The Third Rhythm Answered
The Third Rhythm Answered
Read aloud
Three boats arrive at the Still Watch Station within a day of one another, each carrying an envoy who asks for the Floor Log. Beneath your feet, the Ear gives a slow, hollow pulse, and every escort turns toward it at once. The Station's keeper says the Under-Horn is open, but only if the envoys can be kept from fighting long enough for you to descend.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Keep the three envoys' escorts from fighting at the Ear.
- 2Enter the Under-Horn and investigate the Floor Log's evidence.
- 3Choose what to do with the Floor Log and the knowledge it contains.
The clock
The envoys have arrived within a day of each other and their escorts are already watching for advantage. Resolve the parley before the crews turn the landing into a battlefield. The Act's Faction Clock and Count continue to advance according to campaign procedures; a filled Faction Clock closes the lane.
Scenes
- 0:00Parley at the Ear
- 1:00The Stair That Repeats
- 2:30The Field Wakes
- 4:00The Log's Last Reader
Cast
- Knight-Officer Marta Oath-HeldEnvoy
- Navigator Corvin Tide-LanternEnvoy
- Cold-Reader Hamar DuskfrostEnvoy
- The Kindly OneAlly
The hook
Set the scene
The Station's landing stones shine with saltwater. Three boats rest against separate posts, their crews watching one another across the narrow platform. A low note travels up through the soles of your boots. Marta stands with her hands visible, Corvin studies the wind as though it were a chart, and Hamar waits with the patient look of someone who arrived knowing where the stairs are.
How The Kindly One asks
The Kindly One requests the party's help as a neutral witness.
They explain that the Station holds the Floor Log under Still Watch authority and that a fight at the Ear could silence it. The keeper asks the party to escort the log's custodians into the Under-Horn and make a decision about access before the envoys' patience runs out.
Rumours
Scenes
about 4.5 hours0:00
60 min
socialThe table is here
1. Parley at the Ear
The Still Watch Station's salt-slick landing platform, beside the resonant Ear and the three moored boats.
Three envoys present the same request under different justifications. The party establishes the stakes, hears each envoy's position, and keeps escort members from acting on suspicion. Run the skill challenge; success gives the party a day's start, while failure lets one envoy escape with a copy and adds a Hearth-Quencher to the finale.
Parley at the EarNextWhen the last escort lowers a weapon or the first boat slips away with a stolen copy, the Kindly One unlocks the founders' stair and begins lowering a lamp into the dark.
1:00
90 min
exploration
2. The Stair That Repeats
A 400-foot spiral of founders' stone leading to a still pool and a glass horn set before a cut-stone seat.
The party descends through the Throat, the Basin, and the Keeper's Seat. Hamar's team's abandoned ropes and half-finished cut show that the party is not the first to reach this depth. At the Seat, the party can play the count and learn only what its Heard Track permits.
The Under-HornNextThe played count passes through the stone and climbs back toward the surface; above, glass horns begin to shudder as the sound reaches the plain.
2:30
90 min
combat
3. The Field Wakes
A 100-by-80-foot horn-field of glass and stone, with fallen horns becoming difficult terrain and unstable cover.
The Brineweight rises through the plain while two Vent-Glass Colossi move to defend the Ear. The party can stand and fight among the toppling horns, retreat to the stair mouth to limit flanking, or destroy the Seat's horn to silence the Ear and end the fight at a cost.
The Horn-FieldNextWhen the guardians fall still or the Ear goes quiet, the group climbs toward the surface through falling grit and the lingering vibration of the last note.
4:00
30 min
social
4. The Log's Last Reader
The Station's landing as the envoys prepare their boats and the cold wind carries the Ear's fading resonance.
Back at the Station, the party chooses where the Floor Log goes, or whether it is burned. The Kindly One records the decision and its cost. Resolve Standing, Count, Heard Track, the lane clock, and the Act's advancement before the next courier arrives.
NextA courier reaches the landing with wet boots and a sealed summons from the Citadel, pulling the party toward the low-reading gauges.
Behind it
What people believe
Three envoys have arrived at the Still Watch Station, each seeking the Floor Log and claiming a reason to study the Under-Horn.
The party must keep their escorts from fighting, descend through the founders' stone stair, and decide who should receive the Station's record. Playing the count may reveal more than any faction expects, while waking the guardians of the horn-field above.
