The Waves Rise
Jôri looked out the main door of the Shadowed Tower, which was wide open for the first time since it was completed. The only word he could think of to describe what he saw out that door was "horror". He could see the flooding rising around the city. Wooden carts and stands floated on the ocean water as he looked at the rivers that once were streets. He could see hundreds of people treading water or swimming around, desperately trying to get to dry land. And the screams were unholy. He saw a few people get pulled into a building by the force of the current and yell out before being cut off. And he knew what he had to do. He ran back downstairs to where Keri was.
Structure
Exposition
A normal day in the year 3E 730. The streets of Sunport are busy with passing carts and people, business in the local fishing industry is booming. And Jôri Porâdh is on his way to the Shadowed Tower, where he is a Partaker in the Cult of the Whispered One.
He arrives, greets Scanë by the door to the dungeon. The two aren't on good speaking terms, as Scanë tends to jeer him for being too generous with his job. After that, Jôri goes down to do his usual rounds of feeding the prisoners.
He dotes a little too much on Keri, who half-heartedly smiles back. He exchanges a couple of words of kindness to her, but returns to his usual task.
Conflict
A great banging and screaming comes from upstairs as Jôri finishes his rounds. He immediately heads up the stairs to see what is happening, only to get caught by a small wave of salt water just as he reaches the top.
He looks outside to see the city in turmoil. The pleasant city streets are filled with screams, crying and general horribleness. A steadily growing level of saltwater tells him that it is a flood.
Rising Action
His first thoughts are to Keri and the other prisoners down in the dungeon. He slides down the stairs to find the various people down below already a couple of metres underwater and treading water in their cells. He immediately swims to collect the keys to the cells and swims over to Keri's cell first.
He unlocks the cell, opening it. Just at that moment, another huge swell of water puts the entire dungeon underwater. He immediately begins to drag Keri along with him as they swim towards the stairs. He spares half a thought to the other prisoners, but he knows he can't save them and save himself at the same time.
The two dwarves then clamber out of the dungeon. They find the lower level about half filled with water. They climb out of the lower level onto solid ground as more screams come from outside.
Climax
The pair come upstairs to find Scanë herding a couple of other cultists upstairs. The elf notices that Jôri spared Keri and yells at him for going against the rules of the Cult. Jôri refuses to back down, but then Scanë lashes out with his spear.
The two have a short combat, where Jôri is wounded badly by Scanë's spear. Scanë is so focused on correcting Jôri's "wrong" that he doesn't notice that Keri is missing. By the time he gets to the point of holding Jôri underwater, he loses sight of her as she sneaks behind him and knocks him out with a heavy book from a ruined bookshelf. He slumps to the ground and Jôri and Keri climb out of the room.
Falling Action
The two thread through several layers of the tower. They come across cultists in various states of denial or anger, but none of them seem to notice Keri as she is led through the place by Jôri. The two eventually reach the top of the tower. They look out over the flooded city, unable to comprehend how they are going to get out of this scenario. But they know they'll do it together.
Relations
Protagonists
Jôri Porâdh is young for a weddelar, only being 58 years old. His beard is kept short, almost non-existent. He wears simple clothes today, because he doesn't like the fancy finery he usually wears. He's a recent recruit to the Cult of the Whispered One, so he has not been gifted very many boons from the Secretive One. He has fallen in love with Keri and would do anything for her.
Keri Zamash has been locked in the cells underneath the Tower, as she got too inquisitive to be allowed to wander the city freely. Her middle-class tunic and trousers have been soiled and ruined due to the length of her imprisonment. She is a weddelar of above-average height and beardless. While she entertains the notion of Jôri's love for her, she's too focused on survival to consider it deeply.
Adversaries
Scanë Foworsia is an older zëganilar with long red hair. He is an enforcer in the Cult of the Whispered One and has several minor magical powers coming from the Secretive One. He isn't particularly evil, but the power that he now has, has begun to cloud his judgement of what is right and wrong. His goal is to survive, the same as anyone's, but he still holds to the rules of the Cult.
Location
Sunport: a city of great naval might, it is utterly useless against the rising waves. It has three Districts: the central Sun District where the city government is, the Moon District where the Shadowed Tower stands, and the Star District where the vast majority of people live. The Shadowed Tower: the mage tower controlled by the Cult of the Whispered One. It is built of regular marble and seems very innocuous at first glance. Most people don't know what goes on inside, and the Cult is determined to keep it that way.Historical Background
The Drowned Years was an eight-year long period of great flooding across Orkanis. The sea levels rose some 100 feet in one afternoon and did not permanently abate until the end of that period. Many coastal cities suffered great destruction, and inland areas soon found themselves flooded with refugees. Even now, 374 years later, some previously-occupied buildings of Orkanis's cities are still just underneath the low tide line. The Cult of the Whispered One was very new to Sunport; their construction of the Shadowed Tower had only just completed when the Drowned Years began. The destruction of the Tower happened after the floodwaters settled down and the Lorian government passed a law allowing it to inspect any mage tower for illegal activity. The Cult, obviously, was discovered to be worshippers of an illegal god (Valkar, the Secretive One) and banned.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments