The Coral Maze

        Only a small part of the reef is truly ancient, the rest being a deliberate blockade established by lutrai shamans some centuries ago. Had it not come into existance when it did, the Tamaran Empire would long ago have overcome the lutrai islands and enslaved their entire race. Many ships were lost attempting to find passage through the maze, and the entire enterprise was eventually abandoned as a waste of time. The lutrai, on the other hand, would disagree. They find great adventure in exploring the sunken wrecks, much to the dismay of the wiser elders. Attracted by just about anything shiny, from coins to glassware, younger lutrai will often sneak off to dive for treasure, regardless of the inherent dangers presented by both the reef and the wreck itself . Sharks are fairly common visitors to the outer coral ring, and sometimes even the sunken ships, along with certain species of baracuda and even the occasional plesiosaur.

The Wrecks

        There are approximately two hundred and fifty sunken ships throughout the Coral Maze, most located on its northern front, closest to the mainland. The vast majority of these wrecks happen miles off the coast, in semi-shallow water, and are thus highly visible from the surface. On average, three ships sink off of Cekus each year, though at one time the number was far greater. Most are acutally just merchant ships moving between the the mainland and the southern islands of Slank, carrying trade goods through a dangerous shallow-water shortcut. The many storms and hurricanes that sweep through the island chain will often push these ships off course, and impale them on the jagged reefs of shark-infested water. Suffice to say, there are rarely any survivors.

        As might be imagined, most of the wrecks are heavily overgrown with colorful tropical coral and home to countless small fish seeking refuge from open water. As each wreck disintigrates, it becomes yet another part of the reef, though rarely before being thoroughly explored and plundered by the adventurous and inquisitive otter folk. While the elders frown on this practice, more than a few of them are guilty themselves of the occasional shiny bauble from their younger days, and thus scoldings are rare. Items are generally chosen for their aesthetic appeal instead of their value - the lutrai have no idea why other folk find gold so important (if you've seen one coin, you've seen them all), when there are other things, like glass, which are far more interesting. The elders do appear to have a point, however. The wrecks are dangerous for many reasons. Becoming entangled in debris, or becoming lost with a limited supply of air just to name a few. Many have grown delapitated enough to collapse with minimal encouragement, and still others have become the improvised dens of sharks and other large marine predators who feed on the smaller members of the reef's population.

        Tamook descended through the sparkling azure waters, weaving among long bars of wavering sunlight. She could see the wreck very clearly now, with the light hitting the water at just the right angle. Cruising over the reef in a leisurely corkscrew swim, the young lutrai arched her lithe form and exhaled a bit of extra air, giving her dive greater speed on the approach. It was impostant to get in and out quickly - the wrecks were supposed to be off-limits.

        The wreck had been a bad one. Not big enough for war, she supposed, more than likely just a ship full of things to be traded for other things. Or gold. It has been swept up against the outer reefs during a storm, its wooden flanks torn open on both sides. It had sunk quickly, from the looks of it, and now lay upon its side on the vast sand shelf just beyond the coral. Tamook leveled out along the bottom, frightening off a pair of sand-shrouded rays and making for one of the great holes in the ship's side. So far, there were no signs of sharks.

        Tamook alighted upon the jagged edge of the first hole, peering into the darkness of the ship's hold. A jumble of dark shapes, the inky silhouette of a drifting length of rope, a scattering of small, irridescnet fish. Warily, the young lutrai reached into her eelskin diving pouch rumaged around. Light spilled between her webbed fingers as she drew forth a luminous shard of blue crystal and held it up. The glowing stone lit the interior of the hold in cool azure hues, allowing her to see more clearly. There was a great deal of damage - crates scattered here and there, some smashed open to reveal ruined cloth, grains, spices, broken bottles and pottery - nothing of much interest. Cautiously, she drifted into the dark hold, still clutching the luminous crystal. She had been hoping there would be something readily aparent for the taking, but had thusfar been disappointed. With a light push off the ruined hull, she drifted down to one of the smaller boxes and crouched atop it, fumbling at the edges. It was shut tight. She began fumbling around in her pouch again, tranferring the crystal to her mouth.

