Main
Scene 1: Briefing at Karland's Sawmill
An Independent Contract to Investigate Reiver's Right
The thunderous, mechanical roar of Profit’s Flow rushing through massive timber piers reverberates through your boots long before you reach the yard. Karland’s Sawmill sprawls along the river's edge, a towering multi-level structure of heavy oak timbers and iron-reinforced scaffolding. Immense waterwheels churn the foam, driving towering iron gang-saws that shriek as they bite into fresh darkwood. The air is thick with damp river mist, burning gear-oil, and the sharp, piney scent of fresh sawdust—though beneath it lurks a faint, sulfurous stench of scorched resin. Dozens of millhands haul logs along grease-slick chutes, their shouting barely audible over the relentless rhythm of the saws.
Unease has settled over Old Macridi. In recent days, a small batch of blighted darkwood logs has drifted into the processing bays—their grain unnaturally stained with an oily, foul-smelling sap that gums up the heavy saws. Worse still, reports from isolated work sites throughout the Palakar have become irregular, and scattered pockets of the wilderness show signs of the same strange corruption. Official couriers were dispatched to consult the three fey courts, but all three have failed to respond, leaving the town without answers.
While the Guildmasters upriver in New Macridi have assigned official Blackjacket squads to patrol their own primary commercial channels, the bureaucratic elites completely dismiss any connection to Reiver's Right downriver. Because Reiver's Right lies furthest downriver—past both New Macridi and Old Macridi—the elites insist that a downriver camp going dark cannot possibly be causing or signaling a timber issue coming from the upriver forest. Danum Karland, owner of the local mill in Old Macridi, sees it differently. He knows the forest is connected by roots, soil, groundwater, and old magic. If Reiver's Right is showing the same symptoms as places elsewhere in the Palakar, river direction does not make the coincidence meaningless; it may be another expression of the same underground problem. Refusing to wait for New Macridi to wake up, Karland is personally hiring an independent group of adventurers to investigate.
Reiver's Right is a historic logging encampment perched on the river bluffs. Named after an ancient Macridi Blade warlord, the site has a dark history tied to brutal timber extraction and an infamous past incident where a previous workforce vanished overnight due to strange geological shifts. Because Reiver's Right sits downriver of all the main settlements, no one in New Macridi believes its silence is relevant to the upriver supply chain. But Karland insists it is all connected.
Equipping for the River Journey
Before launching their investigation downriver along Profit's Flow, the party is advised to spend time exploring Old Macridi to gather intelligence, transport, and supplies:
- The Gilded Ledger Tavern: Seek out Captain Sella Varn to secure the only available riverboat passage downriver, or prepare for an arduous overland journey along the North Road.
- The Iron-Root Apothecary: Stock up on antitoxins, protective poultices, and other supplies that can reduce harm from exposure to the black sap. Morwenna warns that ordinary anti-blight treatments are only partly effective against whatever is affecting the Palakar.
- Fanciful Inquiries: Consult Sorzmig Koob for detailed riverway maps, fey court etiquette, and wilderness navigation advice.
- Primary Objective: Navigate downriver to Reiver's Right, investigate the silent logging camp, look for signs of the same subterranean corruption affecting the Palakar, and report directly back to Danum Karland.