Veil Protocol · The Silent Meridian

01 · The order that never existed

· planned

START: game day 1, 20:00, before Mara gives the briefing. Nobody has accepted the assignment yet. Read the legitimate audit request; ask each player to choose a cover, a teammate and an extraction signal. Scene 1: Quiet Archive. Compare the disputed maintenance order with the audit counterseal. Cira attempts to trigger the forged theft alarm only after the group reaches the record desk. Let players expose or interrupt her; do not automatically record sabotage or guilt. Scene 2: service conduit, or a lawful escorted exit if the evidence persuades Edda. Acquire the courier docket and Mara's safehouse address. END: choose a rest and next-day exchange approach. Save actual witnesses, custody of evidence and choices after play; leave them blank now.

02 · The glass courier

· planned

PREREQUISITE: the group has a reason to investigate Sable's day-2 exchange, supplied by the docket, a witness or Mara's independent buyer schedule. Scene 3: masked exchange at 10:00. The unique dispatch prism can be bought, secured, destroyed or deliberately followed. If secured or destroyed, the scheduled false broadcast is already prevented: do not invent a replacement prism. The tower still holds Ivo and the engine audit log; let the group decide whether rescue and public proof justify continuing. Scene 4: Skyglass service landing at 17:00, reached by cargo lift, facade route or Edda's official escort. Use the manifest, Nalia's testimony or Ivo's maintenance message to find the isolation floor. END: record who has the prism, what evidence survives, and how the group reaches the engine.

03 · Before the first bell

· planned

PREREQUISITE: a chosen approach to Skyglass and a clear reason to enter. Scene 5: isolation engine. Rescue Ivo, preserve the audit log, and disable the forged dispatch only if the prism reached the relay. Resolve the counterseal, hard shutdown or persuasion routes; a seized prism cannot broadcast from the party's bag. The deadline is game day 3, 06:00, and advances only when the DM records fictional time. Scene 6: roof extraction or return by lift/escort. Dross can bargain, surrender, escape or fight. Do not force his escape or an aerial chase. Choose what proof to release and protect witnesses. END: record the actual broadcast state, Ivo's safety, Dross's custody and evidence recipient. No result is prewritten.

04 · Names in the daylight

· planned

CONDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP: use only after the operation ends. Meet Edda and Nalia with the evidence actually recovered. A rescued Ivo can testify; a lost log requires witnesses and the counterseal. Clear the team only if the forged accusation occurred. Honor negotiated protections, return borrowed equipment and distribute earned rewards once. Choose downtime and the next mission. If the broadcast went out, the next objective is a correction and diplomatic intervention, not a claimed clean victory. Write a recap from actual play; this package contains no recap or journal outcome.

Verify the disputed order

The briefing offers this quest during play. It starts Open, not Active. An obvious forged serial is available on inspection; a failed check can increase watch attention but cannot delete the clue.

Stop the false dispatch

At the exchange, securing or destroying the prism prevents the attack early. If the case reaches Skyglass, stop the engine before game day 3, 06:00. Never award this objective merely for entering a room. Keep evidence/rescue goals separate from prevention.

Bring the engineer out

Do not assume the party knows about the detention at briefing. The service manifest, Ivo's maintenance message and a witness each reveal it. Rescuing him can remain worthwhile after an early prism interception.

Prove the forgery

A strong case has two independent sources. If the engine log is lost, Orren plus Nalia or Ivo can corroborate the counterseal. Clearing the team is conditional on an accusation occurring; do not record it as a pre-existing failure or success.

Leave no witness behind

Tess requires an explicit booking. A missing skiff leaves the cargo lift or Edda's escort available. Dross is not required to escape or die. Record each person's actual destination only after play.

Mara Quill

Mara suspects a contractor, not her own team. She gives the safehouse address at the opening briefing and carries a duplicate buyer schedule. If headquarters suspends the team after the forged alarm, she can still offer food and information, but cannot erase a warrant or command the watch.

Orren Vale

Orren witnessed Cira replacing the alarm plate but has not connected it to a crime. If shown the mismatched serial or treated with respect, he preserves the counterseal and signs a witness statement. Threats make him demand Edda's presence; they do not remove the visible docket clue.

Cira Voss

Cira carries the unique dispatch prism already commissioned for Skyglass and a forged alarm plate blaming the audit team for tampering. Dross has threatened her brother's livelihood. She aims to leave through the conduit and attend Sable's exchange, not teleport away. If caught, she can trade the prism, buyer docket and testimony for protection. Use Scout mechanics only if a fight is chosen.

