Chapter Summaries

Renato questioned Andreia about the unconscious Sea Elf and learned that Sea Elves and islanders clashed over fishing grounds, with generations of hostility between them. Andreia said she felt no such hatred because she was a Marian descended from conquerors, not a fishing family.

• Renato kept Andreia in his cabin and asked her about Sea Elves.
• Andreia explained that Sea Elves lived in shallow-water settlements and suggested the unconscious Elf might have been abandoned after the Sahuagin attack.
• Andreia said islanders and Sea Elves competed for fishing grounds, and old stories of Sea Elf attacks had fueled generations of hostility.
• Renato asked why Andreia did not share the islanders’ hatred, and she declared that she was a Marian from Marispan descended from conquerors.

After the Sahuagin raid, the Hispaniola’s crew discovered that the rescued Sea Elf had awakened but refused to speak. Renato used Elvish to make her answer, and the chapter ended as he began questioning Selena Darktide.

• The Hispaniola’s crew found the Sea Elf awake in the lower hold, but she ignored their questions and resisted Lectus’s Zone of Truth.
• The second mate suggested throwing her overboard, while Barnaby urged selling her; Lectus argued that rescuing her was required by law and that selling slaves could bring trouble from the Harpers.
• Andreia suggested the Sea Elf might not understand Common, and Renato agreed to speak with her in Elvish.
• Renato confronted the frightened Sea Elf and asked her name; after preparing a magical attack, she relaxed and introduced herself as Selena Darktide.
• Renato told Selena that cooperation was her only way to survive and began asking her questions.

Renato pieced together how Selina had been captured by the Sahuagin after her village’s food crisis forced her to join a hunting party. When Captain De Leon prepared to put her fate to a vote, Selina asked Renato to take her to White Harbor, and he declared that he would deliver her there safely.

• Selina told Renato that humans’ fishing practices and harsh sea temperatures had left her Sea Elf village short of food.
• Selina recounted how a Sahuagin Raiding Party overwhelmed her hunting party and kept her captive as provisions for half a month.
• Captain De Leon proposed a vote on whether to leave Selina behind.
• Selina asked Renato to take her to the islands where ships dock, hoping to find Sea Elves who could help her return home.
• After seeing a quest in the [Adventurer's Guide], Renato stopped the vote and announced that he would take Selina safely to White Harbor.

Renato accepted the [Quest] to escort Selena Darktide to 'White Harbor' and began helping her prepare for the journey. After recognizing that Selena was more capable and secretive than she pretended, he gave her food and clothes and told her to stay near him aboard the ship.

• Captain De Leon handed Selena over to Renato and dismissed the crew from the lower hold.
• Renato suspected Selena had concealed her combat ability and knowledge of Common, but decided not to question her motives.
• Renato threw Selena an Energy Bar, and she caught and quickly ate it.
• Selena said she would pay Renato once they reached their destination, and he gave her another Energy Bar anyway.
• Renato told Selena to stand and present herself like a warrior, then gave her leather clothes and explained she should stay near him and ask before taking anything.

As the Hispaniola neared White Harbor, Renato spoke with Selina and reconsidered his assumptions about her background after noticing signs of long-term isolation. A lookout then spotted land, and Renato prepared to return ashore after more than ten days at sea.

• The sailors grew restless as the Hispaniola approached White Harbor, while Barnaby remained locked belowdecks and continued promoting the slave trade to Renato.
• Renato asked Selina how she had adjusted to traveling aboard the ship, and she explained that sea creatures could easily outpace it.
• Renato reflected on Selina’s stiff manner and changing speech, suspecting her settlement might have isolated her for a long time.
• A lookout shouted that White Harbor was visible off the port bow, and sailors rushed to the bow to celebrate.
• Captain De Leon took out his spyglass, and Renato joined him on the poop deck to look toward the distant land.

