The Loose Anchor
The Loose Anchor
Read aloud
The chain boom's anchor pin has been cut halfway through, and Haldric says the landing will have to close if the repair crew cannot make it safe. Three days from now, Fourth Sound Night will bring lanterns, crowds, and a cove full of witnesses. He needs you to escort the crew up the cliff and find out who sabotaged the winch.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Get the repair crew safely to the anchor.
- 2Inspect the sabotage and secure the chain boom.
- 3Find out who ordered the sabotage and why the landing is being targeted.
- 4Resolve the crisis at the landing.
The clock
The Glass Dowry is due at dusk on Fourth Sound Night, three days after the anchor is found cut. If the party cannot make the pin safe, the watch may close the landing before the vessel arrives.
Scenes
- 0:00The Boom
- 0:30The Cliff Road
- 1:15Cadoc
- 2:00The Fourth Sound Night
- 2:35The Landing
Cast
- HaldricQuestgiver
- DoritAlly
- CadocWitness
- Idrith CallowayAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
Haldric waits at the foot of the cliff road with six yard hands, their hammers knocking softly against one another as they shift their loads. The cove below smells of salt, wet stone, and old iron. Above them, the chain boom hangs across the mouth of the landing, its thick links trembling whenever the wind reaches the cliff. Haldric points to the winch house and asks you to escort the crew up, inspect the anchor, and report before the landing has to be closed.
How Haldric asks
Haldric makes the request in person at the foot of the cliff road.
He offers 10 gp per character, repair gear, and written lifetime permission to use the watch's cliff road in Bell Quay. If the previous act ended with a joint watch, he adds a favor from the Hands.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3.5 hours0:00
30 min
socialThe table is here
1. The Boom
The foot of Bell Quay's cliff road, with the boom visible across the cove below.
Haldric presents the job, the deadline, and his offer. Dorit gathers the repair hands, who are uneasy about the chain and keen to hurry.
NextAs the crew takes up its ropes and hammers, the road bends away from the water and climbs into the loose scree.
0:30
45 min
exploration
2. The Cliff Road
A narrow cliff road above the cove, ending at a squat stone winch house with a rusted door.
Escort the crew up the 200-foot switchback. The scree is a minor hazard, and the crew's haste can put them at risk. At the winch house, run the cut-pin challenge to gather clues and, if possible, brace the anchor for one day.
NextOnce the tracks, cut iron, and ink-stained glove point toward the barracks, the climb down gives way to a quieter walk through the watch's working yards.
1:15
45 min
social
3. Cadoc
The watch barracks, where Cadoc can see the Ledger Room's doorway and hear the working harbor beyond.
Cadoc stands at the barracks doorway with his hands hidden in his sleeves. A Charisma (Persuasion) or Wisdom (Insight) check, or a Measure such as the glove, cut pin, or matching ink, can persuade him to confess. He identifies the Counter as a Syndicate hand, names the Glass Dowry and Captain Calloway, and says the cargo is untaxed bell-metal due at dusk on Fourth Sound Night. The party may hand Cadoc to Haldric, protect him and feed the Counter false information, or bring his confession to the Ledger Room.
NextThe confession gives the party a few days to prepare. Lanterns are carried along the cliff path as the village gathers for Fourth Sound Night.
2:00
35 min
social
4. The Fourth Sound Night
The lantern-lit cliff path and crowded landing during Fourth Sound Night.
Lanterns line the cliff path toward the bell at Watch Station 3. The crowd is loud and warm, and Pasha's broth house has sold out twice. The festival offers cover: a character with a Measure of the Glass Dowry's cargo can pass it to Haldric without alarming the crowd. A Charisma (Deception) check can convince the Counter's runner that the anchor remains loose. At dusk, the Glass Dowry noses toward the landing without a lantern.
NextThe vessel's dark bow turns toward the boom, and the winch chain begins to groan as the crowd's festival noise thins.
2:35
60 min
combat
5. The Landing
The chain boom, winch house, landing platform, Glass Dowry, and dark cove beneath the lantern-lit cliff.
