The Tide-Runner approached the coastline, charting a course through the storm. The winds were blowing heavily in a southerly direction, no doubt bringing the St. Asmod’s Hope closer and closer to the Leaning Lighthouse. Siegfried did his level best to keep the crew’s morale up as they worked to keep the ship on an even keel in the harsh weather. “Easy now, lads!” He called. “Perhaps a tune will steady your nerves. Join in if you know it!” He stepped up to the quarterdeck rail, pulled out his viol began to sing as he played: Oooooooo-ver wave and crest from east to west I've sailed every body of water With hips and curls I've kissed the girls But ne’er the Midshipman's daughter! No! ne’er the Midshipman’s daughter! The sailors laughed and took up the tune, each stanza more scandalizing than the last. Captain Ironclaw clapped her iron claw on Varien’s shoulder. “Have Loud Laurel give the order to drop anchor. Any further, and we risk tearing our keel off on those cursed shoals.” She pointed at the foaming seawater that boiled at the cliff’s edge. Along the coast, illuminated by the blasts of lightning, were rocky protrusions that rose above the waterline like the sharp teeth of a great beast. The roving eye of the Leaning Lighthouse’s beacon completed the illusion. The beam of the lighthouse beacon seemed to be reacting with the water as it swept over the waves. “Shall we prep the longboat?” Captain Ironclaw asked, taking a nip of liquid courage from a hip flask. “What’s your plan?” “Our friend would like to reconnoiter the coastline first,” Varien said. Alec, standing nearby, nodded, summoning three seagulls. He went into a trance and telepathically directed the fey spirit birds towards the lighthouse, sending one of them flying towards the beacon’s spotlight, and the other two towards the lighthouse and surrounding area. “A neat trick, that,” Captain Ironclaw said. “In my experience, seagulls can’t be trained worth a damn.” The first bird peeled off and headed straight towards the lighthouse beam. Alec’s eyes rolled back into his head as he transferred his sight to that of his familiar, and watched from a bird’s eye view as the looming sickly green-yellow light began to grow ever closer. Then the bird crossed into the path of the beacon. Alec shuddered and spasmed as he was treated to a split-second of eldritch horror as the seagull was no more. “Hellish…hellish,” the barbarian whispered. The other birds swooped towards the lighthouse, flying around the building and its surrounding environs using the driving rain as cover. The rain lashed the top of the bluff, where the lighthouse leaned precariously out over the cliff’s edge. A crate, propelled by the wind, tumbled past and dashed itself to bits on the headstones of a cemetery that took up a patch of ground to the south of the lighthouse. At its current angle out over the waters, the lighthouse was 40 feet above ground level, or 160 feet over the crashing waves at the base of the cliff. The lighthouse was sharply canted out over the bluff, and like a bullseye lantern, the beacon swept from north, to west, to the south, and back again. The remains of several outbuildings were scattered nearby the lighthouse. They were little more than lean-tos, heavily damaged by years of disuse and poor weather, but tucked in to what little shelter from the storm were what looked like three carriages and their teams of horses, stamping their hooves miserably in the muck. Buffeted by the winds, the birds struggled to remain aloft, but their beady red eyes managed to pick out some movement. Hooded humanoids appeared to be walking a grudging patrol along the footpaths that looped around the outbuildings and over to the cliff’s edge, where the rickety stairway led down the cliff face. A few of them carried lanterns that were of little help in the storm-wracked gloom. One of the birds circled the lighthouse and discovered a curious sight: crawling atop the peaked cupola of the lighthouse roof was an immense bear with a mantle of mushroom-like tumours rippling across its shoulders and back. The roof itself was whipped by winds and salt spray. The creature looked as miserable as a soaking-wet bear could look, but it stood resolutely in the wind and rain regardless. Every so often it would lean down and peek beneath the edge of the cupola and then raise its shaggy head up again, scanning the horizon intently. Beneath the bear and the roof was the beacon itself, undimmed by the rain, and beyond, the howling tempest of the storm continued unabated. The bird also noted the lightning rod built onto the roof. There was a crack of brilliance as lightning struck the rod, and the bear roared defiantly as it absorbed electrical energy into its furry form. The bird also saw that the bear was extremely light-footed, almost floating just above the surface of the lighthouse roof, its claws only lightly dragging across the shingles. It crawled beneath