Ghosts of Saltmarsh

The Sea Ghost

A contingent of smugglers glides through the waters near Saltmarsh on their ship, the Sea Ghost. The ship is away from the house when the characters explore it, though evidence of its moorings can be discovered in the secret caverns below. The ship comes into play in the second part of this adventure.

Sanbalet's Gang

The smugglers are familiar with the house, caverns, and surrounding area, except for the secret lab at x. If they become aware of the characters' intrusion, they cooperate to locate and destroy the invaders.

The following members of the gang are currently in the house, skulking about in the cellar and the adjoining caverns: Sanbalet (see appendix C), two hobgoblins, four bandits, and four scouts. All the bandits and scouts are humans of neutral evil alignment. Before being alerted to the characters' incursion the smugglers are dispersed in the cellar and caverns beneath the house (as indicated in the area descriptions).

The Wall

The stone wall is 6 feet tall and more or less encloses the garden. It has partially collapsed in several places, so access to any part of the garden is simple even if characters decide not to enter through the main gate.

The Garden

The alchemist kept a vegetable garden around the house, which was used as a retreat from the stress of work and as a supply of fresh food. Now, a few broken gardening tools and a tangle of weeds are all that remain. A single rosebush near the gate has overgrown the wall and choked out most of the other plants. A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check discovers that something large has made a burrow under the rosebush.

A family of four giant weasels resides in the thorny mass, having dug out a home under the wall. The weasels are highly aggressive and try to ambush the characters as they investigate the garden. Given the opportunity, they'll try to grapple the smallest character and drag them toward their den.

The Well

A character who makes a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check while viewing the well from a distance notices a cluster of small mammal remains in the tall grass around the well (primarily mice, squirrels, and the like).

The well shaft, which descends 20 feet, still contains clean water. Fed by an aquifer; the well offers no access to the house nor the caverns below it. If the characters illuminate the shaft while looking down, they see the glint of coins through the shallow water at the bottom. A Medium or smaller creature can climb down the well, using the rocky walls as natural handholds.

Two giant poisonous snakes make their homes in the crumbled and crevice-ridden walls of the well shaft. They emerge and strike at anything that descends into the well. They also emerge if the characters linger near the well while investigating it.

1. Entrance Hall

The stairs show considerable wear and creak ominously when tread upon but remain strong enough to support anyone climbing to the second floor.

A character who makes a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check finds two sets of recently made humanoid tracks. One set of tracks travels from the entryway toward x. The second leads away from the foot of the stairs and along the western corridor toward x.

2. Library

The fourteen books in the heap untidily thrown into the corner are covered with cobwebs, vermin droppings, and harmless mold. All are partially ruined but are still legible. Most of the books are dull (histories, collections of romantic poems, and so forth), but three are quite noteworthy. These three books bear clear titles on their spines:

The Magical Properties of Gemstones by the archmage Tenser

The Magical Properties of Herbs and Flowers by the archmage Tenser

The Metaphysics of Mathematics by the mage Nystul

Inside the third volume lies a piece of parchment torn from a larger sheet, containing a few lines of handwritten text in the Common tongue. Dampness has spoiled it so that only two words are legible: "beyond skeletons."

The books can be sold for 7 gp each, though finding a buyer for such tomes might require the party to look beyond Saltmarsh.

3. Study

The central drawer is locked and can be opened by a character who succeeds on a DC 10 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. The drawer contains nothing but old, valueless documents, all written in Common—receipts for purchases of various chemicals and laboratory equipment. A character who makes a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check uncovers a small secret compartment.

4. Living Area

A secret trapdoor in the northern half of the room leads to the cellar (x). One of the sets of tracks found in area 1 leads to the trapdoor; if the characters are following those tracks, the trapdoor is immediately noticeable (because the tracks go right up to it). If the characters didn't notice the tracks in x, allow them a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check to pick up the trail in this room. If all else fails, the trapdoor can be spotted by a character who makes a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check.

5. Living Area

The mushrooms are harmless.

6. Living Area

The floor in the room above (see x) is considerably weaker than elsewhere, a fact visible to any who look up and make a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. There is nothing else of note here.

