---
type: session
campaign: The Hollow Between
session: 1
---

# Session 01 - The First Toll

## Opening

Bring the party into Briarcross as the village is already tense from three nights of bell sounds. Introduce the bridge, the removed bell clappers on doorframes, and the sense that everyone is following rules they cannot quite explain.

## Core Scenes

1. Arrival and first impressions in [[campaigns/the-hollow-between/locations/briarcross]]
2. Meeting [[campaigns/the-hollow-between/npcs/mara-thornfield]] and [[campaigns/the-hollow-between/npcs/brother-hale]]
3. Tam returns from the marsh carrying the root-and-peat key
4. First trip toward [[campaigns/the-hollow-between/locations/the-hollow-bell]] or [[campaigns/the-hollow-between/locations/the-hushmere]]
5. End on the buried bell ringing while the party is close enough to feel it
6. Seed the existence of [[campaigns/the-hollow-between/npcs/the-listeners-below]] through rumor, a painted toll mark, or a villager defending the waking openly

## Questions to Put on the Table

- Who is lying about what they know?
- Why do the old rules focus on thresholds, bells, and names?
- What does the key open?

## Good Outcomes

- The party earns enough trust to keep investigating
- They pick a first ally, even provisionally
- They leave the session with a clear desire to learn more rather than simply attack the problem