The Land of Time | Session 9
But danger still lurks in The Lonely Waters.
4/20/2026 – The Veil Coast
As Lila’s tiny raft drifted into the distant horizon, Finnley felt a crushing weight settle in his chest for the first time. On the farm, life had been simple and predictable. Nothing like this ever happened. Now, in the span of a single week, he had lost everything. His mother and sister stolen by raiders. His father left behind to mend what remained of Farthwell. Raiders, storms, a sea monster, and now losing Lila to the merciless sea.
Was he even worth the gift of life?
Captain Salt stared hard at the waves, her jaw tight. She could not let another girl slip away. Her own daughter was already gone. She would not lose Lila too. The captain silently noted the last direction she had seen the makeshift raft disappear.
The hours stretched like days as their broken piece of deck drifted closer to the unknown shore. Finnley, who had barely stepped beyond the fields of Farthwell before the raiders came, was being tested in ways he never could have imagined.
After drifting westward, where do they land?
On a 1-2: The northern shore.
On a 3-6: They land further south.
The roll was a 3.
They landed further south on the new shore.
Finnley reaches his limit as Captain Salt stands watch with the cursed dagger.
The coastline was swallowed by thick morning fog. Visibility was reduced to mere feet by the low-hanging clouds. Captain Salt could only make out a valley of mist leading inland like a ghostly invitation.
They walked a short distance from the water when the unmistakable scent of smoke cut through the heavy air.
“You smell that, Finnley?” Captain Salt asked, glancing back at him. “We should check it out.”
“I can,” he replied, his stomach already twisting with hunger. “It smells like someone cooking.”
They pressed on toward the scent of food, their empty bellies aching for anything warm, especially cooked meat.
What do they find at the fire?
1-2: Friendly locals cooking their morning hunt.
3-4: Cannibals cooking human flesh.
5-6: A pile of bodies burning.
The roll was a 3.
Hidden by the dense fog, Finnley and Captain Salt crept closer and found themselves staring at a makeshift camp. Several hunched humanoids gathered around a crackling fire, clearly savage, roasting what could only be described as pieces of human flesh.
“Captain… are those…?” Finnley gasped, his voice barely a whisper.
“Yes,” Captain Salt answered grimly. “Cannibals. These are the last things we want to see in this fog-filled valley.”
Cannibals and the cursed dagger await.
The two watched in horror as the creatures circled the fire, grunting and howling with savage glee over the fresh meat.
“They’re awful,” Finnley whispered, pointing. “Just look at them.”
“Wait a second, Finnley…” Captain Salt’s eyes narrowed. “Those aren’t humans. They are…”
What are the humanoids actually?
On a 1-2: Bog Goblins. Mud-covered, swamp-dwelling goblins with bioluminescent eyes. They use the fog to ambush and prefer to drown their prey before eating.
On a 3-4: Sirenkin. Tall, gaunt orc-kin that can move almost unseen in thick fog. They carry huge driftwood clubs wrapped in seaweed and human bones.
On a 5-6: Drowned Ones. Not quite orcs anymore. Waterlogged and half-rotted humanoids who were once sailors. They are slow but incredibly strong, and they hunger for warm flesh.
To be continued in Session 10…