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 33 – The Search for the Healer Begins…

With Alyona gone, Ser Kareston (aasimar paladin) rushed around Primewater Manor using his senses to detect fiends. Servants ran this way and that; guards appeared to assist, all a little too late. As Kareston reached upstairs, his divine sense led him to the guest bedroom, where he found a bloated fiend sleeping. He cautiously backed out of the room, met up with the rest of the party and headed to Gellan Primewater’s bedroom to wake up the shipping magnate (according to the guards, Gellan left the party earlier and went to bed). The door was arcane locked, and neither Fa’aoa’s (barbarian) shoulder nor Felix’s (rogue/wizard) lockpicks could open it.

Granak Toruun, a dwarven ranger, forced his way in past the guards, claiming he sensed something awry in the big mansion. Rushing up the stairs and hastily introducing himself to the party, they accepted the stranger as if he were an almost familiar friend (or perhaps an obscure relative come to stay for the weekend). Granak used his ranger senses to identify something fiendish in Crabbers Cove on the other side of town. Off rushed the party, stopping off at their ship to grab their armor and fill in Oceanus (sea elf shipmate) on what was going on (and introducing him to Thessalia – sea elf druid – whom Oceanus recognized as a kindred soul).

Off to Crabber’s Cove, and Thessalia experienced another vision of hell, this time with Alyona in the distance. As Thessalia reached her, Alyona turned, revealing herself as a monstrous fiend. Thessalia explained this to the party. Somewhat conveniently, Granak had done much research into the Nine Hells, and identified the hellscape in Thessalia’s visions as Avernus, first layer of Hell and entryway to the Nine Hells. Additional facts came to light: only specialized portals, usually formed via powerful magic items, allowed passage to Avernus and back; time flowed differently in Hell from the prime material plane. Thessalia realized that the special pearls her clan used in their coming-of-age ceremonies were actually items from Hell. Perhaps this was why she was having visions?  

The party reached the house in Crabber’s Cove that Alyona had previously identified as belonging to Marcus Lynden (her ancestor) 100 years before. Inside, Fa’aoa broke a hole in the south wall into a chamber where 4 bearded devils guarded a deep pit. The devils were quickly dispatched, and Ser Keraston made his way to the bottom of the pit 70 feet below and into a large blue tiled chamber, filled with rubble. There he summoned his steed and fought 2 barbed devils, who made short work of his horse.

Fa’aoa was next down the hole, facing off against a Chain Devil, which he soon defeated, even though it chain-whipped him good. The rest of the party arrived and the devils were eventually ended. Low on resources, the party elected to return to the surface to rest. Exiting the building, they found a week had passed in the real world.

Paying off late fees for the ship, paying docking fees in advance, realizing the crew they were to hire had dissipated a week ago and that several jobs were outstanding, the party headed off to do some shopping. After failing to negotiate lower prices at Winston’s Store, potions of healing were purchased from Madame Fleur at the weekly market and magic items sourced from Captain Xendros at the Faithful Quartermaster’s of Iuz (plus a big order placed). Back to the ship for a long rest, with Felix retiring early so he could rise early to break into Winston’s shop…

Next Week: Hell’s Bells…

Session 34 – Guardians of the Portal

Felix awoke early, determined to get to Winston’s Shop for a five-fingered discount on potions. Thessalia was up on deck observing the night sky, so Felix sneaked past her and headed to the shop.

As the young rogue/wizard scouted the outside of Winston’s, he transformed his visage with disguise self, so as not to be recognized. Felix stumbled in some refuse under the kitchen window, which seemed to alert someone in the house. Already somewhat anxious because of his last visit, Felix failed to open both the back and front door locks. Realizing the dice gods were against him, he returned to the ship. Thessalia raised the alarm as a stranger strode up the gangplank, until Felix’s features shimmered and he returned to his normal self. “You can do magic,” said the aquatic elf.

The party awoke to a lack of breakfast and the realization they had lost not only their healer, but also (and perhaps more importantly) their cook (“noooooooooooo!”). Ga’thog the orc bosun pointed out he needed money for supplies. Oceanus the elvish quartermaster reminded the team they would need to hire a new crew, as they had turned up but the party went missing for a week and thus the sailors departed. Thessalia gave Ga’thog 100 GP for supplies, and the orc and elf departed to shop (and possibly get roaring drunk, as 100 GP was far more than they needed for supplies).

As the party headed to the house in Crabber’s Cove, Thessalia had another vision of Alyona, standing on the edge of Elturel, the floating city in Hell. At the house, the party investigated a strange sun dial outside, which they realized was used to keep track of time in Hell as compared to time on Greyhawk (likely installed by Marcus Lynden, Alyona’s ancestor and previous owner of the house).

Ser Keraston attempted an experiment by stepping into the house and seeing whether the party outside could see him moving differently. Instead, he simply disappeared from their sight. Perhaps the house was in a pocket dimension of some kind? The party headed in and down the pit to the dungeon below.

Forging ahead, Keraston discovered a room with a large pit surrounded by piles of humanoid bones. A whirring, grinding sound echoed up from below. A large devil with six arms, an insect-like face, an open stomach filled with grinding gears and blades and wielding a studded whip emerged. As Fa’aoa and Granak attacked, both were struck with fear. As they and Keraston continued to attack the fiend, it teleported down the corridor to where Thessalia and Felix were, and both were immediately frightened. Felix ran, and Granak and Thessalia were caught in the creature’s whips, then dragged into its grinding stomach maw, Thessalia unconscious and Granak on the verge. Felix finally finished the creature off with an arrow through its eye.

Thessalia and Granak were revived with potions of healing (and some begrudging healing from Keraston). Setting off further into the chamber, Keraston found another pit and a circle of glyphs on the floor. Granak used his stone cunning to determine that the rubble and collapsed areas of the chamber were indeed natural, and that the chamber had been fashioned over a thousand years ago, long before Saltmarsh was built.

Another of the Automata Devils strolled into view, and the party retreated to the safety of the rubble and rock columns. Another battle ensued, and finally the creature was brought low, but not before Granak was once again mauled – he ended up nicknaming himself ‘Mincemeat’.

The party entered the circle and were transported through a swirling vortex of light to the lost city of Elturel, suspended by huge chains as it floated above the surface of Avernus, first plain of Hell…

In three week’s time: Devil’s Brew…       

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