Three Desperate Nights

A Series of Scores for Blades in the Dark

Version 1.0

Written & Designed by Michael Elliott

Produced by my Patrons

Ashley Turner

Cindy Chamberlain

Michael Bain

Michael Gillaspy

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Titles generated by the Adventure Title Generator by Loot the Room

This work is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/), product of

One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

“Communipau, New Jersey” by Thomas Moran, 1884, Smithsonian Design Museum

“In the Dry-Dock” by Joseph Pennel, 1917, Smithsonian Design Museum

“Ruelle du Pêcheur” by Donald Shaw MacLaughlan, 1876, Smithsonian American Art Museum

“Ceur de Corbeau, Strassburg” by Hedley Fitton, 1919, Smithsonian American Art Museum

All Art within Public Domain

Three Desperate Nights is three potential scores or interesting events happening in and
around Doskvol designed for the Blades in the Dark role-playing game. Use these to
supplement the story of your game as it’s happening, or kick start a new story when
things are getting complacent or dull, or if you’re just starting a new campaign. Treat
them as individual events, or strong them together has related incidents with a
sinister new plot.

The Empire’s oldest leviathan ship has arrived in Doskvol’s docks to be scuttled and
stripped down. Why is it here and not run aground somewhere else like the other
derelict ships? Why the extra security? What secrets does it hold? Explore this iron
behemoth in Dark Beneath the God.

Open war has broken out in Crow’s Foot. Who is trying to take advantage of the chaos?
What is happening in the tunnels and alleys below the battle? Why aren’t the Bluecoats
interceding? Creep in the bloody shadows in Below Violent Nights.

A rare astronomical event has created an unusually low tide, emptying the canals and
stranding every ship in the docks. What bodies are revealed, chained to barnacled
rocks? What creatures wander the empty canals, feeding on stranded fish? What plans
have been delayed, and what catastrophes suddenly unfold? Wade into the filth and
secrets of Doskvol with Tide of the Drowning Crown.

Do not interrupt the story of your game with these scores if you don’t need to, but also
don’t bother handling these scores with care. Strip out what you like if you want.
Change details. Switch the factions to be more relevant to your game, change the
details of the setup so that it leads naturally from the crew’s previous misadventures
in Doskvol.

These events are recipes, and you should adjust the flavor to suit your table. If you have
a crew of Bravos who love to get in fights, add thugs to taste. If you have a Cult with
multiple Whispers then spice the scores with ghosts, demons, and other cults with
their own plans. If the PCs love politics and intrigue, throw some spies and secret
societies into the mix.

Good luck, scoundrels!

DARK BENEATH THE GOD
The Setup
GM, read this aloud to the players:

A massive and ancient leviathan hunting ship has arrived in Doskvol. It docked last
night. It is so tall that its smoke stacks can be seen from almost every district. Its crew
have disembarked, and its days at sea are numbered. People say it is to be dismantled
here in Doskvol, far from the shores of Skovland or Southport where the Empire
usually sends its old ships.

It has interrupted all the business in the district. Transport ships, fishing boats, and
other leviathan hunters cannot dock or depart until the old vessel is dismantled.
Precious cargo is sitting in piles on the docks, contraband has been lost, and all
manner of business has been interrupted.

The ship is called the God’s Hand Made Manifest, but everyone just calls it the God.

Rumours and Information

When the players gather information about the ship, the docks, or are finding an
angle for a score, supply them with one of these, or use them to inspire your own
gossip around the city:

1. The God is over 300 years old. It is one of the first leviathan hunters ever
completed, built here in Doskvol.

2. Some of the God’s crew were overheard complaining in pubs in the dock
district. They didn’t receive their last wages.

3. The Emperor himself blessed the ship when it was finished. It is said he carved
arcane runes on the God’s bow.

4. The ship’s electroplasm stores haven’t been drained yet. There could be enough
there to power the city for a week, or to be used for other purposes.

5. Leviathan hunters usually have a well-stocked weapons locker.

6. The God’s last captain refuses to leave the ship as it is being decommissioned.
She wants to “see this monster buried at last.”
Factions
Use these groups related to what’s happening as potential sources for a score, or
adjust their status as the result of the PC’s actions:

Dockers (III) A few are conspiring to get inside the God, maybe see if anyone forgot
something. Many would prefer if the huge ship would just go somewhere else to die.

Imperial Military (VI) 20 troops have been dispatched from Gaddoc Rail Station to
guard the God. What are they guarding, and what have they left unguarded?

Leviathan Hunters (V) Several captains and sailors have gathered in pubs across the
docks to share stories, secrets, and rumours. Who knows what tales they have to tell.

Consequences
These can be used during action rolls, to set the PC’s position after the engagement
roll, or as Devil’s Bargains. You could even use them as obstacles if things are going a
bit too smoothly for the crew:

1. Lady Ashlyn Clave, the God’s last captain, is still aboard.

2. A group of Dockers have snuck onto the ship to siphon the electroplasm fuel.

3. An Imperial soldier has gone missing aboard the God. The rest are on alert.

4. Leftover unrefined leviathan blood combusts somewhere below decks.

5. Ancient ghosts are attracted to the ship.

6. The crew’s last catch, a leviathan, is still aboard the ship. It is not dead.
Below violent nights
The Setup
GM, read this aloud to the players:

The conflict between the Crows, Lampblacks, and the Red Sashes has escalated to all
out warfare. Tonight there’s going to be a cataclysmic conflict on the streets and
bridges of Crow’s Foot, taking advantage of the recent chaos at the docks. Or maybe it
is because that old leviathan interrupted the local black market?

