Iria Wants Her Mother's Signet Back
Iria Wants Her Mother's Signet Back
Read aloud
Iria Venn places a small charcoal sketch of a signet ring on the table. 'It belonged to my mother, and I have reason to believe it turned up in the flooded quarter. Find it before the salvage crews sell it, and bring it back to me.'
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Trace the signet from the pawnshop rumor to the flooded riverside quarter.
- 2Retrieve the signet before it is sold, lost, or damaged.
- 3Uncover what Iria's mother intended the ring to say.Optional
The clock
Orren plans to remove the cabinet and sell its contents at the next market, two days from the party's first meeting with Iria. A sluice inspection may also flood the lower chamber before then.
Scenes
- 0:00A Ring Lost to the Flood
- 0:25The Pawnbroker's Account
- 1:00Footprints in the Silt
- 1:45Claim at the Sluicehouse
- 2:45What the Band Conceals
Cast
- Iria VennQuestgiver and witness
- Tamsin ReedReluctant ally
- Orren PikeAntagonist
- Mara SiltWildcard witness
The hook
Set the scene
At Iria's modest home, she offers the party a charcoal sketch of the ring and describes the flood evacuation. She knows the ring was seen at Tamsin Reed's pawnshop, but she has no proof of its current location. If asked why it matters so much, she says only that it was the last gift her mother gave her.
How Iria Venn asks
Iria contacts the party through a trusted local and requests a private meeting.
She offers a modest advance, then explains that a pawnshop rumor may lead to her mother's missing signet.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3.5 hours0:00
25 min
socialThe table is here
1. A Ring Lost to the Flood
Iria's quiet home above a shuttered family office.
Iria hires the party and shares what she knows. Her restrained manner suggests the ring is personally important, but she does not volunteer the family history behind it.
NextThe charcoal sketch and pawnshop rumor lead the party to Tamsin Reed.
0:25
35 min
social
2. The Pawnbroker's Account
Tamsin's cramped pawnshop, crowded with water-damaged furniture and salvaged tools.
Tamsin confirms that the ring passed through her shop, but says Orren Pike took it after claiming it was recovered from public salvage. The party can win her help by showing restraint and asking precise questions.
NextTamsin points toward the sluicehouse and suggests finding Mara, who saw the ring before Orren collected it.
1:00
45 min
exploration
3. Footprints in the Silt
Collapsed walkways, flooded courtyards, and the remains of riverside homes.
The party crosses the partly flooded quarter, finds Mara, and can piece together the ring's route. Mara mentions that Iria's mother visited the area before the evacuation and was not alone.
NextMara's testimony points to the sluicehouse, while the detail about Iria's mother can prompt the party to seek clarification from Iria.
1:45
60 min
combat
4. Claim at the Sluicehouse
A half-flooded sluicehouse with catwalks, rusted machinery, and the crew's gathered salvage.
The party reaches Orren and the salvage crew. They can negotiate, present evidence, sneak toward the cabinet, or fight as the water and machinery make the room increasingly dangerous.
The Sluicehouse StandoffNextOnce the crew is distracted, persuaded, or driven back, the party can reach the cabinet below the weir.
2:45
40 min
skill
5. What the Band Conceals
A cramped maintenance chamber where water is rising around an iron cabinet and corroded gears.
The party retrieves the ring and decides whether to examine the inscription before returning it. The inscription offers a new interpretation of Iria's mother's connection to the neighborhood.
The Cabinet Below the WeirNextThe party returns to Iria with the ring and must decide what to tell her, what to tell Orren, and whether the inscription should become public.
Behind it
What people believe
Iria Venn wants her mother's signet ring returned.
It was believed lost during the evacuation of the old riverside quarter, but a recent rumor places it in the hands of a salvage crew working near a flooded sluicehouse. Recovering it may require bargaining with the crew, navigating dangerous ruins, or proving who has the right to claim it.
Background
Iria Venn has spent years insisting that her mother's signet ring was lost in a fire.
The ring bears the Venn family seal, but its inner band also carries a tiny inscription known only to Iria and her late mother. It disappeared during a winter evacuation from the old riverside quarter, a district now partly reclaimed by floodwater.
The stakes
The ring is Iria's last tangible connection to her mother, but its inscription could change how the neighborhood understands the Venn family's role in the evacuation.
