Shadowpool
Deep beneath the steaming jungles that border the Waning Veldt, limestone caverns form an underground aquifer that filters the ground water and distills it into vast subterranean resevoirs. These still caverns are completely filled with water, save a small number that have been expanded by the lutrai to form a hidden hideaway of converted, air-filled caverns. They call it Shadowpool, a sanctuary for freed slaves and chainbreakers that's been in use sinse the fall of the Solinar. Shadowpool is accessable through a small number of caves found in the mangroves that border the southern coast, most of which are protected in some way by lutraic warding magic.
Reaching this underwater lair requires both phenomenal swimming skill and an intimate knowledge of the underwater caverns. Becoming lost or disoriented can be fatal, as the aquifer passages stretch for miles, and air only exists in one small portion of the maze. The cold, crystal-clear waters harbor no life, only the dusty silt of ages. There is no natural light, either, and a complete absence of sound, making the caves a rather eerie experience. Those that know the way can reach the air caverns in roughly ten minutes, restricting passage to those that can really hold their breath, or those have no breath to hold.
The Hidden Passages
These caverns have been used by the chainbreakers for nearly five hundred years, and have been modified and expanded over the generations, to house a population of nearly seven hundred. The air-filled caves have been rounded, furnished, and transformed into living spaces, common areas, and underground gardens lit by lutraic sun glyphs. These childish, painted solar patterns radiate true daylight, allowing the otter-folk to grow their own food. Several of the central caverns are covered in grass and even small fruit orchards fed by trickling cavern waterfalls. This sun magic ebbs as day becomes night, allowing those within Shadowpool top know the approximate time of day.
The lutrai here are somewhat more subtle than their island-dwelling cousins. Most of them are former slaves, having been rescued from Ixtol or Harrow, and all maintain a strict secrecy about their hidden home. Even the young cubs here are trained by chainbreakers to evade capture or rescue their peers should the need arise. Unlike most lutrai, they will also keep stores of wealth, mostly for the purpose of bribing the more materialistic races. The chieftain, or head chainbreaker, is a wily storyteller named Janu. With his arsenal of enchanted masks, he can assume nearly any form and blend in with nearly any culture, a trick he uses both to spy, and to adventure. Janu has an exceptional mastery of language and verse, and is so capable of talking his way out of situations that he never carries any weapon of any kind. Janu is most easily distinguished by his strange masks, and few ever see his real face.