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When the fog is creeping,
And the moon is low;
When the town is sleeping,
Gauntlight starts to glow!
That’s when she arises
For her midnight lunch.
Naughty kids are prizes
For her teeth to crunch.
But if you obey me,
And obey the rules;
You’re safe from Belcorra;
She just eats the fools!
So warns a popular nursery rhyme among the parents in the town of Otari, as they often sing the melodious but unsettling poem to their children at night to encourage good behavior. As a result, everyone who grows up in Otari has a healthy mix of fear, respect, and curiosity for the old ruins out in Fogfen and the strange lighthouse that stands at the swamp’s heart.
As they grow older, townsfolk learn what’s more often accepted as truth: that the heroic founders of Otari had slain the wicked sorcerer Belcorra many years ago. For a time, thrill-seekers explored the ruins around the lighthouse called Gauntlight, but today, common knowledge holds that the place has become a haven for pests—no longer a source of active danger or significant treasure after being completely picked over. Nearly 500 years has passed since Belcorra’s defeat after all, and in that time, she has only posed a menace to Otari through sinister rhymes.
Or so the citizens of Otari believe...
Part 1: Ruins of Gauntlight
Chapter 1: A Light in the Fog
26 Arodus, 4721 AR
"The lighthouse is glowing," Wrin Sivinxi says. She points to the northwest, where the distant shape of Gauntlight can be seen looming over the trees of Fogfen.
The curio merchant has called you together outside her shop, Wrin's Wonders, this night to express her concerns. The shop consists of a ring of what appear to be standing stones arranged in a 60-foot-diameter circle surrounding a 15-foot-high dome of wooden beams covered with triangular pieces of canvas. Closer inspection of the standing “stones” reveals that they are also made of wood frames and canvas, cleverly painted to resemble granite. The area between the central dome and the surrounding circle is a collection of other dome-shaped tents used to store the shop’s wares. When it’s not raining, the fabric of hese domes is pulled aside so shoppers can admire what’s for sale in the light of the sun—or the moon, for that matter, as Wrin’s Wonders is always open.
Wrin herself is a tiefling, and her ancestry is hard to miss. Eyes devoid of pupils, small ram horns curling around her elven ears, a thin tail, and fingertips that sparkle with motes of glittering lights leave no doubt that she is touched by supernatural forces. Yet her quick smile and welcoming attitude have always helped her to secure friendships during her travels, as well as for the past 4 years that she's operated her shop here in Otari.
"Nobody else can see it from here. Nobody else possesses my spirit sight. But I have seen the glow the past several nights, and I worry what it might portend."
The tiefling turns to several star charts spread out on a nearby table. "I have read the stars, and they have told me that you are the right ones to explore the ruins of Gauntlight and protect Otari from whatever might be behind the menacing glow. I will do what I can to guide you on your way. Look to the Cosmic Caravan for protection, my friends. I know I can count on you!"
Bella spent her shift marking cut lines on the logs with chalk covered string; these would act as guides for the saw operators. It wasn't particularly exciting work, but sawmill work rarely was. There had been no first-aid calls today. She went home and changed, then made a simple supper. After eating she headed out to meet her friends and socialize.
Apparently, Wrin Sivinxi had asked a several people to meet at her shop, Wrin's Wonders. Bella's excitement grew as the tiefling told them about something happening at the Gauntlight. She had always been fascinated by the ruins around Otari, but had never dared to venture into the abandoned lighthouse at the Gauntlight Keep. Now was her chance to form a party to explore the mysterious and forbidding structure! And she had the day off work tomorrow!
She asked the others gathered here, "Shall we meet first thing in the morning, and go to the Gauntlight?"
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An older gentleman in fine black clothing of a noble sighs as Wrin Sivinxi describes her reading of the stars and the strange Gauntlight ruins. He has a handsome face but full, graying hair. His face is symmetrical and lean, and he looks like he may have enjoyed a lifetime of popularity with the ladies. He raises an eyebrow at the tiefling.
