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Welcome to Safety. Chapter 01.

Long ago, on another world, in another galaxy, on the other side of the universe, there was a world known as Ansanna. On this world are four continents, named Kallisti, Jericho, Hollardae, and Dionysia. Kallisti is home to the Geryians (Tiger) and Sononites (Otter), Dionysia Houses the Deonites (scorpion) and Xandalians (Axolotl), Hollardae is home to the Agricae (Polar bear), Fenoraa (Arctic Fox), and Janus (Husky), and Jericho is nearly uninhabitable due to the war between its inhabitants, the Neeus Alliance (Eagle/Crow/Condor/Hawk), and the Iotus Alliance (Fruit Bat/Vampire Bat).

War upon war has ravaged the continents, and all but destroyed Jericho, rendereing a large part of it toxic and unable to sustain any kind of foliage. Hollardae is cold and unforgiving, and only inhabitable by a few species of tree, dubbed "coldwood", and its natives. Dionysia is mostly desert, with a few large oases , and supports many species of succulents and cacti, as well as the Deonites and Xandalians. Kallisti is warm and temperate, but due to magical tampering, half of it is battered with constant storms, and the other half of the continent is shrouded in eternal, omnipresent darkness, and thick fog, and so can only be traversed with artificial lights, even then, supposedly an undiscovered race lives deep within the darkness and fog, hunting and killing those who enter their lands...

...but you didn't come here for a history lesson, you came for a story.

It was an average day on the S.S. Helios. The captain looked out over the pristine, calm waters of the Scosche and thought to himself about various matters. Life, work, other less important things. All went through the old sailor cat's head as he watched the sea roll by. He'd been the captain of this crew for twenty years, and all the while he battled storms, waves, and on one occasion, a very angry group of fishermen. Through all that, the Helios stayed steady, and so did he. Now, as he looked upon the seas, he remembered something. Something somebody had told him a short while ago.

He went out onto the deck, and called for his first mate. "BUCK! I GOT SOMETHIN' TO TELL YA!" The younger sailor moved as quickly as he could toward the old salt, and replied, "Yeah, capn'? What's the matter?" "Buck, me old friend, there's something ya need to know. It's about yer old man." The first mate was, of course, surprised. "Is he gonna be okay?" "Yeah, me boy, he'll be jus' fine. He told me to say this, though: Why does the green about yesterday because fourteen? Doesn' make much sense to me, doesn' even sound right, but tha's what he said." The younger of the two sat for a moment, and then responded, "Thursday" "Wha? Wassat supposed to mean?" the old sea man said. The younger simply replied, "Just tell him I said thursday." The captain simply went back up to the wheelroom, and proceeded to call the young man's father. "Hello?" The voice on the other end spoke up. "Yes? What is it?" "Thursday." "Good to know." The captain was confused, but slightly relieved. Everything was okay, and the skies were clear from here to the harbor.

The Captain watched it appear over the horizon. That harbor was home to the crew, home to the Helios, and home to the old captain himself. That harbor was a safe haven. Might've been why the old fishing town built around it was called Safety. Safety, South Farris, Kallisti. The Sea of Scosche was a large one, and fairly dual in nature. It could be peaceful one minute, and the next, a storm could roll in with the force of a hurricane. Safety, however, was interesting. The old port town had an enchantment of sorts on it. This enchantment kept the town safe from all kinds of storms. It was placed on the town long ago by an old Agricae magi named Vicus. Vicus was wise, wise as could be, and rather incredibly adept. It's said she could move a mountain with an idle thought. She came across the town during a storm. It nearly destroyed the as-of-yet-unnamed town with its sheer force. Vicus had other plans. She put a powerful spell over the town, and even while the wind whipped outside the homes and docks, the buildings remained unharmed. From then on, no maelstrom could disrupt the livelihood of the town. It was named Safety, because it offered refuge from even the most destructive of storms.

