Appendix D: Appendix D — Steel Age (Closed Playtest)

Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

The Missing Caravan

A Starter Adventure for Steel Age — Barony of Omsk Version

The Situation in One Paragraph

A caravan carrying ore from the mines south of Krak Guillenfre was taken by organized bandits on its return. A resentful younger son named Davan Drakon fed them the timing — recruited by a cell leader named Zoryn who operates out of the warehouse district. The players are hired by Simon Guillenfre to find the caravan before the evidence goes cold. They arrive while the ore handoff is still happening. What they uncover points toward a network that runs deeper than any of them expect.

Scene Sequence

#	Scene	Key Outcome
1	Entry Hook	Players meet Aldric, get taken to Simon
2	Simon's Briefing	Job established, Pell's name given
3	Talk to Pell	Someone asked about caravan timing before it left
4	Road South — Segment Play	Travel pressure, Rule of Two introduced
5	Road Bandits Combat	System introduction; waystation at end of segment
6	Harmund's Mine	Caravan confirmed loaded and departed; backtrack begins
7	Vasil Drakon's Manor	Last sighting on return route; Davan was watching
8	Waystation Camp	Cold camp, tracks east; Optional: Predator
9	The Clearing	Main encounter — Kest, mid-handoff, Davan present
10	Davan — Taken or Fled	Players have Davan OR follow trail to manor
11	Dead Drop	Points toward warehouse district
12	Zoryn Confronted	Optional: turns violent
13	Return to Simon	Resolution, payment, the offer

The Conspiracy — Only What the GM Needs

Cell Structure

Davan — passed caravan timing to a contact point. Thinks he's number two in a small operation. Doesn't know Zoryn.

Zoryn — cell leader, warehouse keeper, runs Davan through a dead drop. Doesn't know who is above him.

Above Zoryn — unknown. Players will only learn that someone above Zoryn exists.

Above the underlier — the Black Isle. Everything above this belongs to future adventures. Do not introduce it here.

Adjustable Dials

If / Then

If the party is cautious and slow: Zoryn’s buyer completes the handoff. The clearing is empty when they arrive. The tracks are a day old. Investigation still works — but the players feel the cost of lost time.

If the party skips Pell: They miss the “someone asked about the timing” detail. Zoryn is harder to identify. Harmund’s observations can fill that gap.

If Davan runs and reaches his father: The manor confrontation becomes the emotional heart of Act Three. Play it slowly.

If the players want to let Kest go: Let them. He has no loyalty to Zoryn. He’ll be honest in exchange for a clean exit.

Milestone

Closes when the caravan is found, Zoryn identified or arrested, and Davan’s situation settled. Players do not need to catch Zoryn or identify the underlier. Award at the start of the following session.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

For the GM

A Note on Men-at-Arms

Men-at-arms in Dyrhal are fully trained professional soldiers — the military backbone of every barony. They are not wasted on speculative investigations, politically sensitive problems, or situations that might turn out to be nothing. This creates a gap. Ambiguous problems — disappearances, possible betrayals, things a lord cannot address without making them official — get handled by people who are capable and deniable. That is what the players are. This is not a slight. It is the structural reality of life in Dyrhal.

Simon Guillenfre commands nearly 60 men-at-arms between his Ardeaux veterans and local talent. Baron Oleg keeps an additional 80 of his own men garrisoned at Krak Guillenfre under Simon's effective command. Simon does not use either group for this. A military response to a missing caravan signals vulnerability to Strez watching from the west, to whatever eyes the Black Isle has on the mainland, and to his own garrison if the problem turns out to be internal. He finds capable strangers before he understands what he is dealing with.

What the GM Knows

Davan Drakon fed caravan timing to a contact point. He was approached because he has access — grew up watching supply runs go south to the mining operations, knows the rhythms of the resource fringe intimately. He passed schedules, patrol patterns, timing windows. He believed he was working with a trade network — smugglers, maybe nothing serious. He is not a fanatic. He is a grievance that found a use.

Zoryn is the cell leader. Warehouse keeper, Krak Guillenfre. Cool and controlled. Ran the operation efficiently. Does not know who is above him in the chain. Receives instructions through a dead drop the same way Davan leaves information.

