From: bdavis@cray.com (Brent G Davis)
Subject: Seawatch, The Climax
Organization: Cray Research Inc., Chippewa Falls, WI
Date: 8 Nov 92 07:12:35 CST

   As the Wyeriun picked up a shard of the shattered mirror, a worried look   
came over his face.  "That shouldn't have happened!"  In one swift motion, 
he rose up and rushed into the next room, knocking over a large vase and 
potted house plant in the process.  "Link with Leviathan, this is 
The Wyeriun."  The Telemirror instantly showed the bearded face of a 
Marestasi in the Tower of Leviathan.

   "Wyeriun, the magical disturbance returned just after we last spoke.  
We did however catch a brief trace of a low-level spell within the area.  
Your message spell must have worked.  The two nearest ships have been sent 
there.  Do you have further instructions for us?"  The Marestasi looked 
expectantly at the Wyeriun.  

   "Those men are being circled by sharks.  Tell those ships to hurry!  I'm
on my way to see this disturbance on the Chart for myself.  Close link."  
The Wyeriun turned quickly and headed towards the front door, nearly 
knocking down Lifilis Kloote who had been monitoring the conversation 
over his shoulder.

   "You're welcome to come along," the Wyeriun offered, as he reached into a
small closet and pulled out a sturdy oaken staff, and a traveling cape.

   "I would much like to see this fabled Chart of Seawatch," Kloote replied.
The decision between remaining here with the Wyeriun's overly talkative 
wife, and seeing the Tower was quite easy to make.
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   'How did the Wyeriun speak to me?' thought Ezrin.  'Had the stranger  
heard the voice too?'  Somewhere in the distance there was a sound like
glass breaking.  'Have I imagined it?'  *Maybe I'm losing my mind!*
                                     
   "Funexf!," the stranger shouted.  "Big fish."  
   
   Clearly, something bad was happening.  Had the sharks finally come 
to attack?  Something large passed beside Ezrin, creating a noticeable wake.  
*You're going to die!*  Tingles and shivers surged through Ezrin's body in
fear of the attack, fear of being eaten alive.

   Unable to even see his attacker, Ezrin had no chance of avoiding the
sharp teeth that sank into his leg.  Pain shot up his chilled, numbed body,
causing him to shriek out in agony.  The shark kept tugging and biting, 
making Ezrin's limp frame bob up and down in the sea.
                        
   "V ungr lbh onfgneqf!"  Kalendraf shouted defiantly, perhaps in anger,
or maybe out of sheer terror.  "V'yy onavfu lbh yvxr V onavfurq lbhe tbq!"
  
   Finally, the shark had let go, but there was no feeling left in Ezrin's 
leg.  His mind was turning fuzzy.  *You're losing blood; your leg is gone!*
He began to lose consciousness, knowing that this was death.

   Then, a horn blast pierced the air.  It was a sound Ezrin vaguely
remembered hearing before, just before he found the stranger in the water,
but it had sounded slightly different under water.  'He must have been
carrying a horn all along.'  With his last breath, he cried out, "Kalendraf!"
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   "Ahead to starboard!," the crowman shouted.  "Many sharks, circling!"

   "Full sail.  Ease the rudder."  Captain Sulner nervously thumbed the  
rings on his left hand.  His bronzed face was locked toward the sea, waiting
to see whether this rescue attempt would be successful.  "That's got to 
be them."  

   The first mate headed into the steering house and proceeded to pull the
cord beneath the Telemirror.  "Link with Leviathan Tower.  This ere's Aylerus 
o' the Capricorn."  After a few seconds the mirror cleared.  "We spotted 
some sharks circlin' a few miles east o' our position, and we're on our
way there."

   "Proceed with all speed Capricorn.  I'll alert the Hydra, and send 
her there as well.  Close link."

   Suddenly, a loud horn sounded, reverberating through the ship.  Aylerus
turned and hurried back onto the deck.  "Wha' the devil was that!"   Then he 
looked up and joined the whole crew's dumbfounded stare toward the water.  

   A rainbow of lights was spiraling up and out of the sea into the heavens.  
As it slowly turned like a screw, it drifted upward into the sky, until
eventually it was lost in the sunlight.  A strong wave crashing into the
bow turned the crew's attention back to steering the ship.  

   "The sea's brewin' just like she was earlier," noted Aylerus.
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   Kalendraf swam to Ezrin's lifeless body.  "Jul!?  Jul zhfg rirelbar
V xabj qvr!?"  As Kalendraf cradled Ezrin's head, he felt a twitch.  He was
still alive!  But, he was as good as dead.  His leg was severed just below
the knee, and he was bleeding profusely.  Kalendraf untied the cord that had
kept the conch horn tied to his own wrist, and used it for a makeshift
tourniquet.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   "We've got them, and they're both alive.  Ezrin's suffered a serious
shark attack, and has lost one of his legs, but we've stopped the bleeding
and he should live.  The other man, he's...um...well, he's not from around
here, that's for sure.  He can say a few words, that he must have learned
from Ezrin, but for the most part he babbles in some foreign tongue.  He also
has a conch horn."  Captain Sulner finished his summary to The Wyeriun with
a wink.

   "Very good captain.  I would suggest keeping a close watch on the 
stranger.  There's no telling what other tricks he has in store.  As for 
this horn, I would advise you to lock it in the ship's safe until you 
reach port.  When you arrive, bring both men to the Tower of Kraken.
Close link."

   The Wyeriun turned away from the Telemirror and strode back into the
Hall of Nautica.  Lifilis Kloote looked up from the Chart of Seawatch as
he entered.  "So how are they?," Kloote asked.

   "They're both safe, although a shark took one of Ezrin's legs.  As for  
what exactly happened out there, we'll have to wait and question this
stranger.  He should be able to give us plenty of information."  The Wyeriun
paused briefly.  "I'm famished.  Would you care to join me for dinner.  My
wife's an excellent cook."

   "No, I'm afraid I really must be leaving now.  Perhaps another time."
Kloote's little white lie went undetected, and he headed out of the tower.
'Besides', he thought to himself, 'if she's such a great cook, why is the
Wyeriun so lanky?'
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ADMIN:  This ends the Seawatch thread.  There are several unanswered
questions concerning the stranger, Kalendraf, which will provide a back-
ground for my next thread (starting sometime in the next few weeks).
If you haven't guessed by now, Kalendraf is my new character.  Thank you for  
your patience - it's been over a month since my last post.  Several recent 
major events in my job and personal life (yes, I have one of those) have 
demanded nearly all of my time.  When this all settles down, I hope to
begin posting more frequently.  

P.S. If you want to cast your own spell of Comprehend Languages to 
understand what Kalendraf is saying, just try that nifty rotl13 command.

-- 
 /  bdavis@romulus.cray.com     Cray Research Inc.    Chippewa Falls, WI  \
(  Just another Engineer/Musician/AD&D'er multiclass with Internet access  )
 \ "I`m a zombie in the a.m., when it's just too early to wake the dead." /