The Beacon of Light

Andaclesia, the high priestess of Ptah on the Rock of Bral, has a problem. After a trip to Toril, one of the priests of Ptah discovered a cult that ostensibly worships Ptah several months ago. It established itself in an old lighthouse in the Pirate Isles in the Sea of Fallen Stars. After investigating the cult, the Church of Ptah found that they were not actually worshipping Ptah, but an unknown entity. The Church of Ptah tried to put them down as heretics, but the cult swelled with the pirate residents of the surrounding waters. They came under the leadership of Surek I, a Mulan pirate turned high priest of the new Temple of Ptah the Great Light. After Surek came to power, galleons began appearing in wildspace to attack the peaceful barges of Ptah. He has attached space engines on them so that they can do quick jaunts into wildspace and return to Toril. The Temple will be grateful for the party's help and offer a large amount of gold. They will offer to lend a cleric for the mission, a priest name Khorson. In reality, Khorson is on a secret mission he will not tell the party. The Temple knows that Surek has an artifact named the Beacon of Light. Khorson is tasked with finding it and bringing it back to Andaclesia.

Plot points/Scenes

Keyed locations 1. Gatehouse and courtyard—ground floor: A large iron portcullis about ten feet high blocks the gate (AC 18). The walls encircling the lighthouse are 30 feet high. The gatehouse has murder holes pointing out with muskets fixed in for a single defender to fire them on his own. The southern gatehouse room contains the winch for the gate and a storage room for food, water, ammunition, and powder. The northern gatehouse room has a small table and chairs for the guards as well as a storage room and a weapon rack. The southern room has two doors and the northern one has one, all three made of wood, banded with iron (AC 12). Each side of the gatehouse has a set of stairs going up to the next level of the walls. There is one guard manning the murderholes at all times. One guard stands by the winch at all times. Two guards sit as relief in the northern room while two guards patrol at the portcullis day and night. The whole guard is changed three times a day: daybreak, noon, and sundown. The nightshift is the longest one and when the guards are the least attentive. 1a. The courtyard opens into a large expanse of sandy, rocky terrain. To the north is a stable and hay trough. 1b. The northern dock has a sloop docked there. The crew numbers 20 sailors and sleep on the ship. There is a watchman who looks out. The ship keeps a better watch than the guards, changing watches like a ship would, First watch 0000–0700, Middle watch 7000–1200, Afternoon watch 1200–1700, Night watch 1700–0000. There will always be 5 sailors on watch at all times. 1c-1d. Two towers stand at the northern and southern ends with wooden doors banded with iron (AC 12) and stairs inside going up. 1e. A galleon is docked at the southern dock. During the day, it is usually unloading cargo with at least 10-15 sailors walking from the ship to the postern door to the north of the dock to the entry of the lighthouse. 2. Entrance Hall: To the north and south, two doors (AC 12) lead to stairs to the higher level and a storage room respectively. To the west stand double doors (AC 13) leading into the lighthouse. Two armor stands flank the western door. The storage room contains food, water, 3 pistols, 2 muskets, 5 daggers, 5 longswords, 5 crossbows, 100 musket bullets, 100 charges of smokepowder, and 500 crossbow bolts. This is the reserve stores for the guards. 3. Storage Rooms: There is a northern storeroom that holds liquids such as freshwater and grog. The southern storeroom holds foodstuffs and herbs. Adjacent to the northern storeroom is the commander of the watch, Captain Sabas Thurian. He is not a true believer, but the pay is good and his family needs the money. He is not willing to die for his paymasters, but he will keep fighting until he sees no other option but surrender. 4. Gaol: To the south of Sabas's room are the cells. Three prison cells with iron barred doors (AC 20) are located here. The keys are in a cupboard near the door to the jail. 5. Guard Quarters: Five rooms extend down the right side of the hallway. The first room has a single occupant: Sergeant Slaughter. Slaughter is a goliath with a bad attitude. Having been a homeless outcast after a war he does not like talking about—partially because he does not remember—he roamed the world, committing random acts of murder. He found the Cult of the Great Light and adopted their ways because hashish are part of the rituals and it’s the only thing that calms his mind enough to not get nightmares. The other four rooms have two triple bunks on each side of the room. Only one person will be sleeping in here at any given time since one person will be on watch and one will be eating or getting leisure time. The only exception is feast days when everyone, except those on punishment, get to feast and sleep at the same time. 6. Common Room: This is the common room for the guards. There are some tables and chairs. 7. Repair Room: This is where the repairs for armor and weapons take place with two store rooms attached to provide materials. 