Open Gathering in with the sunken treasures of the Seas

[M'Wanii]

Where was she? It was the first sensible thought the dream allowed her to think. This wasn't Syliras. No, it certainly was not. Much too warm for this time of year and she was under the water? Hmm. Opening her pupil less grey eyes, the Charoda took in her surroundings. The water below her gave way to a bright coral reef, fish of all species roamed there. Manta rays swam calmly by the busy cleaner shrimps and fast swimming schools of fish. Off in the corner of her vision a small octopus hid, making any unaware creature its lunch. Swimming down closer to the shallow reef, M’wanii thought again.What was she doing here again? Gliding through the water, the dream supplied an answer. Leading an expedition to search a sunken ship. Yes, that sounded correct. How could she have forgotten something so important? Oh dear what time was it. She was supposed to meet everyone at the old ruined castle closer to shore. The dark grey scarred amphibian suddenly swam off in a new direction into the currents, zipping towards land. Swimming harder and faster, a smile crossed her face. She hadn't been able to do this since the water had become too cold to swim in, forcing her to remain on land, sleeping in the local bathhouse overnight. The rush of the water, the tug and sway of the currents, M’wanii hadn't realised how much she had missed it. Below her, the reef disappeared into a deep chasm, M’wanii swam up sharply as she crossed it. She knew from previous experience not to get to close. The oceans were rarely friendly and had become even less so after the Djed storm. The darkness below her was frightening to say the least. Clearing the bottomless abyss she could sense the water getting shallower as she got near her destination. Steering around the coast of the land, jagged rocks shot spiraling currents through the water. Kicking hard M’wanii escaped their influence, finally able to see her goal. The castle, in its hay day, had stood proudly by the shore fighting off the waves year after year. Now it was nothing more than an underwater shell of the south east tower and lower wall surrounded by rubble. No banners flew or trumpets sounded as the amphibian neared the tower entering through what was once a window. Swimming through an algae covered marble arch and into the room beyond. M’wanii came to sit on the remnants of a table gazing out at visible water beyond the chamber’s missing wall. Her companions were not here yet but she suspected they would be here so enough. Lying back on the table, the scarred Charoda decided to relax and rest her eyes for a moment. Only a moment.

[Yulio Ules]

Yulio opened her eyes to find... she was not in he cottage. Above her was the surface of the water... but she hasn't fallen asleep in water. So how then was she now in water. Ave this water didn't feel right. It was different from the fresh river water of Riverfall. She opened get mouth to confirm her thoughts and tasted the salt. Yep, this was definitely ocean.

"How did I get here?" She asked herself, looking around curiously. There was the reef nearby and a strange structure she had never seen before. It looked like a bunch of rocks from a distance but now she looked closet it was more of a ffallingapart tower. She took a moment to get used to swimming in water again then began her swim toward it. Clearly the structure was closer than she had first thought cause suddenly she was Rohr there next to it. She swam around looking foran entry spot and found a window she could go through. So she did and began to explore. Until she spotted a Charoda she had never seen before reading on a table. Excited at c seeing one if her own kind she swam at high speeds right at get.

"HI THERE!" She called in Char, loving the sounds of her own voice. It just never sounded right on land.

[Phyolea]

Phyolea's sense of adventure kicked in. Before her was a structure she had never seen before. It was tall and somewhat cylindrical, made of stone. It looked similar to something she had seen attached to a building in Zeltiva, but there were no land dwellers in sight. That's right, she was still in water! She had no clue where she was, but she couldn't resist the urge to investigate this building.

Phyolea thought she saw something in the window up high. Was it a hytera? She approached cautiously and peered inside. There were two Charodae. One exclaimed "HI THERE!" in her own language. This excitement was contagious. It had been a long time since she heard the melodious tones of her mother tongue. "HI!" she exclaimed. She abandoned her careful post and swam inside.

[Aendea Isadol]

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"To be satisfied with little is the greatest wisdom."

The sea was always moving. Even within the crumbling confines of the castle ruin there was a gentle sway about the water. Lulling her with familiar comfort Aendea’s body instinctually responded to the movement, ensuring that her focus remained hovered over a debris littered corner of the room. She had arrived early at the meeting place barely able to contain herself; so enthused and excited about M’wanii’s idea to search a sunken ship! And of course, this female Charoda couldn’t just sit still and wait for others to show up. She quickly found her way through some of the rubble with the prospect of shiny discoveries already on her mind. Always ready for an adventure, when it came to the sea, Aendea’s heart was as giddy as a dolphin found skipping along the surface.

