The Third Rhythm
The Third Rhythm
Read aloud
The bell hangs in its cradle like a seed in a husk: black iron, fist-sized rivets, one porthole, and ward-glass humming as you pass. On the dock, a Navy rating chalks a depth on the hull. She steps back, reads 14,000 feet, and quietly says nobody has written that number there before.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Secure a licensed descent and reach the Listening Floor without losing the Bell.
- 2Learn how the Floor's third rhythm differs from the count and its answer.
- 3Reach the Under-Horn, discover the rhythm's direction, and decide who will hold the Floor Log.
- 4Protect the Ear's ability to sound the count again.Optional
The clock
The Lane Closes clock has 6 segments. Advance it by 1 for each failed Lane Closure success check, each full day the party spends in the Bastion beyond the first, and if a Drifter reaches the Bell. A failed moot advances it by 2. If it fills, the lane closes, the party loses its Concordat or Ascendancy escort, and the Count gains an extra mark. Track Bell Strain separately from 0 to 6; it carries between chapters and can force a dangerous Rapid Rise.
Scenes
- 0:00The Lane Closure Moot
- 1:00Four Shelves Down
- 2:30The Still Watch Hears You
- 3:30Reading the Listening Floor
- 5:00Parley at the Ear
- 6:00The Keeper's Seat
Cast
- High Admiral Vrak Ash-PeltQuestgiver
- Siphon-Matron Ragnhild Black-RailAlly
- Odd ValeWitness
- Cold-Reader Hamar DuskfrostAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
At Trench-Crown Bastion's Deep Dock, the Descent Bell rests in its cradle, its black iron slick with condensation. The ward-glass gives off a faint, steady hum, and a Navy rating finishes chalking 14,000 feet on the hull. Vrak Ash-Pelt waits beyond the gangplank with his depth-lens in hand. He will not authorize the dive until the Three-Cargo Hall decides whether the Deep lane stays open.
How High Admiral Vrak Ash-Pelt asks
Vrak Ash-Pelt receives the party at the Deep Dock after the Navy rating marks the Bell's unprecedented depth.
He asks them to make their case before the Lane Closure moot. He wants a specific safeguard, not a promise that the dive will be safe.
Rumours
Scenes
about 7.5 hours0:00
60 min
socialThe table is here
1. The Lane Closure Moot
Three-Cargo Hall, Trench-Crown Bastion
The Three-Cargo Hall is crowded with Current-Keepers, Bellwardens, and families of missing divers. Vrak will license the dive only after the party wins four successes before three failures. Relevant arguments include presenting a Concordat or Ascendancy letter, offering the Ember as a visible beacon, proposing a tether schedule or turn-back depth, showing a Second Bell rescue writ, or speaking with a lost diver's family. On success, Vrak loans Long Patience and a Navy bell-master. On failure, the license lasts one day, the Lane Closes clock advances by 2, and the Bell starts at Strain 1.
NextAs Vrak turns the depth-lens in his paw, the distant dock bell answers once; the party follows the Navy crew down to the waiting cradle.
1:00
90 min
exploration
2. Four Shelves Down
The Sovereign Deep, from the thermocline at 3,200 feet to the Listening Floor at 5,400 feet
The four Shelf descent passes through the thermocline, the Silt-Fall, a drowned cable, and finally the Listening Floor. Assign Pilot, Ballast, Watch, and Song roles on each Shelf using easy, moderate, or hard DCs of 16, 18, or 21. At 3 Strain, the ward flickers and each tethered character makes a Constitution save at the start of their turn. At 6, the Bell makes a Rapid Rise. The Ember warms by one degree relative to the water at each Shelf; at the Floor it leans rather than humming.
The Silt-FallNextThe last bubbles drift upward without stirring the still water; a low sound travels through the Bell's hull as its keel settles onto black glass.
