Editing Acrozatarim/Gazetteer (section)

==Halstath==

In the eastern Basin, on the edge of the network of lakes and marshes that have grown up around meteoric Spider Mountain, Halstath serves as a major crossing point of trade routes and a bastion of order amidst the wilderness.  The town claims no dominion over other settlements and yet several have grown up in its vicinity, emboldened by the stability that Halstath imposes for several leagues around it.  Well-defended and with a population who are possessed of a tenacious spirit, Halstath has been a melting pot and point of exchange for many years, and now also has the protection of the Flame Guild.

Mhasurus Shen, a former Flame Guild warlock, is the nominal ruler of Halstath.  Having taken the unusual step of leaving the Guild, he has nonetheless maintained close ties with his former brothers and sisters, and Halstath is informally considered a major staging point for Flame Guild operations in the Drakkath.  This reputation has done Halstath no end of good, reassuring travellers and merchants about its safety and bringing fresh wealth to its markets.  Mhasurus dwells - as previous town leaders have - in an old temple to a lost Younger God; there was a reason for this tradition, but no-one is sure any more what it was, much as they cannot remember the god's name at all.  The more paranoid state that the god's name is still etched into the walls but that people simply forget it as soon as they leave the building, but this appears to just be fearful rumour.

Halstath sits on the shore of a wide, placid lake, maintaining a healthy flotilla of fishing boats.  However, there is believed to be a presence down in the waters; shapes have been seen flitting back and forth in the depths.  No-one's sure what these are, but some say it may be sahuagin.