The party had just defeated the hobgoblin warriors in the sea cave. They were tired and needed rest so they decided to walk back to Saltmarsh.
On their way out, as they passed through the house, they heard someone - a male human voice - calling for help. Marlin said he'd check it out. He went upstairs and opened the door to investigate.
The room was bare. The floor looked damaged and week. Next to an old moldy bed, he found a man in his underclothes, his legs and arms bound by rope. He had managed to work his way out of a gag and was calling for help.
Marlin introduced himself and asked the man his name.
"My name is Ned! Are you one of them? Have you come to beat me some more?"
Marlin assured the man that he was here to rescue him. He asked Ned what he was doing here.
Ned replied that he was a merchant traveling from Seaton to Saltmarsh when he was waylaid by ruffians and knocked unconscious. He woke up when he heard the sound of ghostly screams coming from the house below.
As Marlin untied Ned, he explained that the bandits had been dealt with and that it was safe now. Ned remained unconvinced, he began to panic, "How do you know? We have to get out of here immediately! We must leave this place at once! It's not safe here!"
Marlin tried to calm him down, "It's okay. I have friends downstairs. Come on. Let's go."
Ned swooned and asked for help standing up. Marlin gave Ned a hand. As he did so, Ned asked, "So you're alone?" When Marlin nodded, Ned whispered, "Good."
Ned stumbled and grabbed Marlin's arms. Ned tried to swing Marlin around and toss him into the center of the bare bedroom.
Marlin caught himself. He glared at Ned angrily. He then fled out of the room and down the hall calling for help.
Ned hobbled after Marlin, the now loose ropes still tangled around his ankles. Ned called, "No! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I thought you were one of them!"
Annor and Auric dashed upstairs, encountering Ned in the hallway.
Ned held out his hands, "No no! Wait! It's a misunderstanding!"
Marlin shouted from behind them, "He tried to throw me down a hole!"
Annor turned back to Ned, his eyes raging. He conked Ned on the head with the pommel of his ridiculously long sword. Ned staggered. Auric hit him with his mace and Ned fell to the floor, unconscious.
Annor looked at Auric, "What do we do?"
Auric replied, "We take him back to Saltmarsh, let the constabulary sort him out."
They promptly re-bound him and began carrying him back to Saltmarsh.
CHAPTER 3
"THE SNAKE IN THE GRASS"
- 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 a special guest star!
- "Amnesia" - Human (-ish) Amnesiac Rogue.
The Sinister Amnesiac of Saltmarsh
The gray sky was darkening on their way back to Saltmarsh. They would probably arrive in town just after nightfall.
Along the way, Marlin noticed a large trunk resting on a small beach under the bluff over which they walked. The trunk appeared to have been deposited by a high tide. Marlin pointed and called, "Dibs!"
Annor and Aella navigated the steep bank down the bluff to the small beach. The trunk was waterlogged and locked shut with a padlock. It moved as if something were alive within. Annor used Aella's staff to pry the entire latch off the rotting wood.
DM Note-
They were so paranoid that they spent thirty agonizing minutes trying to figure out a clever way to open the trunk. The other players became frustrated at them and urged them to just open the damn thing!
Within was a young woman. She was wearing underclothes and one boot. She, like the interior of the trunk, was wet. Her skin had a greenish hue. She looked up at them, confused.
"Hello," said Annor, "What's your name?"
"I- I don't know," was her hestitant reply.
"Do you know how you got into this trunk?" inquired Aella.
"I'm in a trunk?" the young woman asked, confused.
"Yes," assured Annor, "How did you get here? What happened to you?"
"I have no idea," she said.
DM Note-
Amnesia's player wanted to try the Unknown background, so I said "sure".
"Look, it's not safe out here. Come with us back to Saltmarsh. We'll help you out," said Annor. He helped her out of the trunk and carried her on his back as he and Aella climbed back up the steep bluff.
Reunited with the others, Annor introduced the mysterious young lady to the others.
Marlin cautiously offered, "Uh, dibs?"
Aella reprimanded him, "Absolutely not! Not even in Ket does one own another human being!"
"Besides," Annor pointed out, "You own the waterlogged trunk, not what's inside it. The trunk is all yours!"
They arrived on the eastern outskirts of Saltmarsh just after nightfall. Winston was just shutting down his store but they persuaded him to reopen long enough for them to purchase the mystery girl some new clothes.
The Sinister After-Action Report of Saltmarsh
The party stopped off at the Solmor Estate to report to Anders what they encountered at the haunted house. The butler, Skerrin, opened the door to a motley bunch, covered in blood and sweat, accompanied by an unknown young woman, and carrying an unconscious man in his underwear.
Skerrin sniffed derisively.
They announced their return from the old manor house and their intention to report to Anders. Skerrin told them that it was too late and that they should return tomorrow to make an appointment. Aella became indignant and confronted Skerrin, angrily informing him that: a) their information was important, b) Anders told them to report as soon as they returned, and c) they would not leave until they reported to Anders.
Anders sighed and told them to wait. He closed the door.
They waited impatiently outside in the cool dark night for fifteen minutes. Skerrin eventually returned and told them that only four could enter. After some deliberation, Auric said he would take the unconscious merchant - whom they had repeatedly bludgeoned every time he roused - to the town gaol.
