Black Obelisk

It appeared as a gargantuan stone spire rising from the water, but was actually the tip of a finger connected to an immense black-stone hand hidden beneath the sea. Four additional fingers extended from the submerged hand, which was overgrown with enormous barnacles, seaweed, and algae and inhabited by myriad Nightmare Creatures. The structure retained a recognizable humanoid form despite its age and marine overgrowth, though there was something unnervingly wrong about its appearance. Far below the hand lay an arm leading to the colossal head of an inconceivable statue. The statue’s face remained unknown, as anyone who gazed upon it either died or descended into madness before eventually succumbing to violent delirium. Consequently, divers avoided descending beyond the hidden face of the drowned statue.^[1]

The Citadel was located near the shores of the Stormsea in relatively stable waters and was the closest Citadel to the estuary of the River of Tears. Its position made it an important way station for ships traveling from the far reaches of the Stormsea and from the East. Due to the limited habitable surface area, the population remained small and largely transient.^[1]