The Summoning Sea
Beyond the reach of Southward's End,
Where summer's warmth dares not to roam
Songs tell of ancient treasures lost
Worth more than titles, lands and home
At night skies streak in ribbon's glow
Chill ocean's maze of jagged frost
Wild winds betray the best of men
Where boldest captains fear to cross
Within 'tis said's a hidden coast
Unknown to neither map or man
Where once there died a seaborn fiend
Washed up along its sandy span
Inside this corpse, the legends claim
A gem lay hid away from sight
And who dares hold this stone unique
Shall see all hidden forms of fright
From whence the single frigate sailed
No soul still lives to dare recall
Brave voyage launched into the cold
Afraid of neither gale nor squall
To southern ice and wind they forged
The dauntless crew did plot their trek
In times the fields of floe and berg
Gave glimpse of land to all on deck
Upon an arctic shore they spied
Frost touched remains of monster vast
Old marks from briny wars they saw
And ice locked teeth to dwarf their mast
On darkened beach was set a host
To excavate this mortal coil
Their picks and tools they lifted high
Then dug into their grisly toil
For days and days they hacked and crawled
As stained was beach in ancient gore
Through rib and tissue, deep they delved
And wrought their path to monster's core
From humid depths came glowing dim
Strange spectral light of emerald hue
Great gem matched size with finder's fist
Worn crew rejoiced; old songs proved true
Returned to deck with treasure held
As one all crew did choke their breath
For ringed they were by wraiths of yore
Ghost ships long sunk, and those past death
For hidden from the common eye
Are ones who drift when lifeblood fails
Bright gem grants truth to sight they learned
Then set with fright to raising sails
Yet ghastly shades no harm intend
But warning men whose air's still drawn
To bring sight's stone on waters wide
Would raise the wrath of deep Maelrawn
A day and twelve on ocean waves
Passed laden, anxious crew's retreat
When came long shadows in their wake
Lord Maelrawn's servant, come to eat
By haste and lucky breeze they sped
Four dawns the scourge kept far at bay
Until a wisp of earth drew far
When fickle fortune's winds betrayed
As beast drew under ship to strike
Rowboats were filled with man and loot
Then loosed were heavy chain and weight
To crashed ship's anchor on sea's brute
Then deck leaned port as seabeast scaled
Wild tendril fury came aboard
In frenzied panic three boats fled
With ship entangled, kraken roared
Through tree thick feelers twist and squeeze
Wood hull made vent to frozen surge
As half-ship sank, death's master called
The gem still moved, and neared shore's verge
In rushed pursuit the kraken swam
To overtake the first boat of three
When drowned men froze and wreckage sank
Did hunter learn its charge stayed free
As second crew in horror rowed
Slick grasping fingers closed around
Yet once again gem was not there
And third boat's band set foot aground
So terrified of Maelrawn's rage
Did thrashing scourge set out anew
Then breached itself upon the surf
As kraken flailed, its foe withdrew
Of fated crew's last port and call
No grey account still deigns to say
Some firm believe they made toward home
Though others tell of hangman's sway
Of gem and tidal deepgod's hunt
Vain quest goes on without reward
Its servants blindly come to shore
To kill and raze, be put to sword
For no thrall creature of the depths
Nor spirit bound in drowning's keep
Nor Maelrawn the Tentacular
Shall rest till seas, gem comes to sleepThe Summoning Sea
Beyond the reach of Southward's End,
Where summer's warmth dares not to roam
Songs tell of ancient treasures lost
Worth more than titles, lands and home
At night skies streak in ribbon's glow
Chill ocean's maze of jagged frost
Wild winds betray the best of men
Where boldest captains fear to cross
Within 'tis said's a hidden coast
Unknown to neither map or man
Where once there died a seaborn fiend
Washed up along its sandy span
Inside this corpse, the legends claim
A gem lay hid away from sight
And who dares hold this stone unique
Shall see all hidden forms of fright
From whence the single frigate sailed
No soul still lives to dare recall
Brave voyage launched into the cold
Afraid of neither gale nor squall
To southern ice and wind they forged
The dauntless crew did plot their trek
In times the fields of floe and berg
Gave glimpse of land to all on deck
Upon an arctic shore they spied
Frost touched remains of monster vast
Old marks from briny wars they saw
And ice locked teeth to dwarf their mast
On darkened beach was set a host
To excavate this mortal coil
Their picks and tools they lifted high
Then dug into their grisly toil
For days and days they hacked and crawled
As stained was beach in ancient gore
Through rib and tissue, deep they delved
And wrought their path to monster's core
From humid depths came glowing dim
Strange spectral light of emerald hue
Great gem matched size with finder's fist
Worn crew rejoiced; old songs proved true
Returned to deck with treasure held
As one all crew did choke their breath
For ringed they were by wraiths of yore
Ghost ships long sunk, and those past death
For hidden from the common eye
Are ones who drift when lifeblood fails
Bright gem grants truth to sight they learned
Then set with fright to raising sails
Yet ghastly shades no harm intend
But warning men whose air's still drawn
To bring sight's stone on waters wide
Would raise the wrath of deep Maelrawn
A day and twelve on ocean waves
Passed laden, anxious crew's retreat
When came long shadows in their wake
Lord Maelrawn's servant, come to eat
By haste and lucky breeze they sped
Four dawns the scourge kept far at bay
Until a wisp of earth drew far
When fickle fortune's winds betrayed
As beast drew under ship to strike
Rowboats were filled with man and loot
Then loosed were heavy chain and weight
To crashed ship's anchor on sea's brute
Then deck leaned port as seabeast scaled
Wild tendril fury came aboard
In frenzied panic three boats fled
With ship entangled, kraken roared
Through tree thick feelers twist and squeeze
Wood hull made vent to frozen surge
As half-ship sank, death's master called
The gem still moved, and neared shore's verge
In rushed pursuit the kraken swam
To overtake the first boat of three
When drowned men froze and wreckage sank
Did hunter learn its charge stayed free
As second crew in horror rowed
Slick grasping fingers closed around
Yet once again gem was not there
And third boat's band set foot aground
So terrified of Maelrawn's rage
Did thrashing scourge set out anew
Then breached itself upon the surf
As kraken flailed, its foe withdrew
Of fated crew's last port and call
No grey account still deigns to say
Some firm believe they made toward home
Though others tell of hangman's sway
Of gem and tidal deepgod's hunt
Vain quest goes on without reward
Its servants blindly come to shore
To kill and raze, be put to sword
For no thrall creature of the depths
Nor spirit bound in drowning's keep
Nor Maelrawn the Tentacular
Shall rest till seas, gem comes to sleep.