Chapter 2: Journey to Toh'Zorah

Realm of Spirit and Shadow · Compendium Two · the source adventure

[In the source, "The Voyage Begins," Route #1 (Kartika to Ebb / Blacksand Village), and Route #2 (Sooli to Zorah) are titled but not yet written.]

Route #3: Tiracatra to Zorah

Having retrieved Enno's Chest by defeating Ica the Silent, the party is granted passage on Enno the Poacher's boat, ferried to Black Coral — a pirate-run town inside a massive hidden cavern at the southern tip of Tiracatra. There, the party is ambushed by a gang of pirates led by Enno, who means to steal back the magical quill. After the fight Enno flees to Blackheart's Tricky Eel to hide; the party must search the town for him. Once found, they pursue him through the smuggling tunnels below the tavern to recover the quill — and with Enno's trunk in hand, they find the matching inkpot inside. Together the two form a powerful magical object able to forge documents.

As the party rests at their inn, Umu Quickblade — the Golden Belle's fence and enforcer — approaches to inform them the quill and inkpot are stolen property of the Golden Belle. He offers a choice: return the items for a reward and the Belle's gratitude, or become an enemy of the Golden Chain.

If the party returns the Lyrebird Ink Set

Umu rewards them with 1,250 gp, a Token of Golden Favor (25% discount at Black Coral shops, recognized by pirates), and Umu's Cutlass. He also offers the quest A Golden Opportunity; completing it makes the Golden Belle an ally. The party can continue to Zorah and follow the quest later, or leave now with Umu — or optionally traverse the Underglades to reach Sia'Kir and take a merchant ship from there to Toh'Zorah.

If the party keeps the Lyrebird Ink Set

Umu leaves the inn after making a signal, and the patrons attack. Afterward the party is refused service at every establishment; each day they stay, roll a d20 — on 10 or lower they are attacked again. Barred from boarding any boat, they must traverse the Underglades to reach the next town, and the Golden Belle joins the Xan'Shal on learning the news. They can end the exile and attacks by finding Umu in the Coral Palace and returning the set (no reward) — but must do so before leaving town, or Umu departs to inform the Belle. If returned, they can charter a boat to Toh'Zorah, though all goods and services cost more.

Side Quests & Treasure Hunts

• A Golden Opportunity. The party journeys to meet the Golden Belle and gain the cooperation of the Golden Chain. The pirates are split between Xan'Shal promises of conquest and treasure and a Zorahn offer of full pardons and trade legitimacy; the party must sway the Belle's final decision, which likely ends in violence either way. Available if the party returns the Lyrebird Ink Set. Quest characters: The Golden Belle, Umu Quickblade.
• The Enthralled. The party uncovers a human-smuggling ring and must root out those involved before confronting the source in the Samai Reef.
• Trek Through the Underglades. The party journeys through the Underglades to reach the town of Sia'Kir and seek passage to Toh'Zorah.

Treasure Hunts become available once the party reaches Black Coral, each requiring a riddle to be solved to find the treasure's location. Quest-givers display a crest marking membership in the Sandy Shovel Society — for example, Matey at Matey's Bits and Tackle.

Treasure Hunt #1: The Writhing Tides

The party stumbles on the looted corpses of travelling villagers; all signs point to a nearby bandit encampment. Searching the bodies (DC 13 Investigation), they find a riddle tattooed on one calf, written in Dwarvish:

'Neath tombs of stone by wat'ry grave,
I left me 'eart o' steel to save.
Come time o' strife or storm or wave,
I know it shall be there next day.
Should thief or Wild by force or guile
seek to foil me 'earts denial,
they'd best with voice to soothe 'n salve
the tempers o' me tideborn pals.

Solving the riddle. A character from the Serahet Isles can attempt a DC 15 History check; on a success they recall a fortress that once stood above a ship graveyard on the northern cliffs of Tiracatra Isle. On a 17 or higher, they also remember:

• The fortress was built during the Seeran War as a naval outpost — meant to gather a large fleet to slip behind the Seeran forces near Brightbank and pin them between the mountains and the shore.
• A huge storm swept through, its giant swells smashing the gathered fleet against the rocky cliffs.
• The dead were buried in and around the fortress before it was abandoned.

Accessing the fortress. It is reachable only from land, on the clifftop at the northernmost point of Tiracatra Isle.

Black Coral

The hidden pirate enclave of Black Coral is the closest renegade outpost to Toh'Zorah — one of the best-kept secrets in Zorahoi, set in a large sea cavern. You must know someone with standing to be admitted, and are sworn to an Oath of Secrecy whose penalty for betrayal is death; part of the oath requires leaving a lock of hair, used to track betrayers down. Those who stumble on the cavern are usually killed or sent to wander the Underglades.

