Chapter 6: The Final Enemy

This adventure builds on the events of two previous adventures, The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and Danger at Dunwater. The following section provides a summary of those adventures for characters who did not participate in the missions.

The Final Enemy is designed for four to six characters of 7th level. If you want to use story-based character advancement (see chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide), the characters gain a level for completing this adventure.

About the Original

Dave J. Brown and Don Turnbull bring the Saltmarsh trilogy to a conclusion in this 1983 adventure. As befits TSR UK’s talent for creating unique scenarios, The Final Enemy challenges players to plan and carry out reconnaissance on a dangerous sahuagin lair.

We’ve added an epic final battle where the characters have a chance to lead a final, decisive assault on the sahuagin fortress.

Background

Some weeks ago, the town council of Saltmarsh hired a party of adventurers to investigate mysterious goings-on in the decaying, supposedly haunted mansion on the cliff top near the town. These adventurers discovered that the alleged haunting of the house was a ruse devised by a gang of smugglers importing contraband. The adventurers overcame the smugglers in the house, then boarded their ship and routed the rest of the gang. The smuggling operation quashed, the adventurers were rewarded by the grateful Saltmarsh authorities.

But even after the smugglers were routed, a danger remained. The adventurers told the town council that they discovered evidence that the smugglers had been selling weapons to a nearby colony of lizardfolk. Their deduction was corroborated by Oceanus, a sea elf who was being held prisoner aboard the smugglers' ship when the adventurers made their assault.

Now fearful that the lizardfolk planned to assault Saltmarsh, the town council asked the adventurers to seek out the lizardfolk lair and deal with the threat. The adventurers journeyed to the lair, but they discovered that there was no threat to Saltmarsh—at least not from the lizardfolk. In fact, the lizardfolk were preparing to go to war against a tribe of sahuagin, a brutal horde that a year ago drove the lizardfolk from their original home. Determined to regain their ancestral home, the lizardfolk had begun purchasing weapons and were negotiating alliances against the sahuagin with the merfolk and the locathah in the region; the koalinth were also approached but refused to join the alliance. The lizardfolk hoped not only to expel the sahuagin and regain their home, but also to deal the sahuagin enough of a blow to discourage them from further aggression.

After discovering the intentions of the lizardfolk and realizing that the sahuagin were the true threat to Saltmarsh, the adventurers escorted two lizardfolk officers back to meet with the town council and ask the aid of the humans of Saltmarsh in the battle to come.

Now, with the sahuagin threat revealed and new alliances formed, the town council of Saltmarsh once again needs heroes—those accomplished enough to infiltrate the sahuagin stronghold and return with knowledge that will bring about the downfall of the final enemy.

Council of War

The Saltmarsh Town Council calls a meeting with the adventurers who have been approached to undertake the next mission, in the presence of as many townsfolk as can fit in the modest town hall.

The meeting is also attended by several members of each faction that has allied with Saltmarsh against the sahuagin. Unless the party’s actions in the previous adventure drove away any potential allies, the following representatives are present (with others in the vicinity).

Lizardfolk

Two Lizardfolk Scaleshield (see appendix C) named Garurt and Vyth represent their queen’s interests. They are severe, no-nonsense soldiers. The lizardfolk have set up a camp outside Saltmarsh where a dozen warriors are quartered, with the prospect of more to come. Assuming the lizardfolk are present at the meeting, they provide precious information to the council about their former lair (see “A Great Gift”).

Merfolk

A single merfolk salvager (see appendix C) named Aryn represents her colony in the meeting. She dislikes being on land and has trouble moving across the cobbled streets of Saltmarsh. Aryn is one of six merfolk occupying a kelp bed near the docks of Saltmarsh.

Locathah

Sakith, a locathah hunter (see appendix C), joins the meeting as the representative for his tribe. A dozen locathah and their giant sea eel steeds swim in the waters near Saltmarsh (see appendix C for both).

The Master Plan

At the meeting, the head of the council explains that a combined force from all the allied species is being assembled to strike the sahuagin fortress. Before this attack can be correctly planned and executed, a small group is needed to make a preliminary excursion into the fortress. The information gained by this reconnaissance team (see “area The Mission") will allow the allies to plan a proper attack. The full assault will be launched fourteen days after the reconnaissance team returns, assuming the mission succeeds at least in part. The council’s hope is that the characters will accept this assignment.

Lay of the Land

Assuming the Lizardfolk Scaleshield, Garurt and Vyth, are present at the meeting, they produce a crude map that identifies the location of the sahuagin stronghold. It occupies an island in the estuary of the Javan River, some fifty miles west and south of Saltmarsh. A coastal headland covers one flank of the island, which is connected to the mainland by a stone causeway.

The lizardfolk explain that this site is their former lair, and it consists of a series of natural passages and caves honeycombing the interior of the island. You should give players information about the former lizardfolk lair and the surrounding area, including but not limited to the following details:

• The lair is a three-level cave system inside a rocky island. Remarkably, the island seems to have sunk into the surrounding sea, leaving only the top one-third visible from above the water.
• The main entrance is now a large cave that faces the seacoast.
• The lizardfolk made few changes to the place, only adding stairs to connect the levels.

The sahuagin have made drastic changes to their former lair, beyond submerging the two lower levels beneath the water. All the alterations to the lair made by the sahuagin are described in the “area Sahuagin Stronghold” section below.

If the lizardfolk are not present at the meeting, the map and the related information are provided by scouts who have explored the area without attracting any attention from the sahuagin.

Mission Goals

The objectives of the mission, which must be accomplished if the reward is to be gained, are fourfold:

1. Determine the strength of the sahuagin force: how many warriors, lieutenants, and other battle-ready troops are present.

2. Locate important areas within the fortress: where are the warriors barracked, the officers quartered, and the leaders housed.

3. Discover any significant defensive measures: traps, areas readied specifically for defense, and other dangers the attacking force must avoid or overcome.

4. Discover how advanced the sahuagin preparations are and when they might mount their first attack.

Approach by Sea

If the characters want to travel by sea, the council provides them with a modified keelboat with two pairs of oars, two rowboats, and a step-down mast, large enough to accommodate the characters and any reasonable amount of equipment. Navigation and propulsion of the craft is handled by two members of the town guard (Guard), who pilot the boat but do not disembark when the characters reach their destination. (If the characters experienced Danger at Dunwater, this boat is of the same sort as the one they used in that adventure.)

Upon arriving near the stronghold, the characters must decide where to disembark and how best to approach the fortress itself. If the lizardfolk are present, they recommend a daylight landing at the river mouth. In any event, the keelboat will not come ashore or drop anchor anywhere near the island. The characters are expected to use the rowboats to get to shore while the keelboat sails well out of view of the fortress for the duration of the party’s mission. At a predetermined signal or after some period of time, the keelboat will return to see if the characters are ready to be collected.

Combat Not Required

The characters are considered an elite team that can bring back the needed information. They will likely need to fight some of the sahuagin, but must remain quiet as often as possible to avoid becoming overwhelmed. If they can achieve the mission goals without combat, they’re playing smart and well. The intent is to get the players to think tactically and avoid unnecessary fights against a superior foe. Reward the characters' efforts to move past areas filled with sahuagin undetected, but do not hesitate to have the sahuagin react if the characters behave carelessly.

Sahuagin Stronghold

The fortress and former home to the lizardfolk is a rocky island located at the mouth of the Javan River. When the lizardfolk laired there, the island was almost entirely above sea level. Thadrah, the sahuagin high priestess of Sekolah, worked ritual magic that sank the island by lowering the seabed.

The cave entrance that once provided the lizardfolk access to the lowest level of the island caves has been submerged in 80 feet of water. The stone causeway that previously led from the shore to the cave entrance now leads to a new set of stone doors built by the sahuagin.

The fortress depicted in this adventure is not a typical sahuagin settlement. This is a singular situation—an experimental, fortified base in coastal waters from which sahuagin forces can exert an iron hand of domination over all races inhabiting the adjacent waters and coastal region. If this experiment proves successful, the sahuagin plan to construct more bases of this sort until their control over all waters and coasts is complete, and maritime commerce is at their mercy.

The sahuagin have renovated the fortress to conform with their plans. The two lower levels of the fortress have been completed, with work on the uppermost level still in process. A further lowering of the seabed and a final internal reorganization will complete the preparations. Twenty or thirty days after the adventure takes place, the sahuagin plan to mount their first offensive—and Saltmarsh is indeed their target.

If the characters enter the fortress through area 1 (and if they deal with the guards in areas 1 and 2 without drawing attention), they find most of the upper level empty and bare. Construction is still going on in area 19, and the noise of that work echoes through some of the level. Anywhere between area 19 and the points marked with a † symbol in the corridors on the map, the characters can hear faint chinking, banging, and tapping noises if they stop to listen, and these noises become progressively louder as the listeners approach area 19.

The other two levels of the fortress are underwater. To achieve their objectives, the adventurers must use magical means to navigate these areas.

General Features

The work carried out by the sahuagin and their slaves on the fortress interior shows expert craftsmanship. The rock is clean and dressed; all surfaces are smooth, all corners are near-perfect right angles, and all floors are level (except in the cave portion of cave 60, which has been left natural, and parts of area 19). The uppermost dry level has an eerie, clinical air.

Malevolent Dwellers of the Deep

The sahuagin are cruel and vicious in equal measure. Although they are humanoid in form, they have a mindset closer to that of predatory sharks than the outlook of humans or other land dwellers.

Like sharks, sahuagin are at their most aggressive when their prey spills blood in the water. Their Blood Frenzy trait represents this increased ferocity. Though it can prove a significant edge in a fight, it also saddles them with a critical tactical challenge. Sahuagin affected by Blood Frenzy are at best reluctant to disengage from combat. Rather than withdraw in the face of defeat and find reinforcements, they might instead press the attack.

As an optional rule to reflect this ferocity, a sahuagin that comes within 30 feet of a hostile creature that doesn’t have all its hit points must use an action to make a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the sahuagin’s Blood Frenzy takes over as normal, and the creature either stands its ground or advances to attack in melee. On a successful save, the sahuagin retreats or escapes if possible, temporarily fighting off the influence of the trait. If the sahuagin’s move takes it farther than 30 feet from all hostile creatures, the situation resets, and another saving throw is called for whenever it again comes within 30 feet of an injured enemy.

Decorative Tiles

The walls and floors of rooms occupied by sahuagin of higher rank are tiled in various colors (see the individual room descriptions). The tiles are made from polished stone and colored with plant dyes and octopus ink.

Corridors and Rooms

All corridors are 10 feet wide and 15 feet high. All the rooms are 20 feet high except for areas 37, 41, and 42 (30 feet high), area 53 (about 60 feet high), and area 60 (45 feet high in the cave proper, 30 feet high over the area at the top of the steps). All walls separating adjacent areas are 3 feet thick. Unless otherwise noted, construction consists of plain dressed stone.

Doors

All doors are 4-inch-thick double doors made of dressed stone, 5 feet wide and 10 feet tall. Except where otherwise noted, each door has a handle consisting of a horizontal bronze bar set into the stone on each side of the door, about 4 feet above the floor. All doors open into the areas they border on metal casters that move along grooves cut into the stone floor.

Gates and Pillars

All gates consist of bronze construction and are 10 feet wide by 10 feet high, except for the gate in the cave mouth of area 60, which is 20 feet wide by 20 feet high.

All pillars are made of smooth dressed stone, 3 feet in diameter, supporting the roof above. All archways are 10 feet wide and 10 feet high.

