The Names Beneath the Floodgate
The Names Beneath the Floodgate
Read aloud
The old floodgate has opened twice this week, though no one has touched its controls. Skrast, the only person who knows the marsh road to it, has returned to Rillmarket in silence. Reeve Mara Venn offers you a purse to find out what Skrast brought back before the next high tide reaches town.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 11. Learn why Skrast returned alone and what the brass token can unlock.
- 22. Find a safe route through the marsh and enter the sealed chamber.
- 33. Prevent the floodgate from failing, and decide what to do with the chamber's hidden record.
- 44. Optional: Establish the truth publicly without turning the settlement against Skrast.Optional
The clock
The next high tide arrives at dawn. Each substantial delay in the marsh risks another surge at the floodgate; the GM can use the d6 complications table to represent mounting pressure.
Scenes
- 0:00The Bell in the Market
- 0:35What Skrast Brought Back
- 1:25The Marsh Road
- 2:25The Record Under the Water
- 3:40A Town's Version of the Truth
Cast
- Mara VennQuestgiver
- SkrastCentral character
- Ilyra QuillAntagonist
- Tovin ReedWitness
The hook
Set the scene
Read aloud: The rain has stopped, but Rillmarket's streets still shine with floodwater. At the far end of the market, a brass bell tolls once from beneath the old floodgate. Reeve Mara Venn turns toward you, pale-faced, and says, "Skrast came back from the marsh with something. Find out what it is before the water comes again."
How Mara Venn asks
Mara Venn approaches the party in the market during a sudden bell alarm.
She offers an advance for expenses and promises the remainder if they can prevent another surge. She asks them to speak to Skrast discreetly before the council learns the token is involved.
Rumours
Scenes
about 4.5 hours0:00
35 min
socialThe table is here
1. The Bell in the Market
Rillmarket's rain-slick market square, beside a bell tower and a shuttered records office.
Mara hires the party as the floodgate bell sounds. The party can question her about the settlement's fears, then decide whether to approach Skrast in public or privately.
NextMara points the party toward Skrast's rented room and Tovin's ferry landing. Move to the investigation when the party chooses whom to question first.
0:35
50 min
social
2. What Skrast Brought Back
A cramped upstairs room overlooking the market, followed by Tovin's moored ferry at the edge of town.
The party compares Skrast's guarded account with Tovin's eyewitness testimony and may inspect the brass token. Skrast admits to leaving the expedition's route, but will not explain why without a sign of trust.
NextOnce the party has a route or wins Skrast's cooperation, travel with them into the marsh.
1:25
60 min
exploration
3. The Marsh Road
A reed-choked marsh road ending at a stone causeway and an iron floodgate sunk into a hillside.
The party follows half-submerged survey markers to the old floodgate. They must cross the sluice causeway, deal with the warding sentries, and decide whether to divert water or risk the unstable crossing.
The Sluice CrossingNextThe token's markings match a hidden lock below the floodgate. Open the way to the sealed chamber once the crossing is secured.
2:25
75 min
combat
4. The Record Under the Water
A submerged archive beneath the floodgate, lit by pale mineral veins and a single dry plinth.
Inside the chamber, Ilyra reveals why she followed the party and what the old records contain. The guardian responds to the token, and rising water forces the party to act while they decide whom to believe and what to preserve.
The Sealed ChamberNextResolve the seal, then return to Rillmarket to face the immediate consequences of the party's decision.
3:40
35 min
social
5. A Town's Version of the Truth
Rillmarket's council room or the busy market square, depending on whether the party chooses secrecy or disclosure.
Back in town, the party reports what happened or keeps the discovery private. Mara, Skrast, and any surviving witnesses react to the outcome, and the party learns who has noticed the newly opened record.
NextEnd with the settlement's response and one open hook for the next adventure.
Behind it
What people believe
Skrast returned alone from a dangerous marsh expedition carrying a brass surveyor's token.
Since then, the old floodgate has been opening at night and the waterline around Rillmarket has risen. Reeve Mara Venn hires the party to find out what Skrast discovered and stop the gate from failing. The party can decide whether to trust Skrast, the town's archivist, or the evidence they uncover beneath the floodgate.
Background
Skrast is known in the border settlement of Rillmarket as a capable but difficult traveler who once guided a caravan through the salt marshes.
Recently, Skrast returned alone, carrying a brass surveyor's token and refusing to explain what happened to the rest of the expedition. Since then, the town's old floodgate has begun opening at night, and the marsh has crept closer to the road.
