Skitter, scratch, scratch.

There was that noise again. Jhiv had been hearing it sporadically for the last fifteen minutes.

“Damned rats.” he muttered under his breath.

He continued searching the containment deck for the source of the sound. It had to be rats, didn’t it? The Piddock had been fully submerged for the last three days. With as far out to sea as she still was there was no way that anyone (or anything for that matter) could have tracked the ship. Even if they did, for what purpose? There was just that Yuan-ti girl and her entourage, they were all that attracted attention.

Thump.

Jhiv looked up from the desk he was searching.

Thump.

From where he was he could just make out a strange light coming from one of the intake cells. Before he had a chance to react the light blazed intensely, filling the deck with brilliant orange light. A hissing sound accompanied the light. Shielding his eyes, Jhiv moved closer with his dagger drawn.

After a moment the blinding light faded and Jhiv looked into the containment cell. Inside the cell was a water elemental, which was normal. Inside the water elemental burned what looked like liquid flame, this was not as normal. Outside the containment field Jhiv noticed that there were footsteps, large monstrous ones that were melted into the floor leading to the staircase.

It was at that moment that Jhiv rang the alarm.

Journal Entry 156, dated Bimon 16 A5116.

“Was a fire today just down the street, that old storehouse them Apothecaries have been renting. I can’t say I were surprised, they’ve getting a bit of a bad reputation since that new guy showed up. He’s an odd one, dockworkers say he mutters to himself like a madman. A madman who just so happens to be part of that group I wrote about the other day.

I can’t fathom why them royals would need his help but I’m not one to question it, not my place. No matter, they’re all getting sick it seems anyways. Looks like a bad case of the Filth if you ask me. I’m glad for their patronage and all but I won’t be able to sleep well until they’ve left.

Seems odd though that the main healers in town have their building burn down right as people starts getting sick. House Alabaster may have to step in if the sickness spreads, never good when it comes to that. My wife and I’ll be fine I’m sure.

Some odd elf girl washed up from the wreckage of the San’Gill and them folks from the Chapter seemed awfully interested in her. Elves with blonde hair are mighty rare and rumor’s been spreading about the sky or something in her eyes. Last I heard she’s still unconscious. My gut tells me something’s wrong in these parts and all of these folks are tied up in it somehow. I’ll have to get my report to good ol’ Franzi soon, he’ll want to know of this."

In Argle’s old journal Krellem found only mystery. Was Argle hiding something? It certainly would appear so as the entire journal is written in a strange cipher. Seeking answers the aid of The Apothecus Luminary is sought, though they too have questions. Questions whose answers lie just beneath the surface in a grotto on the other side of the bay. Questions whose answers can only be found once the villainous vermin that inhabit the grotto are slain. Questions whose answers only serve to raise additional and more worrisome questions.

There were fifty-seven passengers and eighty crew members on the San’Gill when she left the port at Pergisursia. Of those one-hundred and thirty-seven people there were only five that survived the crash and made it to The Alabaster Isle. They seem to have brought something back with them though, an air of corruption, nearly undetectable and fleeting like a half-remembered dream. Something else was on that wrecked airship, something far more cunning and powerful than Cinder the Reborn.

Now they must decide what path they will pursue to rid themselves of the caress of evil.

Perhaps The Apothecus Luminary with all their healers and potions? Maybe the champions of House Alabaster? Perhaps even the vast knowledge hidden within the libraries of House Blackshade?

Salin’ess-khahaan worked hard to rescue her comrades from the watery graves that awaited them. While dragging her friends to safety she noticed what appeared to be an animated corpse struggling to reach her. She locked it in the remnants of the stairway to the Observation Deck, where it struggled to reach her. While it was there it changed into something else in a flash of orange light.

When the thing wasn’t able to get through the doorway it chose to go around, attacking Salin’ess-khahaan while she tended to her wounded friends. A short struggle later and the thing was wounded enough to flee, cursing her name in the process. Once the group was recovered enough they attempted to gather what resources they could, with Argle Fairweather being fatally wounded while retrieving the lifeboat. Whatever it was that took his life strongly resembled the creature that fled earlier.

Argle was interrupted while entertaining his friends during dinner by some shouting coming from the upper viewing deck that separates the cabin and freight chambers of the airship from the ballast chambers. Upon investigation his friends found that the ship was having serious issues navigating in the storm, mainly due to taking evasive actions to avoid incoming flaming projectiles.

Sadly, the grand airship San’Gill was struck directly in its ballast chambers, causing it to come partially apart in midair. This caused the lower portion of the ship (which was designed to glide in case of emergencies) to plummet into the inky black of the Sea of Storms.