My name is Matthew Loreman. Seawell, this is my town. I'm born here. It is situated by the side of the ocean. When you stand on the beach, you can see a pale trace in the see that follow the Peninsula. That stripe is the coral reef. A marvelous thing. My father once took me there, I,ve been able to swin among it. I was only six years old. It was marvelous. I keep a good memory of it, even if the things have turned bad at that day. I was swimming among the fish, looking at the coral when a strong current draged me in direction of the reaf. My small body couldn't fought it and I got crush on it. The coral cut my skin in many places. I was leaving a red trail of blood behind me. Small sharks got excited by the smell of blood. I could hardly breath and I thought it was my end. But at that moment, a creature appeared. At that moment, I was losing cousciouness, but I thought it was my end. But it was the opposite, that creature saved me. It was a dolphine. Twice the size of the sharks, none would have dared to attack the strong mammals. It took me and carry me back to teh boat, where my father was trying to push it toward me.
My father, Carl, told me I was looking bad, and I wasn't saved yet. The coral can be very poisonous and the cuts were deep. The strong current was pushing the boat toward the peninsula. That region is swampy and lizard folks are living there. In that time, the relation between the village and them was bad, but nothing compare to what we have seen recently. A little fight here and there, but rare was the death. Both found it was better to ignore each other. So my father wasn't that scared to land on the peninsula. He could run on the beach up to the village. But to his suprise, two lizardfolks was standing there. My father was scared and just couldn't move, as he didn't expect what would happen. Would they attack or would they let him go. To his surprise, they did either of them. One of them move toward my father and looked at my small body. My breath was already slow. I wouldn,t have survived the trip to the village. The lizardfolk took me gently and put me on the beach. My father was kind of paralyzed. The other lizardfolk dissapear in teh swamp to come back. They put some herb on the wounds. The took the vest of my father and did some bandage on my wounds. Then one cast a spell. The lizardfolk nod at my father and put an hand on his shoulder. At that moment, he knew I was out of danger. I spent the whole month in my bed, but my condition was only going better.
Our village have one thing that is our landmark. It is the ligthouse. It is my father who takes care of it. During all the night, he stays awake, making sure it always light the sea. During days, he mostly sleep, but once in a while, he awakes sooner or go to sleep later to spend some times with his kids. I like to climb the ligthouse and look at the sea, or at the peninsula. I see the ship that enter the harbor. It is my mother, Julia, who takes care of the family. Stephan, my older brother, and Carl both take care of the lighthouse. When they sleep, I am the man of the family. Many times a week, I go to the village, asking Beryon to repair some parts for the lighthouse, or asking Morina for some food and drinks. My father loves the wine and cheese she keep in her cellar. For my part, I was fascinated by the two elves who were working there. There family was the only elven family in town, and the girl was a magician. It is one thing that light the imagination of a kid like I was. She wasn't the only magician, but Allustar has never been really exciting with his books, and Zan was only an apprentice at that time. He didn't even left for the academy. I asked him once to show me some magic but told be he could do nothing yet but was working a spell that could lift a small object. Nothing very impressive.
But I kept to think about the lizardfolk who saved me during the night. When Garrik first arrived in town, he started to spoke about his will to explore the peninsula. I decided to sneak him and follow him and try to see if he couldn't help me to find the lizards. It has been easy for me to learn more about him, as Helena, my oldest sister, still younger than me, was finding Garrick pretty much attractive. She spoked some times to him, and I learn more about his expedition. One night, I followed him to the swamp. I tought he would be easy to follow, but I think he was trying to stay out of sight of the lizards. I got quickly lost. Itried to find my way back, but I end on the beach. It is there I found what I was seeking. A lizardfolk was standing there, feet in the sea. He was talking an unknown language, and he was talking to a dolphin. He turned around and told me to appraoch. I couldn't beleive that he was speaking to me. Nothing was looking dangerous, but I was scared. The beach was ligthed by the full moon and the lighthouse, it must be the shadows, the creepy look of the swamp and the sound of the wind in the trees.
The lizardfolk told me that he would not hurt me. He spoke to me that he was about to die. He always been fascinated by our kind. He explain me that my kind was not friendly with the nature and we should do something to help it. We have a tendancy to destroy it and forge it to our will instead tomerge with it and become one. His kind wasn't perfect, but he was trying to guide them. He then told me that he remembered me. He was the one who helped me when I was a kid, and on the edge of the death. He told me it was time to pay back my debt to him. He asked me to come back here every night, that he would teach me how one should act with the nature. I agreed and I start to come back on the beach every night. I had to sneak every night, but it took no time that my mother saw I disspeared during the night. The first time, she warned Citen and it woke all the village. They feared for my safety, as the trouble with the lizardfolk was raising. It was Symon who found me. he dragged me back to the lighthouse. When my mother learn that I was coming back from the peninsula, I got grounded. That was a bit ridiculous at my age, I was already 17. But I tried to sneak a few night later. My father catch me. I had no choice, if I wanted to pay my debt, I had to have someone who would cover me. Only my father could understand, as he was the only witness. I told him all. He hesitates but finally let me go, bt I saw that he didn't liked the idea.
Ziss, the lizardfolk, teach me the way of the nature. My father covered my trace. He told my mother that I was being formed to maintain the lighthouse and I was there to help him. I was more important as my borther, Stephan, had left to the capital. He was gone to see an uncle and would spend there a few months. He told Julia that it was the best way to keep an eye on me he told my mother. So during the day, I sleep and when the night fall, I lead my yougest brother and sisters to the town, as they love to hear's Amycoth stories. I come back to the lighthouse where I take our small boat up to the beach where Ziss wait for me. But last month, I had my last meeting with him. He told me that his time is ending. Now I had to finish my teaching alone. He asked me to help teach teh way of nature to my kind, so they start to live with the nature and not against it, and also, I should try to end the trouble that are appearing. He refused to talk about his tribes, as usual, so he didn't said what make his kind more aggressive, he only asked me to find a peacefull way to end it. He aslo noted that I should take a watch about some softskin that are looking at some ruins in his tribe's territory. They might be both a blessing or a curse to the region, but it is sure that if they sontinue there expeditions, they wouldn't get out unscratch of all this.
Thanx!
