Skullport

Backdrop: Skullport By Matt Goetz Illustration by Brian Valenzuela Cartography by Mike Schley

Hunched on the banks of the subterranean River Sargauth, Skullport is no stranger to death and destruction. Built on the site of a long-dead Netherese encampment, more than once Skullport has weath¬ered storms that have brought it to the tattered edge of annihilation. No matter how unlikely it seemed that this Port of Shadow could rebuild after a devas¬tating event, each time it has risen from its bones to exist again.
A festering sore on Undermountain, Skullport lies deep beneath the streets of Waterdeep. Far from the prying eyes of the Waterdhavian lords, the city long had a reputation as a hub of illicit trade, fed by a stream of pirate vessels that used the port as a hidden sanctuary. After falling victim to disaster upon disas¬ter, that stream became a trickle, but the intermittent influx of goods, coupled with Skullport’s relative autonomy, has drawn a bizarre range of creatures to the city. Outcast drow, plotting illithids, luckless merchants, spellscarred refugees, and the worst crim¬inals of Waterdeep struggle to survive on Skullport’s narrow, wooden streets.
Built within an immense cavern, the port is a dense and erratic array of reclaimed materials con¬structed in layers to fill the cave’s limited space. Narrow walkways and gangplanks thread through the chaos, creating makeshift streets between the creaking stilt-houses and ruins of the city, intermittently lit by thrashing lantern-eels held in suspended globes of Sargauth water. Overhead, a thick layer of dripping mold covers the ceiling, glow¬ing sickly when stirred by the currents of air in the cavern. This wan green light, known as the Gloam, is Skullport’s poor imitation of the night sky.

CULTURE

To protect against the brackish water that constantly drips from overhead, longtime inhabitants of the port—colloquially called “Skulkers”—wear thick mantles of oiled canvas and broad-brimmed hats that cast their faces into shadow. True Skulkers are easy to distinguish from visitors to Skullport by the cloths they wear over their mouths and noses when on the streets. Even though these cloths are soaked in sweet-smelling oils to keep the stench of the cavern and river at bay, they provide small comfort. The fetid smell of the river has a way of seeping into everything, permanently marking objects with a faint stink. When items soiled with “riverstench” make their way to the surface, they are sold for steep dis¬counts, since nothing short of ritual magic can work the reek of Skullport out of them.
Things in the Port of Shadow have a way of aging before their time, and the people are no exception. Most Skulkers exude the hunched bitterness of a long and unfair life, medicating their woes with the strongest drinks that they can buy or steal. Some say the cold and damp causes this, but the superstitious blame the city, saying that somehow it feeds on its small population like a leech.
Lacking anything that could even jokingly be called a day, the people of Skullport measure time like a ship's crew: in “bells” of roughly four hours each. The system was initially devised so that the crews of visiting ships could keep a consistent sched¬ule with the people of the port, and the city's oldest inhabitants insist on continuing the tradition.
At the start of each four-hour block, timekeep¬ers around Skullport ring corroded bells that have been salvaged from sunken ships. The hollow peals drift across the city, marking the passage of time. The only exception is during the watch in the middle of the night. Rather than many chimes, a single bell is struck—a tremendous, grime-encrusted, pitch¬black bell whose low, mournful tone echoes through the night. The people of Skullport are superstitious regarding the hours marked by the Black Bell, believ¬ing them to be an unlucky time when monsters and misfortune claim their victims.
Deep currents of rivalry run through the city. Long-time Skulkers resent the city's recent newcom¬ers; the poor resent those who have coin for taking what little the infrequently visiting pirates have to offer; and pirates resent the wretches who have long lurked in the shadows of the port, preventing them from taking it over. All of Skullport would have dis¬solved under the conflict of its inhabitants were it not for the mysterious sentinels who keep watch over it—the grisly disembodied Skulls from which the city gets its name.

