The Land of Time | Session 3
The journey continues.
4/14/2026 – The Broken Coast
With a heavy yet hopeful heart, Finnley said goodbye to his father, maybe for the last time. He left Farthwell behind, the only home he had ever known, now swallowed by flames. The journey to the Broken Coast took two long days. He traveled by day and rested at night under the watchful glow of the Moon, his only companion.
He arrived at the docks hungry, exhausted, and with an empty waterskin, but he was alive. Heavy thoughts marched through his mind like the raiders themselves.
What does Finny find at the docks?
On a 1-2: A weathered fishing boat captain.
On a 3-4: A frightened young survivor.
On a 5-6: A small cache of supplies left behind.
Finnley rolled a 3.
Is the survivor a boy (1-3) or a girl (4-6)?
The roll is a 4.
It was a girl.
There at the wooden pier, amid the chaos of soot-covered survivors and half-burned boats, he spotted a small figure crouched behind a weathered fishing vessel – a girl about his own age, soot-streaked and trembling, clutching a shepherd’s crook like a shield.
The frightened young survivor was hiding. Finnley could barely make out her features at first – her face full of pain, eyes dry from crying for days.
On a 1-2: It’s Lila Moss, a shepherd girl (she tends the village sheep and goats, knows the hills and paths well, and is quick on her feet).
On a 3-4: He finds, Elara Burns, the baker’s daughter (she helps at the village bakery, knows how to make simple travel bread, and is used to working with her hands and staying calm under pressure).
On a 5-6: Finnley finds, Sienna Hart, a fisher girl (she helps her family with nets and lines at the river, knows the water, can swim, and is comfortable on boats).
The roll is a 2.
He finds Lila Moss, the shepherd. She’s a quiet, practical village kid who knows the land, the paths, and how to move carefully.
He quietly walked closer, trying not to startle her. His face as friendly as he could manage, hiding his own sorrow.
“Lila? Is that you?”, Finnley asks.
The girl looked up from the hypnotic waves. It was indeed Lila Moss, the shepherd girl from the eastern pastures. She had been bringing the village flock down to drink when the raid began.
Finnley’s heart leapt. If Lila had made it this far, maybe others had too.
Lila’s reaction?
On a 1-2: She recognizes him right away.
On a 3-4: She is too traumatized to speak.
On a 5-6: She has useful information about the raiders.
The d6 roll is a 2.
Lila’s eyes widened with recognition. For a moment she just stared, as if she couldn’t believe someone familiar had found her in this nightmare. Then her lower lip trembled and she let out a shaky breath.
“Finny…? You’re alive…” Her voice was hoarse and small, barely above a whisper. She clutched her crook tighter, knuckles white. “I thought… I thought everyone was gone. I ran when the fires started. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Finnley finds Lila Moss on the docks of The Broken Coast.
Tears finally broke free and rolled down her soot-streaked cheeks.
Finny swallowed hard and knelt down so he was closer to her level.
“Lila… my mother and little sister were taken by the raiders. They dragged them south. I have to go after them. I can’t just… I can’t stay here.”
Lila’s face hardened with sudden resolve, even through the tears.
“Finnley, we must find them!” she said, her voice cracking but fierce. “I can’t imagine them out there in the hands of those… those bastards!”
In that second, her decision was made. The quiet shepherd girl who had spent her life tending flocks on the eastern pastures stood up, still gripping her crook like a weapon.
“I’m coming with you.”
Finnley nodded in agreement. The first bond had been made – a farmer and a shepherd, standing together in the smoke and ruin.
He looked over at the remaining boats bobbing against the damaged pier. “We need a ride…” he said quietly, eyeing up their choices.
Their choices bleak but it’s all they had:
On a roll of 1-2: Captain Harlan Graves (Gruff but honorable)
- Older, scarred fisherman who lost his own son to raiders years ago.
- Reluctant at first, but something in Finny’s desperation reminds him of his younger self.
- He agrees to take them south, but makes them work on the boat (hauling ropes, bailing water, etc.).
- He’s tough, quiet, and gives occasional gruff advice, but he’s fair.
