Talasantri
In the cool waters 250 feet below the surface of the Arcadian Ocean, Talasantri shines her welcoming light. Originally a fortifcationwhere travelers could safely rest, hidden from thepredators of the area, Talasantri has grown into amajor trade hub for aquatic people over the last fewcenturies. Aquatic travelers of all races—so long asthey are willing to follow the rules of the city—arewelcome in Talasantri. Surface dwellers, however, areregarded with suspicion despite the riches they maybring from the dry world.
In 4541 ar, sahuagin forces claimed the area whereTalasantri now stands. Patrols of vicious sahuaginwarriors lurked in the dark waters, slaying thoseoutsiders who tried to take advantage of the strongcurrents that swept through the region.
A merfolk community on the outskirts of sahuaginterritory, led by the druid Seyskellin, fought againstthe sahuagin at every opportunity. A great coral bed laybetween the two forces, and Seyskellin used a powerfulartifact to shape a hidden bunker within the coralgrowth. The merfolk used the bunker as a place toconceal troops, and peaceful traders learned they couldfnd shelter with the merfolk in their hold. The merfolkforces welcomed traders, offering them protection inexchange for weapons and supplies.
Skirmishes between the merfolk and the sahuagincontinued for over a year, until a massive tremorinterrupted the fghting. A huge rent opened in theseafloor several miles from the merfolk base, displacinga community of aquatic elves. The fleeing elvesexplained that the quake had released a terrifying livingruin—a plankta—that could easily destroy all livingcreatures in the are.a Seyskellin offered the aquatic elvessanctuary, and the two forces remained hidden while theplankta brought destruction down on the sahuagin.
When the plankta’s rampage ended, the creaturesank down into the rif once more, and the merfolk andaquatic elves emerged from their bunker. The sahuaginforces had been broken and scattered, and Seyskellinseized the opportunity to destroy the remaining troopsin the are.a With the region now secured, the merfolkand aquatic elves worked together to expand theirbunker into a settlement.
By 4585, Seyskellin had, through the use of her artifact,shaped the small bunker into a giant mesh dome ofcoral to protect the growing city of Talasantri. The city’slocation on the strong currents between larger aquaticcommunities made it a prime location for trading, and thecity’s population boomed. Aquatic creatures of all typessought to live, trade, and work in Talasantri. Sahuaginwere not allowed in the city—a ban that exists to this day.
When Seyskellin passed, an aquatic elf wizard tookcommand of the city. Under his leadership, Talasantrigrew even larger. The wizard devised a way to breedthousands of luminous jellyfsh, further lighting upTalasantri and drawing more travelers to its gates. Theglow of the city attracted predators as well, and the aquaticelf city guard formed to protect the dome from giantoctopuses, sahuagin raiders, sharks, and other threats.
In 4606, the plankta awoke once more. Some researchersthink that the death of Aroden sent shock waves through theworld that resulted in strange effects such as the plankta’sreemergence. The city guard rallied against the plankta, buttheir preparations proved to be woefully inadequate. Wereit not for the appearance of a hero known as Wavewalker,Talasantri would have been destroyed.
Over the last 100 years, the city has rebuilt itsdefenses. Though its current ruler, the aquatic elf oracleRillkimatai, and his advisors have been researchingmethods to fght the plankta they call Ruinquake shouldit threaten the city again, they have found no certain wayto guarantee safety. The specter of the plankta remainsone of the greatest concerns to Talasantri’s people.
PoinTs of inTeresTThe locations in Talasantri of most interest toadventurers are detailed in this section, separated bydistrict. Unlabeled buildings represent generic shops,private homes, and trading posts. Most of Talasantri’sbuildings are sculpted from coral, though some areconstructed of seafloor stone and the foundations of anancient Azlanti city lost to the waves during Earthfall.
Talasantri’s coral dome keeps attackers out, but itdoes not impede the movement of the jellyfsh lanterns,small fsh, and other Tiny aquatic life-forms. Talasantri’sstreets swarm with colorful life, and fresh seafood isalways available.
