It’s a good thing Tora’Sor obtained those medicines in Perduva. We stopped at a small town named Nalis today, and a sailor named Lazujin came down with a bad illness. His skin began to turn white in patches in much the same way as the fabled white plague that scoured most of Etnyben of inhabitants following the defeat of the Dark Lunari Mathol some thousands of years ago. The white plague, fortunately, disappeared after a few hundred years, and people began to move once again into the land. Tora’Sor claims Lazujin’s illness is similar to the white plague, and perhaps even related to that horrible disease, but is not life threatening. She gave him some greenberry salve to rub on his skin, and instructed him not to scratch. It should heal rapidly, but if not, the worst that would happen after treatment is the patches of his skin stay white.
Nalis is a quiet town, an area in this region with a concentrated population struggling to get by. They welcomed us although they had little to trade. Perduva was probably the last major marketplace we’ll see as we head toward the Dark Magicians. The closer we get, even though it is necessary to ensure a thriving community, commerce is not a major concern. The shadow cast by the Red Mountains to the west is an ever-present reminder of the proximity of the Dark Magicians. People in this region are concerned with staying alive. They are simple, quiet, and careful to avoid anything that might invite attention. The last thing anyone wants is an invasion of dragons or worse.
I asked Ervah to tell me the rest of his story about the raging hordes of shadowy fishmen that he never finished last month. The story was quite similar to what we experienced, although it’s very likely he made a few changes to his story after our encounter. The dark hordes attacked the ship in his story, and the sailors had to beach the ship. The hordes chased them from the sea despite having fins instead of feet. The despicable creatures clawed their way inland, following the sailors partway up a mountain before they could go no farther inland, and then lingered for weeks until they died, not permitting the sailors to descend.