The following is a retelling of a homebrew adventure played at The Dice Latte during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend one shot event on Sunday March 19, 2017. This adventure was inspired by the Irish animated feature film “Song of the Sea”(2014) directed by Tomm Moore and the legend of the Selkie from Irish and Scottish folklore.
It is a long read, but I felt the need to describe certain details at length, especially towards the climax of the adventure. I’d like to give a big shout out to our three players Walker, Eno, and Harpal for creating such an awesome story together and The Dice Latte for hosting the event.
*Image: Song of the Sea
System: D&D 5th Edition
Setting: Eberron
Players:
Walker – John Doe, elf wizard lv2
Eno – Dante, half-elf bard lv2
Harpal – The Beast, half-orc paladin lv2
John Doe, Dante, and the Beast arrived in the small town of Arcanix and met at the Happy Hippogriff Tavern in the evening. They were on their way to visit their friend Connor, the lighthouse keeper on the eastern shore of Lake Galifar, for his daughter’s sixth birthday party. It had been five years since they had seen Connor and his children, when his son Ben was a toddler and his daughter Saoirse was but an infant. It had been but a year then since Connor had lost his wife Bronagh who was said to have gone mad after the birth of her daughter and drowned in the lake. At the time, Connor had fallen into a deep melancholy, and his mother, Granny, who was living with them, had taken over the household. Connor’s friends wondered what to expect now that five years had passed. Had Connor finally moved on with his life?
Dante sang a song for the tavern goers. The tavern was filled with students of the magic academy in the Floating Towers above Arcanix, along with traveling merchants, local farmers and fishermen, and an off duty town guardsman. A young couple crooned in corner, and a comely young woman with red hair, seemingly a magic student, eyed Dante with interest from a corner table.
The Beast listened sullenly as John Doe shared tales of his travels with a nervous excitement as he tended to do. From a nearby table, they heard a group of locals talking about dark rumors regarding their friend Connor and how he had really lost his wife. The Beast seethed to hear such things, but he kept his anger in check. John Doe on the other hand used his magic to flash the gossippers’ eyes and shouted,
“Do not speak ill of others behind their backs!”
The Beast and John Doe soon found themselves surrounded by four burly men – a fisherman, merchant, farmer, and town guardsman. The guardsman at least seemed to be trying to calm things down with his friends. By now Dante was sitting next to the young red haired woman in the corner, who introduced herself as Lily. She revealed that she was not a student – and her hair wasn’t always red either – but a traveling musician and a half-elf, much like Dante. The two of them began to play an old folk song, and Dante’s voice rang through the hall while Lily accompanied him on her fiddle. Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen, entranced by the song and music. Even the four gossipers seemed to be taken by Dante’s voice. What may have turned into a bar fight soon became a chorus and ended with loud clapping and applause. The Beast and John Doe joined Dante and Lily to resume with their drinks.
Suddenly, the front door of the tavern swung open. A huge man wearing disheveled overalls stumbled drunkenly into thetavern. He had a pale face, dark eyes, unkempt blond hair, and chapped lips stained and darkened by wine. In one hand he carried an expensive looking wrench – a tool of artificers and engineers – and in the other a wineskin. The friends were startled and dismayed to see their friend Connor in such a state, far worse than when they had left him.
After failing to coax a few more drops from the empty wineskin, Connor threw it angrily on the floor and stormed toward thebar. The tavern was silent now and nobody stayed him. Connor slammed his wrench on the bar and told the barkeep,
“This is all I have left. What can I get for it?”
“Connor,” the barkeep sighed heavily. “It looks like you’ve had enough tonight.”
Connor’s friends approached him, trying to calm their friend. He began to swing his wrench in anger but lost his grip, sending it flying towards the shelves where it shattered an expensive bottle of liquor. The guardsman approached reluctantly to arrest Connor, but his friends protested, asking how he could arrest a man on his daughter’s birthday. The guardsman agreed to let Connor go with a warning so long as they promised to take him home without further trouble. John Doe, hailing from a wealthy family, paid for the broken bottle with 6 gold galifars, which would have been a fortune for the others.
The friends carried Connor to his lighthouse, walking through long winding roads lined with low stone walls and fishermen’s houses.
