Skullport

Skullport is a grim, cutthroat outpost of civilization where adventurers can resupply and take refuge. Yet few souls of the surface world have any clue how to reach this shadowy reflection of Waterdeep, making any talk of the Port of Shadow akin to a rumor, or a warning — which is just how its denizens like it.

Government

Xanathar's Guild

The Port of Shadow has been held, claimed, or occupied over the years by duergar, drow, dwarves, crazed wizards, slavers, and pirates. Currently, the town is under the sway of Xanathar, who has turned the forlorn settlement into a haven for its criminal organization.

Few folk have permanent residences in the Port of Shadow, and most of the local businesses are presently shut down. The people who do remain in business pay Xanathar for protection. Adventurers can find food, drink, shelter, and supplies here — or perhaps a quick death, if they antagonize the locals.

Flameskulls

Thirteen ancient flameskulls haunt Skullport. These entities, which have defended the town since its founding, are all that remain of the Sargauth Enclave, a settlement of Netherese wizards. The flameskulls consider themselves the true rulers of Skullport, but they have lost touch with reality, their minds drifting in and out of the present and the past. They rarely communicate, and when they do it is often in a dead language.

Infrastructure

Skullport fills an immense cavern. The town has three levels: a lower level, a middle level, and a top level. A stone bridge connects the southern end of the town to an island around which flows the sluggish River Sargauth. The island is called Skull Island, and atop this island stands a fortress garrisoned by minions of the beholder crime lord known as Xanathar.

Geography

The routes by which adventurers can arrive at Skullport are described below.

Through Undermountain

Skullport is connected to level 3 of Undermountain by the underground River Sargauth and by five meandering subterranean passageways: Beggar’s Rest Pass, Shadow Pass, Steamfall Pass, Taglath’s Gap, and Whisperhaunt Pass.

Through the Sea Caves

Skullport can be reached by traveling through a series of natural caverns and magical locks that stretch from the South Sea Caves on Waterdeep’s shore to the River Sargauth far below Mount Waterdeep. Crashing waves and jagged rocks make the outermost of these flooded caves dangerous to navigate. Dozens of old ships lie wrecked within, their swollen hulks home to sea hags, merrows, and other aquatic creatures.

The waters grow calmer as one travels deeper into the mountain, where a series of magic locks control the water level. Vessels descend hundreds of feet as they pass between them. Where the locks end is a vast cavern containing a smooth stone retaining wall that rises 10 feet above the water’s surface. The partially collapsed remnants of a ten-story-tall hoist loom above the retaining wall. This contraption was designed to lift a vessel of almost any size, swing it over the wall, and lower it down the other side to the River Sargauth 100 feet below. Skullport lies just a few hundred yards farther along the underground river. Time and neglect have rendered the hoist nonfunctional, thus preventing large ships from reaching the Port of Shadow. Many denizens of Skullport would like to fix it, but they lack the mutual trust and cooperation required for such a project to succeed. The absence of the hoist hasn’t stopped all manner of nefarious sorts from using their own ropes to haul rowboats and other small craft over the barrier wall.

Alternative Name(s)

The Port of Shadow

Type

City

Location under

Undermountain

Official D&D Sources:

Dungeon Of The Mad Mage