The High Cut

The old lower section came down two days ago, which it has not done in living memory, and it came down on the man who keeps the pass. His hip is broken, his hut is on the wrong side, and behind him there is nothing at all for two days.

He has to go west through a gap you can only cross when the wind drops. He has decided he is not going.

THE THING YOU ARE CARRYING ARGUES WITH YOU THE WHOLE WAY. Marrit Fen is not confused and not being brave about it. He is sixty-one with a broken hip and he knows exactly what happens to a cut-keeper who leaves the cut on a stretcher. Two people can lift him and he will not resist. It costs every word he would have said to them afterwards.

BUILT FOR EXACTLY TWO PLAYERS. Encounters, pacing and pregens are all written for a pair.

WHAT YOU GET - 33 pages, and nothing left for you to invent

- 5 scenes, every one written out in full: read-aloud text, what happens if they fail, what to do if they skip it

- 2 battle maps in three versions each - DM, player, and no grid, 70 px per 5-foot square

- 4 ready-to-play 2nd-level characters

- 11 secrets, tables and printable handouts

THE CLOCK IS THE WIND, and the creature in the gap does not know you exist. It is not hunting anybody. That is what makes it dangerous.

PART OF THE SALT ROAD. Sixty miles, sixteen stops, each a day apart. Every one of them has noticed the same thing and not one of them has said so out loud. This adventure stands completely alone - it needs nothing from any other - but a table that plays four of them starts comparing notes without being prompted.

THE FILES - four PDFs: A4 and US Letter, each in colour and in a printer-friendly build. The printer-friendly version is the same book in pure white, nothing removed. Plus 6 map images.

Compatible with Fifth Edition. Instant digital download - nothing is posted.

Made with AI assistance: the text and maps of this adventure were written and generated with AI, then edited, checked and laid out by hand.