Sable Renn

Sable sells the prism under Dross's instructions and keeps a signed delivery manifest. A 100 gp offer, a credible legal hold or a protection bargain can prevent delivery; stolen or destroyed stock ends this sale. Sable can identify Dross and the Skyglass service landing even if Cira never arrives. Do not quietly create another prism.

Valen Dross

Dross wants a false mobilization order to collapse the Vesper-Ember Compact and make his private relay contracts indispensable. His genuine contractor access gets him into Skyglass; it does not authorize the forged order. He needs the unique dispatch prism to transmit at the first bell. Losing it prevents this broadcast. He keeps a damning audit log in the engine cabinet and tries to flee by roof only if escape remains possible.

Ivo Pell

Dross holds Ivo at the isolation floor to finish tuning. Ivo is alive and physically reachable; rescuing him is an optional objective until the team learns he is detained. His maintenance message says the facade cradle is usable. He can shut down the isolated relay manually in ten fictional minutes, or witness the counterseal reset. If killed or unavailable, the labeled switch and posted safety card supply the same procedure.

Edda Thorn

Edda is not Dross's accomplice. The forged alarm is plausible until the serial mismatch or Orren's statement is shown. She can order a supervised audit, preserve evidence and offer lawful transport. Without proof, she seeks detention rather than execution. If the team escapes, she investigates; she cannot appear instantly inside the isolated engine.

Tess Rook

Mara can book Tess before the tower approach for 25 gp from mission funds. Tess waits only if the team confirms a pickup window and signal. No skiff is automatically booked. The cargo lift and Edda's escort remain exits if no booking exists. Tess will not fly through a dangerous storm without a safer landing or a delay.

Nalia Serin

Nalia attends the exchange to trace forged diplomatic credentials. Her signed agenda contradicts the mobilization order and her carriage offers an escorted route to the tower. She does not know Dross's engine controls. Protecting her testimony improves the public case; it does not substitute for stopping a live transmitter.

Run this campaign from the beginning

Start with session 01 before the mission briefing. All sessions are Planned with blank real-world dates. All quests are Open, objectives are zero, character journals are empty, and there are no recap, session, calendar or downtime histories. Preparation text describes possible events, never recorded player outcomes. Five level-5 operative sheets and one closed table are supplied. The party markers are manual stand-ins. Reopen only when ready; connect actual players and remove matching stand-ins. The initial table contains only the party: load only the current saved encounter when combat is chosen. Opponents in later scenes are not preloaded into a single combat roster. The map represents six separate locations. Door labels describe travel routes, not adjoining dungeon rooms. Use the travel times in the sequence note; moving a token never advances the calendar. Handouts and relationship graph editions remain unpublished drafts. The shared built-in preparation is a DM preview with spoilers, not a player handout.

The truth behind the mission

Vesper and the Ember Compact are about to renew a peace agreement. Contractor Valen Dross wants a counterfeit mobilization order to appear authentic, causing panic and profitable emergency relay contracts. He has legitimate access to the isolated Skyglass relay but no authority to issue the order. The unique calibrated dispatch prism is in Cira's case at the start. Sable is contracted to transfer it to Dross's tower crew at the masked exchange. Skyglass can broadcast the forgery only with that prism installed. A new prism takes days to calibrate; Dross cannot replace a seized or destroyed one before the deadline. Mara has identified a suspicious maintenance order and requests an authorized archive audit. Dross plans to frame that audit team using a forged theft alarm. The attempted frame happens during play and can be exposed or stopped. The counterseal and witnesses prove the forgery; they are evidence, not a remote off switch. The engine log and detained engineer explain Dross's full plan.

Scene order, travel and prerequisites

Opening: day 1, 20:00, Mara briefs the team and gives the Lantern safehouse address. No encounter, quest or journal has started. 1. Quiet Archive: compare the order. Cira attempts the forged alarm after the team reaches the records. Inspecting the desk yields the serial mismatch and courier docket. The docket names Sable, the exchange, day 2 at 10:00 and the Skyglass delivery address. 2. Service conduit: use it if escape is chosen. It takes 20 fictional minutes to reach the street and 10 more to the safehouse. Cira uses the same route if she escapes; she does not magically vanish. An official escort can bypass this scene. Plan an eight-hour rest before the exchange; do not mark it as taken. 3. Masked exchange: day 2, 10:00. Sable holds the buyer manifest even if Cira was detained. Buying, seizure or destruction of the unique prism stops the scheduled attack early. Following the marked case can instead lead to Skyglass. Ivo's detention and Dross's audit log supply optional reasons to continue after early success. 4. Skyglass service landing: day 2, 17:00 staging window, not a compulsory delay. The lift route takes 10 minutes; a secured facade traverse takes about 30, using chosen safety gear. Cargo manifest, maintenance message or Nalia identifies the isolation floor. It takes 15 minutes from exchange district to tower by carriage, 40 on foot. 5. Isolation engine: enter when the chosen route permits. Rescue Ivo and preserve the log. If the prism is installed, use the counterseal-assisted reset (10 minutes), hard isolation (10 minutes) or a credible agreement with Dross. His deadline is day 3, 06:00. If the prism is secured, this is a rescue/evidence scene; no live broadcast remains. 6. Roof extraction: optional exit from the engine by a five-minute stair. Tess appears only if booked and signaled. Lift/escort exits remain available. Closing: choose an evidence recipient and write actual results after play. These are proposed fictional times. Sessions are flexible containers: do not wait until the next scheduled game night to advance a scene. Never require all six combats or force players to ignore an early solution.

