromancy, but there was one Pagan school I wasn’t able to learn because it’s in the blood and marrow of a person.”
“How did you come by these? I can’t image the owner gave them up willingly.”
“When the Tempest died resisting capture, her body made its way to a friendly gravedigger. I have been saving her final blood magic for a special occasion.”
Rankin placed a final grinning relic at the North position. “Oh, Mordea. You had such beautiful blood. A pity the Royal Guard spilled so much of it.”
Hook tapped his foot impatiently. “So an old friend’s bones will give us the shrine?”
“As I explained, this is only the first spell of many. Still, I believe you will appreciate the effect. Now I need to begin chanting, so no more glib comments.”
*****
With a storm to the north and shallows to the south, escape was impossible. The Royal Navy had chased the Crown Jewel and its pirate fleet from the Cape of Heroes to just off Valor Island. With more ships and cannons, the fleet admiral was confident they would crush the pirate scourge in a single confrontation.
A small pirate ship had already fallen to the naval cannons. Assuming that the pirate leader was trying make a break for open ocean, the admiral had ordered full sail. He was surprised when the pirate crews lowered sail.
There was a sudden pressure change, and the waters churned around Valor Island. The storm at the fleet’s back surged south, growing in both intensity and fury. The wind and water smashed against the naval fleet. The sailors hurried to lower the sails, all fully unfurled for the chase, but half the armada lost masts in the first few minutes. Crews who managed to lower their sails were helpless as their ships ran aground off the coast and were raked by heavy cannon fire.
While a few ships managed to skirt the storm and retreat, Britannia had lost half its southern fleet. Watching the destruction from the Crown Jewel, Rankin laughed. “Those fools in Moonglow will respect me now.”
Sea of Tears
News from the UO Herald (Patch Notes, announcements, and FoF) Please discuss these posts in General Chat or 'The Ranter's Soapbox' as appropriate.
- UO Herald
- Profile
- Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 9:40 pm
- UO Shard: Origin
- Character Age: 0
Jump to
- Global UO News
- UO Roleplaying Community
- ↳ UORPC.NET
- ↳ Roleplaying 101
- ↳ General Chat
- ↳ The Ranter's Soapbox
- ↳ Staff Forums
- ↳ Post Prison
- Shard Forums
- ↳ Great Lakes
- ↳ In-Character Boards
- ↳ Great Lakes Tribune
- ↳ Bard's Corner
- ↳ Biographies
- ↳ Tavern Talk
- ↳ Great Lakes Government
- ↳ Kingdom of Britannia
- ↳ Governors' Royal Council
- ↳ OOC Governor Communications
- ↳ Misc. EM Events & Updates
- ↳ Royal Spies
- ↳ Royal Britannian Guard
- ↳ OOC EM Discussions
- ↳ High Council Open Forum
- ↳ OOC High Council Discussion
- ↳ Archived High Council Transcripts
- ↳ High Court Open Forum
- ↳ OOC High Court Discussion
- ↳ Britannian Armed Forces
- ↳ OOC B.A.F. Discussion
- ↳ Cities of the Realm
- ↳ Britain, City of Compassion
- ↳ OOC Britain Discussion
- ↳ Buccaneer's Den
- ↳ OOC Buccaneer's Den Discussion
- ↳ Cove, Bastion of Love
- ↳ OOC Cove Discussion
- ↳ Jhelom, City of Valor
- ↳ OOC Jhelom Discussion
- ↳ Minoc, City of Sacrifice
- ↳ OOC Minoc Discussion
- ↳ Moonglow, City of Honesty
- ↳ OOC Moonglow Discussion
- ↳ Nameless Rune
- ↳ OOC Nameless Rune Discussion
- ↳ Newcastle Township
- ↳ OOC Newcastle Discussion
- ↳ New Magincia, City of Humility
- ↳ OOC New Magincia Discussion
- ↳ Pax Dragotha & Dracona
- ↳ OOC Pax Dragotha Discussion
- ↳ Skara Brae, City of Spirituality
- ↳ OOC Skara Brae Discussion
- ↳ Whispering Winds
- ↳ OOC Whispering Winds Discussion
- ↳ Serpent's Hold, Bastion of Courage
- ↳ OOC Serpent's Hold Discussion
- ↳ Trinsic, City of Honor
- ↳ OOC Trinsic Discussion
- ↳ Vesper, City of Merchants
- ↳ OOC Vesper Discussion
- ↳ Yew, City of Justice
- ↳ OOC Yew Discussion
- ↳ Virtue vs Vice
- ↳ True Britannians
- ↳ Foreign Cities
- ↳ Luna
- ↳ OOC Luna Discussion
- ↳ Nujel'm
- ↳ The Royal City
- ↳ OOC Royal City Discussion
- ↳ Umbra
- ↳ OOC Umbra Discussion
- ↳ Zento
- ↳ OOC Zento Discussion
- ↳ Great Lakes Guilds
- ↳ Crusaders of Virtue
- ↳ Dragons of Honor
- ↳ House Of Tussaud
- ↳ OOC HOT Discussion
- ↳ Tussaud Crypt
- ↳ Legacy of the Fallen
- ↳ OOC LotF Discussion
- ↳ Legion of the Silver Serpent
- ↳ Library of Sosaria Complex
- ↳ Library of Sosaria
- ↳ Nameless Rune Library
- ↳ Literary Contest Judging
- ↳ Royal Knights of Redemption
- ↳ Royal Knights of Redemption Grand Hall
- ↳ Squires of Redemption
- ↳ Officer's Wardroom
- ↳ OOC RKR Discussion
- ↳ Temple of Mondain
- ↳ Temple Sanctum
- ↳ OOC ToM Discission
- ↳ Tradesman's Guild
- ↳ OOC T|G & TG|R Discussion
- ↳ Yew Militia
- ↳ YM War Room
- ↳ OOC YM Discussion
- ↳ Qu'ellar d'Viaxus
- ↳ OOC Qu'ellar d'Viaxus Discussions
- ↳ Out-Of-Character Boards
- ↳ General GL Chat
- ↳ Roleplay Springboard
- ↳ Stratics' Great Lakes Forum
- ↳ Sonoma
- ↳ In-Character Boards
- ↳ Sonoma Newspaper
- ↳ Bard's Corner
- ↳ Biographies
- ↳ Tavern Talk
- ↳ Sonoma Guilds
- ↳ Does Your Guild Need A Forum?
- ↳ Out-Of-Character Boards
- ↳ General Sonoma Chat
- ↳ Stratics' Sonoma Forum
- ↳ Does Your Shard Need Forums?
- Shard Trade Forums
- ↳ Great Lakes Trading
- ↳ Majestic Oaks Auction (Great Lakes)
- ↳ MOA Website
- ↳ Staff Forum