Shadows in the Dock Ward
Shadows in the Dock Ward
The party arrives in Baldur's Gate seeking fortune but quickly entangles themselves in the brutal politics of the Dock Ward. A missing child, a gang of slavers, and a murdered informant draw them toward a conspiracy that reaches into the city's highest ranks. They must navigate shifting allegiances, dark secrets, and the constant threat of the Flaming Fist to survive the night.
Read Aloud
The Broken Anchor tavern smells of spilled ale, brine, and something fouler beneath—rot that soap cannot reach. You sit in a corner booth where lamplight barely penetrates, the water-stained wood beneath your fingers still tacky from last night's commerce. A hooded figure slides into the seat across from you without invitation. Her trembling hands grip a half-empty cup. "My daughter," she whispers, not meeting your eyes. "Taken three nights past from our cellar. The Flaming Fist won't help. The City Guard answers to people I can't reach." Tears streak through the grime on her weathered face. "They say you're capable. They say you ask no questions."
Description
The party is approached in the Broken Anchor by Marta Kellam, a fishmonger from the cramped tenements of the Dock Ward. Her daughter, Elena (9 years old), vanished during the night three days ago. She has 3 gold pieces as payment and knows only that the Flaming Fist patrols visited her building the morning after Elena disappeared. She has seen hooded figures meeting near the docks at night. The tavern itself is a neutral ground for thieves and sellswords—no violence is permitted by house rule, maintained by the bartender Sergius Kade (a retired mercenary with one eye and no patience for chaos). Marta will reveal under gentle questioning that her late husband was a dock foreman who "knew things about smuggling routes" and died under "unclear circumstances" two years prior. The hook is personal and desperate.
DM Notes
This is the emotional hook. Marta is not a negotiator—she's terrified and near breakdown. Allow players to ask questions and gather information: DC 10 Insight (Wisdom) to sense she's telling the truth; DC 12 Insight to realize she's more frightened of someone specific than of Elena's fate. The tavern enforces the "no combat" rule strictly—if violence erupts, Sergius (NPC, use Guard stat block) will personally eject them. Point toward the docks as the obvious starting point for investigation. Marta knows the names of three merchants who might have seen something: Torvin (dock master, gruff but honest), the widow Elsbet (runs a net-mending shop), and Rellen (a dock rat who sells information to anyone with coin).
Read Aloud
The Dock Ward sprawls before you in the dying light—a maze of warehouses, moored vessels, and cramped tenements leaning against each other like drowned men. The air tastes of salt, fish waste, and tar. Fishermen's songs drift across the water, almost cheerful against the backdrop of shouted orders and the creak of rope. You spot the net-mending shop: a cramped storefront with peeling paint and windows dark save for the flicker of candlelight. Across the narrow street, a group of rough-hewn dock workers load cargo by lantern light onto a vessel bearing an unfamiliar sigil—a serpent wrapped around a crown. A scarred man with a missing eye supervises, tallying items on a slate. When he glances your way, his hand drifts to the cudgel at his belt.
Description
The docks are an open investigation area where the party can pursue multiple leads. The widow Elsbet runs the net-mending shop and will reveal that she saw hooded figures carrying a "bundle" (which fits Elena's size) toward the abandoned Harborside Warehouse three nights ago—a place locals fear. The dock workers loading cargo work for Harwin Callabus (a smuggler aligned with the Zhentarim), and they're moving contraband: cages of restrained people intended for the slave markets. A DC 14 Perception check on the cargo reveals chains and hears faint weeping. The scarred man is Grax (Hobgoblin captain, use a variant Thug stat block with 18 AC, 32 HP), Callabus's enforcer. He will not engage unless provoked directly, but will follow the party and report them to Callabus. Rellen the dock rat can be found begging near the ship and will sell information about the "children's trade" for just 2 silver pieces—he's terrified and nearly incoherent, mentioning "the Tower" and "the Pale Lady."
DM Notes
This is an open-ended scene designed for player agency. Multiple paths forward exist: confronting the dock workers directly (dangerous; Grax will call for reinforcements if combat starts), following the lead to the warehouse, or seeking the Tower through Rellen's cryptic information. If the party investigates Callabus's cargo and finds it incriminating, they gain a potential ally in Torvin the dock master, who despises the Zhentarim's influence but is too afraid to act alone. Use Grax's presence as a subtle threat—he's clearly dangerous but doesn't attack unprovoked. DC 12 Sleight of Hand to steal a cargo manifest showing deliveries to the "Pale Tower"; DC 15 Stealth to follow the dock workers without being noticed. The widow Elsbet will not leave her shop but will offer the party healing potions (50 gp value) if they promise to "save the children."