Laws & Politics

Black Coral is neutral territory for all pirate factions who wish admittance. Residents must abide by:

• No thefts from other pirate clans.
• The murder of another pirate is warranted only in self-defense; to recover stolen property (only if you are the original owner); or to satisfy your clan's honor, and only if the target broke the law first.
• New arrivals must have a guarantor in good standing to vouch for them.
• The existence of Black Coral may never be revealed to outsiders — unless you are a guarantor.
• A password is required to enter the cavern mouth. Ships pass through a narrow channel watched by a tower and signal the password; otherwise an alarm sounds and ballistae assault the ship. Entry by any means other than ship or the Gladegate is forbidden.
• A tax on all sales is levied and stashed in a secret Underglades vault, transferred to the current Governor's clan as recompense for missed looting. Failure to pay is forbidden.

The penalty for violating any of these laws is a walk from the Highplank.

Locations

The Pointed Prow. An inn on the second tier near the main stairway — twelve rooms above, a tavern and kitchen below, a small performers' stage. Comfortable, with reasonable prices; built, like most of the town, from repurposed ship timber. Above the door, a pointed balcony off the main suite bears the recovered figurehead of the Bleakheart: a long-haired woman, hands over her heart, a forlorn expression.

Kyna Fairweather, the proprietress, is a middle-aged human once married to the captain of the Bleakheart, lost in a storm. She used his riches to build the inn and turns a tidy profit importing sugar, medicinal herbs, and wine from far-off Jinjara. Well-regarded for a pirate and unaligned with any faction (though the Golden Belle has courted her trade sources), she is kind but grounded, and lives by the terms of the deals she makes.

• Standard room (sleeps 2) — 8 sp · Suite (sleeps 4) — 2 gp
• Ale (mug) — 6 cp · House wine (bottle) — 5 sp · Fine wine — 10 gp · Meal — 5 sp

Blackheart's Tricky Eel. A run-down tavern known for shady clientele, owned by Arvo Blackheart and run by boggles. Blackheart is a smuggler and friend of Enno; the two run deals regularly, and this is where Enno flees after double-crossing the party. A maze of tunnels below leads to a getaway skiff beneath one of the docks; the boggles defend the place, and the tunnels hold traps and a storehouse of illicit goods.

The Coral Palace. A fancy inn catering to ship captains and well-off merchants, run by Grandpa Gogo's granddaughter, Neena.

The Upper & Lower Markets. The Upper Market fences jewels, fine clothing, magic items, and potions; the Lower Market deals in weapons, armor, commodities, drugs, and illicit goods. Prices run high for the region.

Upper Market Shops

The Glowing Glucap (apothecary). A musty little shop — it smells of moldy citrus peels — in the first row of the Upper Market, owned by Cammus Saltinbey. Humid but nicely appointed: flowing patterned curtains divide it into rooms of shelves, cupboards, plants, candles, and bottles; a wall of brass-placarded cubbies stands behind the counter, and an alembic bubbles in a corner work-area. (Typical inventory replenished weekly.)

Matey's Bits and Tackle (odds & ends). A chaotic jumble of bargain bins, messy cabinets, tourist-trap piles, and collectibles around a strangely tidy central parlor — a flea market gone wrong. On a successful DC 16 Investigation, the party may turn up notable inventory (roll a d6). Matey also keeps a hand-drawn map of part of the Underglades, offering copies for 900 gp — it details a route to Sia'Kir with major features and landmarks. Finally, an old needlepoint sampler by Matey's mother bears a riddle he's sure leads to treasure but has never solved.

Coral Vaults (pirate bank). Run by an enclave of Tritons bound to protect this immense pirate trove. Magically sealed, trapped, and heavily guarded; treasure sits in chests in numbered underwater nooks, accessible only by the owner's special bracelet. The water parts for the bracelet-wearer and opens a direct path to their vault; any deviation into the water deals cold damage on the first attempt, and on a second the intruder's lungs fill with water and they drown. There is one way in or out, and anyone who leaves is immediately attacked by the guards; the vaults are warded against teleportation and divination. Ren Moreé is the First Overseer.

The Peculiar Pearl. Magic shop and exotic pets.

Lower Market Shops

• The Quartermaster — weapons and armor.
• Barrow's Hideworks — tanner and leatherworker.
• Verna's Bent Bobbin — tailor and weaver.

The Wider Town

• The Gang Ward. A group of pirate captains runs Black Coral, overseen by the Golden Belle; each captain serves a couple of months a year as overseer, their crews acting as enforcers of the loose code that keeps the peace. The crews stay in the Gang Ward while here.
• The Highplank. A giant plank used for executions, atop the highest accessible cliff in the cavern — a 300-foot drop into shallow, rocky water.
• The Gladegate. The main gate between the Underglades and the town, built into the rock wall at the back of the cavern.
• The Colonnade. The outskirts, where the tides have carved hundreds of columnar rock pillars that support the island surface above. Wooden bridges and stone paths lead into the Underglades; wrecked ships and hidden caches lie among the pillars — a dangerous place, yet close to town.
• The Docks. Able to accommodate a large number of ships.
• T'Lem Akah (the Ring of Tides) · Crow's Nest. (Named in the source; not yet detailed.)

Important NPCs: Cammus Saltinbey (the Glowing Glucap) · Matey (Matey's Bits and Tackle). (Named in the source; details to come.)

🔒 Canon · Realm of Spirit and Shadow · Chapters 3–5 & appendices await the source