The door opened to a small room containing the remains of an old copper still as well as a set of stone stairs leading down. The muddy footprints led downstairs.
Marlin carefully advanced down the stairs.
He froze when an glowing apparition appeared at the base of the stairs and flew towards him. The apparition was accompanied by an ear-splitting wail of horror and despair.
They had encountered their first ghost!
Marlin scrambled back up the stairs and stood behind his brother Annor. Marlin, Annor, and Aella stood trembling, uncertain of how to proceed.
Auric asked, "What's the hold up?"
Marlin stammered, "It was a g-g-ghost!"
Auric rolled his eyes, "It was an illusion! It's not a real ghost! Annor, you go first."
Annor gulped, held his sword before him, and descended the stairs into the darkness of the cellar.
CHAPTER 2
"THE CURSE OF THE MAD ALCHEMIST"
- Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf Outlander and Sorceress from Ket.
- Annor Whalerson - Neutral Good, Human Marine and Fighter from Saltmarsh.
- Marlin Whalerson - Neutral Good, Human Seeker and Rogue.
- Auric Ravenson - Neutral Good, Human (?) Shipwright and Cleric.
This week we were joined by two special guest stars! They are both old players in the group who happened to be available to drop in for one night.
- Amalthea - Half-Elf Wizard.
- Aiden - Human Arcane Adept and Fighter.
The Sinister Rot Grubs of Saltmarsh
Annor descended the old stone stairs into the wine cellar, holding Marlin's lantern aloft. The stairs were on the left wall of the room. There was a cold fireplace in the right corner of the far wall. Wine racks lined both the near and right walls. Several empty barrels lay stacked at the base of the stairs in the left corner. In the center of the floor near the wine racks lay a heap of armor.
Upon closer investigation with the lantern, it became evident that the heap of armor was in fact the withered and rotting corpse of a human! The corpse lay as if it had been dragged to this spot and piled on top of the rest of its belongings. The body was still clad in a suit of heavily beaten plate and mail armor.
Annor carefully approached the corpse. Auric crouched at his side, providing the gestures of prayer and blessing over the slain. Marlin looked around the dark corners of the room, away from the light of the lantern, looking for secret compartments or passages. Aella was still descending the stairs.
Annor poked the body with the tip of his sword, worried that the body might suddenly become animated by undeath. He prodded it and the head rolled and nearly separated from the neck, exposing the body's fleshy interior.
Annor screamed as a swarm of fat mealy maggots, each the size of a grape, wriggled out of the body. The grubs emerged from every wound and orifice, spilling onto the ground and spreading like spilled beans on the floor.
Annor retreated across the room, recoiling in terror at the site of the knuckle-sized maggots.
Auric stood up and looked back at the frightened Annor, "What - the - hell? Are you a warrior or aren't you? They're just rot grubs."
Annor stared wide eyed with confusion and fear.
Auric made a prayer and several of the maggots withered and died.
Annor looked to Aella, she pointed at the mass of wriggling rot grubs and a magical ray of frost enveloped the swarm in a patch of icy hoar frost, freezing many of them solid. Aella looked back at Annor, "What?"
Annor held out his hands towards the mass of rot grubs, "I - uh - I thought you were going to do the wind thing!"
Auric rolled his eyes, "Of course you did! Get back up here and help me destroy these things!
Annor rejoined the cleric and the swarm was soon dispatched.
As Annor removed the armor from the dead body, more rot grubs were emerged but they were soon dealt with.
The armor, removed from its previous owner, was dented and worn but serviceable. Annor donned the armor. The body had been piled on top of a backpack containing standard adventurers accouterments.
Marlin, meanwhile, never gave up his inspection of the room. He soon found that a brass candle holder on the fireplace could be pulled, opening a door concealed in the far wall.
"After you, brother!" said the thief.
The Sinister Ambush at Saltmarsh
The room beyond was well lit. Annor, clad in his new armor, pushed the door open and entered the room. He was immediately struck with an arrow while several smaller crossbow bolts deflected off the plates of his armor.