The Underlier — an unknown figure embedded in Krak Guillenfre. Manages Zoryn without Zoryn knowing their identity. The players will not identify this person in this adventure. They will only know, at the end, that someone above Zoryn exists.

The underlier's true purpose: The missing caravan was not primarily about ore. The ore was cover. What Zoryn's network has been mapping is Krak Guillenfre's operational vulnerability — patrol patterns, watch rotations, garrison strength, supply run timing. The players will not know this in this adventure. But Zoryn, when cornered, will let one detail slip: "They didn't ask about the ore. They asked about the watch rotations." That is the cold thread. Plant it and leave it.

The Barony of Omsk

Omsk's economy is mining — ore from the lower mountain slopes funds everything: the garrison, the baron's ambitions, the accommodation between the barony's cultural factions. The barony has no navigable river; all trade moves overland. The Black Isle — Zal-Kyrrith — is visible from Krak Guillenfre's battlements. Baron Oleg Konstamis rules from Omskos (~5,000 in the settlement, ~19,000 total). See Appendix C for full detail.

Krak Guillenfre

Frontier fortress on the northwestern approaches, built by the Guillenfre family — Ardeaux exiles — within the last generation. Tighter construction than typical Dyrhali fortresses, built by men who knew what determined attackers could do to a poorly designed wall. Population: ~2,500 inside the walls, ~1,500 in the innermost ring, ~2,000 in the manor ring. The name on the gate is a political statement.

Key NPCs

Simon Guillenfre — early forties, Ardeaux exile, built this fortress. Commands ~60 men-at-arms. The quest giver — closer to an equal than a typical patron.
Aldric — Simon's sergeant. Rhenmari. Mid-thirties. Dry, capable. Navigates the dual-loyalty dynamic with practiced neutrality that costs him more than he shows.
Pell — factor who organized the caravan. Sick with guilt. Not hiding anything — waiting for someone to ask him questions.
Zoryn — warehouse keeper. Drezdani-Aurikronton. Long established, considered a local fixture. Cool and controlled. The cell leader. Players do not know this at the start.
Harmund — Rhenmari mining thane. Tough, blunt, indispensable. At Simon's door twice a week. Cares about results, not politics.
Vasil Drakon — agricultural thane, Aurikronton-Drezdani. Loyal, proud, oblivious to what his son has done.
Davan Drakon — Vasil's younger son. A grievance that found a use. Believes he is doing something significant. Is not.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Brec — South GateFrom the battlements on a clear day, Zal-Kyrrith is visible on the horizon. The garrison has been watching it for years. Some have stopped truly seeing it. Others never stopped.

The Situation

A caravan departed Krak Guillenfre heading south to collect ore from Harmund's mining manor. Four guards, a factor's assistant, two drivers, three wagons.

Day	Event
1	Caravan departs Krak Guillenfre heading south.
2	Descends mountain section. Overnight at the waystation camp at the mountain foot. Continues south through the manor ring.
3	Arrives at Harmund's mine. Loads ore. Departs north that afternoon.
4	Taken that evening at the waystation camp — met by Kest's men coming down from the mountain path, redirected east onto an old prospecting track at knifepoint. Nobody killed. Davan insisted.
5	Caravan expected at Krak Guillenfre. Doesn't arrive. Pell goes to Simon the same day.
6	Simon sends one man south to look. Posts the job simultaneously.
7	Players are hired. Simon's scout returns having found nothing on the main road.
8	Players reach the area. Zoryn's buyer is moving into position. The ore handoff is imminent or in progress.

The players are moving south while the operation is still live. They have hours, not days.

Entry Hooks

All three hooks begin at the Waystation Inn outside Krak Guillenfre's walls. All three end the same way: the players in front of Simon Guillenfre with a job on the table.

Way 1 — The Bar Fight

The players are at the Waystation Inn. A local with too much drink takes exception to something. Steel comes close to being drawn. Aldric arrives before it gets worse. He looks the players over. Doesn't haul them to the cells.

Aldric"I need people who can handle themselves and keep their mouths shut after. Based on last night you can handle yourselves. The second part is on you."

