A bright, shining day alights the lands,
The sun reflecting off the ocean's face
As dolphins dive and swim and play,
Engulfed in joy's embrace.


But deep below the surface,
No light will ever near,
It's dark as night in those deep depths
And Lord Neraeos slumbers here.


Ignorant of the resting god,
And miles from His bed,
A Jaruvian sailor sits 'pon the docks,
Feasting on his bread.


Finishing his lunch, he stands
And stretches his arms wide,
Casting a glance to the city of Light,
His broad chest swelled with pride.


He picks up his rod and casts his line,
And prays he'll gnab a fish,
Bread can be a bore, you see,
And perch makes quite a dish.


He sits back down and folds his legs,
Staring out into the sea,
Humming quietly to himself
A child's song of glee.


Far below his weighted hook,
The ocean seems disturbed,
As Lord Neraeos can't seem to find
The sleep that He deserves.


He tosses and turns in His bed,
As His mind is filled with dreams
Pretty mermaids dance with Him,
So real the image seems!


The deepest sleep He enters in,
And briefly stills His breath,
The chaos that pursues His dream
Will meet the peace with death.


Suddenly, He draws his breath
In a monumental snore
The force of which, I attest,
Shook all the ocean floor.


Every sea-going creature fled
As the mighty ocean roared
The water rose in frenzied rage
And hurdled towards the shore.


Ignorant of the aquaeous threat,
The fisherman fished on
The gentle waves that danced below
Hinted not that peace was gone.


The white-capped waves grew hostile
More and more each minute.
Still, the Jaruvian sailor's wit
Proved to be quite finite.


It wasn't 'til some moments later,
When the sun's light was blocked
By the monstrous wave that 'proached the shore
Of the City of Light's docks.


The sailor's eyes bugged out their sockets,
And his jaw dropped open wide
The wave that dwarfed Neraeos' snore
Swallowed up the Far East's Pride.


The screams of pain that filled the air!
The destruction that wave brought!
The deafening chaos that ensued
In moments came to naught.


An eerie silence echoed
As the city was submerged,
The sailor did but freeze and stare
To see what would emerge...


The wave receeded to the sea,
As Neraeos slumbered deep
Bloated corpses lined Shallam's streets,
And the sailor did but weep.


Perhaps this is a silly tale,
Or a prophesy for sure.
But I look forward to the day
When Shallam will be no more.

Penned by my hand on the 18th of Valnuary, in the year 417 AF.