Salt Hyms and Tidewelcoming

Nestled along a scalloped inlet at the edge of Fathom Bay, Saltmarrow is the kind of place locals claim is "favored by the breath of the sea."

Picture sandstone cottages with waveworn tiles, nets drying in the briny wind, gulls wheeling over coral-laced tidepools, and laughter echoing faintly from a low-beamed tavern.

VILLAGE OVERVIEW


Locals tie luck and fate to lunar tides and coral formations

MORWEN'S REACH

You've traveled from Port Cinder along the Sapphire Coast to a little fishing village called Saltmarrow.

Saltmarrow

The sun hangs low and soft, painting the waters in tones of brass and pearl. Behind you, the tide whispers against driftwood hulls. Ahead—Saltmarrow.

Cottages curl along a scalloped inlet, their coralline chimneys puffing trails of sea-laced smoke. Nets dry along posts etched with barnacle runes. The distant whistle of a manta ray bell floats through the breeze, calling the last divers home.

You hear singing—not loud, not haunting, but delicate, like wind brushing bone flutes. A cluster of villagers hums beside the dock as a blacksmith coils seaweed to mute the clang of hammer on hull. A young sea elf stands among them, her shimmering, gossamer gown and turquoise hair waving in the wind. Her voice rises above the hum. A dulcet accented soprano, she begins to sing.

"Before the bloom, there was coral.
Before the coral, there was breath.
Before the breath, there was a name—and now it is forgotten."

Saltmarrow has never known war. It knows tide and song, net and bone, wind and reef. It has existed quietly for generations—cradled by the Shimmering Coast, blessed with calm waters, and watched over by its coral rites.

But something ancient stirs beneath the bloom of seaweed and memory.

The water tastes different.
The dreams come heavier.
The reef begins to sing.

A village wakes beneath a sky of silence.
And deep below, something begins to remember...

You disembark, after lending a hand unloading a bit of Cargo. It feels good to have you feet on land again. The ocean breeze is balmy and gulls squawk in the distance. You have earned your keep of 250 silver pieces and you see ahead of you, the only Tavern in the village, The Pickled Ray...

Biscuit: "Thank the gods for land under my feet. Time to spend some coin on drink and a warm body. (Looks sideways at Taniya): "It would be nice to be around a woman who bathes."

You find the Pickled Ray a warm and cozy place. There are two halfling maidens bustling about serving the patrons who consist of mostly farmers and fishermen, hard to tell which as they are sun tanned and wrinkled. A very provincial and placid place. Outside there is a terrace overlooking the bay where old men are having a pint...or tea and their pipes. You sit and wait to order...meanwhile you peruse the menu.

Before she leaves Bloomspire Jetty, Nerys looks back for a moment. She notices an old woman on the pier who is looking directly at her, then as the men and women unloading are moving about, blocking her vision, she is gone...

Biscuit looks at Keldran and says: "I ain’t eating no halfling." Laughing at his own wit, he orders the dark beer and sausages.

The piping hot food is brought to you by both the serving girls.
They are accompanied by a halfling with a pegleg made of turtle shell.
"G'day milords and ladies, welcome to Saltmarrow and of course to my wonderful establishment the Pickled Ray," she says as she holds in her hand a pint of seafoam mead. "As a welcome to your esteemed...(she looks at each of you) I raise a glass high. It is an honor to have you as guests here. As a token of my hospitality, the first one is on the house! Have a pleasant evening, CHEERS!" She clinks her mug with each of you and takes a healthy drink of her own. She smiles and is off again, "Pardon, I must see to my other guests."

You hear a few rumors as people talk over their food in casual but low conversations. There is a man at a table by himself in a corner of the dining area inside with a glass jar. A few fisherman are seated with him as he is obviously talking about what is inside...

As you finish your repast, a tall sea elf walks in and is greeted by the village folk. You overhear his name as Brother Rell. He is wearing a long tunic with his holy symbol, so you take him for a priest.

He makes his way to your table, followed by an older man and a girl of about 6 or 7 years old and greets you, "Hello travelers. I am Brother Rell, this is Erolth and his grand daughter Pallis," he says.
"You're the Drift Ones," she says and giggles, "and you're a Deep Dweller," she says to Mole.
Rell smiles at Pallis, "and I oversee the shrine of the Veiled Coral. I would like to invite you to Tidewelcoming tonight just after sunset. We would be honored to have you there."
Erolth looks at Pallis with a smile, "go on Pallis."
She is somewhat shy as she produces from a small pouch, 5 small, white, crystalline pieces of coral about the size of your thumb, on a silk thong and hands each of you one.
"Mother Hush protect you. These are tokens of our village for our economy depends on the sea, we provide coral and salted fish to those not as fortunate to live here in Satmarrow. I look forward to seeing you tonight."

