Session — Five Letters and a Grave Made of Water
Invitations, threats, promises—and the cost of following all of them.
The last night at Valin College should have been quiet.
It wasn’t.
When morning came, there were five envelopes slid neatly beneath the party’s door. Different seals. Different hands. One city, speaking in five voices at once.
Valinport never whispered without purpose.
The Letters
Corwin Thorne’s envelope was thin. Sharp. Efficient.
Snoops have their noses cut.
Meet this Friday after hours at the Quill and Scroll to have your nose cut.— The Thieves’ Guild of Valinport
No seal. No flourish. Just certainty.
(The location was unmistakable: Thieves Guild of Valinport (The Quill and Scroll).)
Leda Gebhart’s invitation was heavy, expensive paper, perfumed faintly.
You are humbly invited to a ball this Friday, the 12th of The Father,
at the home of Lady Serina Kael_.Please dress accordingly.
A gown has been purchased for you at Madam Doren’s Tailor Shop,
located in The Market._
This one was not a request.
Gideon Kael’s letter bore the same crest.
You are humbly invited to a ball this Friday, the 12th of The Father,
at the home of your relative Lady Serina Kael_.Formal attire required.
No weapons.
No armor.
And absolutely no dreadful shield.
Some lines hurt more than threats.
Zel Cunningham’s envelope was folded unevenly, the ink rushed.
Why did you miss our meeting?
Have you seen Lewelyn? He did not make it.We hope you are okay.
— Carrina
Concern bled through every word.
So did fear.
Mol Potts’s letter smelled faintly of ink and smoke, sealed with practiced confidence.
Thank you for your services to the needy. We pay our debts.
We have heard of a treasure horde once claimed by the old smuggler
Captain Lex Sneed. One of our brothers secured a map.Enclosed is a rough guide to the location of the booty.
— “Mayor” Renfield Willowbee
A favor, repaid with danger.
A Choice Made Too Quickly
Five paths.
Five obligations.
Five warnings.
The party chose the one that promised answers and coin.
They went after the map.
They went to The Watery Grave.
The Dungeon — The Watery Grave
The first encounter fell.
The second tested them.
The third took everything.
Steel, spell, and will failed in a place where water remembered every death. In the chaos, Gideon Kael—shield, armor, and stubborn resolve—fell.
This time, there was no immediate miracle.
No hand reached through light.
The party retreated.
They carried silence back with them.
Aftermath
They returned to Valinport changed.
One invitation unanswered.
One threat unresolved.
One worried letter now a knife in the ribs.
And one of them did not walk back through the gates.
Valinport did not pause.
It never does.
Next Session Reminders
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Gideon is dead — again, and this time it feels different
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The Thieves’ Guild still expects Corwin at the Quill and Scroll
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Lady Serina Kael’s ball looms, unanswered
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Lewelyn is missing — and Carrina knows something is wrong
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Captain Lex Sneed’s legacy is not finished
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The city is watching how The Blades of Strangeways respond