Even from afar, the Naga enclave stood out. Where the town around it was built in a style that reminded me of Ashenforge-Hold and other dwarven settlements I had seen, just slightly more rounded, less angular and strict, the Naga enclave was entirely different. Where the city was built from stone, with some wooden accents and reinforcements, the enclave was built from the shells of various sea creatures, the accents almost incorporated into the shells as if they had been grown that way. What little reinforcement was needed was made with different structures, looking almost coral-like. The whole enclave appeared to be grown, not built.

It was right at the water but where the area around it was almost a slum, there was a sharp divide between the enclave and its surroundings. A sharp, enforced demarcation with Naga guards around the enclave keeping an eye on anyone approaching.

When we walked up, heading right towards one of their gates, one of them slithered up, not quite challenging us but certainly indicating that we were to talk to him. While I had little prior contact with Naga, only a single day over a year ago, I had done some research on the forum, enough to know that the impressive double-crest and the four arms indicated a powerful member of the race. The pattern of his scales, in this case, a fascinating blue-green mix that scintillated in the sun, could be read much akin to a genealogy, indicating the house and affiliation of this guard, but only if one knew the details, which I did not.

“Greetings, what brings you to the enclave?” he asked, his speech clear, yet with a slight, hissing accent.

“Greetings. We’ve got a letter of introduction from the Adventurers’ Guild and area seeking passage. “ Adra replied, showing the guard our letter. He briefly inspected it, studying us one after the other, before handing it back to Ada with a nod.

“I will call for a guide,” he told her, before turning around and calling out into the enclave, letting out a series of weird sounds. It was an entirely different language, completely composed of hissing and whistling sounds. It was an interesting experience, to be able to understand the language thanks to Lenore’s ability, despite it being utterly alien. The way some of those sounds oscillated held meaning, the frequency and the way it changed, and all those tiny things gave meaning where I wouldn’t expect it.

The guide didn’t need long to slither up, and it was a good example of the wide range of Naga physiques. Where the Guard was massive, the serpentine body about five metres in length, towering over Adra when upright and thick as a barrel, the guide was a lot more like me in physique, maybe two metres in length, not even coming to my chin when rising up and thin enough that I’d think Sigmir would be able to encircle his body with her hands.

“Bring them to the Wavespeaker.” the guard commanded the guide, giving us a nod as he moved aside.

“If you would?” the guide politely asked, giving us something that looked somewhat like a bow.

We happily followed behind the guide, into the enclave and the change in atmosphere was palpable. The city around it was bustling, a little noisy with countless people milling around on the streets. On the other hand, the enclave was quiet, with only some splashing or bubbling sounds interrupting the silence, the sounds of people almost entirely absent.

Our guide silently led the way, moving towards the centre of the enclave and into one of the shell-like buildings there. The air inside was somewhat moist, but not unpleasantly so and a curious tang hang in the air, giving it an almost spicy aroma. It was quite obviously a waiting area, but a rather alien one.

“Please, the Wavespeaker will be with you in a moment,” he assured us, gesturing to a set of hammocks, strung between the walls.

“If you want to take a seat while waiting, feel free.” he paused, before asking, “Do you require refreshments?” I felt a little weirded out at the level of treatment, there had to be more adventurers who wanted to cross the ocean, and even if we had a letter of introduction, this felt over the top.

“No, thank you.” Adra waved him off, before carefully sitting on one of the hammocks, making sure she didn’t take a tumble.

The guide didn’t leave, instead, he remained near the entrance, not like a guard watching us, but attentive, like a servant ready to fetch and carry at a moment's notice. He almost blended in with the wall behind him, unobtrusive enough that I suspected the use of the Stealth-skill or something related. We didn’t have to wait long, maybe five minutes, for a female naga, clearly recognisable by the single crest on her head, to slither into the room.

“Greetings, Travellers.” she gave us a nod, while we rose to our feet. “No need for that.” she waved us off, before introducing herself, “My name is Wavespeaker Kelartis.”

Remaining on her feet, Adra returned the polite nod, maybe a little deeper than Kelartis had, before giving introductions.

“Greetings, Wavespeaker Kelartis. My name is Adra and these are my travelling companions.” she continued, giving each of our names and we gave the Wavespeaker a polite nod and a word of greeting when it was our turn. When Adra came to Sigmir and me, the Wavespeaker looked a little surprised, briefly focusing on the two of us.

“Morgana and Sigmir, you say. Curious,” she muttered, sounding pensive. “Siranda mentioned your name, but it has been a while back. You came far, in a short amount of time.”

“Who mentioned our names?” I asked, a little perplexed.

“Siranda, the village-head of Yugin.” she replied, a grin spearing over her face at the look of incomprehension on my face.

“You did a service to a Naga-village, in the frozen north, a little over a year ago,” she explained and I nodded, as we had done so. But I had completely forgotten the name of the village, let alone the village head.

“We did. But how do you know about that?” I asked, trying to make sense of the situation. I could see people using magic to talk over long distances and had done so, but this was akin to helping an old lady on one side of the country out and, a year later, getting polite treatment for it on the other side of the continent.

“We are not called wavespeakers for nothing, young lady.” she chided me, the amusement in her voice taking any sting out of her words, “Her village is far away and remote, but that doesn’t mean that she’s isolated from the rest of us. And given how rare she can report good news and new friends, she is eager to take any opportunity to do so.” Kelatris explained, before focusing on Adra again.

“Now, what brings you here?” she asked, getting us back on topic while I was slowly accepting the insane range of the Naga information network.

“We are seeking passage across the Mare Tempest. Any settlement along the east coast of Aletoma would do, but really, we need to reach the Forest of Dusk on Arbotoma.” Adra explained, getting a frown in response.

“The Forest of Dusk, you say. We won’t be able to help you with that, we don’t sail past the Island of Death, for obvious reasons. Too many dangers, too little profit.. It’s simply not worth risking the major ships that can sail the Mare Tempest in those treacherous waters.” Kelartis instantly rejected it, firmly shaking her head.

“I believe that there are some crews, using small vessels, relying on speed and stealth, that sail between Phalladri and Mociabi, in the Forest of Dusk. Those would be your best bet,” she added, confirming what we already knew.

“Now, to the east coast, that is manageable. There is a ship setting out in five days, sailing for Nobost in the north of Aletoma and there will be another, sailing for Hatterion but it won’t sail for a month at least,” she explained, giving us some options.

“Or you can take one of the many ships that head to different ports. Sadly, few are heading in the direction you need, most going north, towards the Islands of Mist or past them, to the northern forests.” she shrugged.

“With the winter near, the Mare Tempest is dangerous and given that sailing near the Daish Gate is suicide, trade in that direction is a little slow. But slow doesn’t mean non-existent.” she grinned, letting us consider our options.