Summary

The web content describes an interactive adventure game set in a fictional port town called The Bastion, where the player character is tasked with retrieving boxes of weapons from a stranded ship for payment, negotiating with a dwarf named Xark, and navigating challenges such as aggressive crabs.

Abstract

In this interactive story, players find themselves in The Bastion, a bustling port town, where they are offered work by a dwarf named Xark. The job involves retrieving weapons from a shipwreck in Polmont Bay, which is infested with dangerous huntsman crabs. Players must negotiate their pay with Xark, successfully reach the ship without being harmed by the crabs, and then transport the boxes of weapons back to Xark while avoiding or fighting off the crabs. The story unfolds with dice rolls determining the outcome of various challenges, with the potential for earning silver coins based on the player's negotiation and combat skills. The adventure is part of a larger series linked to the Medium Adventurers League, and readers are encouraged to engage with the story by rolling dice and making choices that affect the outcome.

Opinions

The author suggests that the player should be prepared with a notepad and dice, indicating a preference for traditional tabletop role-playing game mechanics.
The mention of a reminder for the game rules and links to previous parts of the story implies that the author values continuity and a cohesive gaming experience.
The character Xark's willingness to hire the player for the dangerous task suggests an opinion that adventurers are willing to take on risky jobs for the right price.
The description of the shipwreck and the surrounding environment conveys a sense of foreboding and the potential for hidden dangers, emphasizing the risk-reward nature of the quest.
The negotiation process with Xark, where the player's charm can influence their payment, indicates the author's appreciation for player agency and the impact of social skills in role-playing games.
The presence of a dice-rolling app link provides the opinion that incorporating digital tools can enhance the accessibility and convenience of interactive storytelling.
The author encourages player discretion after completing the task, hinting at an underlying theme of trust and reputation within the game's world.
By inviting the player to return to the Rebel Bar/The Warren, the author expresses a desire for ongoing engagement with the story and the broader Medium Adventurers League community.
The author's use of a referral link for Medium sign-ups suggests they value community growth and likely believe in the platform's content quality and the benefits it offers to readers and writers alike.

Fiction | Game | Medium Adventurers League ⚔️

At the Bastion Rocks

A quest — weapons arriving at The Bastion

This is part of a story that works as an interactive game. You’ll need to have a notepad and dice at the ready!

Find a reminder of the rules here, click here for the beginning of the game, or head back to Rebel Bar/The Warren.

By morning, you set out towards the docks of The Bastion for your latest quest. It is a mild, cloudy day.

As the largest town and port on the entire island, it’s bustling already. This might not be as much of a fishing town as Westport, but there are plenty of ships docked, with others heading out on voyages.

You pause to take in the scene. Black seagulls with red beaks circle overhead, shrieking occasionally. Sailors of all sorts can be heard yelling as cargo is transported on or off ships. The sea itself is noisy, waves crashing against the stone wall of the harbour, and the swell causing ropes and wooden piers to creak. There is a strong smell of rotting kelp.

You are here because a local band of fish-warriors suggest that you could earn some extra silver by helping with shipments of weapons. But they were vague about exactly who would need such help. Perhaps you need to speak to some locals?

You are about to approach one of the harbormasters to find out more about the nearby vessels when someone tugs your sleeve. You turn to see a heavily bearded dwarf with a red beanie hat and scarred face. “Need some work?” he growls.

You shrug for a moment, glancing around for other obvious options, then nod. “Sure. I could do with earning a few silvers.”

Surely there is no rush with your other quest, you think. But then it becomes apparent that his approach was no accident:

“Those Pilchardi down The Warren said I’d find someone matching yer description,” he says, hands on hips, and looking you up and down.

You smile. “Yeah. They are my contacts.”

“C’mon, then,” says the dwarf, turning and leading the way towards the southern edge of the harbor area. “My name’s Xark.”

You follow Xark to where an enormous cliff juts out from the shore, with a small path cut into it. There is no handrail, and you proceed nervously after the stocky dwarf as he leads on.

“This here is Polmont Bay,” says Xark, as you round the headland and see a semicircular sandy bay ahead. Unlike the port area, there are very few people in sight, only a few tiny rowboats, and closer, a single massive black vessel with tattered sails. It strikes you as very incongruous compared to the beautiful, near-empty sandy bay that it sits in.

