Ghosts of Saltmarsh

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
statue does not move until the undead have been turned
or have joined battle against the intruders. The statue
then attacks the nearest trespasser. Like the undead,
the statue attacks until all intruders have been killed or
driven from the complex. The statue does not pursue
any targets beyond area 11 and returns to its original
position once intruders have been dealt with.

13. FALSE TREASURE ROOM
The door leading to this room is trapped with a vial
of poisonous gas hidden above the door. A thin wire
connects it to the latch of the door. A character who has
a passive Perception score of 16 or higher notices the
wire. A character who is searching carefully and who
makes a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check
also finds the trap. A character can disarm the trap
by making a successful DC 12 Dexterity check using
thieves' tools.
The trap triggers if a character opens the door. or if an
attempt to disarm it fails. When the trap triggers, a vial
of poisonous gas falls to the floor and releases gas in
a 10-foot-by-10-foot area. Creatures caught in the gas's
area must make a DC 14 Constitution saving th row,
taking 9 (2d8) poison damage on a fajled save or half as
much on a successful one. Creatures that fail this saving
throw are poisoned for 1 minute.





When the party enters the room, read:

Chests. urns. and a large strongbox stand in alcoves set
uniformly along this chamber's walls. Some chests are
open, and you see jewelry and coins spilling out. Colored
flashes of light sparkle with the promise of gems and
jewels. In the center of the room is a green stone statue

1 of a beautiful e lf.


The statue is actually a vampiricjade statue (see ap-
pendix C). lts face becomes a dreadful fanged mask
when it attacks. If the characters attack the statue or
touch a chest. an urn, or the strongbox, the statue at-
tacks and purs ues them ceaselessly until either it is
destroyed or the party is driven from the Winding Way.
It will not pursue beyond area 11.
Trapped Strongbox.. The strongbox is locked and
trapped. A character who studies the chest carefully
before trying to open it and who makes a successful DC
16 Intelligence (Investigation) check finds the trap. A
character can disarm the trap by making a s uccessful
DC 12 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. A character
who makes a successful DC 12 Dexterity check using
thieves' tools can open the strongbox, whether or not
the trap is disarmed.
The trap triggers if it is not disarmed before the
strongbox is opened or if an attempt to disarm it fails.
When the trap triggers, a poisoned needle fires out. A
creature standing in front of the chest's locking mecha-
nism when the needle fires must make a DC 14 Dexter-
ity saving throw or take 18 (4d8) poison damage.
The strongbox contains nothing but old rags, bits of
metal. and a small piece of paper with the message:
"Dear thief: A lot of work for nothing, wasn't it?"

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A character who has a passive Perception score of 16
or higher notices the secret door behind the strongbox.
A character who searches the room carefully and who
makes a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check
also finds the door.
False Treasure. The shining contents of the treasure
chests and urns are deceptive. They consist of noth-
ing more than gold-painted wooden coins, iron rings
painted silver, and bits of colored glass.


  1. TREASURE ROOM


This room is a large square whose ceiling is held up by
two massive gray granite pillars. The walls, floor, and
ceiling are made of shiny black iron, and several bags,
chests. and urns lie scattered about. You notice a shim-
mer in the air, like heat rising from a fire.
Suddenly, the shimmering passes between you and
one of the pillars, and you see two humanoid forms
made of the same iron as the walls.

The walls in this area are under the effects of a major
image spell (cast at 6th level) and appear to be made of
solid iron.

1


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Two living iron statues (see appendix C) guard this
area. They immediately attack anyone entering the room
who is not a resident of the abbey.
The statues have been constructed purely as fighting
machines. Their heads are smooth, featureless iron
balls. Their torsos are short and broad, and their legs
are thick and stumpy. The right forearm of each one is
a razor-sharp sword blade, and the left arm ends in a
hammer head instead of a hand.
Treasure. If the characters overcome the statues and
search the bags, chests, and urns, they find 480 gp and
1,200 sp. Another 1,000 gp in gems and jewelry can be
found in the urns. A large chest in the northwest corner
contains five bolts of rare silk worth 100 gp each, two
potions of healing. a bag of holding, and a suit of Me-
dium mithral armor (your choice of type).

CONCLUSION
If the characters cannot reach the abbey and are forced
to retreat, they receive nothing from the mariners' guild
other than the return of deposits on borrowed equip-
ment. If the characters clear or find a path through the
Skull Dunes but do not remove the abbey's occupants,
they receive a 100 gp reward.
The characters are given the full reward if they clear
a path through the Skull Dunes and kill, deport, or cap-
ture the abbey's survivors. Captured survivors are held
by the mariners' guild until it has secured the island and
the construction of the lighthouse is well underway.
Once the mariners take control of the island, it is
unlikely that the cult that built the abbey tries to retake
it. Doing that would require a much larger force than
they are capable of mustering at present. The cult will
certainly not forget about the island or the charac-
ters, though.

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