2:30
60 min
social
3. The Still Watch Hears You
Hollow Ear Station, a ring of salvaged hulls around an amber-lit gatehouse
Hollow Ear Station will not open to an unfamiliar Bell. The party needs three successes before two failures to be admitted and earn Ragnhild's trust. Naming the count without prompting, showing the Ember kept low, singing the three-short-one-long pattern to the Kindly One, or offering to carry the Station's log can help. If admitted, the party receives the Floor Log and one song-fragment answer from the Kindly One. The Kindly One's message is brief: three are counting now.
NextAs the gate swings inward, the amber lamp trembles and a relay glimmer appears beyond the horns.
3:30
90 min
exploration
4. Reading the Listening Floor
The horn-field and gatehouse of Hollow Ear Station
The party and the Still Watch tune Low, Mid, and High horns in order. Low reveals the pulse, three short beats, one long, then silence. Mid reveals the answer, arriving half a beat late. High reveals a third rhythm falling between them. Use for Low and Mid, for High. A failed tuning triggers a Constitution save against thunder damage and deafness until the end of the character's next turn; success halves damage and avoids deafness. If all three tunings succeed, mark Heard Track box 6. With two successes, the party hears the third rhythm but cannot place it. With fewer, Odd Vale and Sirri finish the tuning, while the Still Watch retains the discovery.
The Gatehouse AssaultNextA horn answers the last note with a sound like glass drawn over stone; the Absolute's retrieval crew moves through the gate.
5:00
60 min
social
5. Parley at the Ear
The flooded atrium and outer landing of Hollow Ear Station
Three envoys arrive within a day, each seeking the Floor Log. The party needs three successes before two failures to keep the escorts from fighting and gain a day's start. They can assert the Still Watch's right to its record, explain that a battle would silence the Ear, negotiate a shared reading, or ask the Kindly One to witness. The party chooses whether the Log goes to the Concordat, Ascendancy, Still Watch, or is burned. Each choice has the campaign effects listed in the resolution and records.
NextWhen the last escort withdraws or slips away, Ragnhild leads the party down a spiral stair where every footfall returns half a beat late.
6:00
90 min
exploration
6. The Keeper's Seat
A founders' stone stair descending 400 feet beneath the horn-field
Descend the Under-Horn's Throat, Basin, and Keeper's Seat. Use DCs 16, 18, or 21 for each stage, as appropriate to the challenge. Failures can disorient a character, frighten a speaker with an echoed voice, or trigger thunder damage with a Dexterity save for half. At the Seat, playing three short beats and one long produces a response according to the Heard Track: the count alone at 0-2, the answer at 3-4, the third rhythm at 5, and all three together at 6. The full pattern reveals the Split Glass as the source's direction. The Ember leans east in every case, and playing the count wakes the plain above.
The Horn-Field WakesNextThe final note passes upward through the stone; above, enormous horns begin to groan and tilt as the black-glass plain wakes.
Behind it
What people believe
A report from the Sovereign Deep has reached Trench-Crown Bastion: beneath the known count and the answering sound, a third rhythm has been heard at the Listening Floor.
The party must persuade the Bastion to risk a descent, reach Hollow Ear Station, and determine what the Floor can reveal. The Still Watch needs protection from a Glacial Absolute retrieval team, while Concordat, Ascendancy, and Absolute envoys each seek the Floor Log. The expedition ends beneath a field of enormous horns, where the party's choices may preserve or silence the Ear.
Background
The Trench-Crown Bastion has sent word that a third rhythm has been heard far below the Sovereign Deep.
The party carries the Unbanked Ember to the Listening Floor, where the Still Watch has built a refuge around Hollow Ear Station. At the Floor, the rhythm can be distinguished from the old count and its answer, but its source remains beyond the station. A chamber beneath the horn-field can reveal more, if the party can reach it before the Glacial Absolute takes the records and silences the Ear.
The stakes
The Deep lane sustains small settlements and the crews that maintain safe passage.
