Take My Love, Take My Land// Shadowrot

Merfolk are regarded as myths by most, although a few believe they are real.

Real and dangerous.

Cleo (a member of the pirate crew who sail on the famed ship The Red Winter) often thinks she's lucky they aren't real because what she's heard about them is awful- they're vicious murderers, basically wild animals despite their human-like appearance, they're cannibalistic, they drag humans under the water to drown them, they use their supernatural abilities to sink ships for fun.

One of the people who's convinced merfolk are real is Cleo's captain Martyn. He's convinced the scar on his arm is from where a merling dragged him underwater. He often proudly tells the story of a vicious battle underwater where he had to stab the Merling in order to escape.

Most of the crew, including Cleo, think it's just a very tall tale that he's insistent upon for some reason- the only ones who believe him are Mumbo, Jimmy and Impulse. But the rest of the crew still nods when he tells the story.

Cleo's life isn't boring exactly but it certainly has a pattern- The Red Winter stops at an island or the location a map lead them to, they take everything worth anything, and they leave before consequences follow.

This pattern draws to a halt when a freak storm hits The Red Winter in the middle of the ocean and the ship sinks, leaving most of the crew presumed dead.

Cleo remembers only vague details of this event (thankfully), however she has other details to focus on.

Like the Merling who rescued her.

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A Shadowrot Pirate AU.