Resolve the anchor, the captain, and the cove as interlocking pressures. The party can hold the chain, parley with or expose Calloway, or fight her and two Bandits while the Boiling Shoals Lurker arrives on round 3. On round 4, or when the anchor holds or fails, a deep fourth bell sounds beneath the cove. Every creature hears it; the Lurker dives and does not return.
The Landing at Fourth SoundNextAs the vessel turns away or the chain settles, Haldric steps toward the water and the crowd begins to move again, carrying the sound of the bell into the village.
Behind it
What people believe
A saboteur has half-cut the iron pin securing Bell Quay's chain boom.
Haldric hires the party to protect a repair crew, investigate the winch house, and help keep the landing open through Fourth Sound Night, when an unlit vessel is expected at the cove. The party may uncover a watchman's complicity and choose whether to expose, detain, or bargain with the people behind the attempt.
Background
In Bell Quay, the chain boom guards the landing from uncounted vessels.
Its winch house is cut into the cliff above a narrow cove, where the water stays dark even at noon. Three days before Fourth Sound Night, the anchor pin is found half-cut through. If the boom cannot be trusted, the watch must close the landing. Haldric wants the repair crew protected, the anchor made safe, and the culprit identified before the festival brings the whole village to the water.
The stakes
If the boom fails, the watch closes the landing and the Glass Dowry may enter with untaxed cargo.
If the party exposes the sabotage, Bell Quay must decide whether it trusts the register, the watch, the Hands, or the people willing to correct the record. The village's response to Cadoc and the cargo can alter faction standing, while the fourth note beneath the cove remains unexplained.
Encounters
3The Cliff Road
Hazard
A 200-foot switchback climbing beside the cove, with loose scree, a narrow path, and a sheer drop toward black water.
ComplicationThe switchback is loose scree. A creature moving more than half its Speed on a turn must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or fall Prone and take 1d6 Bludgeoning damage. The six repair hands are Commoners, led by Dorit, and will hurry unless the party takes charge.
ScalingMinor environmental hazard. For a more forgiving session, allow a character to spend an action helping a slipping creature avoid falling.
The Cut Pin
Skill challenge
A squat stone winch house at the top of the cliff road, with an iron pin, a heavy chain, a rusted door, and dust that preserves tracks.
ComplicationThe party must get 3 successes before 3 failures to understand the sabotage and make the anchor safe for the moment. Investigation DC 12 reveals a fine-toothed saw cut, bright steel showing in the dark iron. Perception DC 12 finds a charred leather glove with ink on the thumb. Survival DC 12 follows boot prints back toward the watch barracks. Athletics or Smith's Tools DC 13 shores the anchor with a temporary brace, buying one day. Arcana or History DC 12 identifies the pin's maker's mark as the same three rivets and wave found on the bell, older than the winch house. Any 2 clues point toward Cadoc. If the glove is found, its ink can be matched to the Ledger Room. Do not explain why the old mark is on the pin.
ScalingUse the challenge as written for the party. On a failed challenge, the party still learns at least one clue, but cannot brace the pin; the finale's anchor task begins under greater strain.
The Landing at Fourth Sound
Combat, hazard, or parley
A landing platform beside the cove, the chain boom across the inlet, a winch house above, lantern-lit cliffs, and the low deck of the Glass Dowry.
Foes
Idrith Calloway, use Bandit Captain statistics
2 Bandits
Boiling Shoals Lurker, a setting-specific creature
ComplicationThe finale has three simultaneous pressures. The anchor requires 4 successes before it slips 3 times. Each round, one character can attempt DC 13 Strength (Athletics), Carpenter's Tools, or Smith's Tools to hold it; a Measure of the pin's weakness grants Advantage. If the pin was braced, the chain holds initially but remains strained. If not, each round a creature on the landing platform must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) Bludgeoning damage from the whipping chain. Calloway fights if attacked or if the landing is closed, but parley is possible: DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion), with a Counted Measure of the cargo or a Witnessed account of the Counter, persuades her to withdraw. A Measure presented to Haldric's cutter before the vessel lands leads to a boarding and Calloway's surrender. A Boiling Shoals Lurker arrives on round 3 and attacks the creature nearest the water. On round 4, or when the anchor holds or fails, whichever comes first, a deep fourth bell sounds beneath the cove. The Lurker dives and does not return. Everyone hears the note; do not explain it.
