Quest Line · Original Adventure · Blades in the Dark
Score · One-shot
The crew has been hired to eliminate Brennan Vale, a veteran leviathan hunter, before he disembarks from the Crimson Tide at Nightmarket docks. What begins as a straightforward assassination becomes complicated when they discover Brennan is smuggling his young daughter off the ship—a child born with the rare ability to sense leviathans before they surface. Multiple factions want the girl, and the crew must decide whether to complete their contract or protect an innocent caught in a deadly conspiracy.
Players should create characters with ties to the docks, criminal underworld, or maritime trade. The crew needs at least one member comfortable with violence and one with social manipulation skills. This adventure works best for crews willing to make morally complex choices.
Content warnings: Child endangerment (not graphic), assassination, drowning hazards, body horror related to leviathan processing.
The crew should establish why they need the money from this job—desperation makes the hard choices more meaningful. The score takes place during a torrential rainstorm that limits visibility and provides atmospheric cover.
Choose the approach that best fits your crew's reputation:
Hook 1 — The Desperate Client: Miriam Saltborn, a wealthy merchant widow, approaches the crew in a rain-soaked tavern. Her hands shake as she slides a purse of coin across the table. "Brennan Vale murdered my husband during a leviathan hunt—made it look like an accident. He docks tonight. I'll pay 4 coin for his death, 2 coin more if it looks like the leviathans finally got him."
Hook 2 — The Broker's Offer: The crew's usual fence, a Spider named Coil, presents this as a simple opportunity. "Clean job. Hunter named Vale needs to not make it home. Client's anonymous but money's guaranteed. The Crimson Tide docks at midnight. You've got until dawn to make it happen and vanish."
Hook 3 — Debt Collection: The crew owes a favor to the Tidecallers, a gang controlling the fish markets. Their lieutenant delivers a simple message: complete this job and the debt is erased. Refuse, and the crew's assets get seized at next opportunity.
The Nightmarket docks stretch into the churning harbor like skeletal fingers. Rain hammers the wooden planks, turning the world into grey sheets of water. The Crimson Tide looms at Berth Seventeen—a massive processing ship reeking of leviathan blood and electroplasm. Cranes swing barrels of rendered oil while hunters stumble down gangplanks, eager for solid ground and strong drink.
The crew must identify Brennan Vale and assess the situation. A Survey (Standard/Risky) or Consort (Limited/Controlled—if they know dock workers) check reveals:
Partial success: Brennan is a weathered man in his forties with a distinctive burn scar covering half his face. He's staying on board longer than other hunters, waiting in his cabin.
Full success: As above, plus they spot Brennan through a porthole with a small figure—a girl perhaps eight years old, wrapped in an oversized coat. He's clearly hiding her.
Complications might include: Bluecoats conducting random inspections due to recent smuggling, rival gang members watching the same ship, or a hull breach alarm causing chaos that could help or hinder.
The crew can explore approaches:
However the crew proceeds, they discover Brennan is protecting something valuable. If they board the ship, they find his cabin spartan except for child's drawings of massive creatures beneath waves—rendered in disturbing accuracy with labeled depth markers and behavioral notes.
The Encounter: Brennan confronts the crew (or vice versa), but he's not interested in fighting. "You're here to kill me. I know. But hear me out first—thirty seconds, that's all I ask."
His daughter, Coral, has the sight. She can sense leviathans and predict their movements. The Leviathan Hunters' Guild wants to vivisect her to understand the ability. Miriam Saltborn—their actual client—lost her husband to a leviathan Brennan didn't see coming. She blames Brennan, but truly she wants Coral to prevent future deaths, even if it means the girl's destruction.
"I'm taking her inland, away from the sea," Brennan pleads. "Let us go. I'll give you proof Saltborn hired you to kill a child. You can leverage that."