Way 2 — The Town Square Call

Aldric reads a short public notice in the market square. Work available for capable individuals. Inquire at the keep. Pay discussed in person. Deliberately vague — Simon doesn't want the whole fortress in his business. Players who ask around before going hear: a caravan went south and didn't come back; Harmund has been at the keep twice this week; Simon Guillenfre doesn't hire outside help unless he doesn't want his own men involved.

Way 3 — Vasek Drakon

Vasek is in Krak Guillenfre on his father's business, staying at the Waystation Inn. He notices the players the way a soldier notices other soldiers. He approaches directly.

Vasek Drakon"You're not traders. You're not miners. You're looking for work or you'd have moved on already."

He tells them Simon needs capable people for a job south of town. Says to use his name at the keep gate.

What the players don't know: the brother who sent them is the reason the brother they'll find resents his family enough to burn it down.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Act One — The Briefing

Simon's Briefing

Simon receives them in the keep's working room. Maps unrolled, ledgers stacked, no ceremony. An Ardeaux knight who built this fortress with his own resources does not waste time on presentation when there is a problem on the table.

Opening Line

Simon — Bar fight"Aldric says you can handle yourselves. That's the part I needed to know. Sit down."

Simon — Town square"You answered the notice. Good. Sit down."

Simon — Vasek"Vasek sent you. He's a good judge. Sit down."

Then without pause:

Simon"A caravan went south several days ago to collect ore from the mining camps. Four guards, a factor's assistant, two drivers, three wagons. It reached the mine, loaded, and departed north. It never came back. No word, no survivors, no wreckage on the main road. I want to know what happened before I decide what to do about it officially. Go south, find the caravan or what's left of it. If there are survivors, bring them back. If someone did this, bring me a name."

He stops there. Waits.

Player Response Matrix

Simon — "Who knew the timing?""The factor who organized it. The guards he hired. The mine camp. Anyone paying attention to when wagons leave. More people than I'd like."

Simon — "Has this happened before?""Bandits hit a supply run two years ago. Opportunistic. This feels like someone knew."

Simon — "What's the route?""South through the mountain section, waystation at the base, farm roads to Harmund's mine. Last confirmed sighting: Vasil Drakon's manor, six miles into the farm road stretch."

Simon — If players ask about pay"Ten silver rounds each on return. Twenty if you bring me a name I can use. Expenses reimbursed against receipts."

Simon — If players ask about authority"You're private citizens looking for lost property. If someone draws steel on you, defend yourself. But I want a name before I want a body."

Simon — If players ask why not his own men"If this turns out to be nothing, I haven't signaled to Strez that my roads aren't safe. If it turns out to be something, I want to know what it is before I make it official."

What Simon Gives Them

A written note identifying them as agents of his household.
The name Pell, at the Waystation Inn.
The last confirmed sighting: Vasil Drakon's manor, heading south.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Talking to Pell

Pell is at the Waystation Inn, nursing a cup and his guilt. He is not hiding anything. He is a man waiting for someone to ask him questions so he can stop asking them of himself.

Pell"You're looking into it. Good. Sit down. I'll tell you everything I know, which isn't enough, which is the problem."

What Pell Volunteers Without Prompting

The four guards: Bren and Oskar, both reliable. Two locals — Aldric vouched for them.
Exact load: three wagons of ore, consigned to a merchant in Omskos.
The route: south through the mountain section, overnight at the waystation, then 12 miles on farm roads to Harmund's mine. Done it a dozen times.
The assistant: Tam. Young. First real job outside the walls.

Then, almost as an afterthought:

Pell"There was one thing. Someone asked me about the run a few days before it left. Said they were thinking of sending goods south on the same wagons. I told them the timing. I didn't think anything of it. Someone from the warehouse district, I think. I can't place the face."

Pell — If sympathetic"Seven people. I organized the run. I hired the guards. I stayed behind because that's what a factor does... I've been thinking about it since."

Pell — If pressed hard"You think I don't know that? You think I haven't been sitting here running it back since day five?"

Persuasion — Rhetoric, CM 8 (sympathetic) / CM 10 (after hard press)Roll 2d6 + Charm + Persuasion modifier.
Success: "Warehouse district. He had a Drezdani accent — not heavy, but there. Calm. The kind of calm that isn't relaxed, it's just still."
Failure: "Warehouse district. That's all I have."