In the town that day, business was booming. The shops were all open, the people were all out and about making themselves busy, and the ships-including the Helios-were coming in from miles around. Today was no ordinary day in Safety. Today was the day of the Celestial Lights Festival. Every year, the people of Kallisti gather in their towns and celebrate the night skies with music, dancing, fireworks, and a huge feast. This year, Safety was a big hotspot for activity, because the town recently had a big haul of fish from this season's fishing. The Helios was coming in to deliver their share. The captain stepped off of the ship and watched the people in the town prepare for that evening's festivities. He walked to town hall, and as he walked through the town, the smell of fresh pastries filled the air. In addition, the familiar smell of fresh Scoschian Salmon wafted toward him. Scoschian Salmon was a prized delicacy, primarily because of it's unique, naturally smokey flavor.

The fish market was quite active, all of the hustle and bustle was a welcome change from the relative isolation out on the sea. The captain noticed an old friend of his selling some local herbs out of a ramshackle stand. "Caroux, yeh old geryian, what've yeh got fer me today?" The slender old tabby in the stand turned, and when she saw the sailor, her face lit up. "Captain Merrys," she called, "been too long. Would you like some Graniteleaf? It'll help you get your bearings back on land more quickly, and if you ask me, clear your sinuses right up!" She was older, but not so old that she couldn't still make a living. She was quite a nice woman, never really thinking about herself without considering others. In her youth, she was a field medic during the war. Nowadays, she grows herbs and spices from her home in Safety. She couldn't be happier. "Nae" The old captain replied. "That won' be necessary. I'll be jus' fine on me own. But," He stopped for a moment, eyeing a particular leaf among the display, "I might take a bit o' this Windclover. Makes the fish taste like 'eaven." "That all, Sheamus?" The old woman grinned. She knew there was one other thing he'd want. "Well," The captain hesitated, "I'll be needin a place to stay, an' the Helios is goin' ta be in the dry docks for some repairs, so-" "Of course you can stay with me Sheamus. My door is always open."

Meanwhile, the First Mate, Buck Roland, was busy hitting on every girl in town (to varying degrees of success).

"Ey, lass. Tha's a fine bosom ye got there" She was shocked, and replied, "Perverted scrubber[1]!" The words stung almost as much as the slap that came soon after. Buck was discouraged, but not defeated. He moved inward toward the market, hoping he'd meet less resistance from the locals there. He spotted a rather busty looking Senonite, and being one of the otter-like creatures himself, made his move. "wha's say you an' I hit tha pub?" She stopped for a moment, weighing her options, then settled on the logical one. "Sure, but don't try anything funny, I know Tae Kang[2]!"

The two went to the "Old Greenroot" pub, and upon entering, Buck felt a rush of nostalgia. The fluorescent lamps above buzzed, the glasses clinked in the background, and the bartender looked over at buck and smiled a wide, stupid smile. "BUCKEY! HOW ARE THINGS!" The old Fenoraa shouted. Buck shouted back, "Good to see you too, lad. I'll have a pint of yer finest Greenroot Ale[3]." "Coming right up, old friend! ON ME!" piped the fox, quieter this time. "and a Firefount[4] for milady!" Buck's companion was surprised. "How did you know?" she gaped. Buck simply grinned and quipped, "Ah can tell these things. You have a fiery red dress on, meaning you lke to stand out. You agreed to come to the bar with me, even though I smell o' Dionysian Tequila[5], so you have no quarrels with alcohol. Lastly, I heard you say you wanted one on the way here." She laughed joyously, and the two got their drinks from the bartender.

1 Scrubber is an insult directed at Senonites, due to their history as indentured servants on large plantations in the Ivory Isles, off the coast of Eastern Jericho, often hired to scrub the barnacles off of ships. So yeah, it's a racial slur.

2 Tae Kang is a martial art created by the Deonites, which combines powerful strikes with powerful magic, and has been known to be very effective (and very, very dangerous). She probably doesn't know it. Those that teach it are a rarity outside of Dionysia, and those that know it rarely--if ever--use it.

3 Greenroot Ale is a kind of alcohol similar to a fusion of beer and absinthe made using Kallistian Greenwood roots. It's also called Rainbow Ale because of its purported psychedelic properties. Far Out.

4 Firefount is a cocktail made using Jerichian Fire Rum, Ivory Blaze Melon juices, and to top it off, Dionysian Inferno Pepper Sauce. It's actually not bad, once you get past the burning sensation.

5 "Dionysian Tequila" is not actually a beverage, but a joke referring to the fact that Dionysian alcohol often tastes and smells of seawater. It really does.