Ghosts of Saltmarsh

HEALTH

Disease and infection are real concerns in the Styes.

Most residents suffer from some form of debilitating

condition brought on by the poisonous waste flowing

and billowing out of the Alchemists" Quarter, or from

the polluted water of the river and harbor. The adven-

turers are no exception. Anyone who visits the Styes is

exposed to a disease known as red face. This affliction

causes itching and painful inflammation all over the

face, and especially around th e eyes.

The effects of redface are identical to those of sight rot

(see "Diseases" in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's

Guide), but it's caused by pollutants in the air rather

than contaminated drinking water, making it difficult

to avoid. Sewer plague (also described in the Dungeon

Master's Guide) is common in the Styes as well. but

avoiding contact with the district's ubiquitous rodents

and vermin is usually sufficient protection against it.

LAYOUT OF THE DISTRICT

Map 8.1 shows the layout of the district and the loca-

tions of important buildings and land features. The is-

lands that support the buildings are almost all artificial.

Some were created by ancient spells used to lift the floor

of the bay above the water. Others consist entirely of

huge boardwalks supported above the brackish water by

decaying pilings.

The district is made up of four quarters. Travel from

one to the other is either by foot over rickety walkways

or by skiff. Local fishers often supplement their income

by renting their skiffs as crude water taxis. Most trips

cost J cp, but a skiff ride to a dangerous section of town

usually brings 1 gp or more.

Low QUARTER

Also known as Flotsam, the northwest section of the

Styes consists mainly of slum tenements, dubious tav-

erns, rickety warehouses, hovel-crowded alleys, and de-

commissioned ships converted into buildings. This en-

tire area is slowly sinking into the sea. As old buildings

become unlivable, new ones are built atop them, and the

tangle of structures is four or five stories deep in some

places. Many of the lower structures are completely

walled off from the outside. making them ideal places

for hidden temples and black markets. Swaying rope

bridges provide the best avenues bet ween the blocks of

this quarter, since the old boardwalks are sinking like

everything else.

ALCHEMISTS' QUARTER

The Alchemists' Quarter is the northeast section of the

Styes. Long ago, it was the seat of the district's scho-

lastic and religious leadership. but its once-fine temples

and universities have long been dismantled for construc-

tion materials, or converted into dim. smoky factories

and noxious laboratories owned by shady alchemists.

With no regulation to speak of in the Styes. alchemists

are free to conduct whatever dangerous experiments

they like. and to cut corners on safety and quality con-

trol. Iron chimneys belch smoke and foul vapors into

the air. while liquid and solid waste are dumped into the

water around the quarter.

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A large part of this area has become so clogged and

befouled with refuse that the water now moves only

along shallow. sluggish channels that snake through the

reeking expanse of mud. Still, it's common to see des-

perate scavengers wallowing in the filth, scrounging for

anything of value that a distracted alchemist might have

carelessly tossed out with the trash.

HIGH QUARTER

The seal of local government in better days, this quarter

is the southeast section of the Styes. Most of the build-

ings here were once municipal offices, but only a few are

still in operation. All the rest are either deserted or have

been rented to strange and furtive eccentrics.

This section of the district is the least populated, and

its often-empty streets and boardwalks are in stark con-

trast to the crowds that frequent the other three quar-

ters. Militia patrols are common here, but guards in the

High Quarter are universally corrupt, accepting bribes

from nobles, bureaucrats, and powerful merchants, and

extorting protection money from everyone else.

MERCHANTS' QUARTER

The southwest section of the Styes hosts most of the

district's industry and mercantile efforts. Most of the

community's fishers live here, and numerous ware-

houses line the edges of the quarter. Most of these

places are either abandoned and boarded up. or serving

as nophouses. Of the four quarters, the Merchants'

Quarter is the most welcoming to visitors- though that's

not saying much. It's also said to be the healthiest part

of the district-but that's not saying much, either.

LOCATIONS IN THE STYES

The most notable buildings in the Styes are described

here. A few of these locations are detailed later. but most

are left for you to develop as you see fit.

I. HARBOR MASTER

These two stone buildings on a small island in the Mer-

chants' Quarter are the base of operations for Harbor

Master Tak Merakin (NE female half-ore bandit cap-

t ai n) and her constables (twelve NE human thugs). Tak

is profoundly lazy, and as long as merchants and fishers

pay their dues without complaining, she doesn't inter-

fere with business on the water. She reacts only to ob-

vious threats such as fires, riots. and storms-and even

then. she displays an infuriating lethargy.

2. fROTHER'S LAMP
   This decommissioned stone lighthouse was once a
   proud beacon welcoming ships, but it functions now as
   nothing more than a sad Flotsam landmark. When the
   last caretaker died i n a loud argument at a nearby tav-
   ern, no one took up her mantle, and the light has fallen
   into disrepair. After a few more decades of slowly sink-
   ing into the soggy seabed, it might end up consumed by
   shanties and other buildings built atop its corpse.


3. MARKETPLACE
   This large. open space serves as the primary market for
   the Styes. The area is always crowded, but the goods for
   sale here are of low quality and dubious origin.