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Carved into the column is a seven-story prison com-
posed of windowless torture chambers connected to
one another by rough-hewn stairways. Worshipers of
Loviatar used this tower to imprison and torture slaves.
The walls throughout are lined with manacles; rusted
shackles lie strewn amid torture racks, spiked cages,
and other contraptions that have fallen into disrepair.- Kuo-TOA LAIR
East of the island fortress, an old dock protrudes from
the mouth of a damp cave like a wooden tongue.
lOA. OLD DOCK
The dock creaks and groans but is safe to stand on.IOB. Kuo-TOA CAVE
A hungry kuo-toa named Hlool crouches in the middle
of this cave. If the characters give it food, Hlool eats the
food, then dives to the bottom of the River Sargauth,
returns minutes later with a bundled-up cloak of the
manta ray that it took from a dead adventurer, and gives
it to the characters as a thank-you gift.Exploring the Town
All location descriptions for the town of Skullport are
keyed to maps 25 and 26. The town's key features are
summarized below:- Everything has a deteriorated, haphazard look to it.
Tightly packed buildings of wood and stone are piled
atop one another, creating three levels: a lower level
(often called the street level), a middle level, and an
upper level. - Unnamed thoroughfares wind through the town at
street level. Above this labyrinth run mazes of cat-
walks made from the wood of old shipwrecks. Old rig-
ging is used to suspend the creaky catwalks. - The 90-foot-high cavern ceiling is covered with a for-
est of stalactites. - Most of the lanterns that once illuminated Skullport
are gone, turned to rust or stolen by thieves long ago.
Denizens carry their own light sources or rely on
darkvision to see. Flameskulls are often mistaken
from a distance for bobbing torches as they drift
through town.
The town has no general store, and some merchan-
dise that is abundant in Waterdeep simply isn't available
here. Prices in Skullport are five times higher than nor-
mal. If an NPC is mentioned by name with no pointer to
a stat block, assume the NPC is a commoner.
- OLD MARKETS
These open-air spaces are dreary and forlorn.
llA. OLD FISH MARKET
Closed shops and warehouses enclose an abandoned
market dotted with empty fish stands.llB. OLD SLAVE MARKET
The shops that surround this abandoned slave market
appear vacant. Further investigation reveals that one
shop (area 12) is open for business.SKU LLPO RT- DEAD MAN'S CORNER
A sea hag named Olive Stillwater sells human zombies
out of this dilapidated shop. She appears as an old
woman covered with snails and barnacles.
Olive keeps a dozen human zombies in her cramped
shop. "They're great for setting off traps!" she says with
a chuckle. As payment for each zombie, she demands
a tiny vial of the buyer's blood and three hairs plucked
from the buyer's head. She owns a pair of rusty iron
shears that can be used to draw blood and cut hair. After
consuming this payment, Olive gains the innate ability
to cast the animate dead spell once per day for the next
three days.
Each zombie wears a rope noose around its neck.
A character who buys a zombie must lead it around
by the noose; otherwise, the zombie stands still and
does nothing.
13. THIMBLEWINE' S PAWNSHOP
A cheery rock gnome named Krystaleen runs this shop.
She is the niece of the pawnshop's previous owner,
Thimblewine, who died of old age a few years ago.
Krystaleen buys reusable goods from visitors at
normal cost (as listed in the Player's Handbook). If the
characters are looking to buy a nonmagical item, there
is a 10 percent chance that Krystaleen has such an
item in stock. All merchandise is sold at five times the
normal cost.- HERALDS' MEET
This town square is littered with trash. Nearly all the
buildings that surround it are abandoned. - THE BLACK TANKARD
The proprietor of this squalid, one-story tavern is a fat,
dour duergar named Droon Stonedark, who works for
Xanathar. Two minotaurs stand in dark corners, ready
to give unruly patrons the heave-ho. A spectator floats
amid the rafters and provides additional security.
Droon sells Wyrmwizz, an alcoholic swill, for^2 sp per
mug. No food and no other drinks are available. - GYUDD'S DISTILLERY
This dwarven distillery is a three-story stone building
with a sagging roof. Gyudd, the shield dwarf distiller,
makes Amberjack (a sherry), bitter Goat's Head Ale, and
a muddy alcoholic swill called Wyrmwizz. The cost of
a 5-gallon cask is 20 gp for Amberjack,^10 gp for Goat's
Head Ale, and 5 gp for Wyrmwizz. - SKULL SQUARE
Empty buildings surround this square, which is fes-
tooned with iron gibbets dangling from wooden masts. - THE SEA CHEST
This shop used to sell chests, strongboxes, and other
containers, but the place is closed up. Its proprietor, a
shield dwarf named Tor Grayfell, had his brain eaten by
a mind flayer believed to still be at large in Skullport.