Illumination

No permanent light sources exist inside the stronghold, since the sahuagin have no need of them. In areas where slaves work, light is often necessary for their sake. If an area must be illuminated temporarily, the sahuagin fasten torches to the walls that produce light throughout the room. When the adventure begins, area 19 and area 37 are the only places in the fortress not shrouded in darkness.

Furniture and Seaweed Beds

Items of furniture in the fortress are made of smooth, dressed stone unless otherwise specified. Coffers are 3 feet long by 2 feet wide and stand 2 feet high; they are used to store personal possessions.

Many of the area descriptions in levels 2 and 3 contain references to seaweed beds. These beds consist 10-foot-square patches of seaweed, growing from the floor and rising through the water to a height of 7 feet or more. An area occupied by a seaweed bed is heavily obscured.

Remember that the three-dimensional space in which a seaweed bed appears extends from floor to ceiling, and the seaweed occupies only the bottom half of that space. Thus, it’s possible for a creature to be in the same space as the seaweed without being inside the seaweed.

Those Who Rule

The following sahuagin rule the fortress, oversee its armed forces, and direct its worship of Sekolah.

Baroness Seklaz

The initial attack against the lizardfolk and the subsequent occupation of the fortress were the baroness’s doing. She is a cunning war strategist and has a measure of patience that serves her well. She has an excellent relationship with the high priestess, with whom she shares an unwavering devotion to Sekolah.

Baron Kepmak

The baron (spouse of the baroness) is a young and ambitious sahuagin who has worked to increase his reputation in sahuagin society. He is clever but hasty, and prone to sulking when things do not go his way. The fortress and the forthcoming sahuagin invasion on the coastal area represent his opportunity to make history.

High Priestess Thadrah

Through the high priestess, Sekolah’s will is done in the fortress. She is a tested disciple who recently performed the great ritual that lowered the seabed under the fortress. She and her priestesses have summoned an avatar of their god, who swims inside the temple.

Blademaster Makaht

Makaht is a hulking brute responsible for leading the sahuagin army in the impending campaign. He takes orders directly from the baroness and the baron, though he prefers the former over the latter.

Inhabitants

The sahuagin fortress is not full to capacity. A sparse crew of slaves labors on the topmost level, which contains several chambers being prepared for occupation. The submerged levels are home to many sahuagin and several of the armored sharks they use as war beasts. The sahuagin force and the other denizens of the fortress are summarized on the Sahuagin Roster table, which also provides information on how the occupants of various areas might react as the mission unfolds. On this table, sahuagin is abbreviated as “sah.”

Patrols in the Fortress

The sahuagin routinely send patrols out on level 2 of the fortress as a security measure. Unless the characters are extremely stealthy and careful, they are bound to encounter a patrol at some point. A guard patrol attacks on sight, unless the characters are disguised or have some other way to make it appear they deserve to be here.

A patrol consists of five sahuagin, one sahuagin coral smasher (see appendix C), and one sahuagin champion (see appendix C) drawn from the roster in area area 24. If that area is depleted of sahuagin, no more patrols are sent out.

For every 10 minutes the characters spend traveling the corridors on level 2, roll a d12. On a 12, the characters come upon a guard patrol.

The Mission Begins

Once the characters are ready to depart, be sure to take a moment to prepare your notes. Since this adventure provides plenty of chances for stealthy infiltration, note the characters' Dexterity (Stealth) check modifiers and their passive Perception scores. When a fight breaks out, check the Sahuagin Roster table to determine if the noise of combat in an area attracts reinforcements.

Arrival at the Island

When the characters' transportation first arrives within sight of the island fortress, read:

A rock outcropping thrusts up from the sea to form an island here, just offshore. It reckons to be five hundred feet in diameter and is separated from the shoreline by a span of about two hundred feet.

The guards who are rowing or sailing the keelboat won’t come anywhere within several hundred feet of the island. They prefer to drop off the characters (in their rowboats) on the eastern edge of the area, but if the characters ask, they will sail around the south side of the island—always giving it a wide berth—so the characters can disembark somewhere else along the perimeter.

After the characters take to their boats, they can decide to come ashore on the mainland and approach the fortress on foot, or they might row around the island to look for clues about what lies inside. When the characters come close enough to the island to see details of the exterior or the causeway, read:

The island is bare of vegetation other than mosses, lichens, seaweed, and the occasional clump of coarse grass. No wildlife appears present, but for a few clouds of insects and small mollusks. In stark contrast to other sites along the coast, no seabirds can be seen near the island.

As reported by the scouts, a long stone causeway leads southward from the marshy coastline, crossing the entire span just above the waterline. By looking south from the coast, you can see that it ends at a ledge with a set of large stone doors just beyond.

Allow the characters to plan and execute their approach, using the following information.

Entrances

The fortress has three entrances, though only one is visible from the surface. The first is a set of double doors at the end of the causeway that leads southward to area area 1. The second is a small cave 80 feet below the double doors that leads to area 61. The third is a wide opening on the south side of the island, 80 feet below the surface, that leads to area 60.

Deeper than 20 feet below the surface, the water is heavily obscured without the aid of a light source.

Rocky Exterior

The island fortress’s rocky exterior features many handholds. Characters who want to climb the exterior can do so with no difficulty. Such activity attracts no attention from within, nor does it produce any useful results.

The Causeway

The stone causeway extends for 190 feet from the coast to the ledge of area area 1. It is 10 feet wide and 10 to 15 feet thick, allowing it to safely bear the weight of the characters if they choose to walk on it.

Sahuagin Roster, Level 1

Sahuagin Roster, Level 2

Sahuagin Roster, Level 3

*See appendix C

Fortress Level 1

The following locations are identified on map 6.1. Modify the read-aloud text as necessary to account for the movement of the sahuagin around the fortress.

1. North Entrance and Guard Post

You stand on a rock ledge about thirty feet wide. Ahead, set into the vertical rock surface, is a pair of large stone doors, each ten feet high and five feet wide. The surface of the doors is featureless, with no visible handles, except for a rectangular aperture six inches wide by four inches high cut in the center of the left-hand door, about six feet above ground level. A flat metal plate covers this aperture from the inside.

During the day, the doors are barred on the inside. At night, the doors are unbarred, since sahuagin use the doors to access the causeway and enter the marsh. The sahuagin guards in area 1 are overconfident; they don’t keep a close eye on the causeway.

As long as the characters approach the doors quietly, they do not alert the guards beyond. Tampering with the doors will alert the guards, who demand (in Sahuagin) to know who is trying to enter.

The guards can be tricked into opening the doors, but since sahuagin intelligence is high, this will not be an easy task. A character who can communicate with the sahuagin, and who makes a successful DC 18 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check, convinces the guards to open the doors for the party.

The doors are not magically locked and can be opened with appropriate spells or enough brawn. The doors (AC 16, 45 hit points, damage threshold 12) can be forced open by a character who makes a successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check.

Once the characters are inside, read the following:

You see a bare, spartan room. Ahead, a short corridor off the room ends in a closed bronze gate. To your left, a single stone bench runs along the east wall. To your right on the opposite wall hangs a large metal gong; a short metal bar leans against the wall below it.

Several sahuagin glare at you as they move to attack.

Six sahuagin, two Sahuagin Coral Smasher (see appendix C), and one sahuagin champion (see appendix C) guard the entrance. If the door is forced open, one of the sahuagin immediately moves toward the west wall to ring the gong, while the remaining guards defend the entrance. If this creature is slain or otherwise prevented from ringing the gong, no other defender takes its place.

A sahuagin can use its action to ring the gong. If the gong is rung three times, the sahuagin in areas 2 and 12 recognize the alert signal and rush to the scene as quickly as possible. The gong cannot be heard on any other level of the fortress.

Guarded Gate

Two sahuagin stationed in area 2 are not initially visible to the characters. They are responsible for keeping guard over the gate that separates the entrance from the rest of the lair.

The gate is normally closed and down. It is raised and lowered by means of a chain and pulley mechanism fastened on the north wall inside area 2, on the east side of the gate. Under normal circumstances, it takes 3 rounds to raise or lower the gate, but an emergency device allows the raised gate to be dropped in a split second with a muffled clang (not audible in any of the occupied areas on this level other than area 1).

The gate (AC 18, 50 hit points, damage threshold 14) can be forced open by a character who makes a successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check.

Net Trap

A large net trap is installed in the ceiling of the corridor leading from area 1 to the gate that blocks entry into area 2. The net falls when a creature in area 2 releases the rope that holds it in place. The net can easily be spotted by anyone who looks toward the ceiling.

When a creature releases the net, a 10-foot-square net falls from the ceiling, covering the area in front of the gate in area 1. Each creature standing under the net as it falls must make a successful DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be restrained. A creature must make a successful DC 14 Strength check to free itself or another creature from the net. If the net takes 30 slashing damage, it is destroyed and all creatures restrained by it are freed.

2. Guard Post

This bare, spartan room has a stone bench along the south wall that continues around the angle to the west wall. A chain-and-pulley mechanism is mounted on the north wall, next to the exit to the north.

The sahuagin here prepare to defend themselves.

Two sahuagin stand guard in this room. They attack intruders attempting to enter the fortress.

The pulley mechanism is described in area 1.

Development

If the gong in area 1 has not been rung and the fight at the entrance is going badly for the defenders, one of the sahuagin tries to flee to area 12 to summon reinforcements. It returns with the guards posted in area 12 (five sahuagin, two Sahuagin Coral Smasher [see appendix C], and two Sahuagin Priestess) in 10 rounds.

3. Unfinished Champion’s Quarters

Dark blue tiles cover the walls and floor of this room. In the center of the room sits a table with a small bench beside it. A coffer is propped in the northeast corner, its open lid leaning against the wall.

A miner’s pick lies on the floor in the southwest corner.

Like most of the rooms on this level, this one has been allocated to an eventual occupant (in this case, a champion currently quartered in area area 60). It will not be ready for occupation until this level has been flooded.

The miner’s pick is one of the construction workers' tools. The open coffer is empty.

4. Champion’s Quarters

Dark green tiles cover the walls and floor of this room. Many lidless coffers rest against the walls, though there are none near the northern wall west of the archway. One of the coffers glows, its blue light filling the room.

A sledgehammer is propped against the northern wall.

Like most of the rooms on this level, this one has already been allocated to an eventual occupant (in this case, another champion currently quartered in area area 60).

The sledgehammer is one of the construction workers' tools.

5. Unfinished Barracks

This unfinished area seems intended for use as a barracks. Many lidless coffers are arranged around the walls of the room, though there are none near the north wall west of the archway.

Propped against the center of the north wall are dozens of stone-working tools.

This barracks area will eventually, when the level is flooded, house the sixty warriors currently quartered in area area 60. The sixty coffers, if the characters care to examine them, are all empty.

The tools are well used and have no value.

6. Champions' Quarters

This austere room holds a small table with two chairs beside it. A stone coffer, its lid open and propped against the wall, stands in the northeast corner, and an identical one is in the northwest corner.

This room has been allocated to two champions currently quartered in area 60. The coffers are empty.

7. Unfinished Champions' Quarters

The ceiling of this austere room appears rough and unfinished. A stone coffer stands in the northeast corner, and an identical one is in the northwest corner. The lids to these coffers lie shattered on the floor.

This room has been allocated to two champions currently quartered in area area 60. The lids were dropped by slaves during construction and have not been cleared away or replaced.

8. Makeshift Storeroom

This is an austere room, like other similar chambers. A stone coffer stands in the northeast corner, and an identical one rests in the northwest corner. The lids to these coffers lie on the floor between piles of stone-working tools, chunks of chiseled stone, and debris.