He turns to leave, followed by the elder and his charge.

"He is an odd one, even for an elf. Tidewelcoming? I’d say this tavern is welcoming enough for my tastes."

"I’ll go, Keldran, but you’ll owe me a drink or 5."

As the evenining turns to the edge of twilight, the villagers head out to Saltmarrow Hollow, a shallow shoal. You notice a Fish headed figure just off the shoreline, then another and another. As you see these fish folk surface one of the villagers looks at you and says, "Aye you see those fish folk yonder. They be Briners. They're nomads of the sea. They keep the lore and legends of Fathom Bay. They watch us every tidewelcome when they're in these parts." The villager, obviously a fisherman, continues on to catch up with his friends.

You also see Pallis, "look, the Drift Ones came," she says with a smile on her face.

The ceremony begins with a song. This time there is a chorus of sea elves:

"Salt binds the soul, foam hides the eye—
Drift into depth where memory dies.
Sing not for breath, but for shape unmade,
Coral remembers all tides obeyed."

After the chorus, the worshippers hand out white flowers. These grow on the hillsides a little further inland. As they cast their petals into the sea, they recite a memory of their past. Slowly they cycle through and now it comes to you. Which memory will you bless the tide with?

Biscuit lowers his head in prayer, wondering what he has got himself into.

Don't worry there will be plenty of action soon...

After the Ceremony is over, the villagers head back to their homes. They rise early.

Suddenly a scream comes from the Jetty as you are nearing the Pickled Ray.

"Jetty Creeper!" shouts a young man who hurries three or four others on to the shore. Lamplight shows a strange creature on all fours coming up out of the water. A teenager is trapped at the other end, he'd have to go through the monster or jump into the water to try and escape. He pulls his knife and a look of determination crosses his face.

Biscuit draws his short bow and just waits to see what happens. He quips: "I wouldn’t worry too much, Mole. I was once married to uglier. And I won that fight, too."

The Jetty is a long track of rock and stone, though it gets narrower at the end. The Coral Divers use it as a base to swim out to the nearby reef. The far end of the Jetty overlooks a submerged 40 foot deep drop off into the channel. It is lit by a few lanterns set about for evening strollers.

Biscuit stands next to Nerys and also tries to get the creeper’s attention. He says: "My friend here is very yummy."

The creature turns to you shudders and hisses as it slaps one of the lanterns into the water to your right.

The Jetty Creeper lashes out Mole and Keldran.

It whips a tenril with a barbed stinger at Keldran

Biscuit forests short bow (rate of fire: 2).

Second attack and damage

The creature falls to the ground in a pool of it's own ichor. A stench emanites from it like something many days dead.

The thirteen year old runs to Keldran and embraces him. Keldran feels the lad trembling and sobbing quietly.

Biscuit asks the locals what they know these creatures. Has this happened before?

Biscuit sees an old woman on the Bloomspire Jetty. She seems to be talking to the water. She has a shell adorned with coral in her hands.

Biscuit waits for the lady to finish and then asks her what she is doing.

She seems a littl absent minded, for only a moment as she seemed very focused.
"Why hello warrior. Who might you be? I know you came with the ship "El Canto del Cuervo" but I was not expecting you and your friends to stay," she pauses for a moment, then her eyes grow wide, briefly. "Oh, I apologize, my name is Sibba, pleased to meet you."

"Sibba, my name is Keldran. Do you happen to know something about this incident? Did it happen before?"

Keldran noticed her talking to the water

"Did the water say something these days?"

"Hello Keldren, I see you serve the shard. The reef dreams deeper than we do. He's dreaming again," she says lost again. She points to the water. For a brief moment, you see something in the crystal clear water.
In the depths, a shadow lingers—too still, too large, too aware. It's gone before you can identify it.

Mole begins to examine the creature. It reminds him a lot of a squid. However, there is a yellow slime oozing from its mouth and small yellow blister appear in various "patches" on its skin. Reminds him of puss.

"My name is Biscuit, madame. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes,'" she says. "Biscuits would be nice. With some tea. Excuse me young warrior, I didn't get your name," she says expectantly with a gracious smile.

Biscuit: "Yes, be careful. The water appears dangerous…"

You have it right.

One of the fishermen comes out and calls to Sibba, "Sibba, why aren't you in your hut? What are you doing out here?"
"There was a celebration, wasn't there? Where's the biscuits and tea?" she says.
"In your hut Sibba, come on, let's get you back there and warmed up, your hands are cold," says the fisherman. He doesn't make eye contact with any of the PCs.

