The Anchor Run
The Anchor Run
Read aloud
The Council's Writ is pressed into your hands beside a brass instrument that still trembles from the last reading. Three anchors, each posted Stable, are waiting along the season's route, and the Council's Clipper is already casting off. If the Hall is to believe the Eleven Feet, you must measure the rest.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Measure and save the Third Tether.
- 2Secure the Split Ridge measurement and the Keepers' support.
- 3Present the true figures to the Valley Stewards.
- 4Deliver the True Count.
The clock
The circuit follows a season's route. The Held Line carries 30 doses of Star-Sand, enough for ten days at 3 doses per day. Every additional day requires the party to source supplies at a stocked dock or market, at an abstract cost of 150 gp per day; without fuel, the Clipper descends 100 feet per hour. At the Tri-Peak Cable Hub, Integrity loss occurs at the start of rounds 4 and 8 unless the party changes the situation.
Scenes
- 0:00The Council's Clipper
- 0:45The Third Tether
- 2:45The Split Ridge Run
- 5:15The Valley Stewards' Hearing
- 6:55The True Count
Cast
- Gevan KeldQuestgiver and master cable-wright at the…
- Hesper Cold-StrandAlly and chief wright at Split Ridge
- Haddon Spore-GazerWitness and representative of the Valley…
- Wind-Captain Ilvane OrskAlly and Aerost commander of the Held Line
The hook
Set the scene
The Council's Writ is pressed into your hands beside a brass instrument that still trembles from the last reading. Three anchors, each posted Stable, are waiting along the season's route, and the Council's Clipper is already casting off. If the Hall is to believe the Eleven Feet, you must measure the rest.
How The Council, through its Writ; Gevan Keld is the first local contact asks
The Council issues the Writ and assigns the party the Held Line, with its crew and ten days of Star-Sand.
Gevan Keld meets the party at the Tri-Peak Cable Hub; Hesper Cold-Strand and Haddon Spore-Gazer each set the terms for their community's signature.
Rumours
Scenes
about 7.5 hours0:00
45 min
socialThe table is here
1. The Council's Clipper
Zephyria's departure dock and the deck of the Council's passenger Clipper, the Held Line
The Council Writ assigns the Held Line and its route. Establish the Clipper's fuel limit, the Writ's lane exemption, and whether a character proficient with Vehicles (Air) will pilot. Otherwise Orsk handles the vessel with a bonus. Roll or choose one aerial event for each day in flight.
NextAs the Clipper leaves the dock, the ropes draw taut and the wind carries the party toward the first anchor.
0:45
120 min
combat
2. The Third Tether
The hub's suspended western gantry, winding drum, anchor-stones, and busy Long Hoist route
At the Tri-Peak Cable Hub, Gevan reveals the Third Tether's true Integrity of 5 against its posted 12 of 12. A Intelligence (Investigation) check or a check with mason's tools measures it; the Unaltered Ledger shows red beside the posted figure. The assault begins during the measurement, forcing the party to split attention between fighting and saving the gantry.
The Third TetherNextOnce the rigging stops shuddering, Gevan lays the Brotherhood's signature beside the red mark, and the Held Line climbs toward Split Ridge.
2:45
150 min
skill
3. The Split Ridge Run
The cloud bank and open air around Split Ridge, followed by the Crest Bridge-House
A day from the hub, two Raider Cutters emerge from a cloud bank and pursue the Clipper. Resolve the aerial chase, using handling checks each round and a d8 complication. At the Crest Bridge-House, the span measures 6, Failing. Hesper's three beats concern the Keepers' old records, fear of blame, and their price: a seat at the Reckoning and a promise their records will be read in their own words. Winning two beats earns their Pledge.
The Split Ridge RunNextWith the Keepers' terms entered into the record, the Held Line turns down toward the gray rain over First Rain Market.
5:15
100 min
social
4. The Valley Stewards' Hearing
The rain-crowded Stewards' Hall at First Rain Market, beneath the banner ALL WATER IS OWED
Measure the terrace anchors at First Rain Market. The true reading is 7, Drifting, despite the posted 12 of 12. The seven-seat Basin Council hears the party's case. Win 4 successes before 3 failures at : Persuasion addresses the Stewards' fears, History cites sluice-law, Insight identifies the swing vote, and Investigation reads the figures against the public count. A character who attended the earlier hearing in The Drifting Stones has advantage on the first check. The Stewards require a water-right clause preventing Anemora's Instrument of Renewal from selling Mist-Belt water upstream.
