The Lanes
The Lanes
Read aloud
The Shelf is a country of flat white and long blue shadow, crossed by lanes that travelers have walked for generations by following carved stone markers. The first marker you find is where the log says it should be, almost. It stands forty feet from the wear in the ice where a thousand sleds have gone, a clean new post carved to look old. Someone was careful. Someone was in a hurry.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Reconstruct the Shelf's true lane by checking all three shifted markers.
- 2Resolve the Route-Keeper and Vent-Hearth Compact standoff, or make a deliberate choice between them.
- 3Get the Fell-Tide Fjord convoy through the Shelf safely.
- 4Prevent the Vanguard factor from profiting from the route dispute.Optional
The clock
The Fell-Tide convoy is preparing to travel, and Oddny warns that the Shatter-Skerry Market will close a lane within three days. Each long delay risks a fresh whiteout, a buried trail, or a missed chance to influence the market's route decision.
Scenes
- 0:00Three Crossed-Out Names
- 0:30The Travel Loop
- 2:00A Cairn Between Them
- 3:15The Gap or the Marker Rite
Cast
- Revna HaldaneRoute-Keeper
- Tobiah RaskVent-Hearth Compact steward and negotiator
- Oddny BrekkeGlacial Vanguard factor and opportunistic…
- Brindle AskeQuestgiver and keeper of the marker log
The hook
Set the scene
Brindle Aske lays a weather-worn logbook on a sled crate. Nine marker names run down the page; three are crossed out. Beyond the camp, a new-looking stone post stands just beyond the old groove cut into the ice by generations of sled runners. As the party sets out, the wind combs snow over the track and carries the smell of cold stone from the direction of Third Sound.
How Brindle Aske asks
Brindle Aske asks the party to verify three crossed-out entries in a lane log before a Fell-Tide Fjord convoy departs.
Brindle offers travel supplies and asks them to bring back measurements, not rumors.
Rumours
Scenes
about 5 hours0:00
30 min
socialThe table is here
1. Three Crossed-Out Names
A temporary sled camp at the edge of the Shattered Shelf, with stacked crates, packed snow, and a wind that scrapes grit against the tents.
Brindle Aske shows the party the crossed-out entries and explains that a convoy will soon cross the Shelf toward Fell-Tide Fjord. The log's first location is close to the new post, but the old sled groove proves they do not quite align. The party chooses its order of travel and begins following the record.
NextBrindle closes the logbook against the wind and points east; the party follows the old runner grooves toward Third Sound.
0:30
90 min
exploration
2. The Travel Loop
A long traverse across flat white ice, blue-shadowed ridges, a dead vent, a new shelf edge, and the still water of Fell-Tide Fjord.
Run a Travel Loop leg to each marker: Third Sound, South Marker, and Fell-Tide Fjord. At each, a Survival or Nature check measures the shift and establishes it was made by hand. Third Sound is 40 feet east of the dead vent; the buried old post bears three generations of sled-clan sigils and hides a pouch with three silver coins, a child's tooth, and a thank-you note. South Marker is 60 feet north of the new ice shelf, with fresh left-handed prints between the old and new locations. Fell-Tide's post is 20 feet inland from a tide that no longer turns, and bears the scratched message: 'Tell no one it moved.' Three successful measurements produce the Lane Map. A failed check can be retried with new evidence or assistance, but each retry costs time and may trigger a complication.
NextThe last marker's message leads back toward South Marker camp, where both factions are waiting beside the same stone and keeping their hands near their tools.
2:00
75 min
social
3. A Cairn Between Them
South Marker, an eight-tent seasonal camp around a central hearth. The Route-Keepers stand on one side of the squat cairn, the Compact on the other.
The Route-Keepers and Compact are close to a fight. Revna speaks slowly and corrects herself; Tobiah speaks in rehearsed, complete sentences. Oddny is pleasant, watchful, and asks questions twice. Let the party present measurements and question each person. Insight reads Revna as protective rather than criminal; Investigation links the left-handed prints to her; Persuasion brokers a truce; Intimidation can force Oddny to show her ledger. Do not confirm whether Revna was right about the lanes. A truce shares the map and grants 1 Standing with each faction; choosing a side grants that faction's practical support and costs 1 Standing with the other.