7. Dining Room

There is nothing else of note here.

8. Withdrawing Room

A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check finds a stone out of place on the chimney above the fireplace. Removing the stone reveals a hidden compartment. Additionally, characters who approach the fireplace notice a collection of mouse bones spilling out from the hearth.

A swarm of insects (spiders) lurks in the crevices of the fireplace and chimney. The spiders flood forth with obvious irritation if any creatures move to within 5 feet of the fireplace.

9. Kitchen

The cupboard is empty. The stairs lead to x; they are in poor condition but still usable.

If the characters found the tracks in x that lead here, they discover that the tracks continue into area 10. If they failed to find the tracks earlier, they can pick up the trail here with a successful DC 10 Intelligence Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check.

Four giant centipedes nest under the floor below the sink. They come and go through a hole in the foundation beneath the kitchen. The centipedes skitter up the drain, enter the room, and attack anyone investigating the cupboard or the sink.

10. Scullery

Anyone who inspects the cask can tell from the staining on its interior that it was used to boil water.

If the characters found the tracks in area 9 that lead here, they discover that they descend the stairs into x below. If they failed to find the tracks earlier, they can pick up the trail here with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check.

11. Moldering Bedroom

The wardrobe contains two items: a pair of old, cracked leather boots with no value or special properties, and a ragged, stained cloak hanging on a peg. The cloak is tooled with a design of coiling ivy leaves and appears harmless but the inner folds are covered in yellow mold (see "Dungeon Hazards" in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide).

12. Decrepit Bedroom

While some smugglers have slipped away to nap here in recent months, there is nothing of particular note here.

13. Guest Bedroom

Two swarms of insects (spiders) infest this room. One swarm descends on anyone who approaches the fireplace, and the other descends from the webs above the door a moment later. Both wash down the walls with the muffled clatter of thousands of tiny legs.

14. Crumbling Bedroom

Anyone who enters the room with reasonable care can avoid moving into the part of the floor that is sagging and damaged, looking perhaps not strong enough to support significant weight. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check enables a character to detect recent tracks that lead from the door to the window, and back again, along the west edge of the room.

15. Ned's Bedroom

The door to this room is locked. The key to the room has been left rather obviously in the hallway outside the room and can be spotted by someone who makes a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. Alternatively, the door can be opened by a character who succeeds on a DC 12 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. Any character who opens the lock discovers that it was recently oiled.

Once the door is opened, read the following text:

As with x, anyone who enters the room with reasonable care can avoid moving into the part of the floor that is sagging and damaged, looking perhaps not strong enough to support significant weight.

16. Alchemist's Bedroom

The chest is not locked and opens easily. Inside is a pile of moldy, ragged clothing in styles that were never in fashion—nothing of value—and a bundle of documents. These pages are rotted and stained, their meaning lost long ago.

17. Box Room

The chest is empty and the sack contains drab, rotted clothing—laundry soiled long ago by the house's former owner. Those who untangle the balled contents find an inordinate number of wool socks.

The clothes on the floor belong to Ned Shakeshaft, the occupant of x.

18. Landing

The stairs into the attic are not usable, and the characters must find another way to ascend into the topmost level of the house.

19. Attic

The sacks contain old clothing and rags.

A group of six stirges nests in the rafters of the attic. They descend on the party at an opportune moment, revealing themselves after the characters enter the attic.

20. Wine Cellar

If the characters are following the tracks that lead from x, through x, and down the stairs into this room, they discover that the tracks continue to the south wall of this chamber and stop abruptly at the secret door. If they failed to find the tracks earlier, they can pick up the trail here with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check.

The secret door can be discovered by someone who makes a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check. This check is made with advantage if the characters followed the tracks that lead to the door.

21. Cellar

If the party makes a lot of noise while exploring area 20, the smuggler here has already vanished through the secret door.

If the characters avoided making undue noise in area 20, a single smuggler (bandit) is scrubbing pots in a washbasin near the stove. He tries to flee through the secret door as soon as the characters appear. Otherwise, if the smugglers have been alerted to the party's presence, two bandits and a scout are here and ready to fight.

