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Typhon - The Ghost on the Shore

The local elders warn of a grim apparition who has long haunted the island's volcanic shores.

As the legend goes, the spirit once lived as any other dinosaur. He was born to loving parents, who raised him alongside his siblings on Isla Pera. His parents taught him the ins-and-outs of survival in the desolate Ashlands, and it is said that this mysterious theropod became the greatest scavenger to ever grace the Twin Islands. Bits, baubles, and morsels he discovered were freely given to less fortunate ones. His reach over the community widened. Testimony spread. Generosity never went unnoticed in those times. As word of the stranger's kindness grew, so did his admirers. One special individual caught his eye. Rather than pursuing him for his fame, she wanted to offer her services and make the Ashlands a better home for all. Their shared love for the community ignited a spark between them. It wasn't long before the pair began expecting their first clutch.

But not all tales end in happily-forever-afters.

A great typhoon struck the isles. The storm hurled blots of hot lightning at the earth, setting ablaze scattered pockets of greenery that still clung to the mountainside. Thunder crashed overhead, rousing the volcano from its slumber. The resulting lava flows slithered over the land like hungry serpents, consuming everything in their path. Tidal waves rolled in from the deep, black sea and siezed the beaches, ripping everything away from the shore.

The island had been crushed by the typhoon. Entire forests were reduced to ash. Lava pools formed in the valleys and belched in satisfaction at their work. Survivors crawled out from their hiding spots and combed through the island in hopes that those caught in the wreckage might be rescued.

During the search, some in the community realized that their local heroes were nowhere in sight. Surely, they thought, the kind stranger and his mate would have been leading the charge. They scoured the beaches for days. Days turned into weeks. A whole moon cycle passed and their bodies remained undiscovered. It seemed that the islanders were too late to save them. Their bodies now belonged to the sea.

They were grieved for a time. A memorial was held in the Ashlands and many paid their respects to the pair, sharing stories about how their lives were made better by the pair's guidance. But in the years that followed, the islandes once again turned their focus onto survival. No one stepped up to maintain the island network. The residents retreated to their fractured homes, isolating from one another. The community fractured. Once again the Ashlands became a treacherous wasteland. 

The elders say that it was for this reason the apparition began to appear. On dark and stormy nights, the spirit of the kind stranger may appear among the broken shore, his soul forever bound to the sea. Some report hearing his tortured cries as he searches hopelessly for his mate. In other sightings, hideous clouds form in his wake. His appearances often precede frightful thunderstorms. 

If you see him, take cover. Beware the Ghost on the Shore ♫.