Each gang is gearing up and hiring as much muscle as they can get. Rumour is things
have gotten desperate, and by the end of the night at least one of these gangs will be
just a memory. With so much muscle and attention in the streets, who knows what
you could get away with...

Rumours and Information

When the players gather information about the gangs, the conflict, or are finding an
angle for a score, supply them with one of these, or use them to inspire your own
gossip around the city:

1. Mardin Gull, the retired ex-leader of the Crows, is looking for scoundrels willing
to stop the war. He can be found at the Leaky Bucket tavern.

2. Citizens of Crow’s Foot are looking for safe passage to Tangletown, a neutral
zone in the waters outside the district, until the war is over.

3. The Red Sash Sword Academy will have minimal protection tonight.

4. The leaders of Strathmill House, the anceint manor that trains and deals in
oprhans and urchins, have yet to take a side in the conflict.

5. Bluecoat patrols in the area are going to be “occupied” tonight. Why is that?

6. The Spirit Wardens have posted an open bounty for tonight: 1 coin for each
ghost caught in Crow’s Foot and delivered to them.
Factions
Use these groups related to what’s happening as potential sources for a score, or
adjust their status as the result of the PC’s actions:

The Red Sashes (II) It is rumoured they have political backing from Iruvia. What do
they really hope to gain from this conflict?

The Crows (II) They are the controlling faction in the district, and if they can’t stop this
conflict they will be seen as weak and dangerous. If they can’t do the job, who if
anyone will step in to replace them?

The Lamblacks (II) It is rumoured that the gang’s leader Bazso Baz is part of an
esoteric cult. Will he bring those powers and connections to bear to win this war?

Consequences
These can be used during action rolls, to set the PC’s position after the engagement
roll, or as Devil’s Bargains. You could even use them as obstacles if things are going a
bit too smoothly for the crew:

1. The citizens of Crow’s Foot assume you’re part of the bloodshed and violence.

2. One of the gangs unveils a devastating new weapon, or a surprising alliance.

3. Feral ghosts are attracted to the blood and violence.

4. Explosions and/or fire have caused some of the older buildings to collapse.
5. The Imperial Military has arrived to end the conflict.

6. A wealthy family is stranded in the middle of the fighting. Why were they here?
Tide of the drowning crown

The Setup
GM, read this aloud to the players:

Early this morning the citizens of Doskvol awoke to find the canals and docks empty
of water. A once in a lifetime natural phenomenon has occurred: the tide of the
drowning crown. All the water around Doskvol has receded into the ink black sea,
miles north of Whitecrown and east of Silkshore and Barrowcleft. Ships are stranded,
fisherman and leviathan hunters cannot work, and all manner of secrets once covered
by the dark water have come to light.

Everyone is talking about how the abnormally low tide has left behind bodies,
monsters, and lost treasures. What caused this? Who is scrambling to find or cover up
what the sea revealed? What will you do during this once in a lifetime event?

Rumours and Information

When the players gather information about local factions, the tide, or are finding an
angle for a score, supply them with one of these, or use them to inspire your own
gossip around the city:

1. The waters around Doskvol haven’t been the same since the God arrived.

2. The Dimmer Sisters have made a rare public appearance, and have been seen
wandering the dry canals, looking for something.

3. Several notable gang members’ bodies have been found in the drained canals,
their corpses chained to rocks.

4. Some scholars are claiming that this tide is not a natural event, but instead is
the result of a powerful ritual.

5. The tide has stranded a live leviathan.

6. Several secret entrances have been revealed below Whitecrown, the wealthiest
district in the city. Who knows where those tunnels could lead...
Factions
Use these groups related to what’s happening as potential sources for a score, or
adjust their status as the result of the PC’s actions:

The Fog Hounds (I) The steamship they use to smuggle is stranded and they are
desperate for help transporting some contraband for their patron.

The Dimmer Sisters (II) Rumour is they are interested in several things revealed by
the low tide. What are they after, and what are they offering?

Gondoliers (III) They are dealing with strange beasts and ghosts revealed by the
receding tide, and a suddenly pressing issue which might affect their future: how long
until the canals fill again?

Consequences
These can be used during action rolls, to set the PC’s position after the engagement
roll, or as Devil’s Bargains. You could even use them as obstacles if things are going a
bit too smoothly for the crew:

1. Bluecoats assume you’re trying to steal something or tamper with evidence.

2. An old waterlogged hull suddenly sparks to life.

3. A fight between citizens and Bluecoats as a large vault full of coin is discovered.

4. Hollows appear from a tunnel that was previously submerged.

5. Something or someone of personal importance to a crew member is found.

6. An Ink Rakes reporter asks to join you, to gather information about the tide.