Ghosts of Saltmarsh

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

II:.!



  • The lair is a three-level cave system inside a rocky is-
    land. Remarkably, the island seems to have sunk into
    the surrounding sea, leaving only the top one-third
    visible from above the water.

  • The main entrance is now a large cave that faces
    the seacoast.
    The lizardfolk made few changes to the place. only
    adding stairs to connect the levels.
    The sahuagin have made drastic changes to their
    former lair, beyond submerging the two lower levels
    beneath the water. All the alterations to the lair made
    by the sahuagin arc described in the "Sahuagin Strong-
    hold" section below.
    If the lizard folk are not present at the meeting, the
    map and the related information are provided by scouts
    who have explored the area without attracting any atten-
    tion from the sahuagin.


MISSION GOALS
The objectives of the mission, which must be accom-
plished if the reward is to be gained. are fourfold:
l. Determine the strength of the sahuagin force: how
many warriors. lieutenants. and other battle-ready
troops are present.


  1. Locate important areas within the fortress: where are
    the warriors barracked. the officers quartered, and
    the leaders housed.

  2. Discover any significant defensive measures: traps,
    areas readied specifically for defense, and other dan-
    gers the attacking force must avoid or overcome.

  3. Discover how advanced the sahuagin preparations
    are and when they might mount their first attack.


APPROACH BY SEA
If the characters want to travel by sea, the council pro-
vides them with a modified keelboat with two pairs of
oars, two rowboats. and a step-down mast, large enough
to accommodate the characters and any reasonable
amount of equipment. Navigation and propulsion of
the craft is handled by two members of the town guard
(guards), who pilot the boat but do not disembark when
the characters reach their destination. (If the characters
experienced Danger at Dun water. th is boat is of the
same sort as the one they used in that adventure.)

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL

COMBAT NOT REQUIRED
The characters are considered an elite team that can bring
back the needed information. They will likely need to fight
some of the sahuagin, but must remain quiet as often
as possible to avoid becoming overwhelmed. If they can
achieve the mission goals without combat, they're playing
smart and well. The intent is to get the players to think tac-
tically and avoid unnecessary fights against a superior foe.
Reward the characters' efforts to move past areas filled
with sahuagin undetected, but do not hesitate to have the
sahuagin react if the characters behave carelessly.

Upon arriving near the stronghold, the characters
must decide where to disembark and how best to ap-
proach the fortress itself. If the lizardfolk are present.
they recommend a daylight landing at the river mouth.
In any event. the keelboat will not come ashore or drop
anchor anywhere near the island. The characters are
expected to use the rowboats to get to shore while the
keelboat sails well out of view of the fortress for the du-
ration of the party's mission. At a predetermined s ignal
or after some period of time, the keelboar will return to
see if the characters are ready to be collected.

Sahuagin Stronghold


The fortress and former home to the lizard folk is a
rocky island located at the mouth of thejavan River.
When the lizardfolk la ired there, the island was almost
entirely above sea level. Thadrah, the sahuagin high
priestess of Sckolah, worked ritual magic that sank the
island by lowering the seabed.
The cave entrance that once provided the lizardfolk
access to the lowest level of the island caves has been
submerged in 80 feet of water. The stone causeway that
previously led from the shore to the cave entrance now
leads to a new set of stone doors built by the sahuagin.
The fortress depicted in this adventure is not a typical
sahuagin settlement. This is a singular situation-an
experimental. fortified base in coastal waters from
which sahuagin forces can exert an iron hand of domi-
nation over all races inhabiting the adjacent waters and
coastal region. If this experiment proves successful, the
sahuagin plan to construct more bases of this sort until
their control over all waters and coasts is complete, and
maritime commerce is at their mercy.

Dave). Brown and Don Turnbull
bring the Saltmarsh trilogy to a con·

clusion in this (^1983) adventure. As
befits TSR UK's talent for creating
unique scenarios, The Final Enemy
challenges players to plan and carry
out reconnaissance on a dangerous
sahuagin lair.
Cll \l'TER b rill' H...;At I Nl·M'I
We've added an epic final battle
where the characters have a chance
to lead a final, decisive assault on
the sahuagin fortress.

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