A Swift Warning, 1 NSR

Freshwater Moon, 1 NSR.


Despite Etan's best efforts, the rumours about the zan-Ku clan being possessed or cursed had spread throughout Kulo Seeri. Mahali was confined to her tent after yet another random attack on an unsuspecting sim, while Sophos and Kenan mostly kept to themselves - which was not like them at all.

On top of all that, Jethro had hardly been seen since the random attacks had started. Medeia's story about him and the spirit in the lamp only increased the amount of speculation about what exactly was going on. Brain's Night had come and gone without any of the zan-Ku siblings - except Melchol - turning up for the celebrations. The rumours grew wilder with every passing day.

It was early in Freshwater Moon when Arafa zan-Carmela was jolted out of an evening meal by a group of children screaming about outsiders and monsters and another time rage. As she got up to try to calm them, a man she'd never seen before - red-haired and dressed in northern clothes like Nita, the traveller who'd brought the last time rage - approached her.

The stranger held out his hand to Arafa. She could tell he was worried about something. Was another time rage coming? Could this be a warning from Nita's family?

"Do you speak Simlish?" he asked. Arafa nodded.


"OK, so my name is Alfred Swift. I bring supplies to the plantsims south of Riverblossom, so I know most of this area pretty well. I've been guiding a foreign fellow through the territory - offered me a ridiculous amount to bring him here, he did, and we've been camped in the valley over to the west for a week. Got raided once, but..."

"What... someone paid you to take him to Kulo Seeri? Who? Why?"


"His name's Vlad. He's a count from up north of the Elephant Sea. Said he was looking for his missing family... his wife and children... he thinks they're here. Uh, do you know anyone called Kitira?"

"Kitira! You're working with that vampire?" Arafa exclaimed. "Well, tell him that Kitira is dead. And no, that's not in the sense of not wanting to be found," she added, noticing Alfred looking at her in a disbelieving way. "There was a... a great storm, not long after they got here. Only two of the six children - Yulica and Hudana - survived."

Alfred was about to reply when the pair heard a loud, crackling buzz, followed by a piercing shriek. Turning to face the sound, he saw a young woman collapse to the ground as an older man let go of her hand. He asked Arafa who that was.

"That's... Yulica, strangely enough! And the man's... Jethro zan-Ku?!" Staring at Jethro, she demanded to know, "Where did you come from?"

Jethro merely grinned and grabbed Arafa's hand, sending a sudden shock through her body accompanied by another buzzing sound. Her vision blurred, and she too slumped to the ground, faintly registering that Yulica was on her feet again and was asking if there was any herb that could ease the tingly feeling.

The last thing she heard before passing out was Alfred, behind her, gasping and yelling something about raiders...