NextThe convoy prepares to leave for Fell-Tide. If the party warned it or accepted Revna's detour, its sleds take the safer route; otherwise, the lane narrows ahead between two high walls of ice.
3:15
90 min
combat
4. The Gap or the Marker Rite
The Fell-Tide Gap, a narrow passage between leaning ice walls. Six sleds block the route, families huddle beside them, and a 15-foot ledge overlooks the convoy.
The raid is avoidable. If the party warned the convoy or took Revna's detour, skip to the Marker Rite. Otherwise, two Band Reavers and a Band Mage attack at the Gap. The Mage tries to collapse an ice wall onto the convoy. Make the cracking section visible a turn before it falls, so the party can choose between attacking the raiders, shielding families, or stabilizing the wall. Keep track of convoy Resolve. A strong success keeps Resolve at 6 or higher and wins the families' trust. Resolve of 1 to 5 still gets some families to Fell-Tide, but half turn back. At 0, panic scatters the convoy. If the raid was avoided, Revna sets the final marker in its true place; the note counts once, and every sled dog howls together.
The Gap at Fell-TideNextAs the last sled clears the passage, the ice walls settle with a slow groan behind the convoy; the party turns toward the Shatter-Skerry Market and the three-day warning Oddny leaves in its wake.
Behind it
What people believe
Brindle Aske's lane log does not match the stones on the Shelf.
Three markers have been shifted, and travelers are arguing over who is responsible. The party must verify the route, keep a convoy moving, and decide whether the Route-Keepers or the Vent-Hearth Compact can be trusted with the truth. A Glacial Vanguard buyer has also taken an interest in the confusion.
Background
On the Shattered Shelf, generations of travelers have trusted carved stones to mark safe passage across a country of white ice and blue shadow.
Brindle Aske's logbook records nine markers, with three crossed out. Those three have been shifted from their old positions, each away from ground that has grown colder. The route itself is becoming a point of contention: the Skerry Route-Keepers want proof before changing their records, the Vent-Hearth Compact wants someone held accountable, and a Glacial Vanguard factor is quietly buying lane rights while the dispute depresses their value.
The stakes
If the party mishandles the dispute or the optional raid, families lose a safe route, factions deepen their distrust, and Oddny gains cheap lane rights.
If the party succeeds, the corrected map can reduce travel difficulty across the Shelf, but the reason the lanes are failing remains unsettled.
Encounters
1The Gap at Fell-Tide
Combat, avoidable
A 40-foot-wide passage narrows between 30-foot ice walls. The convoy's six sleds provide half cover and block movement. The north wall has a ledge 15 feet above the passage; climbing to it requires a DC 14 Athletics check. Each 5-foot wall section has AC 12 and 40 hit points. A section reduced to 0 hit points falls immediately. There are 12 family members in the convoy.
Foes
2 Band Reavers, use the Veteran stat block
1 Band Mage, use the Mage stat block with the custom Collapse Ice action
ComplicationThe Band Mage can use its custom Collapse Ice action to crack a visible 20-foot wall section within 120 feet. At the start of the Mage's next turn, that section falls in a 20-foot cone. Creatures in the area make a DC 15 Dexterity save, taking 4d10 bludgeoning damage on a failure or half as much on a success. An uncontested collapse reduces convoy Resolve by 2. A character can use an action or reaction to hold, shore up, or redirect the fall with an appropriate check or clever plan. The convoy has 12 Resolve, one point per person. A character can spend an action and succeed on a DC 12 Persuasion or Animal Handling check to restore 1 Resolve, once per round. At 0 Resolve, the families scatter.
ScalingFor five characters, add one Band Reaver. For three characters, remove the Mage's Fire Bolt rider if one is being used, or reduce the Mage's hit points by 20. This is a low-to-moderate encounter for four 7th-level characters. The party can avoid it by warning the convoy at South Marker or taking Revna's detour.
Cast
4Revna Haldane
Route-Keeper, marker mover, and reluctant witness
WantsRevna moved the three markers alone over three seasons to divert travelers from lanes she believes are failing. She wants the danger taken seriously, but cannot prove what is causing it.
