Page 156 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

the characters have not already faced it, or if it is feeding
A human body is sprawled in a depression at the cen-
on one of the party members after besting that character
ter of the stone floor, its torso torn open and its heart in combat (see "Look Out Above" on page 145).
missing. The base of what was once a metal framework
25_ BOLT-HOLE
surrounds the depression. Above the body, a large
bronze bell engraved with symbols of peace and serenity •
hangs from a crossbeam, with a pull rope dangling from j A rickety ladder leads down from the larder into a musty
the rigging above. Across the floor next to the body, subterranean chamber enclosed by rough masonry walls.
a message is scrawled in chalk: "BEWARE THE SEA Three trembling figures are huddled against the far wall,
KILLERS." sharing the chamber with the dusty, deteriorated remains
of an armored corpse. The body's sightless eye sockets
stare up blankly, and a small silver disk is clutched in one
The belfry was originally Firewatch Island's signal bea-
con. The depression in the ftoor once held the large oil of its skeletal hands. A horizontal crevice between two
receptacle that fueled the beacon (this now sits in area blocks in the south wall glows with faint daylight, mark-
7). The metal framework extended above this receptacle ing a narrow opening that leads outside the fortress.
and held the lenses that focused the light of the beacon's
ftame. The hermitage disassembled the beacon and
installed the bell for sounding at mealtime and to signal The builders of the fortress created this hidden cellar as
the start of meditation sessions. a refuge. Only the officers, the chaplain, and the resident
Aaron's Last Message. A surviving hermit named wizard knew of its existence. The crevice served as both
Aaron spotted the characters approaching the island an arrow slit and as a method for those with access to
and ran here to ring the bell and call for aid. Unfor- spel Is such as gaseous form to escape the room.
tunately for him. the ringing bell attracted Rasp back Survivors. The three surviving residents of the her-
to the belfry. Aaron saw the monster's approach and mitage have taken refuge in this chamber:
quickly scrawled his message on the floor before at- • Janore Stormswake (priest), a human female
tempting to ftee back downstairs, but he wasn't quick cleric of Procan
enough. It is his body that now adorns the center • Barret Gloffrin (commoner), a very ill male human
of the room. • Morley Tobe (commoner), a slightly ill and heavily
Rasp, the monstrous peryton (see appendix C), has indebted male dwarf (see the "Morley's Debt" ad-
established a temporary lair in the belfry while it scours venture hook)
the island to feed. The creature is present here only if

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