Read Aloud
The Harborside Warehouse looms against the twilight like a broken tooth. Its massive doors hang half-open, rusted hinges groaning with each breath of wind. Inside, shadows pool in corners thick enough to hide in. The air is cold despite the summer night, tainted with the reek of unwashed bodies and something acidic that burns your nostrils. Faint scratching sounds echo from overhead—rats, you hope. Or perhaps something worse. As your eyes adjust, you see cargo crates stacked haphazardly, some bearing the same serpent-crown sigil from the docks. In the far corner, lamplight spills from a second-floor office. Muffled voices carry down: a woman's laugh, cruel and mirthless, followed by a man's nervous reply. The conversation stops abruptly. Silence. Then: footsteps, slow and deliberate, approaching the edge of the mezzanine overlooking your position.
Description
The party has found the heart of the conspiracy. The warehouse contains three levels of horror: the main floor (empty crates, concealed pit with bound prisoners including Elena), the mezzanine office (Harwin Callabus and the mysterious "Pale Lady"), and the upper rafters (where three thugs keep watch). Elena is alive but drugged in a locked cage on the main floor along with four other children and two adult prisoners. A DC 13 Perception check reveals the pit's location beneath scattered hay. The mezzanine office contains ledgers detailing shipments, names of Flaming Fist officers "on the take," and references to "the Tower's purposes." The Pale Lady is Magistrate Alyth Moonshadow, a half-elf noble using her position to traffic in stolen people for arcane purposes. Callabus is terrified of her and will attempt to flee if combat begins. The three thugs upstairs will attack if they hear noise.
DM Notes
This is a critical information gathering point and likely the session's first real combat (Encounter 1 follows). Allow for stealth approaches (DC 12 Stealth to enter unseen; DC 14 to reach the office mezzanine). If the party is discovered before combat, Moonshadow will attempt to negotiate, revealing that Elena and the other children are destined for "dark pacts" and questioning why the party cares—playing on doubts and moral complexity. The pit trap is obvious if searched (DC 10 Investigation), but opening the cages requires either keys found on Callabus or a DC 12 Thieves' Tools check. The ledgers are crucial for future sessions: they name Flaming Fist Captain Darius Webb as complicit and reference "the Tower" as a location in the upper districts. A DC 15 Investigation reveals the Pale Tower's approximate location: the Bloomridge district, in a walled compound.
Monsters
Tactics
Callabus is a coward and will attempt to use his subordinates as shields. On his first turn, he moves toward the office exit and attempts to flee down the back stairs (if the party hasn't blocked them). He will not fight directly unless cornered. The three thugs form a defensive line between the party and Callabus, using tables and crates as cover. If Callabus reaches the exit, he will flee into the Dock Ward night, drawing Flaming Fist attention if the party pursues loudly. Moonshadow will not personally engage—she watches from the mezzanine, and if Callabus is subdued or killed, she will fade into the shadows, claiming to have "business elsewhere." The thugs are merciless but not suicidal; if two fall, the third will attempt to flee. They will attempt to knock prisoners off the mezzanine as a deterrent. One thug carries a ring of keys to the cages.
Terrain
The warehouse floor is 60 feet long and 40 feet wide. Cargo crates provide half cover throughout. The mezzanine is 20 feet above the main floor, accessible by a ladder (single file) or a stairs leading up the west wall. The pit with prisoners is in the southeast corner, locked with an iron grate. Two exits: main doors (east), back stairs to the alley (west, near the office). Poor lighting (lamplight from the office and hand lanterns) provides dim light; shadows offer concealment.
Read Aloud
Elena clings to you, still half-drugged and confused, asking for her mother in a small voice. The other children are slowly stirring—a mix of orphans and runaways. Callabus kneels before you, handcuffed and broken, the ledger clutched at his chest. Outside, the Dock Ward churns with normal night activity, oblivious to what has happened. But you know this isn't over. The ledger bears names: City Guard officers, a Flaming Fist captain, and references to "the Tower's continued patronage." And Moonshadow vanished like smoke—she was never actually here, you realize with a chill. The children will need care. The parents will need notification. And somewhere in the Bloomridge district, a tower stands silent and waiting.
