Ghosts of Saltmarsh

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.

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


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


4. 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.