The party arrived in Saltmarsh aboard the Fey Wind, heading straight for The Laughing Ledger, where they enjoyed a bowl of Uncle’s Stew (except Vargan, who abstained).

Shortly after, they were approached by Sergeant Tom Murtog, who offered them a 200 gp job—tracking down the missing Rinna Velas. The party, already planning to speak with Kalen Voss, negotiated with Tom to first see Kalen’s body at the militia station.

Investigating Kalen Voss’ Death

At the Saltmarsh Militia station, the party observed how underfunded and understaffed the militia was. They also doubted Tom’s ability to pay, leading to some clever persuasion. Tom produced a pouch of gold, but Vargan spotted the House Kundarak crest on it—raising new questions.

Overhaul examined Kalen’s magic-cooled corpse and found:

    •    Cause of death: Drowning

    •    Dragonshard dust in the hems of his clothes

    •    Splinters of oak coated in tar, suggesting a boat’s involvement

Armed with these clues, the party decided to head to the Haunted House to investigate further.

 Into the Haunted House

Arriving in the early afternoon (01-Zar-998), the group encountered four Giant Weasels in the overgrown garden. Vargan struggled in the fight but redeemed himself when Giant Snakes attacked from the well, using the weasel corpses as a distraction while the party escaped inside.

Inside, they quickly followed footprints leading east, uncovering a trapdoor (Area 4). Though they triggered the Magic Mouth alarm, the Hobgoblin below (Area 21) failed to notice.

Sneaking up, they found the Hobgoblin washing dishes, but their attempt at communication failed—it fled through a secret door to the wine cellar (Area 20).

 Chaos in the Cellars

   Overhaul searched the wine racks, finding a bottle with a unicorn label.

   Vargan, intrigued by a corpse in full plate armor, tried using Thornwhip to retrieve its longsword, making noise in the process.

   This alerted Sanbalet (Area 22), who came to investigate.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Happy chased the fleeing Hobgoblin, trying to talk (and occasionally hit) it as they raced through Area 10 into the kitchen (Area 9).

Battle with Sanbalet

    •    Vargan attempted a Fog Cloud deception, pretending to be Archimedes—which worked for a second before failing.

    •    Magic Missiles, Shield spells, and close-quarters combat ensued, leaving Overhaul and Vargan near death.

    •    Happy subdued the Hobgoblin upstairs, dragged it downstairs, and, upon seeing three nearly-dead casters, dropped the Hobgoblin and immediately punched Sanbalet in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Loot & Discoveries

With Sanbalet and the Hobgoblin tied up, the party searched Sanbalet’s quarters:

    •    A Tide Almanac, with a date circled in four days

    •    A hooded lantern and instructions for its use

    •    A list of Hobgoblin commands

    •    A history of the Age of Demons

    •    A finely lined oilskin cloak

    •    A book of illustrated erotic poetry

Before leaving, they tried to remove the corpse’s armor, only to trigger a swarm of Rot Grubs, which they easily dispatched.

Now, Happy owns a slightly charred but functional set of plate mail.