The room was wide and resembled a dining hall. They had emerged in the left corner of the hall. Ten beds were arranged along the far wall. A long table with benches sat along the near wall. It was covered in the remains of an abandoned meal - half-eaten hunks of ham and jacks of mead. A salted ham was suspended from the ceiling near the fireplace, the mirror image of the fireplace from the previous room. A wooden staircase ascended along the near wall towards a trap door in the ceiling in the right corner.
In the far right corner were two humans. They were stripped to their knickers and bound by wrist and leg irons.
Three rough looking men, two armed with small crossbows and one with a longbow, had taken positions throughout the room. One of the crossbowmen sought cover behind a corner in an alcove in the left far corner. Another crossbowman stood along the center of the far wall. The archer took cover behind the long table. He drew another arrow from his quiver and prepared it for flight.
Annor sprang into action, jumping onto the table and charging the archer. Annor slipped on a plate and skidded to a stop on top of the table in front of the archer.
Aella entered the room and was struck in the chest by a crossbow quarrel. She fell to the floor dying. Auric immediately came to her and said a prayer of healing, restoring her to vitality. Marlin was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly the archer at the end of the table withered as he was stabbed from a hidden enemy below the table. Annor regained his footing and quickly dispatched the archer. He looked under the table and saw his brother scrambling around.
The two prisoners in the far corner took advantage of the distraction. With great effort, thee man strained and broke the chains binding his wrists. He then tried to use a magical spell to zap the chains binding the wrists of his female companion. She was less than cooperative, constantly twisting and pulling in an attempt to wriggle out of the chains.
Meanwhile, Aella and Auric disposed of the other two hoodlums with hoary frost magic and prayers of death.
The Sinister Freed Prisoners of Saltmarsh
"So who are you two?" asked Annor of the two escaped prisoners.
"I'm Aiden, this is my wife Amalthea."
Amalthea recoiled in shock, "What? I am not! I don't know him! I am not his wife! I'm Amalthea. I was walking from Seaton to Saltmarsh when I was captured by bandits. I think they meant to sell me into slavery!"
"Me too!" interjected Aiden, "We were walking together, as a couple-"
"-WHAT? I don't know who you are!"
"Dearest wife! Have you lost your memory? Do you not remember me?"
"I most certainly do NOT!" protested Amalthea, "I swear! I have never met this man before! He's a liar!"
"I am not a liar!" protested Aiden, "I'm a bard!"
"Same thing!" she shouted back.
"Right," said Annor.
Amalthea and Aiden proceeded to tell Annor what they knew about the ruffians. They were kept blindfolded for the most part so they couldn't offer many details. They said there were no more than ten bandits and that their leader, someone named Sanbalet, often spoke to someone in a strange language they didn't know.
Aiden revealed himself to be a bard in the king of Keoland's employ while Amalthea was apprenticed to a wizard. They offered their help in overcoming the bandits.
The party opened all the footlockers and searched every bed, scrounging some coins but nothing useful.
The alcove in the far left corner of the room was fifteen feet wide and deep. There was a door in the left wall of the alcove and another door in the far wall. The door in the far wall was barred shut from the outside, the word "DANGER!" was scrawled upon it.
Marlin opened the door on the left and found a small bedroom - no doubt belonging to the leader of the bandits. A quick search of the room revealed three books, a fine silk-trimmed coat on a hanger with many pockets, and a box on the floor. The box contained a hooded lantern and a piece of parchment with written instructions:
I - X X X
II X - X - 2
III - - -After searching the room, they debated the merits of opening the barred door. Annor made the debate moot when he brashly removed the barricade, opened the door, and stepped inside.
The Sinister Skeletons of Saltmarsh
The room beyond was dark and bare of furnishings. Marlin entered the room behind Annor and raised his lantern. The light revealed six piles of bones. To their shock and horror, the bones came together and stood up, forming six animated humanoid skeletons armed with various hand weapons.