The slaves are using this room to store tools and the unwanted stone from their work.

9. Armory

This room has a plain stone floor, walls, and ceiling. Two rows of metal racks run almost the entire length of the room from east to west; they are set parallel and about six feet apart, leaving a passage between them. A large number of spears, tridents, and other weapons are arrayed on these racks.

Two large closed coffers sit to either side of the southern archway.

This room is used to store weapons for the sahuagin troops currently in area area 60. The armory contains the following items:

• Sixty Spear
• Thirty Trident
• Ten Glaive
• Twenty Warhammer

The coffers are not locked. They contain seventy-five Dagger with scabbards.

10. Disorganized Storeroom

This room of plain stone construction contains coils of rope and heaps of animal hides scattered on the floor. A few metal nails lie between the piles.

This room contains unsorted supplies for the construction of the upper level. None of it has any value except to the slaves.

11. Tidy Storeroom

This room of plain stone construction contains organized heaps of metal nails, hooks, and buckles, along with some leather belts and straps on the floor.

This room holds additional supplies for the improvement of the fortress.

12. Guard Post

This chamber is accessed by three archways leading into it from the north, east, and west. A stone bench runs along the south wall. Set in the north wall, opposite the west archway, is a metal gate that closes off an opening to the north. A mechanism consisting of a wheel, chains, and various pulleys is attached to the east wall.

Unless they were called to help in area areas 1 and area 2, five sahuagin, two Sahuagin Coral Smasher (see appendix C), and two Sahuagin Priestess occupy this room.

From this chamber, the characters can hear faint hammering sounds arising from the southeast, unless work has been stopped and the slaves working in area area 19 have been confined there.

Development

The sahuagin in area 19 hear sounds of battle that come from this area, investigating within 5 minutes (see area area 19 for more information).

Metal Gate

A bronze gate is currently closed (down). It can be raised and lowered by a pulley mechanism fastened to the east wall. Under normal circumstances, it takes 3 rounds to raise or lower the gate, but an emergency device can drop the raised gate in a split second (not audible in any of the occupied areas on this level).

The gate (AC 18, 50 hit points, damage threshold 14) can be forced open by a character who makes a successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check.

13. Slave Pen

If the characters look into this room from the other side of the gate, read:

A long, narrow room stretches beyond the gate, with four pillars equally spaced north to south.

If they pass through the gate, continue with:

To your right, along the east wall runs a shallow trough cut into the stone floor. This channel is stained and traces of a brown liquid shine wetly.

To your left, along the west wall, dozens of manacles hang from the wall at waist height.

The slaves that have been toiling to enlarge and alter the fortress for their sahuagin captors spend their few hours of rest in here. At one time, forty slaves served in the stronghold, as attested to by the forty pairs of chains equally spaced along the wall. As the construction work nears its end, the sahuagin have disposed of all but a few workers. Most of the slaves were sacrificed in the summoning ritual performed by high priestess Thadrah.

Food for the slaves, in the form of a light brown, watery gruel, is poured into the trough from time to time, though the slaves are not given utensils of any sort and must do their best with their hands.

The trough stops 10 feet from the northern wall. In the northeast corner of the room, the sahuagin have installed very rudimentary sanitary facilities which, however crude, are kept surprisingly clean.

One human slave (commoner) named Elmo lies dying in the northwest corner of this room. Elmo is too weak to call out to the characters, though he can speak with them if they approach.

Elmo the Emaciated

Elmo is the sole survivor of a party of adventurers that penetrated the lair weeks ago. In a weak and raspy voice, he tells his story. Relate the following details:

• He is a wizard and the leader of a party of adventurers from the Hold of the Sea Princes, sent by the Prince of Monmurg to investigate the strange goings-on in the former lizardfolk lair.
• He and his companions were equipped to explore underwater but never got that far. As soon as they gained entry (at area 1), they were immediately attacked by large numbers of sahuagin.
• All his comrades were killed in the battle that followed. He was taken prisoner. Since then, he has worked as a slave, laboring on the building efforts.
• He and his companions had several magic items to aid them with underwater exploration, but these items were confiscated by the sahuagin (see area area 18). He does not believe the sahuagin know of their magical properties.
• He recently witnessed the performance of a terrible ritual in which many slaves were sacrificed.

Close to death, Elmo can no longer work or even walk. The sahuagin have not even bothered to kill him for food, considering his sparse frame not worth the effort.

Elmo’s mind is too damaged to recall any useful information about the layout of the lower levels. He does remember a tremendous earthquake occurring some time ago. (The earthquake was caused by the high priestess’s ritual, though Elmo does not know this.)

Elmo’s Secret

If the word “secret” is used in conversation, it triggers a memory and Elmo relates that he helped build a secret door (leading to area area 18). He remembers that concealing the door required great skill. He describes where the room is and how to access it.

Healing Elmo

Elmo’s body and spirit have suffered terribly. Spells, potions, and medicine ease his pain but do little to reverse his body’s deterioration.

Elmo’s Death

Elmo dies as the conversation concludes. Just before he passes, he recalls the summoning of the avatar of Sekolah in the temple below.

The man’s eyes suddenly widen, and he grasps at the air. He turns away from some imagined horror. “The teeth… teeth in the temple,” he wails, before collapsing dead on the stone floor.

Elmo’s mind is as clouded in death as it was in life, and any attempts to communicate with him magically reveal nothing new.

Slaves of the Sahuagin

The slaves are all unarmed and in a weakened state (half hit points, disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks). They do not attack the party and flee the fortress at the first opportunity. The slaves do not join or otherwise aid the characters; they cower and yell if threatened or restrained. They have no useful information, and their minds are scattered from abuse. They defend themselves if attacked, but they have escape foremost on their minds.

14. Unfinished Guest Room

Dark green tiles cover the floor and ceiling of this room, forming an incomplete mosaic that depicts sahuagin warriors defending an underwater city from a tentacled monster. A table stands in the center of the room, with small, ornately carved benches to either side. Two coffers are propped against the north wall, their lids closed.

This room and its completed twin (area 15) will serve as guest quarters for sahuagin notables once this level is complete and flooded.

The coffers are empty.

15. Guest Room

Pale blue tiles cover the floor and ceiling of this room. Mosaics on the wall depict sahuagin warriors sinking large sailing ships. A table in the center of the room is flanked by two ornate benches. Two coffers stand against the north wall, their lids leaning against their sides.

This room and its incomplete twin (area 14) will serve as guest quarters for sahuagin notables once this level is complete and flooded.

The coffers are empty.

16. Larder

The air is distinctly colder than outside. This room contains no furniture, but around the walls hang various carcasses. Some spare hooks attached to the wall are unoccupied. White bones lie heaped in the northeast corner.

Unless work has been stopped and the slaves that were working in area area 19 have been confined in that area, the characters hear hammering coming from the east.

By instinct or observation, the sahuagin have selected the coldest part of level 1 in which to construct their larder. The natural temperature here allows dead creatures to be stored for extended periods of time without risk of significant decomposition.

Carcasses

The carcasses include a normal octopus, two giant eels, a male dwarf, a male human, and eight lizardfolk. All are fresh or reasonably well preserved. The dwarf and the human were part of Elmo’s adventuring party; their bodies have been stripped of gear.

A character who makes a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Medicine) check while examining the adventurers' bodies deduces that the organs of the pair were carefully removed. A further successful DC 14 Intelligence (History) or Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals that sahuagin rituals often involve the use of freshly harvested organs.

If the adventurers' corpses are targeted by speak with dead or similar magic, they answer the caster’s questions truthfully. They know nothing of the lower levels of the fortress but are aware the place has recently been sunk.

Bones

The bones in the corner belong to the final two members of Elmo’s party. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check discerns that the remains are those of a female human and a male half-elf.

17. Large Storeroom

This room contains neat piles of hammers, chisels, mining picks, sledgehammers, crowbars, spades, wicker baskets, sacks, and coils of rope. There is also a pile of light blue tiles. Otherwise, the place is empty.

A character who makes a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check finds the secret door to room 18. The door is protected by a glyph of warding spell.

The glyph can be spotted by a character who makes a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check while studying the door. The glyph triggers if the door is opened before the glyph is dispelled. If that happens, all creatures within 20 feet of the door must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

18. Secret Room

This plain room contains several items of interest.

A leather cloak hangs on a peg on the wall to your right. Opposite the cloak, propped against the east wall, stands a full suit of human-sized plate armor. A heap of chain mail lies at the foot of the armor. Farther into the room, three shields are piled on the floor. Finally, a coffer lies at the far end of the room, its lid closed.

The sahuagin are uncertain of the magical items' properties and stored them in a secret place on the dry level for fear that immersion in saltwater will ruin them.

The sahuagin have removed for storage or use elsewhere all the nonmagical gear found on Elmo’s and his companions' bodies.

Coffer

The locked coffer can be opened by a character who makes a successful DC 14 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. It is also trapped with a thrusting blade trap. Noticing the trap requires a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check. A successful DC 15 Dexterity check is required to disarm the trap. Opening the coffer without disarming the trap, or failing to disarm it, triggers the trap. Once triggered, a short blade thrusts from the coffer, stabbing any creature next to the coffer’s lock. The creature must make a successful DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 9 (2d8) piercing damage.

Treasure

The leather cloak hanging here is a cloak of the manta ray. The armor is a suit of Mithral Plate Armor and a suit of normal chain mail. The three Shield, all usable, bear the insignia of Prince Monmurg—a spire rising against a blue ocean sky.

The coffer contains twelve Potion of Water Breathing.

19. Hall

If the sahuagin in this area have been alerted to the presence of intruders, this area is vacant. Read:

To the west of a large archway stretches an area of plain stone construction. Three pillars extend to the tiled ceiling. In the center of this chamber, a wide staircase leads down. An unfinished half-wall surrounds three sides of the staircase. Piles of colored tiles sit near the wall, awaiting placement. The sound of water lapping against stone can be heard coming up from the bottom of the stairs.

If the sahuagin in this area have not been alerted when the party enters, continue with:

Ten slaves, working by torchlight, smooth and dress the unfinished exterior walls of the hall. Each slave is shackled at the ankles with a length of chain and wears a metal collar. Several sahuagin oversee the slaves as they work, while others rest and chat near the top of the stairs.

This area of the fortress remains to be finished to the satisfaction of the sahuagin before the level is flooded.

There are ten slaves in this area: four Orc, four Hobgoblin, and two lizardfolk. See the “area Slaves of the Sahuagin” sidebar for more information.

Four Sahuagin Coral Smasher (see appendix C), one sahuagin champion (see appendix C), one sahuagin priestess, and two sahuagin oversee the work of the slaves. The sahuagin attack any intruders on sight.

Development

If the sahuagin here are alerted by the sounds of combat in area 12, they gather the slaves and chain them to the pillars in this room before proceeding, which delays their arrival accordingly—it takes 5 minutes for them to get to the scene.

Stairs

The stairs descend into area 20. Water from the flooded levels laps at the second step from the top of the stairs. Descending the stairs submerges the party in cold (but not frigid) seawater.

Treasure

The sahuagin champion wears a pair of gold and silver armbands (25 gp each). Intricate designs depicting shark teeth encircle the armbands.

Fortress Level 2

This level is entirely submerged in cold (but not frigid) seawater. The characters must make appropriate preparations before descending the stairs into area 20.

The following locations are identified on map 6.2.

20. Large Hall

After descending the stairs, you find yourselves in a large open area. Stone pillars rise from floor to ceiling, two each to your left and your right.

This area is empty, quiet, and peaceful.

