Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
by Tristan DuniganHeres yet another one of my hair-brained ideas for ripping off an already existing adventure, and turning it into something a DM can use on the Savage Coast.
Use the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (U1) module with modifications:
A gang of smugglers are running contraband (or stolen Cinnabryl...DM's choice here) on the ship Sea Ghost to a sleepy and sparsely populated costal area from where it can be distributed to a wider market. They have chosen an old house, locally reputed to be haunted, on the cliff near the tin fishing village of Ciudad Tortuga which surrounds Bastiao das Tartarugas (Bastion of the Turtles), for their landing point for they can obtain easy and secret access to the cellars without attracting attention via a sea cave. (I had to make the village up as, as far as I know, there is no village around that area) To further cover their activities, they have taken steps to encourage the sinister reputation of the house, and the leader of the shore based part of the gang, being an Illusionist, has used his spells to make the house a frightening place to visit, so the locals shun it completely.
One of the 'receivers' of the
contraband is a prominent merchant in the village. The smugglers
are, additionally, running weapons to a colony of Snappers. The
frequent visits of the ship have gone mostly unnoticed by the
villagers of Ciudad Tortuga, but they have aroused the curiosity of
a tribe of Aquatic Elves nearby and they have sent a member of the
tribe to investigate.