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The Landcrab Plot

11 min read

Overview

Setting Friedport and Chocolate Isles of Horiza, 1274-1275 ADc. Players Niko, Donna, Lucky, Aeon, Vauxs, and Beelze. Time 79 sessions, spanning July 2023 to August 2025 (2 years).

The Landcrab Plot was a campaign that ran from July of 2023 to August of 2025. It started with the players of Niko and Donna, long-time players in Ilija’s games, and the new addition of Lucky. Over time the campaign also included Aeon, Vauxs and Beelze. The campaign was set in Friedport, starting as the party arrived there in Horiza for the first time on an HGA convoy in 1274 ADc. It followed the Newcomers of Friedport as they got engrained with and familiar with the city, and how they eventually needed to uncover a secret murderer and leader of a planned rebellion, with crusader backing and a plan to mind-control the populace.

Party - The Newcomers

A group of adventurers originally consisting of Ashur Holdok, Bande Aparte and Gator Grippli. Over time they would also be joined by Louen Leonceur, Sebastian Faust, Cardinal Rackawn, Magnus Strike and Suite Feul. They are known for having worked to uncover the Landcrab Plot and stop Operation Blackout. Sebastian Faust parted ways with the group as he left Friedport for Galae through the Haven portal. Louen died in the line of duty before the plot was fully unravelled in Mahambanville. Gator, Ashur, Roslyn, Magnus and Cardinal all participated in the Summer Games, which earned them the titles (unofficially, in the case of Cardinal) of Herō of Friedport.

🎵 Theme of Newcomers

After these events Ashur pushed for government reform and settled down making a successful tinkershop in Friedport, whilst the rest would mostly go on their separate ways. Roslyn ended sailing with the Queen of Grog, Magnus working for the Magus in the High Tower, Bande Aparte returned (and likely retired) to his home region of Canath through the Haven portal, whilst Gator and Cardinal would go on to travel the world together.

Campaign summary

The campaign has been divided into 5 act, based on the koshentenko method but with an exploratory step added at the beginning - so the 5 acts represent:

  • (1) Exploration - we try to find out what the party and Friedport are like, and what the campaign will be about. A party member dies, setting the stakes.
  • (2) Concept - a concept, a hook, appears. The party looks for a way to bring their party member back. A mysterious killer is introduced, as well as murder mystery and conspiracy themes and mechanics.
  • (3) Advance - the concept is taken farther and intensified, the stakes rise, starting with the attempt by the leader of the Blackout Crusaders trying to put a party member behind bars at a trial, the ‘death’ of a party member, and ending with the Crusaders being destroyed and the killer and ultimate mastermind being revealed being revealed.
  • (4) Twist - new party members are introduced, and a magical side of things is added to the conspiracy the party has been uncovering with the Vestitur Relics and leylines.
  • (5) Resolution - everything built up before comes to the front, and to a close.

The campaign took on a murder mystery and detective-work theme for a large part of it. In order to understand the tapestry of how everything connected, a number of related but distinct cases were given separately coloured threads to be represented with. These were discovered by Bande Aparte and his “mind palace”-like moments interacting with the Daydreaming Truth:

  • Bloody Red Thread - The family in the shadows, the three women bound by blood.
  • Wet Blue Thread - Overgrown animals, the depths of the ocean and the Ocean King.
  • Sickly Green Thread - The warriors with hatred in their hearts, the Blackout Crusaders.
  • Shimmering Golden Thread - Long disappeared relics of invaluable power, Vestitur Relics.
  • Holy White Thread - A holy connection, Haven and Amelie’s part.
  • Patched-up Gray Thread - The Stitcher, the golems.
  • Nondescript Black Thread - The Master, the killer, the man behind it all.

Act 1 - Exploration

Newcomers in a New Land

A new party of adventurers form as they search for a place in this new home of theirs, taking on jobs to clear out an overgrown garden, ‘cleaning up’ a haunted manor for its valuables, and infiltrating the Landcrab-controlled Waterlogg street on the looks for a friend of the good Doctor Hallan.