21. Blademaster’s Quarters

Dark green tiles cover the walls and floor of this room, and the ceiling is tiled in white. A table in the center of the room has a small bench beside it. In the southwest corner is a coffer, its lid closed. A mass of seaweed rises in the northwest corner to a height of about seven feet; the seaweed covers an area about ten feet square.

Blademaster Makaht resides here. At present he can be found in area area 53, watching the so-called sport in the arena during his short recreation period.

Coffer

The locked coffer can be opened by a character who makes a successful DC 14 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. Makaht keeps the key on his person.

The coffer contains the following treasure:

• Six leather harnesses with gold buckles (10 gp each)
• A leather bag containing two cut rubies (100 gp each)
• A small silver mirror (25 gp)

22. Champion’s Quarters

The walls and floor of this chamber are tiled in a dark green color, and the ceiling is tiled light green. A seaweed bed fills the northeast corner. In the center of the room stands a small table with a small bench beside it. Against the east wall rests a coffer, its lid closed.

The occupant of this room is presently in the throne room (area 42).

Coffer

The locked coffer can be opened by a character who makes a successful DC 14 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. The key to the coffer is held by one of the sahuagin champions in area 42.

The coffer contains:

• Six leather harnesses with silver buckles (5 gp each)
• A small gold locket on a fine chain (50 gp); if the locket is opened, it is seen to contain a miniature portrait of a human girl and a lock of blonde hair, which floats away into the surrounding water
• A leather bag containing 25 gp

23. Champions' Quarters

The walls and floor of this room are tiled in deep blue, and the ceiling is light blue. In the center of the room is a table with a small bench beside it. A closed coffer leans against the south wall, and a seaweed bed fills the southwest corner.

A small group of sahuagin in this room are vocalizing what seem like raucous sounds of merriment.

The sahuagin are socializing and celebrating the forthcoming completion of the fortress.

Two sahuagin Champion (see appendix C) and two Sahuagin Priestess occupy this room. Their revelry grants them disadvantage on Perception checks to detect the characters as they approach the chamber.

Coffer

The locked coffer can be opened by a character who makes a successful DC 14 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. The key to the coffer is held by one of the sahuagin champions in this room.

The following treasure lie within the coffer:

• A small leather pouch that holds a fine set of thieves' tools with ivory handles (200 gp)
• 340 sp scattered loosely inside the container
• A silver goblet (50 gp) with the insignia of Prince Monmurg—a spire rising against a blue ocean sky—pressed into the bottom (see the “Insignia of Prince Monmurg” sidebar); stylized lightning bolts are engraved on the sides, and the words “Jupiter,” “Maximus,” and “Optimus” are written underneath the bolts

24. Living Quarters

This large area is tiled throughout—the floor in indigo, the walls in dark blue, and the ceiling in light blue. Four stone pillars support the ceiling. The room has a bed of seaweed all around the walls, rising about seven feet off the floor and perhaps ten feet wide. A number of coffers, their lids closed, lie around the room.

Three long tables, benches to either side, are set in the central area.

Dozens of sahuagin here are gathered in small groups or floating in the seaweed beds.

Although the sahuagin are not anticipating invaders, if the characters enter the room without taking steps to conceal themselves, the residents pick up their weapons and attack.

Twenty-five sahuagin, five Sahuagin Coral Smasher, and three sahuagin champion (see appendix C) occupy this large common living quarters. Their weapons are close at hand.

Treasure

The coffers are all unlocked. A thorough search of the coffers reveals the following items:

• A total of 500 gp
• Twenty large pearls (10 gp each)
• Forty harnesses with silver buckles (10 gp each)

25. Hatchery

The characters might be able to enter this area undetected by the occupants of area 24. If they do so, read:

This long, narrow area contains no furniture, but clusters of what look like large fish eggs float against the walls, five or six feet above the floor.

The eggs are unhatched sahuagin. Disturbing the eggs in any way, including coming within 3 feet of them, causes dozens of them to break open. Three Sahuagin Hatchling Swarm (see appendix C) form and rush to attack warm-blooded characters. The sound of their offspring being threatened attracts the sahuagin in area 24, if they have not already been defeated.

26. Hatchery

The characters might be able to enter this area undetected by the occupants of area area 24. If they do so, read:

This long, narrow area contains no furniture, but clusters of what look like large fish eggs float against the walls, five or six feet above the floor.

Two sahuagin wearing coral-colored headbands and silver bracelets are performing a ritual over the eggs.

Two Sahuagin Priestess are conducting rites to Sekolah over the unhatched eggs. If the priestesses notice the party, they immediately awaken two Sahuagin Hatchling Swarm (see appendix C) from the eggs around them. The swarms attack the characters, while the priestesses try to flee, returning promptly with any surviving sahuagin from area area 24.

27. Barracks

A short passage leading west beyond the archway opens after about twenty feet into a large room. A seaweed bed covers the entire south wall. Several coffers, their lids closed, stand at regular intervals around the unoccupied walls.

A large, powerful sahuagin is addressing more than twenty sahuagin guards.

A sahuagin champion (see appendix C) prepares a squad of twelve sahuagin and twelve Sahuagin Coral Smasher (see appendix C) for patrol and guard duty. The sahuagin are armed and about to move out to relieve guards currently on active duty. They move to slay intruders the moment they notice them.

Development

The sahuagin wave shaper (see appendix C) in area 28 joins the battle in this area on the third round of combat.

Treasure

The unlocked coffers contain a total of 300 gp and twenty leather harnesses with silver buckles (10 gp each).

28. Wave Shaper’s Quarters

This room is adorned with a colorful mosaic of a sahuagin with a twisted body creating a whirlpool to drag down a ship. A table stands in the center, a small bench to either side. Seaweed beds sway in the northeast and southeast corners. Two coffers, their lids closed, stand against the north wall.

A hunched-over sahuagin at the table looks up, startled, as you appear. Its sudden motion causes one of several stacks of coins to topple with a clatter.

A single sahuagin wave shaper (see appendix C) sits at the table, counting small stacks of gold coins.

Treasure

There are 276 gp stacked on the table and on adjacent unoccupied benches. The coffers contain another 400 gp in loose piles (200 gp each). The wave shaper wears a silver bracelet set with turquoise beads (100 gp).

29. Barracks

A short passage beyond the archway opens after about twenty feet into a large room. A seaweed bed covers the entire south wall. Several coffers, their lids closed, stand at regular intervals around the unoccupied walls.

A commanding sahuagin is addressing a group of sahuagin guards and sharks.

A sahuagin champion prepares a squad of six sahuagin, six Sahuagin Coral Smasher, four Sahuagin Deep Diver, and four Shell Shark for patrol and guard duty (see appendix C for all but the sahuagin). The sahuagin are armed and about to move out to relieve guards currently on duty. They treat intruders as hostile.

Four sahuagin that are not part of the patrol are gambling on two lobsters fighting in a small net arena.

Development

The sahuagin champion (see appendix C) in area 30 joins the battle, arriving on the third round of combat.

Treasure

The unlocked coffers contain a total of 300 gp and twenty leather harnesses with silver buckles (10 gp each). Each of the battling lobsters is adorned with a silver and pearl band (25 gp).

30. Champion’s Quarters

This is a spartan room. A few broken bits of pottery lie scattered on the floor. A table stands in the center, with a small bench to either side. Seaweed beds sway in the northeast and southeast corners. Two coffers, their lids closed, stand against the north wall.

The light in this room flickers slightly, illuminating a sleeping sahuagin in the northeast corner bed.

A single sahuagin champion (see appendix C) lies in a seaweed bed. It recently lost a large sum of gold to the sahuagin wave shaper in area 28.

Treasure

The coffers, which are unlocked, contain a total of 12 gp.

31. Priestess’s Quarters

The floor and walls of this room are tiled in medium gray, and the ceiling has white tiles. A small table in the center of the room is neatly set with a silver bowl and cup in the center. A small bench stands beside the table.

A seaweed bed covers the southeast corner. A coffer, its lid closed, stands in the southwest corner.

The occupant of this room is currently in the temple assisting with the ceremony.

Treasure

The unlocked coffers contain 70 gp and an ivory-handled dagger in a plain scabbard (20 gp). The silver bowl and cup are worth 5 gp each.

32. Priestess’s Quarters

The floor and walls of this room are tiled a medium gray, while the ceiling has white tiles. There is a table in the center of the room with a small bench beside it. A single four-inch-long shark tooth sits on the table.

A seaweed bed covers the southeast corner. A coffer, its lid closed, stands in the southwest corner.

The occupant of this room is currently in the temple assisting with the ceremony.

Treasure

The unlocked coffers contain 40 gp and a silver hand mirror (15 gp).

33. Priestess’s Quarters

Gray tiles cover the floor and walls of this room, while the ceiling has white tiles. A small table and bench sit in the center of the room. Colorful shells adorn the walls.

A seaweed bed covers the southeast corner. A closed coffer stands in the southwest corner. Near the bed stands a one-foot-tall wooden statuette of a shark.

The occupant of this room is currently in the temple assisting with the ceremony. The statuette is a Sekolahian worshiping statuette (see appendix B).

Treasure

The unlocked coffer contains 40 gp and a silver hand mirror (15 gp).

34. Priestess’s Quarters

The floor and walls of this room are tiled a medium gray, while the ceiling has white tiles. There is a small table in the center of the room with a small, matching bench beside it.

A seaweed bed covers the southeast corner. A coffer, its lid closed, stands in the southwest corner. A hollow space by the bed contains a ceremonial dagger with a bone handle.

A sahuagin and several armored sharks occupy this chamber.

A sahuagin priestess is tending to the armored plates of four Shell Shark (see appendix C) in this room. She is startled to discover intruders have made it this far. She and the sharks attack all intruders.

Treasure

The unlocked coffer contains 113 gp and six humanoid skulls with uncut chunks of turquoise forced into the eye sockets. These twelve pieces of turquoise are worth 10 gp each.

35. Prayer Room

This room has walls and ceiling tiled in dark green. A mosaic on the northern wall depicts a huge two-headed shark leading countless sahuagin toward the surface of the water.

An altar on the west wall is made of a massive shark jaw and teeth mounted on a stone base. The base is surrounded by small skulls and living sea creatures.

The priestesses use this area to pray to Sekolah. It is currently unoccupied.

A character who searches the altar and makes a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check discovers a hidden compartment under the stone base of the shark jaws. The compartment contains twelve portions of rapture weed that the priestesses use in rituals (see the “Rapture Weed” sidebar).

Rapture Weed

These rare plants grow along isolated stony shelves in underwater trenches. A creature that consumes the fronds of rapture weed becomes poisoned for 6 hours, during which time it experiences occasional hallucinations and a feeling of euphoria. Sahuagin priests often use rapture weed in their worship (as does the priestess in area 36) .

Any creature that consumes rapture weed has a 1 percent chance of instead becoming incapacitated for the duration of the plant’s effect. During this time it experiences terrifying visions of an enormous shark devouring great amounts of prey.

When the effect wears off or is negated, the creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be afflicted with a form of long-term madness (see “Madness” in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

36. High Priestess’s Quarters

The floor and walls of this room are tiled in gray, the ceiling in white. In the center of the room stands a white stone table, the top surface covered in gold-colored engravings. Three small ornately carved benches stand near the table, and a seaweed bed fills the southeast corner.

This is the chamber of high priestess Thadrah. She is currently in area area 42 with the baron.

A character who searches the seaweed bed discovers a hidden, unlocked coffer.

