Chapter Summaries

Renato learned that the sea elves planned to attack White Harbor and sacrifice its inhabitants to activate the Key of the Two-Breathers. He kept the key rather than handing it to Selina and headed to the Governor's Mansion, suspecting a large sea elf settlement was preparing to strike.

• Renato left Selina asleep at High Tide and set out for the Governor's Mansion.
• Renato connected the sea elves' magic circles and the Key of the Two-Breathers to a plan to slaughter White Harbor's nearly ten thousand inhabitants.
• Renato decided not to give the key to Selina because it could shift the island's balance of power and put his own interests at risk.
• Renato concluded that a large, organized sea elf settlement nearby was preparing to attack White Harbor.

Renato warned Governor De Sousa that strange magic circles across the islands might signal a sea elf threat, but De Sousa dismissed his concerns and argued that sea elves could not attack White Harbor. The governor turned the conversation to preparations for an upcoming banquet.

• Governor De Sousa told Renato that he had ordered mages and harbor officers to deal with the strange magic circles.
• Renato warned that the circles might be connected to sea elves preparing a large-scale attack, but De Sousa dismissed the danger because the Mage Tower had detected no unusual magic.
• De Sousa explained that sea elves driven from the shallows would be unable to survive in the deep sea, where powerful monsters and hostile marine races threatened them.
• De Sousa boasted that White Harbor's defenses could withstand any attack and insisted that sea elves could not threaten the island.
• De Sousa ended the discussion and asked Renato about New Continent customs for the upcoming banquet.

Renato reviewed his investigation of the Sea Elf threat and prepared for a possible attack on White Harbor while waiting for Crooked Mouth’s coastal patrol report. Crooked Mouth arrived, but the chapter ended before he revealed what the patrol had found.

• Renato read the quest to uncover the crisis in White Harbor and considered its reward and risks.
• Renato learned that the Governor’s mages dismissed the Sea Elf magic circles and that harbor officers avoided conducting patrols.
• Renato gave Crooked Mouth authority to organize a small-boat patrol and inspect the nearby coast for hidden Sea Elf settlements.
• Renato kept the Key of the Two-Breathers from Selina and considered how it could disrupt or profit from the Sea Elves’ plans.
• Crooked Mouth arrived at Renato’s hut, and Renato asked him what the coastal patrol had discovered.

Renato reviewed the failed coastal search and concluded that key information about the Sea Elves was missing, so he turned to Shahualin as a possible source. He asked Selina to introduce him to her so they could find the shark-tooth-shaped key and uncover what the Sea Elves sought in the ruins.

• Renato reviewed the harbor inspectors’ thorough patrols, which found no signs of Sea Elves or unusual activity around White Harbor island.
• Renato reasoned that a large Sea Elf settlement could not easily survive or prepare for war in the deep sea without leaving evidence, and suspected he lacked crucial information.
• Renato decided that Shahualin’s unusual behavior and years living undercover in White Harbor might help him learn what the Sea Elves were planning.
• Selina suggested searching near the Governor’s Special District and recalled that Shahualin was perceptive, adaptable, and chosen as a captain by the tribe’s Priestess.
• Renato interrupted Selina’s repeated account and asked her to introduce him to Shahualin so he could question her directly.

Renato waited outside Shahualin’s tailor shop while questioning a local vendor about her reputation and watching for signs of her identity as a Sea Elf Spy. Shahualin opened the shop, leaving Renato poised to meet the woman her neighbors trusted and whom Selina had identified as a mastermind.

• Renato noticed that drinking the eleven bottles of magical liquor had improved his coordination and ability to divide his attention.
• Renato bought an ordinary shark-tooth necklace from the vendor and asked about fish-skin clothing and Shahualin’s work.
• The vendor described Shahualin as a skilled, generous neighbor who had lived in White Harbor for several years and ran her shop alone.
• Renato reflected that Shahualin’s kindness toward her neighbors concealed her plot to sacrifice the island’s humans, and considered how her public life could aid her secret work.
• Shahualin opened her tailor’s shop while the vendor recommended her services to Renato.

