Page 91 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

1. MAIN DECK the room. At the same time, four swarms of insects
(spiders) crawl through the deck from below. Any char-
• t acter who has a passive Perception score of 14 or lower
The Emperor's upper decks slope gently down toward is surprised. (In tight quarters, remember that a swarm
the ship's port side. The forecastle and quarterdeck are can occupy the same space as another creature.)
empty, and short wooden stumps are all that remain of Captain's Log. A character who searches th rough the
debris in the room and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom
the ship's masts. The double doors leading to cabins
(Perception) check finds the ship's ledger and the cap-
fore and aft appear intact, as does the metal grate in the
tain's log, both written in Common.
deck that offers access to the lower decks. Aside from the The log details the ship's last voyage, including an
rhythmic creak of the ship's badly weathered timbers, all account of the terrible storm that threw Emperor of
seems quiet. the Waves off course and separated it from its escort.
• Running low on food and drinkable water, the ship was
forced to drop anchor off an uncharted island. The last
This area is unoccupied. The doors to fore and aft are entry describes an attack by ores that fought alongside
not locked (but see area 3), and the ship's wheel turns goblins and monstrous vermin. Though the crew fended
easily and freely. A character who makes a successful off this initial attack, they suffered heavy casualties.
DC 10 Intelligence check determines that the wheel is The final entry records the captain's fear that this attack
no longer connected to the ship's rudder, and it can't be might have been the precursor to an even larger assault.
used to steer the ship until the vessel undergoes exten- Treasure. A minor offering to Lolth is concealed
sive repairs. by the mud and litter on the deck. A search of the
The deck is marred in places by bloodstains, notice- cabin uncovers a small sack containing ten red rubies
able co someone who makes a successful DC 15 Wis- (100 gp each).
dom (Perception) check. A successful DC 10 Wisdom
(Medicine) check thereafter reveals that the stains are 3. NAVIGATOR'S ROOM
about three days old. The door into this room from the main deck is held shut
Through the grate set into the deck can be seen a by a thick mass of webbing behind it. It can be forced
ladder extending down to area 5, but the grate is rusted open with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check
shut. It can be wrenched open with a successful DC 15 or broken through (AC 15, 18 hit points. immunity to
Strength (Athletics) check or smashed apart (AC 15; 10 poison and psychic damage, resistance to piercing and
hit points; immunity to fire, poison, and psychic dam- slashing damage).
age). Anyone who peers down into area 5 after the grate Sheets of webbing fill this room, such that anything
is removed and succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom (Percep- more than 10 feet from the entrance appears as little
tion) check spots several fist-sized spiders crawling more than a vague shape. Hidden in the webs are a
along the walls of the passage below. The spiders imme- narrow staircase down and. near the bow. a table and
diately scuttle away from any noise or light. four chairs.
The weathered furn iture here is worthless, but the
2. ALTAR TO LOLTH table is still covered with charts and maps.
• A giant spider and an ettercap lurk near the ceiling
above the table, completely hidden in webbing and
A rough stone altar dominates this cabin. Strange
shadow. They attack the first creature to examine the
markings cover its surface, dried mud cakes the floor
charts and maps. gaining surprise unless the creature
around it, and humanoid skulls ring the wall above, each has a passive Perception score of 17 or higher.
mounted on a wooden spike. The corners of this room Combat in this area arouses the hungry vermin in
are piled with garbage and debris-crudely cut wooden the decks below. Beginning ld4 rounds after the giant
spider"s initial attack, one swarm of insects (spiders)
logs, smashed furniture, torn sacks, shattered crates,
boils up the stairs from area 4 each round, using the
and small piles of dried palm fronds. A staircase de-
same initiative count as the giant spider. The swarms
scends from the southeast corner, and an acrid odor fills keep coming until four have entered the fight, unless the
the air. passage from area 4 is blocked somehow. Each swarm
• • attacks the nearest creature.
This chamber was once the captain's cabin. Now it's a LOWER DECK AND CARGO HOLD
shrine to Lolth, the demon queen of spiders. The skulls
are cracked, weathered, and obviously old. The cabins beneath the main deck are home to the
druid Krell- and to the murderous creatures under
Lurking under the garbage and debris is a host of
vermin held sacred by the cultists ofLolth- spiders his control.
of every size and type. If anyone other than the druid
4. WEBBED DOORWAY
Krell spends more than a few moments in this room,
This area is not shrouded in sheets of webs, unlike most
one giant spider bursts from the webs on the port side, of the lower deck (see the "Webs Aboard Ship,. sidebar).
while an ettercap emerges from the starboard side of
A web of a different sort stretches across the doorway

l.llAPIF.1! 4 "\l\AGI' Ol'l'R..\ilO\i
no