Is this a fresh start, or way to redeem myself? Neither seems likely. There does not appear to be much coin here-- But I desperately need Wrin's help. If she cannot sell my trophies for top value, no one can.
He groans quietly, apparently weary at even the thought of going to the ruins. "I am familiar with unexplained powers and have some of my own, praise the divine. But when you say your 'spirit sight' has helped you see things--perhaps you could describe that a little more fully. As I've said to you before, I am confident that we can help each other--and you know how to move oddities like no one I've met--but--"
He clears his throat. "I'd like to be a little more familiar with--shall we say--dangers--prior to embarking."
He looks the others over and inclines his head to the gnome female, Zetty, who he knew better than the others. He had contracted with her to produce some high-quality art forgeries.
Best she doesn't know that. She's quite talented.
Having only been in town for a few months, he had made passing acquaintance with the others while Wrin worked her magic with his collection.
"In case you don't recall, I'm Vengis Mountebank," he says to the others. "We've met briefly as I've been in town the last couple of months."
As Vengis speaks, a cat walks up close to his leg. The feline seems unnerving and intimidating, with one eye substantially larger than the other and an intelligence that seems much too high for a normal cat.
It walks over Vengis prowls around his feet. Eventually, it stares at Bella for some time, not breaking its gaze or even blinking, for that matter.
This is my familiar
"Of course, Vengis," Wrin says indulgently. "It's a gift from my fiendish heritage. I can see ghosts and other spirits in the immediate vicinity, whether or not they are visible to the naked eye. My sight sometimes allows me to see buildups of other types of supernatural energy as well. That is the glow that I have seen about Gauntlight. I don't know if a ghost is causing it or something else, but whatever it is, it cannot be good."
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The creepy cat transfers its unblinking gaze to Wrin and it watches her steadily.
Vengis nods skeptically.
"Well, a ghost doesn't sound as bad as a dragon--perhaps it won't even be there," he muses.
"Still, we could perhaps reconnoiter and let you know what we find. It would be good to know what the rest of you can do. I have some magic that will assist us. But hopefully, we can talk our way out of any situation we find ourselves in."
After a long day of hauling lumber, and a brief meal, followed by his daily training regiment, Grem agreed to meet with Wrin at her request. 'A social gathering', she called it.
This interested Grem. Not because he wasn't a social person. He interacted with people on a daily basis while he worked. But this was a gathering of 'comrades'. Not something that he was intimately familiar with. Growing up in the monastery, his interactions were always with the teachers, or sparring with other students. Not much room for camaraderie in the monastery. This was a new experience for him.
He stands in the shop, Wrin's Wonders, burly arms crossed over his chest, as he listens to the proprietress' brief speech. His clean and pressed, as he most likely hadn't been wearing it at all in the late summer heat until just now. He'd heard the tiefling talk about the stars on many occasions before, but had always opted to forgo any further conversation. He always appreciated her for her forwardness, yet she was never pushy. She only seemed to give as much as someone was willing to take. He was taken aback by the proclamation that their involvement was seen in the stars that she so loved. It seemed silly, yet still made him feel good for some reason.
"You know that I'm always willing to help, Wrin. You hardly need to ask. I know very little about this Gauntlight, other than the fairy tales spouted occasionally in the tavern. What is it, exactly? And what does this light potentially portend, as you stated?" The dwarf's facial expression is completely neutral as he speaks, not giving up any of this thoughts or feelings on the whole matter.
He nods in greeting to the human man, "Grem Boulderpelt, of the Monastery of Untwisting Iron in Jalmeray," he responds politely, his voice a deep rumble, sounding a bit as if the earth were moving. His common tongue seems to have just a bit of a Vudrani accent to it."But I've been living here more than a year now."
He gives Bella a very slight smile, about as much as the halfling's ever seen from the dwarven man when working at the lumber mill.
Bella tentatively reached out to the creepy-looking cat, allowing it the chance to sniff her hand before she tried to pet it. It was the ugliest looking cat that she'd ever seen, though of course she hadn't told Vengis that.