From afar, the lighthouse shined it’s beacon over the lake and shore, but it seemed dimmer than it ought to be. As they drew closer, cracks along the walls of the lighthouse and signs of disrepair became more evident. A dim light could seen from a window on the second floor.
At the front door, Connor called drunkenly o his children. The Beast knocked on the door and then found it was unlocked. When he opened it, he was greeted by a young boy of ten who had his father’s blond hair. Ben smiled and rushed toward Uncle Beast, giving him a hug. Behind the Beast, he saw his drunk father and his smile faded. Ben walked upstairs sullenly and bade them to follow.
Now Lily bade the friends farewell and goodnight. Before she could leave, Dante gave her a warm hug, and reached into her pocket. She didn’t seem to notice as he pulled 12 gold galifars from her pouch and dropped them into his own. Later, after Lily had left, he was confused to find that he had only 12 gold galifars in his own pouch.
Upstairs in the lighthouse, the friends entered the dining hall and living room where they found Saoirse, a happy young girl ofsix with jet black hair wearing a light purple dress, and Granny, a stout old woman in an apron with stocky limbs and an owllike face. Granny greeted them as she set the table. The hall was lit by a magical fireplace that flickered with a dull light. The walls were lined with half hearted attempts at decorations – ribbons hanging drabbly and limp balloons without air.
“Saoirse!” said Dante. “Come here my sweet princess!”
Saoirse ran into his arms and Dante picked up the little girl and spun her around. Setting down the giggling child, he brought her over to a bare wall and used his magic of illusion to create a magical banner with the words “Happy Birthday Saoirse”. John Doe followed his lead and used his powers of prestidigitation to cause the flames in the fireplace to grow and cast a warm bright light. The Beast was somber but nodded in approval.
Grandma went back and forth from the kitchen upstairs, bringing large plates of food on each arm. Soon the table was laid out with a great feast. There were plates of pork, fish, mashed potatoes and vegetables, along with a large creamy cake with six candles.
When everyone was seated, Granny spoke to Saoirse. But she appeared anxious as she spoke and nervously clasped thelocket around her neck.
“Come, child. Make a wish… You can do it.”
Saoirse opened her mouth as if to speak but no words came out. Feeling frustrated, she sat down sullenly.
“She can’t speak!” Ben shouted. “She’s too dumb to talk!”
“Ben!” Granny shrieked. “Watch your tongue young man!”
Connor sighed heavily. Then he spoke with a weary voice.
“It’s true, my friends. Saoirse has been mute ever since she was born. She understands us well enough, but she has never spoken a word.”
Connor’s friends looked at Saoirse and then at each other. Then as if reading each other’s thoughts, together they burst into a merry song and sang happy birthday to Saoirse. Granny and Connor were startled at first, but they too joined the chorus. Even Ben reluctantly clapped along. Saoirse’s face beamed with a wide smile and with one big puff she blew out the candles on the cake as everyone clapped and cheered.
While the others began to eat, Dante took a few bites of his food, but soon he was overcome with curiosity. He had been to Connor’s lighthouse before but never up to the attic. He wondered what secrets it might hold. Perhaps there might be a clue regarding the disappearance of Connor’s wife. Dante excused himself to go to the bathroom. He climbed the stairs past thekitchen and bathroom, past the upstairs bedrooms, and entered the attic.
The attic was filled with dust. A dim light flooded in from the stairway that led to the upper level of the lighthouse and thebeacon. Dante scanned the room and found a wardrobe with women’s clothes and boxes stacked up beside it. One container caught his eye. It was a seaman’s chest with highly decorative knotted handles and elaborate panels on the sides. It was clearly a labor of love. And it was locked.
Curiosity got the better of Dante who tried to pick the lock with the sharp point of his rapier but had no luck. Realizing he had been away too long, Dante gave up for the moment and hurried back downstairs. He was greeted by Granny at the entrance to the dining hall. She looked at him with suspicion and asked,
“What kept you, my dear? You were gone quite a while.”
“I had too much to eat and drink,” Dante answered. “It’s hard to keep my hands away from your delicious food.”
Granny seemed satisfied by the answer, but she looked but the stairway with a nervous expression while anxiously grasping her necklace. It was then that Dante realized the necklace was not a typical piece of jewellery, but one made of beautiful knots that wrapped around a closed locket. The decorative patterns of the knotwork reminded him of the seaman’s chest in the attic. He was certain that it held the key to the chest, and he was determined to solve this riddle.