Trapped Table

A character who examines the table and makes a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check discovers a secret compartment in its underside. The compartment is locked and can be opened by a character who makes a successful DC 14 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. The compartment is trapped with a thrusting blade trap. Noticing the trap requires a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check. A successful DC 15 Dexterity check is required to disarm the trap. Opening the coffer without disarming the trap, or failing to disarm it, triggers the trap.

When the trap is triggered, a short blade thrusts from the coffer, stabbing any creature next to the coffer’s lock. The creature must make a successful DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 9 (2d8) piercing damage.

Treasure

The hidden compartment contains four portions of rapture weed and a gold flask filled with three doses of a restorative draught (Potion of Healing).

The coffer contains the following items:

• A leather harness with platinum buckles (50 gp)
• A canvas bag filled with 50 pp
• A gold bracelet set with pearls (200 gp)

37. Temple

This large room features walls and floor covered in gray tiles, the ceiling covered in white. Tiled pillars support the ceiling and run down the length of the area on either side of the center.

An altar is built against the northern wall of this chamber. Its stone base is covered in carved shark eyes that stare out in all directions. The startlingly realistic eyes are inset with dark stones that reflect the chamber’s dim blue light.

If the characters look into the chamber without interrupting the ritual taking place, read:

Glowing symbols and strange designs are engraved into the walls of this place, casting an eerie light throughout the chamber. Three chanting sahuagin dressed in ceremonial robes float near the altar, their arms raised toward the ceiling, which is some thirty feet above. Carvings of shark’s eyes adorn the altar’s front, each varied in shape and size. The gory remains of unidentified creatures rest

atop the altar; blood rises like smoke upward past the sahuagin. Two large and squirming sacks flank the altar.

A massive two-headed shark, its fins adorned with bands of pearl and gold, swims in circles above the altar.

Noise of combat in this area does not attract attention from any other occupied area. Even if a sahuagin patrol passes near the temple during combat inside, it is not at all surprised to hear such noises. The priestesses are a strange bunch, in the average warrior’s opinion, and conduct some very noisy ceremonies in their temple—this must just be another one. It is a different matter, of course, if a patrol sees combat occurring.

Three Sahuagin Priestess are performing the ritual at the altar. Each sack contains ten sahuagin hatchlings that are no threat and are automatically slain if attacked. The Maw of Sekolah (see appendix C) swims menacingly overhead. The priestesses have disadvantage on any Perception checks to detect the characters. While the ritual is being maintained, the Maw of Sekolah does not attack the characters, even if it becomes aware of them. Interrupting the ritual, however, has dire consequences for everyone in the temple.

Glowing Symbols

The wall designs glow with dim illumination because of an application of luminescent algae salvaged from the ocean bottom. They are not magical.

Interrupting the Ritual

The ritual serves to placate and feed the Maw of Sekolah. It must be performed for another hour before it is considered complete. Every 10 minutes, one of the priestesses sacrifices a sahuagin hatchling, whose blood rises and feeds the avatar.

The priestesses stop chanting only if they are attacked. They know the ritual must be maintained, or their lives are forfeit.

If the characters cause any of the three priestesses to stop chanting, the Maw of Sekolah descends and devours two of the priestesses immediately before attacking the party. The remaining priestess fights alongside the shark.

Note: The Maw of Sekolah and a single sahuagin priestess make for a hard fight for a party of four 7th-level characters. For each additional character in the party, allow one more priestess to survive to maintain the same degree of difficulty.

Dark Words in the Deep

Non-sahuagin humanoid creatures who can hear the chanting of the priestesses must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is frightened for 1d4 rounds.

Treasure

The two pearl-and-gold bands on the Maw of Sekolah are worth 125 gp each. One of the priestesses carries the key to the coffer in area 38.

38. Vestry

This austere room has gray-tiled floor and walls, and a white ceiling. A large coffer, its lid closed, stands against the east wall in this otherwise empty room.

This room is used to store the religious objects and regalia of the priestesses. The coffer is twice as large as others found throughout the fortress and features the same shark-eye carvings as the altar in area 37 (though these are not magical). The key to the coffer is found on one of the priestesses in area 37.

Coffer

The coffer is locked and can be opened by a character who makes a successful DC 17 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. It is also trapped with a thrusting blade trap. Noticing the trap requires a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check. A successful DC 15 Dexterity check is required to disarm the trap. Opening the coffer without disarming the trap, or failing to disarm it, triggers the trap.

When the trap is triggered, a short blade thrusts from the coffer, stabbing any creature next to the coffer’s lock. The creature must make a successful DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 9 (2d8) piercing damage.

The coffer contains fourteen precious items worn by the sahuagin priestesses during their most important and holy festivals:

• Six silver masks, all in the shape of a shark’s head (50 gp each)
• Four golden gongs, each with a gold striker (75 gp for each set)
• Four gold necklaces set with coral beads (175 gp each)

39. Occupied Shark Pen

This ceiling and floor of this large room are unfinished stone. Light green tiles cover the walls. Seaweed grows freely throughout this chamber, and anemones and starfish crawl over the natural rocky surfaces.

Several large sharks with armored plates driven into their flanks swim freely here.

This is one of two large shark pens on the second level of the fortress. Because of the ubiquitous seaweed, the number of animals housed here is difficult to discern.

Ten Shell Shark (see appendix C) swim through the water in this room. They are always hungry, and they attack creatures that enter the room other than sahuagin.

In the far west corner of the room, hidden behind some seaweed, a stack of armor plates made from shell and coral rests against the wall. One side of each plate has barbs used to affix it to an animal.

40. Nearly Empty Shark Pen

This ceiling and floor of this large room are unfinished stone. Light green tiles cover the walls. Seaweed grows freely throughout this chamber. Anemones, starfish, and a lone lobster crawl over the natural rocky surfaces.

This is one of two large shark pens built on the second level of the fortress. The sharks housed here are out on patrol, away from the stronghold, with their sahuagin masters.

A seemingly ordinary lobster scuttles along the floor. This is Shern, an unassuming but most remarkable lobster (see the “Shern: Lobster, Telepath, Friend” sidebar). The lobster has no effective attacks and is killed automatically by any attack.

Shern: Lobster, Telepath, Friend

Until it escaped, Shern was used by the sahuagin in their makeshift lobster fighting arenas. It managed to escape its fate as a gladiator, in part due to its strangely high level of intelligence.

The lobster has limited telepathy, though it cannot explain how it came to have this ability. It can communicate with any other living creature within 10 feet. The lobster has named itself Shern, and it desperately wants to escape the fortress.

If Shern becomes aware of the characters, it attempts to communicate with one of them despite not being able to convey language. It knows the following information, which it communicates through feelings and projected images:

• A terrible monster lives in the temple.

• Two four-armed sahuagin rule this fortress.

• The bulk of the sahuagin forces are on the fortress’s lowest level.

• If the party frees Shern by returning it to the ocean, it can lead the characters to a sunken treasure (of your design) a few miles south of the fortress.

Shern knows the layout of the two lowest levels of the fortress, including areas where large number of sahuagin gather. The lobster accompanies the characters if it senses they will help it escape. Shern hopes to hide in a backpack, a cloak pocket, or a hood while the characters explore the rest of the fortress.

41. Banquet Hall

The corridor leads to a great hall, its floor tiled in black, the walls in coral pink, and the ceiling in white. Black-tiled pillars are regularly placed in a line slightly south of the east–west axis. To the north of the pillars, long tables have been placed end to end, with benches to either side. At the midpoint of the north wall, an archway opens onto a passage. This ornate archway is decorated with elegant black and gold designs evocative of waves and monstrous sea creatures.

This is the sahuagin banquet hall. Since sahuagin prefer to eat informally when individuals feel hunger, this hall is used only for important functions, such as to celebrate a great victory or entertain visiting nobles. The ceiling is 30 feet high.

The tables and benches can accommodate two hundred sahuagin with space to spare, but at present the area is empty.

The stone head in the semicircular niche in the center of the south wall is not clearly visible to characters standing under the western or eastern arch. As soon as a character moves to a position from which they can be observed, read the following:

A semicircular niche has been hollowed into the center of the south wall. The floor of the niche sits seven feet off the ground. On the shelf formed there stands a large carved stone head, visibly battered and disfigured. The features can still be recognized as those of a lizardfolk. The head is about twice as large as life size.

When the lizardfolk lived here, one of their proudest possessions was a 10-foot-high statue of Semuanya, their deity. When the sahuagin took over the fortress, they destroyed the statue, breaking it into stone fragments and leaving only the head, before the baron intervened. Instead of allowing them to destroy the head, the baron decided to keep it as a memento of his triumph—not only over the lizardfolk, but over their very way of life. He had his warriors remove it to the banquet hall and place it so that it faced him as he sat on his throne. It is an object of scorn and derision among the sahuagin—rarely does a sahuagin pass it without making a malicious, usually obscene, gesture.

Development

From this room, the characters can hear fragments of the discussion taking place in the throne room (area 42). Conversely, the baron and those with him in area 42 can hear any noisy activity in the banquet hall.

42. Throne Room

At the end of a short stretch of corridor, another archway opens into a larger area. Here, the floor is tiled indigo and the walls dark blue. On the north side, a massive, ornately carved throne rises from a pale blue dais.

Pale blue marble pillars stand to the east and west. The dais is of the same pale blue marble, while the throne is black coral. The ceiling is tiled in pale blue.

Assuming the occupants have not left, read:

On the throne sits an oversized sahuagin. This creature has four arms. In his right upper hand, he holds a large trident. His two lower hands grip the arms of his throne.

Floating next to the throne, on the creature’s right-hand side, is an adult female sahuagin holding a long staff tipped with a jumble of shark jaws and teeth.

In front of the throne and at the foot of the dais, three adult sahuagin float with their backs to you. Two float with bodies held rigid, while the third pleads before the throne.

The sahuagin speaking to the baron is complaining about offensive remarks made by another sahuagin. The sahuagin wants the baron to punish the offender. The baron is growing impatient with the pettiness and is close to feeding all involved parties to the Maw of Sekolah in area 37.

Baron Kepmak (sahuagin baron) sits on his throne, while high priestess Thadrah (sahuagin high priestess; see appendix C) stands at his side. The complainant is a sahuagin, while the two floating at attention are Sahuagin Champion (see appendix C). Two Shell Shark (see appendix C) swim high above the throne; they are the pets of the baron and defend him if he is attacked.

If the characters observe the interaction for 10 minutes, they witness the baron rise and issue an angry judgment before turning to consult with the priestess on other matters. The two sahuagin champions and the sahuagin complainant leave through the main entrance in the south and travel to their respective posts.

Development

Combat in the throne room attracts the attention of a wandering patrol, which arrives in 1d6 + 1 rounds. A direct attack is likely to wipe out a party that tries to kill the entire royal group; the characters' mission was designed as a reconnaissance effort for good reason.

A character who searches around the throne discovers a single gold drop earring worth 30 gp on the floor between the throne and the north wall. The earring belongs to the baroness, who is currently in area 45 accusing a servant of stealing it.

Treasure

The baron wears a platinum armband (200 gp). He also carries the key to the coffer in area 52.

43. Royal Servant’s Chambers

This blue-tiled room features a bench that runs along the south wall and a seaweed bed that floats in the southeast corner. A coffer, its lid lying nearby on the floor, is propped against the west wall. An archway to the east leads to another room, more brightly decorated.

From here, the characters can hear an argument taking place in area area 45.

Treasure

The contents of the coffer are partially spilled on the floor, as though they had been rummaged through recently. The coffer contains a sack holding 50 ep. A cheap mirror and several decorative but worthless stones lie on the floor near the coffer.

