The Secret Scroll: The Beginning of Pirates
-by Galadrialle

Upon traveling to the Thais Lighthouse I accidentally stumbled upon a hidden passage that must have been sealed for ages. It was a small dark and foul smelling cave; and would seem no one had traveled here for some time. The walk was short in distance however with the circumstances it seemed to take much longer. Still breathing lightly from the moldy stale air I bumped right into an old wooden door. The lock surely kept unwanted people out at one time, but the salty air coming from the other side all but rusted the lock to dust. Once through the door I saw stone stairs ahead ascending to a light shining through from above.

At the top of the stairs was a small hut on a lonely island just off the western coast of Thais. The hut was old for sure but it was still standing and was vacant except for a single chest in the corner. Just like the door below the chest was once secured however the rusted lock took little effort to pry open. Expecting some kind of gold or treasure I found something of much more value, a scroll held closed with an ancient wax seal.

I sat on the ground and began to read:

Life in the city has become so stressful, the wars have subsided and we have finally met an uneasy balance with the forces of darkness. However my descendents with my wife and love Karina are now fighting among themselves. I no longer have the strength to watch there petty disagreements fuel wars among each other and have decided its time for me to move on.

As I write this I await my second love Bastesh my mistress of the sea. We met on this very island ages ago yet it seems like just yesterday. Ages ago my guards dug a tunnel to this very island to see what it contained. A tunnel was dug since at that time we all feared the unknown of the open water and the many rumors of the creatures that roamed the seas. My guards brought me word the island was small and of no use so the cave was sealed up and abandoned. Many years later I opened the seals and came here to seek a quite place to be alone, then one day it all changed.

I was staring across the sea, wondering what mysteries the sea held when I saw the silhouette of a woman cloaked in white hidden in the fog. As soon my eyes made contact with her she disappeared into the sea. After that I returned every day hoping for but a glimpse of this mysterious woman of the sea, till that fateful day when she finally came to the shore of the island. Her very presence was nothing short of intoxicating and I was lost in her beauty that radiated from within her. I the great warrior was at a loss for words and just stared. Then a soothing voice spoke out, why do you stare, does my scared face frighten you?

I quickly returned from my state of awe and responded, My Lady I stare only because my very soul is lost in the beauty that stands before me. It�s only now that I see you have also met conflict with darkness but these forces can not scar our souls, they can no scar our hearts, and surely can not prevent you from being the Goddess I see before me.

From that day forth our love grew exponentially and this very island became my home away from home. As a gift to her bearing me a son Percy I built a lighthouse over the entrance of the cave that leads here, so that we could meet at night as well as the day. As a gift to me Bastesh asked the elder gods to provide our children a home of there own. After much effort she and the elders shook a few scattered fragments of land up from the sea bed somewhere in the southern seas.

These hidden lands suited Percy and his descendents well since they have a maternal bond to the sea and have become great sailors and explorers. However for much as they are at home in the sea they are still bound to the land and these islands provide safe waters for there ships to be repaired, areas for them to collect food, and springs for fresh water.

There is so much more I could write, but just in the distance I see my Goddess of the Sea has brought me a great ship so that I can be free from this land and be with her for all eternity.

~Signed~

Banor

After reading the scroll several times I begin to wonder what has come of Banor�s son and his descendants and where are these islands no one has heard of.

I must return to Thais and share this with the King, however I fear for how he may react� Perhaps I shall submit these finding to the paper and remain anonymous.