Page 181 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

Tl. MILDEN S P AN The trash heaped here make this area difficult terrain.
The aboleth has ordered the cult to keep four skum
' guards posted here (see appendix C and the "Skum"
A tangled wall of apartments and storefronts rises up
sidebar). These guards lurk behind mounds of rubble as
on either side of a channel of sluggish, tainted water. they watch the surrounding area for intruders. When the
The structures down near the waterline are empty and characters assemble on the galley pier created from the
desolate, while the ramshackle additions built over their ship's deck (area T2). the skum rise up and attack with
thrown tridents (they have a large supply of those weap-
roofs appear progressively more inhabitable as they rise
ons on hand). They have half cover while in the rubble.
up into the polluted sky. The overall effect is that of a
and they engage in melee only if the characters come to
canyon, with walls made from the cross-section of a de·
them or attempt to open the doors into the temple.
caying shantytown rather than from stone.
T4. CHUUL- HAUNTED HALLWAY
A narrow timber bridge sags across the channel, lead·
ing from the back of a crooked alley to what appears to •
be a partially sunken galley whose structure has been This oppressive hallway reeks of mildew and rotting fish.
incorporated into the ruined jumble of buildings. j The walls are severely stained, and the ceiling sags where
l pockets of water and fungus weigh it down. The sounds
of creaking wood and dripping water echo loudly here. I
Unless the characters want to swim in, clamber down
the side of several stories of buildings, or use magic,
this bridge (known locally as the Milden Span for its
Humanoid cultists and aboleth savants aren't the only
long-dead builder) is the only approach to the temple's
ones whose dreams have been tainted by Tharizdun's
entrance. The skum lurking in the ship's prow (area T3)
whispers. Four chuuls have also become haunted by
keep an eye on the bridge and respond to any intruders.
the dark god's sendings, and were driven to seek out the
cult in the Styes. Being near the temple soothes their
T2. GALLEY PIER
psychic torment, so they spend most of their rime hid-
• • den in a secret, submerged grotto beneath areas T4 and
The main deck of the ruined galley has buckled, and is TS. They know that the cultists always chant when they
are inside the temple, and so they interpret any voiceless
cluttered with trash, driftwood, and other refuse washed
movement in this hallway as a sign of intruders.
up on the tide. To the east, the galley's prow juts into the
The chuuls have a number of options for their attack.
channel like a jagged fang, while the west side of the deck
Think about the type of combat the players might enjoy
disappears into a wall of boarded-up and badly weath· and choose one of the following:
ered buildings. The only cleared pathway across the tilted
• The chuuls can pull down the Aoor of area T4 from be-
deck leads from the bridge to a pair of massive wooden low. so that all creatures in the corridor fall into their
doors leading into the buildings. grotto. The grotto is roughly circular, 40 feet in diam-
eter, and filled with water 20 feet deep. The surface
of the water is 5 feet below the floor of area T4. A sub·
This area is used by cult members as a gathering point merged tunnel connects the grotto to the larger tunnel
before they stage their ceremonies inside the temple. A outside (see area T6 and "Mysterious Tunnel," below).
Hight of rickety steps half hidden behind detritus leads • They can wait until the characters have filed into the
up to the ship's prow (area T3).
chapel area of the temple (area TS), then tear their
Unless a meeting is taking place, the heavy doors into way through the floor of the runnel or the floor of the
area T4 are locked. They can be finessed open with a temple to climb up and fight in those areas.
successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves' tools,
They can use both tactics, splitting the party so as to
forced open with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athlet- turn the encounter into simultaneous battles in the
ics) check. or broken down by physical damage (AC 15. temple and the submerged grotto. The chuuls are
25 hit points, immunity to psychic and poison damage, most likely to use this option if their Sense Magic trait
resistance to piercing and slashing damage). If the char- suggests that doing so might separate powerful mag-
acters manage to get to this point without attracting the ic-wielding characters from the rest of the group.
notice of the skum in area T3, those guards are alerted
by any noise at the doors. T5. DARK Goo's CHAPEL
T3. SttrP's PRow •
This cavernous room smells of decaying fish and sea·
• weed. The walls, floor, and ceiling are covered with carv-
The ancient ship's prow juts up from the foul water of
ings of complex spirals and smeared with blood. Crude
the channel, its tilted surface a hopeless tangle of trash,
chairs and benches are arranged in a semicircle facing a
driftwood, and filth. Scurrying sounds within the detritus
smaller antechamber to the west. A large, fish-like shape
suggest the presence of a great many rats.
• 1 hangs in the air at the far end of the alcove .

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