HISTORY

The origin of the Port of Shadow dates back many centuries to when a group of Netherese mages set¬tled in the region to perform their art. Known to history as the Sargauth Enclave, these mages fash¬ioned many wonders in their cavern, the greatest of which was the mantle, an artificial copy of an elven mythal. Although the mantle provided the caverns with strength and protection, it was also the enclave's undoing. During the first true disaster of Skull¬port, which happened at the same time as the fall of Netheril, magical surges ripped through the mantle, destroying much of the enclave and killing its inhab- itants—with a few exceptions. Thirteen mages were absorbed and altered, becoming disembodied skulls that would keep watch over the city through its many future iterations.
From that point on, Skullport's history has several distinct eras. The first, starting in 1148 DR, was a time of relative prosperity, when the necromancer Shradin Mulophor petitioned Halaster Blackcloak, lord of the Underhalls, to settle on the ruins of a long-dead Netherese enclave. For centuries, Skull¬port stood as one of the chief ports of trade in the Underdark, and it was fed a steady supply of trade on magically diverted rivers and through the mysti¬cal gates that lined its walls. This was Skullport at its height: a seemingly lawless den of merchants, pirates, slavers, and other sordid elements. This era came crashing down in the late 1300s.
weakening it to the point that it could no longer sup¬port the weight of the cavern above it. In a moment, much of the Port of Shadow was destroyed; hundreds A slaad named Azriim tampered with the mantle, died as the ceiling of Skullport partially collapsed. The city might have rebuilt from that collapse, were it not for the coming of the Spellplague only a few years later. At this point, the weakened mantle twisted, firing off blasts of destructive energy that claimed many lives, before seemingly vanishing for good.
Gradually, most of the survivors fled the ruined city, letting it lie fallow. In these perilous years, Skull¬port became home to only a few hundred desperate creatures—blighted souls that squatted in the slowly collapsing bones of the city. For generations, it seemed Skullport was doomed.
In recent years, the city's outlook began to change. A young explorer named Miriam Sequora climbed up from the Yawning Portal in Waterdeep and began telling tales of Netherese artifacts and of rich veins of mithral she uncovered in the ruins of Skullport. Most Waterdhavians disregarded these stories, but Miriam won over a few citizens when she displayed a huge chunk of raw mithral and several old magic items of distinctly Netherese manufacture.
Word spread through Waterdeep's broadsheets, and a handful of merchants scrambled to send expe¬ ditions to the Port of Shadow, hiring delvers and sellswords to carve out their own claims in Skullport. Within months, Skullport became a permanent home to these first daring few. With them, small groups of merchants ventured down to the city, peddling their wares to the miners—known locally as skulldiggers— mercenaries, and pirates who occasionally inhabit the city.
Largely, Skullport exists in the shadow of its nearly complete destruction. Though the Port of Shadow is considered a relic and a rotting echo of its former self, each passing month brings with it a handful more of those who are brave and desperate enough to seek a new life among its moldering ruins.

THE MANTLE

Does the mantle still exist? Yes and no. Although the Spellplague destroyed the original mantle, a bit of it remains in the rocks of the cavern. This remnant needs a constant supply of fuel to keep the cavern intact, which the Skulkers provide. A little bit of life force is drained from inhabitants to fuel this “new” mantle, which is the cause of their depression and their feeling prematurely aged. Additionally, those in the city knowingly feed the mantle, usually in the form of residuum, though some prefer the sacrifice of living magic users.

