Words used: beach, bottle, captain, crab, eclipse, hurricane, island, mermaid, pirate, sand, star, treasure
598 words total.


I've been around for a long time. I don't remember how long, exactly, but I do remember what I was first manufactured for: to contain an effervescent prismatic philter. It was an important first job, for a little glass phial like me. Once someone used up that dose of potion, emptying me, I was passed around by more witches, brewers, and customers than I can count. At this point, I've been filled with every type of philter from every corner of Sylestia. I thought I had seen everything. However, I experienced something new recently. I was vacant, and I ended up in the hands of Aleisa McRoney, a barracks captain. She picked me up at the market for just a bit of change. With her gruff temperament, I expected to be filled with poison, or perhaps she would shatter me if I displeased her. Much to my surprise, she dropped in a rolled up piece of paper, tied neatly with red string.

I guess this whole ordeal is generally referred to as a message in a bottle, but you can see why I would rather look at it as a bottle with a message situation. Anyways, she took me and my message down to the beach and hurled us into the ocean. That's where I've been floating for a while now, and I have learned a lot about life at sea.

First of all, it's pretty boring out here. Nothing but blue above and darker blue below. On occasion, I'll catch a flash of a fish's scales in the deep. I like to fancy it's a rare Kelpari or maybe a mermaid, just to keep things interesting.

Of course, with the currents and all, I'm not always out in the middle of nowhere. I love it when I make it to shallower water. Once, I drifted close enough to the main island that I believe I could see the walls of Esior's Haven over the rolling hills past the beach. It was a lovely view. I watched a lone crab dance across the strip of sand lining the water before I was drawn back out by the tide.

One thing nobody thinks to tell you about floating in the ocean is that it's blinding on cloudless days. I've often worried the brightness might cause my message to fade, but I get lucky when floating seaweed or other debris will drift over me and eclipse my view of the sun. As bright as it is during the day, though, the darkness of night is even more encompassing, only broken by the constellations. There's one particular star I pretend might look like that crustacean I nearly met on that beach. I'll admit it gets lonely out here, but in my defense, it's a little bit red in color.

When I get lonely and there aren't any stars or clouds or fish to look at, I entertain myself with the little paper rolled up behind my glass. I wonder if it's a letter addressed to anyone in particular. I like to imagine it is, and a massive hurricane will pick me up and deposit me right in front of their home. Or maybe it's a treasure map; I could lead someone to jewels, to precious metal, to real pirate gold! McRoney didn't truly seem mean enough to have pirate connections, but you never know, right?

This is all just speculation, though. Isn't it strange how even after all this time, I have no idea what the message I hold could possibly say. I hope whoever finds me reads it out loud!

A Pirates Summer Shanty
Sung to the beat of the Wellerman Sea Shanty

There once was a Pirate ship in sight,
With a Parrot bold and bright,
Through Beach and Sand where the waves crashed down,
We left Esior by Star lit night.
The ocean gleamed, the Conch shell blew,
We raised our cups, we're a rowdy crew.
Our wild adventure has begun,
It's a tale of Treasure and Rum.

We met a Siren soft and sweet,
Near an Island calm and fair,
But a Kraken stirred beneath our feet,
With tentacles everywhere!
The Pirates laughed wild and free,
Yo-ho-ho, sang the Aeridini,
Adrift on waves that we cant trust,
Tis a Shipwreck life for us.

Then Hurricane winds began to roar,
But still we kept our cheer,
With Esior's light to guide us ashore,
Our Ship found harbor near.
So raise your glass and sing once more,
for summer shanties on the shore!
Yo-ho-ho sang the Aeridini,
Pirates love a summer shanty!
We made it ashore, barely alive
But our spirits were ready to thrive
To the nearest tavern we will go,
To spread our tale of adventure and woe.

My guy absolutely loved me singing this over and over to get it to fit the tune correctly. I honestly found it extremely fun, which is a first for me and writing anything lol!

Words used (in order of first appearance): treasure, beach, island, typhoon, siren, kraken, shipwreck, sand, conch, bottle, heat stroke, crab

Well howdy there! The name's Zachariah. I work with the Sylestian Conservation Order, which takes me all around the lands of Sylestia for most of the year - but every Summer Festival, I oversee treasure seeking on Sylesti Beach on behalf of the Order.