‘I must have her necklace and open the chest upstairs!’ Dante thought.
As dinner wound down, Ben resumed sulking in the corner, Connor stared into the fireplace, and Granny played with Saoirse. Dante approached his three friends and explained his suspicions about the mysterious chest upstairs and Granny’s necklace. Then he told them of his plan.
“I don’t know about this,” the Beast began to protest.
“Come on, guys,” said Dante. “We can do this. We just need a distraction.”
“I suppose I could give Ben the ceremonial dagger I found on my last adventure,” the Beast replied. “Seeing the boy playing with a big sharp knife would probably get Granny’s attention.”
“I could conjure a duplicate locket with my magic,” John Doe suggested. “It would be temporary but last long enough for us to investigate the chest upstairs.”
“Then I’ll grab the necklace and replace it while her attention is elsewhere,” said Dante.
The three friends agreed to their plan. John Doe conjured a replica of Granny’s necklace and handed it to Dante. The Beast called Ben over and offered to show him a relic from his travels.
“Whoa!” Ben exclaimed when he saw the huge dagger. The Beast offered it to him by it’s decorative hilt.
“Cooool! Thanks Uncle Beast! You’re awesome!”
Ben swung and stabbed at the air with the dagger as if it were a sword, making shooshing noises and gruggling the death screams of his imaginary foes. Granny sprang up and left Saoirse. She ran over to Ben and tried to coax the knife from him.
“Give me that knife, my child! It is no toy! Where in the world did you get such a horrid thing?”
The Beast shifted guiltily and John Doe watched with anxious attention as Dante snuck up behind Granny. As Dante contemplated how to unclasp the knotted necklace, Granny leaned forward just as Ben swung the dagger in a wide arc. Thesharp blade sliced through her dangling necklace and sent it flying fortuitously into Dante’s open hand. As Granny swooned, Dante caught her and swiftly fastened the duplicate necklace around her neck. A moment later, she regained her senses. The three friends held their breath as Granny anxiously grasped her false locket until she seemed reassured by its presence.
Granny continued to chase Ben around the dining room. The three friends looked around to see if anyone else had noticed what had happened. But Connor was still staring into the fireplace, and Saoirse was busy playing with the colorful necklace given to her by John Doe.
John Doe and the Beast remained in the dining hall and busied themselves with portions of the cake and desserts. Dante crept upstairs with the locket in his hand. Once in the attic, he opened the locket and found a small key inside. He pushed thekey into the lock upon the sea chest and turned it. The chest opened.
A sudden rush of cool moist air like the breath of the sea, accompanied by the smell of salt water on a rocky shore, was released from the chest. Dante looked inside and saw a shimmering white robe of seal skin and what appreared to be a large conch shell. But the shell was lined with naturally formed orifices like a horn instrument. The robe was very small, only large enough to be worn by a halfling or a small child. He left the robe and took the shell horn. He climbed up the ladder to the top of the lighthouse where the great beacon shined upon the dark expanse of Lake Galifar.
Curiosity overcame Dante, and he felt a sudden urge to hear the sound of the curious horn. He placed his lips upon the shell and blew into it. It released a soft and steady note that was carried by the lakeside breeze. After a few tries, he was able to produce a melody. He played a melancholy tune that echoed over the water.
Dante stopped playing the horn, and he heard the echoes of his song still ringing across the lake. But soon he realized that the echoes were of a different timber, and there were many layered voices that sang his melody in harmony. Then he knew that it was no echo but an answer from someone or something on the far side of the lake.
He was still for a long time, listening to his melody. He was startled out of his reverie by soft footsteps climbing the ladder behind him. When he looked down, he saw Saoirse. She was wearing the white seal skin robe which made her smiling face shimmer in the dim light of the tower.
“Saoirse!” Connor’s hoarse voice cried out from the rocky shore beneath the lighthouse. “Where are you?”
Connor and Ben were upon the shore, frantically searching for Saoirse. But she was on top of the lighthouse, standing now before Dante who was frozen in surprise and uncertainty.
“Saoirse…” Dante began.
