Local sailors whisper that the original lantern was fashioned from a piece of a washed-up lantern said to have belonged to a ghostly pilot who once guided lost ships back to shore. Some claim the carving above the hearth is not merely decorative: sailors who trim the lantern's wick and leave a coin for the sea-wight will find calmer waters the next morning. The Gray Eel, a shadowy ship name now appearing in Marrek's ledger, was once rumored to be a phantom smuggler that ran cursed cargo — whether that curse returns is for the party to decide.