Furiously, a sandy cloud dirtied the water around Aendea as she pawed at the ground for something she had seen. Her webbed fingers becoming the perfect shovel, there was no delay in time before digits pinched the tiny object. It was a broken piece of pottery, perhaps from a pot or a dish or a mug. It was no bigger than her nose with once jagged edges turned dull and rounded from the many years of being dragged through the sand by the heaving sea. What made her gasp with delight was a simple groove on the shard that was once a part of the earthenware’s decorative design. It appeared to be a tiny leaf on a vine. And look!! There were more pieces scattered in the sand!

Aendea shuffled some more through the debris picking up a new piece here and there. There were now five shattered pieces in her hand no bigger than a thumb. Each had parts of the decorative design and she smiled as they seemed to fit together like a puzzle, revealing what seemed to be the edge of a plate that once had a leafy vine scrolling around the border.

“HI THERE!”

“HI!”

Aendea jumped with fright as the voices carried to her in the water, telling her that others were now near. They had surprised her! She closed her hand over the broken pottery pieces and quickly left the scene. Swimming back through the ruined wreckage of the ancient tower she entered the meeting room to find M’wanii and two other Charoda! “Hello!” She greeted as well. Their native language was very beautiful in the water. Without pausing Aendea swam up to M’wanii and gave her a piece of the pottery. “Look what I found!”

Taking a quick turn she also gave a piece to Yulio and Phyolea. There was a simple glee of excitement written all over Aendea as if she had found a chest full of what the whole of Mizahar would consider valuable treasures! These pieces were indeed worthless, but to a Charoda they were beautiful and worthy of admiration…especially to a Charoda like Aendea, who had a fanatic obsession for just about anything that did not belong or originate from the ocean.

[M'Wanii]

M’wanii visibly jumped at the sudden exclamation of Char next to her. She didn’t move beyond allowing a smirk to make its way across her features. Too long had it been since she heard her mother tongue from a mouth other than hers. The musical harmonious sounds of Charodae filled the water a second time and then a third. Only then did the scarred amphibian rise to sit on the table. A soft smile lined her face and joy burned in her soul. It was only now she had realised how lonely she had been in Syliras. Always hiding her appearance and avoiding other people. But now, now she was with her kin. Shaking her head she began identifying those present. Yulios, a tall slender young girl, light green in colour with multiple fins adoring her head and four tentacles as well. She was naïve and inexperienced but her enthusiasm had earned her a place in the expedition. The next up was Phyolea, a lighter grey than herself also with fins and tentacles, she was a stronger swimmer and extremely curious but was also young in age. Finally there was Aendea, right from the start M’wanii could spot her natural treasure hunting nature and keen inquisitive mind. Examining the piece of pottery she was handed the eldest Charoda present examined it. A delicately crafted leaf pattern on the edge of the plate had stood the test of time against the waves. This was the most precious treasure of all. Old and stronger, broken but still here. Such beauty could never have been found anywhere else but in the eye of a Charoda. Grinning she handed Aendea back the piece of pottery. “It’s a beautiful find.” Moving further along the table, M’wanii pulled out an old kelp map from the confines of her shirt. Laying it down on the table she was careful not to touch the octopus ink detail on the kelp, fearing it may smudge. Returning her attention to the others, she motioned them to join her in crowding around the map. Once all that were present where seated, the eldest began. “I have called you here today to go on a little treasure hunt with me. Here,” her scarred right hand hovered over the map point out the location. “lies the remains of many ships sunk nearly three year hence. The one we are interested in was a pirate ship that was said to be carrying many a nations worth of wealth, artefacts and treasures. The expedition is simple, swim in, explore, swim out again, hopefully that much richer. Everyone understand?”

[Yulio Ules]

Yulio was surprised when more Charoda showed up. She did a sort count, finding three others. She became heavily excited by the pottery find abd eagerly took the piece she was offered.

"Oooohhhh! So pretty. Could be shinier but still pretty. " She said, examining the lief pattern. She then looked ups at the heavily scarred Charoda abs went over to her when she was beckoned to. After hearing what was going on Yulio didn't want to point out she didn't remember getting an invitation or ask where she was. THE WAS TREASURE TO BE FOUND!

"Sounds simple enough. What we waiting for? LET'S GO!" Yulio yelled, doing a backflip in excitement.

[Phyolea]

Phyolea smiled. She felt as if she was back home in Charbosi. Life in Zeltiva had her on edge. Perhaps for the first time in seasons she felt relaxed. "I'll go, but I'm keeping what I find!" Many ships came to port in Zeltiva, but she never had free reign over their riches. "Let's go!" She swam closer to the group, forgetting to introduce herself.