Each victim brought to the stone in the forest invigorates the Waves and drives them to hunt out the weak, but each victim also awakens the Thirsting Tide a little more.
In the middle of a private forest of a large, rundown estate, sits a lush and verdant glade. The plants and trees grow tall and strong, often lasting through the winter without losing their flowers and leaves. The animals thrive: the local prey turning on normal predators, the local predators cutting swathes through normal prey.
At the glade’s heart is a spherical stone almost 2m across, smooth and iridescent, of no earthly rock or hue. It has partially sunk into the earth over the ages. Around it is a stride of bare earth and desiccated plant life, the remains of animal bones, most eroded down to fragments.
Continue reading