Background
At the Still Watch Station, the Floor Log records the pulse heard beneath the sea and the readings taken at the Under-Horn.
Three powers have learned that the chamber may hold evidence of an answer to that pulse. Each has sent an envoy, and each wants access before the others can act. The party must preserve the Ear long enough to learn what it can reveal, then decide who, if anyone, receives the log.
The stakes
If the parley collapses, faction agents may seize the record and the Under-Horn becomes harder to reach safely.
If the party destroys the glass horn, it can stop the guardians but silences the Ear and may cost a crucial answer. The choice of who receives the Floor Log changes faction Standing and access to future routes, while the Count's advancement increases pressure on the wider campaign.
Encounters
3Parley at the Ear
Social
The Station's exposed stone platform surrounds the Ear, a resonant structure at the edge of the horn-field. Three narrow landings connect to the envoys' boats. Salt spray slicks the stones; the Ear's low vibration can be felt through boots.
Foes
Three rival escort contingents, present as a tense crowd rather than a mandatory combat
ComplicationRun a skill challenge: the party needs 3 successes before 2 failures. Each listed approach can count once. Calling on the Still Watch's right to the log uses Charisma (Persuasion) DC 18. Explaining that fighting at the Ear could silence it uses Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence (Arcana) DC 18. Securing agreement to a shared reading uses Charisma (Persuasion) DC 21. Invoking the Kindly One as witness uses Wisdom (Religion) or Charisma (Performance) DC 18. On success, the envoys withdraw to their boats and the party gains a day's start. On failure, one envoy slips away with a copy, and add a Hearth-Quencher to the finale; treat the finale as above High.
ScalingKeep this social encounter at the stated DCs. If the group is smaller or lacks social skills, allow concrete leverage, such as producing the Station's records or offering a jointly witnessed reading, to grant advantage or an automatic success when it meaningfully addresses an envoy's concern.
The Under-Horn
Exploration
A founders' stone spiral stair descends 400 feet beneath the horn-field. The Throat is tight enough for sound to double back. The Basin holds a still pool that echoes speech a beat late. The Keeper's Seat is a cut-stone chair facing a glass horn; Hamar's team has left ropes, tools, and a half-finished cut in the wall.
Foes
None during the descent
ComplicationThe spiral descent has three stages. Stage 1, the Throat, calls for Wisdom (Perception) DC 16, 18, or 21 for Easy, Moderate, or Hard. Failure disorients the character; a DC 18 Constitution save prevents being stunned for 1 round. Stage 2, the Basin, calls for Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Insight) at the same DCs. Failure causes the pool to repeat the speaker's words in a stranger's voice, frightening that speaker until the end of their next turn. Stage 3, the Keeper's Seat, calls for Intelligence (History) at the same DCs. Failure triggers a false seat: 4d6 thunder damage, DC 18 Dexterity save for half. At the Seat, a character can play three short taps followed by one long tap. The Heard Track determines the answer: 0 to 2 boxes, the count echoes alone; 3 to 4, an answer comes half a beat late; 5, the answer arrives and a third rhythm falls between them; 6, including the Third Rhythm box, all three sound together for a count of three and the party learns that the third rhythm comes from the Split Glass, 25 miles east of the Sanctum. In every case, the Ember leans east and the horn-field shakes. Playing the count wakes the Ear's wardens.
ScalingUse Easy, Moderate, or Hard DCs to match party capability. Characters who take time to inspect the founders' stone, secure ropes, or work together may gain advantage on an appropriate check. The consequences are brief and specific; do not stack repeated stun or frightened effects on the same character without giving them a chance to recover.
The Horn-Field
Combat
A 100-by-80-foot plain of glass and stone lies above the Under-Horn. Toppling horns provide full cover until they fall. The Brineweight rises through the glass near the center; two Vent-Glass Colossi emerge to protect the Ear. The party begins near the stair mouth among unstable horn formations.
Foes
Brineweight
2 Vent-Glass Colossi
ComplicationOn initiative count 20, 1d4 horns topple in a line 30 feet long and 10 feet wide. 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. A fallen horn becomes difficult terrain. The Brineweight can topple a horn as a legendary action. The Colossi hold the Seat's approaches; the Brineweight stays near the center and uses its legendary actions to pull targets toward it. If the party fights from the stair mouth, the Colossi cannot flank them. The Seat's horn has AC 15 and 60 hit points. Destroying it ends the fight in 2 rounds as the Ear goes silent and the guardians stand down, but no further count can be played there. If the Heard Track is at 5 or 6, count the missed answer as an extra Count mark.