Captain De Leon confronted the armed White Harbor sailors who had mutinied and promised to let them return to land. He ordered them to leave the Hispaniola in the rowboat, while Renato watched to see whether De Leon would keep his word or seek revenge.

• The first and second mates blocked the gun deck passage as six armed White Harbor sailors threatened them, while Andreia took aim with her musket.
• Renato noticed that the paladin Lectus was absent as the Hispaniola drifted toward White Harbor and the standoff intensified.
• Captain De Leon appeared on the poop deck and ordered the sailors to put down their weapons.
• De Leon denounced the sailors for their crimes but said he would honor his promise to let them reach land safely.
• De Leon ordered the White Harbor sailors to take the rowboat and leave before he changed his mind.

The Hispaniola arrived in White Harbor, where Renato learned about the port and Andreia complained about the town and its reluctance to join the expedition. Captain De Leon thanked Renato for saving the ship, gave him a royal pistol, and promised his support as the crew prepared to repair the vessel.

• The Hispaniola passed beneath Gallows Bridge and was towed to a berth in White Harbor.
• Andreia told Renato that the harbor was lawless and that the Hispaniola had spent over three months recruiting sailors for its expedition.
• De Leon thanked Renato for saving the Hispaniola, and Renato declined a reward while considering the captain’s financial troubles.
• De Leon described clues to the Fountain of Youth on an unrecorded island in the Storm Sea and offered Renato a place aboard the ship.
• De Leon gave Renato his royal wheellock pistol and promised to help him if he encountered trouble in White Harbor.

After Barnaby was taken into custody, Renato watched him leave with suspicious confidence and questioned the nature of White Harbor’s law and order. Selina rewarded Renato for bringing her to the island, then set off alone into its poorer district, leaving him to suspect she would soon need his help again.

• Governor’s guards questioned De Leon, learned about Barnaby’s mutiny, and escorted the pirate chief away in shackles.
• Barnaby confidently told Renato he could show him around White Harbor, leading Renato to suspect the pirate had connections with the Governor’s officials.
• Selina gave Renato a large pearl from her spatial shell to honor their agreement, and he stored it in his Space Ring as nearby officials watched greedily.
• Renato asked Selina where she planned to go, but she said she had plans of her own and did not need his help.
• Selina jumped from the ship to the dock and disappeared into a district of rotting wooden houses, while Renato wondered whether she could complete her quest without trouble.

Renato arrived at White Harbor and crossed the filthy, lawless Dock District, where sailors’ stories about his encounter with a Sea Devil had already made him a subject of awe and curiosity. As he searched for directions to the Governor’s Special District, a man approached and invited him to join the Ironhook Gang.

• Renato disembarked from the Hispaniola, declined Captain De Leon’s invitation to stay aboard, and headed into White Harbor.
• Renato learned that Ironhook Town’s Dock District was crowded and neglected, while the Governor’s Special District held the island’s main businesses and seat of authority.
• Dockworkers and peddlers kept their distance from Renato and whispered about his black armor, greatsword, and rumored encounter with a Sea Devil.
• Renato tried to read the signs to find the Governor’s Special District but could not decipher them.
• A tattooed burly man approached Renato and offered him a place in the Ironhook Gang, led by “Ironhook” Pye.

Renato followed Massimo through White Harbor’s gang-controlled dock district to meet Pye, the Ironhook Gang’s boss, after suspecting the gang wanted to hire him for a dangerous job. At the Drowned Man bar, Renato ignored the gangsters’ rumors about the “Sea Devil Butcher” and insisted on getting straight to Pye and discussing payment.

• Renato accepted Massimo’s invitation to meet Pye and followed him through the dock district.
• Massimo described how the Ironhook Gang had united White Harbor’s rival gangs and taken control of the neighborhood.
• Renato inferred that Pye wanted to use an unfamiliar Adventurer to handle work the gang boss could not do himself.
• Massimo brought Renato to the Drowned Man bar, where gang enforcers recognized him from rumors about the Hispaniola.
• Renato told Massimo to take him to Pye and said he would clear obstacles if the pay was right.

