The Shot That Went Crooked
The Shot That Went Crooked
Read aloud
A customer staggers into Straight Shots with a cracked bolt casing in hand, coughing blue smoke onto the floor. Mara Venn locks the door and tells you that someone stole a shipment bearing her shop's seal. She needs the goods found before another customer trusts a counterfeit shot with their life.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 11. Find how the shipment was taken and identify its route.
- 22. Locate the stolen goods and determine whether they have been altered.
- 33. Stop the counterfeit sale and return the evidence to Mara.
- 44. Optional: Trace the buyer behind the operation.Optional
The clock
Each major delay gives the Pale Buyer time to distribute another case. After three substantial delays, a report arrives that a second counterfeit bolt malfunctioned, and local authorities begin preparing to raid Straight Shots.
Scenes
- 0:00Smoke on the Counter
- 0:35The Blue Spiral Trail
- 1:25A Seller with a Leash
- 2:05The Last Straight Shot
Cast
- Mara VennQuestgiver and owner of Straight Shots
- Tomas ReedWitness and delivery driver
- Sella QuillAntagonist and fence who arranged the sale
The hook
Set the scene
The party arrives at Straight Shots as Mara turns away a line of worried customers. On her counter lies a cracked bolt casing stained with blue residue. She explains that the shop's locked shipment vanished en route and that the driver, Tomas Reed, is being blamed. Mara offers payment for the goods and proof of what happened, but asks that the party avoid making public accusations until they know the facts.
How Mara Venn asks
Mara asks the party directly after a counterfeit bolt causes a customer to fall ill outside her shop.
She offers a modest advance and promises a larger payment when the shipment or convincing evidence is returned.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3 hours0:00
35 min
socialThe table is here
1. Smoke on the Counter
Straight Shots, a narrow storefront with display racks, a workbench, and a queue of uneasy customers.
The party examines the damaged casing and questions Mara and Tomas. A shop seal, blue residue, and the timing of the delivery provide separate leads. Tomas admits he stepped away briefly, giving the party a reason to investigate without proving guilt.
NextA witness places the stolen cases near the riverside storehouse; the blue sealant offers a second route if the party pursues the material trail.
0:35
50 min
exploration
2. The Blue Spiral Trail
A riverside storehouse filled with stacked cargo, damp rope, and signs of a hurried transfer.
The party follows tracks, interviews dock workers, or searches the storehouse. Lookouts may be evaded, questioned, or confronted. Crates reveal that the goods were moved recently and that one has been opened.
The Warehouse SearchNextA recovered receipt or a frightened lookout points toward Sella and the old floodgate.
1:25
40 min
social
3. A Seller with a Leash
A shuttered tea stall near the floodgate, where Sella has arranged a meeting under a flickering lantern.
Sella can be tracked through her contacts, persuaded to meet, or cornered at the floodgate. She reveals the threat against her brother if the party offers protection or presents proof that the buyer intends to use the goods dangerously.
NextSella's account directs the party to the hidden cases and the buyer's meeting place below the sluice.
2:05
60 min
combat
4. The Last Straight Shot
The abandoned floodgate chamber, where a few intact cases sit beside the sluice mechanism.
The party finds the shipment and faces Sella, her guard, or the Pale Buyer's remaining agents. They can fight, bargain, trigger the winch to block an escape, or secure the ledger while managing the rising water.
The Buyer at the FloodgateNextReturn to Straight Shots to settle the reward, or follow a lead from the ledger to continue the investigation.
Behind it
What people believe
A valuable shipment of glass-tipped bolts vanished on its way to Straight Shots, a respected local shop.
Counterfeit goods bearing the shop's seal have begun appearing, and at least one has malfunctioned. Mara Venn asks the party to investigate the theft, recover the shipment, and protect customers from further harm.
Background
Straight Shots is a neighborhood shop known for carefully made ammunition, fletching, and small-batch alchemical shot.
Its owner, Mara Venn, built a reputation by testing every product herself and refusing to sell anything that might misfire. Three nights ago, a shipment of specialty glass-tipped bolts disappeared from a locked delivery cart before it reached the shop.
