Chapter 1: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

"Looks like we were the only ones to come snooping around here," Margot says as she looks over the broken into drawers. "I doubt there was much of any value in there though.

"Worthless...." Eshe remarks upon giving the room a quick look over. She looks at the others then gestures towards the door with a tilt of her head as if to say. Let's move on. She moves to open the door at the end of the corridor.

Geez, Eshe, what are you even looking for? Those books back there could be 2000 gold each for all we know. Terry remarks, still conceding to follow her to the next room.

"2000 gold??? You have my attention, but we can take the books once we know this place is empty..."

Lucan is struggling with the locked desk drawer. He tries to jimmy it with his knife and when that doesn't work he paused in thought.
Then he has an Idea! With a rouge'ish smile, har takes his waterskin and with magic, he moves water in between the desk and the drawer. When the lock area is saturated with water, he freezes it, and ice expands, breaking the desk and drawer with a loud CRACK. The then unfreezes the water and let it back into the waterskin

Lucan manipulates the water into the lock and cracks it open, allowing easy access into the drawer. Inside is a large vial of red liquid that is clearly a potion of healing.Eshe moves down to the end of the hall and opens that door. A door in the north wall leads onto a small patio, the paving cracked and overrun with weeds. Other than a pile of refuse in the southeast corner, the room is bare.

Map

"Did anybody bring something to drink? What's a ghost hunt without booze?" Pong wanders into the north hallway.

Eshe inspects the refuse in the south east corner, poking through it with the pommel of her greataxe.

Eshe pokes around the refuse in the corner, but doesn't find anything of value.

Map

"Not much this side then, " Margot says looking around. "Let's check the opposite side now.

Pong continues up the north hallway, opens the first door.

Lucan has picked up the healing potion, been into the empty room, and now follows Pong into the first room in the north hallway

Sobek follows Pong to the door.

"Pong! Try on birthday shield! Sobek has matching shell shield!"

Sobek straps on his own tortoise shell shield and thumps on it hard.

Pong, who still thinks it's a party and has been walking around shieldless and unarmed, straps on the gift shield so as not to hurt Sobek's feelings. He gives the lizardman a grin and a thumbs up. It really is a nice shield, but the tortle seriously doubts there's any sort of danger here.

Eshe follows Pong's lead up the north hallway

Terry hangs back a bit, a bit baffled as how a pile of rubbish appealed to Eshe more than a pile of books, but eventually catches up and follows pong down the north hallway.

Pong opens the first door on the right. Two stuffed armchairs stand near the fireplace of this room. The covers of both have been torn and the stuffing has been pulled out, but the wooden frames are intact. A broken table lies on the floor near the north wall.

Sobek will inspect the fireplace, with the thought that basking by a warm fire would be nice this evening. Is the flue clear? Is it wet? For even a dim-witted lizardfolk knows how to make fire!

As Sobek moves toward the fireplace, he sees a pile of mouse bones inside of it. Peering closer, he sees a loose brick at the back, but before he can do anything with it, a mass of spiders swarms out of the fireplace and begins biting at him (20 vs AC. Damage: 11).

Seeing the swarm of spiders, Pong starts to squash them... by bashing Sobek repeatedly with his brand new shield.