Chapter 5: Isle of the Abbey - Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Chapter 5: Isle of the Abbey. A local mariners' guild would like to claim a small, strategically located island and build a lighthouse there. But so far, its representatives have not been able to land safely on the island-every attempt to come ashore has been met by a horde of undead. The guild posts a lucrative contract offer in nearby coastal communities, seeking adventurers willing to secure the island and its burned-out abbey. When the characters come across this information and decide to investigate the opportunity, the adventure officially gets under way. Isle of the Abbey is designed for a party of four to six 5th-level characters. About the Original "Isle of the Abbey" was designer Randy Maxwell's contribution to 1992's Dungeon 34. In designing this adventure, Maxwell reached back to his early days as a Dungeon Master, restricting himself to using only monsters found in the rulebook he started with. The result is a scenario that shows how restraints breed creativity. Background Over the past three months, the evil clerics of Abbey Isle have quarreled violently with a large band of local pirates. Their struggle seems to have left the island uninhabited. The pirates burned the abbey to the ground, but they suffered so many casualties that they were destroyed in turn by the local mariners' guild. Unknown to the mariners' guild, a small number of evil clerics and their minions survived the pirate assaults by taking refuge in the cellars of the ruined abbey. Hidden halls, dangerous guardians, and shining treasures await those who dare to explore the depths of the abbey. The Job at Hand The posted contract explains that any interested parties are to meet with Guildmaster Tabeth at the local guild house. When the characters follow up, Tabeth provides them with the following summary of what he knows: Pirates recently ransacked Abbey Isle, an island just off the coast populated by evil clerics and their followers. Much to the guild's delight, the battle between th...