Threadfin disTricTThe Threadfn District holds most of the commonresidences in the city. The few stores found there provideeveryday goods and groceries to the residents.
As the Threadfn District combines a mazelike layoutwith a relative lack of law enforcement, the district alsoaccommodates criminal activities in Talasantri. Mostof these activities are concentrated in the Undertow,but entrances to the black market and rings of pettycriminals can be found throughout Threadfn as well.
A Bit of Everything: This general store also serves as apawnshop. Its owner, the stolid Opuo (NE male locathahrogue 2), buys and sells anything without asking questions.
Petty thieves and pickpockets know they can bring theirgoods to Opuo for a reasonably fair price. Most of Opuo’scustomers have a need to move their merchandise quicklyand don’t want to take the time to fence the goods inthe Undertow. Opuo pays a percentage of his profts toJurix, Crime Queen of the Undertow, in order to stay inbusiness. The close-mouthed locathah also knows all thecity guards by appearance and maintains a mental list ofcustomers too honest to sell his “special wares” to.
Five Fins: Five Fins is the most popular tavern in thedistrict. Every night fnds the coral building packed withdrinkers and merrymakers, while even more patrons drifoutside near the tavern. Songs, folktales, and friendlytussles can always be found at Five Fins, and if owner Kelia(CN female selkie rogue 3) takes a fancy to a patron, shemight invite the lucky individual to the gambling room inthe back. Kelia doesn’t shy from inviting surfacers to jointhe games, but her cruel trickster nature leads her to setthe surfacers against gamblers and hustlers willing to takethem for everything they have.
Margela’s Brews: Strangers traveling through thedistrict easily mistake this unmarked shop for a mereresidence. Locals know that this is the home of MargelaDuskcurrent (N female old aquatic elf alchemistAPG 9), anelderly aquatic elf who makes a living serving specialtykelp brews in her parlor. Margela brews everythingfrom light, floral seaweed draughts to hearty dark-greendrinks with a strong vegetal flavor. She also maintainsa small selection of magic potions for sale to trustedcustomers. Margela crafs some of the potions herself,but she acquires others through trade.
Restful Shore: One of the few inns in city that canprovide comfortable accommodations to surfacers, theRestful Shore is a cozy two-story stone building withrounded walls that give it an organic feel. A night’s stayin one of the hammocks fastened to the wall of thecommon room costs 3 gp. A night in a private room—with a locked stone chest, an extra-large hammock, andnumerous wall hooks for fastening personal goods—costs 12 gp. The inn’s proprietor, the friendly butbusinesslike Minastalla (CG female merfolk expert 5),knows her prices are high, but given how infrequentlysurface dwellers travel to Talasantri and how few innsare equipped to host them, she feels the prices are fair.
Seahorse Stage: This small theater, run by Quelyon(CN male merfolk bard 5), provides a place forThreadfn residents to enjoy plays and concerts. Everymonth features a weeklong run of a different amateurproduction, and musicians usually play every otherweekend. Artists can book the Seahorse Stage to displayand sell their works. Quelyon has a reputation as anexacting theater director and a gifed singer, thoughhis taste in artwork leans toward the gaudy. He collectssurface art and has devised numerous innovativemethods of preserving his collection.
seamounT disTricTThe wealthy and aristocratic citizens of Talasantri maketheir homes in the Seamount District. Here, the housesare larger than in Threadfn and have a more plannedarchitectural style. Seamount homes are ofen made of ftted masonry blocks and decorated with artisticflourishes, such as graceful marble statues or mosaicsmade of seashell tiles.