Renato visited Shahualin’s tailoring shop to investigate the Sea Elf spy and learn about her settlement. After he provoked Shahualin into an emotional outburst and stopped her from reaching a knife, Selina arrived at the shop.

• Renato entered Shahualin’s shop under the pretense of ordering a leather outfit and searched it with his Dragonkind Senses.
• Renato noticed digging tools that suggested Shahualin had used her tailoring shop as cover while creating secret tunnels through the Dock District.
• Renato mentioned the Sea Elf who had chased someone through the streets, and Shahualin reacted with anger and fear while denouncing the Sea Elves.
• Shahualin tried to force Renato out and reach a cutting knife, but Renato restrained her and pulled her away from it.
• Renato heard a commotion outside and told Shahualin that her companion had arrived so he could take her measurements.

Renato brought Selina and Shahualin together to learn about the Sea Elves’ search for the key, but Shahualin mistook Selina’s arrival as betrayal and nearly lost control. After Selina calmed her and explained Renato’s role, he asked the pair to explain the Sea Elf terms they had mentioned, beginning with “Hunting Band Baron.”

• Selina entered the shop and accused Shahualin of betraying the Hunting Guild, while Shahualin believed Selina had sided with Renato.
• Shahualin’s disguise magic broke as she spiraled into madness, revealing her Sea Elf appearance and prompting Renato to signal Selina to calm her.
• Selina explained that Renato was her trusted human hunter and had helped her train, which restored some of Shahualin’s clarity.
• Shahualin berated Selina for entrusting the key search to a human, while Selina insisted Renato had protected and strengthened her.
• Renato interrupted their argument and asked the Sea Elves to explain their terms, starting with “Hunting Band Baron.”

Renato questioned Shahualin about the shark-tooth key, the hidden Sea Elf city, and the island’s magic arrays, while suspecting that she was concealing their true purpose. Shahualin’s hunter persona faded during another bout of memory loss, leaving her confused when she found Renato in her shop.

• Shahualin explained that the Hunting Band’s strongest warrior was called a Hunting Band Baron and that the key was meant to open a hidden Sea Elf city stocked with supplies.
• Renato questioned Shahualin about the key and the magic arrays; she claimed the arrays charged the key, while he sensed that her explanation concealed the arrays’ deadly purpose.
• Shahualin answered Renato’s questions about Sea Elf customs and religion with detailed knowledge, deepening his uncertainty about her identity.
• Shahualin used a conch to cast Disguise Self and warned Renato to find the key within a month, then said her condition prevented her from guiding him.
• Shahualin’s hunter persona vanished, and she became confused when she saw Renato and another Sea Elf; Renato told her she had fainted.

Renato left Shahualin’s tailor shop with new suspicions about the Sea Elves’ plans and resolved to question Governor De Sousa at his banquet. He then challenged Selina to consider the danger and purpose of her mission, leaving her uncertain but aware that she had another path.

• Shahualin measured Selina for a leather outfit while acting like an ordinary seamstress, and Renato concluded that her seamstress persona could not provide further intelligence.
• Renato connected Shahualin’s clues about the Hunting Guild, the Sea Baron, the Key of the Two-Breathers, and a soul-charging ritual, and decided to investigate before war reached White Harbor.
• Renato planned to ask Governor De Sousa about the marine races at the banquet the following evening.
• Renato asked Selina whether her Hunting Band Baron punished failures and what she would gain by completing the charging ritual, but she remained silent.
• Renato told Selina that she had another path and urged her to weigh the consequences of her choices, while she followed him without making up her mind.

Renato attended Governor De Sousa’s banquet in White Harbor while investigating declining fish stocks and possible links between the Sea Elves’ ritual and the Dead Three worshippers. He learned that Selina was still weighing her choice, and the chapter ended as the Governor’s banquet was about to begin.

