The Rainwardens' Keys
The Rainwardens' Keys
Read aloud
The bell in Bellwether's floodgate tower rings once, though no one is there to pull its rope. Reeve Mara Venn meets you at the village well, where the water has turned black and risen past the stones. She offers payment to recover three missing bronze keys before the gate opens by itself.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Collect the first bronze key from the old marsh shrine.
- 2Collect the second key from the ferryman.
- 3Collect the third key and learn how to use the set safely.
- 4Resolve the floodgate crisis before the water reaches Bellwether.
The clock
The water reaches the lower village homes by nightfall on the day the party accepts the quest. After each major delay or failed attempt at the gate, advance the waterline; at the final mark, flooding begins.
Scenes
- 0:00The Bell That Rang Alone
- 0:30A Key Beneath the Reeds
- 1:30The Ferryman's Bargain
- 2:30The Gate Below the Waterline
Cast
- Mara VennQuestgiver
- Sella ReedAlly or witness
- Iven TarlAntagonist
- Toma PikeWitness
The hook
Set the scene
Read the hook aloud as the party arrives in Bellwether. Mara explains that the village has one day before the lower homes are at risk, and shows the party a waterline marked on the well stones. Toma has seen Iven carrying a bronze object toward the marsh, while Sella warns that the keys must be returned together.
How Mara Venn asks
Mara approaches the party at the village well after hearing that they are capable adventurers.
She offers a clear payment for the keys and asks them to bring the full set to her before anyone attempts to operate the gate.
Rumours
Scenes
about 4 hours0:00
30 min
socialThe table is here
1. The Bell That Rang Alone
Bellwether's central well and floodgate tower
Mara explains the crisis and the reward. Toma identifies the marsh shrine as the last place he saw one of the keys, while Sella warns that the key markings are difficult to read when dry.
NextThe party follows Toma's directions along the flooded reed path toward the old shrine.
0:30
60 min
exploration
2. A Key Beneath the Reeds
The Sunk Causeway and the marsh shrine
The party navigates the half-submerged approach, searches the shrine, and recovers the first key. Threats in the water contest the causeway, while the rising water makes delay costly.
The Sunk CausewayNextA trail of fresh boat tracks leads to Iven's stilt-house dock.
1:30
60 min
social
3. The Ferryman's Bargain
Iven's stilt-house dock, above the marsh water
The party confronts Iven and learns why he took a key. They can bargain, offer protection for his family, expose his plan, or fight him and his helpers.
The Ferryman's BargainNextIven's directions or a search of his home reveal the route to the floodgate chamber.
2:30
90 min
skill
4. The Gate Below the Waterline
The old floodgate's submerged control chamber
The party reaches the control chamber as water begins rising through the sluice. They must place the keys, interpret the mechanism, and stabilize the wheel while contending with the spring's guardian.
The Floodgate ChamberNextWith the gate stabilized, the party returns to Bellwether to report what they chose and claim their reward.
Behind it
What people believe
Three bronze keys that control Bellwether's ancient floodgate have gone missing, and the water is rising despite the dry weather.
Reeve Mara Venn asks the party to recover the keys, learn how to use them safely, and prevent the gate from flooding the village. The search leads through a dangerous marsh, to a guarded ferryman's dock, and finally into the old floodgate chamber.
Background
The village of Bellwether keeps an ancient floodgate sealed with three bronze keys called the Rainwardens.
The keys were made to open the gate only during a controlled release, but their inscriptions have been worn smooth by generations of handling. The nearby marsh has begun rising despite a dry season.
The stakes
If the party fails to stabilize the gate, floodwater will damage Bellwether's lower homes.
If they force the wrong setting, the village may be saved at the cost of draining the marsh and harming the people who depend on it.
Encounters
3The Sunk Causeway
Combat
A half-sunken stone causeway crosses a reed-choked pool. Broken pillars provide cover, while deep patches of water count as difficult terrain.
Foes
2-4 giant frogs
1 swarm of insects
ComplicationOne narrow causeway collapses during the approach. Characters must rescue anyone who falls into the marsh or find a safe crossing while the creatures close in.
