Year of the Black Tide

The Year of the Black Tide is an event that features in Pirates of Dark Water.

History

The Year of the Black Tide was an event that befell the world of Mer. Mer was in a state of slow, degenerative decline, but it was not the all-consuming crisis it became. The planet had always been dependent on the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, which were embedded in a reef beneath the once-great city of Octopon. These treasures produced a harmonious life-force that nourished the entire planet and sealed away the source of the evil Dark Water. For a long time, the Dark Water was a distant, almost mythical threat. It began as a mysterious substance that oozed slowly from a fissure after the treasures were violently pried loose and scattered years earlier. In the early years, there were only wild tales of this substance, which appeared as a "capricious, driving shape" that moved across the planet's waters, consuming whatever was unlucky enough to cross its path. Civilization on Mer was primarily concentrated in various isolated city-states across its twenty seas, each with its own culture and laws. These city-states were largely self-concerned and piracy was a constant problem, despite an ancient, all-but-forgotten treaty. Octopon, the "jewel in the crown of Mer," was a highly advanced capital city centuries ahead of the rest of the world, but it eventually fell into ruin, a symptom of the ongoing decay as the world's protective seal weakened.

Centuries prior, the planet Mer had become afflicted by a mysterious, malevolent substance known as the Dark Water, which consumed everything it touched and was slowly devouring the oceans. The only way to stop its spread was through the use of the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, powerful artifacts that, when brought together, could seal away the Dark Water permanently. An ancient pact ensured that the royal line of Octopon became the keepers of these treasures and the world's protectors. However, over time, the treasures were lost and scattered across the twenty seas of Mer. The villainous pirate-lord Bloth, seeking to control the Dark Water and dominate the planet, relentlessly hunted down the heirs of Octopon and ravaged the city, eventually capturing the current king, Primus. During Primus's long captivity, the containment for the Dark Water's source began to fail. A rift in the ocean bed caused by the Dark Dweller, a creature associated with the evil substance, finally broke the seal that held the Dark Water at bay, allowing it to pour forth unregulated into the seas and engulf everything in its path. This catastrophic event of the spreading, destructive plague was subsequently known throughout Mer's history as the Year of the Dark Tide, initiating the urgent quest for the missing treasures by Primus's son, Ren.

Participants

• Ren :

Notes

• The Year of the Black Tide was created by David Kirschner where it featured in the setting of the Pirates of Dark Water universe.

Appearances

• Pirates of Dark Water:

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