The briefing room smelled like old paper.
Helena had spread a nautical chart across the table, its edges weighted with smooth stones from Valerie's collection. The Sunken Depths Tower was marked in blue ink: a Mid Class Tower set into a sea-cliff on the eastern coast, where the capital's influence faded and the ocean began.
"It's a flooded complex," Helena explained, tapping the chart. "Underground caves, submerged chambers. Underwater combat will be your primary challenge. The boss is a Tide Warden, a construct of living water and coral that controls the currents within the Tower."
She paused, her expression shifting.
"But. This Tower's been flagged for unusual activity. A guild party reported the natives spotting some people around it. Could be nothing. Could be the strangers you've been tracking."
