Swamped

It's some kind of stone that resembles a fish. Drip seems extremely surprised by it.

"That went missing years ago!" he exclaims. "There were fierce arguments about whether Matilda Laikenne stole it!"

"What is it, exactly?" you ask.

"A holy relic of Nual. The fish it depicts is blessed. I know nothing more about it."

But it has an aura, you notice. And you're starting to wonder something.

"Funny. I found another holy relic of Nual tonight." You hold up the shell. "Wonder if there's a connection..."

"Let me see that," Marian says. She steps a bit closer. And as she does, you see the auras get very bright. So these go together? Never heard of a fish living in a seashell, though...

The auras suddenly get so bright you can't keep your eyes open. And then you hear a loud rushing sound.

You open your eyes carefully. The water's gone.

"They must have used these together to raise the water," Marian muses. "Then hid the shell and you stumbled on it. Don't know why they didn't keep this someplace safer, though..."

She pauses.

"Well, I suppose not just anyone can go diving that deep," she concludes. "Why not put it behind the door rather than in front of it, though?"

"Because they didn't want any priests touching it, maybe?" Arlene asks. "I mean, we're guessing they've got a bunch of them down there. Maybe it can do something besides controlling the water."

"We can speculate later. Right now, let's take a look at that door you mentioned," you say. "See if there's any trick to opening it."

Marian nods. You all follow her down.

Thankfully, the passage widens right before the door, so you've got some actual elbow room. Makes it easier to look around. The door seems firmly shut, but maybe there's something out here that can help you past it.