Parasite
The Swan Fort
77 Spring
The Beauty arrives at the Swan fort to find it abandoned and ruined. Astarael stays behind on the ship to watch over Talith, all others except the crew go onshore via two dinghies to investigate. They find signs of fighting and death, but no bodies. There is some evidence that maybe people fled into the mountains nearby, as well as maps with one location circled several times. Sylas realizes that the water coming from the mountains is tainted somehow.
As it’s getting dark, the group returns to the ship, but en route, they hear fighting break out onboard. Suddenly, a river serpent appears before them…and it’s corrupted.
Meanwhile, Astarael is sitting with the unconscious Talith on the bunk deck. She hears a noise, and turns to see a Swan soldier with a clear hole in his head. He’s dead, yet approaching, seemingly ready to attack.
Ethan's Campfire Synopsis
The Beauty quietly drifted through the mist as it approached the waters just outside the Painted Swan fort. Only the steady, gentle rap of waves against the bow and the flutter of sails punctuated the cool, crisp air as the ship sailed through the lazy clouds that settled across the river.
The first signs of trouble were not caught by the eyes of the watchman in the crows nest (Warbler was likely on watch again), but instead came from the gentle thud of debris as it gently rebounded off the bow and scraped and knocked against the sides of the boat. The sporadic thuds increased as the crew made their way onto the deck until the knocks were almost as frequent as the waves themselves.
The waters surrounding the fort were choked with driftwood, small islands of evidence attesting to the decimation of several ships. The crew observed the fort in the distance, also damaged; the destruction perfectly reminiscent of Safe Harbor but on a grander scale. But unlike Safe Harbor, the stillness in the air and unnervingly empty, lifeless waters heightened the sense that the dangers of this catastrophe may still be present.
The captain had to make a decision – bring The Beauty into port or paddle the ship’s dinghies ashore. The captain chose the paddleboats. The Beauty dropped anchor and the captain, her first mate and their strange passengers embarked to investigate the remains of the fort. Only Astarael and the ship’s permanent crew stayed behind, each looking after their charges – Talith and the Beauty, respectively.
On the shore, the group found evidence of two attacks separated by a period of days or more. The first appeared to be the catastrophe, likely caused by the majestic monster Athelia brokered a deal with. The second appeared to be smaller and, in its own way, more terrifying. Evidence of men barricading themselves into shelters – the barricades destroyed, the men - soldiers - ripped open. Yet their bodies were missing. Evidence of death was everywhere but not a single corpse could be found. In fact, everything that could decompose was missing. All that remained was steel, wood or stone… and the gray, sickly water that trickled down from the mountains, poisoning the earth, polluting the river and frightening even the plants themselves, who’s very roots shrank from the unknown venom.
After an exhaustive search, the crew gathered what supplies they could – hay for Vengeance, documentation from the Swan’s headquarters and little else – loaded up their paddle boats and began making their way back towards The Beauty. As they approached, the unmistakable sounds of fighting erupted from the deck and the even more unmistakable Snek monster sprang from beneath the waters.
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