The Bell Beneath Bellweather
The Bell Beneath Bellweather
Read aloud
The reeve of Bellweather lays a muddy brass key on the table and says, "The spring lantern is gone, and the river bell rang last night with no clapper in it. Find the lantern before the next high tide, and find out who is trying to wake the river." Outside, the river rolls past under a sky without clouds.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Determine who took the spring lantern and how it was removed.
- 2Trace the lantern to the abandoned mill and identify the motive behind the theft.
- 3Resolve the danger before the next high tide.
- 4Discover and address the truth about Greybank.Optional
The clock
The next high tide arrives at midnight. Use one complication after each major delay or failed approach. After three such delays, the water reaches the lowest streets and the final scene begins with the crypt partially flooded.
Scenes
- 0:00An Empty Shrine
- 0:40Footprints in the Reeds
- 1:15The Drowned Mill
- 2:05The Bell Beneath the Water
Cast
- Mara VennQuestgiver
- Tavin RuskWitness
- Sister Edda ValeAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
Mara Venn receives the party in Bellweather's tollhouse as rainwater begins to seep under the door. She shows them the empty shrine niche, its lock undamaged, and a smear of pale blue wax on the sill. Tavin waits outside, reluctant to speak in front of the reeve, but offers to show the party where he heard the bell.
How Mara Venn asks
Mara approaches the party through a trusted local contact or meets them at the tollhouse.
She offers a modest advance and stresses that she wants discretion until the lantern is recovered.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3 hours0:00
40 min
socialThe table is here
1. An Empty Shrine
Bellweather tollhouse and the small shrine beside it
Mara presents the missing lantern case. The party can examine the untouched lock, question Tavin, and notice the pale blue wax that does not match the shrine's usual candles. A successful investigation or appropriate check reveals that the lantern was removed through a service hatch behind the display.
NextTavin leads the party to the river landing where he heard the bell, then points out a line of wet footprints that ends at the old mill path.
0:40
35 min
exploration
2. Footprints in the Reeds
A muddy river landing, reed beds, and a narrow path leading toward the mill
The party searches the landing and the bank. They can find a brass ferry lamp mistaken for the stolen lantern, a fresh scrape on a mooring post, and a strip of blue wax caught in reeds. Tavin admits he saw someone enter the shrine after dark but withheld it because the person resembled his brother.
NextThe trail reaches the abandoned mill, where a low blue glow shines through gaps in the boards.
1:15
50 min
combat
3. The Drowned Mill
The abandoned mill above the flood channel
The party confronts the river mephits and animated armor drawn to the lantern's disturbed magic, or uses the mill machinery and clues to bypass them. Inside, they find the lantern and a ledger page mentioning the old flood pact. The page indicates that the lantern was taken deliberately to draw attention to the pact.
The Drowned MillNextA hidden stair beneath the mill leads to the old bell chamber, where the midnight bell's mechanism can be heard turning in the water.
2:05
55 min
social
4. The Bell Beneath the Water
A partly submerged crypt beneath Bellweather's old bell tower
In the crypt, Edda explains the pact and demands that the party bring the records to the town. The party can bargain, expose her, or fight her and the former shrine wardens. They must also decide what to do with the lantern and the bell mechanism before high tide.
The Bell Beneath the WaterNextThe party returns to Mara with the lantern, the records, or both, and must decide whether to tell the town the whole story.
Behind it
What people believe
The ceremonial spring lantern has been stolen from Bellweather's locked shrine.
The town's warning bell has also rung at midnight, despite being unusable. Reeve Mara Venn asks the party to investigate the theft, recover the lantern, and ensure the river does not flood the town.
Background
For generations, the river town of Bellweather has marked the spring flood with a lantern procession.
The custom began after a disastrous flood, when the town's founder supposedly bargained with a spirit beneath the old bell tower to keep the river within its banks. Three nights ago, the ceremonial lantern vanished from a locked shrine, and the river's warning bell rang at midnight despite its clapper being removed.
The stakes
If the lantern is not recovered and the bell mechanism is not stopped before high tide, the river will flood Bellweather's lowest streets.
Even if the immediate danger is prevented, revealing the old pact could divide the town and reopen its conflict with Greybank's descendants.