The stakes
If the party fails, dangerous counterfeits continue to circulate under Straight Shots' seal, customers may be injured, Tomas may take the blame, and Mara's shop may lose the trust it depends on.
Encounters
2The Warehouse Search
Combat or stealth
A cramped riverside storehouse with high crate stacks, a narrow loading ramp, hanging lanterns, and slick patches of spilled preservative.
Foes
Two dockside lookouts
One crate-hauler with a hooked pole
ComplicationThe crates are stacked beside brittle glass bottles. Loud impacts or uncontrolled fire can break them and create slippery, irritating residue.
ScalingFor a small or inexperienced party, use one lookout and have the hauler flee after a brief exchange. For a larger or more capable party, add two lookouts who attempt to cut off exits rather than fight to the death.
The Buyer at the Floodgate
Combat or negotiation
An abandoned floodgate chamber with ankle-deep water, a chain winch, slippery stone steps, and a narrow catwalk over the sluice.
Foes
Sella Quill, armed with a light crossbow
One hired guard
ComplicationSella tries to escape with the buyer's ledger. If the party has treated her fairly, she instead offers it in exchange for help protecting her brother.
ScalingFor a lower-threat finale, the guard surrenders when Sella is confronted with evidence. For a tougher finale, add a second guard and have the rising water divide the party's approach routes.
Cast
3Mara Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver and owner of Straight Shots
WantsMara wants the missing goods recovered before customers are hurt by counterfeit products sold under her shop's name.
“I can replace stock. I cannot replace the trust people put in a shop that promises every shot flies true.”
Tomas Reed
Witness and delivery driver
WantsTomas wants to clear his name after being blamed for the missing shipment, and he is hiding that he briefly left the cart unattended to help an injured courier.
“I heard the cart wheel catch on stone, then someone whistled the driver's own call back at him.”
Sella Quill
Antagonist and fence who arranged the sale
WantsSella wants to keep her younger brother out of trouble and undo the damage caused by selling the stolen goods to an unlicensed buyer.
“No one was supposed to get hurt. The buyer said the bottles were empty, and I believed him.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
One shop-made utility item of the party's choice, such as a signal bolt, smoke pellet, or reinforced quiver. These are custom, noncanonical examples and should be adapted to the rules.
On a win
The party recovers the stolen goods or exposes the sale, stops further dangerous counterfeits from bearing Straight Shots' seal, and gives Mara enough evidence to respond.
If they also uncover the Pale Buyer, the immediate crisis is resolved while a larger criminal network becomes a future lead.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party cannot locate the stolen cases before the counterfeit goods are distributed.
- The missing shipment remains in circulation, and customers begin avoiding Straight Shots. Mara still pays a reduced fee for reliable evidence, but the shop's reputation takes a lasting hit.
- The party publicly accuses Tomas without corroboration or lets Sella frame him with the ledger.
- Tomas is arrested for negligence, making future deliveries to the district harder to arrange. The party can later pursue an appeal or find evidence to clear him.
- The party loses the ledger during the floodgate confrontation or allows Sella to leave without securing a copy.
- Sella escapes with the buyer's ledger, leaving the larger purchasing network unidentified. The immediate theft can still be resolved, but the counterfeit trade continues elsewhere.
Complications (d6)
- 1A passerby recognizes a stolen bolt casing and loudly accuses the nearest character of being the thief, drawing a small crowd.
- 2A sudden rainstorm washes away fresh tracks in the alley, but leaves a distinctive blue sealant visible on nearby stones.
- 3A buyer arrives at Straight Shots demanding a refund for a counterfeit bolt that cracked during a test, forcing Mara to pause the investigation and calm the customer.
- 4Tomas's cart horse bolts when it smells the alchemical residue on a recovered case, scattering evidence unless someone catches or calms it.
- 5A rival shopkeeper offers a useful lead but insists that Mara publicly admit her quality checks failed.
- 6One stolen glass-tipped bolt is accidentally triggered. It releases a cloud of harmless but blinding white powder for several minutes.
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