Marlin turned to his brother and said, "Well, I'm still wounded from the spiders, so- you got this!" He retreated out of the room, taking his lantern with him and leaving his brother in the dark as the skeletal figures advanced.
Annor called back, "You couldn't leave the lantern?"
Marlin replied from outside the room, "No! I believe in you!"
Auric quickly stepped forward to stand by Annor's side as he was quickly surrounded by attacking skeletal guardians.
Aiden moved into the room to help while Amalthea and Aella cast ranged attack spells from the doorway. Once there was room to maneuver, Marlin would dart into the room, briefly illuminating it, attack a skeleton, then deftly retreat, once again casting the room into shadow.
This continued for several moments, darkness, light, darkness, light. Annor couldn't take it anymore, "MARLIN! Knock it off!"
After a pitched battle, there were only three skeletons remaining. Suddenly, a ghostly apparition appeared to move through the wall on the far side of the room. It was another skeleton - real and solid - but wreathed in glowing ectoplasm. The new skeleton wore the tattered robes of a wizard or alchemist. It said something esoteric and produced three glass bulbs which it threw at the party.
The glass bulbs exploded, splashing corrosive acid on those struck!
Marlin and Aiden rushed the skeletal alchemist and quickly struck it down.
Examining the skeleton revealed that it had gold-dipped ribs and that it carried a drawstring pouch that was larger on the inside than it was on the outside. Within the pouch was a smooth river rock inscribed with an arcane sigil.
The Sinister Short Rest of Saltmarsh
The skirmish was taxing so the party decided to catch their breaths. After closing the door and gently affixing the bar so that the door still appeared sealed, they sat down to rest within the hall of the defeated skeletons.
Auric stood guard at the door. After a few minutes he heard the sound of stone scraping on stone and people entering the room beyond. He heard exclamations of alarm at the sight of the three dead ruffians and hastily shouted orders, followed shortly by the abandonment of the room and the scraping of stone. Having avoided detection, they decided to wait a little while longer.
Having rested and recuperated, they carefully returned to the previous room. It was empty. They decided to explore the stairs that led to the trap door in the ceiling. Upon opening the trap door, a ghostly apparition appeared from behind them and darted up and out of the trap door, startling several members of the party. The room beyond was empty save a heap of rubbish and demolished furnirture, so they returned down the stairs.
Marlin re-examined the corner behind the beds and found sandy footprints that led to the wall. He could find no means of exit but luckily Amalthea stepped in and located a means of opening the secret door concealed in the wall.
The Sinister Caverns of Saltmarsh
The secret door opened onto a set of old stone stairs - an ancient escape route carved in the rock beneath the house. The stairs ended at a landing and made a left turn, ended in a landing, and made another left turn. This downward corkscrew continued for over a hundred feet. The stairs eventually opened onto a natural cavern. A lit torch was set into an iron sconce. The floor was rough and sandy. The sound of the nearby ocean echoed through the cave.
The party followed the footprints in the sand, ignoring several branching tunnels.
The passage led to a side cavern lit by more torches. Annor entered the side passage and was struck by an arrow! The room was occupied by several ruffians!
The room contained five bolts of silk stacked against the left wall and nine barrels against the right wall. There were two groups. The group consisting of a strange heavily armored humanoid with red skin - a Hobgoblin! - along with three human ruffians had swords drawn and guarded the entrance. Another group consisting of a bald human man wearing a green silk tunic and carrying a staff and three more human ruffians, two of which were armed with small crossbows and a third armed with a longbow, were taking cover behind the barrels in the rear of the room.
Annor swung his ridiculously long sword with both hands and charged the hobgoblin, cutting him down in one strike! The bald man in the green tunic cast a spell and launched three fiery orbs at the party. Annor, Aiden, and Auric pushed their way into the room while Aella and Amalthea cast long range spells from the rear.
Amalthea sent a scorching magical ray against one of the barrels behind which the bald wizard was hiding. She had hoped it would explode. Instead the barrel burst, spilling its contents.
