Willow Wharf
"Thrice the eye of the sun opened in anger
Once for the threshold threatened
Twice for the seeker of chains
And the third-----deep----"
I often think of this inscription found on the stonework in Willow Wharf, worn away from years of salt laden wind. I would give anything to know what that last line once said." - from the memoirs of Lewin Von Treet, Vault: the Land of Stuff and Things
In the caves lining the coast of Highcroft south of Lyon's Den is a small community of outsiders known as Willow Wharf. Named for the moss clinging to the walls of the caves that drapes over the water like the bows of willow trees, Willow Wharf is the port of call for those bringing bounties in to Lyon's Den. However, this community is much more to the people who live there.
Within this cave system is the skeleton of a massive creature, a towering behemoth with limbs numbering beyond the norm. Those who first came to the caves claim it predated their arrival, and the community was built around it. Many dismiss the skeletal remains as that of a giant from the Scalebacks, and that it may be. Those who live there, however, claim it is a primordial creature that died within those caves even when the giants were first coming into being.
Those who live in Willow Wharf now do their job of maintaining the port, known for its protection from pirates and limited routes of escape due to the nature of the caves. They are not normal folk by Highcroft standards, though. The people of Willow Wharf share a sort of single-mindedness some compare to insects. They know each other's thoughts, can speak to one another telepathically, and all seem bent on a singular purpose. They have customs including bodily piercings and heavy inking of the skin to denote their devotion to the customs so few travelers understand. Many of the people who reside in Willow Wharf await the "Fourth Opening of the Eye," a doomsday-like event they claim with swallow the world into darkness, allowing only those prepared to see and fight against that which kills in the night.
While strange by some measures, Willow Wharf is exceedingly safe and well-regarded by sea-faring folk.