A failed expedition can cost the Bell, the Still Watch, the Floor Log, and future Count preparations. If the Lane Closes clock fills, the party loses its Concordat or Ascendancy escort and the Count gains an extra mark. If the Ear is destroyed, the party loses its chance to sound the pattern there again. The Absolute's pursuit threatens to turn an unresolved signal into a factional weapon.
Encounters
3The Silt-Fall
Combat with custom environmental hazard
Open water around the Descent Bell, a 60-by-40-foot area. A tall silt column and shell stream run along one side; movement is three-dimensional. The Bell is a 10-foot-square object with AC 20.
Foes
2 Kraken-Spawn Drifters
1 Resonant Crystal Scuttler
ComplicationCustom major hazard: on initiative count 20, each creature in the silt column makes a DC 18 Strength saving throw. On a failure, it is swept 20 feet downstream, blinded until the end of its next turn, and takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage from shells. On a success, it takes half damage and is not moved. A creature tethered to the Bell has advantage. A Drifter ending its turn within 10 feet of the Bell adds 1 Strain once per round.
ScalingFor three characters, remove one Drifter. For five, add a second Scuttler. The supplied encounter budget is moderate for four 14th-level characters. If the Silt-Fall is skipped, the Bell reaches the Floor at Strain 5 and the Drifters follow.
The Gatehouse Assault
Combat with custom sonic hazard
Hollow Ear Station's enclosed gatehouse, built from salvaged hulls. The gate, a single amber lamp, and tall horns provide cover; the east door is the Colossus's entry. A door at the rear leads to the Kindly One's flooded atrium.
Foes
1 Hearth-Quencher
1 Vent-Glass Colossus
2 Vanguard Siphon-Wardens
ComplicationThe horn-scream activates on initiative count 20. One horn affects creatures within 20 feet; each makes a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 4d6 thunder damage on a failure or half on a success. A creature next to a horn can use an action and succeed on a DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check to muffle it for 3 rounds. The Quencher feeds on the station lamp, the Colossus blocks the east entrance, and the Wardens exploit the horns. Odd Vale hides beneath the lamp. If the Kindly One is asked to help, it supports the party for one round.
ScalingFor three characters, remove one Siphon-Warden. For five, add a Void-Ice Legionnaire pair. The supplied encounter budget is moderate for four 15th-level characters. If the hearing fails, the assault begins as the party waits outside the gate. If Odd Vale dies, the Floor Log loses its last page, the only complete copy of Sirri's hum.
The Horn-Field Wakes
Combat with custom collapsing terrain
A 100-by-80-foot plain of black glass, ringed with huge horn-shaped swells. Toppling horns create full cover before they fall. The party begins near the stair mouth; the Brineweight occupies the center.
Foes
1 Brineweight
2 Vent-Glass Colossi
ComplicationCustom major hazard: on initiative count 20, 1d4 horns topple along a 30-foot-long, 10-foot-wide line. Creatures in the line make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d6 bludgeoning damage and falling prone on a failure, or half damage without falling prone on a success. Fallen horns create difficult terrain. The Brineweight can topple a horn as a legendary action. Destroying the Seat's glass horn, AC 15 and 60 hit points, ends the fight after 2 rounds as the Ear falls silent and its guardians stand down.
ScalingFor three characters, remove one Colossus. For five, add a Hearth-Quencher. The supplied encounter budget is high for four 16th-level characters. If a failed parley allows an envoy to escape with a copy of the Log, add one Hearth-Quencher and make the finale above high difficulty. If the party skips this encounter, the Brineweight remains asleep and the Ear stays silent for the rest of the book.
Cast
4High Admiral Vrak Ash-Pelt
QuestgiverQuestgiver, Ursoid Navy veteran
WantsAuthorize a dive only if the party can make a credible case for the lane's safety. He is weighing each rescue against the lives of crews still below.
