Faeries and Ferries

Summary

The party is a group of people who all are riding the Copperpeak ferry up the Copper River over the course of one week. The party meets at an opening ball held on the ferry on the first day, participating in games and activities for small prizes, and meeting other guests and crewmembers. Once dark begins to fall, as the dance continues on, the lights shut down. A scream is heard, and, when the lights return, the first mate is found dead, and a bloody knife sits at one of the player character's feet. Players will need to consult, the crewmembers, Captain through the deckhands, guests, both rich and poor, and even themselves as suspiscion grows throughout the night.

Arrival

The Ferry is not the fastest way to travel to Copperpeak, but it is one of the most popular methods. The richer guests are provided with the luxaries of a moving five-star hotel. The less well-off guests are not so well accomodated, but the tickets are cheap, especially for families.

The grand Ferry fills much of the harbor. Its great red wheel glistens in the summer sun towards the back of the large boat, and the hull is polished to perfection. The ramp leading up to the boat is split in two, a carpetted side for the 1st Class passengers and a plain, steel grated side for the 2nd Class Passengers. A long, low whistle blows, signalling for the guests to board.

Have each player describe how they arrive at the ferry dock and why they are taking this ride. Are they crew on the ship, or guests? Are they riding in first class, or are they settling for 2nd?

When the players enter the ferry, customs makes sure to take any weaponry or enchanted items. They can see this happening to other guests as well, specifically a well-dressed man in the first-class line with a woman in a red dress removing a pistol from a concealed harness.

The Welcome Ball

One of the only events for both the upper and lower class passengers to attend, the Icebreaker Party, named for the begining of the trip in winter, as the Ferry pushes through frozen portions of the river, starts the trip off with a bang.

The deck is swirling with activity. A small band plays a jig on the stage, giving the folks on the dance floor plenty to dance to. A long spread of seafood, fruits, and fine pastries lines the port side. Deckhand pixies flit about, retrieving requests from the guests.

The party will be able to meet the various suspects and the victim during this ball. The list goes as follows:

Crew

• Captain Stevenson

  • Human
  • The closest to First Mate Stewart, the pair rule the Ferry with an iron fist and ensure every trip is exactly perfect. Stevenson is the face of this pairing, often playing the role of "good cop". Stevenson also handles most guest relations.
  • Stark white hair, clean shaven, smile lines.

• First Mate Stewart

  • Gnome
  • The second-in-command, Deckhand Stewart is mastermind behind the ferry and its operations. Stewart commands everyone, from the deck and galley to the interior and engineers.
  • Large nosed, blue hair, whispy beard. Air of authority despite his stature.

• Boson Saltydew

  • Pixie
  • Saltydew leads the deckhands. He is stern, but caring. He would defend his deckhands with his life. He tries to keep guests happy, but has trouble talking to them directly, often using a deckhand as a proxy instead.
  • Pink hair, six inches tall, scruffled uniform.

Guests

• Lady Kariene Bullion

  • Human
  • Lady Bullion is a first class guest, the owner of Bullion Fishing, and one of the few remaining nobles. She expects her every need to be accommodated, sometimes before she even knows what she needs.
  • Crescent-shaped, shoulder-length blonde hair, flowing red dress, fading beauty.

• Wilson Shilsworth

  • Human
  • Lady Bullion's valet, Shilsworth's mission is to protect and serve the noblewoman. He is the only one who truly knows how to deal with her tantrums, though he is never happy to do so.
  • Well-pressed suit, bald aside from a black, pencil-thin mustache and bushy eyebrows.

• Zach Lawson

  • Sidhe, Disguised as a human.
  • A less-than-wealthy man, Zach is travelling to Copperpeak in order to find a new, lucrative job. He scraped for months to get his ticket, and is severely disappointed in the state of the second-class lodgings. He always has a toothpick in his mouth.
  • Blonde hair, pretty-boy look, stark blue eyes.

The players will meet each of these characters during the ball, most likely finding them in groups. Two suggested meeting situations are as follows:

• Zach arguing with Captain Stevenson and First Mate Stewart over how cramped and dirty his room was when he arrived. Stewart cuts off Stevenson whenever he tries to speak up. This seems to be a regular occurance.
• Lady Bullion causing a scene about the spread not having enough shellfish with Boson Honeydew while Shillsworth tries to calm her. Honeydew claims that Stewart's irrational regulations have his hands tied.

Murder!

As the ball settles down and after the players have met all the suspects, Captain Stevenson takes the stage to give a speech.

Captain Stevenson stands at the podium, First Hand Stewart a few feet behind him, discussing the upcoming activities for the trip, when, suddenly, all the lights on the deck go out. The cloudy sky and new moon leave the deck in pitch darkness. A feminine, high pitched scream sounds out after a few seconds of darkness. Less than a minute later, a clatter sounds nearby and the lights come back on.

