Page 143 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

PLACING THE ADVENTURE owed to Raal. The merchant found out that Morley fled
Here are suggestions for where you can place this adven- to Fircwatch Island (where he's hiding in area 25) and is
ture in particular campaign settings. posing as a pious hermit to dodge his debts. Raal hires
Eberron. Built by Aundair during the Last War, the fort on
the characters to reclaim the money he is owed or, fail-
Firewatch Island once guarded the mouth of Scions Sound
ing that, to bring Morley to him (after which the dwarf
against threats from Karmath, but it has since become a
will be sold lo pirates to recoup Raars losses). If they
place of meditation and retreat. Ten years before the end of
take the job, Raal tells them how to get to Uskarn, which
the war, the fort was attacked by the Order of the Emerald
is the closest mainland community to the island.
Claw. In desperation, the defenders called upon the Trav-
eler for divine aid that seemingly saved the fort. But in the
end, the god's fickle whim saw Syrgaul and his crew trans- HARPY ATTACK
formed, and ultimately doomed the garrison.
Regardless of what brings the characters to the area,
Forgotten Realms. On Faerun, Firewatch Island rises out
the adventure begins with a chance encounter as they
of the Wyvernwater in Cormyr. It was once the site of a Pur-
ple Dragon outpost north ofWheloon, intended to keep travel along the coast near the village of Uskarn.
watch over that prison city. When a Sembian raiding force
was sent to take the outpost and gain access to Wheloon,
The road is little more than a gravel track hugging the
the garrison's North lander cleric called on Valkur for aid.
The Sembian boats were sent to the bottom of the lake, coastline. The day is hot, and the air is thick with the
where Netherese magic earned by the raiders wrought a scent and sound of the sea. Suddenly, you hear harsh
terrible transformation on the drowned crew.
cries and the sounds of a scuffle from up ahead. Round-
Mystara. Concerned by growing evidence of a Thyatian
attack, Duke Stefan of Karameikos saw a need to establish ing a curve. you see a woman kneeling next to a body.
an outpost on an island near Rugalov. As tensions faded sobbing as she hunches protectively over the remains.
and concern waned, Duke von Hendricks of the Black Ea-
Circling in the air a few feet above her, eight harpies
gle Barony saw an opportunity, and dispatched agents of
screech and flail at each other.
the Iron Ring to seize Firewatch Island as a naval base. In
the Known World, Nyx or Orcus could be Syrgaul's patron,
and Janore Stormswake could be a follower of Protius.
The sobbing woman is actually a harpy matriarch
(see appendix C), which has used its magic to disguise
DELAYED DELIVERY itself as a middle-aged human female. The eight harpies
that serve the matriarch circle above. Any character who
While visiting a town along the coast near Firewatch Is-
makes a successful DC 17 Wisdom (Insight) check sees
land, the party received a seemingly easy mission: to de-
through her ruse and realizes she is not human.
liver a message to a town farther down the coast. Doing
If the characters approach to assist the woman or
so takes the characters through the village of Uskarn
attack the harpies. they witness the harpy matriarch's
where they learn that something is wrong on Firewatch
transformation:
Island. The mission they are on is not time-sensitive.
leaving the characters a free day or two lo investigate.
•
The contents of the message and the NPC who gave
The woman stands suddenly. turning to reveal a go-
them the mission can be designed to fit your campaign.
re-caked mouth and hollow black eyes. In an instant, she
MORLEY'S DEBT is surrounded by a cloud of flapping skeletal birds and
her own shape shifts to that of a gray-feathered harpy.
ln a settlement somewhere close to Uskarn, a merchant
named Oavus Raal (LN male half-elf noble) contacts the
party with an offer of employment. Raal offers a bounty The harpies and their matriarch attack the characters in
if the characters can track down Morley Tobe, a dwarf the hope of claiming another easy meal.
who absconded after failing to repay a 8,000 gp debt

ABO UT THE ORIG INAL
Prolific adventure writer Greg to peel through several layers of
Vaughn spun this tale of horror mystery, decipher the truth of the
on the high seas for Dungeon l 06 matter, and face down supernatural
in 2004. Like much of Vaughn's horrors to end a threat before it can
work, this scenario builds a chilling grow to its full power.
scenario that requires the players

Cll ~l'llR t I \M\11 RAl TS F ~I
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