The Grotto of Gilded Lies
The Grotto of Gilded Lies
“History is written in gold and frozen in blood.”
— Hook · retrieve
“You have been hired as private security for an exclusive excursion into the frozen grottos of Little Diomede. Recover the Cursed Crown of the Bering Deep before the local merfolk realize their ancestral history is being pillaged. The reward is heavy, but the ice is thin.”
— Hook · retrieve
The luxury cruise liner Sapphire Star anchors near the jagged cliffs of Little Diomede Island while passengers board smaller excursion rafts. Your guide, a nervous historian, promises a tour of ancient underwater ruins and a chance to glimpse the legendary northern merfolk. The biting arctic wind carries a faint, melodic hum that seems to vibrate through the floor of your boat.
Professor Aris Thorne
The Professor pulls the party aside near the ship bar, smelling faintly of expensive alcohol and desperation. He offers a satchel of gold up front and promises the party can keep any loose gems they find, provided he gets the crown for his final career exhibition.
Rumours
d4 · table- 01The merfolk of Little Diomede were once a wealthy human merchant clan.
- 02The gems found in the grotto move when you are not looking.
- 03A blind siren protects the final resting place of the Arctic King.
- 04Rare alcohol from the old world is hidden in the shipwreck near the caves.
If the crown is not removed, the curse will spread to the cruise ship passengers. If the crown is removed carelessly, the entire cavern system will collapse, burying the party alive.
Background Lore
Centuries ago, a merchant prince fled to Little Diomede with a stolen crown that granted immortality but cost humanity. The prince and his court were transformed into the first of the arctic merfolk, doomed to guard their treasures in a state of eternal, frozen hunger. The crown remains in the center of a submerged ballroom, surrounded by the literal and figurative mimics of their former wealth.
The excursion is a standard historical survey of a sunken pre-colonial settlement known for unique maritime architecture and bioluminescent flora.
