Jewel of the Shining Tides Recap

Our first mystery of the summer has come and gone in four swift and fun-filled days! The Queen of the Selkies sent a message in a bottle, requesting help for the seal people. The Shining Jewel of the Tides was stolen by a hideous Sea Witch known as Muirdris. She planned to release tidal waves upon the land.

Our brave adventurers dove right into the adventure, deciphering messages, scrying maps to mythical locations and facing off with the Sea Witch's many-tentacled monsters. We never did decide exactly what those tentacled monsters were (squid, octopi or giant sea anemones ....?), but the Detectives managed to foil their plans. A certain shapeshifting sheep/polar bear came to the rescue, retrieving stolen artifacts, such as the Dragonstone and an ID.

A visit to the Waterfall of the Silver Tears brought visits with a Crab who knew how to summon the Salmon of Knowledge with an old practice of placing quartz crystals into a moonlit pool. The Salmon had much to tell the Detectives about the Sea Witch, including how to enter her lair, the Cave of Murky Shadows.

A visit to the underwater palace of Mannanan Mac Lir tested the adventurer's compassion as they debated about whether to free one coral-encrusted merman or the whole palace-full of sea dwellers. The Detectives chose the more compassionate and expensive spell to free everyone, and gained the gratitude of Mannanan Mac Lir, god of the sea, when he came home.

Once they had what they needed from Mannanan, the Detectives had to dive into the bottle that held the secret message. This was a bottle that had zapped a Detective and sprouted tentacles any time a certain Detective dared to open the bottle. (I think that was three times ... or maybe just two, but lots of trouble followed each opening of the bottle!) So, the Detectives gathered their courage, performed a shrinking spell and dove into the bottle to head for the Sea Witch's lair. They were led by a baby Selkie, and each one rode a Sea Unicorn.

Sneaking and invisibility spells helped the Detectives learn how to enter the Cave of Murky Shadows. Once again, they chose to use extra jewels to free the Selkies who were held captive by the Sea Witch. After a hilarious game with a sleepy octopus, they reached Lerwin, Queen of the Selkies, who was held captive in a cage. She told them how to approach the Silver Oyster that held the Jewel of the Tides--and the group managed to convince the oyster to join their side. Even the Octopus joined them, their courage and compassion and respect were so high.

The Detectives finally faced off with the Sea Witch--and put into action the plan that would slowly bring her back to her original human form. I cannot say what that plan was (in case future Detectives should read this), but I can say that this group of Detectives gave the plan everything they had--and a few things they didn't have. The plan worked its magic--and the Sea Witch returned to her human form, healed by the kindness of our adventurers.

What a wonderful short week we had--full of laughter and fun! Photos of the adventure can be hard to capture when one is a part of the storytelling and the action, but I managed to snap some shots for a few of the challenges. Adventure photos are here, and artwork is here, both on Facebook.

Summer 2016 Session I: Shining Jewel of the Tides

The Sea Witch & The Selkie
Pen & Colored Pencil
RL McNulty, 2016

Our first summer session for ages 6 to 9 features a case drawn from Irish and Scottish tales about the Selkies, seals who turn into humans and back into seals again. The story begins with a request for help from the youngest Selkie, who tells the Detectives about a Sea Witch who has stolen the Jewel of the Tides.

Sea Witches specialize in water magic. This one is just a tad miffed at a certain magical fish known as the Salmon of Knowledge. She's threatening to unleash the Tonn Taoide, the tidal wave, upon the mortal lands, if she doesn't get her way.

Can the Detectives locate the Salmon of Knowledge in time?

We'll be making Black Seal Stones and Quartz Salmon Callers as our projects. Black Seal Stones are soft river stones used to call upon the Selkies for help.

Quartz Salmon Callers are special stones laid in rivers on moonlit nights during the salmon-running season. The quartz reflects the moonlight and the salmon are drawn to them. Use the Quartz Caller in the secret grove where the Salmon of Knowledge appears, and you just may have a visitor.

Jewel of the Tides - Celtic Sea Legends

Sea Witch by R. L. McNulty

Celtic legends from Ireland and Scotland are full of stories of the selkies, the seal people who inhabit the seas. In this Dragon's Eye adventure, a sea witch has stolen the shining jewel of the tides from the selkies. Can the detectives stop the sea witch from releasing the dreaded Tonn Taoide, the tidal wave, upon the land?

Our art projects for this mystery include black seal stones and handsewn pouches. Detectives will face many challenges of the sea--waterbreathing, octopus escape plans and anemone sea ciphers, to name just a few.