Printable guide sheet: The Ship That Tied Up Empty

Read this to your players to start

The Salt-Needle tied up at the Long Quay with nobody aboard, her ropes in a Quillhaven knot and last week’s lowest tide circled on the galley wall. Find out where the crew went, and get them home before today’s walking-tide turns.

Scenes (all session lengths — scene’s tag shows the shortest length it appears in)

1. Scene 1: The Empty Deck from Quick Quest on

   Creak. The Salt-Needle rocks gently at the Long Quay. Harbour-reeve Nessa Quill walks you up onto her deck. Breakfast bowls sit on the table, cold. Coats and boots are gone. Nobody is aboard at all. "She tied up like this last week," says Nessa. "Empty." The ropes are tied in a Quillhaven knot, so somebody from this harbour tied them. Above the stove hangs a tide-table. Last week’s lowest tide is circled. So is today’s.

   Goal: Find out what the empty ship is saying, and leave knowing the tide is part of the answer.

   • Search the cabins No roll

     It works: Four bunks. Four coats gone, four pairs of boots gone. Nothing is broken or stolen. In the skipper’s log, the last line says: "Bell-Back. Back on the flood. M."

     It doesn’t: If nobody searches, Nessa finds the log herself and reads out the last line: "Bell-Back. Back on the flood. M."

   • Read the tide-table Clever, DN 8

     It works: The circles are walking-tides: the lowest tides of all, when the sea goes so far out you can walk on the sand. Last week was one. Today is the next.

     It doesn’t: The numbers swim about. Then Kett leans in. "Those are walking-tides. Everybody knows that." Last week was one. Today is the next.

   • Ask Kett No roll

     It works: "They walked," says Kett, pointing at the sea. "Out there, when the water went out. I told the reeve, and she said people don’t do that." Kett is eight, and very sure.

     It doesn’t: If nobody asks, Kett shouts it anyway from the bollard: "They WALKED!"

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: The ship is empty, and breakfast is still on the table. What do you think happened? Let them guess anything at all. Then let Kett say it: they walked.

   Ask the quietest player: Nobody believes Kett. Do you believe Kett? Why?

   Nessa is not the baddie and must never sound like one. She is careful, and she will not send the harbour watch after a prank. The one fact for the table to leave with: the crew walked out on a walking-tide, and today has one too. If a child hunts for pirates or a curse, let the ship stay tidy and the knot stay local, and let Kett say "they walked" again. Short on time? At the Quick Quest length, go straight to the quay as the water turns: the crew come walking home in the climax and tell the rest themselves.

2. Scene 2: The Circled Hour from Short Session on

   The Tidehall smells of ink and wet wool. Tamsin Holt keeps the harbour’s big book of tides. She turns it round so you can read it. Last week’s walking-tide is circled. So is today’s. "On a walking-tide, the sea goes so far out that the mud becomes a road," she says. "For two whole hours." She taps another book. "Mara Fenn borrowed a harbour-charm last week. She is the Salt-Needle’s skipper. She never brought it back."

   Goal: Get today’s walking times, and the name of the errand, from the person whose job is the tide.

   • Copy the times No roll

     It works: Two hours, starting when the water drops past the third ring on the quay posts. Tamsin checks your numbers and fixes one.

     It doesn’t: Your numbers come out wobbly. Tamsin laughs and writes them out for you, very neatly.

   • Ask who borrowed what Kind, DN 8

     It works: Tamsin opens her borrow-book. Mara Fenn, four crew, one harbour-charm, signed out on the walking-tide. Never signed back in.

     It doesn’t: Tamsin is busy, but she reads it out anyway: Mara Fenn, one harbour-charm, never signed back in.

   • Read the bell-log Clever, DN 10

     It works: The lighthouse keeper rang the bell on time last week. But a big wind pushed the sea back in early, ahead of the book. Nobody did anything wrong.

     It doesn’t: The writing is tiny. Tamsin reads it for you: the bell rang on time, but the wind pushed the sea back early. Nobody did anything wrong.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Can everyone be the sea going out, slowly, slowly, and then rushing back in?

   Ask the quietest player: If you could walk on the bottom of the sea, what would you look for?

   Tamsin tells everything. She is not hiding a mystery; she is glad somebody finally asked. Two facts leave with the heroes: today’s walking-tide is about to start, and Mara Fenn walked out with a harbour-charm and has not walked back. If the table wants a baddie, the wind is the only one they get, and it is not a baddie.

3. Scene 3: The Sister Who Stayed from One-Sitting Session on

   In Stilt Town, the houses stand on tall wooden legs over the water. Lissa Fenn is hanging out washing, with a baby on her hip. "Mara went to Bell-Back," she says. "The old bell on a hump of sand, far out. Its charm stopped working, so ships kept missing the way in. Then the sea came back early." She pegs up a sock. "So she is sitting out there, dry and bored. Today the road opens again. You have two hours."

   Goal: Hear the errand in plain words from the sister who stayed, and set off while the water is going out.