Without a smuggler to point the way, someone must make a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check to find the secret door. The door is hidden behind some shelves that slide away to reveal the opening, which leads to the caverns.

When the party approaches the doors in the east end of the room, read:

The left door, leading to area 22, is unlocked.

22. Sanbalet's Private Quarters

If the characters have avoided alerting the smugglers to their presence, Sanbalet (see appendix C) is in his quarters. Otherwise, this room is vacant.

Sanbalet's books consists of the following volumes:

• A volume of erotic poetry, fully illustrated
• A naval almanac listing tide times for the area of coast around Saltmarsh (a total of one hundred miles of coastline is covered)
• A treatise concerning the demigod Iuz and its minions

Inside the third book is a sheet of parchment featuring a few simple words and phrases in the Common tongue and their equivalents in Goblin. The words include "stop," "fight," "lift," "come," and so forth—key words used by Sanbalet to instruct his hobgoblin mercenaries.

23. Skeletons' Room

The bar securing the door is easily lifted. The smugglers sealed this room after discovering the undead within.

Six old skeletons lurk in the shadows here. They rise and attack as soon as the characters enter the room. They have disadvantage on initiative checks owing to the length of their dormancy. The skeletons are reinforced by compounds applied to their bones years ago. The first time they take damage from a melee attack, that damage is reduced by half. If the skeletons are vulnerable to that damage, they instead ignore that vulnerability for this attack.

24. Laboratory

As the party enters and sees the rest of the room, read:

25. Slimy Cavern

Two patches of green slime (see "Dungeon Hazards" in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide) hang at a point on the ceiling roughly halfway between the two passage mouths. They drop on characters (or smugglers) who pass below, landing with a distinctively soggy slap.

26. Natural Cavern

If the smugglers are not yet aware of the characters' presence, three scouts are resting here while they await instructions. There is nothing else of note in this area.

27. Storage Cavern

This is the primary storage chamber for Sanbalet's smuggling operation, and the likely place from which he and his gang mount a defense.

If an alarm has not been raised, two bandits and a scout are here, stealing drinks from the store of brandy.

If the smugglers have been alerted, Sanbalet (see appendix C and the following sidebar), one hobgoblin, one scout, and one bandit defend this room. Sanbalet stays clear of the melee, taking cover behind the casks in the southeast corner. The hobgoblin and the bandit try to prevent the characters from entering the room, while the scout hangs back to fire its ranged weapon.

28. Sloping Passage

Smugglers who fled from earlier encounters with the characters wait at the end of this passage, firing ranged weapons at the intruders as they attempt to navigate the narrow spots.

29. Stock Cavern

A lone bandit is here if the smugglers aren't on alert.

If either of the magic mouth spells has been triggered, a lone hobgoblin keeps watch here (guarding against an approach by sea) and joins the fray in x if it hears sounds of combat.

The bolts and casks have the same value and conditions as those found in x.

30. Sea Cave

If the characters have avoided triggering either of the magic mouth spells, the two hobgoblin smugglers are standing guard here.

There are no items of value in this area except the jolly boat, which might fetch as much as 100 gp. Since bolts of silk and casks of brandy are cumbersome, the characters can use this boat to transport the contraband to Saltmarsh.

Crow's Nest

This area is not shown on the map but is—predictably—atop the mast, 40 feet above the main deck. Access to it is provided by a rope ladder whose lower end drops near the hatch on the main deck. The crow's nest is an open, wooden platform, 10 feet square with 3-foot-high wooden walls. Opening a 2-foot-square hatch in the floor lets out the rope ladder that descends to the main deck.

A single crew member (bandit) occupies this area when the party approaches the ship. The crew member looks toward the house and awaits a signal. There is no chance that he detects the characters' approach to the ship or their boarding of the ship if the others on board below fail to do so—his gaze is fixed at a higher level.

If those on the deck below detect the characters' intrusion, the crew member's attention is attracted (even if his colleagues forget to alert him), and he descends with all speed to the deck to assist his mates. Otherwise, he is oblivious to the characters' intrusion unless someone climbs the rope ladder or the rigging to approach his position; he always detects such an approach when the climber is 15 feet below him, investigating and attacking if circumstances warrant it.

