It is day 19 of month 4, 1042, on the Night Bazaar above Vesk. Two days ago the Sparrow, a small Compact raider, hooked on at Hook 14. In her hold is a navy crate of live heavy shells from the Gunline Fields on Ormond. Her captain, Bart Jessop, bought it cheap on Lucrece from a smuggler and asked no questions. He agreed to sell it for 1,500 Crowns to a buyer in a plain black mask. More shells are missing from the range than this one crate. The rest are not part of this story.
The buyer is Simon Thorne, a speaker of the Unbound. For three months he has bought every Rim Gate item at the Mask Auction. Tonight at 22:00 the auction sells an Old Maker book about how the Rim Gates were sealed. It is the book Hadrian Faye found at the Sky Academy and was blamed for losing. Thorne wants the book to find the weakest point of a gate seal, and the shells to break it.
Thorne took one shell from Bart as a sample, so 11 are left in the crate. At 01:15 two of his zealots strap that shell to the outer plates of the Drift Hold. A Syndicate crew keeps a drifting ship's husk crew locked there to sell. It goes off at 01:30, and the husks walk into the Hull Market. While the enforcers fight there, Thorne's men take the crate from the Sparrow at 02:00 and load it onto his ship, the Grey Lark, at Hook 9. Then the Grey Lark drops off its hook and sails for Rim Gate Seven.
Royce Kendal, a Dominion bounty hunter, arrived yesterday with a navy writ for Bart Jessop, who took a Dominion supply ship six years ago. The writ pays 400 Crowns for Bart alive. Royce does not know about the shells.
Bart Jessop (41), captain of the Sparrow. He wants his money and a fast way off the station. He fears his buyer, and he fears Royce more.
Simon Thorne (about 50), the Unbound speaker in the black mask. He wants the book and the shells, and he wants to be gone by 02:30.
Royce Kendal (38), Dominion bounty hunter. He wants Bart alive and will help against husks.
Vesna Halloran runs the Mask Auction. She wants the black mask's real name.
Tansy Cobble runs the Bazaar. She wants no fighting on her market decks, and whoever stops the husks will have her favour.
Theda Quarles of the Gun Hold wants every gun sale on the Bazaar to go through her doors. She offers Bart 1,200 Crowns for the crate.
The player characters are the Corisande band, a lounge band that hunts bounties between gigs. Sebastian Moreau plays piano and leads the band, and he was a navy marksman with Royce Kendal as his spotter. Horace Dunlevy plays drums and wears a quiet rune frame. Kesra Vohl plays bass and two rune pistols. Solenne Arcadi sings and can wear a borrowed face. They live on the Corisande, an old passenger packet on Hook 3, with eight hired deckhands. Vesna Halloran booked them to play the Mask Auction. The player runs one of them. The GM runs the other three as companions.
Hadrian Faye, a helm mage for hire at the Hook Docks, Azrek Thune, range master of the Gunline Fields, who followed the stolen shells here, and Gemma Drury, who keeps a lamp and lock stall in the Hull Market, are NPCs now.
Stat blocks. Simon Thorne uses the Unbound Speaker stat block. His men use the Unbound Zealot stat block, 4 with him and 2 at the Drift Hold. He has hired a killer who uses the Syndicate Headhunter stat block. Royce Kendal uses the Writ Hunter stat block. Bart Jessop uses the Raid Chief stat block, and his crew is 2 Swivel Gunners and 6 Compact Raiders. All armed crews here are men.
The deck, 20:00. At the Hook Docks, a dock hand says for 2 Marks that the Sparrow's crew swung a heavy crate aboard. It has a navy stamp on it. A navy gunner knows the stamp on sight, and so does Sebastian Moreau. Bart Jessop opens his hatch for a Compact token, a good offer or a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. A DC 16 Wisdom (Insight) check shows he fears his buyer. He will sell to anyone who matches 1,500 Crowns or gets Royce off his back. Royce Kendal offers 40 Crowns for news of Bart.
The Mask Auction, 22:00. At the Mask Auction, the Corisande band plays the hall, so the crew can come in by the stage door. Anyone else needs an invitation, which costs a Crown and a favour. Vesna Halloran trades one for the black mask's real name. The false cargo door opens with a DC 15 Dexterity check using Thieves' Tools. Thorne bids up to 800 Crowns for the book. A DC 16 Dexterity (Stealth) check follows him afterward to Hook 9. Horace Dunlevy in his quiet frame is good at this.