First Hand Stewert is found dead where he stood on the stage, a massive stab wound staining his white uniform. A knife, still covered in blood, lays at the feet of one of the player's characters (GM's choice). Give the players a chance to pocket or otherwise hide the knife, but, if they fail to do so or do nothing, Lady Bullion will notice the weapon and shout out "Murderer! I've found the murderer!"
Players will then get a chance to convince the Ferryguards not to imprison them.
If players do not suggest they find the true murderer, the guards will order them to do so. Captain Stevenson will overhear this and tell them that they have three hours until the ferry will reach the next town, where they will be promptly arrested.
If the players successfully hide the knife, Captain Stevenson will come to them and plead for their help, having noticed their activity at the ball. He will offer a reward if they can solve the case in three hours, as, when the ferry reaches the next town, police will flood the ship, ruining his schedule.
Either way, Stevenson will have them escorted to the boiler room, where they may request evidence, suspects, and witnesses to figure out what has happened.

Plot Boiling Over

The Boiler room is hot. Sweltering. The workers continue shoveling coal around you in rhythmic, well-practiced movements. The red glow of the furnaces fills the room. The constant roar of fire fills your ears.

A table is set for the party, one chair for each member, plus one more for a witness. Three ferryguards stand watch, ready to fetch evidence or witnesses for the party. The party may also request to visit the rooms of the suspects. The guards will bring in some readied evidence shortly after the party is seated.

Readied Evidence

• Description of events surrounding the murder, marked with minutes and seconds they occurred.
  1. 00:00 Captain began speech
  2. 04:16 All lanterns on the ship go out simultaneously
  3. 04:21 A scream rings out
  4. 04:55 A metallic clatter is heard
  5. 04:56 Lanterns all relight simultaneously.
• A lantern from the scene. It is an oil lantern, with no pipeline connection to any of the other lanterns
• (If not hidden or discarded by the players) The murder weapon. A dagger with an iron blade and a worn, yew handle, coated in dry blood. A ruby is set into the hilt. A part of the handle is missing, revealing the iron within.

Witnesses

Crew

Captain Stevenson

• Alibi:"I was giving his speech, no where near light controls. Those are under the deckhands' jurisdiction."
• Evidence: Journal in his room. Most recent entry reads "Stewart has taken complete control of my ship. I'll need to convince the lad that I am still the captain."

First Mate Stewart

• Alibi: Dead.
• Evidence: Note from Captain Stevenson with today's date. "I know you are in charge of the crew, but I still have authority. We'll have a meeting after my speech tonight."

Boson Saltydew

• Alibi: "I be too small to carry such a blade! Did ye see the size of that wound?"
• Evidence: Instructions for pixie deckhands, including how to carry objects as a team and how to synchronize light controls.
  When Questioned: "Ye think I'd kill me boss just for a little scuffle? Ask the other deckhands, I had nothin' to do wit dis. I love this boat!"

Guests

Lady Kariene Bullion

• Alibi: "I was looking for that little pixie man by the food tables. I wasn't done giving him a piece of my mind! I would not be surprised if that spiteful little creature was the one who did it! I swear I felt someone bump into me while the lights were out."
• Evidence: A broach with a ruby identical to the one on the dagger.
  When Questioned: "It was a gift from an old Sidhe noble, from before the war. It's supposed to have a luck charm upon it."

Wilson Shilsworth

• Alibi: "I was standing with Lady Bullion the entire time! She gets all fussy when I'm not by her side."
• Evidence: Hollowed-out book with no weapon inside.
  When questioned: "I need something to protect my Lady! Who knows what other vagrants are on the ferry." The gun is in his shoulder holster.

Zach Lawson

• Alibi: "I was just grabbing some more food. The stuff at the ball is better than anything we'll get the rest of this trip. I burned my hand from getting too close to the pan, see?" Zach tries to play with his toothpick before noticing that it is missing.
• Evidence: A medkit, with a bandage and a full bottle of burn salve.
  When Questioned: He unravels the bandage, showing a burn mark. Players can roll perception (Medium dificulty) to see if it matches the missing section of handle on the dagger. If they also surpass a (Hard Difficulty) check with that same perception roll, they will notice that Zach has an illusion over him.
  "Yes, I am Sidhe. Would they have let me on the ship without the illusion? I didn't think so."

What has happened?

Zach Lawson, believing that he has been wronged by being placed in second class and realizing that the First Mate was behind most goings-on in the ship, decided to kill Stewart. Using Sidhe magic, he had snuck the dagger into the ferry by transmuting it into a toothpick. Zach put the lanturns out with an illusion, stabbed the first mate, bumping into Lady Bullion on the way over, then put up a magic veil, dropping the knife.

Boiler Room Brawl!

When the players accuse Zach, he will drop his illusion.

Blonde hair fades to raven black. Jack's features become gaunt, but hauntingly handsome. His sclera deepen to be pitch black, and his blue irises glow.

Zach will put the guards to sleep with his one spell, try to grab the knife, and run away. The players will need to capture him, or the authorities will assume he is another victim.

Epilogue

Captain Stevenson will provide first class lodgings to any players who do not already have it. Each player will also recieve 50 gold.
The rest of the trip is fun, yet uneventful. Boson Saltydew is promoted to first mate to replace Stewart. The Captain regains his authority after having employed the ones who found the killer. Lady Bullion and Shilsworth will invite all involved to a party at Bullion Manor.