What a Skilled Player Can Extract

Drezdani accent — not heavy, but present
Unusual stillness — controlled rather than relaxed
Warehouse district — confirmed, not just implied

These details have no immediate mechanical use. They become meaningful the first time the players are in a room with Zoryn.

Art — Simon Guillenfre at the map table · Krak Guillenfre keep

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Act Two — The Road South

The journey south is where the game's travel system becomes real. Run it in Segments. The route covers 16 miles: 4 miles of mountain terrain, then 12 miles of farm roads through the manor ring. The Rule of Two applies — two consecutive Travel or Action Segments before a mandatory Rest Segment. Pushing beyond forces +1 Lingering Fatigue on the third consecutive Segment.

Seg.	Activity	Note
1	Travel (2 mi — mountain)	Morning — leaving Krak, descending south
2	Travel (2 mi — mountain)	Road bandit encounter; waystation at segment end
3	Rest	Mandatory — Rule of Two; waystation is natural rest point
4	Travel (4 mi — agricultural)	Onto farm roads through the manor ring
5	Travel (2 mi — agricultural)	Vasil Drakon's manor
6	Action	Talking to Vasil, searching the manor area
7	Travel (4 mi — agricultural)	Harmund's mine — end of southward journey

Don't announce 'you are now doing Segment play.' Just start tracking it. Ask what the party is doing each two-hour block. The structure emerges naturally.

Encounter 1 — Desperate Road Bandits (Mandatory)

Somewhere in Segment 2. A small group steps out of the brush. Poorly equipped, thin. These are not Kest's men. They have no connection to the missing caravan. Their ignorance is itself information — the clearing operation was quiet enough that local opportunists missed it entirely.

Small party (2–3): 2 Desperate Road Bandits
Standard party (4): 3 Desperate Road Bandits
Large party (5+): 4 Desperate Road Bandits

Morale: Fragile — one goes down and the rest scatter immediately.

This encounter exists to put the combat system on the table before the main event. The bandits break fast enough that a learning error doesn't kill anyone.

Beat 1 — Harmund's Mine

Segment 7. Harmund is not pleased to see strangers on the day he was expecting his ore.

Harmund"You're not my ore. Ask your questions."

Harmund — If players waste his time"I have forty men pulling ore out of that mountain and nowhere to sell it. Get off my land and go find them."

What Harmund confirms: caravan loaded on schedule, departed north the morning of Day 3. Nothing unusual near the mines — whoever planned this knew the timing from the other end, not from here.

Harmund"Find my ore. Bring me a name."

Beat 2 — Vasil Drakon's Manor (Backtrack)

Vasil"The caravan passed mid-morning. Four guards, three wagons, the factor's man on the lead seat. I offered the drivers a rest stop. They declined — wanted the waystation before dark. Nothing seemed wrong."

Vasil — then, without emphasis"Davan was here that day. Visiting. He watched them pass from the gate."

He doesn't know what he's just said.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Vasil — If asked about Davan"Vasek is the heir. Davan has always known that. He's capable. He simply hasn't found what he's capable of yet. He'll find his footing."

Lore — Laws & Customs, CM 8Roll 2d6 + Mind + Lore modifier.
Success: The player recognizes the pattern — a loyal thane, a capable heir, a younger son with access and a wound that needs very little opening.
Failure: The detail sits on the table.

Beat 3 — The Waystation Camp

Read to players"The camp is cold. The fire pit has ash in it — a night's worth, maybe more. Three sets of wheel ruts pressed into the soft ground near the trough, deep enough that the wagons were loaded. Boot prints in multiple sets, more than seven. And there — near the shelter wall — a bedroll. A cooking pot. A man's knife still in its sheath. Nobody leaves those unless they have no choice. No blood. No signs of a fight. Just a camp that ended before it was finished, and tracks heading east into the mountain terrain."

Survival — CM 8Roll 2d6 + Mind + Survival modifier.
Success: Wagons left east on an old prospecting track before dawn. Two additional sets of boot prints joined from the east in the night — they came to the caravan. The prisoners were walked east at knifepoint; nobody ran.
Failure: The players know the wagons went east. The check determines how much they understand — not whether they can follow.