   • Ask her to draw the way No roll

     It works: Lissa draws in the dust with a stick: from the third ring on the quay, straight out between the posts, to a hump of sand with a bell on it.

     It doesn’t: Lissa is busy with the baby. She points instead: straight out between the posts, to the hump with the bell.

   • Ask for her spare charm Kind, DN 8

     It works: Lissa unpins a ribbon with a little bronze tag from the washing line. "For luck. Mara will grin when she sees it." Tick the box on the story tracker.

     It doesn’t: Lissa shakes her head. "That one is my luck." But she gives you a hug to take to her sister instead.

   • Take Kett along No roll

     It works: Kett is already waiting on the steps, boots on, and knows the first fifty steps by heart. Tick the box on the story tracker.

     It doesn’t: Kett runs on ahead, then remembers, and comes back to hold somebody’s hand. Tick the box anyway.

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: What would you pack for a whole week on a sandbank?

   Ask the table: Lissa is a bit cross with her sister. Have you ever been cross with somebody you love?

   Lissa is warm, a little cross with her sister, and completely sure the crew are fine, because they are. Do not play her frightened: this is an errand that ran long, not a rescue. The water is already going out as they talk. If the table lingers, say which ring on the quay posts the water has reached. Two hours is real, and it is plenty if they start now.

4. Scene 4: The Dry Road from Full Session on

   The water walks away. Between the posts of the Long Quay, a path of sand appears. It is wet and ripply and wide enough for four. It leads far out, to a dark hump on the mud. There are footprints. Lots of them, all going out. None coming back. Little brown mudlark birds stand in a row along the water’s edge. While they stand there, the sand is safe.

   Goal: Walk the road the crew walked, and leave a way back that will still be there when the water turns.

   • Step off the quay Brave, DN 8

     It works: One step, two steps, and you are walking on the bottom of the sea! The footprints are clear, and the posts are just where Lissa said.

     It doesn’t: Your boot goes squelch, and sticks. Pull it out with a slurp, laugh, and keep going. Walk, do not run.

   • Leave lanterns Clever, DN 10

     It works: One lantern every twenty steps, on the land side of the posts, where the sea cannot take them. Tick the box on the story tracker.

     It doesn’t: The wind keeps blowing them out. You get the first few lit, and that is enough to see where the road starts.

   • Send word home Kind, DN 8

     It works: You wave a scarf at the Tidehall, and Tamsin waves back. Nessa Quill will know where you are. That is the one thing Mara forgot to do.

     It doesn’t: Nobody seems to see your wave. But Tamsin was watching all along. She knows where you went.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Everyone, tiptoe on the bottom of the sea. What does it feel like under your feet?

   Ask the quietest player: All the mudlarks fly up at once! What do you think that means? The water is starting to come back. Time to keep moving.

   The wonder scene of the ordinary kind: a harbour turning into a road. Play it slow and wide and a little shining. Nobody gets lost if they follow the posts. The one thing that goes badly is running: the mud is fine at a walk and not at a sprint, and a fallen hero is muddy, not in danger. When the mudlarks lift, say so: the clock has wings.

5. Scene 5: Bonus: Bell-Back from Epic Session on

   At the end of the road, a hump of dry sand rises out of the mud. The sea has never covered it. In the middle stands an old bronze bell, green with age, half-sunk in the sand. Four people sit beside it, sharing the last of their bread. It is the crew of the Salt-Needle! They do not look surprised at all. "We finished," says Mara Fenn. "Then the sea came back early. So we waited. You are right on time."

   Goal: Meet the crew where they went, and see that they were never missing.

   • Share their bread Kind, DN 8

     It works: The crew have told each other the same jokes for a whole week. They are so happy to tell them to somebody new!

     It doesn’t: The bread is very, very stale. Everybody laughs at how hard it is to chew, and that is good company too.

   • Ask about the charm Clever, DN 10

     It works: With the charm on, the bell rings a note the lighthouse can hear. Then the ships can find the way in. It is not magic. It is a harbour keeping time.

     It doesn’t: Mara starts to explain and gets muddled. "It helps the bell sing," she says at last. "And the bell helps the ships."

   • Look into the water No roll

     It works: Down there stand the wooden posts of a very old quay, from long ago. And lost things: a spoon, a buckle, a little toy boat.

     It doesn’t: The water is cloudy at first. Wait a moment, and the old posts of a long-ago quay appear.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: The crew sat here for a whole week! What games would you play on a sandbank?

   Ask the quietest player: Mara forgot to tell anybody where she was going. What should she do next time? Tell somebody first. Let the table say it.

   The wonder scene, and the reason to run the Epic length. Nothing is learned here that the plot needs, and that is the point. Mara is glad, not rescued: she misread a wind, and she will tell the Tidehall next time. If a child asks how four people stayed safe for a week: the sandbank stands above the highest tide anyone has seen, only the road floods, and nobody walks the flats without a week of food in their bag. If a child asks why nobody saw them: it is a long way out, and the deep water runs on the far side. They waved at every sail for a week.

