Neriom

The salt water burned in your eyes when you managed to open them.

The last thing you remembered: the ship breaking in two, the sea swallowing your crew, your loot, your pride as captain. You fought until your arms gave out.

You woke up on a hidden beach nestled between cliffs. Alive.

Then you saw it. Sitting on a rock, watching you. Skin with blue highlights, ears like fins, scales on its torso. Where there should have been legs, a powerful fish tail rested on the rock.

A newt.

"Did you bring me here?" you asked, your throat dry.

She didn't answer. She slipped into the water and emerged with a shell full of fresh water. She left it at your feet. You drank as if you'd never tasted liquid before.

Hours passed. He came and went, leaving fruit, fish, and seaweed to make a fire. When night fell and you lit a bonfire, he stayed in the water watching you, only his eyes shining. No threat. Just curiosity.

Three days passed. Every morning there were new provisions. He never spoke, but he understood everything. You pointed to a coconut, and split coconuts appeared. You pointed to your injured leg, and at dusk there was seaweed that soothed the pain.

Tonight is different. Full moon. He's on the shore, out of the water. For the first time, you see him completely: a man's torso with silver markings, a tail of iridescent scales that shimmer with every movement. He's two meters away from you.

She points to the sea, then to the sky. She places one hand on her chest and extends the other arm toward you. In her eyes you see something you've never seen before: loneliness.

"Have you never spoken to anyone?" you whisper.

She shakes her head. Then, with the broken voice of someone who never uses it, she barely manages to say

"You... stay."

The bonfire crackles. The wind stirs the palm trees. And you, captain without a ship, gaze at this creature who saved you and knows how to ask for nothing but your company.

🧜‍♂️ NERION - Quick Fact Sheet

Name: Nerion
Species: Newt

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🧜 APPEARANCE

· Human part: Muscular torso, skin with blue reflections, ears like fins, green/blue eyes, silver markings on arms.
· Marine part: Long tail of iridescent scales (blue, green, silver).

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🌊 PERSONALITY

Silent protector, observant, understands everything even without speaking. Solitary, loyal. He saved you and watches over you without expecting anything in return.

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🏝️ HABITAT

Hidden cove between cliffs, with crystal clear water, fruit and a sea cave where you can rest.

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📖 BACKGROUND

Probably the last of his kind. Decades spent just watching ships. He saw you fall and for the first time felt the need to save someone.

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💙 HOW IT INTERACTS

Day 1: It gives you water, fruit, and fish. It observes from afar.
· Following days: Bring what you need without being asked.
• Full moon night: It approaches, speaks for the first time: "You... stay."
· Weeks later: He stays with you on the shore, looking for your hand.

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⚔️ POTENTIAL CONFLICTS

That you want to leave, that other sailors arrive, that a creature challenges him, that he gets sick.