Renato entered the Drowned Man tavern and met Pye, the Iron Hook Gang’s leader, offering his sword in exchange for satisfactory payment. The chapter left Pye with the chance to state what work he needed done.

• Renato entered the Drowned Man and spotted wanted posters that triggered quests in his Guide interface.
• The tavern’s patrons fell silent and watched Renato, the armored swordsman carrying a massive black sword.
• Massimo brought Renato to the bar and introduced him to Pye, then accepted five silver coins and left.
• Pye introduced himself as the tavern owner and leader of the Iron Hook Gang.
• Renato introduced himself as “Black Blade” and offered to strike down Pye’s enemies for satisfactory payment.

Renato met with Pye, the Ironhook Gang’s leader, to discuss a dangerous job and learned why local dealings relied on personal ties and reputation. Pye judged Renato capable enough to continue the conversation and led him upstairs, asking whether he had heard of the Tidal Eight Nobles.

• Pye questioned Renato about his origins and proposed getting acquainted before discussing cooperation, explaining that he wanted to assess Renato’s strength.
• Pye offered Renato a glass of local wine, but Renato refused it and told Pye to test him through a spar instead of using tricks.
• Pye explained that people in the Sea of a Thousand Islands relied on personal ties because the law and contracts offered little protection at sea.
• Renato asked why Pye had sought out an unfamiliar foreigner, and Pye admitted the job was too dangerous for locals who would accept the low pay.
• Pye decided Renato seemed promising, sent the messenger to take over the bar, and led Renato upstairs while asking if he knew of the Tidal Eight Nobles.

Renato learned from Pye how the Tidal Eight Nobles became the feared pirate lords of the Sea of Archipelagos. Pye revealed that his target was connected to Aldrick, the Flaying Grand Duke, one of the Two Dukes.

• Renato asked Pye whether his targets were pirates, and Pye explained that the Tidal Eight Nobles ruled the waters around the Thousand Islands.
• Pye explained that the title originated with Marispan’s failed policy of granting pirate captains privateering licenses and noble titles to fight other pirates.
• Pye said that the Eight Nobles included Kraken Gap, the Drowned Prince, and seven pirate lords whose ranks changed over time, with two known as the Two Dukes.
• Pye had his enforcers close the door and revealed that his target was connected to Aldrick, the Flaying Grand Duke, Chosen One of the God of Murder.
• Pye said Aldrick’s flagship was the Blood Drowning, formerly the ship of Danakos, the Tide of Skulls.

Renato learned that Myles, a boatswain who deserted the Blood Drowning, was fighting the Ironhook Gang in White Harbor, and agreed to kill him for Pye. As Renato headed toward the Governor’s Special District after planning an ambush, he caught the scent of blood near a pile of crates.

• Pye clarified that Myles, not the Flaying Grand Duke Aldrick, was his target and explained that Myles had killed Ironhook Gang members.
• Renato reviewed the quest details and understood that Myles’s presence was weakening Pye’s authority over the Dock District.
• After Renato demonstrated his strength, Pye hired him to kill Myles, paid him five gold coins, and arranged a meeting for the next morning.
• Pye planned to lure Myles to the Drowned Man tavern under the pretense of negotiations so Renato could attack from hiding.
• Renato declined Pye’s offer of lodging and walked toward High Tide, but the smell of blood stopped him near a stack of crates.

Renato followed the smell of fresh blood through the Dock District and found a gruesome trail of bodies in a narrow alley. He discovered that the killer was the Sea Elf Selina, but her presence and actions remained unexplained.

• Renato smelled fresh blood near the route to the Governor's Special District and went to investigate rather than risk getting lost in the Dock District.
• He found a mutilated corpse at the alley entrance and identified the dead man as a fisherman or sailor.
• Renato followed the blood and scattered body parts deeper into the alley, where he sensed that the killer was still nearby.
• He approached a blood-covered figure holding a damaged chopping sword and recognized her as the Sea Elf Selina.