Saoirse gestured with her hands toward the conch shell, asking for it without words. But Dante refused, fearing what unknown thing might happen if she acquired the strange device in his hands. Saoirse pouted with disappointment, but then she closed her eyes and her mouth opened. Her voice came to her, and she sang without words the same melody that Dante had played upon the horn. The music of her voice rang across the lake, and it was answered more clearly than before. Thevoices across the lake seemed to be coming closer. The seal skin robe seemed to shimmer even more, and the light of thebeacon glowed more brightly until Dante had to shield his eyes.
“Saoirse! Noooooo!” An old woman’s voice squawked in the tower below. Dante saw his friends, the Beast and John Doe, followed by Granny close behind. They were all climbing the ladder to the top of the lighthouse.
“Dante!” John Doe shouted. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know!” Dante replied. “But you better get up here… or… *yawn*”
Dante felt a sudden weariness come over him. The Beast, John Doe and Granny all swooned on the ladder. Then Dante knew that Saoirse’s song was infused with magic that overwhelmed the listeners with great weariness. But Dante, being familiar with the melody, resisted the effects. The Beast too shook off the magic that threatened him. But John Doe was not so lucky. A great drowsiness washed over him, and he closed his eyes and released his hands upon the ladder. Below him, Granny had also fallen asleep and was already snoring, tmhough her talon-like grip upon the ladder remained firm. TheBeast reached out to grab his friend, but John Doe slipped from his grasp. He crashed into Granny under him, and the two ofthem tumbled down the dark well of the tower.
The Beast descended to the base of the ladder and was joined by Dante. John Doe was slightly bruised, but he was not seriously injured, thanks to Granny who had cushioned his fall. The Beast laid his hands upon John Doe and whispered a prayer to the Sovereign Host. He felt the warmth and light of the gods pass through him as John Doe’s bruises were miraculously healed.
The Beast turned to Granny, but amazingly she did not have a single bruise or scratch. Instead of moaning in pain, she was snoring loudly and comfortably. The Beast thought it was curious, but he had no time to waste. Dante began to retell all that had happened in a rapid, nearly hysterical voice, but the Beast was already climbing the ladder.
Dante removed a drum from his backpack and set it beside John Doe. He banged loudly upon it, shocking John Doe and waking him from his sleep. As John Doe rolled over to one side, Granny also woke from her slumber. When her senses had fully returned, she cried out with renewed panicked and began to climb the ladder.
The Beast was near the top when he began to concentrate and reached out with his divine senses, trying to determine if a dark spirit had come into Saoirse who sang like a siren beside the lighthouse beacon. He felt no evil within her, but he felt a most foul and fiendish presence, filling his senses like a noxious odor. It came from below.
The Beast turned his head and saw Granny climbing the ladder. Her hands reached out like talons upon the rungs of theladder. Her owllike features became sharper and more pronounced. And her hunched back swelled up until two great feathered wings protruded from her back and spread wide to either side.
“Saoirseeee!” Granny squawked one last time in a high pitched wail that sounded more like the call of a great bird of prey than an old woman. The giant owl that had once been Granny flapped her great wings and ascended to the top of thelighthouse.
The Beast scrambled up to the top and stood beside Saoirse who was facing the lake. Standing upon the platform, he pulled his spear free from its strap upon his back and hurled it at the giant owl approaching him. The spear pierced the owl through the breast and emerged from her back. But the owl was delayed only for a moment, and she continued her ascent to the top of the lighthouse. Upon reaching the platform, the owl came face to face with the Beast who had readied his maul and held it aloft with both hands. The Beast swung with all his might, and the fearsome hammer split open the owl’s head and sent thegreat bird crashing onto the platform.
As he breathed heavily and sighed in relief, the Beast looked to Saoirse. She was inching towards the edge of the platform, her arms open as if to embrace the moonlight. The shimmering robe seemed to glow even brighter now, and the sound ofvoices singing Dante’s melody grew louder across the lake. The Beast reached for her and gentlely pulled her back. Saoirse, who was unwilling to be drawn away from the lake, began to cry.