Bluffing Their Way On

If the characters make a direct approach, they can try to bluff their way aboard once they have been detected. For instance, they might say they are new recruits to the smuggling gang, unaccustomed to the codes and thus made a mistake with the signaling, or something of a similar nature.

If the story is reasonably convincing, allow the characters to make a DC 14 Charisma (Deception) check. If the check is successful, they are believed up to the point when the first three characters get aboard by means of a rope ladder lowered for them. Once the characters' approach is detected, the entire crew attempts to repel the characters with the utmost vigor while getting their vessel under way.

Climbing Aboard

Climbing aboard the Sea Ghost undetected is no small feat. Keep in mind the following as the characters attempt to board:

• Perception checks that rely on hearing are made with disadvantage on the ship because of the sound of the waves and sea.
• The hull of the ship provides many handholds for climbing but is also very slippery. Climbing the hull without a rope or other device requires a successful DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check. On a failed check, the climber falls into the water.

In Case of Surrender

If the ship's captain, the first mate, the bosun, and the deck wizard are all killed or have fled, and if the characters then outnumber the surviving crew and lizardfolk combined, the smugglers offer to surrender the ship to the characters. They seek the most advantageous terms they can get, but their minimum requirements will be their lives and liberty, and the ship's jolly boat in which to flee. If the characters refuse these terms, the smugglers offer to trade information in exchange for treasure. Their minimum requirement, in this case, is 100 gp to disclose the whereabouts of the secret cache of weapons and the fact they were to deliver these arms to the lizardfolk. They do not know the exact location of the rendezvous point, only that it is about ten miles or so along the coast west of the haunted house, near the mouth of a small river. For a further amount of 50 gp, they reveal the presence of the sea elf prisoner in x.

1. Main Deck

The hatch leads to the hold (x) below. Between the two figures waits a 25-foot-long rope ladder, ready to be thrown over the side. Two 25-foot lengths of rope also lie neatly coiled at opposite edges of the deck.

The two figures are Bloody Bjorn (pirate first mate; see appendix C) and a crew member (bandit).

2. Forecastle

The capstan arms can be removed and used as clubs. They have been left in the capstan by express orders of the captain, who wants to be able to make a quick getaway if such proves necessary.

The figure is a single crew member (bandit) watching for any signals from shore.

3. Poop Deck

The figure leaning against the tiller is a crew member (bandit). The others, from fore to aft, are Punketah (pirate deck wizard; see appendix C), the ship's captain Sigurd "Snake Eyes" (pirate captain; see appendix C) and another crew member (bandit). The last holds a bullseye lantern that has a shutter over its lens; from time to time the crew member moves the shutter and sends out the prearranged signal.

4. Galley Stores

The area is unoccupied.

The meat is salt beef; the sacks contain dried beans; the casks contain flour, salt, and ale; and the jars contain honey and olive oil. The ship's food stores are relatively fresh, though nothing is particularly appetizing.

5. Ship's Stores

The area is unoccupied.

Each rope is 100 feet long. The box contains copper nails, and the cask is three-quarters full of hard, dry tar. These supplies are used to make regular repairs about the ship.

6. Ship's Galley

There is nothing of significant value here, and the area is unoccupied.

The drawer, which is unlocked, holds an assortment of butcher's knives, saws, and choppers. The cask contains water, while the cupboard holds a miscellany of tin mugs, small and large tin plates, wooden platters, and a metal dipper.

7. Lizardfolk Quarters

Three lizardfolk warriors occupy the hammocks. The chest and its contents are their property. The lizardfolk were provided by the chieftain of their clan to help ensure that the smuggled weapons in x make it to their lair. When they become aware of the characters, they initially assume they are smugglers and treat them as such, demanding in a combination of Draconic and broken Common to know when the weapons will be delivered to their kinfolk.

A pseudodragon named Bimz sleeps in a small nest behind the chest. It is the companion of one of the lizardfolk and joins in the combat to defend its master.

Combat in this small room is hampered by its size and low ceilings. Melee attacks made with two-handed weapons have disadvantage in this room.

8. Punketah's Quarters

This cabin is the private quarters of Punketah, the deck wizard. On a peg behind the door hangs a maroon robe, of no particular value.

