Page 171 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

Refrum is angry about how Jarme was never properly Hopene'er is run by Emil Trantor, a prematurely
put on trial. When he tried to meet withJarme in bis cell old female human physician with a worried brow and
at Hopene'er Asylum, he was denied access by the mili- ashen-gray skin. Trantor and her staff of four are hard-
tia (secretly paid off by Mr. Dory). Faced with this chal- pressed to control the more than four hundred residents
lenge, Refrum launched his own investigation into the and prisoners housed in the asylum. Consequently, the
Lantern Ghost killings. He describes how the killer had less troubled residents are called upon to help run the
been on the prowl for half a year, striking intermittently place. Everyone in the asylum, workers and residents
and leaving mutilated victims in public locations to be alike, uses commoner statistics.
discovered at dawn. He also describes how singularly When the characters arrive at the looming stone struc-
inept the militia were in their efforts to track down the ture, they are met at the door by Brey, a troubled youth
killer, and how the slayings had pushed the Styes to the who has a worrying way of staring at people for a long
brink of chaos. time before responding to them. Eventually, Brey agrees
Jarme's arrest came after he was found looming over to allow the characters to enter and asks them to wait in
the body of a victim, a dagger clutched in his blood- a bare foyer while he fetches Trantor.
stained hands. Refrum can't dispute this evidence, but
he talks of how Jarme went to the gallows professing to SPEAKING WITH TRANTOR
have no memory of any slayings. After the execution, Re- When Trantor first meets the characters. she is harried
frum offered his ability to cast speak with dead to learn and protests that she has no time for long conversations
the truth, but was told by the militia that the case was or prying questions. But as soon as any character men-
closed. He was then threatened with incarceration in tions Jarme or the Lantern Ghost killings, her attitude
Hopene'er if he didn't leave the matter alone. changes to one of concern for a lost patient.
Trantor describesjarme as a quiet sort who was res-
ANEW MURDER olute in his claims of innocence. Though the physician
Part of what drives Refrum's need to exonerateJarme is bas no reason to doubt the evidence suggesting that the
his belief that the Lantern Ghost is still killing. Rumors fisher committed the murder he was arrested for, she
already spreading through the Styes talk of a young describesjarme's remorse as far more compelling-and
fisher named Raif turning up dead the morning after far more believable-than that of any other troubled per-
Jarme's execution. The authorities were quick to ship son she has ever worked with.
the body to the mortuary for cremation, as if trying to lf the characters ask about visitors during Jarme's
cover up the event- and Refrum sees this as evidence short stay at Hopene'er, Trantor tells them that only
that a sinister conspiracy in the Styes has some connec- one person was permitted to see him, on the militia's
tion to the Lantern Ghost killings. orders. That visitor was the councillor Mr. Dory, whose
The priest suspects that agents of this conspiracy presence at the asylum struck the physician as both un-
used enchantments to contro!Jarme, forcing him to settling and odd.
commit one or more of the murders. Whenjarme was Jarme's body was cremated and the ashes were
caught, they used their influence to have him executed dumped into the receding tide, so nothing remains to be
quickly. Now Refrum fears that the conspirators are not questioned with speak with dead or similar magic.
only free to continue their work- but that they know he's
onto them. jARME'S LAST MESSAGE
Refrum believes that the authorities are watching Trantor also volunteers thatjarme spent his last days of
him. Moreover, his notoriety as a thorn in the side of life covering the walls of his cell with drawings, etched
the council means that many people are afraid to talk with a cast-off lump of charcoal. The resulting images
to him. As such, he believes that the characters will be were unsettling, to say the least, and Trantor is happy to
able to gain access to information and witnesses that he let the characters see them.
can't. The priest suggests that they start their investi- The journey into the depths of the asylum to Jarme's
gation at Hopene'er Asylum (area I 1 and below), where former cell is not pleasant. Constant screaming and
Jarme was held for a few days after his capture. Refrum cursing from the cells combines with an overpowering
also recommends that the characters track down and stench of unwashed bodies, filth, mildew, and rotting
speak with Constable jute, the militia guard who found straw. Each character must succeed on a DC 10 Con-
Jarme crouched over his victim. She can be contacted at stitution check or gain one level of exhaustion that lasts
the district garrison (area 4 and below). for as long as they remain in the asylum. A character
Refrum intends to leave the Styes and spend a few recovers automatically after spending 10 minutes in
weeks in hiding for his own safety. Any Wisdom (In- the open air.
sight) check made to assess the priest confirms that he
is honestly afraid that his investigation into the murders
l Trantor eventually stops before a heavily locked door, at
has made him a target of the conspirators.
which she offers a word of caution. "This wing is where
HOPENE'ER ASYLUM the worst of our cases are kept. I beg you not to look
into any of the other cells. We've given succor to many
Hopene'er Asylum lies on Lamplicker's Way in the High
Quarter. The building is an old prison with bare walls folk over the years. But those here are truly forsaken by
and barred windows. A faded sign bearing the words the gods."
"Welcome Home" hangs above the main entrance.

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