The Choice

GM presents the fork"You can follow the track tonight. The terrain is rough and the light is nearly gone. You're already carrying the day's travel. Or you can use the shelter, sleep, and move at first light. Whatever is happening up that track may still be happening at dawn. It may not."

Then stop talking. Let them decide.

Path A — Push On Tonight

Each character gains +1 Lingering Fatigue. Does not clear until a Sleep Segment.
GM may call for Acrobatics & Movement or Survival checks (CM 8) on difficult sections. Failure costs +1 Fatigue.
The predator is active at night — this is when it finds them if the GM uses it.
Result: The handoff is still in progress. Tactical window exists — but they are carrying Lingering Fatigue going into the most dangerous combat of the adventure.

Path B — Camp and Move at Dawn

A full Sleep Segment clears all Lingering Fatigue.
Result: The handoff is complete. The buyer's wagons are gone. Kest and two men are still clearing the site. Davan is sitting against a wagon wheel.

Kest — Path B"You're a few hours late."

He's not mocking them. He is a man stating a fact and waiting to see what comes next. The encounter still resolves. Kest can still be negotiated with or fought. Davan can still be taken. Simon still gets a name.

Optional — The Predator

A hill cat has been working the resource fringe. It is not a monster — it is a large predator, hungry and opportunistic, active in the dark. It has no plot connection. It is the mountain reminding the players what pushing costs. See stat block in the Encounter Reference section.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Encounter 2 — The Clearing (Mandatory)

The players arrive to find the handoff in progress (Path A) or breaking down (Path B).

Path A — Mid-handoff: Kest's men are loading ore from the caravan wagons onto the buyer's wagons. The buyer's four transport men want to be done and gone. Davan is at the tree line, watching. Kest is supervising. Weapons sheathed. The players have a tactical advantage — mid-task, attention divided. This disappears the moment anyone raises their voice.

Path B — Breaking down: The buyer's wagons are gone. Kest and two men are clearing the site. Davan is sitting against a wagon wheel. No tactical window. The conversation starts differently but ends in the same place.

Scaling

Party Size	Path A Forces
Small (2–3)	Kest + 2 Clearing Bandits
Standard (4)	Kest + 4 Clearing Bandits
Large (5+)	Kest + 4 Clearing Bandits + 1 Veteran
Path B (any)	Kest + 2 — tactical moment is gone

The Moment

Kest looks at the players. Looks at his men. Looks at the ore (Path A) or the empty wagon beds (Path B). Making the same calculation the players are making.

Kest"You're not Zoryn's men."

Not a question. A breath. Then:

Kest"So what are you?"

This is the fork. Whatever the players say next sets the register for the entire encounter.

Persuasion — Rhetoric, CM 8Roll 2d6 + Charm + Persuasion modifier.
Skilled — Winning Demeanor applies if player offers something Kest plausibly values: a clean exit, nobody dead, the contract acknowledged as finished.
Success: Kest is quiet for a long moment. "The buyer's already gone." / "There's nothing left here worth dying for." He has made his calculation. Will surrender or walk — players choose which to offer.
Failure: Kest doesn't move. His men shift. "You've got one more chance to tell me who sent you."

Persuasion — Coercion, CM 10Roll 2d6 + Charm + Persuasion modifier.
Skilled — Pressure Points: Kest cannot walk away. Reduce to CM 8.
Success: Kest goes still. "Tell me what you want." He yields. Gives handoff details, Davan, and: "I don't know who's above the man who hired me. That was part of the arrangement."
Failure: "You're bluffing." Combat is now the most likely outcome.

What Kest Will Not Give

Zoryn's name without a follow-up check (CM 10) · anything above Zoryn · an apology.

What Kest Gives on Any Non-Combat Resolution

The location of the dead drop · confirmation that someone above Zoryn exists.

Kest — unprompted, quietly"They didn't ask about the ore. They asked about the watch rotations."

That last line he doesn't understand the significance of. Neither will the players. Not yet.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Act Three — The Drakon Problem

However the clearing resolves, the players come out with one critical piece of information: a young nobleman was present for the handoff. If they have Davan, the problem is immediate. If he ran, the trail leads to one place.