6. Scene 6: Home on the Flood from Quick Quest on

   The sea turns. Along the sand road, people come walking home, muddy and smiling. It is Mara Fenn and her crew! They were never lost at all. They walked out on a walking-tide, and they walked back on the next one. Behind them the water follows, slow as a cat. The Salt-Needle has a crew again. On the bollard, Kett counts the rings on the quay posts out loud. Mara looks at you. "Now what?"

   Goal: Get the crew home on this tide, and decide what Quillhaven does about an errand that ran long.

   • Coil the ropes No roll

     It works: Mara shows you the knot, slowly, twice. Nessa watches, and does not pretend she already knew it. Read "If you coiled the ropes."

     It doesn’t: Your knot turns into a tangle. Mara laughs and shows you again. Read "If you coiled the ropes."

   • Invite everyone to supper Kind, DN 8

     It works: Lissa brings the baby. Tamsin brings her borrow-book. Read "If you stayed for supper."

     It doesn’t: Everyone is tired and wants to go home. Then Kett says "Please?" and nobody can say no. Read "If you stayed for supper."

   • Write it down Clever, DN 10

     It works: You copy the times into the Tidehall book. Tamsin rules a new line. Read "If you wrote it down."

     It doesn’t: Your writing goes wonky. Tamsin helps you finish it. Read "If you wrote it down."

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Everybody count the rings on the quay posts with Kett! One, two, three...

   Ask the quietest player: Nessa thought it was a mystery. What was the answer? The tide was the answer. Let a child say it.

   Three real endings and no wrong one. Never let this become a telling-off: the crew were never missing, and the wind is the only baddie. Inviting everyone to supper needs no roll if the heroes left lanterns, took Kett, or carried Lissa’s charm (see the story tracker). If the heroes walked out to Bell-Back, they come walking home in the same line as the crew. Short on time? Every length gets the twist: at the Quick Quest length, the crew walking home is the answer to the empty deck, so let Mara tell the heroes where she went before they choose. When it is over, read the ending that happened, then the homecoming.

   How it ends

   Read the ending that happened, then the homecoming.

   If you coiled the ropes. Mara ties the last rope with the Quillhaven knot, and you tie the one beside it. Nessa stamps the log: "Not a mystery. A walking-tide errand that ran long." The Salt-Needle is ready for the next tide, the way a ship should be.

   If you stayed for supper. Supper is fish and bread on the quay, by lantern light. Mara signs the charm back into Tamsin’s book, a week late, and nobody minds. Lissa’s baby falls asleep on Mara’s shoulder. Kett is allowed to keep a lantern.

   If you wrote it down. Tamsin adds a new line to the Tidehall book: "Wind from the sea. Watch for it." It is a small change, but it means no crew will be stuck waiting again. Under it, Mara writes: "Next time, I will tell somebody first."

   Homecoming

   Every ending: the bell sings. That night, the tide comes in under Stilt Town, the way it always does. Far out on Bell-Back, the old bell rings a soft, clear note. The lighthouse hears it. Out at sea, a ship turns, finds the way in, and ties up safely at the Long Quay. This one has a crew.

Player handout — show this to your table

The Galley Tide-Table

A printed Tidehall sheet, pinned above the Salt-Needle’s stove with two brass tacks. Last week’s lowest tide is circled in a careful hand. Today’s is circled too. In the margin, in a child’s pencil: a bell standing on a hump of sand, water drawn all round it, and four little people walking out toward it.

Monster stat blocks

Rewards

• The Salt-Needle with a crew on it again, and Quillhaven’s channel working, which is not nothing.
• If they left lanterns, took Kett, or carried Lissa’s charm: fish supper on the quay, and a free place to tie up at the Long Quay on any walking-tide, for as long as Mara Fenn is skipper.
• If they sat on Bell-Back: a damp charm-ribbon, tied the Quillhaven way, to hang at home where everyone can hear the water turn.
• The walking-tide times, copied in their own hand, and, if they asked Tamsin, a new line in the Tidehall book for a wind from the sea.

Tips for running this one

• The tide is the answer, and that is on purpose, not a twist you spring. If a child reaches for pirates or a curse, do not stop them: just let the ship stay tidy and the knot stay local, and let Kett say they walked. Nobody here is wicked.
• Nothing in this adventure fights. If a child reaches for a sword, have nobody on the other side reach back, and let the scene stay a conversation about water.
• The crew are alive and dry the whole time. Only the road to Bell-Back floods; the sandbank never has, and they packed for a week because that is the Quillhaven rule. Do not play Bell-Back as a rescue, and do not play Mara as a lesson. She misread a wind.
• Short on time? The Quick Quest is the empty deck and the crew walking home, and it still has the twist: see the climax’s DM notes.
• Playing with 5- and 6-year-olds? Take 3 off every DN and skip the roll for anything kind. For 9- and 10-year-olds, add 2.