44. Living Quarters of the Baroness

Pale green tiles decorate the floor and ceiling here, while the walls are tiled in coral pink. A table stands in the center of the room, a small bench to either side. On the table is a silver statuette that depicts a squid locked in combat with a shark.

From here, the sounds of the argument taking place in area 45 are louder.

Treasure

The statuette (500 gp) is made of electrum.

45. Sleeping Quarters of the Baroness

As the party approaches the area, presuming the occupants have not previously left, read:

Two female sahuagin, their voices raised, appear to be arguing in the room ahead. Though the words might be incomprehensible, the sense is quite clear—one berates the other, and that one pleads for mercy.

When the characters can see into the room, read:

The room is tiled in light blue, and frescoes on the ceiling depict various forms of marine life. A large and opulent seaweed bed fills the southwest corner. In the center of the north wall hangs a large mirror with a filigree metal frame. Below the mirror lies a coffer, its lid off and propped against the wall. A key is in the lock of the coffer.

A large and intimidating female sahuagin warrior looms above a normal-sized sahuagin who swims submissively before her. The large one has four arms, and one of its hands holds a single gold earring, which she shakes at the cowering sahuagin. A third sahuagin in dark robes floats near the doorway, looking bored.

Baroness Seklaz (sahuagin baron) looms over her servant (sahuagin), accusing it of stealing one of her earrings. The earring is, in fact, lost behind the throne in area 42, where the baroness dropped it days ago. A single sahuagin wave shaper (see appendix C) waits by the entryway. It was summoned to dispose of the servant and waits for the baroness’s command to do so. If the characters enter combat with these three, the sahuagin servant slips away to find a nearby patrol (see “area Patrols in the Lair") and returns with reinforcements in 5 rounds.

Treasure

The baroness wears a platinum armband (500 gp).

The coffer contains the following treasure:

• A leather harness with platinum buckles (50 gp)
• A gold ring set with coral (50 gp)
• A canvas bag containing 125 pp
• A pearl-handled dagger (20 gp)

46. Baron’s Living Quarters

This room is tiled in coral pink. The walls show scenes of sahuagin in victorious combat against whales, groups of squid, and a great tentacled beast whose identity is not obvious. A large table in the center of the room has benches on all four sides. A small silver object lies on the table.

The object on the table is a silver medallion, about 2 inches in diameter, on a fine silver chain. One side of the medallion carries an engraving of a shark. The other side’s engraving depicts a dozen tridents offset in a circle to form the shape of a star; this symbol is the baron’s personal seal. The medallion is worth 30 gp and is also the key to the coffer in room 47.

47. Baron’s Sleeping Quarters

This room is tiled in a rich, deep green. The walls are frescoed with representations of marine plant life. A large seaweed bed fills the northwest corner. There is a spear propped against the wall in the southwest corner. In the center of the east wall hangs a mirror with a filigree metal frame. Below it is a large coffer, its lid closed.

A character who makes a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check notices the secret door in this room.

Baron’s Coffer

The coffer has a keyhole meant to trick would-be thieves. There is no lock behind the keyhole—the actual locking mechanism is a slot hidden under the lid of the coffer. This slot cannot be opened by using thieves' tools. A character who succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices the slot and realizes that the coffer is trapped. The trap can be disarmed by a character who makes a successful DC 16 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. Also, sliding the medallion found in area 46 into the slot disarms the trap and opens the coffer.

Attempting to pick the keyhole or opening the chest without disarming the trap triggers the trap. If the trap is triggered, a large blade swings out, slicing anyone within 5 feet of the coffer. Creatures caught in the blade’s path must make a successful DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) slashing damage on a failed save or half the damage on a successful one.

The coffer contains the following items:

• A leather harness adorned with small rubies and platinum buckles (75 gp)
• A canvas bag with 20 pp
• An ornately carved stone box containing six portions of rapture weed (see the sidebar)
• A silver frame (25 gp) holding a portrait of the baroness painted in oil
• A statuette of a shark made from gold (200 gp)

Fortress Level 3

This level is submerged in cold (but not frigid) seawater. The following locations are identified on map 6.3.

48. Barracks

Unless the characters conceal their arrival, they are noticed before they reach the foot of the stairs.

The stairs descend into a barracks. At the foot of the stairs, an archway leads out of the area to your right. A swaying mass of seaweed fills the eastern side of the room. Many coffers are set against the north and west walls, their lids closed.

A large group of sahuagin warriors gather near the center of the chamber. A hunched sahuagin floats near the bottom of the stairs, its dark green robes waving gently in the water.

A sahuagin champion is preparing four Sahuagin Coral Smasher for patrol duty (see appendix C for both). A sahuagin wave shaper watches the formation from near the foot of the stairs, and two Sahuagin Deep Diver are nearby (see appendix C for both). The group attacks the characters when they become aware of them.

Development

Once the sahuagin spot the party, the wave shaper tries to flee up the stairs to find help. The characters farthest into the room can prevent its escape if the players state their intentions quickly enough. Exercise care, for even if the two upper levels have been completely cleared of sahuagin, there are enough sahuagin in various parts of this level to devastate the party.

If the wave shaper gets away, it returns to join the fight along with a guard patrol (see “area Patrols in the Lair"). These forces arrive in this area 3d6 + 6 rounds after the wave shaper makes its escape.

Treasure

There are thirty-six coffers in this room. A long search of all the coffers turns up a total of 390 ep, three dozen leather harnesses with simple copper buckles (1 gp each), and an anemone stuck in a glass bottle.

49. Champions' Armory

Two stone racks run the length of this room, forming aisles. The racks hold spears, tridents, and warhammers.

This armory contains the following equipment:

• Six ornately carved Spear
• Six Trident, each with a pearl (10 gp) set into the grip end
• Eight Warhammer with a shark motif carved into the head

On the floor at the end of one of the racks is a small metal cage divided into two chambers. One chamber contains a gold-colored fighting-fish. In the second chamber, a bright silver fighting-fish bobs leisurely. The fish swim away if released.

50. Torture Chamber and Dungeon

The characters hear muted noise at the crossroads of areas 50 and 53. From the south come the sounds of spectators in the arena urging the combatants as they fight. From the north they hear an occasional scream from the locathah undergoing torture and the raucous noise of the torturers enjoying their pastime.

This long room has five doors spaced evenly along the north wall, secured from this side with metal bars.

To your right, by the east wall, rests an untidy pile of chains and manacles, leg irons, and bunches of keys.

To your left, you see several instruments of torture—a wheel, a metal boot with catches and screws, a press, and a rack. Three sahuagin with their backs to you attend to their task, stretching a fish-like humanoid on the rack. As you watch, a wheel is turned, the victim emits another shriek, and the torturers hiss with pleasure.

Three Sahuagin Champion are torturing a locathah here (see appendix C for both). If the sahuagin become aware of the party, they abandon their work and attack.

Victim

The locathah on the rack is named Borgas. He can speak Common as well as Aquan. He has no possessions. He is very grateful to the characters if they rescue him and eager to accompany them for the rest of the adventure (after which he returns to his tribe).

He and his giant eel were captured by sahuagin while on a hunting trip. He knows little of the fortress but can describe area areas 58 and area 60, as well as the corridors leading from those areas to the torture chamber.

Borgas is particularly concerned about the fate of his giant eel companion, which he saw forced into cell 50c by the sahuagin. He asks the characters to help him in going to the eel’s aid without delay.

Cell Doors

Each cell door can be opened easily by lifting the bronze bar off its brackets. Borgas had been kept in cell 50e since his capture.

50a. Empty Cell

The unfinished stone of this cell is not illuminated in any way. A rough platform carved into one wall serves as a bed.

This cell is unoccupied.

50b. Sea Lion Cell

Angry snarls arise from this cell. Inside, an angered sea lion roars and thrashes in the confined space.

A sea lion (see appendix C) was captured by the sahuagin along with its triton master (see cell 50d) and is now being caged until a suitable opponent can be found to pit against it in the arena. If the triton is not with the characters when this door is opened, the sea lion attacks with extreme ferocity. If the triton is with the characters, he can calm and control the sea lion.

50c. Decay-Filled Cell

The water in this is cell is fouled by the rotting corpse of a large sea serpent of some kind. A stone slab along the north wall lies askew and partially broken on the unfinished floor.

The characters experience some difficulty in opening this door, even with the bar removed. This is because the giant eel (Borgas’s companion) died in the confined space, and its body partially blocks the door. Continued pressure and a successful DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check eventually opens the door sufficiently for a character or Borgas to squeeze inside.

Dead Eel

The cell is only 20 feet square, like the others, and a giant eel more than 20 feet long could not be expected to survive long in such confinement. In fact, the eel hastened its own death by vainly battering at the walls and door. Now it hangs, bloated and distended, in the water and occupies most of the available space.

Corridor

When the sahuagin first took over the fortress, this area was much smaller, though a passage led north to the second entrance to the fortress on this level.

The sahuagin decided they no longer needed this entrance, so they blocked off the passage by leaning a stone slab up against the north wall of this cell.

The thrashings of the giant eel in its death throes have partially dislodged this slab, so if a character enters the room, a small opening is discovered in the north wall. Now that the slab has been moved, it is easy to open the passage up completely. Beyond, the passage and the guard room still exist in their original dimensions, though the entrance is now under 70 feet of water.

Borgas is noticeably upset to discover the death of his companion, and this discovery makes him even more determined to get revenge on the sahuagin.

50d. Triton Cell

A humanoid figure is being held in this sparse cell of unfinished stone.

The figure is Kysh (see appendix C), who was captured by the sahuagin along with his sea lion companion (see area cell 50b). He is being held until a suitable opponent can be found for him to fight in the arena. He has been stripped of his possessions.

He is more than willing to go along with the characters on their adventure, then returns to his own tribe after leaving the fortress.

Kysh was unconscious when he was brought into the fortress, so he has no idea of its layout, nor does he know what has happened to his sea lion companion.

50e. Empty Cell

This cell of unfinished stone is not illuminated in any way. A rough platform carved into one wall serves as a bed.

This cell was occupied by Borgas before he was removed to be tortured.

51. Large Armory and Stores

This storage area seems orderly but neglected. On the floor near the south wall, lay coils of rope, piles of hides neatly lashed with cords, a heap of nails, and more.

The north wall has two rows of racks, one above the other, on which hang a number of warhammers and daggers. Below, on the floor, are three open coffers.

The east wall is also racked, with many spears hanging in an orderly manner.

Several sharks eye you hungrily as you enter.

Five Shell Shark (see appendix C) swim above the racks in this room. They have not been fed in some time and attack the characters on sight.

Stored Items

If the characters want to count all the items in here, they find the following supplies:

• Twenty-three lengths of rope
• Fifty hides of various sizes (2 gp each)
• Two hundred nails
• Fifty hooks and buckles
• Forty-eight Warhammer
• Seventy Dagger
• Eighty-four Spear
• Seventy Trident

Secret Door

The secret door in the south wall consists of a slab of stone hinged along its top edge that swings open toward area 52. Noticing the door requires a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check. A character who examines the two tridents at the south end of the rack along the east wall notices that the tines are blunt, not sharp; these are used to prop up the secret door when it is open.

52. Treasure Chamber

The secret door opens into a short passage that leads south into a larger area. At the far end of that open area, perhaps fifty feet away, stands a closed coffer with canvas sacks propped against it.

The threshold of the chamber at the south end of the passage is trapped with a glyph of warding spell.

The glyph can be spotted by a character who makes a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check while examining the floor in this area. The glyph is triggered if any creature passes from the corridor into the chamber. If that occurs, each creature within 20 feet of the glyph must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Coffer

The coffer is locked; the key to open it is carried by Baron Kepmak in area 42. It can be opened by a character who makes a successful DC 14 Dexterity check using thieves' tools.

