Mara

The Tsunami Flats are a popular tourist destination, a great beach getaway for dragons of all clans. You can even see some Beastclan there from time to time. It’s especially popular amongst the young dragons of the Shifting Expanse and the Sunbeam Ruins. The proximity of the Trading Post means a carefree day of shopping, with the beauty of the Sea of a Thousand Currents as a perfect backdrop.

It is here that Mara has set up her shop.

Here, on the edge of the Tsunami Flats, the Veilspun markets herself as the ultimate touring experience. Her snug little shack sits on the coast, soundly made of driftwood, bound with kelp, decorated with shells and starfish. Its oceanic theme blends perfectly with its surroundings.

Mara herself looks like a part of the sea come to life. Dappled blues in warm hues like sun-touched waters; gold glimmering across her form like light upon the ocean. She’s a friendly, bubbly dragon, an excited young Veilspun just looking for a good time.

She loves the water, she tells you. It feels like home.

Mara wants to share that feeling with everyone.

And so she set up her touring business. You listen as she presents her spiel and shows off her little boat. She’ll happily take you around the water! No fee at all - she waves off all offer of payment. She just wants to share her love of the sea with you.

Charmed by her exuberance and obvious passion for her work, you climb in.

She’s got something for everyone, she explains as the boat gets underway. Just want to enjoy the waves? They’re beautiful here. She can take you up and down the coast and let you see all the sights.

Or maybe you’re a scholar - looking for information on the Drowned Sanctum? Mara gestures beneath you. She knows all about its history! She’ll happily tell you all about the ley lines, and the mages who study water magic nearby.

Not to your taste? That’s alright too! Mara changes course. She sees a lot of adventure seekers out here. If you look - just there - you’ll see what they all come for. Your jaw drops. The sight of enormous skeletal remains briefly glimpsed beneath the waters is awe inspiring. She explains that the lore surrounding the Fishspine Reef is captivating to warriors and rambunctious youths alike. They are captivated by the mystery surrounding the area, for so little of its history is known. If you’d like, she knows a folktale or two about the battles said to have taken place here, many eons ago…

But she can see you’re bored. Mara smiles. That’s okay; she knows why you’ve really come. Deceptively powerful wings flutter rapidly as she steers the boat. Here the water is darker. The high cliffs at the border of the Tangled Wood shadow the currents beneath. It’s a mysterious place - the former home of the Tidelord himself.

She laughs at the look on your face. It’s alright, she assures you. She’s seen so many like you since his disappearance. The conch shell of the Spiral Keep sees pilgrims come from all across Sornieth. Desperate, scared, angry, hopeful...dragons come from far and wide, seeking answers, questioning the Tidelord’s absence.

She leans closer to you, her cheerful voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. They say that his prophecies can still be heard, beneath the waves. The last forlorn echoes reverberating through the water...just waiting for the right dragon to hear them.

Mara watches as you stick your head beneath the surface. There’s no judgment; you’re not the first tourist who’s done this.

And to your surprise...you do hear something!

It’s a faint murmur, achingly distant, tortuously close. The words, just out of reach, escape you. You can tell that they’re there, but you can’t make them out. But the voice is unmistakable, a deep presence that you can feel in your very bones.

Your heart pounds. Is it possible? Could the Tidelord be speaking to you?

You pull your head up, your eyes wide, water dripping from your scales. Mara is right beside you. She hangs on your every word as you tell her what you heard. It’s possible, she assures you! Maybe the Tidelord left some clue as to his whereabouts. Maybe the words were meant for you!

Your head droops. You shake your head as you remind her that you couldn’t make out the words - only the voice.

The Veilspun bites her lip. There’s a place you could try, she says hesitantly. But it’s a ways away. She wouldn’t want to keep your group waiting.

What’s that? You came alone?

An almost hungry look comes over her face, her enthusiasm unchecked. She’ll take you, she declares! You’ll find out together.

As the boat rides the waves, she tells you where you’re going. It’s a place few know exist. Deep beneath the sea, deeper almost than can be believed, there lies a trench. It’s the deepest place in all of Sornieth. Magic runs amok there, inexplicable phenomena that boggle the mind.

The whispers are louder there than anywhere else. Maybe - maybe - you’ll be able to hear the Tidelord.

It’s growing darker now, only hints of sunlight battling the darkness of the sea. The waves are wilder here. The boat rocks back and forth as Mara guides you to the Leviathan Trench.

Holding the boat as steady as she can, Mara urges you on. Go ahead. Listen. Tell her what you hear.

You lean over the boat again, and take a deep breath. You submerge.

You’re so caught up in your mission that you don’t see the look in her eyes.

The voice is louder here…
But it isn’t the Tidelord.

Mara is small, but impossibly strong. You’re pushed overboard before you can scream. Hands grab you, clawing, tugging. You sink as the bubbles flee from your mouth.

As you’re dragged below, the glowing trench is all you can see. The swarms of movement. The dark shadows. Those terrible eyes.

The voice rises to a crescendo-

Blackness consumes all.

Mara hums a ditty to herself as she waits by her boat. It’s a beautiful day - she’s sure a tourist will be along soon.