Tidal Shadow

In the glorious past, the pure white ironclad flagship "Sponsian" was the pride of Fontaine's Navy. In that age, the metal-armored warships armed with heavy cannons and sturdy prows for ramming were the darlings of the Court of Fontaine. In the age of the splendor of the opera house, none in the audience failed to give the white armada a standing ovation when it swept the golem legion aside. Before her retirement, the proud Admiral Basil Elton could always be seen upon the Sponsian's bridge. Elton's First Mate, Nathaniel Pickman, lost his place in the end, and spent the rest of his days trapped by a false heroic reputation. At this time, the Navy had been completely disbanded due to the armada ceasing to exist forevermore. The once renowned Minister of the Navy had resigned with honors. Pickman busied himself for many years attempting to persuade the Court of Fontaine to salvage and rebuild the "Sponsian." But his efforts were in vain, and the families of the fallen believed his efforts to rebuild the Fontainian Navy were little more than an attempt to fish for more glory... In the end, the only thing remaining besides falsehoods and legends was this blue and white epee that once belonged to the Admiral. "The 'Sponsian'? Awful name. What were you thinking, Pickman?" "The name of a usurper? Why, he and his dynasty may never have even existed—" "Anyway... I was just thinking aloud, y'know, and it just slipped out. Apologies, Captain." "Relax, Pickman. You know what? Let's just call it that." "That sense of unreal reality, I don't hate it." Many legends regarding the "Sponsian" and "White Armada" remained popular for some time after the destruction of the splendorous opera house, And they were staged at the newly-rebuilt opera house on Erinnyes to great success, until an accident put paid to such performances. Of them, the most memorable performance is the final battle of the armada: A heroic battle with a formidable barrage performed by ten battleship cannons onstage, With the details having been reconstructed from the records of Basil Elton's First Mate. Perhaps Pickman did not think that absurd action worth writing down, just as he never once discussed it, Or perhaps the writers removed that detail from the script, feeling that it detracted from the intended epic tragedy, But Basil Elton boarded the flagship once more after several years away, and muttered to Pickman and the other sailors: "Looks like this time we can finally open fire on our enemies." It was only after that she smiled and called out, as performed in the opera house: "Well now, boys and girls! Can't do without me, I see! But if you wanna get nostalgic over tea, it'll have to wait!" "First, let's send that oversized punk who doesn't know what's what back down to the bottom of the waterfall!"