“I moved them so nobody would die. I didn't move them so anybody would thank me.”
Tobiah Rask
Vent-Hearth Compact steward and negotiator
WantsTobiah wants accountability after losing a cousin on a lane believed to be safe. He suspects the Route-Keepers concealed a deal, and has evidence that seems to support his accusation.
“Show me the marker. Show me where it was. Now show me who touched it.”
Oddny Brekke
Glacial Vanguard factor and opportunistic wildcard
WantsOddny did not move the markers. She is exploiting the uncertainty to buy lane rights cheaply and wants the conflict to last just long enough to close a favorable deal.
“I'm only a buyer. But buyers notice things, don't they?”
Brindle Aske
QuestgiverQuestgiver and keeper of the marker log
WantsBrindle wants the travelers to verify the lane records before the route dispute strands more families. Brindle's rig is bound for the Shatter-Skerry Market.
“The log says nine. Three crossed out. If the stones disagree with the book, find out which one is lying.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
The Lane Map, a practical route record that reduces every Travel Loop DC on the Shelf by 2 for the rest of the book after three successful measurements.
Three silver coins, a child's tooth, and a note reading 'thank you' are found in a pouch beneath the old Third Sound marker. They are clues and keepsakes, not a saleable treasure.
A compass taken from the Band Mage points toward a spot in the Trench rather than north.
On a win
With three measurements, the party has rebuilt the route and earned the Lane Map.
The Lane Map reduces every Travel Loop DC on the Shelf by 2 for the rest of the book. If they brokered a truce, the Route-Keepers and Compact share it, granting 1 Standing with each. Choosing the Keepers costs 1 Standing with the Compact, but earns a Keeper escort. Choosing the Compact costs 1 Standing with the Keepers, but earns Compact vent-runner guides. Exposing Oddny costs 1 Standing with the Glacial Vanguard, and the convoy runs without a toll. If the party avoids the raid, Revna asks them to witness her setting the last marker in its true place; the quiet rite awards the same milestone as the combat finale. On completing the adventure, the party reaches level 7.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- Fewer than three successful marker measurements, or failing to preserve enough evidence to establish the markers were moved by hand.
- The party can still follow the corrected route by using Revna's directions, but the factions do not share the map. The characters have no general reduction to future Shelf Travel Loop DCs.
- The party leaves South Marker without mediating the standoff or making a clear choice.
- The dispute follows the convoy to the Gap. Unless the party prevents it, the Route-Keepers and Compact begin arguing during the raid, and Revna reveals why she moved the stones mid-crisis.
- The party fails to drive off the raiders while keeping convoy Resolve at 6 or higher.
- If Resolve falls to 0, the convoy scatters across the Shelf. The party loses the escort's Favor and 1 Standing with the faction it supported. If Resolve is 1 to 5, the convoy reaches the fjord, but half the families turn back and the party does not earn their trust.
- The party does not expose Oddny's ledger or prevent her from exploiting the unsettled route dispute.
- Oddny retains the advantage in the lane-rights dispute. She can continue buying claims cheaply, and the party has fewer reliable allies when the Shatter-Skerry Market becomes their next stop.
Complications (d6)
- 1A gust drives loose snow across the trail, obscuring the latest boot prints. The party can preserve them with a successful DC 13 Survival check before continuing.
- 2A sled runner breaks on a crusted ridge. Repairing it takes 20 minutes and a successful DC 13 tool check or Strength check; otherwise the convoy's next travel leg takes twice as long.
- 3A frightened sled dog bolts toward the old lane. A character can calm or catch it with a DC 12 Animal Handling or Athletics check before it reaches the thinning ice.
- 4A Compact runner arrives with a copied purchase note that appears to implicate the Route-Keepers. The note is genuine, but it records a Vanguard offer, not an accepted deal.
- 5A low, bell-like note travels through the ice. Everyone nearby feels it in their teeth; it offers no answer about the marker changes, but makes the convoy fall quiet for a minute.
- 6A whiteout begins as the party approaches a marker. Unless they secure a guide rope or succeed on a DC 14 group Survival check, they lose an hour and arrive with the marker's trail partly buried.
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