Encounters
2The Drowned Mill
Combat
A derelict mill above a narrow flood channel. The upper walkways are dry but cramped; the lower floor is slick stone, turning gears, and knee-deep water. The mill machinery can be stopped with a successful DC 13 Strength check or an appropriate tool check.
Foes
2 river mephits
1 animated armor
ComplicationThe river sluice opens midway through the confrontation. Each round, the flooded channel spreads across the lower floor, making the central walkway slippery and threatening to sweep away anyone who falls prone there.
ScalingFor a party of three or lower-level characters, remove one river mephit. For a party of five or higher-level characters, add one river mephit or give the animated armor 15 additional hit points. These adjustments are encounter-building guidance, not official encounter balancing rules.
The Bell Beneath the Water
Combat or social
The bell chamber lies in a partly submerged crypt beneath the old tower. Narrow stone ledges ring a deep central shaft, and the bell rope hangs into the water. Characters who fall into the shaft must contend with the current and find a way back to the ledge.
Foes
Sister Edda Vale
2 bandits, former shrine wardens
ComplicationEdda will not surrender the lantern while the party is fighting. If the party speaks with her before combat or offers to carry the town's truth to the reeve, she can be persuaded to stand down, turning the scene into a tense social resolution.
ScalingFor a smaller or lower-level party, one former warden is absent. For a larger or higher-level party, add one bandit. Edda should be played as someone seeking leverage, not a foe who fights to the death.
Cast
3Mara Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver, town reeve
WantsProtect Bellweather and prevent public panic, while concealing that she authorized a quiet search of the shrine before asking the party.
“Find the lantern before the next high tide. I can answer for a lost heirloom, but not for a town that drowns.”
Tavin Rusk
Witness, ferryman
WantsMake people take the strange events seriously and clear her brother's name. She saw him near the shrine, but he was trying to return something he had found.
“I heard the bell from the riverbank. The sound came from below the water, not the tower.”
Sister Edda Vale
Antagonist, keeper of the old shrine
WantsKeep the old flood pact intact and make the town acknowledge that its founders diverted the river away from an upstream hamlet.
“The river does not want a lantern. It wants the promise that lantern was built to remember.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
The recovered spring lantern, a ceremonial object with no assumed combat properties.
A river-map case containing a detailed local chart and records of the old floodworks.
On a win
The party recovers the lantern and prevents the bell mechanism from worsening the flood.
If they expose the pact, Bellweather must decide whether to restore the old river channel, compensate Greybank's descendants, or seek a new bargain. If they keep the truth quiet, the immediate danger passes, but the injustice remains unresolved.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party cannot locate the old mill or recover the ceremonial lantern before the next high tide.
- The river rises enough to flood the lowest streets. Bellweather survives, but homes and stores are damaged, and the party must help with evacuation before pursuing the lantern.
- The party fails to negotiate with Edda and loses the chance to resolve the dispute peacefully.
- Edda escapes with the lantern and becomes an active, wary opponent. The party can still learn the truth from the shrine records or Tavin, but the town's trust is harder to win.
- The party solves the immediate theft but does not discover why the lantern was taken.
- The party returns the lantern without uncovering the flood pact. The procession goes ahead, and the river calms for now, but Edda's warning remains unanswered.
Complications (d6)
- 1A sudden downpour raises the river by a foot. Until the party reaches high ground or finds cover, movement along the bank is difficult and exposed tracks are washed away.
- 2A frightened child claims to have seen Tavin carrying the lantern. The child is sincere but mistook a brass ferry lamp for the ceremonial lantern.
- 3The warning bell rings from beneath the river. Nearby townsfolk rush toward the waterfront, creating a crowd that blocks the shortest route to the old mill.
- 4A loose plank gives way on the mill walkway. One character must make a suitable check or spend an action helping a companion avoid falling into the fast current.
- 5A town guard recognizes the party near the shrine and demands that they stop their investigation until the reeve arrives. Calm persuasion or evidence of Mara's authorization resolves the delay.
- 6The lantern's blue flame appears briefly in a window, then goes dark. Following it leads to a useful clue, but also alerts Edda that the party is close.
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