Printable guide sheet: The River That Stopped

Read this to your players to start

The river that turns every mill wheel between Spucularum and Harborton stopped in the night. Old Pell the lock-keeper can raise and drop his gates all he likes: there is no water left to let through. Someone has to walk up the empty riverbed and find out where a whole river went.

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

1. Scene 1: The River Is Gone from Quick Quest on

   Listen. What can you hear? Nothing at all. No splashing. No mill wheels going round. Just the wind, and a loose shutter going bang, bang, bang. Yesterday there was a river here. Today there is only cracked grey mud, with one boot stuck in it. Old Pell the lock-keeper stands in the middle, turning his cap round and round. "Five days," he says. "Not one drop. Where has my river gone?"

   Goal: Work out where the river has gone.

   • Read the water board Clever, DN 8

     It works: The marks say FULL, FULL, FULL, then down a little each day, then NOTHING. A river that dries in the sun goes slowly. This one was stopped. Give the heroes Old Pell’s water board.

     It doesn’t: The marks are a muddle, so Pell reads them out: "Down, down, down. Then nothing. Rivers don’t do that." Give the heroes the water board anyway, and head upriver.

   • Walk up the riverbed No roll

     It works: Squelch, squelch. You follow the last wet streak upriver. No sticks, no leaves, no fish have floated down since it stopped. Something up there is holding the river back.

     It doesn’t: If the heroes stall, a little fish flaps in a puddle by their boots. It is facing upriver, as if it is waiting for the water to come back. Follow the way it points.

   • Ask around Harborton Kind, DN 8

     It works: A miller’s girl saw it. "The water went down slowly, then it just stopped, like a tap." Last spring she saw big beavers swimming upriver, carrying sticks.

     It doesn’t: Everyone is too grumpy to talk, except a gull on a post. It squawks and flaps off upriver, as if to say: this way.

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: Old Pell lends each hero one thing from his lock hut. What does your hero take? A rope, a bucket, a lantern, his spare lock-key. Whatever they take can help later. If anyone takes the key, building a gate at the dam needs no roll.

   Old Pell knows two useful things and says both if asked. The river did not dry up all at once: the water board shows it. And nothing has floated down since it stopped, not a stick or a leaf. Let the children work it out: a river that dries in the sun goes slowly and leaves puddles in the deep spots. This one was cut off. Then head upriver.

2. Scene 2: Willow Crossing from Short Session on

   At Willow Crossing, the little stone bridge stands over nothing at all. A ferry boat lies on its side in the mud. A few puddles are left, and they shrink in the sun. Fish swim round and round in them. In the deepest pool, something long and grey turns over. On the bank sits a turtle as big as a cartwheel. Snap. Snap. It is not chasing anyone. It is just waiting.

   Goal: Get past the crossing, and decide what to do about the fish.

   • Walk around the turtle No roll

     It works: The Marsh Snapper watches you with one sleepy eye and does not move. Turtles never chase. You are past.

     It doesn’t: If a hero rushes, the Snapper hisses and snaps at the air. Nobody is hurt. Step back calmly, and it settles down again.

   • Save the fish Kind, DN 10

     It works: Splash, splash. Bucket by bucket and hat by hat, every fish reaches the deep pool. One little fish jumps for joy. Three wet whiskery faces watch you from the reeds.

     It doesn’t: The River Pike in the deep pool lunges at your bucket. SNAP! It cannot leave the water, so step back and pour from the other side. The fish get there, a bit splashed.

   • Fight the turtle No roll

     It works: Use the Marsh Snapper card. When it is down to 4 Heart Points, it slides into the mud and leaves you be.

     It doesn’t: If the fight goes badly for the heroes, the Snapper turns its back and plods away anyway. It only wanted the pool.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: The fish are gasping. Does anyone want to help them? Saving them is kind, not required. The otters in the reeds see it, and they tell Broadtail.

   Ask the quietest player: What does your hero find stuck in the mud by the ferry boat? Whatever they say is really there, and it can help later.

   This scene shows the river has been gone for days, not hours: the puddles are shrinking. Nothing here has to be a fight, and nobody goes into deep water. The pike can never leave its pool, and the Snapper never chases. If the heroes save the fish, the otters see it and tell Broadtail, and making a deal at the dam gets +2.

3. Scene 3: The Reed Thicket from One-Sitting Session on

   The dry riverbed runs into a marsh. The reeds are taller than you, and they whisper in the wind. Shhh. Shhh. Here, at last, there is water. It splits into three streams. The left one is warm and still, with tiny flies dancing over it. In the middle one, leaves float in and stop against a bank of mud. The right one is cold and dark. Leaves float in, and keep on going.

   Goal: Work out which stream the river is running down now, and follow it.

   • Drop a leaf in each No roll

     It works: The leaf on the left just sits there. The one in the middle bumps the mud and stops. The leaf on the right zooms off under the reeds. That is the way!

