The Drowned

A remote fishing station lies on the northernmost bay of the Blossoming Sea. The mouth of the inlet is called the Devil’s Spine, as jagged rocks and shallow waters shelter the bay from open sea. The mountains that surround it on the landside will be impassable until the first thaw, but most fishermen will never see it. That’s why the pay is so good—enough to retire after a few seasons. If you can survive the cold, that is, and the long nights, and the hunger, and the treacherous waters.

This year though, things are not going well. The midwinter catch has been poor, your provisions are dwindling, and you’ve started eating the fish you’d set aside for bait. So you’ve buckled your belt and hope your luck will turn. After all, one winter is all you need. Decades of valuables from careless ships lie buried in the freezing waters. Who knows what the tide will bring, for you to glean?

The Drowned is an incursion for the game Trophy Dark. It is based upon Thordur Palsson’s film The Damned (2024).

Writing and editing by Michele Didoni.

Art by Charles Rabot (public domain from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate).

Thanks to Cat and Dominik for playtesting and for your invaluable feedback.