NextThe signed figures travel with the party as the Held Line rises through the mist and turns back toward Zephyria.
6:55
45 min
exploration
5. The True Count
Ansel Windgate's tower and the Council's records chamber in Zephyria
Back in Zephyria, place the three measurements beside the Eleven Feet. The Ledger glows gold beside every one. Ansel Windgate recognizes that the new figures belong to the same larger pattern, asks the party to hold them until the Reckoning, and sets his brass weather-vane on its side.
NextAs the vane settles on its side, the party carries the signed figures toward the next argument of the Reckoning.
Behind it
What people believe
With a Council Writ and the passenger Clipper Held Line, the party must complete a circuit through the Bastions, Split Ridge, and the Mist-Belt.
At each stop, it will measure an anchor publicly posted at 12 of 12, Stable, then persuade a local council or group to sign the true figure. The route includes a failing cable hub, an aerial pursuit, and a hearing over water rights. The completed measurements return to Zephyria as evidence for the coming Reckoning.
Background
In 1400 TF, the Dawn Compact approaches renewal while Zephyria continues its long descent.
The Council's posted anchor figures say Stable, but the Unaltered Ledger exposes changed records when placed beside them. The party's Council Writ authorizes a season's circuit aboard the Held Line, gathering measurements and signatures that can strengthen its case at the coming Reckoning.
The stakes
If the party cannot establish trustworthy measurements, the Council may dismiss the failing anchors as isolated troubles and carry false figures into renewal.
At the Tri-Peak hub, a fall could kill hundreds of riders and Brotherhood families. At First Rain, a renewal without a water-right protection could leave the Mist-Belt's supply vulnerable to upstream sale.
Encounters
2The Third Tether
Combat and hazard
A cable hub suspended between three peaks. The western gantry sags beside a winding drum, four anchor-stones hold the Third Tether, and lift-cars travel through the hub. Gusts, swinging cables, and narrow work platforms make movement dangerous.
Foes
Two Hewers, bound to the drumming of two Cultist Fanatics from the Unsealer remnants
Two Crag-Talon Griffons
One Aevris, driven down from the Crown by the failing Matrix
ComplicationThe Third Tether loses 1 Integrity at the start of round 4 from a gale-shear and 2 more at round 8 from the Hewers' blows. If it reaches 3 Integrity, the western gantry drops 50 feet per round, threatening approximately 300 riders and Brotherhood families. Run the three phases in order: evacuation, rigging, stabilization. Evacuation requires 6 successes before 3 failures at DC 15. Rigging requires 4 successes before 2 failures at DC 17. The Third Rope, if the party has it, grants advantage and one free success. At an anchor-stone, a character can restore 1 Integrity with a DC 17 check, or a DC 14 check using a dose of Star-Sand. The tether must be brought to at least 4 Integrity and held there.
ScalingThe supplied encounter is Moderate for four 15th-level characters. For a larger or stronger party, add pressure through the falling-anchor phases before adding foes. For a smaller or struggling party, delay the round 8 damage by one round or let Gevan's riggers contribute one success to evacuation.
The Split Ridge Run
Chase and optional combat
The Held Line flies into the lee of a cloud bank near Split Ridge. The Clipper has AC 14, 220 HP, damage threshold 12, a light ballista, and a Lightning-Core Rod that fires a 60-foot line for 8d6 lightning damage, DC 14 Dexterity save for half. The Cutters each carry two light ballistae, +6 to hit for 3d10 piercing damage, and boarding hooks.
Foes
Two Raider Cutters out of the lower drift, each AC 15, 180 HP, damage threshold 10
Optional boarding party: two Bandit Captains and six Bandits per grappling Cutter
ComplicationTwo Raider Cutters start at range 2, fly 70 feet per round against the Clipper's 50, and make Handling checks at +8 with advantage. Each round, each pilot makes a Handling check; the higher result shifts the range one step in that pilot's favor, or two steps with a margin of 5 or more. Roll a d8 each round for a chase complication, selecting or adapting a specific event from the complications table. The chase ends when a Cutter reaches range 0, the Clipper reaches range 3 and holds it for 3 rounds, or a vessel is wrecked. A Cutter within 30 feet can use boarding hooks to grapple the Clipper and send aboard two Bandit Captains and six Bandits. Add a second wave only if a harder fight suits the table.
