The Lantern in the Fog
The Lantern in the Fog
Read aloud
For three nights, a blue fog has swallowed the harbor mouth, and two fishing boats have failed to return. Harbormaster Sella Vane offers a reward for the stolen Lantern of Saint Orra, the beacon that once guided ships safely through the shoals. She asks you to find it before the next high tide.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Find the signal tower where the Lantern was taken.
- 2Retrieve the Lantern from the old signal tower.
- 3Resolve the conflict between the harbor's safety and Mara's urgent rescue.
- 4Stabilize the beacon and prevent the spirits from stirring.Optional
The clock
The next high tide arrives in approximately six hours. At that point, Mara's boat will attempt the shoal crossing, and the weakening ward may allow more spirits to rise. Use the tide as pressure, not as a forced failure timer.
Scenes
- 0:00A Beacon Gone Dark
- 0:30Across the Black Shoals
- 1:15The Keeper's Warning
- 1:50Light at the Top of the Tower
- 2:50A Light Shared
Cast
- Harbormaster Sella VaneQuestgiver
- Tamsin ReedWitness
- Brother CaldusAlly
- Mara QuillAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
Sella meets the party in the harbor office as rain taps the shutters. A chart of the shoals is spread across her desk, and a fresh smear of blue wax marks the shrine's broken lock. She explains that Tamsin saw a blue light moving toward the abandoned signal tower, while Mara Quill, a local boatwright, has not been seen since the theft.
How Harbormaster Sella Vane asks
Sella approaches the party in person at the harbor office, offering a modest advance and a larger reward upon the Lantern's safe return.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3.5 hours0:00
30 min
socialThe table is here
1. A Beacon Gone Dark
The harbor office and the rain-soaked shrine steps in Greyhaven.
Sella gives the job, Tamsin shares what she saw, and the party can question harbor workers or inspect the shrine's broken lock.
NextA smear of blue wax and Tamsin's directions point toward the coastal path to the old signal tower.
0:30
45 min
exploration
2. Across the Black Shoals
A tidal track between Greyhaven and the ruined signal tower.
The party follows tracks across the shoals, faces the smugglers who have been watching the tower, and can learn that Mara passed with supplies for a boat crew.
The Shoal Path AmbushNextThe tower entrance stands open, and a faint blue light pulses above the shore.
1:15
35 min
social
3. The Keeper's Warning
The tower's abandoned keeper quarters, filled with salt-damaged charts and prayer tablets.
The party finds Brother Caldus and the old beacon records. He explains that the Lantern is tied to a ward, while insisting that its immediate recovery matters more than speculation.
NextA flare from the beacon chamber reveals that someone is trying to move the Lantern.
1:50
60 min
combat
4. Light at the Top of the Tower
The signal tower's upper chamber, where the Lantern shines through a cracked lens.
The party confronts Mara and the restless dead in the beacon chamber. They can bargain with Mara, defend the Lantern, or help her secure a passage for the refugees before returning it.
The Beacon ChamberNextOnce the dead are quiet and the Lantern is secured, the party must choose whether to relight the beacon now or use it to guide the refugee boat.
2:50
30 min
skill
5. A Light Shared
The tower plinth, the harbor mouth, or the council room, depending on the party's plan.
The party puts its decision into action, then reports to Sella or negotiates with the harbor council. The fog and local response reflect their choices.
NextThe Lantern's fate opens a new question about the refugees, the spirits, or the old beacon network.
Behind it
What people believe
The Lantern of Saint Orra has vanished from its harbor shrine, and a dangerous fog now clings to Greyhaven Bay.
Harbormaster Sella Vane hires the party to find the old signal tower, recover the Lantern, and prevent more boats from disappearing. Their search leads to a tense confrontation with Mara Quill, who has her own urgent reason for taking it.
Background
The Lantern of Saint Orra is an old bronze beacon used to guide ships through the dangerous shoals outside Greyhaven.
It was kept in a locked shrine above the harbor until it vanished three nights ago. Since then, fog has lingered over the bay, and several boats have gone missing.
