Chapter 1: The Ocean Brews
The ocean was unsettling as Gerard took his morning stroll, or rather; it was unsettled. As the gulls found new shells along the surf, an inordinate amount of sea creatures and kelp were scattered along the coast. The gulls were helpful, cleaning up the beach, but they weren't regularly so active, nor were they generally so well fed by the ocean.
It could be that Liliquad, master of the Cnidaria ocean, was upset, as the sea itself displayed unrest. Nine seas comprised Phormidal's water mass, and Nine High Royalty ruled them, under different gods and with different relationships to the land around them. Liliquad had been Queen of Cnidaria waters for the past several decades, descended from the original Coral Crown and God Nero. While she was prone to upset, it had been at least a few years since the sea had last acted in such a manner.
Fog blurred the horizon as a small wooden structure came into view. Gerard's shack was as run-down as ever. Settled along the coast of Bordine, a small town in the territory of Dricea, it was the closest thing to a home he'd ever had. Gerard had been in Bordine since they were a child. Their father had raised them within the town, sailing into Dricea's coast when Gerard was an infant and setting up a life for the two of them. The town was small enough that everyone felt like family, and the two of them were happy in their shack along the sea.
Gerard's father fell ill in the winter of their fifth year in Bordine. He passed away before spring came, leaving Gerard with little to their name but a murky pearl and a fishing rod. Gerard coveted these possessions, souvenirs of his life with his father, and did his best to survive. The town raised him as their own, and Gerard lived as well as he could for being orphaned at the tender age of five. The years were rough, but Gerard was determined to live a life his father would have been proud to see.
At 24 years old, Gerard had finally saved enough to feel comfortable setting out on his own. At least, he thought it was enough. Surviving as frugally as he could, Gerard had amassed money to move out of the small shack he once occupied with his father.
He had done so with perfect timing even, as just last week some adventurer's had mentioned that a ship would be coming by Bordine to restock supplies before setting out towards the capital of Dricea, Baramar. Gerard had made plans immediately to board that ship, discussing logistics in great detail with the local guildmaster, and come hell or high water Gerard would be leaving to set out on his own before another sunset would fall on Bordine's shore.
