Ghosts of Saltmarsh

PLACINC THE ADVENTURE

This adventure presents the Styes as an old district in a

port city or large port town. Making the Styes part of a

larger, thriving settlement gives the characters plenty of

potential reasons to visit the area, with the overall settle-

ment ideally located in a nation that's fallen on hard times.

Alternatively, the district could be part of a free city that

has fallen into despair and decay. In the world of Grey-

hawk, the city of Prymp in Ahlissa is an excellent choice.

In the Forgotten Realms, the Styes fits nicely into the city

of Marsember. In Eberron, the Styes could be a district in

Rekkenmark or any of the other coastal settlements that

haven't fully recovered from the ravages of the Last War.

Alternatively, you could set the Styes up as a small,

stand-alone port town. This approach has the advantage

of limiting characters to the Styes' squalid confines. They

can't retreat to a nicer part of the city when they want a

clean inn, a healthy place to eat, or a wholesome temple

for healing or other aid. As a stand-alone town, the Styes

can be added to your campaign world at the mouth of any

river. You might have a hard time attracting the characters

to such a dismal location, however, without drawing on the

Styes' reputation for its alchemists and potion factories.

If the characters step in. the children run away and
th e onlookers rapidly lose interest. Master Refrum (LG
male human priest) introduces himself, thanks the
characters for saving him from a humiliating fate, and
asks them to escort him back to his home. He provides
the basic facts about the recent murders if the charac-
ters haven't learned them from a passerby before now.
If the characters don't intervene, Master Refrum
protects himself by casting sanctuary then using thau-
maturgy to frighten away the children and any onlook-
ers with terrifying roars and ground tremors He still
speaks to the characters afterward, recognizing them as
adventurers as he asks for help clearingjarme's name.
He pleads for the characters to accompany him to his
workshop to get the details of the situation.

ELEANOR'S Loss

It might be that something one of the char acters did in

the past impressed a local female human by the name

of Eleanor Loveage (N female human commoner). She

could be the relative of someone a party member saved

in a prev ious adventure, or she might have heard of the

characters' prior good deeds. She is also Jarme's sister,

and she can't believe that her brother could have done

the terrible deeds for which he was executed.

ln her desperation, she approaches the characters for

help (explaining the situation if need be) and asks them

to meet her at Master Refrum's workshop in the Alche-

mists' Quarter of the Styes, where she promises they

will learn more.

THORNWELL'S OFFER

If the characters are less likely to get involved in the

adventure out of altruism. they can be approached by

a mysterious, handsome, well-groomed human female

dressed in black-and-red leather armor. She declines to

give the characters her name, but asks whether they're

interested in a well-paying job. If the characters haven't

learned about the murders yet. she provides them a

summary of those events. She then goes on to say that

she believesJarme Loveage was innocent, and that the

real killer is still out there. She recommends that they

meet with Master Refrum, who has much more infor-

mation about Loveage and the murders, and offers the

characters a reward of 500 pp if they can find the real

murderer and bring the culprit to justice_

The mysterious contact is one of the councillors of the

Styes, named Thornwell (LE female human mage). She

has discovered hints of Mr. Dory's association with the

cult of Tharizdun. which she suspects is also involved

in the murders. Thornwell has wanted to be rid of Dory

ever since she came to believe that her fellow council-

lor was responsible for the death of one of her allies.

But she doesn't want to jeopardize her standing on the

council by taking direct action against Dory, so she has

decided to try using the characters as her tool.

Thornwell suspects that Dory is the actual murderer

(though she hasn't an inkling of Mr. Dory's true nature),

and she secretly hopes the characters end up killing

him. She never mentions her fellow councillor by name,

though, instead making cryptic statements such as: "You

must follow the facts wherever they lead, even if that in-

cludes the halls of power."

Part l: A Dying District..

Even before they spend a lot of time in the Styes, the

characters are quick to note its visible squalor. The haze

of smoke hanging over the district is visible for miles.

and its stench travels far downwind. Water flowing out

the river mouth carries reeking sewage, streaks of dye,

and islands of floating garbage far out to sea.

As the characters enter the district, the view only

gets worse. All of the Styes appears to have one foot in

the grave.

r This is the Styes, the decaying remains of a once-nota-

ble port district. Under bent gables, the carcasses of its

houses lean against each other-languid, broken, and

awaiting the peace of collapse. Door frames sag, dislo-

cated from sod walls heavy with mildew, while splintering

timbers support rotting boardwalks like broken limbs,

disappearing into the thick, rancid water of the harbor

below. In numerous places, sections of the boardwalks

have fallen away completely, leaving broad holes that ex-

pose polluted water.

HISTORY AND DECAY

Once. the Styes was a marvelous port district. Its mag-

nificent buildings crowned an artificial island that was

the centerpiece of a broad bay. held aloft on great oak

pilings. Those huge beams supported great facades

of marble grandeur, connected by boardwalks that

thronged with richly clothed merchants, exotic travelers,

and the passing palanquins of nobility. Known as the Is-

land of Pleasures, the site was a destination for rich and

decadent folk up and down the coast.

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