She nodded to Grem; she hadn't had a chance to have a lengthy conversation with him, but he seemed nice enough at work.
The cat returns its unblinking gaze to Bella. To her surprise, it speaks in some bizarre voice.
"আমি আঙ্গুলগুলি পছন্দ করি। তবে আমি কেবল একটি কামড়েছি। আমি মনে করতে পারি না কেন।"
Bella withdrew her hand quickly at Vengis' warning. A talking cat! And with a sinister sounding voice, I might add. She backed off ever so slightly.
Eyenia was running late, though to those who knew her this was no surprise.
She rambles into the shop, saying in a soft, surprisingly deep voice, ”The sky called, and I could not help but listen. It is good as always to see you Wrin. To those else assembled here, I am not sure fate has brought us together before, but it seems the stars have conjoined now. I am Eyenia.”
Wrin smiles. ”Better late than never, Eyenia. Welcome.”
The tiefling turns to Grem. ”Gauntlight, and the dungeons around it, were built centuries ago by an evil woman named Belcorra Haruvex. A group of valiant heroes called the Roseguard slew her before she could use the magical lighthouse for its intended purpose, whatever that might have been. It has lain fallow for hundreds of years, but it would seem now it has begun to stir once more...”
Zetty sits atop one of the tables in Wrin's shop, back resting against a fake standing stone and her knees propping up a writing slate. Her pen dances across the page, sketching the likenesses of each of the individuals assembled - cat familiar included. The gnome sitting atop the table is tall for her species, with a sandy bob of hair streaked with white despite her young age. Her pale grey eyes flick to her subjects and back as she sketches, looking up at the group through pink-tinted eyeglasses. Her practical leather slacks and tailored vest, together with her straight-backed bearing, give the impression of a merchant or clerk, but her current activity makes it clear she's an artist.
"Wrin! What I wouldn't trade for those peepers of yours. The things you get to spy... " She continues her work, waving to Vengis as he introduces himself. "Mr. Mountebank, nice to see you again! I never got to ask you what your client thought of those pieces I did. Hopefully not too disappointed."
When Nalfeshnee starts talking, Zetty grins and starts rapidly making changes to her work. She's quiet for a while, intent, but eventually mumbles "Gauntlight, ghosts and guards of rose? Hmm." After a few more strokes, she hops off the table and sets her sketch up for display. It shows a strangely skeletal tower looming over a ring of stones, which in turn surround a campfire. Each of the evening's guests sits there, faces cast in stark relief by the firelight. The expressions are true to life, capturing the last few moments of the discussion.
"Zetty Perilune, by the way, for those who don't know me already. I'm not about to miss out on a chance to go through the Fogfen and see its sights, smell its sounds. And the tower too. I've never seen a ghost in the un-flesh before."
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Vengis is glad to have Zetty here. Having at least one person he knew seems to relax him somewhat.
"Masterfully drawn, as usual," he says, observing the sketch. "You will be pleased to know that a noblewoman in Oppara bought the piece. For quite the price. A stunningly beautiful woman, as I recall," he says with a lopsided smirk and a far-away look in his eye.
She mistook it for an Henri Pollack, strangely enough. Her error cost her several hundred gold. Though for her companionship, she did receive a discount.
"We will work together in the future, I am sure. You seem--somewhat more fair in complexion than last we spoke. Is your health well?" he asks.
"Oh, splendid really. On both counts. Vandy and Bella got me back on my feet after a little accident and I've been running on 101% ever since. Otari's got far more interesting things to sketch than old Absalom ever did." Zetty grins at Bella. "Hey Bella, how about this, huh? The chance you've been waiting for!"
Bella replied to Zetty, "Yes, I can't wait to find out what's in there! Are you coming along? In some cases, people advise recovering patients to avoid too much excitement, but in your case, I think excitement is just what the doctor ordered!"
"Hey, its been months, I'm fine. Better than fine. Really looking forward to it." She twirls her ink pen, then points the end at the tower in her picture.
"Good luck, my friends! Stay safe!" Wrin says as you depart her shop.