• Selina remained withdrawn at the High Tide inn, and Renato gave her time to decide whether to return to the sea.
• Renato gathered reports from Barnaby and Pye about dwindling fish and missing fishing boats, then dressed for the Governor’s banquet.
• Renato arrived at the Governor’s Mansion, where guests recognized him as the feared Black Blade.
• Renato greeted Captain De Leon and heard that Paladin Lectus was healing and helping people in the Dock District.
• De Leon asked about the rumors that Renato had killed a Necromancy Mage, but Renato withheld what he knew and asked about Andreia.
• The mansion doors opened, and an attendant announced Governor Alvaro de Sousa as the banquet’s host.

Renato attended Governor De Sousa’s lavish banquet to deliver information and ask about texts concerning ocean races, but the governor was delayed by trade discussions. As an extravagant roasted swordfish was presented, Alvaro de Sousa finally arrived.

• Renato sampled the banquet’s food and drinks while Captain De Leon searched for investors for his Fountain of Youth expedition.
• Renato asked Gaska where Governor De Sousa was, and Gaska explained that he was discussing trade cooperation with a Merchants’ Guild director.
• Servants presented a lavishly roasted Crown Swordfish, and Gaska described how it had been prepared and stuffed.
• Governor Alvaro de Sousa descended the staircase with four armed attendants, and a servant announced his arrival.

At a banquet, Governor De Sousa rebuked Captain De Leon’s appeal to fund a search for the fountain of youth and defended his faith in Talos with remarks that appeared to criticize King Severino. Renato then updated De Sousa on the suspected underwater threat and asked for books about marine races, so De Sousa offered to introduce him to a knowledgeable Merchants’ Guild director.

• Governor De Sousa ate an enormous meal while Captain De Leon asked him to fund an expedition to find the fountain of youth.
• De Sousa dismissed De Leon’s proposal, and De Leon accused him of disrespecting King Severino.
• De Sousa invoked Talos’s teachings and declared that he would accept the god’s judgment and step aside when called, leaving the guests stunned by the apparent criticism of the King.
• Renato told De Sousa that sea elves might not be preparing to attack White Harbor, and De Sousa said he had ordered the Guard to reinforce the docks.
• Renato asked to borrow books about marine races, and De Sousa explained that White Harbor had no library before offering to introduce him to a knowledgeable Merchants’ Guild director.

Governor De Sousa introduced Renato to Amicali, a young but formidable swordswoman who directed shipping and export credit for the Turin Trading Company. Amicali recognized Renato for killing pirates, and the two exchanged greetings after sizing each other up.

• De Sousa led Renato to the fourth floor of the Governor’s Mansion and described the trading company director’s influence.
• De Sousa introduced Amicali, whose armor and weapons revealed her experience as a swordswoman.
• Amicali recognized Renato Black Blade as the man famous for killing evil pirates in White Harbor.
• Amicali introduced herself as a director of the Turin Trading Company and shook Renato’s hand.

Renato met Amicali, a renowned swordswoman and trading company director, to discuss the cultures of the ocean races. After she demonstrated deep knowledge of sea elf beliefs, Renato asked about a Hunting Guild, prompting Amicali to question his interest in the sea elves.

• Governor De Sousa introduced Renato and Amicali, then left them alone to talk.
• Amicali praised Renato’s swordsmanship, and they exchanged pleasantries before Renato steered the conversation toward ocean-race cultures.
• Renato tested Amicali’s knowledge by asking about Deep Sea Sashela, and she explained sea elf beliefs and customs in detail.
• Renato asked about a Hunting Guild, and Amicali reacted with uncertainty, saying such an organization did not seem to fit the sea elves’ way of life.
• Amicali asked Renato why he was interested in the sea elves and how they had come to his attention.

Renato questioned Amicali about the marine hunting bands and concealed his reasons for asking. Amicali identified the title “Hunting Band Baron” as one used by sahuagin tribal chieftains.

