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Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 1012536" data-attributes="member: 9255">UNDER A DARKSUNSEGMENT 096“The Silt Skimmer Haze Runner”Captain Hazeburton has not been home in over a month now.  Several times a year he and his crew would take the Silt Skimmer Haze Runner and travel to several small islands in the Sea of Silt.  On these islands were spices that could not be gotten anywhere else.  He would collect t5he spices and dry them on the way to Balic to the south.  After trading them for much needed supplies, he would return to home.  Home was Samarah.The weathered old looking captain looked at the shoreline with great anticipation.  He wanted to get home in the worst way.  Something had happened to him and his crew on this trip that had not happened ever before.  There were ruins on the one island of which they avoided.  It was believed that these ruins contained evil spirits. Policy always was to avoid these ruins.  This time a storm came in while the crew was on the island.  Something happened during the storm.  Something he could not explain and tried not to think about. However, this did not matter.  He could not see the Cha’thrang hump.  He was nearly home.  Mania and Cosa continued to talk to the Samarahians.  Dessantee walked off by himself and was left alone but never without someone watching him.  Mania and Cosa spoke about the land, town and anything they felt would allow them to warm up to the people.  They avoided the subjects of Bodach and Dessantee.  However, these were never far from their minds.Mania was on the subject of the accursed Sand Wyverns.  These creatures had naturally created gems of some worth within their tails.  If he had known this, he may have collected some for barter.  The men seemed impressed that they defeated a few but not surprised that they were overwhelmed and lost a friend to them.  With the exception of Giants, the Wyverns were the town’s greatest fear.  Sometimes they would try to hunt out their nests to kill unhatched young but the trip was long and dangerous.  The creature’s numbers were high enough now that they didn’t dare to approach them any further.  Mania noted in his mind the area they lived.  Fear rose in Cosa’s mind when she learned they would be traveling into their territory to reach Bodach. Korla and several other children ran into the village from the south.  “The Haze Runner is coming!  The Haze Runner is coming!”   Everyone stopped what they were doing and with great looks of joy moved quickly to the Silt shore.  Several women went to their homes first.  Their husbands were coming home.Caught up in the emotion and activity, Mania and Cosa followed the town within there midst.  Rocks hid the town so that it could not be seen from the shore.  By walking about 1000ft, the townspeople cleared these rocks and now could see the shoreline.  The silt was airborne here and burned Mania and Cosa’s eyes.  Looking out at the gray dust was a strange device.  The device was coming towards them.The Haze Runner was a silt skimmer.  Silt Skimmer were large wagons held up on large wheels.  This allowed them to cut through the deep silt.  A large sail was built onto the craft’s deck that gave it motion.  This was a small skimmer.  The war craft of Balic were three mast crafts of utter destruction.  They had to be.  Giants constantly attacked the city from the islands.  Travel in the silt was dangerous at best.  It was not enough to just operate the craft.  No.  The fine dust could not support the craft.  It would sink without the wheels to keep it on the surface. The wheels would only give a certain amount of clearance.  Anywhere from five feet to thirty were designed.  There were paths within the silt sea that were either naturally shallow areas or the silt had been packed down hard by Giants so as to support the wheels.  The captains had to be experts on these paths.To make matters worse.  These paths were guarded secrets.  Giants used them also and did not like to share.  They were known to attack craft on their paths.  There were few, but there existed pirates whom attacked other craft within the silt.  Then there were the other dangers of the silt.  Many creatures found a means to survive in the silt.  Silt Horrors of many varieties existed along with snakes and serpents.  It was a dangerous job.  But it paid well for those that could.  Paid well enough to keep Samarah supplied and free.The craft neared the shore but stopped about fifteen feet from shore.  Its wheels would sink in the newer silt and sand if it came closer.  Mania helped the men push a long wheeled series of planks to the craft.  The men came off with their own bags of personal goods and share of the bounty.  The women had since rejoined the crowd and ran to their husbands in fresh clothes and in some cases perfumes of fruit and flowers.Cosa held Mania’s hand and arm smiling as she watched this.  This is how she felt everyday with him.  Mania himself smiled and looked down at her then watched the lone figure standing on the front of the craft.  He was the captain.  He looked haunted…not happy like the rest of the men.  Why?</blockquote>

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