Excerpt from ‘The history of Vylbrand, from Nym to Limsa Lominsa’ by Archon Niniri Niri.
An extensive system of caverns on the western coast of Vylbrand, Sastasha was carved from the rock by eons of erosion. The cave’s initial inhabitants were the sahagin, an aquatic race of spoken hailing from the depths of the Indigo Deep. Common knowledge amongst the people of Western La Noscea dictates that the sahagin used the cove as a meeting place, and that the name ‘Sastasha’ derives from this, meaning ‘many shells’ in their native language. The cove is sometimes referred to by a longer name, Sastasha Seagrot, and Seagrot is likely a portmanteau of sea and grotto, with a grotto being a partially submerged cave system.
Roughly fifty years ago the sahagin were driven from Sastasha by the dread pirate Mistbeard, who went on to use Sastasha as his base of operations on Vylbrand. The structures found within today are relics of this period, and once acted as docks, crew quarters and recreational facilities for the pirate king’s crew. This era in Sastasha’s history drew to an end when Mistbeard disappeared with little trace twenty-two years ago, heralding the descent of the Seagrot into decrepitude.
It was not long, however, until the sahagin returned to the cove, spurred on by the effects of the Seventh Umbral Calamity which decimated the race’s existing spawning grounds. They commanded the Serpent Reavers, a large crew of pirates tempered by Leviathan, to retake the Seagrot in their name. After doing so the Serpent Reavers have made it a habit of theirs to harry the people of Limsa Lominsa as much as is feasibly possible.
The Wauling Pond
Upon first entry to the Seagrot one finds themselves in the Wauling Pond, an area of raised stone pathways over a rather sizeable drop to the cave floor below, surely a consequence of the erosion that created the Seagrot. Various forms of bioluminescent flora and coral can be found within, including common brain coral species that seem to glow a soft blue or red. Odd pillars of coruscating blue light litter the area, a sure sign of the abundance of water-aspected aether within Sastasha.
While the reasons behind the name of the Wauling Pond are not immediately clear, one can make assumptions based on the evidence provided. It is well known that for some time the pirates of Vylbrand have smuggled exotic beasts onto the island and that Sastasha was home to feline beasts such as the coeurl. To waul is to screech in a mournful tone, especially when applied to felines. Although there is no outright water in this area, there almost certainly once was judging by the erosion that carved out the chamber. This then must have been a pond where the cries of the felines from deeper within could be heard.
The Cattery
Further within the Seagrot is a vast cavern, partially submerged in water. The area can accessed by a series of stone platforms joined by paths of clustered coral. The ceiling of the chamber is perforated by a series of holes which let natural sunlight into this cavern, named the Cattery. This name derives from the coeurls that are stored within the depths of the area. A secret door exists in the rock at the terminus of the cavern, accessed by a small button in the stone. This was likely engineered by Mistbeard as a method for defending his holdings and was then adopted by the Serpent Reavers.
The Rambade
There are a pair of circular chambers within Sastasha commonly called Rambades by the pirates that inhabit the Seagrot. They seem to serve as storage facilities and defensive measures, acting as an airlock manned by members of the pirate crew. The Rambade aboard a ship is an area above the artillery that acts as an area for onboard combat or as a command post. This may be a reference to the presence of the captain within the area when adventurers sent by the Maelstrom cleansed the Seagrot of the Serpent Reavers.
The Dead Man’s Drink
Deep within Sastasha are the facilities constructed by Mistbeard for his crew. The central room of the area is a large chamber with a wooden structure used as storage and as the tavern for the crews of Mistbeard and later the Serpent Reavers. A number of side-chambers branch off of the center, providing quarters for the various roles in the crew, from rowers to deckhands, navigators and even the captain. There is also an additional chamber named the Hole which reports indicate acted as the communal cell for those taken captive by the pirates.
The Sultana’s Lap and Mistbeard Cove
The end of Sastasha is found in a large cove open to the ocean, originally occupied and constructed by the docks of Mistbeard’s crew. The cove under the Serpent Reavers was home to a number of storage facility as well as the residence of the sahagin warrior chosen to oversee the Serpent Reavers and provide strategy for their operations. This particular chamber appears to have been named for the rather tawdry tale repeated in the less reputable establishments throughout Eorzea, regarding a rather scandalous encounter between Mistbeard and the mother of the current Sultana while the dread pirate was pilfering the coffers of the palace.
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