The Bell That Commands
The Bell That Commands
“Break the enemy's command, or let one bell decide the fate of a war.”
— Hook · Military infiltration and relic control
“Redwater will fall in three days unless the enemy's hidden signal network is destroyed. Marshal Voss needs you to infiltrate the ruined monastery of Saint Vey, seize control of the ancient Dawn Bell, and silence the stations guiding the Iron Covenant's army. If you fail, the next battle will be fought with every enemy unit moving as one.”
— Hook · Military infiltration and relic control
Marshal Elian Voss meets the party in a candlelit command tent while distant artillery shakes dust from the rafters. A military map shows Redwater surrounded by red pins, with one black pin marked Saint Vey. Voss explains that scouts have confirmed an enemy signal network beneath the monastery and offers the party military supplies, official authority, and whatever reward can be spared if they return before the third dawn.
Marshal Elian Voss
Marshal Elian Voss summons the party to a war council, then privately offers the mission after other officers argue that Saint Vey is already lost.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The bells at Saint Vey ring whenever a commander dies, even though the monastery has been abandoned for decades.
- 02Iron Covenant patrols refuse to camp within sight of the old monastery.
- 03A deserter claims that entire enemy companies sometimes change direction at the same instant without receiving visible orders.
- 04The Dawn Bell was forged from metal taken from a fallen star and can be heard by people who are miles away.
- 05Marshal Voss once ordered Saint Vey evacuated, but the official records of that order have vanished.
If the party succeeds, Redwater can withstand the Iron Covenant's assault and Valedorn regains the initiative. If they fail, the enemy will coordinate a devastating offensive, seize the city, and use the Dawn Bell to impose obedience across the entire Ashen March.
Background Lore
The Border War has stalled for three years along the Ashen March. The kingdom of Valedorn holds the fortified city of Redwater, while the Iron Covenant controls the surrounding roads, bridges, and river crossings. Recently, Valedorn's battle mages discovered that the Covenant's victories have depended on a hidden signal network powered by the ancient Dawn Bell, a relic buried beneath the abandoned monastery of Saint Vey. If the signal network is destroyed before the next enemy offensive, Valedorn can coordinate a decisive counterattack.
The kingdom of Valedorn is losing the Border War because the Iron Covenant has found a way to coordinate its forces across impossible distances. Redwater will be attacked in three days, and Marshal Elian Voss believes the enemy's command network is powered by the ancient Dawn Bell beneath the ruined monastery of Saint Vey. The party must infiltrate the monastery, disrupt the network, and give Redwater a chance to survive.