“What happened here?” you ask, pausing.

“Ran aground,” he says thoughtfully. “Plenty o’ cargo, but not easy to get at it. Especially with all of the huntsman crabs.”

“The… what now?”

He points to the sand. “Huntsman crabs hide below the surface. Size of a small dog, and fast as demons.”

You are starting to figure out why the dwarf wanted to hire you, rather than do the work himself. “Okay…” you say slowly. “So, what’s the deal here? And whose cargo is it, anyway?”

Xark spits, and leads the way out onto the far edge of the rock. You are now only a yard above the sand, and the ship stands about fifty yards away. “Belonged to an elven sailing company. Someone should have known better than to let those folks sail a ship.”

You grunt, looking around for any sign of the deadly-sounding crabs.

“Anyways, they’ve given up on it. We can take the shipment of weapons for ourselves — if we can get it safely.”

“Weapons?”

“Sure. Finest, from the mainland. Most are still in good condition despite the elements. The local gangs of The Bastion will pay well. On which point, let me present the good news — I’ll pay per box, if you can get them from the ship back here to me.”

“And the fee? I’m a good hire — experienced.”

(Here is a link to a dice-rolling app!).

Encounter: Negotiating your pay.
Challenge rating: Medium (roll 15+).
Roll on charm.
Roll twice.

If you succeed on both rolls, Xark will pay you:
20 silver coins per box.

If you succeed once, Xark will pay you:
10 silver coins per box.

If you fail on both rolls, Xark will pay you:
5 silver coins per box.

After the deal is done, read on...
...or return to headquarters if you're not satisfied

You step out cautiously onto the soft golden sand. Almost immediately, several huge red crabs emerge from where there were lumps in the surface before. They shake sand from their pincers, then start to race towards you.

You’ll be hard pressed to reach the ship before they reach you!

Encounter: Reaching the ship.
Challenge rating: Medium (roll 13+).
Roll using brawn.

If you fail, you must fight off the huntsman crabs.
Read the encounter 'Fighting the crabs', below.

If you succeed, you get to the ship unharmed.
Read the encounter 'Getting a box', further down.

Encounter: Fighting the crabs.
Challenge rating: Easy (roll 11+).
Roll using brawn or magic.

First roll to see how many crabs are attacking:
1–5: one crab
6-15: two crabs
16–20: three crabs

If you succeed on your roll, you kill a crab. Fight on until
all of them are killed, then read 'Getting a box' below.

If you fail, you are hit, and lose a point of health. You can't evade this encounter. If you are killed, click here.

You clamber onto the ship, and soon find the boxes of weapons in the hold. Each of the boxes is small, wooden, unlabelled and nailed shut. They are heavy, too, and you know that you will only manage one at a time.

Even at that, it could be a struggle to get back past the crabs. But at least you know roughly where the crabs are this time, and can use your wits to help you…

Encounter: Getting back with a box.
Challenge rating: Medium (roll 13+).
Roll using brawn and wits.

You now have a box.

If you fail the roll, you must do the encounter 'Fighting the crabs' again. After you kill the crabs, you can take the box directly to Xark without needing to roll 13+ again.

If you succeed, you dodge the crabs, and they burrow into the sand again. Take the box straight back without needing to fight!

Either way, read on below.

At last, you return, and dump the wooden box at Xark’s feet.

“Nice,” he growls, nodding approvingly. “But is that all?”

Repeat the steps above as many times as you like, starting with "Reaching the ship".

“That’s my lot,” you say to Xark. “It’s hard work, and risky.”

He nods, and reaches into his coin pouch. “A deal’s a deal.”

Add the agreed number of silver coins for each box to your inventory.

“And I expect your discretion,” Xark continues, as he hands over the coins. “Understood? There are certain groups who don’t want their suppliers to be known.”

“You can count on me.”

Subtract one from your reputation.

Having provided more weapons for the gangs of The Bastion and enriched yourself, it’s time to head back to Rebel Bar/The Warren.

Thanks for reading — and playing! ⚔️

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