• Renato suspected Amicali was probing him and claimed his interest in sea elves came from his sea elf attendant.
• Amicali explained that marine races commonly fished for food but had little reason to gather in large hunting parties.
• Renato asked Amicali which underwater race might organize hunting bands.
• Amicali said the title “Hunting Band Baron” was associated with sea devils, or sahuagin.

After a two-day storm, Renato and Selina resumed searching the Dock District for the shark-tooth-shaped Key of the Two-Breathers. They heard armored strangers in the abandoned courtyard where they had found a magic circle, and Renato prepared Selina for a fight.

• After the rain stopped, Renato and Selina set out to continue searching for the Key of the Two-Breathers.
• Renato caught Selina when she stumbled in a murky pool and reflected on her unexplained identity and the clues linking her to the Merfolk.
• Renato heard at least three armored strangers moving near the abandoned courtyard where he and Selina had found engraved array patterns.
• The strangers stopped when Renato and Selina did, and Renato quietly told Selina to get ready for a fight.

Renato accompanied Selina as she searched for the Key of the Two-Breathers, which he had already hidden in Klauthsura's Ring. When armed figures in an abandoned courtyard detected him, Renato prepared to fight, but a familiar female voice invited him to talk.

• Selina searched sites Shahualin had often visited, suspecting the key might have been lost before the chase.
• Renato wondered why Shahualin had made no effort to recover the key and considered whether she had another way to locate it.
• Renato heard armed figures in the abandoned courtyard and suspected the underwater spies had discovered he carried the key.
• Renato kept the armed figures and Selina in view, gripped his sword, and reached for a bottle of Oil of Speed.
• A familiar woman in the courtyard called for Renato to show himself and suggested they talk before resorting to violence.

Renato encountered Amicali and her guards at the abandoned courtyard where he had found a mysterious magic circle. Amicali explained that Governor De Sousa had separately hired her to identify the island’s unknown magic circles, leaving the two investigators’ responsibilities in conflict.

• Renato recognized Amicali in the courtyard and cautiously checked for an ambush while her two guards watched him.
• After confirming there were no hidden enemies or signs of blood, Renato lowered his sword and asked Amicali why she had come.
• Amicali signaled her guards to lower their weapons and said Governor De Sousa had hired her to identify the magic circles scattered across the island.
• Amicali apologized for taking on the commission without knowing De Sousa had already assigned the matter to Renato.

Renato suspected that Amicali had come to White Harbor with a hidden interest in him, though he could not tell whether she was investigating him or the mysterious array patterns. When she deliberately revealed knowledge beyond the island mages’ understanding and watched his reaction, she exposed that they shared secrets and proposed cooperation.

• Renato reasoned that Amicali had likely learned of his inquiries through conversations with Governor De Sousa and had knowingly accepted a commission already given to him.
• While exchanging pleasantries with Amicali, Renato sensed unusual fear and hostility from her two company guards and concluded she might have come specifically to meet him.
• Amicali redirected their conversation to the mysterious array patterns in the abandoned courtyard and asked Renato what he thought of their creator.
• Amicali derided the island mages for failing to understand knowledge beyond their usual frameworks, and Renato realized she was testing his reaction to see what he knew.
• Amicali acknowledged that she and Renato shared secrets, dismissed her guards outside, and invited Renato to discuss cooperation as equals.

Renato met Amicali inside the ruined house to discuss the ancient charging circle, while both concealed their knowledge and intentions. As Amicali offered him a generous reward for his findings, Renato recalled the Turin Trading Company's connection to the pirate ship Pickle Barrel.

• Renato left Selina outside with the guards and entered the ruined house with Amicali.
• Amicali cast a spell that silenced the house and questioned Renato about the circle, similar patterns on the island, and the ritual's progress.
• Renato realized Amicali knew about the ritual's deadline and considered whether the Turin Trading Company was involved with the underwater races.
• Renato insisted that they exchange information voluntarily and on equal terms, then recalled that the Turin Trading Company had provided cover for the Pickle Barrel.
• Amicali offered Renato a generous reward if he told her everything he had learned about the magic circles.