The Bell Beneath the Reeds
The Bell Beneath the Reeds
Read aloud
The flood-bell is gone, and dark clouds are gathering over the Willowrun. Reeve Mara Fen offers a modest reward to anyone who can find it and bring it back before the river rises. From the riverbank, a faint bronze note carries through the reeds.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Discover where the flood-bell was taken.
- 2Resolve the dispute over the bell.
- 3Prevent the next flood from endangering the mill's occupants.Optional
The clock
The storm is approaching. After each major scene, the GM may advance the river one stage: rain begins, the lowest mill walkway becomes slick and wet, then the water reaches the bottom of the mill. If the party takes a long delay, move directly to the next stage. The clock adds urgency but should not make a careful negotiation impossible.
Scenes
- 0:00An Empty Hook
- 0:25Tracks in the Reeds
- 0:55A Warning in Bronze
- 1:40Before the Water Rises
- 2:15A Sound Shared
Cast
- Mara FenQuestgiver
- Tovin ReedWitness
- KettaAntagonist or negotiator
- Brother HalvenAlly
The hook
Set the scene
Mara Fen meets the party at the flood-bell shelter. The bronze hook is empty, the shelter door stands open, and the Willowrun is already running high. Tovin waits nearby, watching the reeds and avoiding Mara's eyes.
How Mara Fen asks
Mara approaches the party at the village shrine or asks the innkeeper to bring them to the bell shelter.
She offers a small purse and asks them to return the bell intact if possible.
Rumours
Scenes
about 2.5 hours0:00
25 min
socialThe table is here
1. An Empty Hook
The flood-bell shelter at the edge of Brackenford, beneath a low, darkening sky.
Mara explains the danger and asks the party to recover the bell. Tovin can describe a faint sound from the reeds, but needs gentle questioning before he admits he saw someone carrying it.
NextFollowing muddy footprints and intermittent bronze notes leads the party to the riverbank path.
0:25
30 min
exploration
2. Tracks in the Reeds
A reed-choked path along the Willowrun, with muddy banks and an exposed plank crossing.
The party follows signs of a hurried journey: a dragged groove in the mud, a goblin-sized footprint, and reeds bent toward the mill. A narrow crossing requires care, but can be handled through observation, teamwork, or a simple detour.
NextThe trail reaches the old mill. A lookout notices the party unless they approach cautiously or find another entrance.
0:55
45 min
social
3. A Warning in Bronze
The old mill's damp lower floor and narrow walkway above the Willowrun.
Ketta confronts the party from the mill walkway. The group can talk, offer help, or fight. Ketta explains that the bell is being kept as a flood warning; fighting is possible, but the goblins will try to escape rather than kill.
The Mill's WelcomeNextOnce the immediate standoff ends, the party must decide who will use the bell and how to get everyone to safety.
1:40
35 min
skill
4. Before the Water Rises
The mill's upper platform and the rising riverbank, where ropes, crates, and old planks can be used to move people and supplies.
The party retrieves the bell, negotiates a shared warning plan, or chooses another workable solution. They can help move the goblins to higher ground before the river overtops the lowest path.
NextWith the bell secured or an agreement made, the party returns to Brackenford to report what happened and receive Mara's thanks.
2:15
25 min
social
5. A Sound Shared
The village shrine on a slight rise above Brackenford, with residents gathering as the rain begins.
Mara hears the party's account and decides whether to welcome the goblins into the hamlet's flood plan. The party may demonstrate the bell, make introductions, and settle any remaining disagreement.
NextThe adventure ends with the flood warning system restored, adapted, or left as a problem for a future session.
Behind it
What people believe
Brackenford's flood-bell has disappeared from its riverside shelter just as heavy weather threatens the Willowrun.
Reeve Mara Fen asks the party to find and return it before the river rises. The trail leads toward an abandoned mill among the reeds, where someone may still be nearby.
Background
The hamlet of Brackenford keeps a small bronze flood-bell in a stone shelter beside the Willowrun.
Its clear note warns farmers when the river rises. Three nights ago, the bell vanished during a storm, and the shelter door was found unbroken. Without it, the hamlet has no reliable warning system for the next flood.
The stakes
If no one restores a reliable warning before the river rises, Brackenford's low fields may flood, and the goblins sheltering in the mill may be trapped.
A violent resolution could turn a solvable resource dispute into lasting hostility.
Encounters
1The Mill's Welcome
Combat or social
A cramped, two-level mill with a slick plank walkway, stacked grain sacks, a broken waterwheel, and shallow rushing water below.
Foes
Ketta, goblin lookout
2 goblins
ComplicationThe mill's walkway is slick, and a rising river makes prolonged fighting risky. A creature shoved or knocked prone near an open edge may fall into the water.
ScalingFor a party of 1 to 2 characters, use Ketta and 1 goblin, and have them retreat or bargain once one is clearly outmatched. For a larger or stronger party, add 1 goblin. The goblins prefer to flee or negotiate rather than fight to the death.
Cast
4Mara Fen
QuestgiverQuestgiver, Brackenford's reeve
WantsWants the bell returned before the next storm and fears the hamlet will dismiss her concerns as needless alarm.
“That bell has warned us through six floods. Bring it back before the river has to warn us itself.”
Tovin Reed
Witness, young ferryman
WantsWants to help despite feeling guilty that she did not raise the alarm sooner.
“I heard a little bell in the reeds, then a voice telling me not to follow. I did not follow.”
Ketta
Antagonist or negotiator, goblin lookout
WantsWants to keep the bell as a warning for a small group of displaced goblins sheltering in an old riverside mill.
“We borrowed it. The river is rising, and your people were going to leave us to drown.”
Brother Halven
Ally, keeper of the village shrine
WantsWants to protect the hamlet and the goblins, and hopes they can agree on a shared warning plan.
“I can make the bell ring again, but I cannot make anyone listen to it.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A dry travel cloak and a small pouch of trail rations from Brother Halven.
On a win
The party returns the bell or establishes a reliable shared warning arrangement before the water reaches the hamlet.
Mara rewards them and, if the goblins were treated fairly, agrees to let them shelter on higher ground.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party leaves without recovering the bell or reaching an agreement with Ketta.
- The goblins keep the bell and move to higher ground. Brackenford must organize a less reliable flood watch, creating tension between the hamlet and the displaced goblins.
- The party drops the bell during a dangerous crossing or the rising water damages it.
- The bell is recovered but badly cracked. Brother Halven can make it usable with repairs, but it will be quieter and the hamlet must post more lookouts.
- A character fails to escape the mill's rising water or slips from the walkway.
- One or more characters are swept to a muddy bank downstream, separated from the others and delayed. They can reunite by following the bell's trail or calling for help.
Complications (d6)
- 1A soaked plank on the mill walkway tips under the first person to cross. A quick grab or careful step prevents a fall into the shallow but fast-moving water.
- 2Tovin spots a goblin scout and shouts before the party can approach quietly. The goblins take cover but do not attack unless threatened.
- 3The river rises against the mill supports. The party has one scene to secure the bell and leave before the lowest walkway is submerged.
- 4A loose mill wheel turns suddenly, blocking the narrow entrance. A character can jam it with a sturdy object or find another way in.
- 5A frightened goblin child slips from a ledge toward the water. Helping the child earns Ketta's trust, but costs time.
- 6The bell's clapper is wedged in a crack and rings once when disturbed, alerting anyone in the mill to the party's location.
Media
0 imagesNo images yet.
Turn The Bell Beneath the Reeds into a sheet
A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.