Cerulean Cove: Only members, or thosevouched for by members, are allowed intothis luxurious drinking hall. Sculpturesof deceased members stand in the corners,and original pieces of mosaic art decoratethe walls. Silver lanterns glow with a dimblue light, illuminating a magically treatedwooden bar carved from the bowsprit of awrecked galleon. While Cerulean Cove isa favorite place for nobles and wealthycitizens to relax with a flask, it alsoserves as a meeting place for dealmaking. Whispered conversationsin the private alcoves around thehall can form or break alliances,and meetings in Cerulean Cove canresult in expeditions funded, marriagesarranged, or assassinations booked.
House of Crystal Waters: Hundreds ofsparkling crystals embed the walls of thistemple to Gozreh’s female form. Within the temple,elaborate murals of seascapes encircle an enormous chunkof raw crystal in the center of the room, which serves as analtar. Gozreh is the most popular deity among the faithfulin Talasantri, and services are held at the temple every day.
Funerals, weddings, and other rites are overseen by thetemple’s head priest, Seraban (N male aquatic elf cleric ofGozreh 7).
Stargrass Hall: The pillars that flank the doorsto this enormous theater are completely covered intwining stargrass, delicate star-shaped yellow flowerssprouting from deep-green vines. Druidic magicsustains the stargrass, which normally fails to grow thisdeep underwater. Stargrass Hall features celebratedprofessional actors in six performances a year, andit sometimes also hosts traveling theater companies.
The theater director, Vatoya (LN female cecaelia bard4), recently hired a handsome triton actor namedRudalthas (CN male triton bard 5) to headline her plays.
While Rudalthas captures hearts all over Talasantri,his mercurial personality is making him increasinglydifcult to work with.
Treasures of the Sea: While most merchants have theirshops in the Whalefall District, Derrona (LG aquatic elfrogue 5) opened her jewelry shop in Seamount. Herhigh-quality jewelry comes with a commensurate pricetag, but the wealthy residents of the district are happyto pay for the beautiful, unique pieces Derrona sells.
Wearing an “original Derrona” is a status symbol amongthe nobles of Talasantri. With her profts, Derronapurchases materials from traders and merchants inthe city, but most of her materials come from salvage.
Though a skilled adventurer in her own right, Derronaprefers to pay others to retrieve precious gems andmetals from shipwrecks and monster lairs.
Whalefall disTricTWhalefall is the smallest of Talasantri’sdistricts, but it is densely packed withstores, workshops, and artists’ galleries.
For a city of its size, Talasantri houses asurprising number of skilled artisanswho craf exquisite and valuableitems. The biggest limitation on thecrafspeople of Talasantri is thelack of reliable high-temperatureheat sources. Glassblowing andmetalworking are therefore rare.
Arcanical Tower: Thisgraceful stone spire rises like anarwhal’s horn on the edge of thedistrict where it borders Seamount. Thetower is the home and laboratory of Vhenarryn,a talented wizard who has assigned herself thetitle of Arcanic Researcher. Vhenarryn has a masterfulknowledge of the ruins within 10 miles of Talasantri aswell a collection of rare magic items, which she guardsjealously. Only those she trusts completely (or she hasa reason to impress) are allowed into the upper levelsof the tower to view the collection. She’s also beenknown to barter or sell these items if something catchesher eye. Vhenarryn is usually willing to consult withother explorers or researchers, and she is notoriouslysusceptible to compliments about her intellect and skill.
Boneworks: The owner of this workshop and gallery,Vesshyo (NE female aquatic elf necromancer 8), worksexclusively in bone. She specializes in graceful jointedpieces that drif and spin in currents much like windchimes. Vesshyo occasionally carves larger works fromthe bones of giant sea creatures. She offers bounties onany such creatures, and she is currently interested inacquiring the skeleton of a narwhal. Though her workis artistic in nature, Vesshyo is also a necromancer. Sheanimates the bones that don’t make it into her art to helpout in her workshop, though few in town are aware of this.
Loryl’s Barter: The cecaelia Loryl (N female cecaeliahunterACG 3) was born in Talasantri but was orphanedat a young age. She made a living as an adventurer andscavenger until her group found a shipwreck with enoughriches aboard to make them all wealthy. Loryl used hershare to open a general store catering to adventurers andtravelers. She makes regular trips to the surface to tradewith passing ships, with an interest in alcohol and metalweapons (both difcult to manufacture underwater).
