Echoes of the Elderglass Coast

Unravel the mystery of the living lighthouse before time runs out.

The players arrive in the coastal town of Elderglow, where the lighthouse serves as both beacon and mechanical marvel powered by rare magical crystals. Recently, strange voices have started emanating from the lighthouse, and with each passing day, local phenomena linked to the ebbing tide intensify and threaten the town. The PCs discover that the lighthouse's core contains an ancient, intelligent entity trapped for centuries, now waking and testing its limits. The party must find a way to communicate with or pacify this cosmic entity, whose awakening is tied to geomantic alignments that occur only once in a millennium. With conflicting guidance from an eminent elvish scholar, a practical human engineer, and a barnacle-shelled lighthouse keeper, players face moral choices and technological puzzles. The time-sensitive alignment with the tides means they only have until the next dawn to resolve the situation, lest the town be engulfed by a peculiar, sentient tidal wave manifesting directly from the lighthouse's core.

The World

Context

In this world, rare magic mingles with the gears and steam of technology. Coastal towns harness magical stones from the ocean floor to power enigmatic devices like the lighthouse of Elderglow. Humans and elves coexist, relying on ingenuity and ancient knowledge to manage these mysterious energies. Magical phenomena often appear suddenly, shaped by tides and winds.

Concept

Living lighthouses powered by magical ocean crystals that influence tides.

Impact

These lighthouses control seaborne trade routes, creating disputes over resource access and existential threats from malfunctioning systems.

The Plot

Summary

The adventurers arrive at Elderglow the evening before the celestial event, compelled by duty to assist in resolving the strange emanations. Initial investigation reveals tensions between the town's human innovators and elvish scholars over the lighthouse's management. As the party embarks on troubleshooting, they are confronted by increasing natural anomalies - violent sea life, unstable weather, and scrambled communications. Inside the lighthouse, they discover the main mechanism tied to a sentient, trapped entity. This ancient being communicates through flickering lights and harmonic noises, revealing its imprisonment and explaining it seeks freedom. The players must decide whether to release the entity, potentially altering tide patterns permanently, or find ways to appease it and delay action until experts can study it further. Complicating their decision, the locals press for quick action to prevent disaster. As dawn approaches, a choice must be made: activating an emergency failsafe that could destroy the lighthouse's powers forever, attempting a delicate ritual to send the entity back into dormancy, or seeking a way to safely engage with or release the entity, transforming the lighthouse into something unprecedented.

Complication

The entity's power is increasing, causing bizarre coastal phenomena.

Hook

Strange voices emerge from Elderglow's lighthouse. Civilization at risk.

World stakes

Tidal waves could devastate the local and neighboring towns.

Personal stakes

Failure leaves players morally culpable for drastic outcomes.

The Acts

Act 1

Summary:

PCs arrive in Elderglow, encountering town tensions and understanding the lighthouse's mystique. They meet three NPCs: an Elven scholar advocating caution, a practical human engineer urging action, and a cryptic lighthouse keeper. Investigation starts as unsettling phenomena begin around the town.

Location:

Elderglow town square, featuring seawater-powered automatons.

Challenge:

Calming rising tensions while gathering essential information.

Objective:

Understand the lighthouse's importance and begin mystery investigation.

Set Back:

Tide-swelling accidents threaten the docks, demanding immediate attention.

Revelation:

Lighthouse's power link to ancient sentient entities.

GM's Guide:

Focus on immersive description of the town's atmosphere and tensions. Encourage players to engage with NPCs to gather diverse perspectives. Allow exploration of the unique tech-magic blend powering the lighthouse and initial small challenges involving malfunctioning devices.

GM's Move:

Strange manifestations and anomalies around town worsen overnight.

Act 2

Summary:

Players enter the lighthouse, dealing with its intricate inner workings. Mechanical and magical challenges arise as they delve deeper, gaining clues to the entity's needs. Internal alliances or conflicts surface as the PCs debate among themselves and NPCs about the right path forward.

Location:

Lighthouse interior, filled with glowing crystal mechanics.

Challenge:

Decipher the entity’s communication amidst mechanical disruptions.

Objective:

Navigate and understand the lighthouse’s internal complexities.

Set Back:

Hallucinatory visions sent by the entity distract players.

Revelation:

Entity's intention to influence the cosmic sequence soon.

GM's Guide:

Intensify pacing by introducing time-sensitive problems within the lighthouse. Focus on balancing collaborative puzzle-solving with moral decision-making. Highlight the tension between saving the town quickly or finding deeper understanding of the entity.

GM's Move:

Coastal disruptions become more pronounced, pressuring quick resolution.

Act 3

Summary:

As dawn approaches, the entity pushes more aggressively to influence tidal patterns. Players face final decisions in the lighthouse's core chamber, with each option carrying moral and mechanical risk. NPCs offer final counsel based on players' earlier choices as consequences become clear.

Location:

Lighthouse core chamber, pulsating with magical energy.

Challenge:

Conduct complex ritual or mechanical operation under stress.

Objective:

Resolve the entity’s awakening to prevent coastal disaster.

Set Back:

Ritual components fail, requiring resourceful improvisation.

Revelation:

Entity’s true nature and potential liberation consequences.

GM's Guide:

Build tension with every choice, driving existential urgency. Highlight the consequences of each path. Maintain focus on character agency and the moral dimensions of their decisions. Encourage player-driven outcomes with irreversible stakes.

GM's Move:

Entity's power peaks, threatening total environmental chaos.

Climax:

Players' final choice triggers entity’s fate and town’s survival.