8. Latrines: Toilets. 9. Mess Hall: Three long tables seat enough people that the whole warch could partake in feasts, but only one watch is taking the hot meal at a time. First watch has the northernmost table, second the middle, and third the southernmost. Two chairs at the head are for Captain Thurian and Sergeant Slaughter, or an "Upper Floorer" if they come down. 10. Back Staircase: A large, broad spiral staircase that can allow three men to walk up shoulder to shoulder extends to the next floor up. 11. Central Staircase: Extending up from the stairs at area 2, there are two staircases, one going up to the south and one going down to the north. To the west is a door leading to a balcony overlooking area 1. 12. Storage Rooms: The storages room contains food, water, 3 pistols, 2 muskets, 5 daggers, 5 maces, 5 longswords, 5 crossbows, 100 musket bullets, 100 charges of smokepowder, and 500 crossbow bolts. 13. Bunk Room: Double bunks line the walls, allowing the rest of the guards to sleep in shifts. There are latrines on the south end. These guards man the walls and 14. Officer Quarters: In the antechamber rests two attendants: Haraga and Kadu. They are true believers in the cult and will die to protect the lighthouse. Beyond their room is the room of General Namrut, who is the leader of all the guard and one of Surek's closest supporters. He is not an enthusiastic supporter but he believes in Surek. 15. Chapel: At the entrance of the chapel, there is a door to the right that leads to the living quarters of Huranwe, In the chapel, there are three statutes of Ptah, one young, one mature, and one old. A stone altar stands at the center with four sets of pews. 16. Mess Hall: This is where the upstairs guards eat their meals on a similar schedule as the lower guards. 17. Armory: 4 sets of chainmail, 2 sets of halfplate, 10 spears, 10 longswords, 5 muskets, and 5 crossbows. Jareth Dabbler is in this room. He is a thief who got trapped in the magical armor. His compatriots are the guards at the main gate. He wants to get out of there and tells the party that if you die with the sun armor, you can be resurrected. 18. Private Dining Room: This is where Surek takes his meals and has meetings. 19. Audience Chamber: An antechamber is lined with benches and chairs before two double doors which lead into the audience chamber, lined with stone columns. Two stone seats sit on the far side with light coming from slits in the wall. To the south is a door leading to an empty room. There is a secret lever that can be found via DC 18 investigation check. This opens a hatch from above and rolls down a rope ladder to the southern chamber of area 26. To the north is a door leading to a staircase up to area 26 and is locked from the other side (DC 16 slight of hand). 20. Staircase: The staircase goes up to Area 22 or down to Area 10. 21. Gatehouse: The stairs here lead up from area 1. The portcullis raises up here, preventing anyone on the other side at the murder holes. The two chambers to the north and south have a guard posted in each and a staircase going up to area 23. 22. Rooftop: The broad, flat roof leads to several towers. This area is generally not patrolled. 23. Gatehouse: On top the gatehouse are about four guards looking out to the front. Two guard will patrol from the gate house to the top of the towers to the north and south. 24. Repair Room: Inside this room is a ballista under repair. Fixing it is a dwarf named Unvald Ironbead. He was kidnapped and is forced to repair their siege equipment. He is no happy being there, thinks the cult is creepy and wants to leave. He will tell the party that the people they have manning the ballistae have magical powers, seemingly able to see in the dark and things that are invisible. Additionally, the sights on the ballistae allow them to be accurately fired at the max range. He can't really help fight the cult, but he can give them a spanner that can help disable to ballistae. There is a staircase on the outside that leads up to the ballistae of the south tower. 25. Central Tower: The outside stairs go up to area 31. Inside the tower are two staircases going down to area 11. Barrels of food stuffs and water are stored here. 26. Living Quarters: There is no way to enter this area from area 22 as the windows are only two feet wide. Inside are leisure rooms for Surek to entertain his officers. There is a staircase that goes up to area 27. 27. Ballistae Operators Quarters: Bedrooms and leisure rooms for the four ballistae operators for the north and south towers of the western side. The ballistae are in emplacements and covered from above. 28. Surek's Quarters: Here is where Surek sleeps and spends his time when not conducting services, or meeting with advisors. There is an observation balcony here. A set of stairs goes upstairs to area 29. 29. Ballistae Emplacement: Two ballistae are emplaced here. 30. The Beacon of Light: At the top of the tower is a the Beacon of Light. With it, Surek is able to use magic to cause storms when the pirates of the isles do not pay tribute to the cult while using the beacon to provide a lighthouse at night. Four elite guards are posted here at all times.

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