Session 1 — Saturday

The Job

The crew was mid-game on the second floor of the Copper Barnacle — knucklebones rattling across the table — when Mags pulled them aside with that tone that meant trouble.

Word had come down: a group of local teenagers was planning to spend a night on the haunted island just offshore. That island, inconveniently, sits above the crew's hidden sea cave — their private entrance into town and the place where hot goods quietly disappear until the heat cools. The teens couldn't be allowed to poke around. But they also couldn't be touched.

Mags's orders were simple. Find out who they were, get there first, and scare them so badly they'd never look at that island again.

The Lead

Their only thread was a girl rumored to frequent the Trident Chapel of the Sea. Pangerbon sought out Father Aldric, a monk of Selûne, who identified her as Mara — a sixteen-year-old acolyte who had recently been asking questions about the island's lore. Aldric confirmed she was almost certainly part of the group.

Then he slipped in a favor.

A small relic called the Moon Mirror had gone missing from the chapel's collection — an artifact known to dispel illusions and repel spirits. Aldric needed it back quietly. The other clergy couldn't know it had disappeared on his watch.

The Business at Mara's Door

The crew made their way to Mara's home and arrived just in time to watch a small, private drama play out.

A lanky, purple-skinned tiefling boy — Zip — was pacing outside the front door, clearly trying to work up his nerve. After a long and visible internal struggle, he gave up. He hung a small handmade gift on the door handle and walked away without knocking.

Pangerbon spoke with Mara's mother, who confirmed Mara wasn't home. She was probably at the joustball courts.

While Pangerbon handled the front door, Muskrat slipped inside and turned Mara's room over. He found the Moon Mirror tucked away among her things and pocketed it without a word — then thought better of leaving no trace at all, and scrawled a message in her diary before slipping back out.

At the Courts

The crew converged on the joustball courts, where L'Bash watched from a distance as Mara and her friend Dawn cheered from the sidelines. A little careful eavesdropping confirmed the full group: Mara, Dawn, Devrick, Zip, and Gunther — all bound for the island that very night.

Muskrat, already nursing a dislike for Devrick, used a touch of magic to cost him a point in the game.

A Clean Return

Before heading to the island, the crew stopped by the Trident Chapel and returned the Moon Mirror to Father Aldric. He handed over ten gold pieces and asked no questions about where they'd found it.

The Haunting

On the island, the crew took their positions.

Pangerbon took the shape of a tiger. Kyra dressed lightly as a witch, just enough to unsettle. L'Bash disappeared into the undergrowth. Muskrat lurked in the shadows. The plan was clean: split the kids at a fork in the path and use magic and disguise to send them running.

The teenagers arrived on schedule and split exactly as hoped. Mara peeled off toward the standing stones. Gunther bolted straight back to the boat. Zip and Devrick disappeared into the brush.

The scares were working. Then the sea gave up its dead.

Real Danger

Drowned zombies dragged themselves ashore, and the job changed in an instant. The crew tore into the undead, pulling the kids back from the water's edge and cutting down the dead before anyone was seriously hurt.

In the aftermath, L'Bash and Kyra stepped forward and dropped their disguises — delivering a stern accounting of just how dangerous the island truly was.

The kids, shaken and grateful, swore they would never return.

Notes & Loose Threads

• Muskrat's diary message — He wrote something in Mara's room before leaving. What it said, and whether it comes back on him, remains to be seen.
• Zip — The boy pacing outside Mara's door, gift in hand, working up his nerve? That's the same Zip who was on the island tonight. He clearly has feelings for Mara. He clearly has no idea how to act on them.
• Drowned Dead — Undead washing up on shore wasn't part of anyone's plan. Something sent them there.

Next session: The crew checks the mission board.