LAWS AND GOVERNMENT

To visitors, the Port of Shadow looks like a hollow ruin surrounded by a crumbling ghost town of abandoned buildings, with lurking gangs compet¬ing fiercely for territories that encompass a few narrow blocks. To a certain extent, that observation is accurate. Typically only a few dozen strong, gangs such as the Mandible, the Iron Ring, and the Low- fellows follow their own laws, holding their patches of Skullport with an almost fanatical control, leav¬ing desperate loners to fill in the gaps and fight over whatever scraps the stronger gangs leave behind.
Though Skullport lacks a form of government and a codified body of laws, one group commands incon¬testable control over Skullport, and it strictly enforces its own law: the Skulls.
The Skulls do not seem overly concerned by the dilapidated state of Skullport, and they let the city's minor factions govern themselves. Instead, the Skulls watch trade within the city closely. Addition¬ally, actions that would interfere with the city draw the attention of the Skulls, who exact unpredictable punishments for such deeds. For minor infractions, the Skulls demand seemingly random tasks such as giving your boots to the first slave you encounter or dropping a handful of coins at a certain place. Serious breaches of the law carry one of two punishments, either a period of slavery within the city or utter annihilation.
Defying the Skulls is unheard of, if not outright impossible. All the Skulls are powerful flameskulls that have access to a variety of mighty wizard powers and arcane rituals. They also control a small army of lesser servitor flameskulls and other magic-wielding undead. The Skulls have been known to summon their servants into an ongoing battle, turning the odds against those who dare defy them.
Although Skulls can fall in combat, slain Skulls always return to life. A mystical connection to the Port of Shadow allows a slain Skull to be reborn, sometimes ripping free from a random victim within Skullport. Such a rejuvenated Skull is eager to locate the creature or creatures arrogant enough to fight and kill it. Because of this, gangs in Skullport are careful to act unseen or through hapless proxies if they intend to carry out actions that might draw the fury of the Skulls.

The Fourteenth Skull

Common wisdom holds that thirteen Skulls are watching over Skullport, and they all share a collec¬tive memory from their lives before. These memories have become so intertwined over the years that the Skulls are fundamentally interchangeable, with each being a piece of a gestalt entity.
Some claim that they have witnessed a four¬teenth Skull. This mysterious Skull is said to operate independent of the others, following its own agenda within the city. Usually these stories come in the form of drunken bragging, but there is a grain of truth to them. The fourteenth Skull is all that remains of the Rag Mage. In life, he was an ascetic drow who had a connection to Skullport similar to the Skulls. His change into his current form happened when he became the last victim of the mantle, transformed by the Spellplague.
The few who believe in the fourteenth Skull lay praise—or blame, in the case of the Lowfellows—on it for the city's newest inhabitants. They claim that the fourteenth Skull was somehow responsible for the discovery of new mithral in the city and the skulldig¬gers who came with it.

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.

Reaching Skullport

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. See maps 25 and 26 in this section for the locations of these routes.

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.

Skullport Overview

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.

What Dwells Here?

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. (The beholder inhabits a dungeon complex under Skullport that is described in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.)
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.

Exploring Skull Island

All location descriptions for Skull Island are keyed to map 24. The island’s features are as follows:
The island sits in the middle of a vast cavern with a roughly dome-shaped roof that rises to a height of 120 feet above the water level. Atop the island is a stone fortress, its 20-foot-high outer walls interrupted at irregular intervals by 30-foot-high (two-story) towers topped with battlements, ballistae, and flame cannons (see the “Skull Island Weaponry” sidebar). A natural column of rock rises from the heart of the fortress and merges with the cavern ceiling. (See area 9 for more information on this spire.)

SKULL ISLAND WEAPONRY

The fortress on Skull Island bristles with ballistae and flame cannons. Before one of these weapons can be fired, it must be loaded and aimed. It takes one action to load a weapon, one action to aim it, and one action to fire it. Each ballista or flame cannon is a Large object with AC 15, 50 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
A ballista is a massive crossbow that fires heavy bolts. A flame cannon is a bulky mechanical contraption that hurls casks of alchemist’s fire that explode on impact.
Ballista. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 120/480 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d10) piercing damage.
Flame Cannon. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage plus 17 (5d6) fire damage, and the target catches fire. While on fire, the target takes 3 (1d6) fire damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature can end this damage by immersing itself in water or by using an action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check to extinguish the flames.