ScalingFor a party of three or level 3 characters, use two giant frogs and omit the swarm. For a party of five or level 5 characters, use four giant frogs and add a second swarm. Use standard 5E stat blocks.
The Ferryman's Bargain
Social or combat
A stilt-house dock stands over shallow water, with a narrow gangplank, moored skiffs, and stacked eel traps that provide cover.
Foes
Iven Tarl, using a bandit stat block if combat occurs
2-4 hired toughs, using bandit stat blocks if needed
ComplicationIven will surrender the key if the party protects his family from village reprisal. If negotiations fail, he tries to escape across the unstable platform, risking a fall into the sluice.
ScalingIven should prefer negotiation or flight over a fight to the death. For a smaller or lower-level party, he is alone. For a larger or higher-level party, add up to four bandits. These are standard 5E stat blocks.
The Floodgate Chamber
Combat and skill
A stone chamber with knee-deep water, three key sockets, a heavy pressure wheel, and a narrow maintenance ledge. Water rises one foot each round after the gate's mechanism is disturbed.
Foes
1 water weird
ComplicationThe gate can be opened safely only after the three keys are placed in the correct sockets and the pressure wheel is held steady. A creature that fails to secure the wheel may be swept into the sluice.
ScalingThe water weird is a standard 5E creature. For a party of three or level 3 characters, begin it injured and let it withdraw if the gate is stabilized. For a party of five or level 5 characters, add two mud mephits using standard 5E stat blocks.
Cast
4Mara Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver, Bellwether's practical reeve
WantsRecover the keys before the village council panics and orders the floodgate opened.
“Bring me all three keys, and I will show you the gate before anyone touches it.”
Sella Reed
Ally or witness, marsh herbalist who knows the old floodgate customs
WantsProtect the marsh community and prevent the floodgate from draining their wetlands.
“A key is a promise. These were never meant to be carried away from the water.”
Iven Tarl
Antagonist, ferryman who stole one key and hid another
WantsKeep her family safe and use the keys to open the floodgate on her terms.
“The water will take the low ground either way. At least I can choose who gets warned.”
Toma Pike
Witness, young village courier who saw the keys taken
WantsConvince the party that the marsh is responding to something, not merely flooding.
“I heard the gate answer when the third key went missing. It sounded like a bell beneath the mud.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A bronze Rainwarden token that opens the floodgate's maintenance door
A waterproof satchel containing a vial of marsh-reed salve, a custom nonmagical remedy that eases irritation from marsh insects
On a win
The party recovers all three Rainwarden keys and stabilizes the floodgate before Bellwether is inundated.
If they follow the inscriptions, the controlled bypass restores the flow to the wells and marsh. Mara pays the agreed reward, while the party's choices determine whether Iven is treated as a criminal, a whistleblower, or both.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party does not secure the pressure wheel before the water reaches the marked threshold.
- The village suffers flooding in its lowest homes, damaging supplies and forcing residents to evacuate. The party can still recover the keys and repair the mechanism, but trust is reduced.
- The party allows Iven to flee without recovering his key or learning where he took it.
- Iven escapes with one key and becomes a recurring complication. Sella or Toma can provide a lead to his refuge, but the village's emergency repairs are delayed.
- The party opens the floodgate without learning or following the warning encoded on the keys.
- The gate opens too far and drains part of the marsh. The village avoids immediate flooding, but local wildlife and Sella's community lose a vital wetland.
Complications (d6)
- 1A sudden surge floods the party's chosen route, forcing a detour through waist-deep water or a risky climb over the reed beds.
- 2A panicked villager accuses Sella of causing the flooding and tries to seize the recovered keys.
- 3A key's etched markings become visible only when wet, revealing a warning that contradicts the village's usual account of the gate.
- 4A marsh predator is drawn to the sound of a key striking stone and attacks from concealed water.
- 5Iven leaves a false trail toward a sinking footbridge, hoping to gain time to move his family.
- 6The floodgate begins to turn by itself. The party has ten minutes to reach it before water spills into the lower village.
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