        In the darkness beyond the crystal's sphere of blue light, a pair of great eyes focused on the lutrai girl's radiant body heat. They saw cooling bubbles rising from her mouth and nose in thin orange streams, the faint green eddies of the warmer water sheathing her pelt, the beating of her heart.

        Tamook fished out the slim, cloth-wrapped bar of metal, nothing more than part of a large hinge that had been sharpened at one end. Wedging it into the lid of the crate, she floated upsidedown as she worked, the glowing crystal still held in her mouth. The wood had softened, fortunately, and the lid came off without much effort, spilling the lutrai backwards in a puff of reddish rust. A number of bottles lay within a bed of disintigrating straw, each containing a dark liquid and some small measure of air. Their seals had kept out the water, which meant the contents might be good for something. The fun, of course, was finding out what. She took the two smallest bottles, intent on saving some room in her diving pouch.

        A long black tendril slid out of the shadows, coiling towards the lutrai girl as she stowed away her find. It moved slowly, out of her sight near the bottom. The eyes focused again as the shimmering, alien light winked and shifted upwards. The tentacle paused. She had moved on.

        The lutrai ascended through one of the hold portals, sweeping the light out in front of her. The dark, tilted corridor of the ship's lower level stretched off into the gloom, haunted by faintly phosphorescent jellyfish. They retreated from her presence, and with trepidation, she advanced a little further. Her air was running low, and becoming lost here would mean almost certain death. And yet she knew that if she were to return to the surface, she might lose the nerve to come back down. Cautiously taking note of her position, she pushed off the edge of the hold portal, coasting into the silent darkness.

        The eyes and tendrils drifted upwards, towards the hold portal.

        Crefully brushing aside one of the jellyfish, Tamook made for the aft of the ship, grazing the sides of the sunken corridor with her fingertips. She had once again transferred the crystal to her mouth - grabbing loot required both paws. There was a door at the end of the hall. She pushed at it, straining and kicking with her webbed feet to achieve some measure of purchase. The door resisted, and her need for air was growing steadily with her increased exertion. Just a tingle for now - not much time. Planting her feet on either side of the doorframe, she reached down and gave the handle a yank instead. There was a hollow creaking sound, and the hinges shook flaked rust into the dark water as the door opened. Hopes renewed, Tamook released the handle and drifted cautiously up to peer into the ruins of the captain's personal quarters.

        The saucer-like eyes rose through the hold portal, to stare silently down the slanted hall. Dark tentacles followed, spreading over the narrow walls in writhing masses, pulling yet more bulk from the hold. A hint of warmth at the end of the narrow space.

        Tamook was delighted to find that the box wasn't locked, only fastened. It opened to reveal a grand collection of shiny things - jewelery of all kinds that reflected the pale blue glow of the crystal. She couldn't carry the whole thing, it was simply too heavy. Instead, she reached in and scooped a few pawfulls of the gleaming treasure into her diving pouch. When she ran out of room, she hastily slid on bracelets, anklets, necklaces, rings on her fingers, her toes, even around her tail. What a haul! Paws on her hips, she looked down at her glittering decorations, and turned back to the doorway.

        The eyes were there, huge and staring. Tendrils slithered in beneath them, expanding into the captain's quarters as the young lutrai stood, transfixed. Squid, her horrified mind babbled. Deep squid. One of the tentacles brushed her bare hip, glavanizing her into motion an instant before the rubbery appendage snapped back and snatched at the water she had occupied an instant before. The squid filled the entire doorway now, more and more of the dark tentacles sliding into the room as Tamook darted back to avoid them. She had never in her life seen a squid as large as this, one so large that it was clearly intent on making a meal of her.

        She bumbed back against the aft cabin's rear window, the glowing crystal fumbling out of her paws and sinking to the floor with a soft, hollow thud. As it slid down the slanting floor, it was snatched at, then engulfed in a writhing mass of tendrils, plunging the small, drowned room into total darkness.