1. Murkspan Bridge

An arched stone bridge connects the island to the town. The middle 30-foot span of the bridge is rigged to collapse. Two stone levers hidden in secret compartments at the south end of the bridge trigger the collapse when they are pulled simultaneously (requiring an action for each one). Characters who search the south end of the bridge can find the levers and discern their purpose with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check.

2. Main Gate

The main entrance to the fortress is protected by a sturdy iron gate. Winches in the flanking guard towers open and close this gate.
3. Harbors Skull Island has two natural harbors (area 3a and area 3b). Each harbor is 60 feet deep and lined with rotted wooden docks. Steel augers installed along the mouth of each harbor can be raised or lowered on rusty iron chains connected to winches in the towers to either side of the harbor. When they are raised, the augers pierce the hulls of passing ships, flooding their lower decks and causing them to sink.

4. Duergar Barracks

Ten duergar are quartered in this two-story building.

5. Human Barracks

This three-story edifice looms over the northeast harbor (area 3b). Seventy human thugs are quartered here.

6. Depleted Armory

The Xanathar Guild plundered this two-story building after taking control of the fortress. It stands empty.

7. Bugbear Barracks

Sixty bugbears inhabit this two-story stone building.
8. Gargoyle Towers
Twelve gargoyles perch on the battlements of these three-story stone towers (four atop each tower).

9. Tower of the Seven Woes

The fortress’s half-ogre commander, Sundeth, lives in this hollowed-out spire with his wyvern mount. Sundeth is a hideous, 8-foot-tall, half-ogre champion (see appendix A), with these changes:
Sundeth is chaotic evil.
He has these racial traits: He is Large and has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. He speaks Common and Giant.
The column merges with the cavern roof, narrows in the middle (where a stalactite and a stalagmite converged eons ago), and has abundant ledges and handholds on the outside. The outer door is made of iron and squeals loudly when opened, alerting the spire’s occupants.
Carved into the column is a seven-story prison composed of windowless torture chambers connected to one another by rough-hewn stairways. Worshipers of Loviatar used this tower to imprison and torture slaves. The walls throughout are lined with manacles; rusted shackles lie strewn amid torture racks, spiked cages, and other contraptions that have fallen into disrepair.

10. Kuo-toa Lair

East of the island fortress, an old dock protrudes from the mouth of a damp cave like a wooden tongue.

10a. Old Dock

The dock creaks and groans but is safe to stand on.

10b. Kuo-toa Cave

A hungry kuo-toa named Hlool crouches in the middle of this cave. If the characters give it food, Hlool eats the food, then dives to the bottom of the River Sargauth, returns minutes later with a bundled-up cloak of the manta ray that it took from a dead adventurer, and gives it to the characters as a thank-you gift.

Exploring the Town

All location descriptions for the town of Skullport are keyed to maps 25 and 26. The town’s key features are summarized below:
Everything has a deteriorated, haphazard look to it. Tightly packed buildings of wood and stone are piled atop one another, creating three levels: a lower level (often called the street level), a middle level, and an upper level.
Unnamed thoroughfares wind through the town at street level. Above this labyrinth run mazes of catwalks made from the wood of old shipwrecks. Old rigging is used to suspend the creaky catwalks.
The 90-foot-high cavern ceiling is covered with a forest of stalactites.
Most of the lanterns that once illuminated Skullport are gone, turned to rust or stolen by thieves long ago. Denizens carry their own light sources or rely on darkvision to see. Flameskulls are often mistaken from a distance for bobbing torches as they drift through town.
The town has no general store, and some merchandise that is abundant in Waterdeep simply isn’t available here. Prices in Skullport are five times higher than normal. If an NPC is mentioned by name with no pointer to a stat block, assume the NPC is a commoner.