the roof into the main beacon area to gain a moment’s respite from the storm. Alec related the scene to his companions. “Okay,” Siegfried said, having joined his companions on the quarterdeck. “Looks like we’re approaching the Leaning Lighthouse by land and air, if not the sea.” “So, we don’t prep the longboat?” Varien asked. Siegfried shook his head. “I believe we can make use of our particular abilities. I can take Bob with me through a dimension door that should be able to get us onto the lighthouse roof itself if we can get close enough, and you can cast fly on yourself and perhaps Yeemik.” “I can carry Erwen,” Varien said. Seigfried nodded. “Erwen has many abilities he can call upon, including water walk, which should get Theryn to the shoreline, and he can pretty much walk up the cliff face and engage enemies on the ground.” Siegfried thought a moment. “Perhaps Erwen should cast water walk on all of us so we can stay above water and present smaller targets until the time comes to strike. I don’t want that beacon to focus on all of us at once.” Alec’s second bird swooped towards the top level of the lighthouse. In an instant, an arrow lanced out and impaled his familiar, which disappeared with a fey screech. Alec shook his head sadly. “Someone shot my familiar.” “Right then,” Siegfried said. “Erwen can help us walk on water and when we get close enough, I’ll take Bob with me to gank that bear atop the lighthouse.” He turned to Bob. “Bob, do you trust me?” Bob frowned but nodded. “I’ll climb up the cliff,” Theryn said. “I can cast fly on at least three others,” Varien said. “Alec, Yeemik, do you feel like taking wing?” The barbarian and the paladin nodded. Varien cast fly on himself, Yeemik and Alec. The golden glow outline of angelic wings wrote themselves into existence from Varien’s shoulders with similar magical wings appearing on Alec and Yeemik. “Squadron formation!” Alec shouted as the trio leapt aloft, with Varien in the lead and the barbarian and the paladin on either side. Erwen cast water walk and the rest of the party hopped over the side of the Tide-Runner and into the maelstrom. Though they were magically buoyant, it was tough going, with the surface beneath their feet roiling and billowing. Yeemik looked a little uneasy as he watched the waves swell against the hull of the ship. “Water was really more of Gilbo’s thing,” he muttered. Varien swooped down and gathered Erwen up into his arms, and then rejoined his wingmen as they made for the lighthouse. Erwen stretched out his hands and cast pass without trace on the rest of the group. Theryn and Siegfried wrapped their scarves around their faces against the salty sea spray and set forth, the monk rushing ahead lightfooted over the crest of each wave. Bob drew his robe up over his head and gamely kept pace with Siegfried. The lighthouse beam swept overhead, playing out over the stormy waters in random directions, at one point coming dangerously close to the party members who were moved stealthily atop the waves. As the spotlight struck the water, it caused a roiling, hissing, steaming eruption, and the adventurers heard the sound of water rushing into a gaping void. For the moment, however, Bob, Seigfried and Theryn remained undetected. Siegfried did some mental calculations as Theryn opened his lead on his companions and the lighthouse loomed overhead. “Time to walk through the door, Bob!” He cast dimension door and led Bob through. They stepped out onto the lighthouse roof behind the bear, who did not notice the appearance of the duo. Bob cast harm on the bear. A virulent disease wracked the bear, causing many of the mushrooms across its shoulders to suppurate and burst as necrotic damage covered its body. The dire bear roared in surprise and pain. Siegfried stepped forward and slashed at the animal with his bladed gauntlet. He shoved the creature off the edge of the lighthouse roof. To his astonishment, the bear did not fall, instead hovering in midair over the cliff. “Interesting,” Siegfried said. The bear roared as Siegfried leaned over the edge of the lighthouse and slashed the dire bear again with his bladed gauntlet, and then backflipped back onto the roof. Varien flew full-speed towards the lighthouse, Erwen in his arms. He hoped the lighthouse beacon’s attention was focused elsewhere as the sound of rain pinging against his magical helmet grew almost unbearable. No such luck. In a blinding flash, the lighthouse beacon turned full-force into Varien’s flight path as if on an intercept course. Varien and Erwen closed their eyes against the eldritch brilliance. “Evasive maneuvers!” Varien had time to shout to Alec and Yeemik, who peeled off in either direction to avoid detection. At the last moment, Varien spun about in mid-air to protect Erwen from the beam, which played over him, and suddenly vanished. Erwen tumbled towards the waves, spinning about as he fell towards the rocky shallows. Varien