The Lighthouse Song

Among the sailors of the Great Ring, the lighthouses that make up the Ring of Light are the most important and sacred buildings in the world. They represent the ability to find their way in the dark, to navigate when even the stars are denied you. Also, each lighthouse also has their own god and specialty. The sailors of the million islands depend on the lighthouses and their priests, and knowing which tower to visit when a ship is in need can be crucial. This is the reason behind "The Lighthouse Song", which includes verses for each of the over six thousand towers that make up the Ring of Light. There are many versions of this song sung around the islands, and sailors will often know the verses sung on all the ships they've worked on thoughout their lives. I've included some of the verses below, along with some of the more common refrains used.

Every beacon is a promise
Of harbor and of home
That we’ll come back to join
The ones we left alone.

On Lindos stands a tower
The guides us in the night
For when we're lost in dreaming
It's always within sight

Each tower blazes brightly
To guide us on our way
So that those upon the sea
Will make it home one day.

There's a beacon on the island
That we all know as Home
There your darkest hour
Will not be faced alone

A lighthouse is a lantern
Hung to guide us home
And to tell us we are welcome
Wherever we may roam

In the west is a great tower
For all the souls who stray
For even when we're gone
We can still be shown the way

For the sea may take our bodies
And shatter the ship at sea
The beacon will still guide us
To where we long to be

The tower of the hammer
Turns the enemy from the shore
When our home is threatened
They'll be guarding at the door

We are not forgotten
While towers light the shore
The fires of home are waiting
When we sail the sea no more

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This article was written for Tyrdal's Flashfire challenge.

The Ring of Light

The Ring of Light is a network of over six thousand lighthouses, extending all around the Great Ring. Each lighthouse is also a temple to a small god, with their own order of priests and attendants. These priestly orders are collectively known as the Order of the Lightkeepers, and are the largest religious organization in the Million Islands. You can read more about the Ring of Light here.

The Lighthouses

Below you will find more information about the lighthouses mentioned in the excerpted stanzas.