A young man approaches you.
"Heard your names were Keldran, Biscuit and Mole. I'm Henric. Pay no attention to Sibba, she's...well a bit eccentric, and absent minded...and well, she is losing her wits I say, but don't tell anyone I said that. Me dah is the boatwright and I'm his apprentice. You said you saw something in the water? A shark, a jellyfish?"

That name rang a bell in Keldran's mind. He decides to play it safely.
"Keldran, you're right"
"Maybe a shark, I think. Are they common near the shore?"

Biscuit says, "I am sure it was nothing." He gives Keldran a look that says, "What is going on around here?"

Henric looks about and lowers his voice and faces seaward as he speaks.

"Strange happenings...that Jetty Creeper for one. They normally don't make it this far. They like Driftwood Isle a bit farther east. Only they don't usually have that yellow...jelly on them. I've also noticed a shift in the smaller currents, and some that were not there before. Nael has a jar of a strange jelly, like that stuff on the Creeper. I have to leave. People will think I'm mad for telling you all this."

He turns landward, "yep, that's a Jetty Creeper alright. I'd better be getting on. Good luck lads."
He leaves you on the Jetty alone with the dead monster.

Biscuit says, "Okay, but you are paying."

The evening turns to night and a drunken revelry is all that you remember as the locals buy your drinks for your heroics at the jetty.
Breakfast is on the house.

Suddenly you feel the ground beneath you shift and move for a brief moment. It loosens dust motes from the rafters and alarms many of the fisherman who've come back from an early catch. The coral divers are still out on the reef.

One of the coral divers, still in swim gear enters the tavern.
"Come quick, someone. Sahuagin! Sahuagin on the jetty!"
The fishermen look at each other and head outside, knives in their hands.

Biscuit runs outside, bow at the ready.

Outside is chaos, the sun is creeping an edge over the horizon, dark clouds gather overhead, people are running for safety as several sharkmen emerge from the waters onto the Jetty carrying fierce looking Tridents, their gills expanding and flattening against the sides of their throats.

A group of four head in your direction, trotting along at pace, closing the distance.

Group initiative

Biscuit fires 2 arrows with short bow:

Damage

The sharkmen close in for melee, but Biscuit, seeing his window of opportunity is quite minimal, fires off two shafts. The bow thwangs so quickly they sound as one. Two streaks, one following the other find their mark! One of the Sahuagin warriors is struck squarely and falls to the ground, lifeless, the shafts extending from it's chest! Meanwhile, some of the fishermen have found their harpoons and have concentrated their efforts on one of the Sahuagin, piercing it several times, taking it down in a bloody mess.

Mole wounds one of the sharkmen as they move in to the attack.

Group initiative

Biscuit fires 2 arrows:

Biscuit add his dex bonus to win Initiative for the party!

Movement and Missles.

Mole ?
Keldran ?
Biscuit: miss x2

Mole and Keldran finish two of the Saguagin, leaving one to close in and attack Keldran! The Fishermen fight with a ferocity unlike you have seen. They are defending their homes and their lives. Mole sees two Fishermen to his right in dire straights as they face off with two Sahaugin warriors with vicious looking tridents.

The Sahuagin closes in and attacks!

Keldran is slightly wounded from the attack!

Group Initiative

Biscuit fires two arrows with short bow:

The Sahuagin desperately attacks Keldran!

The creature hisses at Keldran's deftness and agility. His indominable will keeps him in the fight though he has been injured. Keldran bashes in the Sahuagin's ribcage and fells the creature! It's eyes roll back as blood oozes from its mouth. It falls, to the ground, a misshapen side and grotesque heap of scale and teeth.

you look around and many of the Sahuagin are fleeing. The fishermen, some wounded, one old man most likely dead.

Mole has injured one who has retreated as well.

The fishermen have wounded and they are brought to the tavern...

Keldran helps making bandages and ask some of the people if thess attacks are frequent
"When did they happen last?"

Keldran also asks where he can find Nael

One of the Fishermen responds, "They been comin' a few times for the last month. Briner's were here for a festival as well as some Sea Elves. These Sahuagin got this yellow pus coming out their eyes and such. These Sahuagin are crazed I tell ya with some kind of sickness."

Biscuit goes to the fishermen and offers assistance where needed.

The village folk are surprised that you would help them. They begin to thank you when a young man walks in out of breath.
"The Priest is missing! I went to the Shrine to get him, but he cannot be found. The acolytes are searching for him now!"

