Lost at Sea

25 Dec, 2024

I am an explorer looking for Atlantis. Just when we arrived at the supposed destination, a storm blew and wrecked my ship. I am the only survivor on a safety boat. I am lost at sea.

Knight of Cups Upright: Though I am lost, this I know; I know that somewhere here is Atlantis. The storm was meant to happen. It is a proof that we were and I am close. (+1 Spirit)

Prince of Cups Upright: I see a land faraway. Maybe that’s it! (+1 Spirit)

Knight of Wands Reversed: That land I just saw is gone. Was I hallucinating out of hope? (-1 Spirit)

Ace of Cups Reversed: I grab a chalice floating next to me. In it there’s water. I drink it down all the way. To my surprise the water is still there. Perhaps it’s an old relic of Atlantis.

The Star Upright: Dolphins swim close to me. They watch me as I struggle to find direction. ‘The land you find is to the north.’ I look at the dolphins. My eyes meet with one of them. Can it be true that they are talking to me? I’ve heard that dolphins communicate through echos and clicks. I wonder that is what just happened. I decide to believe them. I nod to them and change the direction to north. (+1 Advance)

The Universe Upright: It’s difficult to go straight north without any visual cues. I doubt that it’s farther from where the ship wrecked. So I speculate that it is hidden beyond the veil humans can see. I check my compass and the constellations. Strange, the constellation and the compass is contradicting each other. All the northern constellations, Orion, Cassiopeia, the Big Dipper and the Northern Star are at the south according to the compass. The magnetic field must be altered around this region. Which means that I must be close to Atlantis. I put my compass into my bag and use the constellation to guide myself north. (+1 Advance)

The Tower Upright: I see a gigantic carved eye from faraway. It must be the eye of the pyramid. The eye that sees all. A symbol used throughout centuries among many secret societies. It’s as if the eye is looking back at my eyes through the telescope. My hearts pound. The first true physical sign of Atlantis! I put my telescope down. Excited, I row my boat towards it. (+1 Advance)

4 of Wands: My paddle breaks. One did look a bit iffy to begin with. I try to repair it with woods I’ve got. (9, 2; minor success) It’s not perfect. It’s much heavier than before so it will fatigue me sooner. But for now, this is the best I can do (+1 Spirit).

Princess of Swords Reversed: As I advance I worry; all of a sudden this is too easy. What if there are traps set to stop foreigners and lurkers from coming? (-1 Spirit)

6 of Wands: Just when my worries were about to overwhelm me, the water became harsher. There wasn’t any wind so it was as if the water was trying to push me away from the land. (6, 3; minor success) I row against the waves. I cannot advance, but at least I am not pushed back too much (+1 Spirit).

The Hermit Reversed: I see a light house far away. The light signals but I don’t understand it. It’s doesn’t follow the conventional characteristic nor is using a Morse code. Nevertheless I row towards it. When I realised it was a mirage I was already far off course. (+1 Setback)

2 of Cups: Suddenly a mist surrounds the land. I cannot see the eye anymore, but I can still have trusty stars. I follow the friendly stars to put myself back on track. Two gigantic waves in the shape of two koi fish appeared and dash towards me. There is no way I can fight that. I put the two rows into the boat and hold tight onto the boat. (9, 2; full success) The waves break onto my boat. I was frowning my face, inhaling deep, waiting for the impact. But to my surprise the water was gentle as if I myself submerged into it. I might be crazy but I think I even breathed in it for a moment I was in it. Anyways the waves are gone and the sea is quiet as if nothing had happened. I get on with rowing towards north. (+1 Advance)

3 of Wands: I am now very close to the land. I can see the marble ruins glistening under the moon. There seems to be engravings but I cannot tell from this distance. My heart pounds. Ahead there are three pillars with ancient Greek phrases carved into them. (7,4; full success) I approach the first pillar which reads; ‘Do not proceed. Nothing thy seek lies ahead.” I row to the second pillar that says; “This points the last chance to turn back.” I scoff. What am I scared of? I thought of more intricate traps or monsters from Greek Mythology. I get closer to the land. Now I am just 2km away from it. I see the last pillar that says; “May your death be swift.” (+1 Advance)

I pick up the telescope to observe the landscape. The seashore is covered with black tar-like high viscous goo. The empty marble city is in ruins… wait, that’s no city, those are bones. Stacks and stacks of bones..

I look back and see the lighthouse faraway, flashing urgently. I grab the paddles and start to row and fast as possible. I look up the night sky, the stars looked no longer friendly but sinister. Then I realise my paddles broke and that swarms of dolphins are pushing me closer to that unholy land. The dolphins sneer, click and squeal to one another as if they were excited to see what’d happen to me. As I get closer to the land the stench of rotting flesh makes me nauseous. And I see my men who I lost just hours ago are there… in pieces… I immediately get off the boat and walk away from the shore to hide from whatever devoured them.

'If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways' I mumble my prayers with every step I take.

I step into the ruin and there I see... the angels! God sent me help! God has forgiven me lurking into his sunken island. The angels with empty faces stare at me and I cannot move. As if their gaze binds me to the earth. And then I see god, himself in his Lord's all mighty and glorious figure, appear. God approaches to me. I shiver with relief and tears ceaselessly roll down from my cheeks. I kneel and I close my eyes.

Review

What better way to spend Christmas than a Solo RPG about being lost at sea? I remember adding Lost at Sea by Hand Of Fate Games to my collection, intrigued by the aesthetics. And boy, the mechanics was just restrictive enough to feel like I am actually playing a game, rather than freestyling a story. And free enough to be creative. Though I enjoy Solo RPGs by various creators, it's rare that I want to play them again. But this one I think I can replay someday. (perhaps with Ouim too!)