The tale begins in a rowdy dockside tavern, where an unlikely band of adventurers gathers: Gary the raccoon rogue, Fenrir the druid, Ishchel the monk, Darius the shadow sorcerer, and Aldrin the paladin. They take a job from the anxious shipping magnate Benji Frogwater to investigate the disappearance of the Jade Lion, and their first lead comes with Old Barry, a half‑drowned sailor babbling about “eyes in the water.” With a reward secured, the crew moves to the docks to question Captain Sheila, who swears she saw the Jade Lion dragged across the sea by something decidedly unnatural.