lover-o-ships

The ink in the pen you use comes from the days we hunted this great silver squid to near extinction. In the spring, the males would rise to the surface of the water and paint patterns to attract a mate. You could spot them from a mile away.

The males are all gone, now. To the surviving females, a ship looks no different than a lover. Longing fills those lonely hearts of theirs, and they rise to embrace it as they did their lovers in long-gone days, lashing it with a dozen tentacles. They are desperate enough to still cling tightly, even if their “lover” wounds them.

debtor

The Debtors know the truth of things: one day, all things must drown. They have tried to face this truth themselves and failed. So they tame their cowardice with chains.

A heap of d4-1 chains is wrapped over and over around their neck. The more chains they wear, the more times they have failed, the wiser they grow in the way of debts. After each attempt to drown, a new chain is wrapped around their shoulders, until they are stooped low, in a constant pose of begging forgiveness.

Each failed attempt must be paid before one can try again. The sea demands her price: others must drown in your sorry place. But you need not feel too much sorrow for them. In time, all will be dragged down by the weight of the chain.

otters

Too curious and too clever to be harmless. Good luck to those who try to stop them while they play.