Aella, Annor, Marlin, and the bewildered amnesiac entered the house and were taken to Anders' office.
They entered to find Anders hastily assuming the pose of pensive leader, thoughtfully staring out his window towards the sea. He made a display of pretending to be interrupted in his reverie by their unexpected arrival and he greeted them warmly.
Annor and Marlin reported their encounter with the smugglers hiding beneath the old manor house. They included their encounter with the captives and their meeting with Ned and the amnesiac girl.
Anders listened with rapt fascination. He thrilled vicariously to their exploits. He expressed some concern about the treatment of the merchant, Ned. He greeted the amnesiac girl warmly, complimenting her fashion choices. Finally, he declared that he would immediately call a meeting of the town council. Now that he had proof that smugglers were using the old house as a base, he would call for action to be taken to eliminate these slavers.
Anders ordered Skerrin to provide the agreed upon payment - 200 gold coins. Skerrin objected, noting that the banks were closed for the evening, but Anders was adamant and demanded Skerrin pay the party from his personal vault.
Meanwhile, Auric carried the groggy merchant Ned to the town gaol. When prompted to explain what crime the man had committed, Auric was at a loss. He said he believed the man was in league with slavers and that Ned had attacked one of their party.
Ned argued that he thought Marlin was a slaver and that he was acting in self-defense, and that he was a simple merchant who had been assaulted by these ruffians. When pressed with the details of the accusation, Auric was forced to concede the salient points.
The gaoler, Kraddok Stonehorn, instructed Auric to leave Ned here and that he would speak with him and sort this all out. Auric, already beginning to doubt their charges, agreed and left, returning to the Whalerson just down the street in Old Town.
The Sinister Whalerson House of Saltmarsh
The Whalerson brothers lived in a modest home in the Old Town on the west bank of the Kingfisher river. It had belonged to their mother and occasionally visited by their father - the famous adventurer known as Whaler. A bent harpoon hovered magically over the mantel.
Annor spread his arms wide, "Welcome to our home!"
"This is your house?" inquired Aella.
Marlin replied, "Yes, it used to belong to our mother. Sadly, she passed three years ago in a tragic accident. I inherited the family home as Whaler was nowhere to be found and I was the oldest available next of kin. It is a humble cottage, but we at least have a dry roof over our head and a place to cook our meals. And a goat. And two dogs."
"I, as the younger Whalerson, stayed at home and watched over the place while Annor was off fighting in the war as a marine."
Two dogs came bounding into the room. Annor caught them in a big embrace, "These are our dogs. The mastiff is named Ezra and the newfoundland is Jolson. The goat is around here somewhere. His name is Peter. Mom used to sell goat cheese to make ends meet."
"I'm sorry to hear about your mother. What happened?" asked Aella.
Marlin became melancholy, "Every week, Mom would go out on the pier and look at the ships coming into port, hoping that one day Whaler would be on one of them. And then one day, one of those Scarlet Brotherhood bastards got a little drunk and started getting belligerent with the merchants just trying to sell their fish and pay their bills. When the town guard came, the scarlet bastard started a fight and, in the chaos, he stumbled into Mom and pushed her off the pier. She couldn’t swim, and with her heavy clothing she sank like a stone.
Marlin continued, "I blame the Brotherhood to this day - I will never forgive, and will never forget."
"What happened to this Scarlet Brotherhood person?"
Marlin said, "He was brought before the crown's magistrate. We had one then. After the guard and witnesses testified, the magistrate ruled that it was an accident and let the sailor off without even having to pay a fine."
After a brief pause, Marlin continued, "That night, at a dockside tavern named the Empty Net, the sailor was discovered dead. Someone had slipped a rope around his neck while he was in the outhouse and he was strangled to death. The next day the magistrate was also found dead in his offices, his throat was savagely bruised from strangulation that it was black with bruising. But his hands and nails showed that he had not died without a fight."
Marlin looked away, his voice almost a whisper, "The town hasn't had a magistrate since then and all trials are now conducted by the town council."
Annor said, "When I heard the news about Mom, I went on a week-long bender. It was Marlin who scraped me up off the floor and set me right." Annor put his arm around his brother's shoulder, "When I finely recovered from my bender, this rapscallion was bringing me stew! To my surprise, my little brother's right eye was covered with a bandage and upon his face were dozens of scratches."
"What happened?" urged Aella.
Annor gave a long knowing look at his brother.
Marlin became grim, "It was from a bar fight." He got up and left the room.
After a long pause, Amnesia asked, "So what's the deal with the harpoon?"
Annor shrugged, "No idea. One day dad came in, put it up there, and said, 'Don't touch this! If a wizard in red robes comes looking for it, give it to him no questions asked, then run like Hell!' It's been there ever since."
DM Note-
This entire section is a combination of actual role-playing and a written backstory provided collaboratively by the both brothers' players.
Also, at this point I started calling the amnesiac character with no name, "Amnesia".
The gray sky was darkening on their way back to Saltmarsh. They would probably arrive in town just after nightfall.
Along the way, Marlin noticed a large trunk resting on a small beach under the bluff over which they walked. The trunk appeared to have been deposited by a high tide. Marlin pointed and called, "Dibs!"