     It doesn’t: If the heroes follow the wrong stream, they wade a little way and hit thick mud. Squelch. They come back with muddy knees and try another.

   • Look at the reeds Clever, DN 10

     It works: The reeds by the right-hand stream are all combed flat, pointing the same way, like brushed hair. Water has rushed past them for days.

     It doesn’t: The reeds look all jumbled up. Then a frog plops into the right-hand stream and is carried off, kicking. Hmm!

   • Feel the water Brave, DN 10

     It works: Brrr! The right-hand stream is freezing. Moving water stays cold. Still water warms up in the sun.

     It doesn’t: Your hands are too cold to tell. But something tickles your finger in the left stream: a tadpole. Tadpoles love warm, still water. So it is not that one.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Three streams. Which one do you think the river went down, and why? Let them argue. Then whatever they pick, play it out: a wrong guess only costs muddy knees.

   There is one answer, and every way through reaches it: the RIGHT-hand stream. It is the only one where water leaves as fast as it arrives. The left one is still water (warm, with flies). The middle one is a dead end (the leaves stop at the mud). A wrong guess costs a little time and muddy knees, nothing more. Never hand over the answer: hand over one more clue.

4. Scene 4: What the Dam Is For from Full Session on

   You climb the last muddy bank, and you hear it. Whoosh! Running water, on the other side of a wall. A huge dam fills the valley. It is made of thousands of sticks, woven together and packed with mud. Behind it lies a brand new lake. On top sits a beaver as big as a pony, with her paws folded. "You’ve come about the water," she says. "Everyone does. First, come and see my kits."

   Goal: Find out why the dam is here before deciding what to do about it.

   • Listen to Broadtail No roll

     It works: Four tiny kits huddle in the lodge, fluffy and wet-nosed. "They can’t swim yet," says Broadtail. "This spring the big town dug their river deeper for the ships. Our old pond drained away. This was the only place left."

     It doesn’t: If nobody wants to listen, the smallest kit waddles up to a hero’s boot and sneezes on it. It is very hard to stay cross after that. Broadtail tells her story anyway.

   • Climb up and look Brave, DN 8

     It works: From the top you see it all: the new lake, a lodge of sticks in the middle, and four kits paddling badly in the shallows. Splish. Splosh. They cannot swim yet.

     It doesn’t: A stick slips, and you slide down the other side on your bottom. Wheee! You land right by the lodge, nose to nose with four surprised kits.

   • Pull the dam apart No roll

     It works: Broadtail slaps her tail on the water. WHACK! "Not while my kits are in there." If the heroes keep going, use her card. She stops the moment her kits are safe.

     It doesn’t: If the fight goes badly for the heroes, Broadtail backs away. "Please," she says. "Just let me tell you why." Now the heroes can still listen.

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: How does your hero feel about Broadtail now?

   Ask the table: Is there a way the river could run AND the kits could keep a home? Let them think. Good answers: a gate in the dam, or a new pond somewhere else. At the Epic Session, the otters come next.

   The twist and the heart of the story: Broadtail is not a thief. She is a tired mum with four kits who cannot swim yet. She knows the mills have stopped, and she does not want that either. Play her slow and gentle, never sneaky. Heroes who hear her story get +2 to make a deal at the dam.

5. Scene 5: Bonus: The Otters’ Pool from Epic Session on

   Hee hee hee! Something is giggling in the reeds. Out pop three otters, wet and whiskery. They have followed you all the way from the marsh. One balances a pebble on her nose. One does a roly-poly. One looks at your pockets. "We know a secret pool," says the smallest. "Deep and still, and nobody lives there. Just right for beavers." She grins. "But first, you have to play."

   Goal: Find somewhere the beavers could live that does not stop the river.

   • Race the otters No roll

     It works: Everyone runs, slides and splashes. The otters win, of course, and they are delighted. "Again tomorrow!" They lead you to the pool.

     It doesn’t: If a hero would rather not race, they can be the judge and shout GO. Otters love a judge. They lead you to the pool anyway.

   • Swap something shiny Kind, DN 8

     It works: A button, a spoon, a shiny pebble: the otters squeal and grab it. "Deal!" They lead you straight to the pool.

     It doesn’t: The otters sniff your offer and shake their heads. Not shiny enough! Then the smallest spots something else on you and points. Hand it over, and it is a deal.

   • Follow them quietly Clever, DN 10

     It works: You tiptoe after them through the reeds. They lead you right to their secret pool without knowing it.

     It doesn’t: SPLASH! You slip into the shallows. The otters laugh so hard they roll over. "Fine, fine," they say. "Follow us."

   Ask your players

   Ask the quietest player: The otters want to see a hero’s secret trick. What can your hero do? Whatever it is, the otters try it too, and get it wrong in a funny way.

   Play this scene only at the Epic length. However it goes, the otters lead the heroes to a wide, deep, still pool below the marsh. The river left it behind years ago, and nobody lives there. It is just what a beaver family needs. Finding it means helping the beavers move needs no roll at the dam.