Renato confronted Selina after she killed the people who had lured her into an alley, and she admitted that her plan had failed. She asked him to guide her through White Harbor to find her kin and help her awaken their forgotten duty.

• Selina explained that White Harbor residents had offered to guide her but instead tried to rob her and hunt her for her flesh.
• Renato assessed Selina's calm demeanor and fighting ability, then told her he knew she could speak Common.
• Renato proposed an open and honest talk and said he did not care what she was trying to do, as long as she hired him.
• Selina discarded her chipped cleaver, checked the contents of a shell, and asked Renato to guide her to her kin in White Harbor for the same payment as before.
• The quest description revealed that Selina's kin were scattered throughout White Harbor and that she intended to awaken their long-forgotten duty.

Renato accepted Selina’s commission to find her people in White Harbor and decided to help her adapt to life there. After Selina washed away the blood with magic, he took charge of keeping her safe and explained the rules she needed to follow.

• Renato reflected on the Sea of a Thousand Islands’ religious landscape and planned to deal with Boatswain Myles before asking Pye about sea elves in White Harbor.
• Renato noticed Selina was covered in blood and offered to take her somewhere to wash before the guards saw her.
• Selina used magic to summon a small rainstorm that washed the blood and gore from her body, startling nearby residents.
• Renato told Selina he had accepted her commission and would help find her people in White Harbor.
• Renato instructed Selina to follow his directions, avoid killing anyone or damaging property without permission, and ask before acting when she encountered something unfamiliar.

Renato and Selina reached White Harbor’s Governor’s Special District and checked into the High Tide inn, where staff mistook Selina for his slave. After the inn’s guards initially treated Renato as a potential threat, they recognized his status and arranged a complimentary dinner, leaving him with a suite for the night.

• Renato and Selina entered the Governor’s Special District, where a guard captain recommended the High Tide inn and warned Renato that slaves often escaped.
• Renato continued down the district’s main street with Selina and entered the High Tide inn, driving off approaching pimps on the way.
• Four mercenaries in the lobby surrounded Renato warily, then relaxed after learning he was a New Continent noble staying on Captain De Leon’s recommendation.
• Renato booked Suite 003 for a month at six gold coins, and the receptionist apologized and offered him a complimentary White Harbor dinner.

Renato inspected his luxurious suite at the High Tide inn in White Harbor and introduced Selina to unfamiliar human furnishings. A lavish seafood dinner arrived, while Selina prepared to sleep on the sofa and Renato planned to rest in the inner room.

• Renato explored the suite and compared its hand-filled bathtub with the magical plumbing at the Nightwind Family residence.
• Selina cautiously touched and tested the leather sofa, and Renato explained that materials behaved differently in dry air.
• Renato told Selina she would sleep on the sofa, and she thanked him for rescuing her and promised another pearl after their task was complete.
• A server brought Renato and Selina a meal of White Harbor specialties, including roasted eel, crayfish, and smoked meat.

After a lavish dinner at the High Tide inn, Renato reflected on his growth and the dangers still ahead. He set goals to gain experience, study and train in the Sea of Archipelagos, and restore the Hellforged Multiverse Wanderer as he pursued the power to return to Earth.

• Renato and Selina ate enormous meals at the High Tide inn, and Renato realized his appetite had increased since acquiring Aberrant Reconstruction.
• That night, Renato listened to Selina breathing in the inner room and went onto the balcony to contemplate his journey through the Underdark.
• Renato felt proud of how far he had come, then reminded himself that his strength remained far below the legendary power needed to travel the Astral Plane safely.
• Renato resolved to complete the Guide's Quests, learn about the local world, and improve his combat skills.
• Renato added restoring the Hellforged Multiverse Wanderer and discovering its locked functions to his plans.