ScalingFor four level-3 characters, the full encounter is high difficulty when the major anchor hazard is included. The listed foes total 1,200 XP using the provided values, and the major hazard adds 400 to the encounter budget. If Calloway is exposed or parleyed away before combat, the Lurker remains as the primary combat threat. For a smaller or struggling party, delay the Lurker until round 4 or have it retreat after one attack.
Cast
4Haldric
QuestgiverQuestgiver, watch officer
WantsHaldric wants the landing secured without provoking a faction dispute or endangering the village.
“Keep them off the loose edge. The chain weighs more than the crew, and it will not care whose bones it takes.”
Dorit
Ally, repair foreman
WantsDorit wants the crew to finish the repair safely; the anchor's size and the drop below frighten her.
“I know every tooth on that winch. I just wish it did not sound like something breathing when the chain draws tight.”
Cadoc
Witness, watch signer
WantsCadoc wants to avoid punishment and the Counter's retaliation, but guilt makes him receptive to proof and a chance to confess.
“I signed what they put in front of me. Then the Counter made sure I understood what silence was worth.”
Idrith Calloway
Antagonist, smuggler captain
WantsCaptain Calloway wants to deliver her untaxed cargo and keep her crew alive; she is willing to withdraw if shown credible evidence or offered a workable parley.
“I have a schedule, a debt, and a crew aboard. Give me one good reason to turn around, and make it one I can take back to my people.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
Repair gear for the anchor, supplied by Haldric.
A Dazzle-Glass Cutlass, awarded by Haldric for a successful landing outcome.
A Lantern of the Bioluminescent Deep, awarded by Iosefa for witnessing the audit.
Written permission to use the watch's cliff road for the party's lifetime in Bell Quay.
On a win
If the landing holds, the anchor is secured, the Glass Dowry is stopped or persuaded to withdraw, and the register is corrected with the cargo entered honestly.
The merchants can be named in the Ledger Room if the party presents its Measures, and Haldric thanks the party publicly. If the vessel escapes, the landing is closed and the factions argue over blame. If the party reaches a quiet settlement with Calloway, she leaves and the cargo returns to sea, while the register is fixed without a trial. In every outcome, the fourth note sounds beneath the cove, and the village talks about nothing else for a week. Raise the Pressure Pulse from 0 to 1; do not explain the note.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party fails to make the anchor safe during the cut-pin challenge.
- The crew retreats or the party cannot brace the pin. At the landing, the chain begins under strain, and the watch may have to close the landing if the party cannot secure it.
- The party cannot persuade Cadoc to speak, has no corroborating Measure, or threatens him without securing his trust.
- Haldric loses confidence in the party's account, while the Counter has more time to cover their tracks. Cadoc may still confess if protected and shown evidence.
- The party fails to hold the anchor or cannot stop the vessel before the chain slips three times.
- The chain boom fails, the watch closes the landing, and the Glass Dowry passes into the cove or escapes with its cargo uncounted. The Hands blame the watch, the watch blames the Hands, and the party is asked to account for the night.
- The party achieves a quiet settlement without securing a public confession or presenting the cargo as evidence.
- Calloway withdraws and the cargo returns to sea. The register can be corrected without a trial, but the merchants remain unnamed and the Counter is not exposed.
Complications (d6)
- 1A repair hand slips on the scree. The crew stops to haul them up, costing time unless a character steadies the line or organizes a safe lift.
- 2A gust slams the winch-house door against the wall, scattering dust over the tracks. The party can still find the cut, but must spend a moment clearing the pin and prints.
- 3Dorit recognizes the pin's old maker's mark and freezes. A character who reassures her can get her back to work; otherwise, she will not help brace the anchor.
- 4A watch patrol approaches while the party questions Cadoc. Unless the party explains the evidence, the patrol assumes Cadoc is being threatened and calls Haldric.
- 5The Counter's runner spots a character carrying the charred glove and tries to retrieve it in the festival crowd.
- 6A lantern tips from the cliff path toward the landing. A character must catch or extinguish it before it ignites a coil of repair rope.
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