6. Scene 6: The Sluice Gate from Quick Quest on

   The dam is enormous. Behind it, a new lake lies flat and still. Far downriver, the mill wheels have not turned for five days. On top of the dam sits Broadtail, a beaver as big as a pony. Whack! Whack! goes her tail on the sticks. Four tiny kits peek out from behind her. "Please don’t break it," she says. "My kits can’t swim yet. This is the only home we have."

   Goal: Get the river running again, and settle what happens to the beavers.

   • Build a gate Clever, DN 10

     It works: You cut one channel through the middle of the dam and hang a woven gate in it, just like Old Pell’s locks. Open it, and the river runs. Close it, and the pond stays. Read "If you built a gate."

     It doesn’t: The first gate leaks and wobbles. Broadtail watches, then shows you how beavers weave sticks. Try again together: the second try needs no roll.

   • Help them move Kind, DN 10

     It works: Broadtail’s ears twitch. "Somewhere safe? Show me." Three otters pop out of the reeds, giggling. "We know a pool!" Read "If you found them a new home."

     It doesn’t: Broadtail shakes her head. "I have looked everywhere." The heroes get one more try with a different idea: a promise, a gate, a gift. A kind idea on the second try needs no roll.

   • Break the dam No roll

     It works: Broadtail stands in the way. Use her card. She stops the moment her kits are safe behind her. Read "If you broke the dam."

     It doesn’t: If the fight goes badly for the heroes, Broadtail stops anyway. "Enough," she says. "Let me move my kits first." Then the dam comes down. Read "If you broke the dam."

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Broadtail needs a home. The town needs its river. Can you think of a way to help both? Let the children argue it out. Any idea that helps both is a good one: a gate, a new pond, a deal.

   Ask the quietest player: One of the kits is hiding behind your boot. What does your hero say to it?

   Build a gate: no roll if a hero took Old Pell’s spare lock-key in the first scene. Help them move: no roll if the heroes found the otters’ pool. Otherwise roll with +2 if they heard Broadtail’s story or saved the fish at Willow Crossing (+2 once, however many are true). If the heroes break the dam, tell it kindly and never scold them: nobody is hurt, and the beavers go to find another home. Short on time? Every length gets the twist: Broadtail tells the heroes about her kits the first time anyone speaks to her. 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 built a gate. Creak. The gate swings open, and the river rushes out, splashing all the way to Harborton. Behind the dam, the pond stays deep and safe. Broadtail pats the gate with her paw. "A door in my wall," she says. "Why did I never think of that?" The kits cheer with tiny squeaks.

   If you found them a new home. The otters lead the way. Broadtail carries one kit, and you carry the other three. The new pool is deep and still and perfect. Then the beavers take the dam apart, stick by stick, and the river runs home. "Come and visit," says Broadtail. "Bring the otters. Actually, don’t bring the otters."

   If you broke the dam. With a great WHOOSH, the river breaks free and races away toward Harborton. Nobody is hurt. Broadtail lifts her kits onto her back and swims off to look for a new home. At the bend, she stops and looks back at you, just once. Then she is gone.

   Homecoming

   Every ending: home to Harborton. By morning, every mill wheel is turning again. Clunk, clunk, clunk. Old Pell stands on his lock gate and chalks a new line on his board: FULL. Then he gives you a key, carved from river oak. "It opens every gate on the river," he says. "Keep it. A river needs friends."

Player handout — show this to your table

Old Pell’s Water Board

A slate board on the lock hut wall. Old Pell chalks the river on it every morning. The last lines say: FULL. FULL. FULL. DOWN ONE HAND. DOWN TWO HANDS. DOWN THREE HANDS. NOTHING. Under that, in big cross letters: NOT ONE STICK HAS COME DOWN SINCE. RIVERS DON’T DO THAT.

Monster stat blocks

Rewards

• The Aldermoor running again, and every mill wheel between the locks and Harborton turning by morning.
• Old Pell’s river-oak key: it opens every gate on the river. Once in your next adventure, it opens one stuck door or gate.
• If you helped the beavers: Broadtail’s promise. Once, whenever you ask, her family will raise or lower the water anywhere on the river for you.
• A real-world bonus, if you like: a leaf race in a puddle or a stream together.

Tips for running this one

• This is the library’s thinking adventure. When the children get stuck, never hand over the answer: hand over one more clue, and let them have the moment of working it out.
• Broadtail is not a baddie, so do not play her as one. She is a tired mum with a big problem: slow and gentle. Old Pell grumbles. The kits squeak. The otters giggle at everything.
• Short on time? The Quick Quest is the empty river and the dam, and it still has the twist: see the dam’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.
• Keep the danger in the muddy riverbed, never in deep water. Nobody in this adventure goes in over their head, and the pike can never leave its pool.
• Every roll here says what happens when it works and when it doesn’t. A failed roll never stops the story; it only changes what happens next.