⚙️ Side Quest: The Courier at the Depot for Tephra the Steampunk RPG

Behind the Die by Charlie Stayton

System: Tephra: The Steampunk RPG
Recommended Party: 3–5 characters, Levels 1–3
Tone: Mystery with a burst of action
Length: 1–2 hours

---

Hook

The adventurers arrive at the Skytrain Depot in Evangless just before midnight. They’ve been asked to escort Courier-7, a prototype automaton, onto the departing train. Rumors swirl that rival factions want to seize the machine before it leaves.

Scene: The Train Depot

The depot is alive with steam hiss, shouting porters, and swinging cranes loading cargo. A sense of tension hangs in the air.

• Courier-7: Childlike, overly literal, prone to asking existential questions. Stays close to the party but occasionally wanders toward “interesting” noises.

• Challenges:

  • Saboteurs of the Sons of Strife launch a rooftop ambush.

  • Steam vents, loose crates, and moving cranes create dangerous but useful terrain.

  • A stolen blueprint case must be recovered before the train departs.

Enemies:

• Saboteur Captain (Cunning +4, Dexterity +5, twin pistols)

• 2–3 Thugs (Brute +3, clubs, smoke bombs)

Twist

After the fight, Courier-7 halts at the boarding stairs and asks the adventurers:

“Am I property to be delivered, or a person to be freed?”

The group must decide quickly before the train whistle blows.

---

Outcomes

• Deliver Courier-7: The LaVrey Agency pays the party 100 marks each.

• Set it Free: Courier-7 escapes into the night, but leaves the party with a prototype gadget as thanks (a grappling pistol). They may have gained a future ally—and a powerful enemy.

• Compromise: Strike a deal with the automaton or the saboteurs, reshaping faction politics in the city.