There once exists a great wonder of the ancient world, the Torch of Tharos, a tower of obsidian and marbles upon which an enchanted brazier was lit day and light. The light from the brazier was reflected out into the bay by three bronze mirrors, and it served as a lighthouse in times of storms and when the moon hid her face. But now the tower is in ruins, destroyed by a massive earthquake.
A tale exists that is circulated among bards and storytllers is that a creature worshipped by the city of Tharos consumed light as part of its sacrifice. This has been dismissed as mere legend though by most scholars though.
- The water level in the bay where the Torch of Tharos once stood has raised, and now the lighthouse stood upon an islet. Fishermen have claimed that they have saw strange men-like creatures, with fins instead of hands, roaming the small islet and are afraid to venture out to fish in the area. Those creatures are in fact kappa (see Dragon Warriors: Bestiary, or substitute it for a merfolk creature, or even Deep Ones!) and they are hunting for the enchanted brazier that was believed to be hidden somewhere within the ruins of the tower for safety.
- A curious darkness now enshroud the area where the Torch of Tharos now stood. Even in the glare of the sun, during full noon, there seems to be a darkness around the area. The lighthouse in fact has two purposes – one to guide ships into the bay, and another to keep this strange darkness at bay. A sage wished to investigate the cause of this darkness and believed that it was linked to the direction of where the mirror was pointed. To get to the bottom of this mystery, the adventurers would need to find the three bronze mirrors used to reflect the light. Perhaps the best place to start would be the near-by merchant city, where ancient relics, salvaged and looted from various locations, are sold. However, the merchants there are embroiled in their own conflicts and agendas. Would they willingly part with the mirrors?
- The adventurers, traveling upon a ship, meet with a storm and the captain of the vessel, seeing a light beckoning from a lighthouse in the distant, follows it and seek refuge within the bay. However, when the storm clears, the adventurers find themselves looking at the ruined Torch of Tharos, without its mirror or any hint of fire. What was responsible for the light? If someone alive caused it, what’s his or her agenda? And who raised a thick fog around a bay, such that no matter how far one travels through it he would never get to the open sea?Perhaps the ruined remains of a temple next to the lighthouse would shed some light on the mystery.
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