Indlas Somer spoke to the people but they did not listen to him. He spoke to the old but they were sad because he reminded them of what they had been. He spoke to the warriors but they were angry for he had not fought. He spoke to the mothers but they were afraid that he would steal their sons and daughters. He spoke to the young and some listened and followed him.
Indlas Somer preached of the Coming Sun and of a single Endless Summer that his followers could live in as long as they remained true to his values. He taught them not to think of the past, for that had gone. He taught them not to think of the future for that had not yet come. He taught them not to think of bad things else they would come for them. He taught the young men and women to think of each other and of the present, of the waves beneath their feet, of the wind on their faces and the sun beating down on their heads. He made them imagine the sun and they stood on the beaches waiting for the sun to appear, calling out to the Sun. Then one day the Sun heard their call and appeared over the horizon, beginning the Endless Summer. Indlas Somer showed them the joys of riding the waves and walking the beaches, then he mounted his board and set off for the Ocean and the biggest waves of all.
The followers of Indlas Somer were true to his teachings and each band followed the Surfer King who was a son of Indlas Somer and who did not age and did not die. However, some found that their lives were lacking and they wanted more from life, so they turned their backs on Indlas Somer and grew old and died. Some found that they were tied up doing other things and simply forgot to be happy. One of these was a man who had met Indlas Somer when he first landed on the beach. He had followed the teachings but had allowed himself to care for others outside the Bands, he had not forgotten his family and friends. As he grew older, he knew that he would die like the others, so he returned to the beach, but he had changed to much and they laughed at him and mocked him for his strange ways. In despair, he decided to follow Indlas Somer to the Oceans and find happiness again.
He set off and rode his board until he had lost sight of the land. He
rode waves that were higher than mountains and who reached down to the
seabed itself. He met many nymphs and demigods until he met one who had
loved Indlas Somer before, a nymph called Dry Wave. She was his wife, once,
but he had left her to help those on the land and she had never forgiven
him. When she saw this man riding a board that was so like her husband's,
she cried out and called a wave to bring the man to her. When he came,
she embraced him and kissed him, sucking the breath from him and creating
a husk where he had been. This husk smiled and embraced her back, for he
knew that he would age no more and would never die, for he was the husband
of his master's wife.
The Lords of the Eternal Surf are those followers of Indlas Somer
who have decided that they would rather ride the waves for ever more and
have set out for the ocean in order to become immortal. If a member of
the Indlas Somer cult is washed away from shore and is affected by the
Closing then he will meet the Dry Wave and will be turned into a zombie.
These zombies are unique in that they do not lose DEX and retain their skills. They retain their good looks, but have the appearance of weather-beaten people with golden tans and tight skin, almost like 50 year olds who think they are still 20. They ride their surfboards and stay in gangs. They retain their divine magic and can cast their spells on a one-use basis. Each gang generally follows one of Dry Wave's daughters, a nymph-priestess of Dry Wave, and acts as an agent for the Closing. Now that Dormal has opened the Oceans, they act as pirates and thieves, attacking ships to gain booty rather then attacking ships to sink them. The Lords of the Eternal Surf generally do not approach the land for they fear that they might see someone they know and be drawn home rather than riding the waves and this makes them unhappy.
Dry Wave grants one divine spell, that of Embrace Surfer (3 point, One
Use, Instant) This spell allows the caster to turn a willing member of
the Indlas Somer cult into a zombie, as above. The zombie will remain loyal
to the caster as long as she lives.
[End]