Annor and Aella navigated the steep bank down the bluff to the small beach. The trunk was waterlogged and locked shut with a padlock. It moved as if something were alive within. Annor used Aella's staff to pry the entire latch off the rotting wood.
DM Note-
They were so paranoid that they spent thirty agonizing minutes trying to figure out a clever way to open the trunk. The other players became frustrated at them and urged them to just open the damn thing!
Within was a young woman. She was wearing underclothes and one boot. She, like the interior of the trunk, was wet. Her skin had a greenish hue. She looked up at them, confused.
"Hello," said Annor, "What's your name?"
"I- I don't know," was her hestitant reply.
"Do you know how you got into this trunk?" inquired Aella.
"I'm in a trunk?" the young woman asked, confused.
"Yes," assured Annor, "How did you get here? What happened to you?"
"I have no idea," she said.
DM Note-
Amnesia's player wanted to try the Unknown background, so I said "sure".
"Look, it's not safe out here. Come with us back to Saltmarsh. We'll help you out," said Annor. He helped her out of the trunk and carried her on his back as he and Aella climbed back up the steep bluff.
Reunited with the others, Annor introduced the mysterious young lady to the others.
Marlin cautiously offered, "Uh, dibs?"
Aella reprimanded him, "Absolutely not! Not even in Ket does one own another human being!"
"Besides," Annor pointed out, "You own the waterlogged trunk, not what's inside it. The trunk is all yours!"
They arrived on the eastern outskirts of Saltmarsh just after nightfall. Winston was just shutting down his store but they persuaded him to reopen long enough for them to purchase the mystery girl some new clothes.
The Sinister After-Action Report of Saltmarsh
The party stopped off at the Solmor Estate to report to Anders what they encountered at the haunted house. The butler, Skerrin, opened the door to a motley bunch, covered in blood and sweat, accompanied by an unknown young woman, and carrying an unconscious man in his underwear.
Skerrin sniffed derisively.
They announced their return from the old manor house and their intention to report to Anders. Skerrin told them that it was too late and that they should return tomorrow to make an appointment. Aella became indignant and confronted Skerrin, angrily informing him that: a) their information was important, b) Anders told them to report as soon as they returned, and c) they would not leave until they reported to Anders.
Anders sighed and told them to wait. He closed the door.
They waited impatiently outside in the cool dark night for fifteen minutes. Skerrin eventually returned and told them that only four could enter. After some deliberation, Auric said he would take the unconscious merchant - whom they had repeatedly bludgeoned every time he roused - to the town gaol.
Aella, Annor, Marlin, and the bewildered amnesiac entered the house and were taken to Anders' office.
They entered to find Anders hastily assuming the pose of pensive leader, thoughtfully staring out his window towards the sea. He made a display of pretending to be interrupted in his reverie by their unexpected arrival and he greeted them warmly.
Annor and Marlin reported their encounter with the smugglers hiding beneath the old manor house. They included their encounter with the captives and their meeting with Ned and the amnesiac girl.
Anders listened with rapt fascination. He thrilled vicariously to their exploits. He expressed some concern about the treatment of the merchant, Ned. He greeted the amnesiac girl warmly, complimenting her fashion choices. Finally, he declared that he would immediately call a meeting of the town council. Now that he had proof that smugglers were using the old house as a base, he would call for action to be taken to eliminate these slavers.
Anders ordered Skerrin to provide the agreed upon payment - 200 gold coins. Skerrin objected, noting that the banks were closed for the evening, but Anders was adamant and demanded Skerrin pay the party from his personal vault.
Meanwhile, Auric carried the groggy merchant Ned to the town gaol. When prompted to explain what crime the man had committed, Auric was at a loss. He said he believed the man was in league with slavers and that Ned had attacked one of their party.
Ned argued that he thought Marlin was a slaver and that he was acting in self-defense, and that he was a simple merchant who had been assaulted by these ruffians. When pressed with the details of the accusation, Auric was forced to concede the salient points.
The gaoler, Kraddok Stonehorn, instructed Auric to leave Ned here and that he would speak with him and sort this all out. Auric, already beginning to doubt their charges, agreed and left, returning to the Whalerson just down the street in Old Town.
The Sinister Whalerson House of Saltmarsh
The Whalerson brothers lived in a modest home in the Old Town on the west bank of the Kingfisher river. It had belonged to their mother and occasionally visited by their father - the famous adventurer known as Whaler. A bent harpoon hovered magically over the mantel.
Annor spread his arms wide, "Welcome to our home!"
"This is your house?" inquired Aella.
Marlin replied, "Yes, it used to belong to our mother. Sadly, she passed three years ago in a tragic accident. I inherited the family home as Whaler was nowhere to be found and I was the oldest available next of kin. It is a humble cottage, but we at least have a dry roof over our head and a place to cook our meals. And a goat. And two dogs."
"I, as the younger Whalerson, stayed at home and watched over the place while Annor was off fighting in the war as a marine."
Two dogs came bounding into the room. Annor caught them in a big embrace, "These are our dogs. The mastiff is named Ezra and the newfoundland is Jolson. The goat is around here somewhere. His name is Peter. Mom used to sell goat cheese to make ends meet."
