Saving Face

"Yes, there have been reports of the foul birds attacking people. There are also reports of strange sea monsters attacking boats - giant sharks, giant squid, giant octopus, etc - it seems everything is getting oversized and aggressive, though fortunately none have come near the clam beds just yet. For now, our divers are safe, but the Dree family is worried and keeps complaining. And the Albergs seem off from their usual demeanor. I can't have this cause havoc on the festival. Our people here depend on the income it brings in, and without it they might not have enough to buy food later in the year. Or worse yet, it might damage the reputation of the festival."

The Lady gives you a run down of the local families that more or less control the area. While she is the only noble and technically owns the lands around here, there are five powerful families that essentially run the entire bay. The three clamming families are the Albergs, the Dree, and the MacPhails. While anyone is allowed to go clamming, who goes when is done by a sort of partial lottery with preference on those who own rights, and these three families are always at the top of the list, ensuring they get the best picks.

Two other families control most of the food stalls - the Gummers and the Ardilar. Any stall not of these two families will not be able to sell the best clams, and with this year being the largest clams they've ever harvested, the two families are hoping to make a huge profit. Though competition is fierce, and there's even suspicions that some of the accidents that have caused some stalls to collapse or catch fire may not have actually been so accidental.

She also explains what they know about the Golden Tide, which the MacPhails are heralding as a true blessing. They believe the reason for such a bountiful harvest, with the largest, juiciest, tastiest clams they've ever had are solely due to the Golden Tide. And while that's probably true, others were worried - at least at first. One of their locals, an old eccentric by the name of Gnarly Peg, did a test dive when the Tide was first discovered, and he turned out fine. He was also the first one to taste the clams. After that, the Albergs, who won the lottery for first dive, started harvesting.

She pauses to think for a moment, and then says, "Some have. Some have not. The sea creatures, the birds, have all started recently. But stories of the face taker have been around a long time. Do you think they are connected?"