The Ill Tide: Late Rescue

General Summary

Having set out from Echwink's Landing a few days ago, The Ill Tide's trip down the western edge of the Singing Bay was relatively uneventful. The only disturbance was the eerie and often beautiful "Voice" that carried across the Bay. But this peace would not last. As our heroes finally came into view of their destination, the Ancient-Old Marblehead Lighthouse, things took a turn. Juut and Mashtun suddenly noticed an encroaching storm and encouraged their compatriots to hurry to cover. Just as they started up a path that would lead them to the lighthouse, a large skeleton made entirely out of shark jaws and a few of his boney friends emerged from the surf and attacked! Despite the danger, our heroes (especially the good monks Ru and Nutmeg!) made quick work of the monsters and found cover from the storm in the barely intact lighthouse.

Damage Assessment

The Ill Tide proceeded to casually search the lighthouse, floor by floor. On the first, Witness found the floorboards pretty rotted when he nearly fell through. The second floor appeared to be the former Varduran lighthouse keeper's room. Though Micah did get stuck under a deadfall trap when investigating a secret compartment in the floorboards, he did find several sapphires and even an old journal from the keeper himself. This ancient record was mostly destroyed, but Micah found a few interesting passages within:

• "... not heard Her. I've never felt so lost."
• "... Eternal. I am trying to have faith, but Song..."
• "... no word in a tenday. I fear I may be the..."
• "... hear Her again! Rejoice! ... of Blades has finally come."

The third floor appeared to be fuel storage for the keeper, but in the centuries since, the casks of oil had rotted away. The resulting spills soaked completely into the wooden floorboards and struts here, indicating that much of this lighthouse might be exceptionally flammable, despite its "good bones." Exercising caution, the Ill Tide made their way up to the roof and into the roaring storm.

No Survivors

On the roof, they found a skeleton laying beside the broken pile of nearly useless lighthouse fuel. It appeared to be dressed in what might have been the garb of an adventurer from the First Expedition. When Witness attempted to rifle through the corpse's pockets, a ghost appeared! This visage of an older woman greeted these heroes with joy. She introduced herself as Toula Suncaller and explained that she had made it to shore when the Exodus sank and had been hiding in this lighthouse since. She assumed that The Ill Tide had come from the encampment to search for survivors, but her assessment was about 30 years too late. This woman had died decades ago and no real rescue had ever come. 
The Ill Tide didn't tell Toula the truth of her "existence" and instead helped calm her down and reassure her that they could help. She told them that she had been chased to the roof by a corrupted creature that lived in the caves beneath the lighthouse and that ending this threat would be the only way to leave. It was  evident that Toula had been killed sometime during her confrontation with this monstrosity. When she mentioned that the creature had stolen her belongings, including a very important letter she really wanted to send to her family back home, the Ill Tide figured that this may be an acceptable way to bring this spirit the rest she sought.
Our heroes decided to go get this monster and help put the ghost to rest, but neglected to have the  really awkward "you're actually dead" conversation. They returned to the first floor and uncovered the trap door Toula had told them about that led to the caves. After dealing with the nasty family of centipedes that had made a home in the barricade, the Ill Tide descended into the briny dark of the sea caves.

A Twisted Past

The Ill Tide cautiously moved through the caves in an attempt to not disturb the colonies of bats sleeping above them. Or rather, they tried to. Known for having missions go "sideways", this moment would define this quest as being invariably "Ill Tide": no sneaking would be successful across the guano-laden cave floor. Swarms of bats swooped down from the ceiling to angrily attack the Ill Tide as they invaded their home.
These flapping rodents proved to be very annoying for our heroes, especially when the commotion disturbed the horrendous creature that lived deeper in the cave. An atonal mess of twisted sounds rose from the back of the cave in a mockery of the voice on the Singing Bay. The sickeningly familiar melodies crashed through the Ill Tide as the monster made itself visible in the dim light of a few cantrips. The creature was vaguely humanoid, but only formerly so: its body had been split open from crown to crotch, this horrible rend now lined with jagged teeth and framed by whipping tentacles. The abomination sent its psychic screams into the cavern and attacked.
Between the bats and the bad guy, the Ill Tide had their work cut out for them. Thankfully, despite the constant waves of psychic fear, our heroes eventually triumphed and brought their enemy low. The back of the cave had a low pool with a boulder in the middle. Two sets of rusted manacles were bolted to the stone, each broken apart. Deep blade cuts could be seen in the rock, implying that whoever had been chained there had endured a significant amount of butchery. The Ill Tide then collected the various treasures scattered about the cave, including some coins, Toula Suncaller's letter , and a strange whalestooth figuring of a singing woman. There was something off about this statuette, as anyone who held it could still hear the twisted keening of the monster's corrupted Voice. Hopefully the Bari Historical Society would know what to do with it.
With that, it was time for the Ill Tide to return to Echwink's Landing and deliver their report.

Rewards Granted

• 6 sapphies worth 10 gp each
• A Varduran lighthouse keeper's journal
• 1,109 sp
• 2,713 cp
• A whatestooth sculpture of a tall figure wearing flowing robes over their thin frame worth 120 gp. There is something magical about this totem and is very valuable to the BHS.
• A 30-year old letter from Toula Suncaller to her daughter Maekrist

Missions/Quests Completed

• Investigate the Old Marblehead Lighthouse

Character(s) interacted with

• The ghost of Toula Suncaller, a scholar from the First Echwink Expedition
• The corrupted Varduran lighthouse keeper

Notes

The Ill Tide's ranks have swelled with new members:

• Ruportia, loxodon monk
• Nutmeg!, murder squirrel
• Witness, faithwrought barbarian
• Micah Husk, maizegrown necromancer

Report Date

11 Jul 2024

Primary Location

Vardura