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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shayuri" data-source="post: 5578425" data-attributes="member: 4936">Though she'd seen its sails earlier, it wasn't until Arcata found a high cliff overlooking the sea that she got a good look at the ship as it dwindles rapidly away from the shore. By her reckoning, it had never gotten all that close to begin with, and its lines and banner were strange to her. A foreign ship? Pirates, maybe? This shore was far from any city...maybe they'd lain anchor here and now sped back to terrorize...She sighed and murmured, "Arcata, you're doing it again." With an annoyed thump of her staff next to her foot, she turned and started down the escarpment. Soon she'd come to the place where the river poured out into the sea. Then, by the directions she had, she'd be near to the Trading Post.But before she got that far, she'd have to deal with the tree by the boat.The sight brought her to a confused halt. There was a rowboat washed up onto the beach down a ways from the high point she'd climbed down from. Next to it, in the sand no less, was a tree. Not a particularly large one, as such things went. A roughly man-sized trunk, with spreading branches that crowned it in green and brown.Of more concern than the tree though was the boat. Ruffians from the ship, sent ashore to pillage and steal, no doubt. Arcata quickly put her back to the tree and looked around warily...wishing not for the first time that she looked more intimidating. No beautiful and terrible sorceress was she, with flashing eyes and lips curling in disdain as magical wards flickered and flared around her. No, she was pretty, with golden hair and clear blue eyes, with just a little spatter of freckles over her cheeks and nose. Clad in a midnight-shaded cloak and fine clothes of royal blue and cyan, with a staff of yew in her hand...she looked like easy prey for any bandit or ne'er do well. Fortunately, she hadn't left the Academy of High Art a helpless stripling. Unfortunately, she'd had to demonstrate that power more frequently than she liked. It only took one run of bad luck, after all."Is anyone there?" Arcata asked, still looking around with her back to the tree. She hoped her voice was calm and commanding, but she didn't feel that way. "Come out!"</blockquote>

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