The next morning, after making your preparations, you depart Otari and venture into the Fogfens. It's a twenty-minute walk through the marsh to reach the ruins of Gauntlight Keep. The sound of frogs and mosquitos mixes with water sloshing against muddy shores, all muffled by the ever-present mists that linger in the aptly named Fogfen. As the mists clear, a shadow looms from the cloying swamp vapors—a sprawling ruin of stone and wood squats atop an island in the soggy marsh. The upper floors have largely collapsed, leaving only the stone walls of the ground floor intact. Above these ruins towers an out-of-place monument a colossal lighthouse whose painted walls and iron-cased crown have resisted the corrosive effects of the surrounding swamp.
Grem meets the others wearing a very simple garb, with the tunic hanging open to reveal a significant amount of his chest. A short, tapered staff is strapped to his back, and his dwarven clan dagger on his belt. His hands are well wrapped, ready to be used.
He openly greets everyone, but keeps his countenance neutral and his words brief, unless addressed directly.
It isn't until they reach the lighthouse that he starts showing some visible interest. "I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I don't think this was it," he comments, mostly to himself. "How shall we approach this?"
Bella got up early the next morning and packed a lunch. She also brought along some rations of dried food, not knowing how long the exploration might take. After eating breakfast, she met up with the rest of the party. She wore a leather jerkin for protection, and carried a small sword at her waist. Her backpack was loaded with a blanket and bedroll, along with a lantern and a supply of lamp oil. She was prepared!
Her excitement grew as they they walked through the cool morning air, taking the path through the swamp and finally arriving at the ruined keep. She had been here many times, and had walked around the outer walls, but had never ventured inside the front gate. "I guess we try the front door?", she replied to Grem, walking forward and testing the ancient portal.
Eyenia stares up at the Gauntlight, "A sea's light, deep on land. What does it signal, I wonder?"
She turns to Grem, "Doors lie ahead. The clearest way is often the best."
Grem nods in agreement, glad for a direct approach. Hardly a fool, though, the dwarf looks around the area first to see if he notices anything hazardous.
Zetty's adventuring gear seems suspiciously high on art supplies, though the dagger at her belt and crossbow on her backpack are a concession to personal safety. She takes the hike through the Fogfen in stride, writing tablet out and ready to capture any unusual creatures or phenomena she sees along the way. When that turns out to be little more than mist and frogs, she briefly attempts to convince the group to take an excursion into the swamp, but a reminder about the Gauntlight Keep puts her back on course.
Arriving at the massive structure, she peers up and up at the lighthouse. "Wow. So Wrin saw a light shining from the lighthouse? We better get up there to take a look!"
While Grem and Bella start inspecting the front door, Zetty starts sketching some broad outlines of the structure while intently inspecting it.
Looking up, you can make out the barest hint of a blue glow coming from the peak of the lighthouse. Grem doesn’t notice anything hazardous in the area, so he leads the way.
Swaths of mildew and mold cover the damp surfaces of this watchtower, appearing as green and black smears on the dull stone walls. The doorframes in the walls to the north and south rotted long ago, while a few collapsed chairs lie on the floor amid small heaps of foul‐smelling gray lumps. Thick sheets of dusty cobwebs hang from above, obscuring any view of the ceiling.
Zetty recognizes the lumps as dung belonging to a type of gremlin called a mitflit, sometimes referred to as a mite.
As you look around the room, you hear high-pitched voices calling out in Undercommon.
Grem spots a slipshod network of soggy ropes and planks in the space above the cobwebs. Concealed there are three small blue humanoid creatures, peering down at you with wide grins.
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Bedecked with new equipment and looking perhaps overdressed for exploration, Vengis does at least look prepared. He wears fine black leather boots that go to his knees, and his bloused black trousers are tucked into them.
As they commence their journey, he looks disgruntled but resigned to his fate.
"If I did not owe our tiefling sponsor, I would probably not be here," he concedes. "But let's get on with it."
