Rathios

The season of the Sea Titans had begun once again. Shifting currents and cyclical changes brought forth warmer waters, from the east, across the vastness of the Necromantic Sea. The typically clear blue waters started to shift to their darker hue, causing the smaller creatures to migrate north towards cooler and clearer waters. Much of the larger sea life soon followed. Fish and other creatures that could survive in fresh water, migrated inland through the vast river network to shelter there until it was time again to return to the sea. Each species did what was necessary to survive the coming devastation. 

The people living near the shoreline also made changes to their lifestyles. Fishing boats were secured in bays and abandoned until it would be safe to return to the sea. During this time, fishermen repaired old boats and built new ones for the next season. People would rely more on the land to provide what they needed in the coming months. All the while, everyone did their part to bring forth their offerings for the annual sacrifice to their sea god. 

Erratic flashes of bright light erupted from the bottom of a massive trench that scarred the ocean floor. These random flashes illuminated hundreds of sea demons as they spewed out of the gorge and dispersed in all directions. The demon bodies were comprised of a humanoid torso and the lower half resembled a giant slimy eel. Their fingers were tipped with needle sharp claws and webbed to increase their mobility under water. A spiny fin started at the top of their shoulders, running down their spine then terminated at the tip of their tails. Two large black eyes were set high in their skulls, facing forward, giving them superb predatory vision in the darkest waters. Their facial features did not include a nose, but they possessed an enormous mouth full of needle-sharp teeth. 

Driven by maddening hunger, the demons raced to the shallower waters near the shore, hunting for stragglers that failed to leave when the waters darkened. The beasts fed savagely on all life that remained in the region. Everything that swam in the dark waters was their prey. They consumed sharks, whales, all manner of fish and every swimming mammal they could sink their claws into. The waters were polluted with a black oily film for a week during this unholy feeding frenzy. Ten days after their arrival, nothing swam in the ocean but the demons. They soon turned to cannibalism to satisfy the terrible appetite they suffered from. 

At the conclusion of the first month of desolation, a great tremor opened a cavern in the floor of the trench. The rupture released toxic gasses into the water increasing the temperature to near boiling. Within a massive column of bubbles rose the great sea god Rathios, his hulking mass rose with the torrid waters towards the surface. A dozen demons were caught in the swift current of Rathios’ ascension and drawn into his grasp then devoured. The remaining demons in the area quickly fled in fear, as everything, was considered prey for this massive god. 

Rathios’ enormous head and shoulders broke the surface of the black water, sending countless waves racing away from him in all directions. The great sea god’s appearance was similar to the demons except for the two immense horns that grew straight out the back of his thick skull, to a length of nearly ten feet. His entire length, from top of his head to the tip of his tail was nearly two hundred feet. As the beast settled back into the water and found his natural buoyancy, he swam instinctively towards the coastline. 

Plentiful rains and favorable conditions over the previous growing season increased the number of crops produced and therefore increased the number of available goats for the coastal community. The village elders were eager to present their ritual sacrifice to Rathios, knowing he would richly bless them in the coming year. The sacrificial pile was mounded on the sandy beach and twice the usual number of goats were penned up around the mound with the hopes of pleasing their deity beyond measure.  Many of the villagers had gathered in their customary spot atop the highest cliff overlooking the water. They were content with the idea they would prosper over the next few months due to their excessive offering. 

A rising ocean swell indicated the swift approach of Rathios as he glided through the water just below the surface. Giant waves crashed on the sandy beach and rushed inland. Ocean spray splashed high in the air dousing some of the villagers while they eagerly watched as the god of the sea pulled himself onto the shore with his massive arms, towards the generous offering.  The goats instinctively backed away, their short tethers preventing them from escaping the rising water.  Sea water swirled around the mass of produce and the frightened goats. The flooded beach lifted the terrified animals off their hooves, their panicked bleats were drowned out by the crashing surf. 

Villagers watched from their high perch as the waves of water washed up on the shore then carried nearly all their offering back out to sea. Uncertainty and confusion overtook the people in the crowd nearest the cliff’s edge and they rushed to back away from the ledge. The masses of people in the back of the gathering remained in place, not fully knowing what was happening to their sacrifice. Panic spread like wildfire through the collection of humanity, forcing illogical behavior from almost everyone on the cliff. As the mass pressed forward many people in the front of the group plummeted over the edge into the dark polluted waters below, to be quickly consumed by the few demons that dared venture so close to Rathios. Other people were crushed like grapes in a wine press in the center of the gathering, their lifeless bodies held upright by the villagers pressed shoulder to shoulder all around them as they moved closer to the edge. Despite the terror filled screams of the people near the edge of the cliff, the people in the back continued to press forward to get a better look at the bedlam below. 

Hundreds more demons entered the fray in the waters near the base of the cliff, ripping bodies apart and whipping up a froth on the surface of the black water. The screams of the falling villagers were quickly silenced when they splashed into the sea. Those that survived the fall perished within seconds as hungry devils attacked from below and dragged them under the surface. Sharp claws and teeth shredded flesh and cut through bones with devastating efficiency. Near the beach, other demons attacked the few surviving goats that were drug out to sea. 

As the remainder of the offering washed out to sea, Rathios turned to the sound of the chaos atop the cliff. His powerful arms drug his enormous body across the beach to the base of the precipice where he quickly started climbing towards the top. Rathios clung to the side of the rocky surface and quickly pulled himself up to the ridge. 

The mayhem on the cliff suddenly ceased as the ground shuddered violently. Instantly a giant clawed hand appeared and crashed down on the ground, crushing half a dozen people underneath it. A moment later the horned head of Rathios rose up and he surveyed the mass of people huddled on the turf. The terror stricken gathering turned and tried to flee inland away from the giant sea god. Rathios swept his other arm across the lawn, raking hundreds of people into the black waters below then released his grip on the cliff and crashed back into the sea. 

Within moments more than half of the victims were consumed by Rathios after he dove back in the water, the lucky ones were already dead before he swallowed them.  Surging tides scattered the remaining people and swept them further out into open water where the hungriest of the demons were anxiously waiting for the neglected scraps. Rathios ducked below the surface and headed out towards a cluster of bodies lashing about in the water. The titan swam deep in the water following the sea floor until he was directly under the group of survivors floating above him. With explosive energy he launched himself up and out of the water, engulfing all the people in his massive mouth. His body smashed back into the ocean sending enormous waves crashing towards the shore. Rathios remained under the surface and swam out to deeper water.  

Over the next few minutes the sea demons fed on the remaining bodies floating on the sea. When the feast was complete, they too swam away leaving an oily mess on the surface of the black water in their wake. 

The villagers that survived the attack cautiously returned to the shoreline early the next morning. Only about a third of the people remained. The tide had deposited hundreds of body parts and much of the sacrificial produce back on the sandy beach. None of the produce was salvageable due to floating for hours in the festering waters. In the bay they discovered all their boats had been destroyed during the attack. Mourning the loss of so much, the leaders decided to gather what was left of their community and move inland where they would find another god who might protect them better.