Davan is not a fanatic — a younger son with a wound that needed very little opening. By the time the players reach him he already knows the operation is over. He hasn't decided yet what kind of man he's going to be about it.

Path A — Handoff In Progress

Davan is at the tree line. The moment anything goes wrong he runs.

Pursuit — Contested Acrobatics & MovementDavan is not a fighter but he knows this terrain. Roll 2d6 + Prowess + Acrobatics modifier vs. Davan's Defense Total.
Success: He's caught within the tree line. Winded, frightened, not yet talking.
Failure: He makes the trees and the darkness. He surfaces at his father's manor by morning. The players can find him there — but Vasil will be in the room, and that changes everything.

Path B — Handoff Complete

Davan is sitting against a wagon wheel. He has been there for some time.

Davan — Path B"I know why you're here."

Said quietly. Not defiant. Not broken. Just a man who has had several hours to understand the size of what he did.

Player Response Matrix

Persuasion — Rhetoric, CM 8 (Path B) / CM 10 (Path A, if caught)Roll 2d6 + Charm + Persuasion modifier.
Skilled — Winning Demeanor applies if player offers something Davan plausibly values: his father not finding out the full extent, his brother not having to answer for it, a clean accounting to Simon rather than a public accusation.
Success: "Zoryn. He runs the warehouse on the east side of the market. I left information at a dead drop — a loose stone behind the cooperage on Mill Street. I never met him directly. That was the arrangement."
Failure: "I don't know what you're talking about."

Persuasion — Coercion, CM 10 (Path B) / CM 12 (Path A)Roll 2d6 + Charm + Persuasion modifier.
Skilled — Pressure Points: Davan cannot walk away. Reduce CM by one step.
Success: "Zoryn. Warehouse district, east side. Dead drop behind the cooperage on Mill Street." Then: "I want it known I didn't want anyone hurt. Kest's orders — nobody touched the guards."
Failure: "Then take me to Simon."

Lore — Laws & Customs, CM 8 (Path B) / CM 10 (Path A)The player must appeal specifically to the ancestors, the name, the legacy. A general appeal to family without the cultural weight does not qualify.
Success: "My grandfather crossed the sea with nothing. He built a manor on land nobody else wanted... I watched my brother inherit it. Zoryn. Warehouse district, east market side. Dead drop — loose stone behind the cooperage on Mill Street. I passed caravan timing, patrol patterns, watch rotations. I didn't know what they were for. I told myself I didn't need to know."
"Tell my father I'm sorry before Simon does."
Failure: "Don't talk to me about my family."

What Davan Knows

Zoryn's location — warehouse district, east market side · dead drop: loose stone behind the cooperage on Mill Street · that he passed watch rotations along with caravan timing · that the operation runs deeper than he understood.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Scenario B — Davan Runs to His Father's Manor

He made it into the tree line. He's heading for his father's manor — the only safe ground he knows even if he can't explain why he needs it.

The players can follow. The trail leads back to Vasil Drakon's manor.

Vasil — At the door"What does Simon need from me?"

Not from Davan. From him. He's already accepted the shape of what comes next.

The confrontation between Vasil and Davan is one of the best scenes in the adventure. A father who built everything on loyalty watching his son explain why he burned it. Davan doesn't shout. He's tired. He tells his father what he told the players, or most of it.

The Dead Drop — Finding Zoryn

Whether Davan is in custody or at his father's manor, the players now have the dead drop location. A loose stone behind the cooperage on Mill Street in the warehouse district — unremarkable, permanent.

At the drop: Cleared recently. Zoryn knew something went wrong. One thing left behind — a mark or token that a successful Lore or Streetwise check (CM 10) connects to the warehouse district specifically. Not proof. A direction.
Finding Zoryn: Players asking targeted questions in the warehouse district — Streetwise check CM 10 — produces a short list. Zoryn's name is on it. He has been here for years. Nobody thinks twice about him.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Confronting Zoryn

Zoryn has been in Krak Guillenfre long enough to be a fixture. When the players find him he is working. He keeps working. He does not look up when the door opens. He finishes the line he is writing before he does.