found himself plunging through a horrific hellscape, hurtling through a realm of nightmares. He sensed rather than saw flashes of twisted flesh, boiling blood, ripping chains, and his ears filled with the screams of the damned. As he fell headlong into the abyssal horror, he drew Fiendsbane. What fresh hell is this? The sword barked inside Varien’s head. Theryn dashed up the cliff face and activated his step of the wind ability, racing up even further. He crested the ridge at the top of the bluffs and scanned the scene. To the south Theryn could hear the whinnying of frightened horses coming from some battered outbuilding. He took advantage of the driving rain to avoid detection from the sentries that lurked about. Beneath his feet, the ground was turning into mud that slowly lurched towards the downslope that led to the cliff’s edge. Theryn blinked as he saw the dire boar floating in mid-air off to one side of the lighthouse that canted out over the cliff’s edge. Satisfied that a target had presented itself, Theryn nodded as he unlimbered his storm bow . Erwen gained speed as he tumbled towards the water. “I am a leaf on the wind!” Erwen shouted at the storm as he wildshaped into an air elemental, taking on the form of a great wind wolf that regained his lost altitude. Er-Wind howled in triumph as he dashed towards the lighthouse and the dire bear. The dire bear lunged towards Siegfried, baring its claws and teeth. Siegfried jammed his shield into the bear’s face. The dire bear’s claws raked at Siegfried, but he cast shield , stopping the creature’s attacks with an invisible wall of force. The bear roared in impotent rage. The lighthouse beacon suddenly swept over Er-Wind, and the wildshaped druid disappeared. Er-Wind found himself hurtling through a wretched hellscape. Siegfried hung from his shield, which was still lodged in the creature’s mouth, and hung down so that he could get a better look at the lighthouse beacon and hopefully dispel it. The bear spit the shield out, sending Siegfried falling past the beacon level. He caught sight of the beacon, which was a metal structure like a bell or birdcage that surrounded a highly reflective Fresnel lens that was emitting the blinding, brilliant cone of eldritch light out onto the ocean waves. He cast dispel magic on the construct, to no effect. Siegfried managed to grab the stone lip of the aperture through which the beacon’s light shone and crawled into the watchroom. He could smell the stench of brimstone and there was a low, moaning noise that made his bones vibrate. The curved room that held the lighthouse beacon was divided in half by a wall, with a doorway to the south. Worktables and benches lined the walls, with a chest stowed under one of the tables that was laden with navigational charts and a lighthouse keeper’s uneaten lunch on a tin plate. Nobody appeared to be operating the lighthouse beacon, which was swiveling in its mount as if by its own accord. “Might need your help disabling this one, Bob!” Siegfried called up to his companion on the roof. Alec flew like a ballista bolt towards the lighthouse. He smashed through the heavy glass windows and skidded to a halt on the chamber floor. “Here’s Alec!” he shouted. “Right on time, Alec!” Siegfried said. The barbarian could smell brimstone in the room and could feel the low-frequency hum emanating from the lighthouse beacon. “Is that thing moving on its own?” he asked Siegfried. “Looks that way, Alec,” said Siegfried. “Do you think smashing it will help?” Alec asked. “Couldn’t hurt!” Siegfried said encouragingly. Alec pondered the beacon. It certainly looked like an otherworldly construct, but it was built of metal and glass, and appeared vulnerable to Alec’s discriminating eyes. He did, however, think that there was a lot of pent-up energy contained within the beacon itself and he wasn’t sure what would happen if he were to smash the apparatus that contained the evil power within the beacon. He recognized that the beacon was pumping out conjuration magic at a fantastic rate, which might best be countered by abjuration or evocation magic. “Alec, between your brother and I, we might be able to shut this beacon down,” Siegfried said, “but there is a rather unhappy dire bear upstairs on the roof that might require attention.” “Less talking, more smashing!” Alec shouted as he pulled out his mercurial greatsword and swung it overhead. His mighty swing bashed down on the beacon, which emitted a metallic screech as the apparatus bent beneath the sword’s critical strike. Bellowing, Alec swung again, cracking the heavy exterior of the lens. He then pulled out his hand crossbow and shot the beacon point-blank. “See?” Alec indicated the bent and damaged beacon. “If this was forged by men, it can be unforged by this man!” Atop the roof, Bob stared at the dire bear, who stared back. Bob looked about for a ladder or stairs, and spied a hatch in the roof near the