"I'm sorry to hear about your mother. What happened?" asked Aella.
Marlin became melancholy, "Every week, Mom would go out on the pier and look at the ships coming into port, hoping that one day Whaler would be on one of them. And then one day, one of those Scarlet Brotherhood bastards got a little drunk and started getting belligerent with the merchants just trying to sell their fish and pay their bills. When the town guard came, the scarlet bastard started a fight and, in the chaos, he stumbled into Mom and pushed her off the pier. She couldn’t swim, and with her heavy clothing she sank like a stone.
Marlin continued, "I blame the Brotherhood to this day - I will never forgive, and will never forget."
"What happened to this Scarlet Brotherhood person?"
Marlin said, "He was brought before the crown's magistrate. We had one then. After the guard and witnesses testified, the magistrate ruled that it was an accident and let the sailor off without even having to pay a fine."
After a brief pause, Marlin continued, "That night, at a dockside tavern named the Empty Net, the sailor was discovered dead. Someone had slipped a rope around his neck while he was in the outhouse and he was strangled to death. The next day the magistrate was also found dead in his offices, his throat was savagely bruised from strangulation that it was black with bruising. But his hands and nails showed that he had not died without a fight."
Marlin looked away, his voice almost a whisper, "The town hasn't had a magistrate since then and all trials are now conducted by the town council."
Annor said, "When I heard the news about Mom, I went on a week-long bender. It was Marlin who scraped me up off the floor and set me right." Annor put his arm around his brother's shoulder, "When I finely recovered from my bender, this rapscallion was bringing me stew! To my surprise, my little brother's right eye was covered with a bandage and upon his face were dozens of scratches."
"What happened?" urged Aella.
Annor gave a long knowing look at his brother.
Marlin became grim, "It was from a bar fight." He got up and left the room.
After a long pause, Amnesia asked, "So what's the deal with the harpoon?"
Annor shrugged, "No idea. One day dad came in, put it up there, and said, 'Don't touch this! If a wizard in red robes comes looking for it, give it to him no questions asked, then run like Hell!' It's been there ever since."
DM Note-
This entire section is a combination of actual role-playing and a written backstory provided collaboratively by the both brothers' players.
Also, at this point I started calling the amnesiac character with no name, "Amnesia".
The Sinister Council Meeting of Saltmarsh
Aella and Amnesia slept in the room that once belonged to the Whalerson's mother. Aella woke to Peter the goat licking her face.
It was dawn and someone was knocking on the door. It was a messenger from the town council. The party was being summoned to an emergency Town Council meeting at 10am.
The party dressed and prepared themselves and crossed the Sharkfin bridge on their way to the council hall. Aella paused. She appeared queasy. When Amnesia checked on her, Aella explained that she had felt the same sensation as she crossed the bridge the previous night.
The brothers explained that she must have some fey ancestry. Something about the old Sharkfin bridge, the oldest remaining structure in town, is repulsive to elves and other fey creatures.
They arrived at the large brick council hall just as the horn atop the hall's tower was being blown, calling the town together to attend a meeting of the council.
After a few minutes, the council hall was filled. Sitting at the council table were:
Anders banged the gavel, calling the council meeting to order.
Eda interjected, "Nine hells! What's all this fucking about anyway? This better be gods-damned important! I've got three fucking boats in port loaded with gods-damned fish!"
Gellan waved his hand about absently, "I have no idea. Ask young master Solmor. Something about pirates and haunted houses and boogey-men!"
Anders earnestly replied, "If I may, I have important information to bring before the council. I have proof that the old haunted manor house is being used as a secret base by smugglers and slavers!"
Eliander stood quickly, ready for action, "What's this? Slavers? We have to root this out, immediately! No more obstructions!"
Manistrad, meanwhile, looked bored and unconcerned, "I fail to see why this is a council matter."
DM Comment-
I role-played the initial lines above to serve as introductions for each of the council members, given each of them a unique voice and body posture. I was also careful to explicitly communicate the non-verbal body language to the players.
After the initial lines of dialog, I simply summarized how the council meeting went and summed up the final result. There's no way I'm roleplaying an interaction between five different NPCs! I was also trying to get the focus as back towards the players as quickly as possible.
Anders once more banged the gavel. "Please! Please! Order! As you know, I previously brought my concerns about smugglers using the manor house as a hideout before. At that time the council decided that no town guard or treasury would be allocated on an investigation. So I decided to hire these agents myself to perform the investigation. Please, agents, testify to the council what you encountered at the manor house."
Annor stepped forward and recounted the tale of the previous day - their discovery of the secret door, their fight with the smugglers and hobgoblin mercenaries, the two rescued slaves, the stolen goods, Ned Snakeshaft, etc.
Gellan listened smugly. When the story was completed, he took the floor. He called elements of the party's story into question. Where were these so-called slaves they rescued? Where were the stolen goods? Instead, he tried to discredit them by reminding the council that Marlin and Annor were the sons of Whaler and were burdened by the, shall we say, "less than reputable" legacy their father had left to them.
As evidence, he introduced Ned Snakeshaft. Ned recounted his version of events. How he was accosted and later freed himself, only to be discovered by Marlin, wearing an eyepatch and a fancy silk-trimmed coat, and subsequently bludgeoned for no reason!
