VortoForgisto

It was a clear day on the north coast of the kingdom of Madridan. Seabirds sang and waves crashed among the docks of the Lost Lagoon as a two-masted ship eased into it’s berth. Mooring lines flew from the deck to handlers on the ancient pier. Once the ship was tied up, a section of railing was removed and a ramp was lowered. The vessel creaked and groaned slightly as it rocked and shifted with the waves. Shalma descended the ramp, her short stature requiring her to hurry faster than her shipmates. Near the end of the plank, she shot a glance back at her captain, Sabine Gloomheart. The pale-skinned woman waved her black hat at her departing crew and passengers. Shalma was sure the woman had something to do with her missing necklace, but she couldn’t confront her directly without proof; or some muscle. “Out of the way,” said a hulking, copper-scaled dragonborn in chain mail. She nimbly scampered onto the pier to get clear of him as he rushed down the ramp. The

“Hey Larry! Have you summoned yourself a girlfriend yet?” Leo shouted across the college quad. Larry blushed and continued scuttling to class, seething with anger from the wave of laughter from the other crustaceans at Mertopia University. Larry scrambled into the computer science reef, which had been grown up over a trans-oceanic fiber optic cable laid down by the humans a few years ago. Merfolk and other intelligent sea creatures had long ago decided to hide their culture from the humans, but then could only watch in dismay as they polluted the oceans, destroyed underwater structures, and affected the delicate balance of nature. Under the sea, they chose to live in harmony with nature, and the humans only seemed to want to take advantage of the Earth and her ecosystems. Long ago, the sea creatures had learned to tap into human communication lines, and now they were well-established on the internet as well. What they saw only upset them further, and the governments were

“Traffic downtown has been redirected due to the visit of Prince Gilbert of Moldavia. The crown prince is on a seven-country goodwill tour following the end of his military service. A decorated war hero, the prince will be ...” “Hey, shut that off!” Harriet shouted from the manager’s office. Justin switched off the old-style radio that was nestled between the chalupa warmer and the backup quesadilla oven. “No wonder it’s been so dead around here today,” said Greg. “Thurgood avenue is blocked because of that guy. Can you believe it?” “I mean ... he’s a Prince, right? He deserves the royal treatment,” Justin replied with a shrug. Greg rolled his eyes. “Nothing but an over-privileged, inbred shnook if you ask me,” he said, perking up when he heard the front door open. “Good afternoon. Welcome to Taco Bell. Can I offer you a sample of our all-new Jalepaneo Fajita Pita?” Justin moved back to the line and completed the order as it popped up on the