The Grey Lark, before 01:00. The hatch of the Grey Lark needs a DC 17 Dexterity check with Thieves' Tools. Kesra Vohl learned locks running packages on Vesk. 2 Unbound Zealots keep watch. Thorne's cabin holds a letter in cipher. A DC 16 Intelligence check reads it. It names Rim Gate Seven and the 02:00 handover.
The Drift Hold, 01:15. At the Drift Hold, 2 Unbound Zealots strap the shell to the outer plates and light a 15-minute fuse. Removing it takes a DC 18 Dexterity check with Thieves' Tools, with Advantage for anyone trained on heavy guns. Fire or lightning damage to the shell sets it off for 8d10 bludgeoning damage in a 20-foot radius (DC 17 Dexterity saving throw for half). If it goes off, the hold opens. 1 Husk Heap, 2 Husk Captains, 10 Husks and 1 Black Crystal Brute walk into the Hull Market, where 300 shoppers panic. The open hold is a Strong Vhal site (DC 13). Six Syndicate Enforcers fight beside the crew and run when hurt.
Hook 14, 02:00. Thorne and 4 Unbound Zealots come to the Sparrow with a bag of Crowns. If Bart has sold to someone else, Thorne takes the crate by force. Royce Kendal arrives in round 3 and goes for Bart.
The Grey Lark, 02:15. The fight runs along the gangway and the hanging deck of the Grey Lark at Hook 9. Simon Thorne, the hired killer, 4 Unbound Zealots and 1 Vhal Stalker in its cold spots defend the ship. An Empty Armour stays chained in the hold unless someone sets it loose. Anyone pushed past the rail uses Going Over the Side. If 20 or more fire or lightning damage hits the crate, one shell goes off as above. A creature at the crane can release Hook 9 with an action. The Grey Lark then falls free, and its helm needs a full round to start. If it escapes with the crate, it can be chased. The Sparrow can follow with a helm mage in her helm and Bart's leave, and the Corisande can follow too, though she is slow. Taken alive, Thorne knows the name of one other speaker.
Morning. Tansy Cobble wants to know who opened her hold. The navy has a claim on the shells. Royce Kendal still wants Bart, and Bart offers 200 Crowns to anyone who helps him slip away.
Encounter math (four level 8 characters, Low 4,000, Moderate 6,800, High 8,400). The Drift Hold is 1 Husk Heap, 2 Husk Captains, 10 Husks and 1 Black Crystal Brute, 6,500 XP, Moderate, and the enforcers help. The Grey Lark is 1 Unbound Speaker, 1 Syndicate Headhunter, 4 Unbound Zealots and 1 Vhal Stalker, 7,500 XP, between Moderate and High. If the 2 Drift Hold zealots join, it is 8,400 XP, High. If the Empty Armour is set loose, it is far past High, and the crew should drop Hook 9 or fall back to the Corisande. Bart's crew is 3,900 XP, below Low, and they give up fast.
Day 19, 22:00. Thorne buys the Old Maker book for 700 Crowns.
Day 20, 01:30. The Drift Hold blows open. Husks kill 14 people in the Hull Market before the enforcers burn them out at 03:00.
Day 20, 02:00. Thorne's men take the crate. In the chaos Royce Kendal takes Bart Jessop.
Day 20, 02:20. The Grey Lark drops off Hook 9 and leaves the Night Bazaar.
Month 5, day 3. An Order lantern ship near Rim Gate Seven reports a blast against the gate. A crack opens in its seal, and the gate lamps burn low.
Good. The shells are saved, the Drift Hold stays shut, the book is kept from Thorne and the Grey Lark never leaves.
Mixed. The shells are saved but the husks kill shoppers, or Thorne escapes with the book but not the shells.
Bad. The Grey Lark leaves with the shells.
The navy pays 50 Crowns for each shell brought back, up to 550 Crowns.
Tansy Cobble pays 300 Crowns each if the husks are stopped and gives the crew free hooks at the Hook Docks for a year.
Royce Kendal shares 100 Crowns if the crew helps him take Bart alive.
Thorne's cabin holds 400 Crowns, a Ring of Protection and the Old Maker book if he bought it.
The Order of the Last Light offers the Rim Gate Patrol Contract job to anyone who brings it the news.
Heroic Inspiration for saving the shoppers in the Hull Market at real risk.
The seal on the letter. Thorne's letter is sealed with a mark used by scholars at Highglass on Ivoire. Someone there knows the other speaker.
The rest of the shells. The navy's count is still short. More shells left the Gunline Fields, and nobody has found them yet.
The vault. Tansy Cobble now owes the crew a favour and lets them into the Counting House without a search. Its vault holds the debt papers of three Dominion nobles and of every Rush Kitchen worker.