lighthouse’s lightning rod. He opened the hatch and looked down at a spiral staircase that narrowed almost to a point near the top of the hatch like a snail’s shell. The angle of descent, affected by the lighthouse’s steep can’t, didn’t help matters much. Bob began to descend the stairs, and after a few moments he could hear the sound of booted feet rushing up the stairwell from parts further below. Bob exited the stairwell into the first room he could find and stared at the hemispherical room that was bifurcated by a wall that extended from either side of the central staircase spiral. This section of the lighthouse did not appear to view the oceanside. There was a telescope on a tripod aimed out one of the apertures facing away from the shoreline, as well as a writing desk and a few shelves topped with dusty tomes. There was a sideboard with a platter of mouldy cheese near a chair that had been knocked square onto its back. Disconcertingly, Bob saw a splash of blood on the wooden floor. Bob could smell brimstone and whale oil. He explored the remainder of the room. As he turned the corner, he realized he was not alone in this room. There was a female humanoid lurking and creeping towards a door in the wall. “Hello there,” Bob said, regarding the creature. The humanoid had a woman’s shape, with purple-feathered wings folded across its back. Monstrous in countenance, the creature was as much birdlike as it was mammalian, with arms and legs that terminated in taloned claws. In its clawed hands it held a sturdy recurve bow, and a quiver of arrows was strapped to its left thigh. Its face was avian in shape, with a pronounced beak that split into a malevolent grin at the sight of Bob. Bob cast spiritual weapon , conjuring a golden dragon’s claw that winked into existence near the creature. The magical weapon swept towards the creature, bashing her forcefully. Yeemik flew towards the bear and knew what he had to do. He landed on the rooftop and grabbed his censer-flail of the bloodsworn , bashing at the bear, landing two solid strikes. Once again, he lost his mental battle with the weapon and sank to his knees in a daze. The bear growled hungrily. Varien was suddenly back in the rainstorm, reeling from the psychic attack of being thrown forcefully through the lower planes. He looked about. “Where is Erwen?” he wondered. He shook his head clear of the nightmare images and looked for a target outside the lighthouse. Finding none, he shrugged and flew towards the lighthouse. He could make out the form of Yeemik on his knees before a great bear atop the roof of the lighthouse. He decided to attack the bear with a sacred flame . Holy flames wreathed the dire bear in radiant flames and found it unbearable. The bear’s furious roar was tinged with agony. The creature facing Bob winked at him and began to sing in a loud voice. Her song was alluring and seductive, drowning out the sound of both the waves and storm. Even Theryn and Varien, far from the lighthouse, could hear the tune. Siegfried and Alec stopped what they were doing. “Do you hear that?” Alec asked, his eyes glazing over. Siegfried nodded, a dreamlike expression coming over him. “Let’s check it out,” Siegfried said. He and Alec began to walk towards the door in the southern side of the room. Theryn hefted his storm bow and activated it, intent on striking the dire bear. Lightning played over the weapon as he pulled an arrow out of his quiver, fletched the arrow, and called out “let the storm consume my enemies!” and let it fly towards the bear. The lightning arrow took the form of two intertwining dragon heads as it raced towards its target, arcing high over the rounded bulk of the lighthouse. To his dismay, the lighthouse’s lightning rod seemed to attract his arrow, which caromed off the rod. There was a burst of lightning that coursed through both Yeemik and the dire bear. The radiant energy was enough to kill the bear, which fell, twitching and smoking from the roof as it let out a final wheeze, sliding off the shingled roof, a heap of cooked flesh. Inside, as Alec and Siegfried walked away from the lighthouse windows, there was a brown blur as the bear’s corpse fell past. Theryn turned and scanned the grounds nearby. He caught sight of a hooded sentry holding a lantern, walking gingerly near the cliff’s edge where the stairwell. The sentry was holding up the lantern trying to see what was happening atop the lighthouse. Theryn took another arrow and let it fly, muttering “let the storm consume my enemies” through clenched teeth. The arrow struck the sentry’s lantern hand, piercing it and forcing him to let go of the lantern, which smashed on the rocky ground. Theryn then ran towards the nearest outbuilding and took shelter in the shadows. The beacon’s eye swept across the grounds, but did not find him. Er-Wind suddenly popped back into existence near the lighthouse, reeling from the psychic attack. Enraged, he spied