The stakes
If the party fails, the floodgate may release a surge that inundates Rillmarket's lower quarter.
If they succeed, the town is protected, but exposing the truth could undermine the council and change how residents understand their home.
Encounters
2The Sluice Crossing
Combat or hazardous obstacle
A narrow stone causeway over waist-deep water, with broken rails, slick stones, and a handwheel that can divert the sluice.
Foes
Marshbound sentries, custom creatures animated by the site's old warding magic
Reed-crawlers, custom ambush predators
ComplicationWhen the first foe is defeated or driven off, a buried sluice releases a wave across the crossing. Anyone in the channel must reach higher ground or be swept into the reeds.
ScalingFor a smaller or less experienced party, use only the sentries and make the flood a warning rather than a major hazard. For a larger or more experienced party, add reed-crawlers and make the crossing shift during the encounter.
The Sealed Chamber
Combat, negotiation, or crisis
A circular chamber beneath the floodgate, with a central plinth, waist-deep water, narrow ledges, and a heavy wheel controlling the seal.
Foes
Vault guardian, a custom stone-and-brass construct
Ilyra Quill, if parley has failed and the party has not already persuaded her to stand down
ComplicationThe chamber's water level rises steadily while the conflict continues. A character can slow the rise by reaching the control wheel, but doing so exposes them to the guardian.
ScalingFor a smaller party, the guardian pauses after taking a serious hit, creating time to negotiate or reach the wheel. For a larger or more experienced party, add a second environmental hazard: loose masonry falling into the flooded floor.
Cast
4Mara Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver, Rillmarket's pragmatic reeve
WantsKeep Rillmarket safe and prevent panic, while concealing how much the settlement council already suspects.
“I hired you to find out what Skrast brought back, not to decide what sort of person Skrast is.”
Skrast
Central character, wary guide and potential ally
WantsGet the party to the floodgate and make amends for abandoning Skrast during the expedition.
“I can take you to the old marker. But if you hear singing under the water, do not answer it.”
Ilyra Quill
Antagonist, archivist of the old floodgate
WantsRecover the surveyor's token and preserve the buried site's seal, even if that means leaving Skrast to face the consequences alone.
“That token was never meant to leave the vault. Give it back, and I will let the marsh keep its secrets.”
Tovin Reed
Witness, ferryperson and Skrast's former traveling companion
WantsProtect the people of Rillmarket and tell the truth, though doing so may reveal their family's part in the floodgate's history.
“I heard Skrast promise the water it would have a name again. I thought it was just the fever talking.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
Brass surveyor's token, if Skrast freely gives it up
Waterproof lantern with a week's worth of fuel
A stamped safe-conduct allowing passage through Rillmarket's marsh roads
On a win
The party stabilizes the floodgate and leaves with a clear choice about the chamber's record.
Skrast's future depends on whether the party treats the character as a culprit, a witness, or someone who made a desperate choice. Rillmarket is spared the immediate flood, but the truth beneath its foundations can no longer be ignored.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party fails to reach the floodgate before the next surge.
- Skrast is taken into custody by the settlement council, and Ilyra retrieves the token. The party may still pursue the truth, but must do so without Skrast's guidance.
- The party leaves the chamber without stabilizing the seal or securing another safe resolution.
- The old seal breaks. The marsh floods Rillmarket's lower quarter, forcing an evacuation and turning the next adventure into a recovery effort.
- The party betrays Skrast's confidence, or hands them over without hearing their account.
- Skrast leaves town alone, convinced that the party has judged them rather than helped them. Rillmarket remains safe for now, but the character's fate is uncertain.
Complications (d6)
- 1A sudden surge floods the lower road. The party must haul a stranded cart and its occupants to higher ground before continuing.
- 2A lantern-bearing patrol mistakes the party for floodgate thieves and demands that they surrender their gear for inspection.
- 3Skrast recognizes a trail marker from the lost expedition and refuses to proceed until the party searches nearby for a companion's keepsake.
- 4A cloud of marsh gnats ruins one exposed food or medicine supply unless the party shelters it or spends time finding cover.
- 5The floodgate's warning bell rings from below the waterline, drawing curious townsfolk toward the site.
- 6Ilyra sends a sealed offer: return the brass token and she will reveal what happened to the expedition. The offer is genuine, but her account is incomplete.
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