11. Old Markets

These open-air spaces are dreary and forlorn.
11a. Old Fish Market
Closed shops and warehouses enclose an abandoned market dotted with empty fish stands.
11b. Old Slave Market
The shops that surround this abandoned slave market appear vacant. Further investigation reveals that one shop (area 12) is open for business.

12. Dead Man’s Corner

A sea hag named Olive Stillwater sells human zombies out of this dilapidated shop. She appears as an old woman covered with snails and barnacles.
Olive keeps a dozen human zombies in her cramped shop. “They’re great for setting off traps!” she says with a chuckle. As payment for each zombie, she demands a tiny vial of the buyer’s blood and three hairs plucked from the buyer’s head. She owns a pair of rusty iron shears that can be used to draw blood and cut hair. After consuming this payment, Olive gains the innate ability to cast the animate dead spell once per day for the next three days.
Each zombie wears a rope noose around its neck. A character who buys a zombie must lead it around by the noose; otherwise, the zombie stands still and does nothing.

13. Thimblewine’s Pawnshop

A cheery rock gnome named Krystaleen runs this shop. She is the niece of the pawnshop’s previous owner, Thimblewine, who died of old age a few years ago.
Krystaleen buys reusable goods from visitors at normal cost (as listed in the Player’s Handbook). If the characters are looking to buy a nonmagical item, there is a 10 percent chance that Krystaleen has such an item in stock. All merchandise is sold at five times the normal cost.

14. Heralds’ Meet

This town square is littered with trash. Nearly all the buildings that surround it are abandoned.

15. The Black Tankard

The proprietor of this squalid, one-story tavern is a fat, dour duergar named Droon Stonedark, who works for Xanathar. Two minotaurs stand in dark corners, ready to give unruly patrons the heave-ho. A spectator floats amid the rafters and provides additional security.
Droon sells Wyrmwizz, an alcoholic swill, for 2 sp per mug. No food and no other drinks are available.
16. Gyudd’s Distillery This dwarven distillery is a three-story stone building with a sagging roof. Gyudd, the shield dwarf distiller, makes Amberjack (a sherry), bitter Goat’s Head Ale, and a muddy alcoholic swill called Wyrmwizz. The cost of a 5-gallon cask is 20 gp for Amberjack, 10 gp for Goat’s Head Ale, and 5 gp for Wyrmwizz.
17. Skull Square Empty buildings surround this square, which is festooned with iron gibbets dangling from wooden masts.
18. The Sea Chest This shop used to sell chests, strongboxes, and other containers, but the place is closed up. Its proprietor, a shield dwarf named Tor Grayfell, had his brain eaten by a mind flayer believed to still be at large in Skullport.
19. The Flagon and the Dragon
This wood and stone tavern is a step up from the Black Tankard (area 15). Tending bar is the proprietor, a female half-drow named Cal’al Claddani. She always introduces herself by asking, “What’s your poison?”
Cal’al took over the tavern after its previous owners fled. She sells two local beverages: a sherry called Amberjack (8 sp per glass) and Goat’s Head Ale (4 sp per flagon). She also keeps a few rare spirits behind the bar.
If the characters drop a few coins here, Cal’al is happy to furnish them with information about Skullport’s other inhabitants and establishments. Cal’al also fancies herself a gatherer of secrets and might share one or two with characters she trusts (see appendix C).

20. Dark Harvest Market

Food harvested from the Underdark is sold here by 1d6 duergar, who employ an equal number of wererats as bodyguards.

21. The Sword and Sextant

A pair of strongheart halflings named Oleander and Will buy and sell maps out of this modest shop. They are eager to procure accurate maps of Undermountain.

22. The Guts & Garters

A sullen, soft-spoken tiefling named Quietude runs Skullport’s last remaining inn and spies on guests for Xanathar. The inn is a run-down structure with windows so shrouded in grime as to be almost opaque. Quietude rents bedrooms for 5 gp per day.
The inn’s cellar contains a secret door that requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to detect. Beyond the secret door is a 300-foot-long, rough-hewn tunnel heading west to Xanathar’s dungeon hideout (described in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist).