Loryl’s shop is a mishmash of general survival gear, minor magic items, potions, and weapons. She keeps a handfulof more powerful magic items hidden in a subterraneanlevel beneath a secret door.
Many to One: This gallery displays the workof Urmygh (LN male deep merfolk expert4), a popular artist whose work hangsin both city hall and Cerulean Cove.
Urmygh breaks coral, gemstones,and seashells into shards and buildselaborate mosaics from the pieces.
Though at frst glance the mosaicsappear as peaceful seascapes, thelonger one looks at the pieces, themore unsettling details become visible.
Shell & Stylus: Much of thewriting in Talasantri is engraved onstone tablets, but this technique isdifcult and the results are unwieldy.
Echono (CN male merfolk bard 6)provides alternative writing supplies at his shop. Inaddition to bioluminescent ink and underwater paper(Pathfnder Player Companion: Blood of the Sea 18–19), hismost popular product is a fne-tipped stylus treatedwith an alchemical mixture. When the stylus is scrapedalong the inside of a seashell, it leaves bright blue linesin its wake. Echono also knows several methods forwaterproofng parchment. A scholar with great interestin ancient Azlant, Echono maintains a private researchlibrary related to all things Azlanti. He also pays well forany Azlanti artifacts that come his way.
The underToWThe natural caverns beneath Talasantri were longago decreed too unstable to build within. Theentrances to these caverns were sealed, butseveral small, carefully concealed tunnelshave since been reopened. The criminalorganizations of Talasantri now inhabitthe caverns, called the Undertow by thosein the know. The existence of the Undertowis an open secret in the city, and travelers canusually fnd their way down.
Blue-Ringed Tavern: Named for the deadlyblue-ringed octopus, this tavern is set inone of the smaller caverns off the FathomBazaar. The tavern’s owner, Cenath (NEfemale siyokoy brawlerACG 5), stocks thelargest collection of surface liquor inthe city, and she charges high pricesfor her rare libations. Anything goesin the Blue-Ringed Tavern other thanmurder. Cenath frmly insists that no one isto die in her taproom, and she backs up her rule withdeadly force. This makes the tavern a popular meetingplace for criminals—although several assassins haverealized that Cenath forbids killing in her business.
Bodd’s Odds: This tiny pawnshop caters to thepoorest of Talasantri, and its wares are little morethan junk. The proprietor, Bodderoh (CE maleaquatic elf rogue 2), is in the employ of Jurix.
His shop hides a passage down to theUndertow, and he allows criminals anddiscreet adventurers and traders topass through. While there arenumerous entrances to theUndertow, Bodd’s Oddsis the best known amongthe criminals of Talasantri. Theentrance is also known to GuardCommander Talstran, who keeps the shop underregular surveillance. Talstran doesn’t believe the guard hasthe resources to shut down the Undertow at the moment—not without a big fght that could disrupt the city—but hekeeps gathering information for when the time is right.
Fathom Bazaar: Most of the Undertow is a largebazaar in a central cavern. Illegal goods, includingdrugs, poison, stolen items, and cursed or particularlyvile magic items are available to buy and sell. Ordinarygoods are available too, sold by merchants who wish toavoid Talasantri’s taxes and the cost of maintaining astorefront. Figureheads from dozens of shipwrecks aremounted on the walls of the cavern, looming out overthe bazaar. A few of the fgureheads have shifed and tiltat odd angles, a result of the cavern’s inherent instability.
Jurix knows that seemingly minor seismicactivity can cause collapses in theUndertow, and she keeps closewatch on the fgureheads for signsof a coming emergency.
Queen’s Palace: Black coral,broken pieces of marblestatues, pillars from ancient ruins, and timberfrom shipwrecks form the walls of thishaphazard structure. This location—the homeand throne room of Jurix, the Crime Queenof the Undertow—is detailed on page 17.
