Hi all,

I previously posted some warts-and-all email summaries of the ‘Curse of Strahd’ campaign I ran in 2017-18, the ‘Tomb of Annihilation’ campaign I ran in 2018-19, the ‘Out of the Abyss’, a campaign I ran in 2020 and the ‘Phandelver’s Pact’ campaign I ran from 2020-2021. CoS was the first campaign I sent summaries to players by email after each game (I was a bit lazy prior to that), which is why I could use them for this column.

Here’s another campaign (some might say my last 5e campaign, if you don’t count all the playtest campaigns I ran and continue to run lol) that started out with a slightly skewed version of ‘Ghosts of Saltmarsh’, then merged with a doctored ‘Descent into Avernus’ and was prematurely cut short when WoTC stunned the community by deciding to be dicks about the OGL (remember that?), prompting me to run Pathfinder 2e campaigns instead.

‘Shadows Over Saltmarsh’ was set in Greyhawk, my childhood campaign world (created by the eminent Mr. Gygax, himself). Each session was approximately 4-5 hours (sometimes more) long. Most of the summaries appear here as they first appeared. If you’re a D&D fan you may enjoy them. And maybe even if you aren’t.

Steve 🙂

Session 24 – Eater of Dust

A strange mist flowed from the murky pool near the entry door. As Kariston (Aasimar Paladin) reached out with his Paladin senses, he thought he sensed something evil down the east corridor. Keen to go on the offensive even though the party were hurt, he strode along the corridor, ignoring the voice in that droned in his mind: “Turn back and leave this place…”

The party retreated to the main door, but found the mist had somehow fouled the lock – they couldn’t get it open. Alyona (Half-Elf Cleric) checked the pool to find the source of the mist, but the flesh of her finger and arm were rotted by the water. With no other recourse, the party moved down the east corridor.

Kariston entered a new chamber, looking for a place they could rest. He was swept up in an animated rug, then freed by Korth (Lizardfolk Druid) and Alyona. A strange, armored figure appeared – an Eater of Dust with a horrific Mawblade (note: this monster can be found in Kobold’s Tome of Beasts). It fought with Kariston and Fa’aoa (Human Barbarian) before being whisked and sauteed by Alyona’s cooking utensil-inspired spiritual guardians. It misty stepped away and back, attacking the party and wearing them down. Eventually, the Eater of Dust was defeated in another chamber, where the strange mist was flowing from different pool.

A quick search of the surrounding rooms revealed an old library occupied by Arundil, a dwarvish ghost. The ghost thanked the party for destroying the Eater of Dust – she had summoned it during the Orcish attack a hundred years ago to help the Dwarves, however it turned against them and killed everything in the area. She hid in the library where she eventually died of starvation. Arundil explained there was a secret door the party could use to leave the northern rooms. She also mentioned several evil Ghost Dwarves (note: also from the Tome of Beasts) frequented that area. Moving south, the party discovered Durgeddin’s bedroom and council chamber, resting for the night in the bedroom.

That night, Alyona once gain dreamed of her ancestor, bathed in flames and pleading to be saved. When she awoke, she found the torn section of the book had grown another half-inch, revealing the edge of a city map. She decided she would seek further advice upon her return to Saltmarsh, possibly returning to the ruined house in Crabber’s Cove where she originally found the recipe book.

Fully rested, the party explored further, finding a chain ladder leading down to the Black Dragon’s caverns, but decided to finish off the Ghost Dwarf threat first. The party encountered three Ghost Dwarves in one of the northern rooms, the battle spilling out into the pool chamber where they previously slew the Eater of Dust. After a hard-fought battle, the Ghost Dwarves were dispatched.    

Session 25 – Dragon!

The party short rested as Alyona cooked some treats. As Old Lizard Korth snored, the party searched the remainder of the north rooms, finding naught. Collecting Korth and loading him onto the stretcher they had previously used for the narcoleptic Kareston, the party headed back to the great throne room, but the Duergar were nowhere to be found.

A quick investigation of the huge many-columned room revealed doors in the southwest and northwest corners, and while the southern door hadn’t been opened for a hundred years, the northern door was covered in recently scrawled writing. It was generally unreadable, but Alyona guessed it might be some kind of warning about whatever was inside.

Kareston and Fa’aoa broke open the door to a temple, filled with lines of broken stone pews and an altar surrounded by bones, upon which lay a skeletal dwarf in plate mail. A dead, shrivelled Orc lay prostrate at the base of the altar. Felix (Human Rogue/Wizard) poked the dwarf with his mage hand and tried to take the battleaxe gripped in the dwarf’s bony grasp, couldn’t release it. Realizing the skeleton was now moving, Felix hid behind a pew as Kareston and Fa’aoa moved to intercede. As they did, the many bones beside the altar formed into two huge, ogre skeletons and the plate-mailed dwarf arose, its eyes glowing redly, to attack. Alyona blessed and sniped with sacred flame from the door, while Felix supported the tanks with ambush sneak attacks. Together, the party overcame the threat easily.

Felix found a rotting sack of gold coins and a bone scroll case next to the altar, managing to swap some of the gold for silver he was carrying without the party noticing. The scroll case contained two scrolls – web and spider climb, which Felix determined to read and learn how to use.

The party located the Duergar in a southern room some of them were familiar with – the Forge of Durgeddin was the area they had travelled to via the underground river. Several days ago, they had been trounced there by the Duergar. This time, Nimirra, the Duergar Chief, was happy, thanking the party for clearing out the ghost dwarf infestation, and presenting them with two of Durgeddin’s famous magic swords (+1 Longswords).

Kareston asked if he could use the forge and spent a day and a half creating a glaive for Fa’aoa to use. Felix spent time learning about the Duergar and the history of the island and forge. Alyona scouted the edge of the waterfall and questioned the Duergar about the dragon below, which they said had never come up the chasm.

After a long rest the party elected to explore the caves below. Dragging the still sleeping Korth along on the stretcher, they climbed down the 100 ft. rusty iron ladder to the caves below. Alyona scouted at first, then the others joined her.

The party crossed over two old dwarven bridges, the second of which was somewhat unstable. Alyona and Kareston affixed a rope over the bridge just in case they needed to flee. As the party grouped on the other side, the Black Dragon they encountered at the surface lake (and took their treasure) appeared from the water nearby and blasted them all with its acid breath. Fa’aoa leapt at the creature and into the water, intending to draw it away. He was bitten and clawed and swam under the water to the safety of the bridge. Felix and Alyona made it safely across the bridge (which collapsed), Alyona grabbing up Korth’s stretcher and fleeing. The dragon summoned a ball of darkness and attacked Kareston, who flew across the broken bridge. Unfortunately, the dragon bit and raked him and he passed out. Throwing the Aasimar Paladin’s unconscious form before Alyona, it cried: “Leave this place and never return…”

A swarm of insects surrounded the party, biting and harassing them as they ran. Eventually they made it to the bottom of the iron ladder. A brief show of defiance from Felix (upset the Chaotic Evil dragon had broken its word!) and the party made it safely to the top – burned, broken and humiliated. Settling in for a long rest, they commenced planning a return visit…

Next Week: Dragon – Take 2…

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