Zoryn"I run a warehouse. If you have goods to store, I can help you. If you're here about something else, I'll need to know what."

Professional. Unhurried. The kind of stillness that is not relaxed — it is controlled. The players will have heard that description before, if they pressed Pell.

The Mechanic — Closing Exits

Zoryn does not crack under social pressure alone. He cracks when he calculates that talking is less dangerous than silence. The players close exits by producing evidence.

Exit 1 — Deniability. He has no connection to any caravan.
Closed by: Davan identifying him, or the dead drop mark connected to his warehouse (Lore/Streetwise CM 10).

Exit 2 — Distance. Even if he knew, he wasn't there.
Closed by: Harmund's observation of wagons loading at odd hours, or connecting buyer's wagon ruts to his receiving dock (Survival/Streetwise CM 12).

Exit 3 — Survival. Silence is safer if whoever is above him is more dangerous than Simon Guillenfre.
Closed by: Making it clear the chain no longer exists above the warehouse district.

When All Three Exits Are Closed

Zoryn"There's someone above me. I don't know who they are. I receive instructions the same way you found that drop. I follow them because the alternative was made clear to me when I was recruited."

Zoryn — the cold thread"They didn't ask about the ore. They asked about the watch rotations."

He doesn't know what it means. Neither do the players. Plant it. Leave it. Do not explain it.

Persuasion — Coercion, CM 10 (to close Exit 3)Roll 2d6 + Charm + Persuasion modifier.
Skilled — Pressure Points: players have Simon's authority behind them or have cornered Zoryn. Reduce to CM 8.
Success: Exit 3 closes. If Exits 1 and 2 also closed, he talks.
Failure: "If that's what you believe, take me to Simon."

What Zoryn will not give: a name above him · the underlier's identity · remorse.

If Zoryn runs: he's gone. The underlier has been warned. The next adventure has an additional thread. If caught: he gives up the underlier reference without naming them. The cold thread surfaces either way.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Act Four — Resolution

The players return to Simon with what they have. The same working room. Maps still unrolled. Simon listens without interrupting. When they finish he asks his two questions in the same order every time.

Simon"Is the ore recoverable?"

Simon"How many people know what you've told me?"

The first is practical. The second is political.

Simon — If they have Zoryn's name"Aldric will have him before dawn. No announcement. The warehouse stays sealed until I've had time with him."

Simon — If they have Davan in custody"What happens to him is the Baron's decision. But I'll advocate for a resolution that doesn't destroy a loyal thane's family over one bitter son's choices."

Simon — If the watch rotation detail surfaces"They didn't ask about the ore." He looks at the map — the one showing patrol routes and watch positions. "Then this was never about ore."

He doesn't elaborate. The players are dismissed shortly after. The door closes behind them and they can hear him call for Aldric. Let this breathe before moving on.

Simon — If the underlier is mentioned"Someone above him. In my fortress. In my territory. And he doesn't know who."

The Offer

Simon"Krak Guillenfre generates problems faster than I can solve them with the men I have. Men-at-arms are for defense and patrol. They're not for this kind of work. You've demonstrated you can do this kind of work."

He's offering a working relationship: first right of refusal on problems he can't handle officially · fair pay per job · a room at the Waystation Inn on his account · his name as a reference anywhere in the barony.

Simon"Think on it. I'll need an answer before you leave Krak Guillenfre."

He goes back to his maps.

The Milestone

Award at the start of the following session. The adventure closes when the acute problem is addressed — Zoryn identified or arrested, Davan's situation settled, Simon in possession of what the players found. They do not need to have caught Zoryn, recovered the ore, or identified the underlier. They need to have pushed back far enough that Krak Guillenfre is still standing and Simon has something he didn't have before. In Dyrhal that is enough.

Threads Left Open

The underlier noticed the lights at Zoryn's warehouse at an unusual hour. Josek in Omskos is fixing carts and doesn't know any of this happened. Davan's fate is uncomfortable and unresolved.

Simon — last imageStanding at a window looking northwest at a horizon that just became more complicated.

That is intentional. That is Dyrhal.

