The Lighthouse of Living Shadows

Unveil the secret necromancer threatening coastal cities.

The players stumble upon a secret pact between a necromancer and an ancient sea monster that threatens the coastal cities. Tasked by worried merchant lords, they must infiltrate a deserted island where a forgotten lighthouse stands ominously against the skyline. Braving deadly terrain and heightened magical interference, they uncover the necromancer's plan to bolster his ranks with shipwrecked souls using corrupted light magic. As magical currents clash with steampunk gadgetry, players explore the very foundations of harmony between magic and technology, drawing them into a harrowing confrontation.

The World

Context

In the coastal steampunk world, lighthouses powered by enchanted, ever-burning lanterns help navigate treacherous waters. Magic uniquely fuels technology here, enabling wonders like flying ships. Races collaboratively harness these elements, but monsters lurking in ancient places threaten peace. The players’ journey reveals hidden truths about this delicate balance.

Concept

Steampunk lighthouses use enchanted beacons to navigate and defend against sea threats.

Impact

Communities rely on beacon-steered trade routes, creating power struggles over magical light sources.

The Plot

Summary

The players, summoned by the Merchant Lord's Guild, must prevent a necromancer from risking trade routes by reanimating shipwrecked souls into mindless undead minions. Landing on the deserted isle of Ravenscar, they navigate briny pathways and confront dead hazards regrouped by a corrupted lighthouse beacon. As they delve deeper, uncovering the necromancer's lair under the lighthouse, they find evidence of a larger scheme—an alliance with a leviathan for coastal domination. This pact provokes the necromancer's control of the enchanted lighthouse, threatening to summon the leviathan into these waters. With time slipping, the players must deactivate the beacon, severing the necromancer's link to insidious power.

Complication

The necromancer plans to summon a sea monster using lighthouse energy.

Hook

Necromancer found bending lighthouse magic to summon undead.

World stakes

Trade routes collapse under constant, undead sea attacks.

Personal stakes

Failure leaves the PCs stranded as undead swarm.

The Acts

Act 1

Summary:

Players arrive at Ravenscar, navigating spooky tides to reach the Island Lighthouse. They encounter undead patrols and must breach the main defenses, learning of shipments attracting the undead. The steampunk lighthouse seems eerily powered despite abandonment, hinting at arcane manipulation. A clue suggests the necromancer uses magic-enhanced technology, sparking urgency.

Location:

Deserted Ravenscar Isle with mystical lighthouse.

Challenge:

Undead defend the lighthouse with raw aggression.

Objective:

Disable the lighthouse’s magical-beacon.

Set Back:

Unexpected fog complicates navigation.

Revelation:

Necromancer alters beacon tech for necromancy.

GM's Guide:

Use heavy fog to create mob suspense, enhancing loneliness. Introduce mystical-technological synergy in the lighthouse; eerie, unearthly light should feel menacing. Ensure the tension mounts as glimpsed figures aren’t fully revealed until crucial moments.

GM's Move:

Dozens of undead protect the lighthouse perimeter.

Act 2

Summary:

Inside, players face the necromantic apparatus shielding the beacon’s chamber. Puzzle-solving combines with combat against upgraded undead augmented by tech. Players decode runes forcing a confrontation with mechanical traps defending the pathway to the lighthouse's source. A journal reveals a connection between the necromancer and an ancient monstrous leviathan.

Location:

The inner mechanisms of the lighthouse beacon.

Challenge:

Bypass magical traps heightened by tech enhancements.

Objective:

Reach the lighthouse beacon's source room.

Set Back:

Rune puzzle releases devastating trap.

Revelation:

Leviathan pact to unleash sea terror.

GM's Guide:

Layer magic-puzzle mechanics in traps; guide momentum by rewarding problem-solving with clear access. Dynamically portray the lighthouse as both nautical and mystical—each step within unveils past lives captured by its beacon.

GM's Move:

Traps and augmented undead increase in complexity.

Act 3

Summary:

In the beacon’s inner sanctum, players face off against the necromancer and his creation—a magically-fueled sea monster. The confrontation demands they disrupt the beacon ritual, confronting the antagonist’s final form. Players use lighthouse tech to defeat him, sealing the bond with the monster and restoring magic’s harmony.

Location:

Beacon’s sanctum at lighthouse pinnacle.

Challenge:

Cataclysmic battle against necromancer and hybrid leviathan.

Objective:

Defeat the necromancer and sever his monstrous bond.

Set Back:

Ritual advances, summoning parts of the leviathan.

Revelation:

Disrupting beacon severs power link.

GM's Guide:

Build tension with vivid narrative of magic-tech fusion; the monster should feel hybrid, echoing the theme. Let players’ ingenuity in combining magic and steampunk mechanics shape the climax.

GM's Move:

Monster hybridizes into lighthouse-powered form.

Climax:

Vanquish the necromancer; lighthouse returns to harmony.