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The Ships at the Beginning of Time is a moniker given to a fleet of wooden boats that materialized in The Quelmar Realm shortly before the start of the BR era. The size of the original fleet is a point of dispute amongst scholars, but Elven oral tradition confirms at least three ships to have originated from this fleet: the Meridian, the Welkin, and the Horizon. These three are linked due to sharing several peculiarities, such as having no documented port of origin and carrying entirely Human passengers. These commonalities often result in them being called sister ships, but physical evidence of their hulls is limited; the Meridian was scrapped and used for lumber during the construction of its namesake colony in Isonhound, the Welkin crashed into a sandbar and was sunk off the coast of Pteris, and the Horizon is bizarrely difficult to survey despite being abandoned and floating adrift around the Kiston Isles. By charting reported sightings of the Horizon along with water currents, scholars discerned that the three ships sailed west off the coast of Kiston before drifting off-course in different directions and meeting varied fates.
The Meridian
The Meridian is the only recorded ship from the fleet to successfully dock on a landmass, arriving on the eastern shores of Isonhound. Utilizing the bountiful resources of the tropical continent, the settlers established one of the realm's earliest Human colonies. They dubbed the colony Meridian after their fortuitous vessel, which they scrapped and used its hull to build their church. As the colony grew in size, the native fey creatures became irritated with the growing encroachment on their land and turned to The Seelie Court for guidance. They decreed a grand new happening called The Scattering, during which the fey competed using teleportation magic to see who could exile the most Humans to other continents across the realm. After the displacement of most all of its inhabitants, the short-lived colony became a ghost town and was quickly reclaimed by the fey.
The Welkin
The Welkin resides sunken in the sea after plowing into a sandbar off the eastern shores of Pteris. The violent crash took out half the ship's passengers, forcing the Human survivors to swim for land or ride to shore aboard makeshift rafts. Those remaining found themselves at odds with an unwelcoming, arid landscape swarming with monsters. Turning to their spiritual leaders for guidance, they traversed out west in search of hospitable land upon which to build their church. Years went by with the search proving fruitless and their leaders too stubborn to accept help, refusing to even learn how to communicate with passing Elven settlements. Some stayed loyal to the church, a few tried to stage a revolt, but many simply grew fed up and snuck away from the group at their first opportunity.
The Horizon
The Horizon has cultivated a lore all its own, becoming the tall tale of sailors who frequent trade routes along the western seas. Sightings are spotty and, like a mirage, the ship remains just barely too far away to observe clearly, even when pursued; yet everyone seems to "know a guy" who was able to catch up and get a clear look at the ship's untouched hull. Speculation runs rampant as to the nature of the phantom ship and the fate of its disappearing passengers. Some theorize the ship was seized by pirates early in its journey and the unlucky riders banished to another plane, or that the ship itself remains trapped between the Material and Ethereal Plane. Others claim it is simply haunted by ghosts. Until a team can find a way to get close enough to board, it's anyone's guess as to what revelations, and possible treasures, the strange vessel holds.