another sentry on a footpath near the cliff’s edge. He swooped down and let loose a whirlwind attack. The surprised sentry was lifted off his feet, spun about, and flung off the edge of the cliff, striking several outcroppings on the way down before he was crushed against the rocks, disappearing beneath the waves, leaving reddish foam in his wake. Siegfried caught sight of the Harpy archer and began to compose a sonnet professing his undying love to this beautiful creature. Undaunted, Alec kept pace with Siegfried, letting his long hair fly with a toss of his head as he looked longingly at the creature, who continued to sing alluringly, beckoning them hither. Bob shook his head. “You two have no taste,” he muttered. To the creature he smirked. “Your feminine wiles have no effect on me.” Someone else moved into the room from the stairwell. A man stepped out into the chamber. He was holding a gnarled wooden staff that glowed with green energy. He was cloaked in robes and wore a horned skull on his head, with raven feathers sticking out of it. His eyes glowed red as he glared at Bob. “Which one of you killed my bear?” he rasped. Bob pointed at the Harpy. “It was her,” he said. The human pointed his staff at Bob and began to cast a spell. “Not in my lighthouse!” Bob said, casting counterspell . The man’s magical attack failed. “Now it’s my turn,” Bob said. He watched as Siegfried and Alec, entranced, walked towards the Harpy, who was lining up a shot with her bow and arrow. “If I’m going to break a charm, I might have to do some harm!” he said, casting fireball . A bright streak emanated from his outstretched finger and blossomed into an explosion of flame with a loud roar, blowing the shutters off the nearest windows and rocking the lighthouse from side to side as a blast wave sent loose objects flying. The lighthouse’s walls creaked and cracked ominously. Outside the lighthouse, Theryn and Varien looked up as an explosion of fire blasted from the top level of the structure. Theryn and Varien both smiled. Siegfried resisted the worst of the fireball, but the damage was enough to knock some sense back into him. His enchantment faded, but he kept his lovesick expression intact, sparing only a wink to Bob to let him know he was back in control of his faculties. Alec was singed and scorched but remained fully in the Harpy’s thrall. The Harpy hissed at Bob as the fireball blasted her. Bob hissed back. Bob’s spiritual weapon streaked towards the evil magic-user, striking him squarely. Bob took cover behind the nearest desk. The Harpy archer backed away from her targets. Siegfried lunged at her, attempting to slash her with his bladed gauntlet. “Naughty, naughty,” she hissed sarcastically at Siegfried. Then she pulled arrows from her quiver and fired at the pair. The first arrow struck the doorjamb inches from Alec’s head. Alec was unperturbed by this, babbling a series of terms of endearment at the Harpy. The second arrow Siegfried caught in mid-air and snapped in two with his fist. Her third and fourth arrows likewise failed to find their targets. The magic-user snarled. “Urelga, you useless Harpy!” he barked. “That’s redundant, mate,” Siegfried said. “Shut up,” Urelga said to both her enemy and her ally. Varien swooped down on another sentry near the outbuilding. His quarry was wearing a red cloak, and he wore skull-shaped buckles over both knees. The outline of a hand was painted on his face, though the paint was beginning to run thanks to the constant rain. Varien slashed the sentry with his sword and yelled “Who are you?” The sentry staggered back, surprised. “You shouldn’t be here!” he blurted. Varien shoved the man to the muddy ground. “Who sent you?” he said. The sentry spat a bloody gobbet of phlegm at Varien’s boots. “You’ll get nothing from me, you simpering twit!” Varien’s blade flashed out again, cutting the man’s head off. The head bounced to land at Varien’s feet, staring up at him with an expression of surprise. “So it would seem,” Varien said to the man’s head, as the life drained from his eyes. Then the paladin spun about and flew towards another sentry out on the path leading to the lighthouse. Blocking the man’s path, he said “Why did you come here?” The sentry recovered from his shock at seeing a blood-covered paladin in the storm before him and then a dark smile crept across his features. “Stick around and see!” he said as he attempted to cast a spell, his hands tracing arcane symbols in the air. Varien reached out and crushed the man’s fingers as he cast counterspell. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warned. “That’s interesting,” the sentry said in a pained voice. “But what do you think you can take from me?” Then he began to shout at the top of his lungs. “Intruder!” Suddenly the doors to the lighthouse were thrown open and a wiry, elderly man stumbled down the entryway’s steps. “What’s going on here?” he croaked, hands on his hips.