23. The Feathered Rat

Ulvira Snowveins, a venerable half-elf and Harper spy, runs this single-story pet store. Ulvira’s merchandise and prices are as follows: bat (5 cp), cat (5 sp), frog or toad (5 cp), giant fire beetle (25 gp), giant rat (10 sp), lizard (5 cp), rat (5 cp), spider (5 cp), and stirge (10 sp).

24. Thaglar’s Foundry

Skullport’s ugly stone foundry stands four stories tall. Inside, duergar smiths under the command of a brutal duergar taskmaster named Thaglar Xundorn fashion weapons, armor, and tools.

25. The Bat’s Roost

This building, once a seedy tavern, is now a fighting den where visitors can settle their differences through fisticuffs while spectators place bets on the outcome.

26. The Keel Hall

This two-story festhall shut down after the Spellplague and never reopened its doors. The Zhentarim now use it as a hideout.
Bosskyn Gorrb, a blind tiefling spy, leads the Zhentarim in Skullport and uses flying snakes to deliver messages to his underlings. If one or more characters are members of the Zhentarim and can prove it, Bosskyn offers to help them in one or both of the following ways:
He allows the party to use the festhall as a sanctuary and a resting place for as long as they need it.
He uses one of his flying snakes to deliver a message to anyone in Waterdeep on the party’s behalf.

27. The Poisoned Quill

There’s not much need for an expert forger in Skullport these days, but that doesn’t concern the owner of the Poisoned Quill, Tasselgryn Velldarn, who makes money from visitors needing to leave Skullport in a hurry.
“Tas” is an elderly archmage. Her secret is that she and Halaster are friends. The Mad Mage visits her about once a month for tea, and she catches him up on the latest news and gossip. When they are together, Halaster and Tasselgryn act like an old married couple.
If the characters come seeking an escape from Skullport, Tasselgryn offers to cast the teleportation circle spell but demands payment of 50 gp per party member up front. She knows the address of another teleportation circle in Waterdeep (in the attic of an orphanage in the Dock Ward) and sends the characters there if they don’t have a teleportation circle address of their own.
Halaster has placed enchantments on Tasselgryn’s shop that enable her (and her alone) to cast teleportation circle spells within its confines, ignoring the restriction that Undermountain places on such magic (see “Alterations to Magic”).

28. Twinbeard’s Traps

This single-story building contains the workshop of Xanathar’s shield dwarf trapsmith and engineer, Thorvin Twinbeard. He’s rarely here, however, since Xanathar keeps him busy. (For more information on Thorvin, see Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.)

29. Sargauth’s Bounty

Darum and Duram Ghaz, a pair of shield dwarf brothers, sell junk salvaged from the River Sargauth. There is a 50 percent chance that the shop is closed and the brothers are away on a salvage mission.

30. The Lanternlighter’s

Anderian Dusk, an old half-elf with a long white beard, sells lanterns. The light in Anderian’s eyes has gone out, as time has slowly crushed his hopes or dreams. Around his neck he wears a hag eye pendant given to him by the sea hags of the Sargauth River (see area 10c on level 3). The hags pay him to wear it so they can spy on folk passing through Skullport.
If the characters need oil for their lanterns, Anderian directs them to the Overflowing Urn (area 33).

31. Dalagor’s Fortress

Dalagor was an evil warrior who surrounded himself with necromancers and undead. He and his minions were destroyed or driven out during the Spellplague, leaving behind a bleak, three-story stone mansion that the Harpers have seized and turned into a hideout.
Felrax, a dragonborn mage with copper-colored scales, watches over the mansion. A light cantrip cast on his staff allows Felrax to see in the dark interior. If one or more characters are Harpers, Felrax offers to help them in one or both of the following ways:
He allows the party to use the mansion as a sanctuary and a resting place for as long as they need it.
If the characters need to leave Skullport in a hurry, he tells them that Tasselgryn Velldarn (area 27) has access to a teleportation circle and charges 50 gp per person for its use.