ScalingKeep the chase as the main challenge for a party of four. If the party needs greater pressure, have one Cutter attempt boarding while the other maintains pursuit. If the party is overwhelmed, have the Cutters break off after taking serious damage or losing the advantage of surprise.
Cast
4Gevan Keld
Questgiver and master cable-wright at the Tri-Peak Cable Hub
WantsGevan wants to save the Third Tether and the riders who depend on it, while preventing the Liftwright Brotherhood from being made the sole scapegoat for concealing its decline.
“The line has a note, and today it is wrong. Keep your feet clear of the drum.”
Hesper Cold-Strand
Ally and chief wright at Split Ridge
WantsHesper wants the Cable and Ledge Keepers recognized as witnesses, with their old drift records read in their own words and a seat at the Reckoning.
“We will sign what we measured. We will not sign your version of how we came to know it.”
Haddon Spore-Gazer
Witness and representative of the Valley Stewards at First Rain Market
WantsHaddon wants the Mist-Belt's water protected from upstream sale and fears the consequences of revealing how much local leadership already knew about the failing terraces.
“A number that saves a bridge and sells a river is not the whole truth.”
Wind-Captain Ilvane Orsk
Ally and Aerost commander of the Held Line
WantsIlvane wants to deliver the party and the measurements safely. He trusts the sound of the Clipper's lines more than official assurances and has begun hearing a recurring pattern in them.
“The wind has changed its pitch. I would rather hear it than argue with it.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
Council Writ authorizing passage on the relevant lanes around Zephyria without the 200 gp daily permit.
The party retains the three signed anchor measurements as evidence for the Reckoning.
On a win
The party returns to Zephyria with the three true measurements.
When they are placed beside the Eleven Feet, the Unaltered Ledger glows gold. Ansel Windgate quietly recognizes the figures as one larger family of measurements, then asks the party to hold them until the Reckoning. The circuit is complete, the earned Pledges and Standing carry forward, and the party advances to level 16.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The Third Tether stabilization
- If the party cannot hold the Third Tether at 4 Integrity or higher, the western gantry falls. The Liftwright Brotherhood still signs the true measurement, but the party loses 1 Standing with the High-Council of Needlepeaks for each hundred people lost. The injured and displaced need immediate aid.
- The Split Ridge chase
- If the Clipper is wrecked or forced to descend, the circuit pauses until the party secures repairs, a safe landing, or replacement passage. The Council's Writ remains valid, but extra travel may require Star-Sand and supplies.
- The Cable and Ledge Keepers' conversation
- If the party wins fewer than two beats with Hesper, the Keepers withhold their Pledge and records for now. They may still agree after the party offers their requested seat and public attribution, but the Council returns without their support if the party refuses.
- The Valley Stewards' hearing
- If the party fails the First Rain hearing, the terrace measurement remains evidence but the Valley Stewards do not sign. Water-right protections remain unresolved, making their support harder to win at the Reckoning.
Complications (d6)
- 1A gale-shear sweeps the Clipper's deck. Each creature exposed on deck makes a DC 15 Strength saving throw or is pushed 30 feet and knocked prone.
- 2A Council patrol requests the vessel's papers. The Writ resolves the challenge, but the delay costs a day of Star-Sand if the party cannot persuade the patrol to let the Clipper proceed promptly.
- 3A House Corvane hull shadows the Held Line for an hour, then peels away. A successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check notices that its crew was counting the Clipper's course and stops.
- 4An empty cable-car passes below, still moving on its line an hour later. Its brake lever has been tied off; stopping it safely requires a DC 16 Dexterity check with suitable tools or a creative equivalent.
- 5Lightning strikes the mast once each hour. The nearest creature takes 4d10 lightning damage, or half as much on a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw.
- 6Far against the clouds, a pale, hollow-eyed shape moves parallel to the Clipper. It does not approach, but a character watching it hears the rigging answer with three notes, then two.
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