“I will open the lane for a reason. I will close it for another. Give me the reason.”
Siphon-Matron Ragnhild Black-Rail
Ally, former Glacial Absolute officer and leader among the Still Watch
WantsProtect the Still Watch and its records, while preventing either faction from turning the third rhythm into a weapon or a pretext for another purge.
“We are not neutral. We are late.”
Odd Vale
Witness, former Absolute scribe
WantsPreserve the Floor Log and his own life. He fears that the Absolute will erase the one complete record of Sirri's hum.
“I have written the same three beats four hundred times. They never come out the same.”
Cold-Reader Hamar Duskfrost
Antagonist, Absolute envoy and patient field operative
WantsObtain the Floor Log and locate the Under-Horn's source before the Absolute's plans are delayed or exposed.
“The Grand Archon would be grateful. He would also be sorry.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
The Descent Bell, Long Patience, is loaned for this expedition with a Navy bell-master. It is not a permanent reward.
The Still Watch may grant a sealed copy of its route notes if the party preserves the Station and shares the Floor Log responsibly.
On a win
The party reaches the Under-Horn and hears the count, its answer, and the third rhythm together if the Heard Track is complete.
They learn that the third rhythm comes from the Split Glass, east of the Listening Floor, and that the Glacial Absolute is already pursuing the trail. The party reaches level 17, records the Lane Closes clock and Heard Track, advances the Count once for the end of the Act plus any extra marks, and records changes in faction standing. The Ear's survival depends on whether its horn remains intact.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party fails to secure four successes before three failures at the Lane Closure moot.
- Vrak licenses only a one-day dive. The Lane Closes clock advances by 2 and the Bell begins at Strain 1. If the clock fills, the party loses its Concordat or Ascendancy escort and the Count gains an extra mark.
- The party fails to earn three successes before two failures during the Still Watch hearing.
- The station gate remains shut for a day, and the Absolute relay team arrives while the party waits. Begin the Gatehouse Assault with the Station under siege.
- The party fails to tune at least two of the three horns while reading the Floor.
- If fewer than two Floor tunings succeed, Odd Vale and Sirri complete the work. The party can receive the Floor Log, but the Still Watch retains the knowledge of the third rhythm. Failed tunings also cause a horn-scream.
- The party fails to secure three successes before two failures during the Parley at the Ear.
- One envoy slips away with a copy of the Log. The Horn-Field fight begins with a second force in the water, adding a Hearth-Quencher and raising the encounter above high difficulty.
- The party chooses to destroy the Seat's horn to end the Horn-Field fight.
- The Ear goes silent, the party cannot play the count there again, and no further Heard Track box can be earned at the site. If the Track was at 5 or 6, count the missed answer as an extra Count mark.
- The Bell's Strain reaches 6 during the descent or a later scene.
- At 6 Bell Strain, the Bell must make a Rapid Rise. Everyone aboard makes a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 2d6 force damage and 1 level of exhaustion on a failure. If the Bell surfaces, advance the Lane Closes clock by 1.
Complications (d6)
- 1A thermocline shears across the Bell's route. The Pilot role on this Shelf is Hard instead of Moderate; failure adds 1 Strain.
- 2A Bell-Drawn Drifter breaks from the Silt-Fall and reaches within 10 feet of the Bell. It adds 1 Strain before the party can drive it away.
- 3The ward-glass gives off a sharp, teeth-rattling whine. One tethered character must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be deafened until the end of their next turn.
- 4A lost rig cable catches a ward-line. A character must use an action and succeed on a DC 18 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity check with tinker's tools to free it; otherwise the next failed dive role adds 2 Strain instead of 1.
- 5A horn repeats the last spoken phrase in an unfamiliar voice. The next social check at the Still Watch is made with disadvantage unless the speaker answers the echo calmly.
- 6A relay flare glows through the distant water. The Absolute team reaches Hollow Ear Station one scene earlier than expected.
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