The coffer is also trapped. A character who searches the coffer and makes a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check discovers the trap. A character who makes a successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves' tools can disarm the trap. The trap is triggered if a character fails to disarm it, or if the coffer is opened without first disarming the trap.

When the trap is triggered, a stone slab springs out of the ceiling in the passage, knocking the secret door closed (and with sufficient force to break the tridents if they are being used to support the secret door). Any creatures standing near the door must make a successful DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 18 (4d8) bludgeoning damage from the door as it closes.

Trapped Inside

The slab is badly damaged, riddled with cracks after crashing into the doorway. The party can spend a few minutes clearing the rubble away to gain access to the exit. Alternatively, a character who makes a successful DC 18 Strength check clears the rubble in a matter of moments.

The sound of the slab being smashed rings through the nearby rooms, drawing the attention of the three Sahuagin Champion (see appendix C) in area 50, if they are still alive. They arrive 5 minutes later with twelve sahuagin and two Sahuagin Coral Smasher (see appendix C) drawn from area 60.

Treasure

The four canvas sacks hold 500 ep each. The coffer contains the baron’s personal treasure:

• Two platinum and pearl coronets of sea elf design (700 gp each)
• A fine pearl necklace (500 gp)
• Two gold wristbands inlaid with diamonds (250 gp each)
• A silver ring bearing the signet of the Prince of Monmurg, a spire rising against a blue ocean sky.
• 200 pp scattered loosely

53. Arena

This area consists of two distinct sections, so the description of what the characters see depends on which section the party enters from.

Central Arena

The arena proper lies somewhat lower than the rest of this level. Double doors at the south end of a downward-sloping passage running south from the crossroads near the torture chamber (area 50) provide access to this section. These doors can be barred from the outside with bronze bars set in brackets, preventing any combatant from escaping in that direction.

The walls of the arena rise 30 feet from the floor to the lower edge of the gallery, which is supported by pillars at each corner. A clear quartz dome, slightly convex, rests on the four edges of the gallery and arches over the arena, so that at its center the dome is about 40 feet above the arena floor.

Gallery

The gallery is tiered on three levels, with 10 feet between levels, so that the uppermost tier is 50 feet above the floor of the combatants' area and the ceiling 10 feet higher than that. Access to the gallery is provided by short passages in the east, south, and west walls. Each tier has a row of stone benches that surround the area, except for flights of steps that provide access to the benches.

On the lowest tier, in the center of its south side, the row of benches is broken by three special seats. The center and western seats, the largest and most ornately decorated, are reserved for the baroness and baron, and the eastern seat, larger and better decorated than an ordinary bench but not so finely as the baroness’s and baron’s, is for Blademaster Makaht. Any sahuagin of lesser rank caught in these seats immediately goes to the top of the list for the next fight in the arena.

On important occasions, more than two hundred sahuagin fill the arena to watch the sport, but at present fifty-five are here: forty-nine sahuagin, five Sahuagin Champion, and Blademaster Makaht (sahuagin blademaster, see appendix C), who sits apart from the rest in his special seat. The warriors and lieutenants are scattered around the area. All the sahuagin in the gallery have their usual weapons and equipment.

In the arena proper, two sahuagin are locked in mortal combat, each unarmed and tearing at the other with vicious claws and bone-crushing bites. They are settling a major grievance in the traditional sahuagin manner: a duel to the death, using only nature’s weapons. They have no possessions.

Observing the Action

If the characters enter any part of the arena, what they can see depends on their point of entry and the extent of their precautions and concealment. Anyone entering the arena floor draws immediate attention, unless they are invisible or otherwise cloaked from view. If the sahuagin spot intruders, the crowd erupts into chaos. The five champions rush forward to attack, while 1d6 + 4 sahuagin swim down to block the exit. The rest watch the fight with glee, rushing to join the fight if three or more champions are slain or the characters rush past the sahuagin guarding the exit.

An intrusion into the gallery is not as dangerous, since the sahuagin are absorbed by the battle taking place below. A successful DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check allows a character to avoid drawing attention so long as they don’t attempt to interact with the sahuagin. Otherwise, use the sahuagin’s passive Perception as normal to see if activity attracts their attention. If characters are spotted in the gallery, assume that 2d6 + 2 sahuagin and 1d3 Sahuagin Champion (see appendix C) are within 30 feet and rush to attack. The rest watch and cheer the fight, joining in if more than half the original attackers are slain. If the characters flee, the original attackers pursue them, but the rest return to watching the entertainment.

54. Barracks

This pillared area has a vast seaweed bed at the north end and a considerable number of coffers, their lids closed, set neatly against the east and west walls.

Many sahuagin relax in this chamber.

There are twenty off-duty sahuagin here. They talk, check their equipment, sharpen their weapons, or simply swim lazily around. Most of their weapons have been laid aside, though within easy reach.

Treasure

The unlocked coffers here are empty. Each sahuagin carries a pouch with 12 sp.

Development

Noise of melee here will certainly be heard at the guard post (area 58), bringing two Sahuagin Champion (see appendix C) and six sahuagin to this area to investigate 3 rounds later. The two Sahuagin Champion (see appendix C) in area 55 also hear the combat and arrive on the round after it starts.

55. Champions' Quarters

This austere area has a large seaweed bed along the south wall. In the center is a table with four small benches beside it. There are four coffers, their lids closed, against the west wall.

Two sahuagin sit at the table.

Two Sahuagin Champion (see appendix C) talk idly. The other two who bunk here are at the arena (area 53).

Treasure

The unlocked coffers each contain two harnesses with silver buckles (10 gp each) and a canvas bag holding 40 ep. One coffer contains a set of game pieces carved from coral (10 gp).

56. Chamber of the Wave Shapers

This pillared area has a vast seaweed bed filling the north end and a considerable number of coffers, their lids closed, set neatly against the east and west walls.

Several sahuagin float around the area, along with a pair of sharks.

Though originally built to house more than twenty sahuagin, this area has recently been reserved for the sahuagin wave shapers. Currently, two Sahuagin Wave Shaper (see appendix C), six sahuagin, and two Shell Shark (see appendix C) occupy this area.

Development

Sounds of combat in this area are heard by the sahuagin wave shaper in area 57, who joins the battle immediately.

Treasure

The unlocked coffers are empty. Each sahuagin carries a pouch with 12 sp.

57. Wave Shaper’s Quarters

This austere room has a large seaweed bed along the south wall. In the center is a table with four small benches beside it. A small pillar of undissolved salt stands on the table. Two coffers, their lids closed, sit against the west wall.

A single sahuagin floats beside the table, fiddling with the pillar of salt.

One sahuagin wave shaper (see appendix C) magically assembles and disassembles the salt on the table.

Treasure

One coffer is empty; the other contains a small coral carving of a shark (20 gp) and 75 gp, scattered across the bottom.

58. Guard Post

This spartan area is furnished only with a long bench set against the west wall. At the south end of the east wall, a bronze gate bars the exit to the east. Beside it, on the north wall, is a bronze mechanism of chains, wheels, and pulleys. Next to the mechanism, a wooden peg has been driven into a crack in the wall. A rope, descending through a hole in the ceiling, is lashed to the peg.

Several well-armed sahuagin occupy this room.

Two Sahuagin Champion (see appendix C) and six sahuagin keep watch in this area.

The bronze gate is normally closed (down). It can be raised and lowered by a chain and pulley mechanism on the north wall next to the gate. Under normal circumstances, it takes 3 rounds to raise or lower the gate, but an emergency device allows the gate to be dropped in a split second with a muffled clang (not audible outside this area except for in area area 60).

The gate (AC 18, 50 hit points, damage threshold 14) can be forced open by a character who makes a successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check.

Net Trap

Installed in the ceiling of the short corridor leading south from area 58 to area 60 is a large net trap. The net falls when a creature in area 58 releases the rope holding it in place. The net is not hidden.

When a creature releases the net, a 10-foot-by-20-foot net falls from the ceiling. Each creature standing under the net as it falls must make a successful DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be restrained by the net. A creature trying to free itself or another creature from the net must make a successful DC 14 Strength check. If the net takes 30 slashing damage, it is destroyed, and all creatures restrained by it are freed.

59. Abandoned Guard Post

This is a spartan area, furnished only with a long bench set against the east wall. At the south end of the west wall, a bronze gate bars the exit to the west. Beside it, on the north wall, is a bronze mechanism of chains, wheels, and pulleys. Next to the mechanism, a wooden peg has been driven into a crack in the wall. A rope, descending through a hole in the ceiling, is lashed to the peg.

Two sahuagin occupy this area.

Most of the guards stationed here have slipped away to watch the fight in area 53. A sahuagin champion (see appendix C) and one sahuagin are left behind.

The bronze gate is normally closed (down). It can be raised and lowered by a chain and pulley mechanism fastened onto the east wall. Under normal circumstances, it takes 3 rounds to raise or lower the gate, but there is an emergency device which, if activated when the gate is raised, allows the gate to be dropped in a split second with a muffled clang (outside this area except for in area 60).

The gate (AC 18, 50 hit points, damage threshold 14) can be forced open by a character who makes a successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check.

Net Trap

Installed in the ceiling of the short corridor leading south from area 59 to area 60 is a large net trap. The net falls when a creature in area 59 releases the rope holding it in place. The net is not hidden.

When a creature releases the net, a 10-foot-by-20-foot net falls from the ceiling. Each creature standing under the net as it falls must make a successful DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be restrained by the net. A creature trying to free itself or another creature from the net must make a successful DC 14 Strength check. If the net takes 30 slashing damage, it is destroyed, and all creatures restrained by it are freed.

60. Temporary Barracks

North of the entrance, this vast cavern immediately opens into an area bounded to the south by a ledge along which plain pillars support the roof high above. Beyond that ledge, the area becomes a natural sea cave. Thick beds of seaweed grow along nearly every part of the south wall. The walls and roof arch high above.

In the center of the worked area, a flight of steps leads down to the south. Beyond, in the center of the cave’s south wall, a metal gate lies across a cave mouth.

Many bulging canvas sacks lie along the north wall.

An enormous force of sahuagin occupies this cavern.

This area will eventually house the drill hall and assembly area for the fortress, but at present sixty-eight sahuagin are barracked here, awaiting the completion and flooding of their accommodations on level 1.

The occupants include forty-five sahuagin, ten Sahuagin Coral Smasher, seven Sahuagin Champion, four Sahuagin Deep Diver, and two Sahuagin Wave Shaper (see appendix C for all but the sahuagin). The sahuagin in this area are socializing, performing drills, or resting in the seaweed beds. Six Shell Shark (see appendix C) also swim in the cavern, close to the roof of the natural area to the south. Shoals of tiny silver fish dart about here and there, obstructing vision in places.

Gate

The gate barring the cave mouth is an extra-large device, 20 feet wide by 20 feet high. Its mechanism is correspondingly larger than others elsewhere. The bronze gate is normally closed (down), though it can be raised and lowered by one of two chain and pulley mechanisms. One is fastened to the wall on the inside of the cavern, to the east of the cave mouth. The other is outside the cavern, also to the east of the cave mouth. Under normal circumstances, it takes 3 rounds to raise or lower the gate, but an emergency device can drop the gate in a split second with a muffled clang (not audible on this level other than in areas 58 and 59).

The gate (AC 18, 100 hit points, damage threshold 14) can be forced open by a character who makes a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check.