Though he is fit, he does not look like he has spent much time in a marsh. "Is there not a dryer path?" he wonders. The creepy cat, Nalfeshnee, leaps from dry spot to dry spot, but perhaps appears just as grumpy about the surrounding as Vengis, if not moreso.
Upon arrival, the distinguished-looking gentleman stares up at the lighthouse. "A strange sight in the middle of a marsh, to be sure," he muses. When the small blue humanoids call out to them, he says "It appears there has been some misunderstanding about ghosts. Those, as we can all see, are not. Perhaps we should report back and let Wrin know what we found."
Nalfeshnee stares up at the blue creatures with unblinking eyes.
"আমাকে আঙ্গুল দিয়ে প্রতিশ্রুতি দেওয়া হয়েছিল"
Grem looks up at the mites, making it known that they are seen, and calls up, his deep voice rumbling in the otherwise empty room, "Hey! Why don't you come down here and talk to us. I've got no idea what you're saying!"
Bella looked around at her companions, waiting to see if any of them could understand the small blue creatures.
Grem knows that mitflits are self-loathing and pitiful gremlins. They tame insects and spiders to serve as allies. They are weak against cold iron weapons.
Once they realize you can see them and that you cannot understand them, the three mitflits shriek in anger, reaching for darts on their belts!
Bella's hopes for a peaceful interaction with the mites were dashed when they readied to throw darts down on the party. She took out her sling, loaded a sling bullet and fired at one of the aggressors. "I had hoped we could be friends!"
Grem's face hardly seems to crack as he watches the mites ready weapons. "Guess it's time for some bo practice."
He steps into the room, pulling the staff off his back, and reaches out with the long weapon to strike at one of the mites.
◆ Stride
◆ Draw Weapon
"Ooh, mitflits, I've heard of these! Gimme..." Zetty steps forward to take a closer look at the gremlins then steps back when they raise darts. She wavers back and forth for a moment, self-preservation warring with the chance to get a really good up close impression. "...juuuust a sec."
Hiding behind Grem, she rapidly begins to scrawl a picture of the nearest mitflit. Addressing her subject, she asks "Can you just, stay still for a moment?"
Eyenia moves forward, getting in the midst of her companions before eyes flash with light as she performs a sweeping gesture with her arms, "The threads of fate draw us together, and cut yours short!"
As speaks, the party feels a sense of calm and determination wash over them.
The mitflit Zetty targets manages to resist her spell, but Bella bonks it with a sling bullet! Grem misses badly, and Eyenia blesses the party.
The wounded mitflit shrieks in fear. Its eyes bulge as it turns and flees, scrambling through a hole in the roof. The other two hurl darts at Bella, though they don’t hurt the halfling much!
Bella reloaded and kept up her barrage.
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As the welcome to the bizarre lighthouse turns hostile, Vengis groans.
"Perhaps we should beat a hasty retreat and let Wrin know there are no ghosts here," he suggests to no one in particular, since they are all engaged in battle.
At least they are all willing to get their hands dirty. If so, I won't have to.
With a quick wave of his hand, he sends some nearby debris showering toward one of the blue creatures, though it is not particularly well-aimed.
The older sorcerer then draws his hand crossbow.
◆draw weapon
"আমার কি এখন কারও চোখ ধাঁধিয়ে দেওয়ার কথা?"
"Oh come on Vengis, its just some mitflits. I think they're just trying to have fun with us." Zetty comments before raising her voice to call after the fleeing gremlin "Hey, come back! I wasn't done yet!"
When the little guy doesn't return, she shrugs. "How about you then?" She looks at the next mitflit, adding a companion to the sketch she's working on. As she mulls over the piece, her focused attention works at the mind of the little gremlin.
Grem frowns (FROWNS!) at his poor performance, and attempts to spear one of the creatures again.
Happy with at least one success, he attempts to knock one out of the ceiling.
Eyenia takes a deep breath, extending the hopeful aura. She then points at the that Grem had targeted and says in a lilting, sibilant tongue, ” પ્રકાશ પહેલાં કાવર!” A ray of radiant energy shoots from her hand at the wretched fey.