Description
The party faces the moral and logistical challenges of their victory. The five freed children require immediate care and feeding. Callabus has provided a confession and the ledger, but the party must decide what to do with him—turn him over to the Flaming Fist (who may be partially corrupt), take him to the City Watch (who may be bribed), or attempt some other justice. Marta arrives within an hour of being sent for and reunites with Elena, weeping. She provides the party with 25 gp (her savings) and offers shelter in her home. The other children's fates can be entrusted to the widow Elsbet, who has connections to the local temple and orphanage. However, the ledger's incriminating evidence against Flaming Fist Captain Darius Webb and others creates immediate danger: if certain individuals learn of the ledger's existence, the party becomes a target. This sets up the cliffhanger.
DM Notes
This is the resolution and consequence-management scene. Reward the party's victory but introduce complications: the other children require healing and care (the widow Elsbet can help but has limited resources); deciding Callabus's fate branches into future plot threads (if the party turns him over to corrupt officers, he disappears; if they protect him, they gain a potentially unreliable informant); the ledger's evidence is too hot to handle casually—attempts to use it against named individuals will trigger immediate retaliation. Allow the party 1-2 hours of in-game time to address these issues, then move to the Conclusion. The party should feel successful but aware that they have made powerful enemies and that the work is far from finished.
A detailed merchant's ledger containing records of human trafficking operations, names of corrupt officials (including Flaming Fist Captain Darius Webb), shipment schedules to the Pale Tower, and references to 'dark contracts' and 'the Pale Lady's purposes.' This document is evidence of deep corruption but also a target for those named within it. Selling or revealing its contents carelessly will bring danger.
A brass ring bearing the sigil of Moonshadow's operation (a serpent wrapped around a crown). Found on Harwin Callabus. The ring grants no mechanical benefit but serves as a calling card and proof of allegiance—dangerous to be caught with, but potentially useful for infiltration or forgery. Appraised value: 15 gp (as mere metal), but priceless as evidence of conspiracy.
Contains 47 gp, 12 sp, and a small vial of luminescent blue liquid (alchemist's ink, worthless but peculiar—suggests arcane interest).
The widow Elsbet, grateful for the rescue of the children, provides each party member with a Potion of Healing (common, 50 gp value) and introduces them to Torvin the dock master, who hints at future work protecting ships from Zhentarim interference.
Story Hooks
The Ledger becomes the party's ticket into a larger conspiracy: the references to the Pale Tower and Magistrate Moonshadow's position suggest connections to city government and possibly extradimensional forces. Future adventures could involve infiltrating the Tower, discovering the nature of the 'dark contracts,' exposing the Flaming Fist corruption, or being hunted by Moonshadow's remaining agents. The disappearance of Captain Webb's name on the ledger raises questions: is he actively hunting the party, or is he vulnerable to blackmail? Callabus, if spared, becomes a potential reluctant informant. And Moonshadow herself remains at large, aware of the party's involvement but not yet their direct enemy—making her a long-term threat that looms over future sessions.
Conclusion
Wrap Up
The children are safe. Elena is reunited with her mother. The warehouse is secured, and Harwin Callabus is in custody—whether to be turned over to authorities or hidden remains the party's choice. The night is late, and the party has made their mark on the Dock Ward. Those who deal in shadows now know their names. The widow Elsbet, Marta Kellam, and Torvin the dock master have become allies, offering shelter, information, and hints of future opportunities. The party's first night in Baldur's Gate has been far from quiet.
Cliffhanger
As the party rests (whether in Marta's home or elsewhere), a cloaked figure slips a note under the door. In elegant script, it reads: "Impressive work in the warehouse. Few have the courage to move against those with Magistrate Moonshadow's reach. A mutual acquaintance suggests you might be useful. Come alone to the Bridge House, the Helm, at midnight tomorrow. Come with the ledger and coin, and we will speak of the Tower. Come otherwise, and your names will reach ears that ensure you never leave this city." The signature is a simple hand-drawn symbol: an eye within a pyramid. The paper smells faintly of jasmine and old magic.
Next Session Hooks
- Investigate the identity of the mysterious figure who sent the note—who is the Pyramid Eye, and do they oppose or serve Moonshadow?
- Discover the true purpose of the Pale Tower and the nature of the 'dark contracts' referenced in the ledger—what is Moonshadow's connection to arcane or planar forces?
- Navigate the corruption within the Flaming Fist and city government—can the party use the ledger to expose wrongdoing without being eliminated, or is exposure itself a trap?
Want to create your own?
Create your own session