"You tried to throw me in a hole!" shouted Marlin.
Ned dramatically recoiled in horror, "I beg your forgiveness, sir. It was in self-defense and it was a misunderstanding! I feared for my life!"
Anders officially proposed assigning the town guard to the task of eliminating the smuggler ship.
There was much deliberation, with Gellan trying to downplay the threat posed by any so-called "smugglers", if they even existed, and trying to block any allocation of town funds or personnel towards stopping the smuggling. He was backed by Eda who felt that the council should worry more about the fishing fleet and declining catches.
Eliander, however, was ready to pledge the town guard to immediate action to find and remove the smugglers.
Mainstrad was more equivocal. She saw the need to eliminate the smugglers but worried about the cost. Ultimately, she was swayed to Anders' position as long as the costs were minimized.
A compromise solution was reached. No town guard or town resources would be pledged to the effort but Anders convinced the council to hire a team of four to five independent specialists outside of the town guard to find smuggler's ship and eliminate their operation. He nominated the party to be the specialists.
The council agreed to the compromise with Gellan voting against.
After the council meeting, Gellan invited Marlin to the top of the tower for a private meeting. Gellan apologized for casting aspersions against Marlin's father and his family. It was a political ploy and he meant nothing personal by it.
Marlin grimaced and made a noncommittal sound.
Gellan went on to tell Marlin that he thought the young man showed great promise and that Gellan's "organization" could make great use of someone with Marlin's skills and experience. He emphasized the lucrative rewards he could expect to receive working for Gellan.
Marlin politely thanked Gellan for the "compliment" but deferred for now. Gellan accepted the answer but reiterated that the offer was open.
The Sinister Down-Time of Saltmarsh
The book of tide charts that Annor had taken from Sanbalet's room had certain days circled. The last circled date was yesterday. The next circled date was in three days.
The party spent the next three days performing various activities:
Annor took his newly acquired plate armor to the blacksmith to have the dents hammered out. 75 gp for a basic hammering out, 150 gp for a full cleaning, polish, and restoration. He went with the basic option. Later, he took Aella fishing on the dock.
Auric, acolyte of Tristan, the Judge of the Dead, in fact the SOLE acolyte in all of Oerth, went to the temple of Procan to ask their permission to establish a shrine in the graveyard. The temple priest, Wellgar Brinehanded, had obviously never heard of the god but he was amenable. Auric met the town gravedigger, Krag. Krag was interested in this new god and spoke at length with the young shipwright-turned-acolyte. Together, the pair built a modest outdoor shrine out of available bricks and stonework.
Amnesia spent the two nights in the Empty Net, a tavern frequented by scoundrels and ne'er-do-wells. She was hoping to learn why she might have been locked in a chest and abandoned at sea. Although she learned that Gellan was linked to the local smuggling ring, she couldn't learn much about her own history.
Marlin took the gold-tipped ribs to his sometime employer, the wizard Keledek. The door mysteriously opened before he could knock. Keledek was across the room, waiting for him. Without prompting, the mysterious seven-foot tall dark-skinned wizard from Ket, said, "You have brought me a curiosity. The gilded bones of the Mad Alchemist. I will purchase them from you." It was not a question or clarification, it was a statement. Keledek paid Marlin for the bones. Upon concluding their business, the wizard glared at Marlin with wide eyes, held a clawed hand in the air, and said, "Seek Oceanus down below! Now go."
Marlin was confused but departed as he was bidden.
DM Commentary-
I described Keledek as Shaq from the movie Kazaam.
Later, Marlin joined Auric at the cemetary. From the high point overlooking the town, he could see with his one eye Annor and Aella fishing on the dock. Marlin became inexplicably jealous and complained at length to Auric who, honestly, couldn't bring himself to care.
The Sinister Signal of Saltmarsh
On the third night the party returned to the old manor house on the bluff. They went down into the caverns and waited in the sea cave for some kind of signal. Annor had already sent men to recover the stolen loot and remove the dead bodies of the smugglers. They had left the rowboat in the sea cave for the party's use.
Late that night, after hours of waiting, they finally saw flashing lantern light out at sea. It was one long flash followed by three short flashes.
Marlin was holding the bullseye lantern taken from Sanbalet's quarters. Auric urgently queried Marlin, "That's the signal! Give the reply!" Marlin fumbled with a folded up sheet of paper. Auric became impatient, "Hurry!"
Marlin snapped, "Just a minute! I need to verify the correct reply." Marlin looked at the sheet of paper, confused.
Auric said, "What's the matter?"
Marlin replied, "Hold on! I'm figuring out what this means."
"What do you MEAN what this means? What does it say?"
"It doesn't SAY anything! It's just dashes and exes!" Marlin held up the parchment.
Marlin had an epiphany, "What, I think I got it!"
Auric pointed over his shoulder, "Those are short and those are long."
Marlin angrily snapped, "I GOT IT!"
Marlin gave one short, one long, one short, and one long.
Auric asked, "What does the 'Two' mean?"
Marlin shrugged.
A few seconds later, the latern out at sea gave three long flashes.
Auric confidently asserted, "That's the correct reply. What do we do now? Do they come to us? Do we go to them?"
