Page 74 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

Behind the throne. a secret trapdoor in the floor opens
11. THRONE ROOM
onto a vertical shaft, 5 feet square and 20 feet deep. The
door requires a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception)
Two sets of three pillars flank a central area where two or Intelligence (lnvestigacion) check to be noticed. Iron
lizardfolk hatchlings are playing. At the far end of the handrails are set into one side of the shaft. It descends
room, a wooden throne stands on a low, stone dais. to a tunnel, 10 feet wide by 10 feet high, that leads to
another identical vertical shaft that ascends into area
Carvings of reptiles decorate the throne, and glints of re-
34. The tunnel and the shafts have neither light nor
flected light hint at the presence of inset gemstones.
occupants.
The heads of several creatures hang on the walls, Trophy Heads. The trophy heads are as follows, from
mounted on plaques of wood for display as trophies. north to south:
West wall: giant crayfish, carrion crawler, hippopota-
The hatch lings, one male and one female, wandered mus, hobgoblin. sahuagin
East wall: brown bear, lion, shark, giant frog, an-
here from area 24. They have no treasure and are fear-
less and quite harmless. On encountering the charac- other shark
ters, they exhibit great curiosity about these strange be- You can elect not to name the creatures but simply give
ings. Unless firmly discouraged. they attach themselves detailed physical descriptions. leaving the players to
to the characters and follow them wherever they go. make the identifications. If Oceanus accompanies the
making strangely adorable nuisances of themselves. party. he can identify the sharks, the giant frog. the giant
Reptilian Throne. The throne is carved with images crayfish. and the sahuagin.
of snakes and lizards. Twenty translucent blue-green
stones of have been inset to represent the eyes of these
VALUABLE NUISAN CES
creatures. These are of worthless quartz, though to the
The presence of the two lizardfolk hatchlings in the
unskilled eye they appear reasonably valuable. A charac-
company of the characters might create problems, but it
ter who makes a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investi-
can also be helpful to the mission's success-because it
gation) check realizes their true nature. causes the lizardfolk in the lair to pause instead of imme-
A hidden space under the throne can be discovered diately attacking. During that time, the characters can take
by someone who succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom (Percep- an opportunity to engage the lizardfolk in dialogue so that
tion) or Intelligence (Investigation) check. The compart- hostilities might be avoided.
ment contains the key to the chest in area 26.
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