Uttering a battlecry, the triton Brasidos dove into the sea, followed
first by Tagg de Soulis, then the rest of the adventurers there. With
the aid of prickly pear, the warriors descended into the ocean deep,
into the legendary city of Lothos. There, they found the battle had
already begun, Arcadians and Lothians locked in mortal combat throughout
the ancient and heretofore hidden city. As promised, the Lothian
civilians had been left unharmed as they fled to the safest recesses of
the city along with the nobility, but the blood of soldiers swirled
thickly in the brackish water. Throughout the realm of Achaea, those
with the touch of the Deathgod upon their minds reeled at the brutal and
unending stream of tritonic and atavian deathsights.

Though Arcadia held the element of surprise and greater numbers, they
were handicapped by their reduced mobility in the ocean while the
Lothians had the advantage of home territory and cavalry. The dekarches
of the Lothian army, mounted upon whelk chariots pulled by enormous
seahorses, raced through the streets of Lothos, cutting down winged
warriors left and right. The Farethi stormshapers of Arcadia brought
sky-sorcery down into the sea, striking down those tritons unfortunate
enough to venture into the vicinity of their prickly-pear air pockets
with carefully controlled bolts of lightning. Led by King Democritus of
Lothos, Lothian hoplites and pelastais engaged the disciplined
decimaries and legionnaires of the Arcadian army, under the command of
famed stormshaper Aralt. Adventurer allies could be seen fighting on
both sides, or in the case of mercenaries, simply following in the wake
of battle to loot the dead. Despite heavy losses on both sides, the
battle began to seem evenly matched.

It was then that the voice of Brasidos rang out over the city, taunting
Lothians and Arcadians alike. The treacherous triton's shout was
followed by a horde of shadows melting out of the ocean canvas: a huge
tritonic army descending down upon Lothos.

The Eighth Legion of Scyros had arrived.

Sworn enemy of Lothos but no friend to Arcadians, the Scyrians entered
the fray to rain down slaughter upon both the already-engaged armies,
sweeping in from two sides like a vice. The dynamics of battle changed
swiftly and chaotically, no longer one army versus another but a
free-for-all amongst three separate armies! Yet, despite their weakened
states, the Arcadian and Lothian armies summoned reserves of strength to
fight off the Scyrians, hoarse battlecries reviving flagging spirits.

Until the fall of King Democritus.

Palpable shock gripped the Lothian army for a long moment following the
deathsight of Democritus, their beloved ruler. Before the shock had even
the chance to pass, the deathsight faculties of all across the realm
were assaulted with what seemed like an unending stream of lives ended:
their cause, the sea dragon Asopos!

Asopos, the ancient and legendary sea dragon, had found his way to
Lothos, perhaps attracted by the carnage. Devastatingly deadly and
malevolent, the dragon crushed the whales bearing tritonic war-citadels
with mere swipes of a clawed foot. Fortified walls crumbled at a casual
flick of his massive tail. Asopos, watery destruction personified, cut a
swathe through the armies, striking down Lothian, Scyrian, and Arcadian
soldiers without discrimination.

General Hyrtakos, Strategos of the Eighth Legion of Scyros, was no
stranger to Asopos; he shouted for the legion's immediate withdrawal,
and Aralt did the same for the Arcadian army, each general shouting to
claim victory in the interrupted battle even as they beat hasty
retreats. Lothos, however, asserted its own victory as the only
remaining army within the city's walls. Had Asopos not arrived at that
opportune moment, who can predict how the battle might have ended?

Still, Lothos now had the problem of blood-crazed Asopos. The remaining
army retreated into secure facilities, for as tritons had long since
learned, dread Asopos could not be felled by physical might alone,
especially with their weakened military state. Queen Zephra, now sole
reigning monarch of Lothos, summoned soldiers and Lothian adventurer
allies to the throne room within the palace of Lothos, along with the
Lothian magician, Miltiades.

Through the efforts of Miltiades, assisted by the adventurers Inuad and
Entaro, an enchantment was placed upon Asopos to pacify him, and the sea
dragon was contained within the Lothian catacombs. With gratitude for
the outsiders' help, Queen Zephra welcomed them to Lothos - hidden no
more, for better or for worse.

Penned by My hand on the 16th of Mayan, in the year 508 AF.