Quest Line · Original Adventure · Old-School Essentials
Levels 1-3 · One-shot
The party encounters a mysterious ferry crossing a river that appears on no map. The other passengers are ghosts who don't realize they're dead, reliving their final journey. One passenger carries a passenger manifest with the party's names written in blood—names that weren't there when the voyage began. To escape, the party must help the spirits find peace or risk joining them forever.
Players should create characters with at least one significant regret, unfinished business, or personal secret. This adventure explores themes of death, unfinished business, and acceptance. Content warnings include: drowning, death, existential horror, and potentially upsetting revelations about mortality. The adventure works best when players engage with roleplaying opportunities rather than combat-first solutions. Session zero should emphasize that violence may not solve their problems here.
Choose one or adapt as needed:
The Shortcut: While traveling between settlements, the party takes an unmarked road to save time. Fog rolls in, and they find themselves on a riverbank they don't recognize. A ferryman rings his bell, announcing the last crossing of the evening.
The Pursuit: Fleeing enemies or harsh weather, the party stumbles through dense woods onto a dock. A ferry waits, and the ferryman insists they board quickly—"dangerous things in those woods." Once aboard, the woods vanish behind impossible fog.
The Summons: Each party member finds an ornate ferry token in their possession with no memory of acquiring it. Following inexplicable compulsion, they each arrive at the same unmarked river crossing at twilight, where the ferry awaits.
The party boards a wide, flat-bottomed ferry approximately forty feet long. Oil lanterns hang from posts, casting warm light that doesn't quite penetrate the thick fog surrounding the vessel. The river itself is eerily calm, and the far shore is invisible.
Five other passengers occupy the ferry, engaged in quiet conversation or lost in thought. They dress in various styles spanning decades or even centuries, though this detail emerges gradually. The ferryman, Old Greaves, stands at the rudder—a gaunt figure in a hooded cloak who speaks rarely and only when necessary.
Initial Observations: Characters examining their surroundings notice several oddities with successful Wisdom checks (target 12+):
The Manifest: Fifteen minutes into the crossing (allow time for passenger interaction first), a pale woman named Elise gasps and approaches the party. She holds a water-stained ledger—the passenger manifest. "I don't understand," she says, hands trembling. "Your names... they weren't here before. I've been checking since we departed. But now they're here, written in fresh ink. Or... or blood?"
The party's names are indeed present, written in rusty red-brown letters at the bottom of the page. The ink is wet to the touch but doesn't smear. All other names are in faded black ink.
The Ferryman's Warning: If directly questioned, Old Greaves speaks without turning: "Every passenger boards when they're meant to. Every passenger has paid their fare. Some just don't remember paying it." He refuses further elaboration but adds: "The crossing ends when it ends. Could be minutes. Could be eternity. Depends on the passengers."
As the ferry continues through endless fog, the ghostly passengers begin experiencing memory fragments—brief, vivid flashbacks to their final moments. Screams, rushing water, the sensation of drowning. They refuse to believe they're dead, finding rational explanations for each impossibility.
The Passengers' Stories: Through conversation (encourage roleplaying), the party learns fragments:
Checks and Challenges:
The First Crossing Over: When a passenger truly accepts their death, they fade peacefully as the fog briefly parts, revealing tranquil shores. This can happen through party intervention or organically through conversation. Each passenger who finds peace makes the river narrower, bringing the true shore closer.
The Alternative: Characters who attempt violence or coercion find their weapons pass through the spirits harmlessly. Aggressive actions cause the fog to thicken and manifest shadowy forms (AC 12, HD 2, HP 9, Att 1 × touch +2 (1d6 cold + Wisdom save target 13+ or lose one memory), Mv 30', Sv D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 12, AL Chaotic). These Memory Wraiths represent the collective denial of the passengers. Defeating them through violence only temporarily disperses them—they reform in 1d6 rounds. There are as many wraiths as there are unresolved spirits.
As the party helps spirits find peace, they must confront a crucial question: why are their names in the manifest? Old Greaves finally speaks: "Every soul on this ferry earned passage. Most just can't remember how. But you—you're different. You remember everything. That means you have a choice."
The Truth: The party didn't die, but they came close—drowning, perhaps, or a near-fatal accident tied to however they arrived at the river. They're trapped between life and death. Their choice determines their fate.
Ending 1 — Return to Life: If the party helped at least three passengers find peace through compassion and understanding, they've proven they value life and unfinished business. Old Greaves offers passage back: "You've shepherded others home. Seems fair you find your own way back." The ferry touches an impossible shore, and the party awakens at the river's edge in the mortal world, soaked and gasping but alive.
Ending 2 — Join the Crossing: If the party solved problems primarily through force, denial, or refused to engage with the passengers' stories, they've demonstrated they're not ready to return. As the fog clears, they realize they've become translucent. Old Greaves says nothing. They remain on the ferry, destined to take the crossing again and again until they learn compassion—or fade entirely.
Ending 3 — Break the Cycle: If the party helps all five passengers AND convinces Old Greaves to confront his own death (Charisma check, target 15+, with advantage if they learned his real name: Marcus Vale, ferried passengers during a plague centuries ago and never stopped), the ferry itself dissolves. Everyone returns to life or passes on peacefully, including the ferryman, who thanks them with his final breath. The party awakens with a ferry token in hand—a token that grows warm when someone nearby struggles with grief or unfinished business.
Old Greaves (Marcus Vale): Gaunt ferryman in weathered cloak. Speaks in fragments. Motivation: Continue his duty, afraid to face his own unfinished business—he abandoned his family when plague came.
Elise Carrow: Middle-aged merchant with worried eyes. Clutches the manifest. Motivation: Reach her daughter's wedding; prove she's a reliable mother despite prioritizing business over family.
Brother Aldric: Elderly monk with gentle demeanor but obsessive focus. Motivation: Complete his mission delivering relics; terrified his life meant nothing if this final task fails.
Thomas and Sarah: Newlyweds, early twenties, often touching hands. Motivation: Reach their new home together; prove their impulsive marriage was the right choice despite family disapproval.
The Captain: Grizzled soldier, 50s, bearing old insignia. Motivation: Report for duty one last time; demonstrate he's still useful despite being too old for service.
Experience Points: Award 100 XP per character for boarding the ferry and discovering the truth. Award an additional 50 XP per passenger helped to find peace. Award 100 XP per character for escaping the crossing alive or breaking the cycle entirely.
The Ferry Token (if earned in Ending 3): A tarnished bronze coin depicting a boat. Grows warm within 30 feet of someone experiencing profound grief or struggling with death. Can be used once per month to allow a ghost or dying person to communicate clearly for one hour.
Memory Pearls (1d4): Small, cloudy white pearls found among the ferry's planks if searched (Investigation check, target 14+). Each pearl contains a memory from a departed passenger—can be used to gain advantage on any check related to that passenger's profession or knowledge (merchant, religious, military, etc.). Single use.
Old Greaves' Compass (if the ferryman is freed): A brass compass that doesn't point north. Instead, it points toward the nearest person who needs help finding their way—literally or metaphorically. Invaluable for preventing others from boarding ferries they're not meant to take.
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