Cower before the light!
The debris Vengis hurls gets tangled up in the cobwebs. The second mitflit resists Zetty's spell, too. Bella clips it with a sling bullet that doesn't seem to hurt much, but Grem definitely dishes out some pain as he smacks the gremlin with his staff. Eyenia burns the same mite with a ray of divine light, and it shrieks and falls to the floor, hitting with a solid thud.
The last mite decides discretion is the better part of valor, and it scrambles out of the hole in the ceiling as well!
Given a minute to search the room, you discover a peridot bead worth 2 gp, along with a chipped mitflit tooth, in one of the little stinky piles. The dead gremlin only has 10 darts and a shortsword.
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After the creatures flee and settle down, Vengis lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Nalfeshnee, his cat, casually walks around the room, sniffs at the fallen blue corpse, and starts nibbling on one of its fingers.
"এটা বন্ধ কর," he says, but the cat doesn't seem to care.
The sorcerer looks at the stinky piles in the room, and seems disinclined to investigate them himself.
"I think it is safe to assume these little blue misfits wouldn't be here if there were ghosts. Shall we report back to Wrin with our findings and call it a day?" he asks.
"এই নীল স্বাদ"[/b]
Strapping the staff back in place, Grem gives Vengis an appraising look. "You know full well that this is not what she asked of us." He doesn't seem to be accusing or judging. Merely stating a fact. "If you are not willing to see it through, then perhaps you should head back to town."
Bella wasn't about to leave when she finally had a chance to explore the ruins. She replied to Vengis, "Somehow I don't think Wrin would be satisfied with us turning back now; we haven't even begun to explore this place. Let's press on!"
She moved ahead, pressing forward into the main part of the ruins.
"Mhmm! We can't stop now. The ghosts were supposed to be up by the lighthouse, not down here anyway." Zetty taps the tip of her pen on her writing slate, creating a blot of ink at the edge of her work. "Still, those mitflits were very quick to spring to attack us. Hope we didn't misunderstand something and knock one out for no reason."
She steps over to the deceased gremlin "Sorry little guy. No hard feelings." and spends a moment to capture its details on the page. "I wonder what your name was."
She lingers for a while, but isn't all that interested in being left behind, so she follows after Bella.
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Vengis sighs and runs a hand through his thick hair.
Too intrepid by far, this lot.
"Very well," he says as Nalfeshnee continues nibbling on a blue finger. "We must reach a point that you're satisfied Wrin will be satisfied. Since I need her help, I need to come with you. But if at any point everyone wants to return to town and say we did a good job, drinks are on me."
He looks into the dark passage before them. "Perhaps just a few more rooms."
Zetty got the sense that the mitflits were deliberately trying to kill you. It's likely they do not take kindly to intruders in their home!
Bella leads the way to the north. A wooden drawbridge, its timbers gray with age and decay, spans the 20-foot gap between the outbuilding and sprawling ruin on the island. Rusty iron chains hang from the ruin’s northern wall to the drawbridge’s southern side.
A nasty-smelling chunk of meat lies on the shore of a muddy pond to the east. The meat has attracted the attention of an odd-looking beast, a froglike creature with mighty tusks. Large pustules on the creature's back drip a sticky resin-like slime.
Zetty recognizes the beast as a slurk, which are usually found in underground lairs or caves. Kobolds often train them as guard beasts and mounts. By flexing its skin, a slurk can burst its pustules in the direction of intruders, covering its foes in sticky goo and severely limiting their ability to withstand the monster’s other attacks, including the effects of its other secretion. Glands along the slurk’s ventral side excrete an incredibly slippery and fetid grease, which protects the slurk from the immobilizing effects of its own back slime but also has the added benefit of making it extremely difficult to grapple and capture.
Upon spotting you, the slurk croaks and moves to attack!
”The strands of fate call us further into this ancient bower. It seems, though, that it’s residents may not take kindly to us.”
Eyenia pulls out the sickle that had hung at her hip and follows after Bella.