Marlin shrugged again.
Annor stepped in, "Let's go to them! Everybody get in the boat."
The party boarded the large rowboat. Annor and Auric manned the oars while everyone else hid under a large sheet of canvas, doing their best to pretend to be bolts of silk and casks of brandy.
The Sinister Rendezvous of Saltmarsh
It was dark with an overcast moonless sky. The lantern on the ship remained lit, providing a beacon for them to row towards. When they were a few dozen yards away, Amnesia climbed out from under the canvas and whispered, "Hold on, I'll be right back."
Aella and Amnesia slept in the room that once belonged to the Whalerson's mother. Aella woke to Peter the goat licking her face.
It was dawn and someone was knocking on the door. It was a messenger from the town council. The party was being summoned to an emergency Town Council meeting at 10am.
The party dressed and prepared themselves and crossed the Sharkfin bridge on their way to the council hall. Aella paused. She appeared queasy. When Amnesia checked on her, Aella explained that she had felt the same sensation as she crossed the bridge the previous night.
The brothers explained that she must have some fey ancestry. Something about the old Sharkfin bridge, the oldest remaining structure in town, is repulsive to elves and other fey creatures.
They arrived at the large brick council hall just as the horn atop the hall's tower was being blown, calling the town together to attend a meeting of the council.
After a few minutes, the council hall was filled. Sitting at the council table were:
- Eda Oweland, a middle-aged human woman with short graying hair who looked like she'd lived her entire life on the deck of a fishing boat.
- Gellan Primewater, a middle-aged human man with a finely trimmed beard and clad in the exquisite garb of a man of wealth and power.
- Anders Solmor, the young human man and friend of the party.
- There was an empty chair.
- Eliander Fireborn, the middle-aged human man, veteran of the wars against the North, leader of the town guard.
- Manistrad Copperlocks, middle-aged dwarven woman, with red hair worn in long braids, appointed to the town council by royal decree.
Anders banged the gavel, calling the council meeting to order.
Eda interjected, "Nine hells! What's all this fucking about anyway? This better be gods-damned important! I've got three fucking boats in port loaded with gods-damned fish!"
Gellan waved his hand about absently, "I have no idea. Ask young master Solmor. Something about pirates and haunted houses and boogey-men!"
Anders earnestly replied, "If I may, I have important information to bring before the council. I have proof that the old haunted manor house is being used as a secret base by smugglers and slavers!"
Eliander stood quickly, ready for action, "What's this? Slavers? We have to root this out, immediately! No more obstructions!"
Manistrad, meanwhile, looked bored and unconcerned, "I fail to see why this is a council matter."
DM Comment-
I role-played the initial lines above to serve as introductions for each of the council members, given each of them a unique voice and body posture. I was also careful to explicitly communicate the non-verbal body language to the players.
- "Eda looks impatient and feels like this meeting is a distraction."
- "Gellan also looks impatient and somewhat defensive. Those of you from Saltmarsh have always heard rumors that Gellan has his fingers in smuggling, but never slavery as far as you know."
- "Eda and Gellan represent the so-called 'Traditionalist' faction who see royal involvement in Saltmarsh as unneccesary meddling. They dislike all the changes the dwarven mines have brought and the recent attention the royal court has begun to pay towards things like customs and duties and taxes."
- "Anders looks eager to communicate his findings and take action."
- "Eliander is a man of action who appears to be held back by the council."
- "Mainstrad looks like she'd rather be anywhere else. She was sent by the crown to establish a profitable mine and that's all she's here to do. All this nautical stuff is outside of the scope of her mandate."
After the initial lines of dialog, I simply summarized how the council meeting went and summed up the final result. There's no way I'm roleplaying an interaction between five different NPCs! I was also trying to get the focus as back towards the players as quickly as possible.
Anders once more banged the gavel. "Please! Please! Order! As you know, I previously brought my concerns about smugglers using the manor house as a hideout before. At that time the council decided that no town guard or treasury would be allocated on an investigation. So I decided to hire these agents myself to perform the investigation. Please, agents, testify to the council what you encountered at the manor house."
Annor stepped forward and recounted the tale of the previous day - their discovery of the secret door, their fight with the smugglers and hobgoblin mercenaries, the two rescued slaves, the stolen goods, Ned Snakeshaft, etc.
Gellan listened smugly. When the story was completed, he took the floor. He called elements of the party's story into question. Where were these so-called slaves they rescued? Where were the stolen goods? Instead, he tried to discredit them by reminding the council that Marlin and Annor were the sons of Whaler and were burdened by the, shall we say, "less than reputable" legacy their father had left to them.
As evidence, he introduced Ned Snakeshaft. Ned recounted his version of events. How he was accosted and later freed himself, only to be discovered by Marlin, wearing an eyepatch and a fancy silk-trimmed coat, and subsequently bludgeoned for no reason!
"You tried to throw me in a hole!" shouted Marlin.
Ned dramatically recoiled in horror, "I beg your forgiveness, sir. It was in self-defense and it was a misunderstanding! I feared for my life!"
Anders officially proposed assigning the town guard to the task of eliminating the smuggler ship.