Examining the boots in combination with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals a small hidden compartment in one of the heels. The compartment contains the key to the chest.

9. Captain's Cabin

A gray cloak (with no special properties) hangs on a peg on the back of the door. The wooden chest beside the desk is unlocked. It contains items of clothing, including a well-worn, comfortable pair of slippers.

10. Crew Quarters

The curtained area contains two large tin buckets standing side by side on the floor. Both are empty, but they are stained and dirty and emit a foul smell.

The sea chests contain clothes and other personal effects. The garments are all stained, grubby, and in poor condition. Of minor interest among the remaining items are the following:

• A pack of well-used, greasy playing cards (examination reveals the deck has two aces of spades)
• Two sets of dice, one of them loaded
• A book titled Grog Hovels, which describes taverns and inns along the coastline suitable for patronage by a pirate

11. Cargo Hold

A lantern hanging from the ceiling, positioned just forward of the main mast, provides bright illumination. The characters can see the plain wooden hatch that allows access to the bilge, forward of the mast.

Four crew members (bandits) under the supervision of Foul Frithoff (pirate bosun; see appendix C) are wandering about the hold, securing the cargo and taking inventory. They chat about all manner of depraved conquests as they do. Once they become aware of the party, they attack immediately.

12. Bosun's Cabin

The flagon is full of a rough, high-proof cider.

Finding the secret door into x requires a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check.

13. First Mate's Cabin

The cloak has no special properties and no significant value.

Finding the secret door into x requires a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check.

14. Secret Prison Cell

The figure is that of a sea elf; the key to unlock his chains can be found in the captain's writing desk drawer (see x). If the characters demonstrate friendship and release him, Oceanus (see appendix C) has an interesting story to relate and will assist the characters to the best of his ability in their undertaking. Oceanus speaks Aquan as well as Elvish.

If invited to do so, he joins the characters with enthusiasm and stays with them throughout the conclusion of this adventure. He will, if requested to do so, remain with the characters for further adventures (assuming that they continue with Danger at Dunwater and possibly also The Final Enemy), in which circumstances you could ask one of the players to play Oceanus. At all times he will be as cooperative as possible, playing a full role as an NPC in the party's undertakings (he will, of course, expect a normal portion of treasure). Afterward, he reluctantly leaves them to return home.

15. The Secret Cache

This is the place in which the weapons are housed during their journey to the customers (the lizardfolk). The eight bundles here contain the following equipment:

10 morningstars

10 longswords

10 shields

20 javelins

1 shield emblazoned on the front with the design of a lizard with forked tongue extended

There is no identification of any sort on any of the mismatched bundles, nor is there anything else stored in this area.

16. Bilge

A number of rats eke out a precarious existence here, but they are of the normal variety and harmless. The bilge offers only 4 feet of headroom.

Two swarms of rot grubs (see appendix C) live in the garbage island around the mast. A gold coin among the trash is the source of the reflection. The rot grubs attack anyone who comes near.

Smuggled Goods

The smugglers are very successful. Their main source of income is the sale of stolen goods, especially those marked with a royal seal or similar identifier that would make dealing with legitimate merchants impossible. They also take in goods from ships they have waylaid, usually spices, weapons, poisons, and other contraband that is either illegal or heavily taxed in this region. Currently, the ship's hold is crowded with mining equipment and kegs of brandy stolen from a royal shipment meant for a crown-sponsored mining operation in this region, along with silks that were originally destined for a royal trade mission.

If the characters break the smuggling ring, they are free to keep whatever other treasure they find without consequence, but the current contents of the hold must be handled carefully.

Representatives of the crown in Saltmarsh will pay 200 gp for the return of the silk and brandy stored under the house (in x) and 500 gp for the merchandise aboard the Sea Ghost (the goods in x and the weapons in x).

Royal agents might also claim the smugglers' ship, but at your option, if the characters have proven eager to aid the crown, they are given the ship and pledged the service of a contingent of sailors to man it for one year.

If the characters keep the merchandise and try to sell it openly in the region, they find no buyers. Such an attempt earns them a poor reputation, the effect of which is up to you.