32. Dumathoin’s Jest

Ygarra Urmbaalt, a duergar, appraises gemstones for a flat fee of 20 percent of a gem’s value. Her establishment is a one-story, ugly stone building.

33. The Overflowing Urn

This store rests atop another structure that is crumbling with age. As a result, the building tilts slightly to the east. Inside, a man calling himself Garryth sells flasks of oil for 5 sp each and casks of pitch for 2 gp each.
Five years ago, a doppelganger killed Garryth and assumed his identity after disposing of the body. The doppelganger is content running the business and has no qualms about paying money to Xanathar for protection.

34. Nightshade’s Caress

Displayed in the window of this shop are various herbs, elixirs, vials of poison, and baskets of medicinal fungi. The store is cluttered with more such goods, all labeled and clearly priced. The apothecary, Nightshade, is an undead creature (use the mummy statistics) that looks like a withered crone dressed in a tattered black robe.

35. The Worm’s Gullet

The only restaurant in town is located inside a petrified, hollowed-out purple worm. The food and the service have gone downhill ever since Xanathar installed a new manager: a heartless duergar named Gharz Stonedark.
Gharz makes meals out of whatever his kobolds can find, and patrons are expected to eat whatever Gharz serves them. Common meals include stirge loaf, carrion crawler soufflé, flumph stew, and hot shrieker pie. The house ale is Wyrmwizz, straight from the local distillery (area 16). A meal with a drink costs 5 sp per person.

36. Tanor’thal Refuge

Carved by the drow of House Tanor’thal, this stronghold resembles an upside-down spider that looms above the rest of Skullport like a great, dark god. The spider’s hollowed-out head, thorax, and abdomen contain windowless living quarters filled with thick webs and a host of giant spiders. Other denizens of Skullport avoid this place, making it an excellent refuge once the spiders are cleared out. The drow left nothing of value behind when they vacated their refuge.

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ORGANIZATIONS

In a place such as Skullport, which lacks a means or a desire to protect its inhabitants, affiliation with a group can mean the difference between life and death. Solitary people are sought by the unscrupulous as prey for robbery or fodder for the slave pits, so likeminded individuals gravitate to each other for the benefit of safety in numbers.

The Mandible

Skullport's most influential gang, the Mandible, is a consortium of merchants, pirates, and successful skulldiggers. Working together to control the price of goods ranging from food to weapons to rent, they command the most power in Skullport aside from the Skulls.
The Mandible takes its name from a magic sword called the Dragon’s Tooth, which was recovered from the ruins of the old city. The weapon was once wielded by a skulldigger to protect her mithral claim from potential interlopers. As members say, “Only the Mandible can hold the Dragon’s Tooth.” As a result, the item serves as a symbol of office within the group. Holding the Dragon’s Tooth grants the wielder the authority to speak as a representative in public, and ownership carries with it de facto leadership of the Mandible. The sword has traded hands several times in the Mandible's short existence, usually in the after¬math of bloody duels. The members of the Mandible control a band of armed Skulkers who enforce the Mandible council's edicts within their territory. Although the gang is still subject to the law of the Skulls, the Mandible is the closest thing the Port of Shadow has to any kind of government, which says more about the state of Skull¬port than it does about the gang. The different members of the Mandible do not always speak with a combined voice, however. Bicker¬ing dominates the frequent meetings of the group as the various members seek to advance their own agen¬das within the city.

