“Within this realm, dark arts are wielded by none other than Mäüdräh. She was widely known as a banshee who dwelled within all the woodlands. An uncontested rumor labeled her as an oracle who possessed great powers. Many travelers sought her out to find favor, fortune, and even attain realm dominance. Unbeknownst to each, she had a gift that seemingly would grant their wildest dreams but was also laced with a cruel curse. Mäüdräh restlessly took pleasure in her craft. Unfortunately, her curses were so harmful that she nearly destroyed a portion of the realm. The Ultimate Creator, Chrëst, mercifully had to step in to prevent further ruin. This enact was the 1st Season of Judgement, in which she was cast deep into the sea and placed into a slumber as punishment. Since Chrëst vowed never to completely interfere with the actions of creatures within the realm, her inactivity is not absolute.”

A single tear slid down Captain Mi’yämë’s eye.

“Aye, no living soul could know this better than Trëgӧürnë and myself.” He paused to look at the dumbfounded group. “Alëxios, there are secrets I never made mentioned to you before. I did not know the value or gravity of the situation. Exactly one eon before we whisked you away to the high seas, my crew and I were an eager lot. All 275 of us were castaways from different parts of the realm. Each of us had our own tragic stories, which is what brought us together. We were raring to make a name for ourselves. We wanted to be feared just as much as we were loathed. Then, it was me who had the bright notion of looking for the banshee. We searched every high and low space within the realm until one day, we dove undersea. It was there that we pleaded with Mäüdräh to grant us the most invincible ship the realm had ever seen. A day later, we came upon this beauty. It was bountiful with space, and the best part is that it was invisible to the naked eye. Only a crew member could fetch it out of nowhere.” He violently banged his forehead against Alëxios’s head. “Then, we stumbled across you when we raided the Faerie kingdom. Your story was the most tragic of us all, but the fact that you were the descendant of a War-God made you the most priceless treasure we could ever unbury. Through the years of raids, we lost crew members on the regular. No one took note until our numbers dwindled to the point that we worried if we would be able to continue to find the ship.”

Captain Mi’yämë’s voice began to tremble, “After you demanded to be returned to Phëläniciä, everything fell apart. We realized we had been cursed when we tried to leave the ship and return to our homelands. No matter where we laid our heads at night, we always awoke back here on the ship. The worst of it is, Trëgӧürnë and I are all that remain from the original crew. The souls of all who perished before us are trapped here for eternity.”

~Ch. 21, The Realm Beyond the Stars and Sea~