The stakes
If the Lantern remains away from the tower, the ward weakens and the shoals grow more dangerous.
If the party prioritizes the harbor without considering Mara's refugees, people fleeing a disaster may be left stranded. The party's choice determines who trusts them and what threat Greyhaven faces next.
Encounters
2The Shoal Path Ambush
Combat
A narrow path of slick black rocks leads toward the signal tower. Low tide exposes scattered pools, while a broken pier offers half cover.
Foes
2 smugglers using bandit statistics
1 smuggler lookout using scout statistics
ComplicationThe wet rocks are difficult to traverse. A creature shoved or knocked prone risks sliding toward a tide pool, where it must spend movement to climb back onto stable ground.
ScalingFor a smaller or less experienced party, use 2 bandits and no lookout. For a stronger party, add 1 bandit who arrives from the rocks on round 2.
The Beacon Chamber
Combat
The circular chamber sits high in the old tower. A cracked lens stands at its center, the Lantern rests on a stone plinth, and a narrow stair descends to the shore.
Foes
1 reef-haunt using specter statistics
2 drowned sentries using zombie statistics
ComplicationThe Lantern emits a pulse at the end of each round. Creatures within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be distracted until the start of their next turn, unable to take reactions. This is a custom environmental effect, not a standard magic item property.
ScalingFor a lower-level party, remove one drowned sentry. For a stronger party, the reef-haunt begins with 10 additional hit points. These adjustments are custom encounter guidance.
Cast
4Harbormaster Sella Vane
QuestgiverQuestgiver
WantsRecover the Lantern before the harbor's fishing fleet is lost to the fog.
“Bring the Lantern back before the next tide, and Greyhaven will remember who saved it.”
Tamsin Reed
Witness
WantsConvince someone to investigate the tower and prove she was not imagining things.
“I saw a blue light moving toward the old signal tower, but nobody believed me.”
Brother Caldus
Ally
WantsPrevent anyone from carrying the Lantern away from the tower.
“The Lantern is not a trophy. It is the only thing keeping the shoals from waking.”
Mara Quill
Antagonist
WantsUse the Lantern to guide a refugee boat through the shoals, despite the danger of disturbing the beacon's ward.
“I only borrowed it. Greyhaven's council was never going to use it for the people who need it.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A potion of healing from the shrine's stores
A brass harbor token that grants free passage on local ferries for one month
On a win
The party recovers the Lantern and chooses how to use it.
If returned to the tower and relit, the fog thins and the ward steadies. If they help Mara guide the refugee boat first, Greyhaven can still be saved, but they must find a way to restore the Lantern before the next high tide.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party abandons the search or destroys the Lantern without securing another means of guiding ships.
- If the party cannot retrieve or safely relight the Lantern, the fog thickens and Greyhaven's boats remain confined to harbor. The town suffers shortages, and the council becomes hostile toward outsiders.
- Mara leaves with the Lantern before the party has learned how to operate it or clear the shoal route.
- If the party gives the Lantern to Mara without arranging a safe passage, her refugee boat reaches the shoals but becomes stranded. The refugees survive initially, but the harbor's people blame the party for the resulting danger.
- The party resolves the immediate theft without discovering the Lantern's connection to the old ward.
- If the party kills Brother Caldus or ignores his warning, the beacon's ward remains unexplained. The Lantern can still be recovered, but the next use risks waking more spirits from the shoals.
Complications (d6)
- 1A sudden squall floods the narrow coastal path. The party must find higher ground or cross waist-deep water while carrying their gear.
- 2A frightened fisher mistakes the party for Lantern thieves and raises an alarm, drawing two harbor guards to question them.
- 3The beacon's blue glow flares through the fog, briefly showing a safe route across the rocks, then vanishes before the party can mark it.
- 4A loose section of the signal tower stairs gives way. Anyone on it must catch a ledge or fall onto the lower landing.
- 5Mara's refugee boat appears in the bay sooner than expected, forcing the party to choose between pursuing her and helping the endangered crew.
- 6A drowned sailor's voice calls one character by name from beneath the pier, offering a useful secret in exchange for a personal keepsake.
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