Session 3: Light on the Water

Location: Fort Leilon, The Salted Knot, The Tinkered Tonic, Harbor Docks
Time: Dawn approaches, the day before sailing
Theme: Tension beneath the surface. Friendships form, secrets stir, and the sea waits with open arms.

Cassandra — The Weight of Leadership

Cassandra Vexmoor carried Cassian’s orders like a satchel of stone, gathering her companions one by one. Some agreed easily. Others — like Hunter — came only with persuasion and persistence. By the time the sun touched the horizon, Cassandra found herself the de facto leader of something larger than she expected: an expedition to Graytower Beacon.

Cassian rewarded her with ritual scrolls sealed under the Vexmoor charter — symbols of authority she hadn’t asked for, but could not refuse.

Hunter — The Sea Remembers

Hunter’s mind still lingered on Twinshot, still burned with old debts. But the journal he carried told him another truth: whispers of a floating island, the Crimson Sanctum, tied to Blood Hunters and to his past.

So he chose the sea. Chose the voyage. Chose to bind his private mission to the party’s public duty. Track the Crimson Sanctum by way of Graytower. One road, two purposes.

Vex — The Price of Opportunity

At Fizzwidget’s cluttered workshop, Vex bartered future trouble for present power. Fizz offered him Psychic Trauma Bolts, a shipment of “found” goods, and an easy tax dodge. In return, Vex wielded his new adventurer’s license like a shield.

But what caught his eye wasn’t coin. It was a blade. The Sword of Vigilance: a steel edge humming faint magic, an unsettling gem for an eye that blinked open when danger drew near. He kept it. Profit could wait.

Fizz smiled. Vex had just tied himself into a gray-market pipeline.

Shyk — Whispers in the Tides

Elder Willem Harrow found Shyk in the quiet morning and unburdened himself. He, too, dreamed of the sea. And his dreams bore warning. Captain Mirun Tidevein, master of the Mermaid’s Lament, spoke strangely of forgiveness and drowning.

“Dreams may not be just dreams,” Harrow warned. “Watch the tide. Watch the captain.”

Shyk nodded, and the weight of his order pressed heavier than ever.

Vex & Elia — The Arrow Deal

Opportunity comes in many forms. For Vex and Elia, it came in the shape of Calaethar Willowshade 's bow shop. They bartered clever: hand crossbows for themselves in exchange for Fizz’s alchemical supplies at cost.

Calaethar respected that kind of resourcefulness. From then on, she was more than a merchant. She was an ally.

Salted Knot — Rumors Before the Tide

At the Salted Knot, the tavern bristled with sailors preparing for night waters. First Mate Lira welcomed the adventurers warmly, offering camaraderie and sharp-eyed truths.

The crew muttered rumors between mugs of ale:

• If you hear a bell at sea with no ship in sight — don’t answer.
• Captain Mirun’s been odd. Talks of dreams. Of seas that forgive.

Rumors sank quick, like lead, but they lingered.

The Mermaid’s Lament — Three Rules

Captain Tidevein met them at the dock. Calm. Charismatic. Strange. He set his rules with a voice like tidewater:

1. Stay clear of the crew when they work.
2. If trouble comes, fight with the crew.
3. Never draw steel against sea elves.

Then he asked them, almost idly:

“Ever dream of drowning — but peacefully?”

The crew listened, quiet. None answered.

Beside him, First Mate Lira stood like stone. Loyal. Capable. A fighter seasoned by sea years, but still a wizard beneath it all. She offered to aid with the ritual repairs, her hands steady, her knowledge sharp.

Cassian’s Briefing — The Mission

Cassian’s orders were final:

• Graytower’s collapse and the mine cave-in happened the same day.
• The stormward lighthouses are more than guides — they stabilize land and sea.
• The ritual of Greater Restoration must be performed.

Resources provided:

• 50 gold each
• A potion of healing from Fizz
• One +1 or 100gp-value item
• The Vexmoor Seal, granting access to local shops

Objective: Restore The Graytower Beacon by sundown. If they failed, they’d spend the night in the ruins.