Members of the Adventuring Guild gathered in a busy dockside tavern to investigate the disappearance of the merchant ship Jade Lion. Sailors packed nearly every table, speaking in hushed voices between nervous glances toward the harbor. Rumors drifted through the room like smoke. Some spoke of living waves. Others swore enormous serpents had been spotted offshore. A few insisted the sea itself had become angry. The stories sounded increasingly outrageous with every retelling.