On a roll of 3-4: Captain Elias Crowe (Cynical merchant type)
- A weathered trader who runs small cargo runs along the coast.
- He’s in it for profit, not heroism, but he sees an opportunity — two desperate kids might be willing to pay with labor or future favors.
- He’s sharp-tongued and a bit greedy, but not cruel. He might haggle for supplies or demand they help defend the boat if trouble comes.
On a roll of 5-6: Captain Mira “Salt” Thorne (Quiet, no-nonsense woman)
- A tough, experienced sailor in her late 40s who knows the Broken Coast better than most.
- She lost her husband and crew to a storm years ago and now sails alone.
- She’s not warm, but she’s practical. She takes them on because “two extra hands are better than none,” and she has a soft spot for kids who’ve lost everything.
The newly formed party rolls a 5. Captain Mira “Salt” Thorne is their only hope.
At the far end of the pier stood a single weathered fishing boat that still looked seaworthy. At the helm was a tough-looking woman in her late 40s, short salt-and-pepper hair, scarred hands, and a no-nonsense stare. She was checking ropes and muttering to herself.
She had been watching them approach. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the soot-covered farm boy with his oak staff and the trembling shepherd girl clutching her crook.
“You two look like you’ve seen hell,” she said gruffly, not unkindly. “And you’re heading south, I’d wager.”
Finny swallowed hard. “We are. Raiders took my mother and sister. We need passage.”
Captain Salt studied them for a long moment, then gave a single sharp nod.
The journey begins.
“I’m leaving at first light. I ain’t running a charity, but two extra hands are better than none. You work, you eat. You cause trouble, you swim. Deal?”
Finnley and Lila looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
“Deal,” they said together.
That night, the newly minted adventurers gathered what supplies they could find around the damaged docks while Captain Salt prepared her boat for the morning tide.
What supplies do they manage to scavenge?
Roll 1d6:
1–2: Very little — a half-empty waterskin, some stale bread, and a length of rope.
3–4: Decent basics — a short iron knife, a waterskin, a small sack of dried fish, and a worn wool cloak.
5–6: A lucky find — a short sword (or decent blade), a leather jerkin that almost fits Finny, rope, dried provisions, and a small healing poultice.
They roll a 5, a lucky find.
While searching through the half-burned crates and abandoned packs near the pier, Finny and Lila uncovered a small cache someone had left behind in the chaos:
- A short but serviceable iron sword (still in its sheath)
- A worn but sturdy leather jerkin that almost fit Finny
- A coil of good rope
- A waterskin
- A small sack of dried fish and hard bread
- And a simple healing poultice wrapped in oilcloth
It wasn’t much, but it was far more than they had arrived with. Finny strapped the sword to his belt, feeling the unfamiliar weight, while Lila tucked the poultice and food into a small satchel she had scavenged.
Captain Salt gave them a curt nod when she saw the haul. “Better than nothing,” she grunted. “You’ll still earn your keep on the water.”
That night, the three of them sat on the deck of Captain Salt’s small fishing boat as the Broken Coast grew quiet around them. The fire in Farthwell had finally burned low, leaving only a dull red glow on the horizon.
Finny stared into the dark water, the short iron sword heavy at his side. “Do you… do you know where they might have taken them?” he asked quietly. “My mother and sister.”
Captain Salt took a slow pull from a dented tin cup and stared out at the sea. She was a woman of few words, but after a long silence she spoke.
“Raiders like that don’t usually stay close to shore,” she said gruffly. “They hit fast, take what they want, and head south. There’s a stretch of coast they call the Jagged Teeth – sharp rocks, hidden coves, old smuggling routes. If I had to guess, that’s where they’re running to. Not many honest captains sail there. Too dangerous.”
Lila sat with her knees pulled to her chest, still clutching her shepherd’s crook. “What if… what if they’re already gone? What if we never find them?”
Captain Salt gave a small, tired shrug. “Then you’ll know you tried. Most people don’t even do that much.”
Finny looked at Lila, then back at the dark sea. The weight of everything – his burning home, his dead brother, his missing mother and sister – pressed down on him. But for the first time since the raid, he didn’t feel completely alone.
Tomorrow they would sail south.
To be continued in Session 4…