The Beast felt a shudder as the weight upon the platform shifted behind him. He looked back, and to his horror he saw that the giant owl was moving. The feathers fell away in great clumps as dark knotted fur grew in its place. The talons became swollen until they grew into giant paws tipped with razor sharp claws. And the owl’s beak turned into an angry maw. When the monster rose, it was no longer an owl but a fearsome dire bear, the Beast’s spear protruding from its chest. Its great arms reached out toward Saoirse.
The Beast grabbed on tightly to Saoirse, trying to shield her with his own body. The bear’s arms wrapped around both ofthem. Saoirse began to cry louder now, and it seemed that her robe shined with a bright light.
“Saoirse!” Connor’s voice rang from the base of the lighthouse. “Noooo!”
Connor and Ben were on the shore. They rushed back to the lighthouse as Saoirse began her own transformation. The white robe began to billow up as if it were filled with wind, but the Beast could feel the great mass of flesh and muscle that was filling it. Saoirse was no longer a little girl but had begun to take on the form of a great seal, nearly as large as the bear. TheBeast felt himself being pressed between two huge animals. He pushed out with his arms with all his might and narrowly missed being crushed between them.
As the exhausted Beast caught his breath, he saw blasts of magical energy flashing before his eyes. From beneath theplatform, Dante and John Doe were bombarding the bear with their sorcery. Blue and red flames erupted upon the bear’s back. The bear cried out in pain and exhaustion. It stumbled against the edge of the platform. A final blast of magical force from John Doe’s fingertips pushed the bear over the rail, and it fell howling down the side of the lighthouse and into thewaves of the lake below.
When Connor and Ben arrived at the top of the lighthouse, they found the Beast, Dante and John Doe gathered around a great seal. Connor did not need to be told what had happened. He wrapped his huge arms around the seal, and she began to diminish until she was once again a little girl wrapped in a sealskin robe.
“Connor…” the Beast began, breaking the silence.
Dante and John Doe began to hysterically retell their versions of the events that had transpired, until the Beast spoke again.
“Connor, do you know what happened to Saoirse?”
“Yes,” Connor said at last.
“I have always known this would happen. Saoirse is a Selkie, just like her mother. She has the power to transform into her true form, that of a seal, and return to the water from whence her mother came. That is how my beloved Bronagh disappeared six years ago. She longed to return to the lake and the world of her people. But I did not wish to lose Saoirse in the same way. So Mother and I hid the white robe and the shell horn left behind by Bronagh for Saoirse. We feared what would happen if she received these heirlooms which were her birthright…”
“Where’s Grandma?” Ben asked, looking around. “I don’t see her anywhere.”
The three friends looked over the rail. Upon the shore, they saw a crumbled shape wash up onto the rocks. It was no bear or owl, but an old woman in a tattered apron.
“Mama!” Connor shouted. He rushed down the lighthouse with his children and friends. They all ran to Granny who was lying upon rocks. Connor took her up in his arms and and hugged her tightly as he wept. Ben held onto Saoirse who was crying and tried to hold back his own tears. Connor’s friends looked upon them with sorrow and regret. The Beast most of all was wracked with guilt as he stared at the broken spear still stuck in Granny’s chest.
Granny smiled sadly, her hand still fumbling with the false locket around her neck, and she spoke in a weary voice
“Do not be sad, my children. I have brought this ruin upon myself. After my daughter-in-law disappeared, I could not bear to see my son and his family torn apart once more. So Connor and I locked up Bronagh’s heirlooms, and I have kept the key ever since. But I took one further step to ensure that Saoirse would never leave us… An old witch lives in the woods across the lake. She is a terrible creature of great power. I sought her out and asked for her wisdom. She offered to make a pact with me. She would keep our family together in exchange for our joy and happiness. Such was my fear and sorrow at the time that I agreed, and her spirit came into me. Since that day, there has been no joy in our house, and the beacon upon thelighthouse has grown dim… But I realize now the error of my ways. It was not for me to choose whether Saoirse should stay or go. That is her choice and hers alone. The fear of losing my sweet granddaughter has been such a burden upon me these last six years. But now it is lifted, and I can rest…”
Connor’s friends watched as the bead necklace around Saoirse’s neck vanished, the magic that had created it having expired. A moment later, Granny conjured locket vanished as well. Her fingers groped for the locket which was not there. Her hand closed one last time over nothing and then relaxed. She laid her open palm upon her chest, then she closed her eyes and breathed out one last time in a sigh of relief as if a great burden had been lifted from her chest. A hideous green smoke came forth from her mouth and dissipated into the air. The Beast could sense no more evil emanating from Granny who had grown still. Connor could feel no more life in his mother’s body. He hugged her close and wept once more, and looked sadly upon her face which seemed more peaceful than it had been in many years.
