WHAT DWELLS HERE?
The Port of Shadow has been held, claimed, or occupied
over the years by duergar, drow, dwarves, crazed wiz-
ards, slavers, and pirates. Currently, the town is under
the sway of Xanathar, who bas turned the forlorn set-
tlement into a haven for its criminal organization. (The
beholder inhabits a dungeon complex under Skullport
that is described in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.)
Few folk have permanent residences in the Port of
Shadow, and most of the local businesses are presently
shut down. The people who do remain in business pay
Xanathar for protection. Adventurers can find food,
drink, shelter, and supplies here-or perhaps a quick
death, if they antagonize the locals.FLAMESKULLS
Thirteen ancient ftameskulls haunt Skullport. These
entities, which have defended the town since its found-
ing, are all that remain of the Sargauth Enclave, a set-
tlement of Netherese wizards. The fiameskulls consider
themselves the true rulers of Skullport, but they have
lost touch with reality, their minds drifting in and out of
the present and the past. They rarely communicate, and
when they do it is often in a dead language.Exploring Skull Island
All location descriptions for Skull Island are keyed to
map 24. The island's features are as follows:- The island sits in the middle of a vast cavern with a
roughly dome-shaped roof that rises to a height of 120
feet above the water level. - Atop the island is a stone fortress, its 20-foot-high
outer walls interrupted at irregular intervals by
30-foot-high (two-story) towers topped with battle-
ments, ballistae, and flame cannons (see the "Skull
Island Weaponry" sidebar). - A natural column of rock rises from the heart of the
fortress and merges with the cavern ceiling. (See area
9 for more information on this spire.)
SKULL ISLAND WEAPONRY
The fortress on Skull Island bristles with ballistae and
flame cannons. Before one of these weapons can be fired,
it must be loaded and aimed. It takes one action to load a
weapon, one action to aim it, and one action to fire it. Each
ballista or flame cannon is a Large object with AC 15, 50
hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
A ballista is a massive crossbow that fires heavy bolts. A
flame cannon is a bulky mechanical contraption that hurls
casks of a lchemist's fire that explode on impact.
Ballista. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 120/480
ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3dl0) piercing damage.
Flame Cannon. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range
60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (l d6) bludgeoning damage
plus 17 (Sd6) fire damage, and the target catches fire.
While on fire, the target takes 3 (1 d6) fire damage at the
start of each of its turns. A creature can end this damage
by immersing itself in water or by using an action to make
a DC 10 Dexterity check to extinguish the flames.SKULLPORT
- MURKSPAN BRIDGE
An arched stone bridge connects the island to the town.
The middle 30-foot span of the bridge is rigged to col-
lapse. Two stone levers hidden in secret compartments
at the south end of the bridge trigger the collapse when
they are pulled simultaneously (requiring an action for
each one). Characters who search the south end of the
bridge can find the levers and discern their purpose
with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. - MAIN GATE
The main entrance to the fortress is protected by a
sturdy iron gate. Winches in the flanking guard towers
open and close this gate. - HARBORS
Skull Island has two natural harbors (area 3a and area
3b). Each harbor is 60 feet deep and lined with rotted
wooden docks. Steel augers installed along the mouth
of each harbor can be raised or lowered on rusty iron
chains connected to winches in the towers to either side
of the harbor. When they are raised, the augers pierce
the hulls of passing ships, flooding their lower decks
and causing them to sink. - DUERGAR BARRACKS
Ten duergar are quartered in this two-story building.
5. HUMAN BARRACKS
This three-story edifice looms over the northeast harbor
(area 3b). Seventy human thugs are quartered here.6. DEPLETED ARMORY
The Xanathar Guild plundered this two-story building
after taking control of the fortress. It stands empty.- BUGBEAR BARRACKS
Sixty bugbears inhabit this two-story stone building. - GARGOYLE TOWERS
Twelve gargoyles perch on the battlements of these
three-story stone towers (four atop each tower). - TOWER OF THE SEVEN WOES
The fortress's half-ogre commander, Sundeth, lives in
this hollowed-out spire with his wyvern mount. Sundeth
is a hideous, 8-foot-tall, half-ogre champ ion (see appen-
dix A), with these changes:
- Sundeth is chaotic evil.
- He has these racial traits: He is Large and has dark-
vision out to a range of 60 feet. He speaks Common
and Giant.
The column merges with the cavern roof, narrows
in the middle (where a stalactite and a stalagmite con-
verged eons ago), and has abundant ledges and hand-
holds on the outside. The outer door is made of iron
and squeals loudly when opened, alerting the spire's
occupants.