Page 178 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

WATER HAZARD
The water in areas 07, 08, and 09 isn't boiling, but it is
uncomfortably hot and exceedingly foul. Any creature that
starts its turn in the steaming water takes 1 fire damage
and is poisoned until the start of its next turn. (The crea·
tures that serve Dory spend all their time in the water and
have become immune to it.)

08. AMIDSHIPS
•
The air here is hot and damp. Two pools of dark, swirling
water fill most of this area. A narrow wooden walkway
crosses between them to connect doors toward the stern
and the bow. Condensation streams down the walls and
drips from the ceiling .
•
Water and slime make this area difficult terrain.
The last two skum (see the "Skum" sidebar and ap-
pendix C) that serve Mr. Dory lurk in this room, along
with one of the first victims to be enthralled by the Whis-
perer after its arrival in the Styes: a hateful man named
Harid (LE male human assassin). He fell victim to the
Whisperer while trailing a target through the Styes.
Now completely dominated and transformed by the
aboleth, Ha rid must soak his slimy, transparent skin in
water every ten minutes to avoid excruciating pain.
Harid is cunning and clever. lf combat breaks out
here, he remains hidden in the water while the skum do
the fighting. He makes a Dexterity (Stealth) check in an
attempt to hide. As long as he remains unnoticed, his The stern of the ship is Mr. Dory's personal chamber.
first attack can still benefit from the Assassinate trait All of this area is difficult terrain because of moisture
after the first round of the fight. and slime. The creature spends most of its time in this
Development. On the Whisperer's orders, Harid of- compartment, leaving only when council business or
fered his services lo Mr. Dory. But his actual purpose boredom demands it.
here is to keep an eye on Dory, whom the Whisperer Dory's Plots. The rumors of Dory's terrible skin con-
does not trust. Dory suspects this subterfuge. of course. dition are partly true. Several of the Tharizdun cultists
and so he keeps Harid confined to this compartment. were turned to skum to better serve Sgothgah, but Dory
Because Harid has no loyalty to Dory, he might stay was too clever and important to be reduced to a simple
hidden in the murky water if the sku m are dispatched thrall. Sgothgah granted him superior durability, along
quickly. Then after everyone else leaves the ship, he'll with magical talents, but at the cost of his partial trans-
eventually make his way back to the temple of Thariz- formation into a creature similar to a skum. Dory main-
dun to rejoin his master. See the "Temple ofTharizdun" tains his outwardly human appearance, but he must
section in part 4 for more information. spend as much time as possible in a hot. wet environ-
ment to maintain his physical form. Otherwise, he devel-
09. DORY'S CHAMBER
ops lesions as the aboleth's magic causes his body to rot
away. After a few minutes away from a wet environment,
The air here is thick with clouds of steam scented by his skin takes on a waxy sheen, while boils and ulcers
cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Strange plants hang from form on his body. Anywhere other than the Styes he
would have been ostracized long ago, but in this squalid,
the ceiling, featuring thick, twisted vines tangled around lawless place he has managed to turn his new talents to
enormous bulbs and flowers of a sickly yellow hue. A
his advantage.
large pool of steaming green water dominates the room. Dory's Tactics. Any intrusion into this area draws an
A scarred desk with its legs sawed off is pulled up immediate attack from Mr. Dory (see appendix C), who
alongside the pool. The desktop is cluttered with damp has likely been alerted by fighting elsewhere. The aber-
ration does not fight alone. Sgothgah recently bestowed
parchment, a wicker platter of raw seafood, and a ma-
another gift on the councillor- a unique ftesb golem
hogany box. made from fish. monstrous lobsters, sharks, and octopi,
and with the head of a humanoid female. Dory keeps the
golem in this chamber as a guardian, concealed under
the water.

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