“Rest now, mama,” he said quietly.
Connor, his family and his friends were roused from their silent mourning by the sound of waves splashing against the rocks. They looked up to see round grey shapes breaking the surface of the lake. A great multitude of seals and other creatures ofthe lake had gathered near the shore and poked their heads above the water. Among them was one shimmering white seal who moved towards the shore. As the seal rose out of the water, she changed into the shape of a beautiful woman clad in a gleaming white robe much like the one worn by Saoirse.
“Mama!” Ben cried out with sudden joy. Connor stared in shock and disbelief.
“Bronagh?” he said. “Is that you?”
Saoirse looked at her mother with a quiet certainty and raised her arms toward her. Ben and Saoirse both ran to their mother and hugged her tightly.
“My children,” the woman named Bronagh said gently. “I have missed you so…”
“Bronagh, please,” Connor said in a pleading voice.
“I have lost you and I have just lost my mother. Do not take Saoirse from me as well.”
Bronagh looked at Granny’s body with an expression of deep sorrow. And then she spoke.
“Connor, my love” Bronagh began. “The choice belongs to Saoirse. She is half selkie, so she must choose whether to return to her people or remain with her family. But I too would long for her if she chooses to remain with you.”
Saoirse looked up at her mother and then to Connor and Ben. Ben was still hugging his mother tightly.
“Mommy, please don’t leave,” he said. “I want to go with you.”
“Ben, my sweet boy, you have to be strong. You must remain and look after your father. He needs you. Do not be afraid. I will always be in your heart, watching over you.”
Ben reluctantly let go and returned to Connor’s side. At last Connor stood and walked toward Bronagh and embraced her. They held each other for a long time. Finally, Connor let go. He saw that Saoirse was holding her mother’s hand.
“Bronagh, will I ever see you and Saoirse again?”
Saoirse suddenly ran over to Dante and put out her hands. Understanding her, Dante pulled the shell horn from his bag and gave it to her. Saoirse handed the shell horn to Ben and gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. Then she returned to Bronagh’s side. The mother and daughter turned and walked into the lake. As they descended into the water, they changed into a pair of shimmering white seals and swam out into the distance. The other seals and creatures of the lakefollowed after them. Connor, Ben, and their friends watched them until they were gone and the water upon the lake was still.
Connor and Ben returned to the lighthouse. It was more quiet now that Granny and Saoirse were gone, but father and son looked after each other with a new camaraderie and tenderness. Connor never regained his old joviality, but he contented himself with raising his son and repairing the lighthouse, working harder than ever before. Ben dreamed of becoming a sailor and riding across the wide waters of Lake Galifar. Granny’s remains were buried beside a small shrine that was recently erected outside the town of Arcanix.
John Doe, Dante and the Beast went their separate ways in search of adventure. They promised to return in one year to celebrate Saorise’s birthday and mark the anniversary of her departure. On the appointed day, they returned to find that thelighthouse was in much better condition and the beacon shined brightly across the lake. Together with Connor and Ben, they visited the shrine and paid their respects to Granny’s spirit, laying a bouquet of flowers beside her resting place. Then they followed Connor and Ben to the lake. The father and son had built a small boat. It was not as ornate as the waveriders that the nobles used for yachting and racing, but it was large enough for a small party to take out to the lake.
Connor and his son and their three friends sailed the boat across the lake. When they were far from either shore and all was quiet around them, Ben pulled the sea horn from his bag. Pressing his lips to it, he blew a loud clear note that rang over thewater.
A long silence followed as everyone waited. Connor and Ben seemed hopeful yet uncertain. Finally, there came an answer, a long gentle note that seemed to echo all around them. Then from afar, two small round shapes emerged from the water in thedistance and slowly approached them.
“Look, papa!” Ben shouted with joy.
“I see them, son,” Connor said evenly.
“Let’s say hello to your mother and sister.”
The End.