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Appendix D · The Missing Caravan

Rewards

Simon names the fee during the briefing. The actual payment comes in slightly under that in coin — this models the reward philosophy of mixed packages over pure coin.

Base reward — contract fulfilled (caravan located, survivors confirmed): 12 SR coin · 5 SR in trade goods (preserved food, a good rope, quality tallow candles) · Simon's written reference, usable anywhere in the barony. Total: ~17 SR equivalent — just under the named price, intentionally.

Achievement	Additional Reward
Ore recovered	+8 SR coin (from Harmund — he pays for results)
Davan identified and delivered	+5 SR coin + Vasil Drakon's quiet favor
Zoryn identified and arrested	+10 SR coin — Simon names this unprompted
Drakon situation handled discreetly	No coin — but Simon's offer becomes warmer
Full chain: Zoryn + ore + Davan + discretion	Total possible: ~40 SR

Players who push hard and handle the political dimension cleanly reach the ceiling. The system rewards results, not effort.

Encounter Reference

Desperate Road Bandit (TM 1)

Type: Human · Role: Opportunist · Prowess 7, Toughness 6, Mind 6, Charm 6 · Health: 6 · AV 0 · Move: 30'
Skills: Melee Combat +0, Stealth +1 · Weapons: Hand Axe (R0,L1) / Spear (R2,L2) / Knife (R0,L1)
Morale: Fragile — scatter immediately when one goes down. Tactics: Rush fast, hope the target freezes, run the moment it costs them anything real.

Clearing Bandit — Kest's Man (TM 1)

Type: Human · Role: Hired muscle · Prowess 8, Toughness 7, Mind 7, Charm 7 · Health: 7 · AV 1 (light gambeson) · Move: 30'
Skills: Melee Combat +1 · Weapons: Spear (R2,L2) / Axe (R1,L3)
Morale: Organized — holds while Kest holds. Weapons not drawn at encounter start. Tactics: Follow Kest's lead. Will not fight to the death for ore they haven't been fully paid for.

Clearing Bandit — Veteran (TM 2)

Type: Human · Role: Experienced hired muscle · Prowess 9, Toughness 8, Mind 7, Charm 7 · Health: 8 · AV 2 (heavy gambeson) · Move: 25'
Skills: Melee Combat +2, Survival +1 · Weapons: Spear (R2,L2)+Shield / Axe (R1,L3)+Shield
Morale: Disciplined — holds longer than standard. Breaks when Kest breaks or odds clearly turn. Tactics: Patient. Holds ground and lets opponents come to him.

Kest — Bandit Leader (TM 2)

Type: Human · Role: Capable fighter, negotiable antagonist · Prowess 9, Toughness 9, Mind 8, Charm 8 · Health: 9 · AV 2 · Move: 25'
Skills: Melee Combat +2, Survival +1, Persuasion +1 · Weapons: Arming Sword (R1,L2)+Shield
Trait — Read the Room: may attempt Persuasion (CM 8) at start of any round to assess whether negotiation is viable. On success may offer terms as a free action.
Morale: Calculating — will negotiate if it serves him. Will not die for ore he hasn't been paid for. Tactics: Controls the engagement. Shifts to negotiation the moment he calculates it gives him better odds.

Zoryn's Warehouse Muscle (TM 1)

Prowess 8, Toughness 8, Mind 7, Charm 7 · Health: 8 · AV 1 · Move: 30' · Skills: Melee Combat +1 · Weapons: Club (R0,L1) / Hand Axe (R0,L1)
Morale: Employed — fights as long as Zoryn is present. Tactics: Buy Zoryn thirty seconds. Create chaos, not casualties.

Optional — Hill Cat (TM 2)

Prowess 10, Toughness 8, Mind 7, Charm 5 · Health: 8 · AV 0 · Move: 40' · Skills: Melee Combat +2, Stealth +3, Survival +2 · Weapons: Claws/Bite (R0,L3)
Trait — Pounce: if undetected, first attack gains +2 to the Engagement Clash roll.
Morale: Animal — disengages when below 50% Health unless cornered. Tactics: Stalks. Waits for a separated or weakened target. Use after the waystation camp decision — particularly if players are carrying Lingering Fatigue.

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