Page 12 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

shattered. For now, Skerrin uses Petra's memory to fan for war and continue to help Brotherhood agents infil-
Anders's antipathy toward the Sea Princes. trate Keoland's towns in the south.
Flaw. Due to a combination of his youth and his If war does erupt, Brotherhood agents will work to
somewhat sheltered upbringing, Anders is naive. He ensure a long, drawn-out stalemate that grinds down
relied on his mother's expertise in most matters, which both sides. Ideally, assassinations will pave the way for
has aliowed Skerrin to worm his way into Anders's Brotherhood agents to assume high positions in both
confidence. realms, but if necessary, the Brotherhood will engage
armies of mercenaries, humanoid tribes, and fanatics
SKERRIN WAVECHASER it has gathered to finish the job. They hope that the Sea
Skerrin (LE male human assassin) is secretly the head Princes can then be transformed into a puppet state,
Brotherhood agent in town. Tall, lean, tan, with short allowing the Brotherhood to turn their attention to the
silver hair, he speaks in precise, measured statements rest of Keo land.
of a man who has a keen eye for detail. He is dispas-
sionate and takes a protective stance toward Anders. SCARLET B ROTH ERHOOD SAMPLE EVE NTS
To observers, he is nothing more than a faithful and
d20 Event
trusted butler.
1-6 The Brotherhood slips evidence of smuggling to
Skerrin was renowned for his patience during his
days as an assassin for the Brotherhood. Once, he hid the guard, causing several popular fishing boat
himself in the attic above a noble's bedroom, waiting owners to be arrested.
in a trance-like state for three days and nights until his 7- 10 The Brotherhood's agents spread rumors that the
target was positioned just below a small crack in the mine is on the verge of failure and the crown plans
room's ceiling. Skerrin squeezed a single drop from a to award the dwarves rulership of Saltmarsh as
vial of poison he carried on to the noble's bald scalp. He compensation.
waited in his hiding place for another full day until the 11-12 The Brotherhood blackmails lngo the Drover and
contact poison killed the man. Keledek the Unspoken, two people in town with
Personality Traits. Skerrin is literally a man of two dark pasts, into their service, turning them into
personalities. He appears to be a concerned, fatherly fig- useful agents.
ure, a Joyal retainer who worries about his young mas-
ter. With a few moments of focus. however, he can shift 13-14 Tainted grain delivered by a merchant in league
to become a cold-blooded, patient killer. with the Brotherhood leads to an outbreak of
Ideal. When operating as Anders' servant, Skerrin plague.
believes that it is the duty of those with experience and 15-16 The Brotherhood uses kidnapping, blackmail, or
wisdom to advise the young. As an assassin, he holds other sinister means to turn an important member
that those strong enough to survive flourish only by cull- of another faction into an ally.
ing the weak. 17-18 A small band of escaped slaves arrives in town.
Bond. Skerring's bond alternates between Anders They claim that several sailors at the docks once
and the Scarlet Brotherhood. He sees both as the best worked as slave traders, prompting outraged calls
bets to bring order and security to the world.
for justice from Anders.
Flaw. Arrogance. Skerrin genuinely believes that if
19 Pirate activity increases, bearing the unmistakable
he had to, he could murder everyone of consequence in
mark of the Sea Princes. The Brotherhood's ships
town in a single night and secure the place for the Scar-
adopt Sea Prince regalia to confuse the issue.
let Brotherhood. Sometimes he is tempted to do so, if
only to prove himself right. 20 Skerrin, growing bored and overconfident, assassi-
nates a prominent member of a faction and tries to
THE SCARLET BROTHERHOOD IN P LAY frame the Sea Princes for the deed.
The Scarlet Brotherhood is an opportunistic faction. It
seeks to cause the maximum amount of disruption with SALTMARSH OVERVIEW
the least amount of risk.
The Brotherhood wants to tilt the town council in its Saltmarsh's roughly five thousand residents are pre-
favor and install Anders as the most prominent member. dominantly human, with the dwarven mining contingent
Their first goal is to find evidence of Gellan Primewa- of about two hundred workers the largest non-human
ter's involvement with the Sea Princes and implicate faction in town. Elves and halflings draw no special no-
his participation in the slave trade. Such evidence is not tice, since the Silverstand hosts a wood elf enclave and a
hard to find once Gellan's dealings with the Sea Princes few halfling villages are tucked in the hills around town.
are revealed. The residents react to other visitors, especially tieflings
The Brotherhood plans to use such accusations to and dragonborn, with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
increase tension in town between the traditionalists and
the loyalists, ignite a civil war, assassinate leaders on L AW AND ORDER
both sides. and then use Anders as a peacemaker. Then Saltmarsh is a bastion of civilization in the midst of an
the Brotherhood plans to assassinate Anders, frame the untamed region. Without its stout defenders, it might
Sea Princes. and install Skerrin as his replacement as have long ago fallen to the depredations of outsiders.
the town's foremost leader. Finally, Skerrin will agitate

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