There was much deliberation, with Gellan trying to downplay the threat posed by any so-called "smugglers", if they even existed, and trying to block any allocation of town funds or personnel towards stopping the smuggling. He was backed by Eda who felt that the council should worry more about the fishing fleet and declining catches.
Eliander, however, was ready to pledge the town guard to immediate action to find and remove the smugglers.
Mainstrad was more equivocal. She saw the need to eliminate the smugglers but worried about the cost. Ultimately, she was swayed to Anders' position as long as the costs were minimized.
A compromise solution was reached. No town guard or town resources would be pledged to the effort but Anders convinced the council to hire a team of four to five independent specialists outside of the town guard to find smuggler's ship and eliminate their operation. He nominated the party to be the specialists.
The council agreed to the compromise with Gellan voting against.
After the council meeting, Gellan invited Marlin to the top of the tower for a private meeting. Gellan apologized for casting aspersions against Marlin's father and his family. It was a political ploy and he meant nothing personal by it.
Marlin grimaced and made a noncommittal sound.
Gellan went on to tell Marlin that he thought the young man showed great promise and that Gellan's "organization" could make great use of someone with Marlin's skills and experience. He emphasized the lucrative rewards he could expect to receive working for Gellan.
Marlin politely thanked Gellan for the "compliment" but deferred for now. Gellan accepted the answer but reiterated that the offer was open.
The Sinister Down-Time of Saltmarsh
The book of tide charts that Annor had taken from Sanbalet's room had certain days circled. The last circled date was yesterday. The next circled date was in three days.
The party spent the next three days performing various activities:
Annor took his newly acquired plate armor to the blacksmith to have the dents hammered out. 75 gp for a basic hammering out, 150 gp for a full cleaning, polish, and restoration. He went with the basic option. Later, he took Aella fishing on the dock.
Auric, acolyte of Tristan, the Judge of the Dead, in fact the SOLE acolyte in all of Oerth, went to the temple of Procan to ask their permission to establish a shrine in the graveyard. The temple priest, Wellgar Brinehanded, had obviously never heard of the god but he was amenable. Auric met the town gravedigger, Krag. Krag was interested in this new god and spoke at length with the young shipwright-turned-acolyte. Together, the pair built a modest outdoor shrine out of available bricks and stonework.
Amnesia spent the two nights in the Empty Net, a tavern frequented by scoundrels and ne'er-do-wells. She was hoping to learn why she might have been locked in a chest and abandoned at sea. Although she learned that Gellan was linked to the local smuggling ring, she couldn't learn much about her own history.
Marlin took the gold-tipped ribs to his sometime employer, the wizard Keledek. The door mysteriously opened before he could knock. Keledek was across the room, waiting for him. Without prompting, the mysterious seven-foot tall dark-skinned wizard from Ket, said, "You have brought me a curiosity. The gilded bones of the Mad Alchemist. I will purchase them from you." It was not a question or clarification, it was a statement. Keledek paid Marlin for the bones. Upon concluding their business, the wizard glared at Marlin with wide eyes, held a clawed hand in the air, and said, "Seek Oceanus down below! Now go."
Marlin was confused but departed as he was bidden.
DM Commentary-
I described Keledek as Shaq from the movie Kazaam.
Later, Marlin joined Auric at the cemetary. From the high point overlooking the town, he could see with his one eye Annor and Aella fishing on the dock. Marlin became inexplicably jealous and complained at length to Auric who, honestly, couldn't bring himself to care.
The Sinister Signal of Saltmarsh
On the third night the party returned to the old manor house on the bluff. They went down into the caverns and waited in the sea cave for some kind of signal. Annor had already sent men to recover the stolen loot and remove the dead bodies of the smugglers. They had left the rowboat in the sea cave for the party's use.
Late that night, after hours of waiting, they finally saw flashing lantern light out at sea. It was one long flash followed by three short flashes.
Marlin was holding the bullseye lantern taken from Sanbalet's quarters. Auric urgently queried Marlin, "That's the signal! Give the reply!" Marlin fumbled with a folded up sheet of paper. Auric became impatient, "Hurry!"
Marlin snapped, "Just a minute! I need to verify the correct reply." Marlin looked at the sheet of paper, confused.
Auric said, "What's the matter?"
Marlin replied, "Hold on! I'm figuring out what this means."
"What do you MEAN what this means? What does it say?"
"It doesn't SAY anything! It's just dashes and exes!" Marlin held up the parchment.
I - X X X
II X - X - 2
III - - -
Marlin had an epiphany, "What, I think I got it!"
Auric pointed over his shoulder, "Those are short and those are long."
Marlin angrily snapped, "I GOT IT!"
Marlin gave one short, one long, one short, and one long.
Auric asked, "What does the 'Two' mean?"
Marlin shrugged.
A few seconds later, the latern out at sea gave three long flashes.
Auric confidently asserted, "That's the correct reply. What do we do now? Do they come to us? Do we go to them?"
Marlin shrugged again.
Annor stepped in, "Let's go to them! Everybody get in the boat."
The party boarded the large rowboat. Annor and Auric manned the oars while everyone else hid under a large sheet of canvas, doing their best to pretend to be bolts of silk and casks of brandy.