Clue redundancy and missed-scene recovery

Archive → exchange: the visible courier docket; Orren's staff schedule; Mara's independent buyer schedule. Any one locates Sable. Failed checks change attention or cost, not whether a necessary address exists. Exchange → tower: Sable's signed manifest; Nalia's contractor agenda; following a deliberately marked prism case. If the prism is seized, state clearly that the attack is prevented and offer the hostage/log goals as choices. Landing → engine: the delivery stencil says ISOLATION FLOOR; Ivo's maintenance message marks the facade cradle; a cooperative watch escort supplies the approved route. The lift remains usable if climbing gear fails. Engine → shutdown: Ivo's instructions; the engraved isolation switch; the posted safety card. The audit counterseal verifies the reset, but physical isolation is a fallback if it is lost. Proof: counterseal comparison plus engine log, or counterseal plus two independent witnesses. Do not make killing Dross or passing a single Persuasion check the only route to a conclusion. If detained, offer an Edda-supervised audit based on the visible mismatch. If Cira is captured early, she can identify the buyer; Sable still has the delivery contract. If Dross escapes, evidence and rescue remain achievable. If the deadline passes with the prism installed, begin a correction/diplomacy follow-up rather than a total-party failure screen.

The frame, watch response and player agency

The alarm is a planned incident, not already-played history. Cira must reach the alarm plate and operate it. An observant player can notice the wrong serial before she triggers it; a persuaded or restrained Cira can abandon the plan. Do not teleport the courier or declare the team guilty despite evidence. If triggered without immediate proof, headquarters suspends the team's audit authorization pending investigation. They can cooperate with Edda, flee through the conduit, or ask Nalia to observe the inquiry. This supplies the disavowed-team tone without forcing one response. If exposed, Edda can grant official support; the prism sale and tower conspiracy still exist. Use a simple optional Attention clock from 0 to 4, recorded manually in private notes only after play: 0 routine, 1 scrutiny, 2 a checkpoint, 3 a search, 4 supervised detention. Increase it only for noisy or witnessed actions; a failed check can add attention while preserving the clue. It is not a programmed timer, damage mechanic or automatic campaign status.

Stealth, negotiation and encounter use

Every scene has a noncombat route. Archive: use the audit warrant, compare records and recruit Orren. Conduit: show the signed maintenance strip or disconnect the ward control. Exchange: bid, secure a legal hold or protect Cira. Landing: manifest, Nalia's escort or secured facade route. Engine: persuade Ivo, apply the safety card or bargain with Dross. Roof: negotiate surrender, delay pickup safely or take the lift. Suggested checks: DC 10 for routine pressure, DC 15 for risky improvisation, DC 18 for an ambitious shortcut. These are authored suggestions, not catalog rules. Grant a core clue when its source is examined; failure introduces a cost or complication. Agree fall risks and a secured rope/lift fallback before facade play; do not use a single failed roll as an unavoidable lethal fall. Six saved encounters use SRD creatures plus the original Prism Warden. They are optional planning rosters for five level-5 characters. Review difficulty for the actual group. Add only the current scene to the otherwise party-only table; remove or exclude old opponents before the next combat. No damage, terrain interaction, pursuit or clock advancement is automated.

Operative kits and honest equipment limits

The five sheets supply rope, rations, a healing potion, a cover document case and two mundane signal flares each. Cover papers are story props, not universal legal immunity. Flares are visible signals, not invisibility, teleportation or a guaranteed pilot booking. The rope is ordinary starting equipment; the DM decides anchors and safety under the table's rules. Vale handles protection and escort; Mercy handles medicine and witnesses; Finch handles locks and discreet entry; Briar handles routes and pursuit; Lumen handles magical inspection. Saved class/spell mechanics remain editable and SRD-based. Use class resources and spell slots normally; mission props grant no unlisted combat bonuses.