Sessions:

  • 1 — Quiet Beginnings
  • 2 — Amberhole Turnabouts
  • 3 — Road to Rags
  • 4 — Forgotten Findings
  • 5 — Metal-Tipped Tiptoes
  • 6 — Song and Dance
  • 7 — Innocent Whistles
  • 8 — Drinks all Around

Enter the Labyrinths

The party clears out a mushroom-controlled Minotaur in a labyrinth, and then fight for their lives as they purify a field infested with the root source of the fungi.

Sessions:

  • 9 — Leaves in the Wind
  • 10 — Light against Darkness
  • 11 — Fireflies’ Lament
  • 12 — After the Firestorm

Blood and Comradery

The party stops a blood cult and attempts to put an end to the tyranny of the Prince and Su Na over Waterlogg street - but instead find Ashur’s death in a subterranean pool full of primal monsters.

Sessions:

  • 13 — Diving Right In
  • 14 — Night of the Idiots
  • 15 — Threads Entwined
  • 16 — Beating Hearts
  • 17 — Problem Evolution
  • 18 — Natural order of Things

Act 2 - Concept

Trail of a killer

The party catches whiff of a murderer at large.

Sessions:

  • 19 — Black Cat
  • 20 — Ruins of the Ruin City
  • 21 — Anyone, anywhere
  • 22 — Hypokrite Connection
  • 23 — Trail of Haven
  • 24 — No Wrong Moves
  • 25 — Arm’s Length
  • 26 — Lighthouse of Hope

Hilltop Journey

In order to recruit the help of Zcaldon the Mage Hero, the party travel to the hilltops overlooking Friedport to look for an old friend of his.

Sessions:

  • 27 — Six Months Later
  • 28 — Road of Desecration
  • 29 — Desolate Hearts
  • 30 — Truth Behind Tombs
  • 31 — Triple Moon, Death Ray
  • 32 — Fly Broken Wings

Haven at Last

As the days since Ashur Holdok was last alive drag on, the party finally find the last puzzle piece to bring him back and gain some answers and refuge - that of Haven.

Sessions:

  • 33 — Haven at Last (Recording)
  • 34 — Rabbit’s Paw pt.1
  • 35 — Rabbit’s Paw pt.2
  • 36 — Winds of Change

Act 3 - Advance

Turnabout Crusaders

A shocking letter informs the party Ashur’s auntie Amelie has been kidnapped and can only be retrieved alive if they rush to the Philosophian Party Street riverside. Arriving here, Bande Aparte is accused of having stolen the great Vestitur Relics, smuggled them to Friedport, sold them off to a third party, and killed a witness to the event. The party defends him in court.

Sessions:

  • 37 — Heelturn Turnabout
  • 38 — Turnabout Crusaders
  • 39 — Riseagain Exhibition
  • 40 — Shadows over Friedport
  • 41 — Countdown till Truth

Philosophian Party

In the aftermath of the trial, some Crusader agent and the Old Hag are likely to be found in the Philosophian Party Street. Exploring the place, the party finds not just this, but also the performance troupe of one Mistress Crimtone.

Sessions:

  • 42 — The Party’s Started
  • 43 — Philosophian Problems
  • 44 — Call of the Masters

Truth in Mahambanville

Bande Aparte has gone missing, and the signs point to an investigation of his into Mahambanville. Infiltrating the manor of the eclectic Mayor O’ Captain, the party is locked into a trap of their quarry as the enormous basement-archive they find themselves in is sealed and yet slowly filling with ocean water. Pulling every clue they can together, the party unravels almost every thread of the various cases remaining, including solving that of Bande Aparte’s untimely death, and the ultimate identity of the killer at large.

Sessions:

  • 45 — Bande Aparte
  • 46 — Too Close
  • 47 — Depths of the Conspiracy
  • 48 — Time for Truth
  • 49 — The Master at Last
  • 50 — Louen

Loose Threads

Discovering the truth in Mahambanville came at great costs, and the party prepare for what’s next. Cardinal Rackawn, a former acquaintance of Louen, finds the party just too late to reunite with his ‘old friend.’ As the bodies of Bande Aparte and Louen are stolen by Crusaders, a furious party finally tracks down and raids their base. Here they find the Old Hag and the ghost of Auldwell Farewel organising things, whom they put a final end to as the entire base is burnt to the ground and the remaining Crusaders scatter and desert.