Why does this beach have so much treasure, you ask? The islands in the waters surrounding Sylesti Beach are surrounded by treacherous currents, more than strong enough to dash ships against rocks - nothing like the calm waters of Astryl's Tranquility. Add on typhoons, and you get many ships sinking in the area throughout the years. Some wags might tell you it's because of the sirens and krakens about, but don't listen to them - they're pulling your leg!
However, the same currents that had sunken many a ship would also rip their cargo free from the resultant shipwrecks - due to the way the currents in the area converge, most of the flotsam washes up onto Sylesti Beach. This drew a lot of treasure hunters, who cared neither for the environment, nor the Sylestis that lived in the area. That's why the Order stepped in: our role is to balance human activity with conservation efforts. We regulate treasure-seeking to make sure that the natural habitat is not degraded and that the Sylestis that live here are not disturbed.

To do so, we've instituted a number of rules. Firstly, all treasure-seeking is limited to one designated location per Sylestian, divided into a grid of fifty squares: one five by five grid on the sand, and one five by five grid on the water. You must not attempt to seek treasure outside of your designated location. Secondly, you must use special tools to avoid causing damage whenever seeking in a spot - they are single-use only to prevent causing permanent damage to the environment, and you can only seek treasure in a given spot once.
Finally, you must wait 8 hours after moving to a new location before you can move to a new location, regardless of how many spots you've sought treasure in at your current location. This is to limit the disturbance that treasure seekers might cause to the Sylestis and other animals living in the area. A Move Approval gives you access to parts of the beach that are otherwise cordoned off - they come with a higher likelihood of more valuable treasure, and all proceeds go to funding the Order's work.

Now that the rules are out of the way, here's a few tips to make your experience more fun.
Firstly, spots with objects on them tend to yield much more valuable treasure, so save your best tools for those spots. The Order has been investigating for a while, but we're no closer to figuring out the mystery. What we do know is that lucky objects can include conch shells, fishes, shadows in the water, starfish, bits of sea glass... You might even spot a Sylvorpa poking their head out of the water every now and then - make sure to wait until it's left before casting a rod there!
Secondly, bring a bottle of water - treasure seeking is hard work, and you can't drink seawater. Remember to take regular breaks and to stay hydrated - don't want to get heat stroke!
Finally, watch where you step. Don't want to have a crab pinch your toes!

Oh, and if you see my dear sister, do tell her I said hello. You'll likely have met her - she runs the sand sculpting station at Sylesti Beach, which I've been told is always popular throughout the Summer Festival.

Medusa and Runewave raced up the beach of Esior's Cove, their paws sinking in the sand with every step. Butterfly reluctantly trailed behind them to make sure they stayed out of trouble. "I have an awesome treasure hunt for you!" Medusa gushed with excitement. She handed Runewave a bottle containing a map and a conch with a compass. "And how long exactly is this going to take?" Butterfly asked. Medusa grinned and babbled on, "Depending on smart you guys are, if you can't read a thing on the map, its going to take a long time! Butterfly sighed and turned to Runewave. "You better be able to find the treasure before we get heat stroke," but Runewave was already running with enthusiasm into the caves. They headed into the darkness, hearing the squeaking of rats and Runewave's occasional yelps as crabs pinched his paws. When they got out, they could see a sea ahead of them and an unrecognizable figure somewhere in the center. Immediately, Runewave dived in the water and started swimming toward it. Medusa clamped her paw over her mouth, trying to suppress her giggling. Butterfly simply rolled her eyes. "What are laughing at?" Medusa giggled and pointed to the sea. "KRAKEN!!!" Runewave shouted, rapidly swimming back to the shore. A giant kraken was chasing him, its tentacles reaching out. "Ill just take a shortcut," Medusa said before running off, leaving Butterfly to deal with the situation. Butterfly waded into the water and pulled Runewave out, making both of them wet. "The map says the treasure should be here somewhere," Runewave said as he read the map cautiously. After a while, they found a remote island. Was that a mermaids tail they saw? Runewave ran to the treasure, or so he thought. "What? Where is it?" He said as he dug around for the so called treasure. Medusa suddenly appeared and congratulated them. "Congratulations! You found the treasure! It was a mirage!" Butterfly flopped onto the sand in exhaustion. "Seriously? You made us get wet and muddy for a literal mirage?" "Well, you fell for it!"