Shadow’s Den: When denizens of theUndertow need the services of a clericbut don’t want to draw attention tothemselves, they visit the Shadow’sDen. There, Tirak (CE male adarocleric of Dagon 11) and Ixena(CE female adaro warpriestACG of Dagon13) provide healing for the debased andevil. The adaros are the only two of theirkind in Talasantri, and they almost neverascend to the city proper. They are demon worshipers,having sworn their souls to Dagon.<ref="a4">AP - Ruins of Azlant #4</ref>
ATTITUDES IN TALASANTRI
For most aquatic races, Talasantri is a cosmopolitanand welcoming city. However, the residents of the cityharbor deep-seated prejudices against sahuagin andnonaquatic races. Travelers from the surface fnd acold, suspicious reception in Talasantri, and while thesetravelers are generally allowed into the city, they areencouraged to conduct their business and leave quickly.
Residents of Talasantri have a starting attitude ofindifferent when dealing with surface dwellers, but theDCs of Diplomacy checks to make requests have a +5modifer (in addition to the normal modifers for makingrequests). The modifer to Diplomacy checks remains evenif a citizen’s attitude changes to friendly; the prejudices ofthe citizens are too deep seated to easily circumvent.
Merchants with an indifferent attitude charge 120%the normal price for goods and services to surfacedwellers. Merchants with a friendly or better attitudecharge the normal price, merchants with an unfriendlyattitude charge 150% the normal price, and merchantswith a hostile attitude will not sell to surface dwellers.
Residents of Talasantri have a starting attitude ofhostile toward sahuagin. The vicious creatures are notwelcome in the city, and Talasantri’s guards attacksahuagin on sight. In exceptional circumstances, theguards may permit a single sahuagin to enter the city(for example, if a sahuagin prisoner is brought in byadventurers), but a successful DC 30 Diplomacy check isrequired to convince the guards to make this exception
TALASANTRIN
small cityCorruption –1; Crime +0; Economy +2; Law +2;Lore +4; Society –1Qualities insular, prosperous, underbelly, underwaterDanger +5DEMOGRAPHICSGovernment magicalPopulation 5,642 (2,053 merfolk, 1,890 aquaticelvesISR, 742 locathahsB2, 277 cecaeliasB3,193 tritonsB2, 179 siyokoysB3, 168 deep merfolkB5,45 ceratioidiB3, 35 selkiesB4, 26 ichthyocentaursB5,2 adarosB3, 32 other)NOTABLE NPCSArcanic Researcher Vhenarryn (CN female merfolkwizard 9)Crime Queen of the Undertow Jurix (NE femalececaelia rogue 7; see page 58)Guard Commander Talstran (LN male aquatic elffghter 8)Revered Seer Rillkimatai (LG male aquatic elf oracleAPG[seerUM] 15; see page 62)MARKETPLACEBase Value 5,200 gp; Purchase Limit 37,500 gp;Spellcasting 7thMinor Items 4d4; Medium Items 3d4; Major Items 1d6SPECIAL QUALITIESUnderbelly Despite being a fairly welcoming citywith a strong guard and adherence to law, acriminal underworld operates with relative easein Talasantri. The following modifers come intoplay only in the Undertow District. (Crime +1;Danger +5; increase base value by 20%; increasepurchase limit by 30%)Underwater Due to being underwater, Talasantriis well protected from dangers from the surfaceworld. The city may still face attack from massiveaquatic monsters or armies of sahuagin, but thecoral dome that protects the city hedges outmost of those threats. Being an underwater citymeans that Talasantri doesn’t cater to creaturesfrom the surface, and many citizens distrust suchcreatures. (Base value of items made specifcallyfor surface creatures increases by 50%; theDCs of Diplomacy checks attempted by surfacecreatures increase by 5 when interacting withcitizens of Talasantri.)