The Ivory Compass

Brittany. Accused of witchcraft, Annelise Moreau clutches an ivory compass, her only defense against the inquisitor’s accusations. The compass whispers of escape, of realms beyond human comprehension, but at a cost she cannot yet fathom.  It is a key, a conduit, and a curse that will ripple through time.
Centuries later, the compass resurfaces in London, its ivory surface radiating an unnatural warmth. Roan Blackwood, haunted by his drowned brother, feels an irresistible pull.  The compass mirrors his fractured mind, promising solace from the relentless tide of grief.  Across the North Sea, disgraced sailor Elias Thorne sees in the compass’ gleam a chance for redemption, a beacon to reclaim his stolen honor.  Meanwhile, Dr. Isobel Sterling, a historian obsessed with a lost civilization, recognizes the compass's markings as validation of her life’s work, a key to an island veiled in legend.
Woven through their narratives are chilling echoes of the past: Captain Silas Vane’s descent into madness, chronicled in his 17th-century ship log; a haunting ballad whispering of lovers lost to the sea’s insatiable hunger; and Annelise’s defiant courtroom testimony, a testament to the compass's paradoxical power.
Drawn together by the compass's enigmatic pull, Roan, Elias, and Isobel’s fates intertwine, mirroring the tragedies of those who came before.  Grief morphs into obsession.  Thirst for redemption breeds ruthlessness.  Academic fervor pushes Isobel to the brink. The island, once a beacon of hope, reveals its terrifying truth: it is a nexus, a point where realities fracture, and the whispers of the past collide with the present, threatening to unravel existence itself.
The compass did not lead them to fulfill their desires, but to serve its own dark purpose.  Confronted with the horrifying consequences, they must confront their inner demons.  Can they break the cycle of obsession before the compass unleashes its full destructive potential, or will they become the latest victims of its insidious curse?  The answer lies buried within the island's heart, shrouded in the whispers of waves and the ghosts of forgotten voyages.