The Sinister Rendezvous of Saltmarsh
It was dark with an overcast moonless sky. The lantern on the ship remained lit, providing a beacon for them to row towards. When they were a few dozen yards away, Amnesia climbed out from under the canvas and whispered, "Hold on, I'll be right back."
Auric replied, "What?"
Amnesia smiled and slipped overboard, disappearing beneath the water.
Annor started, "Where'd she go?"
Auric replied, "Don't worry about it. Keep going."
A few moments later, Amnesia returned. She had swum around the ship and made note of the crew complement on deck. They were approaching the starboard side of the ship. There were three amid-ship, one fore, and two aft, plus one in the crow's nest.
Annor worried aloud, "How are we going to get close enough without being found out?"
Amnesia smiled, "I've got a plan. I'm going to distract them." She slipped back beneath the water.
A few moments later, they heard a horrible caterwauling from the port side of the ship. It was like the cacaphonous cry of an injured cat.
Someone on the deck of the ship said, "What is THAT?"
Someone else said, "You two, check it out. The rest of you, be alert. Something not right here!"
One of the sailors took the bullseye lantern to scan the port side. He caught Amnesia swimming in the water, attempting to sing like a mermaid.
"Sir! It's a girl in the water!"
The leader replied, "It's probably one of the sea elves looking for the prisoner! Kill her!"
The sailors leveled their light crossbows and loosed several quarrels. Amnesia dived beneath the water to avoid the attacks.
The rowboat came alongside the ship. The person giving orders caught the line thrown to him and secured it to a cleat on the rail. It was completely dark.
Auric began climbing the rope ladder. The voice giving orders amidship said, "What's the passphrase?"
Aella rode a magical column of wind, rising into the air and landing on the deck of the ship. She cast a magical ray of frost at the leader. Auric clambored onto the deck and said, "I don't know!"
The burly sailor called out, "It's a trick! Repel boarders!"
The Sinister Battle on the Smuggler's Ship
The crew abandoned Amnesia and rushed to block any others from climbing up the rope ladder on the starboard side. A mysterious wizard appeard from the stern and began casting attack spells at the boarders but, due to the darkness, none were able to connect with their targets.
Annor, his claymore sheathed on his back, climbed the ladder. At the top, he reached out with one hand and grabbed the leader of the smugglers - the ship's bosun by the name of Bloody Bjorn. He then used all his weight to pull the bosun over the rails and both fell into the rowboat below. Marlin, still hiding under the canvas, reached out and tried unsuccessfully to stab the bosun from his hiding place.
Meanwhile, Aella and Auric were beset by the three crew members on deck and were having difficulty holding their own without support from their warrior. The smuggler stationed in the crows nest was unable to see what was happening below.
Suddenly two of the four doors leading under the poop deck were thrown open. Out of one door emerged a man who appeared to be the ship's captain while two additional sailors poured out of the more central door. The new combatants carried lanterns, providing much needed illumination to the deck.
DM Commentary-
I completely forgot about the bullseye lantern. I said after the fact that the smugglers put it down and forgot to unshutter it. But for a while there, all of the smugglers were fighting in the dark, rolling at disadvantage. Of the player characters, Aella, Amnesia, and Auric had night vision while Annor and Marlin had trouble hitting their target in the dark. Once the smuggler captain emerged on deck, I said they brought lanterns with them, putting them down and jumping into the fight.
They quickly swarmed Auric and Aella. The wizard on the poop deck formed a magical arrow of acid which struck Aella. Aella was able to cast a counter-spell to help absorb some of the acid damage, but it was too much, Aella fell to the deck unconscious. The arrow continued to pop and fizzle, spewing acid like a miniature geyser. Auric jumped immediately to her aid with timely prayers and miraculous healing.
Now that the deck was illuminated, the sailor in the crows nest was able to see the action on the deck.
Down on the boat, Annor and Marlin were in a pitched battle with the ship's bosun. Though Bloody Bjorn fought valiantly, he was ultimately cut down by Annor's massive blade. Having defeated their foe, Annor and Marlin climbed the ladder and were finally able to join the fray.
Likewise Amnesia was able to climb the anchor chain onto the forecastle. She began sending crossbow bolts at the sailor in the crows nest.
Once on the deck, Annor made short work of one sailor after another, cutting them down in a bloody swath of violent carnage.
Aella cast a witch bolt spell into the captain and he fell dead. The party turned their attention to the wizard, still perched near the rails on the poop deck.
Annor, Marlin, and Amnesia made their way towards the ladder to the poop deck while Aella sent magical rays of frost and Auric prayed for death to come to the sailor in the crows nest. As the sailor died, his skin shriveled and a celestial raven emerged from his chest. The man slumped from view as the raven flew a few feet and disappeared into a shower of black feathers that glowed with a purplish anti-light.
The wizard on the poop deck was all alone and he was cornered. As Annor climbed up the ladder the wizard cast a spell and disappeared into a puff of silvery mist.
"Where'd he go?" asked Auric.
"Check the boat!" replied Annor, but the wizard was not in the boat.
"Wait, I know where he went!" said Auric, looking down the main hatch on the ship's mid-deck - a lattice style hatch that allowed light and air into the ship's hold.
"Got it!" replied Annor, who ran into the open door leading below decks. Marlin followed closely behind.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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