Ghosts of Saltmarsh

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
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M/\P 8 1: THE 5TVES

LIFE IN THE STYES
In better days, the fact that the Styes was sheltered from
offshore winds was one of its more desirable qualities.
Now, the Alchemists' Quarter spews a permanent mi-
asma of acrid. rancid yellow vapor that hangs above the
district and coats its walls and roofs with a greasy film.
The dense population of the decaying district makes
the waters around the port swirl with sewage, blood
and offal from butchers. lye and fur from tanners. and
indescribable chemical mixtures from alchemists. In the
eastern portion of the Styes, the pollution is so bad that
the river's flow has been diverted, leaving a large portion
of the district's boardwalks suspended over a wallow of
rancid mud.

MERCHANDISE
Most items for sale in the Styes can be had for standard
prices, but they are of noticeably substandard quality.
Anyone who walks around in fancy clothing. brightly
colored accessories, flashy jewelry. or with expensive
weapons or armor on display is bound to attract un-
wanted attention from thieves, opportunistic merchants,
and any local willing to commit a crime of opportunity
(which is to say most of them). Bartering is common
in the district, and characters will find it difficult if not
impossible to sell anything with a value over 75 gp for
cash. Local merchants don't have that much coinage on
hand. or won·t admit it if they do.

600


TAVERNS AND INNS

1: Harbor Master
2: Frother's lamp
3: Marketplace
4: City Garrison
5: City Hall
6: Refrum's Workshop
7: Dory's Warehouse
8: Rashlen Manor
9: Thornwell Tower
10: Mortuary
11: Hopene'er Asylum

Taverns are everywhere in the Styes, ranging from large
public houses to holes-in-the-wall with two tables and
nothing but acrid, home-brewed rotgut on tap. The cli-
entele are uniformly glum and morose, and brawls and
fights are common. The best taverns in the Styes would
be considered dives in most cities- and its inns are no
better. Visitors are advised to bring their own bedding
to avoid bugs, and to move the bed in front of the door to
keep out burglars and unscrupulous innkeepers.

RELJCJON
Though religion is important to many of the Styes' cit-
izens, no publ ic temples operate in the district. This is
partially because the councillors impose steep taxes on
the faithful, to prevent religious leaders from becoming
too popular and eroding the councirs authority. But
beyond this, even the most dedicated members of the
clergy are eventually overwhelmed by the region's emo-
tionally fatiguing problems.
Disease. famine, cruelty. and brutality weigh so heav-
ily on the Styes that well-meaning clerics are driven to
despair. Small temples dedicated to gods of healing and
charity operate quietly in nondescript buildings, and
tiny shrines can be found in alleys and cul-de-sacs all
over the district. Beyond these, only one organized faith
exists in secret in the Styes. and it plays a central role in
the adventure- the cult of Tharizdun.

c 11 'r• 1 PR s I 1111 "rn s

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