Decision Point: The crew must choose:
1. Complete the contract — Kill Brennan, take Coral to Saltborn 2. Let them go — Break the contract, face consequences 3. Negotiate — Use this information to renegotiate with Saltborn or sell Coral to another faction
If combat occurs, Brennan fights desperately:
Brennan Vale (Elite Hunter): Quality 2, prowess in Skirmish and Hunt. Armed with a harpoon pistol (2 harm, reload) and whaling knife (2 harm, hand). Special: Can spend stress to predict movements (boost effect on defense). Will surrender if reduced to 1 stress and Coral is threatened—but will attempt escape at first opportunity.
A Sway check (Desperate/Standard) might convince Brennan to trust the crew with alternatives. A Prowl check (Risky/Standard) allows the crew to extract Coral without Brennan noticing, changing the dynamic entirely.
Outside forces complicate matters: Bluecoat whistles sound nearby, or Guild representatives begin boarding the ship for "routine inspection."
The climax occurs as the storm peaks, transforming the docks into a treacherous maze of flooding planks and snapping mooring lines. The crew must resolve the situation before dawn when Guild officials conduct their full inspection.
Ending 1 — The Betrayal:
If the crew kills Brennan and delivers Coral to Saltborn, they complete their contract but witness Saltborn's cold transaction with Guild scientists. Coral screams for her father as she's led away. The crew earns their coin but gains Heat +2 as witnesses talk about "the night hunters killed a hunter." Saltborn warns them never to speak of the girl.
Ending 2 — The Escape:
If the crew helps Brennan escape, they must evade or eliminate pursuit. A Group Prowl check (Desperate/Standard) through the flooding docks determines success. They break their contract, gaining Heat +1 and losing Rep with their original contact. However, Brennan leaves them a cache of rare leviathan materials (4 coin value) hidden at a dead drop, and Coral's whispered "Thank you" might ease guilty consciences. Saltborn becomes a recurring enemy.
Ending 3 — The Leverage:
If the crew captures Coral alive but uses her as leverage, they can negotiate multiple payouts. Sway check (Risky/Great) against Saltborn might secure payment plus silence. They could auction Coral to the Guild, rival hunters, or even a cult that worships leviathans. This path offers maximum profit (6-8 coin) but maximum moral compromise. Brennan becomes a vengeful nemesis, hunting the crew with the same ruthlessness he once used on leviathans.
In any ending, the storm breaks at dawn, leaving the docks littered with debris and secrets.
Brennan Vale: Scarred leviathan hunter in his forties, father to Coral. Gruff exterior hiding desperate love for his daughter. Wants only to reach the inland cities where she'll be safe from those who'd exploit her gift.
Coral Vale: Eight-year-old girl with unsettling grey eyes and the ability to sense leviathans. Draws obsessively. Trusts no one except her father. Speaks rarely but says profound things about "the songs beneath."
Miriam Saltborn: Wealthy merchant widow funding the contract. Believes Coral's gift could have saved her husband. Her grief has curdled into obsession with preventing future deaths at any cost—even harvesting a child's abilities.
Captain Dresh: Commander of the Crimson Tide, complicit in smuggling for the right price. Tired, pragmatic, wants minimal trouble. Will look the other way for 1 coin or turn informant for 2.
Inspector Hollis: Bluecoat conducting dock inspections. Honest but exhausted, susceptible to bribes if approached correctly. Becomes suspicious if violence erupts.
Coin: 4 coin for completing the original contract (Ending 1), 4 coin from Brennan's cache (Ending 2), or 6-8 coin from multiple payouts (Ending 3).
Rep: +1 Rep with client faction if contract completed, +1 Rep with maritime smugglers if Brennan escapes, variable based on who learns what.
Heat: +2 Heat if witnesses report violence, +1 Heat for broken contracts, +0 Heat if handled quietly.
Special Rewards: Leviathan hunter contacts for future scores, Guild enemy/ally depending on choices, or Coral's cryptic warning about "something vast rising" that foreshadows future campaigns.
XP Triggers: Address a challenge with violence or coercion, express beliefs/drives/heritage, struggle with consequences of the score.
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