by Keith "Saegan" Cronyn
The following is a collection of perspectives of creatures that have passed on after the series of events known now as ‘Songs of the Abyss:’
Bae Wingman, Seagull Extraordinaire- It had been days since I'd last seen real food. I'm not really sure why me, and my flock had let ourselves drift so far out to sea. I was so tired from flying and I'm sure my compatriots were as well.
I needed a place to land, and something to eat and this ship filled with humans and other such things was floating out there.
One of them warned me “not to be a dick,” I flew in to try and give her a piece of my mind, but then suddenly, it was just inky black.
Carson Crably, Crab twin and Body Builder.- Oh man, like there were these guys, y'know? And they were floating around under the water like totally not where they belonged. I was gonna go ahead and give them a good pinch. Y'know? Just like send them packin’. It turned into a real turn war though. I just had to get them off my land. Good thing my sister was around to back me up. They didn't know what was comin’.
We woulda won too, if it weren't for there bein’ so many of them. And one of them did somethin’ to me it just slowed me down so much. I just felt like everything weighed so much more, it was just embarrassin. I mean don't tell anyone I said that y’know, I got a reputation to keep with folks. But whew I was just exhausted.
Jasper, the Nearly Near-Sighted, Howler Monkey of the Thumb Council- I can't tell you how long I'd spent around that fire. It could be days, it could be years. But however long it was, there must have been something in the water that night.
Actually it was jellyfish apparently.
People come and go, y'know? Most of us don't really talk to each other. But most of us don't all come at once either. It was odd, different, unusual.
It made things seem more real in a way.
I'd spent a long night talking to new people. They were all interested in what I was looking for, which was an odd thought at first, that I was even missing something.
Eventually I realized I hadn't seen my glasses in I don't know how long.
Eventually I ended up sitting next to a fellow named Borjid, I believe was his name. He, like many of the others, had been killed by some terrible horde of jelly fish.
I asked him what he'd done in life, and he was kind enough to tell me about it. He had ended his life as a healer. But I guess he was led through life by some animal spirits, that guided him to his professions.
It seemed a bit strange, and I didn't know much about it, so I asked him if he thought he would choose to become one in his afterlife.
That seemed to spark a new life in him though, because then we started talking about what animals he might become spiritually. Starting with raccoon, and moving through squirrel and sloth, and eventually winding our way back to raccoon.
This came with the battle cry “chitter!” Which promptly followed either the stealing of some precious object, or the hurling of light spells or leafy bits.
And it was all because of the thumbs.
Eventually a lady named Karl ( pronounced Carol) joined us, and a man named Redd.
We all enjoyed the mischief of the raccoon and his thumbs. And spoke of other possibilities for spirits, I mentioned a Howler Monkey, and it's call, which in my impression sounded like a hearty “oooo-ahh”
Karl suggested the mighty Bonobo, with the mighty “bonobo sounds”
And Redd suggested the Platypus, which actually doesn't have thumbs, but the toxic talons were close enough for us. The sound he chose was a majestic “growl-quack”
Before we knew it, we had formed a council of thumbs. Judging people with our noises and our thumbs.
Soon enough, the other folks around the fire offered Karl a mirror, and she saw herself. She had a love letter of sorts which she gave to the adventures who had succumbed to the jellyfish. .
I'm not really sure what happened after that, everyone just sort of left. I never found my glasses, they must be around here somewhere. I hope the rest of the council moved onto a better place.
I guess I'll just tend the fire until they come back.
Curban, the Scourge, Lost Soul along the river of the dead.- Who the hell do they think they are? They're not any king of mine! Coming along my river and not giving me passage or tariff on their ship. If I ever see those bastards again I will cut them down!
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Well now, that is quite the mix! I hope that the adventurers who passed through the Songs of the Abyss brought back some stories to share as well.