Devil's Reef

"'The land itself seemed wrong, in some subtle way that I could not precisely define. The moonlight fell at an unnatural angle, casting distorted shadows from trees that were not shaped quite as trees should be. Even the hills were somewhat different.”""- H.P Lovecraft, 'The Shadow over Innsmouth'"Devil’s Reef is a landmass near the shore of the port town of Innsmouth. While one side is turned towards the town the other is turned towards the Atlantic Ocean.

History
For centuries, the Reef wasn’t known as “Devil’s Reef”. It only got that name after Obed Marsh and his followers started a cult in Innsmouth called the Esoteric Order of Dagon. After the Deep One worshipers known as Kanakies were destroyed in the Polynesian islands, Obed went to the Reef and summoned the creatures from the sea. He offered them to stay there in exchange for helping him rebuild Innsmouth. They accepted, and soon build the city of Y’ha-nthlei bellow. The two groups got into a pact, involving gold and fish in exchange for human sacrifices.

For decades the Deep Ones were undisturbed, until FBI and US Navy intervened. After the fall of Innsmouth, the goal of the military was to assault Devil’s Reef. However the leader of the Order, Robert Marsh, wouldn’t give up so easily. He and his priests summoned Dagon and, with the help of the Deep Ones and their magic, sunk three Navy ships, delaying their fate for a few more hours.

Role in the game
During the chapter “A Dangerous Voyage” there will be (infamous !) lights on the reef, projected by Deep One priests. After defeating priests, and later even Dagon, Jack Walters will find himself washed on the shore of Devil’s Reef. He will soon learn that the Reef is full of traps and Deep Ones, as he witness one of the Navy sailors dying before his eyes. He also finds a place where human sacrifices were made and later a room showing the interactions between the citizens of Innsmouth and the Deep Ones. Most horrific of these paintings is the one that confirms his suspicions - mating between humans and Deep Ones. After navigating his way around and solving some puzzles he eventually finds a secret entrance to Y’ha-nthlei.

Trivia

 * In the book “The Shadow over Innsmouth” the reef is described as barely above water, and sometimes completely submerged, while in the game it resembles more of an island.