Mishandling the recovery may turn a personal request into a lasting conflict over salvage rights and local history.
Encounters
2The Sluicehouse Standoff
Combat or social
A half-flooded sluicehouse with narrow catwalks, knee-deep water, rusted machinery, and a locked iron cabinet on a raised platform.
Foes
Orren Pike
Two salvage hands
A trained marsh hound
ComplicationThe salvage crew is trying to recover the ring without flooding the room further. If combat breaks out, shifting water and unstable walkways threaten everyone, not just the party.
ScalingFor a small or inexperienced party, have Orren bargain rather than fight and remove the marsh hound. For a larger or more capable party, add two crew members and make the water rise at the end of each round or exchange.
The Cabinet Below the Weir
Skill and exploration
A cramped maintenance chamber below the weir, with submerged steps, a turning gear, and a chest-high iron cabinet.
Foes
Floodwater and unstable machinery
ComplicationThe cabinet containing the ring is wedged behind a corroded gear assembly. Forcing it open risks damaging the ring or jamming the sluice controls.
ScalingFor a group that needs a gentler challenge, make the cabinet accessible with careful teamwork and a single hazard check. For a group seeking pressure, require several distinct actions while the rising water steadily restricts safe footing.
Cast
4Iria Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver and witness
WantsRecover her mother's signet before it is sold or melted down, while keeping the ring's inscription private.
“I am not asking you to restore my family name. I am asking you to bring back the one thing my mother chose to leave me.”
Tamsin Reed
Reluctant ally, pawnshop owner
WantsProtect her business and avoid becoming entangled in a dispute between the Venns and the river salvage crews.
“I bought a ring, not a family history. If you can prove it is stolen, make your case without breaking my shop.”
Orren Pike
Antagonist, salvage crew foreman
WantsKeep the ring out of the hands of local authorities and preserve the salvage crew's claim to anything recovered from the flooded quarter.
“The river gives things back when it wants to. That ring is not yours just because you remember it.”
Mara Silt
Wildcard witness
WantsTrade what she knows for safe passage out of the quarter and a chance to settle an old debt.
“I saw the mark on the band. Your mother came down here before the flood, and she did not come alone.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
Iria's mother's signet ring, returned to its owner
A waterproof sketch of the old riverside quarter, marked with safe routes and one sealed maintenance entrance
On a win
The party returns the ring to Iria, or helps her reach an agreement with Orren that she accepts.
If they uncover the inscription, success also means deciding who learns its message and what consequences follow. The best outcome is not necessarily a fight-free one: an honest bargain can preserve both Iria's keepsake and the salvage crew's dignity.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party accuses Iria publicly or shares private details about her mother without consent.
- Iria's trust is damaged, and she refuses to explain the inscription. The party can still find the ring, but cannot use its message to resolve the family dispute.
- The party lets the salvage crew leave the sluicehouse with the ring or fails to reach it before their deadline.
- Orren sells or hides the ring. The party must track it through a buyer or rival crew, adding a new lead and a delay rather than ending the adventure.
- The party forces the cabinet or machinery without taking precautions.
- The ring is damaged, reducing its value and making its inscription difficult to read. Iria can still reclaim it, but the evidence it might provide is incomplete.
- The party uses force against the crew in view of the neighborhood or ignores a negotiated agreement.
- The crew's claim to salvage rights becomes a public dispute. Iria gets the ring only by accepting a debt, offering compensation, or asking the party to mediate.
Complications (d6)
- 1A sudden sluice release raises the water level in the lower passages. The party must move their search to higher ground or spend time securing a route back.
- 2A local recognizes Iria and loudly accuses her family of abandoning the riverside residents during the evacuation, drawing a crowd that demands an explanation.
- 3Tamsin discovers that someone has already offered to buy the ring. She will reveal the buyer's identity only if the party promises not to damage her shop or threaten her staff.
- 4A loose floor gives way beneath one character, dropping them into a flooded storage trench with a small but immediate risk of lost gear.
- 5Orren's lookout spots the party and sends a runner to warn the salvage crew, giving the group less time before the crew gathers at the ring's hiding place.
- 6Mara's account contradicts a detail Iria shared. The party must decide whether to confront Iria, investigate the discrepancy, or continue with incomplete information.
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