Treasure

Each sahuagin has a leather pouch containing 12 sp. Ten canvas sacks contain the personal possessions of the champions: a total of 860 ep, twelve uncut gems of various sorts (10 gp each), and a variety of personal items with no monetary value.

61. Old Guard Room

The passage opens into a small chamber. On the opposite side, another passage leads out of the room.

This room and the nearby passages have not been altered by the sahuagin. They are roughly hewn from the rock and display none of the precision that characterizes sahuagin construction.

Conclusion

If the adventurers achieve their objectives and return safely to Saltmarsh, they receive a hero’s welcome. They are granted Saltmarsh citizenship, and a house is set aside for them to use, rent-free, whenever they wish.

If you want to continue the story, proceed with the “area The Assault.” That information assumes that the characters take on a role in the upcoming invasion of the stronghold and provides guidance on how to play out those events. If you and the group want to move on to other challenges instead, a full-scale assault on the fortress takes place about fourteen days after they return to Saltmarsh. The sahuagin are wiped out and their plans destroyed, thus removing the threat to the town and the races living in the area. The lizardfolk return to their home and, though the Saltmarsh militia suffers losses, the area settles down to its former peaceful ways.

The Assault

Because of the characters' familiarity with the sahuagin fortress and their obvious skill at staying alive, the Saltmarsh council involves them in their battle plans.

The Plan

The allied forces have devised a simple but effective plan. They begin with an attack by Saltmarsh’s militia against the entrance (area 1). Once the sahuagin commit troops to the defense of the gate, the aquatic factions of the alliance will attack through the entrances on area level 3. The humans will then keep the sahuagin busy on area level 1 while their allies sweep through the lower levels and eventually crush the defenders in a pincer attack.

The Saltmarsh council explains that the characters' role is to serve as a strike force, disrupting the sahuagin defenses and slaying as many foes as possible before the main force engages the enemy. A cunning party should have the chance to take out numerous defenders, open the gate in area 1, and slay sahuagin leaders, possibly without ever raising an alert. It’s a daunting task, but the party has their allies' full confidence.

Resources

Before being ferried from to a landing point near the sahuagin fortress, the Saltmarsh council provides the characters with 1 potion of invisibility and 1 potion of gaseous form for each party member. The council makes it clear that these items are on loan to the party and that they expect the return of any unused items.

The Attack

The allied forces are destined for victory, but their degree of success is yet to be determined. Success in the battle is determined by how many victory points the characters accrue during their infiltration. Every time the party defeats a foe or achieves a strategic goal, they gain victory points, as detailed on the following table. Keep a running total of how many victory points the party earns during their incursion. If the group caused particular damage to the sahuagin fortress on their first visit, feel free to grant them a discretionary 5 to 15 victory points based on the scope of the destruction.

Victory Points

The Defense

By the time the party returns to the fortress, the sahuagin have reinforced their numbers. Every area of level 1 now holds sahuagin defenders preparing for battle, acting as reserves, or otherwise planning the fortress’s defense. Areas 1, 5, and 19 have particular encounters associated with them (see “area Assault Encounters"). For every other area, consult the following table to determine what sahuagin forces linger there.

The sahuagin throughout the fortress fight to the death, though the last surviving sahuagin of every group will attempt to escape to raise the alert (see “area On Alert").

Sahuagin Defenders

*See appendix C

Timing

The party doesn’t have forever to conduct their assault. Saltmarsh and its allies only give the characters a brief period to weaken the sahuagin forces. While you should encourage the party to be hasty, keep the exact time before their allies' attack nebulous. This allows you to have troops from Saltmarsh show up in the party’s defense should they get into trouble.

For you, though, the party has 30 rounds.

After the characters enter the fortress, start a tally of how many rounds they’ve spent inside, encouraging them to act fast before they’re discovered. After set periods of time the sahuagin begin to notice that something is not as it should be and raise their alert level (see “area On Alert').

At the end of this period, check the party’s victory points. If their number of victory points meets or exceeds 75, “area The Baron’s Counterattack” occurs (see below). The party has unlimited time to face Baron Kepmak, but at the end of this encounter, the characters' allies appear and the assault draws to a close.

On Alert

Prepared for attack, the sahuagin forces readily charge into battle once they know the assault has begun. The fortress rings with the sounds of sahuagin preparing for battle, echoing with clanging weapons and Sahuagin shouting. If the party is wily, they might use the din to their favor and catch their foes unaware.

The general combat readiness of the sahuagin is summarized by whether or not they are on alert. When the party reaches the fortress, the sahuagin are not alert. This can change quickly, though. If any of the following circumstances occur, the alert is raised—the sahuagin know the enemy is among them!

• When noted in an encounter area.
• A sahuagin flees battle and reaches Blademaster Makaht in area 10 or Baron Kepmak via area 19.
• The party makes any sort of noise greater than angry shouting and clashing arms—particularly noisy magical effects like fireball or thunderous smite.

Reinforcements. As soon as the fortress goes on alert, sahuagin reinforcements begin roaming the halls. These reinforcements only appear once the characters have already engaged with an area’s defenders. Every 2d4 rounds after combat begins in an area, 3d6 sahuagin and 1 sahuagin champion (see appendix C) arrive. If the PCs manage to defeat all the sahuagin in a room (plus reinforcements) no further defenders appear.

During these encounters, it’s possible that the party could be overwhelmed by foes. Consult the “Handling Mobs” section in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to help deal with large numbers of enemies.

Concluding the Assault

Ultimately, the assault ends with one of three possibilities. If the PCs retreat, they meet Saltmarsh’s human attackers as they launch their offensive. The attack force thanks the characters for their efforts and charges into battle.

If the PCs are defeated, Saltmarsh’s forces arrive just in the nick of time. While some troops pull the characters to safety, the remainder overwhelm the remaining sahuagin forces. The characters are ferried back to Saltmarsh, all the while being hailed as heroes willing to sacrifice everything for the cause.

Alternatively, if the characters confront Baron Kepmak, they might decapitate the sahuagin forces, practically ending the offensive before it begins.

In any of these cases, refer to the Triumph or Failure sections afterward.

Assault Encounters

Level 1 of the fortress teems with defenders. While most sahuagin are clustered as described in “The Defense,” a few locations prove central to the fortress’s security.

1. North Entrance and Guard Post

The sahuagin have tightened their defenses at the north entrance. Expecting an attack, they no longer use the causeway and keep this gate sealed at all times of day. As the gate provides the only access to level 1 of the fortress, the party’s first challenge will be getting in.

How the character’s infiltrate the fortress is up to them, but might include the following strategies:

• The party can sneak in magically by using the potions the Saltmarsh council provided.
• The party might try to talk their way in, but the challenge of deceiving the sahuagin guards has increased, requiring a DC 20 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check. If the party previously tricked their way into the area this way, they have disadvantage on these checks.
• The party might want to try sneaking into the fortress elsewhere, but they’ll find even tighter security underwater. The success of whatever clever infiltration methods the party proposes is left to your discretion.

However the party gains access to the fortress, they find the north entrance under heavy guard. A sizable force of ten sahuagin, two Sahuagin Champion, and two Sahuagin Coral Smasher hold ranks here, prepared to face whatever attack might come. Any conflict here that lasts for more than 5 rounds puts the entire fortress on alert.

The room’s other features are the same as detailed earlier in the adventure, though the net trap has been disabled. The gate functions the same, though, which is of especial note as the party’s allies would be greatly aided if it were open when they attack.

5. Unfinished Barracks

The sahuagin are using these barracks as a forward command post. Thirty sahuagin, three Sahuagin Champion, five Sahuagin Coral Smasher, and Blademaster Makaht (sahuagin blademaster, see appendix C), if he survived, are now stationed here.

If the party engages the sahuagin in combat here, the defenders' numbers and central location on the level instantly raise the alert.

Treasure. Amid mundane supplies rests a box made from tightly grown pink coral. Inside is a necklace of adaptation and 4 potions of healing.

19. Hall

The sahuagin mount a desperate defense here, determined to protect their leaders below. An elite force of six Sahuagin Champion and four Sahuagin Coral Smasher maintain a guard post here.

If the defenders are slain, a shrill battle cry rises from the level below. Regardless of how long the party has spent in the fortress, Baron Kepmak and his honor guard join the fray. Begin the following encounter.

The Baron’s Counterattack

Incensed by his forces' slaughter, Baron Kepmak, leader of the sahuagin forces, takes the field. This is your chance to add a dramatic finale to the assault, as the baron leads eight Sahuagin Champion into battle. The baron roars as he launches into battle, attacking the largest character and cursing them in Sahuagin (calling them ichor-less tide pool dwellers and the like).

If the party wishes to flee, the baron’s gargling guffaws follow them down the hall, but he and his retinue do not pursue. The party soon encounters the Saltmarsh forces, which appreciatively spirit them to safety.

However, if the party stands and defeats the baron, all sahuagin in the room stop attacking when he falls, their shock turning to terror. In the momentary silence, the sound of booted feet precedes the appearance of Saltmarsh’s forces. The sahuagin swiftly retreat. The bulk of Saltmarsh’s troops take up pursuit, with a few remaining to escort the characters away. The party has done enough. It’s time for them to claim their reward.

Failure

It’d be challenging for the characters to achieve no victory point during the attack, but if they flee at the first sign of opposition or don’t participate after agreeing to do so, they face a chilly welcome upon returning to Saltmarsh. The assault went on without them, but the allied forces took heavy losses, only barely managing to defeat the sahuagin. The characters are asked, politely but firmly, to leave the Saltmarsh area. The town councillors wish them a safe journey, as long as it is one way.

Triumph

Regardless of how the party’s strike unfolded, the characters are sent to the rear of the attacking force for rest, healing, and eventual escort back to Saltmarsh. The characters' degree of success depends on how many victory points they achieved during the assault. Several hours after returning to Saltmarsh, the town council informs the party of the attack’s success and presents them with their reward:

Pyrrhic Victory (Less than 50 victory points). The alliance was victorious, but with heavy casualties. The sahuagin relinquish their lair and escape, perhaps returning later for revenge. The Saltmarsh council rewards the party for their effort, granting them 700 gp and a favor: free passage aboard a ship headed to any seaport within a week’s travel of town. This favor can be called in whenever the characters please.

Victory (51 to 125 victory points). The alliance carries the day with expected casualties. The Saltmarsh council rewards the party with 1,000 gp and one random item from Magic Item Table F in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (alternatively, you might just grant them one or more of the following: a +1 weapon of their choice, +1 shield, +1 wand of the war mage, or a Bag of Tricks). Additionally, the council grants them a favor, as noted above, but to any destination within a month’s travel of town.

Total Victory (126 or more victory points). The characters effectively gained control of the entire first level of the fortress. This caused the remaining sahuagin to panic before Saltmarsh’s forces crashed into their defenses. Any sahuagin fortunate enough to escape are unlikely to ever be heard from again. The Saltmarsh council rewards the party with 1,400 gp, three random items from Magic Item Table F in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (or, you might just grant them one or more of the following: a +1 weapon of their choice, +1 shield, +1 wand of the war mage, or a Bag of Tricks). They also grant the characters a favor, as noted above, but to wherever the characters please.

Bonus (Baron Kepmak Defeated). If the characters managed to defeat Baron Kepmak, Saltmarsh’s forces find the sahuagin in utter chaos, the strong ineffectually trying to force panicked, weaker troops into the fray. In addition to their other rewards, the Saltmarsh council rewards the party with an additional 1,000 gp and a treasure long held in the town vault, a Figurine of Wondrous Power, Silver Raven. In the aftermath, the characters are hailed as heroes by the allied forces. They never have to pay for a drink in Saltmarsh again.