Iron Maid Guard

The Iron Maid Guard was devised after a string of coastal thefts convinced the keepers of Cindermark Lighthouse that ordinary locks were too mortal to trust. The new vault was poured into the old ballast chamber, where iron bands were bolted through the stone and warning circles were painted in salt, ash, and lamp oil. The guardian was then awakened beneath a lantern that never gutters, an oath-light said to hold the chamber together as much as the walls themselves. Sailors claim its shadow moves a heartbeat late, as though something inside the darkness is thinking twice before each step.