The ship docked at the Mistside Cross, the former Thessalian section of Da-Rin, and I went in search of answers. Za’lynn accompanied me to assist with both his knowledge and imposing visage. I was lucky enough to find a priest of Athena at the universal temple who offered us use of the library there. Sadly, the place is mostly in disarray. Lydros, the Priest of Athena, after hearing what I was looking for, suggested that I might want to speak with Ellenmore the Old, the owner of a nearby sage shop. 

After making what we could of the information in the ruined library, I was able to ascertain that nothing of what we had encountered so far was in the pre-Arkyn texts. Though there was nothing directly on the conch, I did find a few entries that begin to make me wonder if the elemental nature of the conch is somehow linked with the Titans. This will take further investigation.

As Za’lynn and I searched through documents, Jade, Tyanna, and Zeno went in search of a drink. Arestes, the bartender at The Voiceless Fish, was full of information about the horrible things we’d seen on the ship. The deep ones, it seems, are a new problem in the last 10 years. It is assumed that they are some byproduct of the island explosion. 

The creatures do not seem to get along with sahaugin or lizard folk. They are often seen with sea spawn, the creatures that appear as drowned men with the sea beginning to claim their form. They maraud and raid, never straying far from the water as drying out seems to cause them to wither and desecate. Their tactics are not complex, simple shock and awe.  

Arestes also offered more general understanding of the area. The Old Fashioned Blossom is a higher class tavern, and if you plan to do anything illicit there one should either keep it secret or be very upfront about it. It is the haunt of The Requiem of Nobles, a very intense gang. They focus on obtaining wealth from the ruins of the nobility. 

That night, we attended the Beggar’s Feast at the church. It’s held once a week, everyone bringing what they can so all can share. It was a lovely time, with everyone eating and socializing. An old timer there told us that the sea creatures mostly appear at night, mostly. When they do, a song echoes from the ocean. It’s been a couple of weeks since their last appearance.

After the feast broke up, Jade walked over to meet the severe looking dwarven woman who stood at the edge of things. Casta turned out to be a member of The Requiem of Nobles. She wore her copper hair in a loose braid, fine vest over her leather armor, boots polished with jewelry worn in plain sight. She offered some professional courtesies and a job. 

A warlock lives in a manor house in some disputed territory in the NNW section. We can be paid for our time and turn over the loot rights, or we can arrange for a share of what is found.

The next morning, with plans to head out toward the pirate cove, we stopped by the Sage’s place to get a read on the conch. He promised to look further into things (both sea creatures and conch) and let us know if he found anything. Currently, he could only offer that it would surely open only a small portal, like a window, and was therefore likely designed for a specific location and/or reason.