Sessions:

  • 51 — In your Hearts
  • 52 — Alliance
  • 53 — Final Farewells
  • 54 — Funeralpyre of Heroes

Underwater Temple

The long-mysterious problem of animals growing larger has at last been solved, and its source as a special salt rising from the depths of the ocean tracked down. The party makes a dive down to see what they find, which includes a temple base where the salts were gathered, and an enormous sentient fish-monster the party slays in self-defence - which turns out to have been the long lost fourth theatre friend, Etcetera.

  • 55 — It Looms…
  • 56 — Megagigantica

Act 4 - Twist

Paradoxus

Magnus and Roslyn join the newcomers as the former researches strange occurrences relating to Ley-Lines in these lands. This takes them to a strange area not far from Friedport, dubbed the Paradox Zone, in which a spell-burning aura makes the land dangerous to traverse, and the alien flora makes the place seem transposed from somewhere else entirely.

Sessions:

  • 57 — The Last Newcomers
  • 58 — The Paradox Zone
  • 59 — Condinuum Conundrum
  • 60 — Castaways
  • 61 — Song of the Voiceless

Treasure of Bigthraun Island

Magnus receives a letter from his academic friend asking to help him off a predicament on Bigthraun Island. The party goes there and realises the Queen of Grog’s pirates is on the hunt for a great treasure there, and is putting a dungeon under siege there, presumably with Magnus’ penmate inside. Two nymphs on the island prove helpful, at least initially.

Sessions:

  • 62 — Friend in Need
  • 63 — Treasure Hunt
  • 64 — Caught in the Web
  • 65 — Their Realm (Recording)
  • 66 — The Devil you Know (Recording)
  • 67 — Escape from Bigthraun! (Recording)

Last Summer, First Rains

The party returns to Friedport, prepares for the climax coming at the Summer Games. Almost robbed off a Vestitur Relic by the thieves Vendy and Gozi, the party strikes a deal to help them free themselves of the Fat Tiger’s control. The party is also shocked to discover their old friend Doctor Hallan has under mysterious circumstances been found responsible for serial murder, and is hanged before the party can intervene. The party learns of his involvement in stealing Davelyn Barbie’s arm with the Scurvymaster, and Hallan’s identity as the half-brother of General Architrave.

Sessions:

Act 5 - Resolution

The Summer Games

The long-awaited Landcrab games finally begin. The party is caught in the Scurvymaster’s trap immediately, as he tries to kill them off in a pocket-dimension before they even arrive on the island, which momentarily leaves them stranded in a dark plane. The party gets out and faces the Prince, Su Na, and Yarvis and Avexe’s theatrical attempt to prove themselves. Crossing from Smallthraun to Bigthraun, the party finds the remains of a sneaky naval attack by the Iron Brothers. Boarding their ship, Roslyn and the rest finally get their revenge and defeat the brothers, handing them off to the Queen of Grog. The party are soon to catch up to the end portal, but must prove themselves against the so-preemtively called “Heroes of Friedport,” now united as one again.

Sessions:

The Scurvymaster

The party finally catches up to the Scurvymaster near the end-portal of the games. They fight through his wicked golem creations named after his parents, and then stop the Minotaur once and for all.

Sessions:

Epilogue

The Newcomers stand victorious on top of the Starfish and look upon the new dawn rising over the city. They reflect upon the journey that has been, and decide where they go next - ultimately seeing most everyone go their own ways.

Sessions:

Post-Campaign Oneshots

Ideas:

  • Delving into the Starfish to defeat the twisted Doctor Hallan
  • Alternate finale, fighting to liberate the city under the grasp of a Scurvymaster who succeeded in activating the ley-lines
  • Friedport Time Travel: Noncanon oneshot where Magnus and Ashur make a time machine and explore the early days of Friedport.
  • InvestiGator Investigations: Bande Aparte and Gator Grippli take on one last case in the city of Friedport before they part ways.
  • Roslyn and crew pirate adventures

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