Biscuit says: "Calm down, son. We will find him." Biscuit goes to assist with the search.

Outside Mole chases down a few of the Sahuagin who jump into the water as bolts fly after them. One of them stops and turns around, facing Mole.
"The Unmaking doesss not drownnnneh. It forgetsss," it hisses as it points at Mole before jumping into the ocean.

Biscuit: "I have no use for clerics and temples, but you are right. Let’s go."

Keldran and Biscuit head towards the temple as people are gathering at the Tavern to see to the injured and find their loved ones.
Meanwhile, Mole is digging in a trench and some of the folk are watching.
As he is digging he notices something in the water he hasn't seen before. A pod of pilot whales makes its way near the Jetty. Sea Elves mounted on their backs swim the rest of the way and come ashore. There are at least twenty of them.

Sea Elves

Biscuit says to Keldran: "Relax, buddy." And then hands him a flask of fine halfling whiskey.

One of the acolytes, Aletha, who is also a sea elf, says, "These are clan Eldra. Coraum is their leader. Perhaps he is here in response to the attack..."

Coraum walks over to Aletha. They speak in the elven tounge.

"Thar Thil. Sar e Alet lor nae var. Sharti nha viaren lian?" says the one she called Coraum.

Aletha sees Mole nearby and says, "He says he came as fast as he could. He heard from the Briners that there was trouble."

The Elf steps forward and addresses Mole, "Greetings. I am Coreum, I come recently from Driftwood Isle. We saw the Lighthouse Beacon at midday as we eradicated a nest of Jetty Creepers. Odd that they were in such numbers and now this. The Sahuagin are bold at night, but at midday? Tis odd indeed."

"Bromrig...eh, Mole. We have increasingly seen something peculiar about these Jetty Creepers and Sahuagin. Something has incited them. They are normally found beneath the waves. The Creepers tend to form about the deepest parts of outcroppings, never coming ashore. They are often frightened when confronted in number."

"Also, there is one other thing...the ichor. A yellowish puss like substance. This ichor is more than just a blight, we have never seen its like before and we fear it is driving these creatures mad," says Coreum.

Biscuit: "Is there anything that isn’t going to come out of the water?" He follows Keldran.

All three adventurers watch with interest as Coreum reaches into a pouch and pulls out three white coral necklaces.

"You will need to find Mother Hush. These will aid you in your search. We are grateful you fended off the Sahuagin. I'm afraid our work is not done on Driftwood Isle, we must return and find the nest of Jetty Creepers to keep them from heading over here," he says and hands you the coral necklaces.

"Find the Path Unseen and you will find Mother Hush," with that he calls his men to the Bloomspire Jetty and they move with a sudden quickness. They are soon out of sight.

Biscuit: "We never got a chance to look. The sea elves caught my attention."

Aletha looks at Mole, Biscuit and Keldran.
"Let me explain...the Whale Riders are as you might say...xenophobic. They keep to themselves, but they patrol the waters here and Fathom Bay in general. They fought a Kraken once...or so the story goes."

"The Coral Queen, is an ancient legend. There are ruins south of here that are said to have belonged to the Coral Queen who waited for her King to return from a famous battle with the Sahuagin King Sharma. He never returned and though she waited till her last breath, she died alone and broken hearted. Such are the lengends of the sea folk."

"The Path Unseen may be found at the bottom of the drop off into open ocean. Our human divers have never been that deep. And lately, the deeper they swim, the more likely it is they will lose a sense of who they are as their memories become lost. Sibba is one such, though she is kind hearted. The Whale Rider gave you a precious gift. These coral necklaces will allow you to swim as deep as any sea elf. You will not need to surface for air. These are rare and well guarded. They seem to know who to trust and who not to. It is something we have yet to uderstand about their kin."

"We did not find Brother Rell, but one of the children said she saw him walking into the waves. She said he looked as if he were praying. I have no idea where he could have gone. Perhaps he has gone to seek Mother Hush. Will you help us find him? As the only two priests of the shrine, we are needed here as you can see. The people need hope."

Aletha looks at you with a hint of desperation in her eye. Dark clouds gather on the Bayward horizon and the wind picks up causing leaves to flutter in the air around you. The smell of sea and sand fill your nostrils.

Biscuit: "I offer my services."

"Mole...I don't believe he is in his right mind. He may have heeded the call of something...sinister. If you can help, I have only gratitude for you, but with that comes respect and honor. That may not mean much to a stout Dwarf such as you, but it is all I can offer. Do as you will Mole. You are already a hero in my mind," says Aletha.

Biscuit: "I know you have it in you, Mole. These people need help, so help them we must."