From the fragmented account of the Sea Elf named Selena Darktide, Renato gradually pieced together what had happened.
Andreia's guess seemed to have hit the mark by chance. As a Sea Elf born and raised in her village, Selina really could not speak Common.
According to Selena, she had always lived in the Elf Settlement built within the Seaweed Grove. Far from human shipping routes, it was surrounded by seawater and reefs, and she had almost never had contact with people from the land.
But the islanders had completely monopolized the coastal fishing grounds, and harsh weather had made matters worse, leaving the village desperately short of food.
Humans had utterly devastated the once-abundant shellfish farms with fishing nets and drag hooks, while abnormal sea temperatures had caused vast stretches of their seagrass fields to wither.
She had been forced to join a hunting party bound for more distant fishing grounds, hoping to catch enough food to bring back and feed the elders and children of her people.
Unfortunately, on their way to the new fishing grounds, the Sea Elves had run straight into a Sahuagin Raiding Party rising from the depths.
Those blue-green monsters had poured out of a dark trench, vastly outnumbering the Sea Elf hunting party, and swarmed in from every direction beneath the water like a tide.
Hopelessly outnumbered, the Sea Elves had been routed within minutes. The hunters' spears and harpoons could not pierce bodies covered in hard scales, while the Sahuagin's savage charges easily tore apart the Sea Elves' already fragile lines.
During her escape, the dolphin Selina rode had been unable to shake off the pursuing sharks. She had soon been captured, paralyzed with venomous fish spines, and kept as "provisions" for the long march.
For half a month, Selina had watched helplessly