The sealife in our world is just as vast as the land creatures. We have the Kelpie a shape shifting aquatic horse. Stunning, Nimble and majestical.  It still fears the Buleacuhk.  This phenomenal beast is the king of the oceans, the apex predator, yet it dare not go near the reef that breathes. 

The glistening waves of Porta Rossa lash against the boats and barges as they dock along the harbourside, where the bards rock and roll the people in port, the seas rocks the boats.

From the foaming white waves and the golden sands and deep brown mud and dirt, the glorious spectrum of where the sea meets the land brings with it life, trade and the attention of another kind. 

The circle of life that exists below the waves in the bay, and deep into the oceans beyond,  understand 1 thing - there’s always a bigger fish.

The deep blue contain all manners of things looking for food, attention, and even treasure for their own horde.

Let’s start small, with the introduction to the Kelpie,

A Kelpie in its truest natural form, is that of a large aquatic horse. Seawood adorned hair, deep glazed over black eyes, and a fine dolphin beaked nose. The tail of the beast certainly far more fin than hair, and still measured in hands, though what sailor would ever want to try and measure this mischievous wave rider.?

The Kelpie itself is a shape changer, and often takes the form of a stranded passenger, designed to lure travellers, silently to dash themselves upon rocks, and be dragged down to the deep. Similar to the siren of the sea, yet this horse does not sing nor speak, the silence of the depths, echoes in the Kelpie..

Kelpies themselves are treasured amongst pirate vessels and deep water ships, for strapping one, whilst it lives, to the bow of your ship, is said to be enough of a deterrent to keep the bold and dangerous sharps and giant octopus at bay. 

Within their natural environment, there are few things more nimble, more cunning and more deceptive than the  Kelpie. And the way it defends itself, save for great haste? Is the foul odour of boiled seaweed. More than enough for any shark to be put off the scent of blood, and many a well trained mariner can smell one off for miles if it is hunted.

And as they know, when the scent hits their noses, pirate and kelpie recognize,, there is always a bigger fish.

The one thing the Kelpie fears above all overs,, is the Buleuachk .

In ancient myths, the Buleuachk lay at the bottom of the sea bed for years, snaffling unaware bottom dwelling sharks and crustaceans, and the odd bumbling wizard casting a water breathing spell 

Throughout their development and evolution, sprouted fins, and then legs and jaws. A naturally athletic and dangerous swimmer at incredible depths, able to breathe both air AND water, the Buleuachk hunts, with 4 menacing eyes, a flat frog like bridged nose, and huge sharp spines up its’ bac, all deep of colour, giving it a cruel advantage in natural camouflage.

Where the waters lie still, like a sea of fallen stars, and no ripple or parting of wave or air bubble, there ascends quick and sudden death to the kelpie, lying hidden in long reed grass of embankments by shorelines, all too late to react. 

The Buleacuhk stretches 20 feet long from head to tail, and hunts in pairs, able to cover immense bodies and through the quivering fins,  identify the tensions in the reeds and shallow water. Where sits the kelpie awaiting a small boat, being waited upon, by a devastating near-invisible predator. 

And still, even then, there’s always a bigger fish.

Finally, in our story tonight we come to that creature which devours Kelpies and Buleuachk , Squid and Shark

What hunts a 20foot long spined bipedal hunter in darkness?

What then is large enough and fast enough, that a Buleacuhk pair swim away, rather than take down together? 

To say that this creatures hunts, is perhaps a misconception. The Buleacuhk  knows to stay away from its waters.

For if you dive off northern coast of Fastaghad, you will find the island itself has no beaches. The grasslands simply stop, and the next step you take, into the water although it may seem peaceful, will drop you down several hundred feet before you make contact with the oceafloor.

Several hundred metres off this coast, sits a large well preserved coral. The coral home to a great many smaller fish, which flash and daze with colour should any surface light reach, and spiny anemones keep pike and other smaller hunting fish away from the gentle cleaners and population of the reef.

The reef itself if you looked hard enough would appear white and grey, red and blue, be speckled with spores and holes. Yet it would trick the most honest fisherman into things jewels of sapphire and ruby were calling to it. Dragon Turtles had once said to try and burrow next to the reef, but there is a reason why none venture here, and there is a reason none remove these jewels of the sea.

You see the reef itself protects all lesser life, and whether its a boat, Buleacuhk , dragon turtle or leviathan, the reef is protected so long as it breathes.

The reef doesn't actually sit on the sea bed, it floats almost 20 feet from the ocean floor.

Magic? Nature? 

Not enough is known about Coral Rock, save that the Buleacuhk  never go there. If a kelpie or a pirate ship with its shark deterrent sail near those waters and are harassed by canon ball and musket, with the threat of having their own loot and treasure tumble into the sea, the Buleacuhk  turn around.

Whether the ships makes it home? Well, that’s merely a bed time story told by those who are ill prepared for adventures on the sea

Other sailors even say its the soul of a long lost merchant captain who once tried to remove the jewels and gems from the reef, and did not not make it home. The hate and terror of the captain said to turn the reef into a magical barrier to what it actually contains.

Then again, what do you think?

Would the Buleacuhk  be afraid of a reef? That breathes?

And the most astounding thing?

Well, as you know, as the stories go..

There’s always a bigger fish.. 

Music used:

Evening Fall (Harp) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3720-evening-fall-harp-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Skye Cuillin by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4371-skye-cuillin
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Unnatural Situation by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4567-unnatural-situation
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Dark Times by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3611-dark-times
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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