ScalingFor four level-16 characters, use the Brineweight, two Vent-Glass Colossi, and the Major horn-field hazard. This is High, approximately 41,600 XP against a 39,200 XP High threshold. For three characters, remove one Colossus. For five characters, add one Hearth-Quencher. If the party failed the parley, add one Hearth-Quencher and treat the finale as above High. The Brineweight is a field boss with Legendary Resistance and legendary actions; use its sourcebook statistics and do not add another boss. If the party skips the parley, treat the hazard as Defining, 40 percent, and the envoys' escorts become part of the crisis.
Cast
4Knight-Officer Marta Oath-Held
Envoy, Concordat
WantsKnight-Officer Marta Oath-Held is sent by Ottar. She wants the Floor Log handled according to the Concordat's obligations, but fears its answer may be used to justify concentrating heat where people already have enough.
“The oath says keep the heat where it is needed. Tell me where that is.”
Navigator Corvin Tide-Lantern
Envoy, Ascendancy
WantsNavigator Corvin Tide-Lantern is sent by Yseult Star-Wake. He wants to map the signal and its source, believing accurate knowledge could protect routes and crews.
“I do not want to own it. I want to chart it before someone breaks it.”
Cold-Reader Hamar Duskfrost
Envoy, Glacial Absolute
WantsCold-Reader Hamar Duskfrost serves the Glacial Absolute. He wants the log for the Grand Archon, and knows enough about the Station to make his courtesy unsettling. He prefers to leave with the record intact, but will exploit any opening.
“The Grand Archon would be grateful. He would also be sorry.”
The Kindly One
QuestgiverAlly, Still Watch witness
WantsThe Kindly One, a Still Watch keeper, wants the Station's right to the Floor Log respected and the Ear kept from being silenced by a factional fight.
“A witness does not decide what the truth means. A witness makes sure no one can pretend they never heard it.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
The Floor Log, unless destroyed or surrendered, as a campaign clue and record of the Station's readings.
A founders' stone route rubbing that marks the Under-Horn and the safe ascent stair.
One sealed Station supply case containing 4 potions of superior healing, if the Still Watch can spare it.
On a win
The envoys leave the platform without drawing blood, or the party prevents their conflict through another credible approach.
The party reaches the Under-Horn and learns what the Floor Log and the Heard Track permit. If the count is played, the Ear answers according to the recorded boxes, and the Ember leans east as the horn-field trembles. The party chooses who sees the log, then returns to the surface with the next route and its consequences in motion.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party fails to secure 3 parley successes before 2 failures.
- An envoy leaves with a copy, faction pressure intensifies, and the Horn-Field finale gains one Hearth-Quencher, making it above High.
- The party destroys the Seat's glass horn to end the Horn-Field fight, or otherwise leaves it broken.
- The Ear goes silent. The party cannot play the count there again, no Heard Track box can be earned there, and a missed answer adds a Count mark if the Track was at 5 or 6.
- The Still Watch's lane clock fills before the party can complete the expedition.
- If the Act's Faction Clock fills, the lane closes and the party must leave under escort. The Count still advances at the end of the Act, plus any extra marks earned through campaign procedures.
- The party skips the Under-Horn or cannot safely reach the Keeper's Seat.
- The party may reach the Under-Horn without its answer. Its remaining evidence is limited to the Floor Log and what can be inferred from the Ember's eastward lean.
Complications (d6)
- 1A gust drives one escort boat against the Station's landing posts. Its crew rushes to secure it, leaving their envoy briefly isolated and making the others suspect a feint.
- 2A loose page from the Floor Log skitters across the wet stone toward the Ear's rim. A character must catch it before saltwater blurs the ink.
- 3One escort recognizes a mark on another crew's weapon as a sign of an earlier rescue gone wrong. They demand an apology before they will stand down.
- 4The Ear emits a low note during the parley. Each envoy's escort mistakes the others' startled movement for an attack and reaches for weapons.
- 5Hamar quietly names a detail from the Floor Log that has not been read aloud. The party must decide whether to challenge his source or keep the discussion focused.
- 6A Station gauge drops sharply, and a warning bell sounds from below. The escorts argue that the crisis proves their faction must take charge.
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