Canvary is an adventurous Lagoon Mermaid Zolnixi, who was born in a lively harbor near the Viridian Meadows. She loves to adventure and always calls herself as a captain.
One night, she was wandering around the hills under the sparkling stars The stars are dancing tonight, so shiny, so bright Canvary spoke to the breezes, happily. She jumped, danced in joy and kept walking forward to the North, then, she saw at a small campsite, curious, she checked it out.
Hey guys, wanna hear a little story? Said a Luffox - One of the creatures staying in the campsite with a and a Vulnyx - Long ago, a legend said that under the deep ocean, where darkness covers everything, appeared a precious pearl called The Prismatic Moonlight - the shiniest pearl ever seen! But until now, no one has succeeded Why?" Canvary asked. Luffox was shocked, but still answered Because the pearl was guarded by a giant kraken - Sounds interesting! Where should I start? - Ithink I know the starting place, but can you introduce yourself first? Canvary answered with full pride: Absolutely! Im Captain Canvary, a gorgeous Lagoon Mermaid Zolnixi who loves to travel every interesting adventure! The Vulnyx stopped licking his body: A captain? Wow! You must have found lots of fishes! Nytekrie laughed Yeah, then why dont you hunt some for yourself? - Nah said the Vulnyx You forgot I fear water, right? haha
Alright! I have to go now! Yelled Canvary Cya yall! - Wait! The Luffox shouted To the North West, theres a beach Thank you! Canvary ran away happily to the wild beach.
The next day, the sun rose upon the clouds, sun rays reflected on the sea surface shined like glitters. Ah, refreshing! We finally made it here! Canvary looked at the beach with her excitement for a successful journey. Suddenly, she saw a parrot flying from an old, broken shipwreck. It dropped a bottle into her paw and said The Almighty Sea sent you an old map. Good luck! Canvary was surprised Thanks! and opened the map. Starting at the beach, the whole adventure will be underwater to a Foggy Island covered in fog every time Under the island is where the kraken live? Is it crawling underneath the land or something? Nah it cant be, must have a cave or something like that. Closing the map, Canvary slowly closed her eyes, whispered Almighty sea, bless this journey with success Then, she farewelled the parrot and dived into the water.
Beneath the rippling ocean, the whimsical and colorful universe opened before Canvary's eyes. "Firstly, I should go to the Sparkling Coral Cavern" she wondered, and asked the anchovies if they knew the way. After receiving the question, they guided her to a Sylvorpa studying corals. After greeting Sylvorpa, she asked him about the Prismatic Moonlight myth. The legend is real," said the Sylvorpa But be careful at the colorful cave which is not so far away, or else you'll regret it. Just swim straight forward, then get out of the water when you see the cave - Thanks" said Canvary politely, can continue her journey until she finds that poisonous cave. That early morning, after leaving the water, Canvary felt the thick fog covered the sea like it was gonna swallow it all. With a spyglass in her paw, she saw a blurred island in the fog not so far away. The whole island was covered with black and white.
On the island, Canvary saw a mirage of a mermaid playing a lyre gently before disappearing into the water. Wait! Canvary shouted and dived after it but she didnt see anything, instead, she saw some fish rushing from the bottom, curious, she dived in deeper. Beneath the ocean, there was an ancient temple with a forest of seaweeds, and a giant cave. After entering the cave slowly, she accidentally bumped into the Krakens slippery skin. The monster awakened with hunger, spotted the intruder and started chasing Canvary. Canvary tried to swim as fast as she could, but then she thought Wait Why am I running away? Im not a coward then she stopped with a plan. She lured the kraken to the ancient temple and she herself hiding inside the temple, the Kraken was constantly searching for its prey. Canvary picked up a rock, threw it at the monster and quickly hid away. The giant Kraken turned without feeling any pain, shot away like an arrow straight towards where the rock came from, crashing itself to the temple wall. Suddenly, the small source of light disappeared The Eclipse is coming" Canvary thought. Kraken could stand it no longer, and it roared, louder, stronger, with its eyes becoming red. Its roar was so strong that the temple crashed down, this made Canvary feel like she was approaching a typhoon. It dashed at Canvary as fast as a bullet. Canvary has to dodge all the attack from the Kraken and swim as fast as she can. In a critical situation, she saw the seaweed forest, thought That would be a great idea! This is the chance" and then she lured the Kraken near to the seaweeds, when the monster was ready to dash into her, she quickly dodged the attack and made the Kraken stuck in the seaweeds. The monster was no longer able to move because the seaweeds were wrapping tightly around its tentacles. The decisive moment has come said Canvary, and she used her mermaid tail whip critically to the monsters head, immediately making the Kraken fainted inside the seaweed bushes.
The battle over, as well as the Eclipse ended, Canvary can finally get to the legendary pearl. The shiny pearl shined bright with iridescent lights like the full moon in the abyss. When she was about to take it, a lot of sea creatures swam and tried to protect the pearl. Canvary notice, in this abyss of the sea, they can't live without light, warmth and food. She smiled, and decided to leave the pearl and return home.

Word count: 1,000