DM Note-
Amalthea's player, at the urging of Aiden's player, was hoping to make the barrel explode. I said, I'ts not high pressure jet fuel! It's a cask of brandy! At best some of the brandy might catch fire. Both were disappointed but acknowledged the logic of the call.
The bald man cast another spell, hurling three flaming orbs at the party. Aiden was caught by two of the orbs and fell down, dying. The party continued to press and Marlin and Annor were able to charge the rear. They crossbowmen and archer had been dispatched by the spell casters so Marlin and Annor easily disposed of the unprotected wizard!
The party once again decided to take a short rest to recover. Aiden was dead. Auric was too busy healing the others, he was unable to get to the bard in time. The party evaluated the contents of the room: several bolts of silk and eight remaining barrels of brandy.
Towards the end of the rest, a lone human thug came wandering up from deeper down the passage, calling ahead to those in the room, inquiring what was taking them so long.
The party quickly prepared an ambush for him. He took one look at the scene of death and turned to flee but was quickly dispatched before he could escape.
The Sinister Hobgoblins of Saltmarsh
Rested, the party continued down the path from whence the thug had come. After several hundred feet of serpentine descending passage towards the beach and the sea, the tunnel widened to reveal a kind of staging area. Here more bolts of silk and casks of brand were stacked as if recently deposited. Dim grey daylight from the late afternoon reflected off the wall of the far end of the cave. The sound of the waves and surf boomed just outside the cave.
A shadow of someone standing guard moved against the light of the far wall. Marlin held up his hands to stay the others. He nodded towards his brother and indicated that he would sneak ahead.
Marlin crept forward. He saw a hobgoblin warrior standing guard, facing the exit, while another hobgoblin prepared a large rowboat for launch. To his shock and horror, the hobgoblin guard turned and saw him! Marlin called out for help. The other hobgoblin drew his scimitar and joined his companion. The two warriors fought in unison, displaying deadly martial prowess. They fought as one. Together they cut Marlin down where he stood.
Annor gripped his sword in two hands and charged down the cavern. The hobgoblins were loading Marlin's unconscious body into the rowboat.
Annor engaged the two hobgoblins in hand to hand battle. Annor was shocked by the military ability displayed by the orange-skinned armored humanoids. The hobgoblins were a whirlwind of steel and motion. Annor had difficulty fighting against their advanced tactics and footwork.
Annor was supported by Amalthea and Aella while Auric rushed to save Marlin. It was a taxing battle but the hobgoblins were eventually defeated. Annor was panting, exhausted from the battle. The grey sky was getting darker. It would be night soon.
With Annor guarding their retreat, the party withdrew from the sea cave to find rest. It was an hour's walk home. If they wanted to beat the night, they'd have to leave soon.
TO BE CONTINUED...
DM Note-
Level up! The party is now level two!
I decided to add an additional hobgoblin to make it a tough boss fight. It was quite a fight! The players said they had fun and that they felt challenged by the extra hobgoblin. Annor got a lucky critical on the first hobgoblin in the fight against Sanbalet, so he was surprised at how difficult it was to hit the hobgoblins' high AC and how hard they fought side by side.
In other news, it was discovered after the session that Annor's player was completely unaware of several abilities and special attacks he could perform as a battlemaster fighter. This lack of capability made up for the fact that Marlin's player was accidentally cheating by disengaging from combatants which a rogue can't do until second level.
Also, we're pretty sure Aiden had two feats, which is impossible at first level. But he was a special one-night-only guest star, so whatever. Also he got burnt to a crisp.
Finally, I found out Auric's name was actually Avril, but I misread the player's handwriting. I told him I thought it was Auric and that I spelled it that way on the blog. He said he actually liked Auric better, so he's officially changing his name from Avril to Auric.
In case you hadn't noticed, there's an unofficial "A" theme going on with the names. Marlin's player didn't get the memo, apparently. At one point they also thought about naming all characters after pop singers starting with "A". Avril Lavigne, Avicii, Amy Grant, Aimee Winehouse, etc.
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