Prism custody and shutdown decisions

Track one unique dispatch prism. Starting custodian: Cira. Intended route: archive → conduit/street → Sable's exchange → Dross's Skyglass crew → isolation engine. Change custody only when a live scene establishes it. The package contains no prism in any character bag and no completed custody entry. A party-held or destroyed prism cannot also be installed in the engine. If interception succeeds, prevention is achieved; mark the quest only when that result actually occurs. Do not reveal an identical spare to force the finale. Continuing to Skyglass can instead rescue Ivo and secure evidence. If the prism reaches the engine, Ivo can isolate the outgoing relay in ten fictional minutes, using the posted procedure. With the counterseal, the team can preserve the evidence while resetting it. A hard shutdown also prevents transmission but interrupts public signals until repaired. Negotiate consequences fairly; normal city communications being disrupted is different from a false order being sent.

Rest, deadline and escalation

The operation spans game day 1 evening to game day 3 dawn. The suggested safehouse window after the archive allows an eight-hour rest before the day-2 10:00 exchange. Another rest may fit before the first bell if the table's travel and scene times permit it. Record rests and resources only when the group takes them. The initial calendar is day 1, 20:00. It contains scheduled preparation, no elapsed history. Advancing the calendar is a DM action and never marks a session played. Announce meaningful deadline pressure before a long task. A scene can happen earlier than its staging window when choices allow. Dross cannot broadcast the unique prism while it is secured elsewhere. If time expires with a live engine, the forged message reaches relay officers first; Nalia and Edda can organize a correction. Continue with costly diplomacy and witness protection. The mission remains playable and the outcome is saved only after resolution.

Evidence, disclosure and a fair ending

Give each proof a source and custodian. Archive counterseal: original maintenance authority and serial mismatch. Courier docket: buyer/time/address. Exchange manifest: Dross's delivery contract. Engine log: actual configuration and forged dispatch. Witnesses: Orren, Cira if protected, Ivo if rescued, and Nalia's genuine agenda. For a convincing public case, use the counterseal with the engine log or with two independent witnesses. If evidence is destroyed, offer rebuilding testimony and an incomplete-investigation ending. No proof automatically publishes itself or clears an accusation before an audience reviews it. Choose Edda for a legal chain of custody, Nalia for a diplomatic correction, or both with agreed copies. Do not publish Cira's family details or hidden witness routes without permission. Player Knowledge drafts reveal only their scene's earned information when explicitly reviewed and published.

Rewards without recorded payouts

Starting currency is 25 gp on each operative sheet. These are starting resources, not an earned mission payout. Mara offers 300 gp for the whole party after verified prevention; divide and transfer once only after actual play. A 100 gp prism bid and optional 25 gp skiff booking are choices, not already-paid charges. Prepared scene treasure is zero coins and no items. The prism and evidence are unique quest objects whose custodian should be noted after acquisition. Witness protection, civic acknowledgment and returned equipment are conditional narrative rewards. No wallet, inventory, milestone, reward record or downtime progress has been applied.

Player handouts in reveal order

1. Publish the mission brief after Mara speaks. It names the archive audit only, not Dross's full scheme. 2. Publish the serial mismatch and courier docket after examination. If Edda provides the lawful route, use the same clue wording. 3. Publish the delivery manifest after bargaining, recovery or a witnessed transfer. It introduces Skyglass and Ivo's detention. 4. Publish the maintenance message at the landing. It identifies the engine route without revealing the final log. 5. Publish the safety procedure only after inspection or Ivo's explanation. 6. Publish verified evidence only after choosing recipients. All prepared handouts are drafts; none begins published. Keep the relationship graph in DM mode until player edges are separately reviewed.

Close the operation and write the first actual recap

End live combat and check character HP/resources. Choose the session's actual status and record what happened: accusation triggered or prevented, prism custody, transmitter state, witnesses safe, evidence delivered and Dross's fate. Update only objectives achieved and rewards actually delivered. Write a recap from those facts; do not paste the planned scene sequence as history. Character journals start empty so each player records their own decisions. Choose a next step based on the outcome: clear names, correct the forged dispatch, protect a witness or audit the remaining relay contracts. Planned session 04 is a conditional follow-up, not a prewritten victory.

Copy, edit and re-import safely

Choose Veil Protocol in Campaign transfers, review the package and confirm a new private copy. Imported tables start closed, joining disabled and player publications unpublished. The shared example is not changed by editing your copy. JSON and campaign CSV contain the same data. Common text uses its labeled columns; typed relationships, map floor and terrain use data_json. Keep linked IDs consistent and use new IDs for added records. Validate and review after editing. Journal rows are absent intentionally; add your own journal entries after your first played session.