ThunderQuake Island

Lantern of the Lost
The Lantern in the lighthouse is a powerful artefact, its
strength increased exponentially by the lighthouse itself.
When its shiftable walls are down, the light of the Lantern is
bright enough to turn night into day, emitting enough light
to be considered its own miniature sun.

Lantern of the Lost
The Lantern in the lighthouse is a powerful artefact from
ThunderQuake Island, its strength increased exponentially
by the lighthouse itself. Encased within a small, wooden
box, it’s easy to mistake the Lantern for something
inconsequential—an ornate jewellery box, for example. But
what is truly contained within is far more precious, and far
more powerful, than a mere gem. The light of the Lantern,
a distilled and refined form of the endlessly burning light of
the island, is an astonishing power.
Carrying the Lantern of the Lost confers the
following benefits:

• They are immune to the blinded condition.
  
• They gain truesight to 120 feet.
  
• They reduce all damage from spell attacks by 2, to a
  minimum of 1.
  

These benefits persist for as long as a player character
possesses the Lantern of the Lost. Should they set it aside,
or lose it, these benefits immediately cease.

BOOM! To approach the island, the crew of the ship
must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) saving
throw (DC +2 for every size above Medium for the vessel
they are using) as they approach the island or take 8d6
lightning damage to the boat. Any damage that cannot be
absorbed is distributed amongst the crew evenly and then
doubled. The light from the lighthouse (or Lantern itself
if you are in possession of it) will grant you advantage to
the roll.

Light in the Darkness. No spell that affects sight
negatively works on the island (such as the blindness or
darkness spells) if the light from the Lantern is active.

Built from an ancient smooth stone, the lighthouse rises
over 300 feet into the sky and is the first sight of anyone
attempting to dock at ThunderQuake Island. Climbing it
is a daunting task, as it is a smooth building with no stairs,
lifts, or handholds. But some plucky adventurers have
done their best to place various ropes around the structure,
to help anyone get up if they wish. At the very top of the
lighthouse sits a single Lantern burning so brightly and
strongly that anyone approaching must shield their eyes
or be blinded. The Lantern is usually shielded by its thick
sliding walls that can be moved to give more space and light
to the outside world.

A home for all who dwell within and upon the wilds of
the sea, the town of Sparkinholm went from twelve people
to three hundred within the span of two decades. Most
residents were looking to get away from a life from the
sea, while others had no home to return to. The town itself
goes up a small hill, with most of the buildings next to a
climbing path that leads to the lighthouse nearby.
The town itself has a surprising number of amenities:
a social bar, a peculiar temple dedicated to the many,
many gods of the sea, and its own town hall for meetings
and important events. Authority within the town falls to
two factions, of which most people belong to just one,
the Rayeons. They fully believe in using the lighthouse
to simulate day for the village for longer periods of time,
convinced that failing to do so brings the risk of destruction
upon everyone on the island. They cling to the beliefs of
the Old Prophet. This long-dead islander wrote a peculiar
text, The Ocean Gospel, and was convinced that, should
the light be extinguished for any longer than a few hours,
the island would be consumed by some dark and terrible
force from the depths of the ocean. The opposing faction,
the Depthers, cleave to the opposite faith. They dismiss the
Ocean Gospel as the ramblings of a madman, and that the
lighthouse should be used only occasionally, leaving the
village to rely more on its own light, and less on the power
of the genius loci.

Around the island and its waters, lightning surges upwards
from the ocean surface, screeching out of the ground, a
constant electrical storm writhing with life and power,
granting the island its name. Sparks and sinuous streaks of
lightning can be seen from miles around, leaping up from
the water, and spiking into the sky. What causes this barrier,
none know, though many speculate on connections between
the incandescence of the lighthouse and the blinding flashes
of lightning. The ThunderQuake Barrier remains the island’s
sole protection—or at least, that’s what Ocean Gospel refers
to it as—though none know what they’re being protected
from. There are stories of course: of orc and goblin pirates
out on the waves, of dreadful beasts with blood-darkened
fangs stalking the darkness… and other things, desperate,
cruel creatures of the strangest, foulest kind. All kept at
a distance only by the endless devastating frenzy of the
ThunderQuake Barrier.

Every so often, creatures make it through the ThunderQuake
Barrier, reaching the island, and making their base inland,
hunting out what they hope are easy prey…

D10 Roll Random Encounter
1 1d6 + 2 orcs
2 1 manticore
3 2d8 + 2 goblins
4 5 dire wolves
5 1d3 + 2 minotaurs
6 1d10 + 2 kobolds
7 3 owlbears
8 2 chimera
9 1d4 + 2 ettins
10 1d3 bulette