Ghosts of Saltmarsh

SHERN: LOBSTER, TELEPATH, FRIEND

Until it escaped, Shern was used by the sahuagin in their

makeshift lobster fighting arenas. It managed to escape its

fate as a gladiato r, in part due to its strangely high level of

intelligence.

The lobster has limited telepathy, though it cannot ex-

plain how it came to have this ability. It can communicate

with any other living creature within 10 feet. The lobster

has named itself Shern, and it desperately wants to escape

the fortress.

If Shern becomes aware of the characters, it attempts

to communicate with one of them despite not being

able to convey language. It knows the following informa·

tion, which it communicates through feelings and pro-

jected images:

• A terrible monster lives in the temple.
  
  
  • Two four-armed sahuagin rule this fortress.
  
  
  • The bulk of the sahuagin forces are on the fortress's
    lowest level.
  
  
  • If the party frees Shern by returning it to the ocean, it
    can lead the characters to a sunken treasure (of your de-
    sign) a few miles south of the fortress.
    Shern knows the layout of the two lowest levels of the
    fortress, including areas where large number of sahuagin
    ga ther. The lobster accompanies the characters i f i t senses
    they will help it escape. Shern hopes to hide in a backpack,
    a cloak pocket, o r a hood while the characters explore the
    rest of the fortress.
  
  
  
  

A see m ingly ordinary lobste r scuttles along t he floor.
This is S hern, a n unassuming b u t most remarkable lob-
ste r (see the "S hern: Lobste r. Te lepath, Fr iend'" s ide bar).
The lobster has no effe ctive attacks and is kille d auto·
matically by a ny attack.

41. BANQUET HALL

The corridor leads to a great hall, its floor tiled in black,

the walls in coral pink, and t he ceiling in white. Black-

tiled pillars are regularly placed in a line slightly south of

the east-west axis. To the north of the pillars, long tables

have been placed end to end, with benches to either side.

At t he midpoint of the north wall, an archway opens onto

a passage. This ornate archway is decorated with elegant

black and gold designs evocative of waves and mon-

st rous sea creatures. j

This is the sahuagin banque t hall. S ince sahuagin pre fe r

to eat informally when individuals feel hunger, this hall

is used only for important functions, such as to celebrate

a great victory or entertain visiting nobles. The ceiling is

30 feet high.

The table s and ben ches can accommodate two hun-

dred sahuagin with space to spare , but at p resent the

area is empty.

The stone head in the s e m icircular nic he in the ce n -

ter of the south w a ll is not clearly vis ible to characters

standing unde r the western or eastern a rch. As soon a s

a character moves to a position from whic h they can be

observed, read t he following :

l A semicircular niche has been hollowed into the center

of the south wall. The floor of the niche sits seven feet

off the ground. On the shelf formed there stands a large

carved stone head, visibly battered and disfigured. The

features can still be recognized as those of a lizardfolk.

The head is about twice as large as life size.

i

When the lizard folk lived he re, one of their p roudest

possessions was a 10 -foot-hig h statue of Semuanya,

their d e ity. Whe n the sahuagin took over the fortress,

they destroyed the statue, breaking it into stone frag-

ments and leaving only the head, be fore the baron

interven ed. Ins tead of allowing the m to destroy the

head, the baron decided to keep it a s a memento of h is

triumph-not only over the lizardfolk, but over their very

way of life. He had his warriors r e move it to the banque t

hall and place it so that it faced him as he sat on his

throne. It is an object of scorn and d erision among the

sahuagin-rarely doe s a sahuagin pass it without mak-

ing a malic ious, usually obsce ne, gesture.

Development. From this room, the characters can

hear fragments of the discussion taking place in the

throne roo m (area 42). Conversely, the baron and those

with him in area 42 can hear any noisy activity in the

banque t hall.

42. THRONE ROOM

l

At the end of a short stretch of corridor, another archway

opens into a larger area. Here, the floor is tiled indigo

and the walls dark blue. On the north side, a massive,

ornately carved throne rises from a pale blue dais.

Pale blue marble pillars stand to the east and west. The

dais is of the same pale blue marble, while the throne is

black coral. The ceiling is t iled in pale blue.

Assuming the occupants have no t le ft. read:

j On the throne sits an oversized sahuagin. This creature

has four arms. In his right upper hand, he holds a large

trident. His two lower hands grip the arms of his throne.

Floating next to the throne, on the creature's right-

hand side, is an adult female sahuagin holding a long

staff tipped with a jumble of shark jaws and teeth.

In front of the throne and at the foot of the dais , three

adult sahuagin float with their backs to you. Two float

with bodies held rigid, while the third pleads before

1 the throne.

The sahuagin speaking to the baron is complaining

about offensive r em arks made by anothe r sahuagin. The

sahuagin wants tb e baron to punis h the offender. The

ba ron is growing impatient with the pettiness and is

cl ose to feeding all involve d partie s to the Maw of Seko-

lah in are a 37.

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