The Reforged Ring

At Skullport’s height, a group called the Iron Ring controlled slave trade in the city. The original group dissolved over the years, but the market for slavery in Skullport did not. As new attempts are made to excavate the city ruins or mine its environs, slaves are sought to do the greater part of the work.
Recently, a group has taken up the slack of the former slavers. Calling themselves the Reforged Ring, they are as cruelly effective as their previous incarna¬tion. They maintain a force of slaves, which they lease to skulldiggers who hope to obtain the city’s mithral.
Second in size only to the Mandible, the slavers of the Reforged Ring own a scattered network of slave pens and workhouses throughout the city, and their raiding teams constantly sweep the streets of Skull¬port for those too weak to fend them off. Each trusted associates of the group is marked in a ritualized ceremony; one of his or her ring fingers is grasped with a pair of hot iron tongs. This brand bonds the individual to the Reforged Ring and serves as a symbol of status within Skullport. To be marked by the Reforged Ring is to enter into a lifetime com¬mitment, though. Many groups outside the city look unfavorably on slavery, and they do not hesitate to punish those who profit from it. Members kicked out of the group rarely survive their first encounter with someone outside Skullport who understands the meaning of the brand.
Although the Ring is an unpleasant, if accepted, part of Skullport, many groups within the city would like to see it driven out. The Lowfellows in particular despise the Ring, since slaves make up a large part of its membership, and abolitionist individuals in Skull¬port would like nothing more than to drive the slavers out of the city. This undercurrent of resentment runs deep in the Port of Shadow, causing some to say that the Ring is starting to show signs of rust.

The Riverborn

A small, disorganized confederation of pirates known as the Riverborn operates from half-sunk ships off the shore of Skullport. Members are distinguished by tat¬toos of a black serpent, whose twisting form echoes the shape of the Sargauth. Having little love for mer¬chant gangs and skulldiggers who vie for control of the city, the Riverborn refuse to serve on ships con¬trolled by captains who consort with the gangs and frequently stalk and attack sailors who do. Although the Riverborn have no stated goals, they act in the hope of driving the city’s new inhabitants—whom they see as interlopers—back to the streets of Waterdeep.
Their presence is tolerated because of their useful¬ness to those same lords. When a merchant wants to do harm to a rival without drawing the attention of the Skulls, he or she sends an agent to the drink¬ing houses in the Dredge to drop hints about the rival’s shipments, hoping to catch the attention of the Riverborn.

The Lowfellows

Skullport has long been home to the worst dregs that the Northdark has to offer. The crumbling city has played home to exiles, murderers, creatures twisted with spellscars, and worse. As long as their depreda¬tions occurred outside the direct view of the Skulls, these inhabitants were free to indulge themselves, far outside society’s scrutiny. Since the skulldiggers’ arrival, however, things have begun to change. Some of Skullport’s long-term inhabitants have integrated themselves into the fledgling society, but many more were driven from their homes, fleeing from the bands of skulldiggers like insects fleeing the light of a torch.
Some feel slighted by this turn of events. Some even seek revenge. A large group of longtime Skulkers has formed a secret society, known as the Lowfellows, who operate in shadow to punish the skulldiggers for their intrusion. They use sabotage, such as the collapse of a mine tunnel or the snap of a high Skullport bridge, to deal with skulldiggers. The Lowfellows avoid direct conflict not only because of the obvious consequences of drawing the ire of the Skulls, but also because they fear drawing more intruders into Skullport, whom they feel might seek retribution on the behalf of their family members. Originally, the Lowfellows were only a few dozen strong. In recent months their ranks have swelled considerably, fed by Skulkers displaced with each new skulldigger’s arrival, and with escaped slaves seeking to pay back their former masters.

The Fray

These thirteen mages are the agents of the fourteenth Skull of Skullport. Wearing tattered robes, they emulate the fourteenth Skull as he was in life. Func¬tionally homeless, they wander the streets of the city, muttering incomprehensible things to each other.
The fourteenth Skull carefully selected each member of the Fray to help him in his task of main¬taining the weakened mantle. Selection for this duty brings with it potent abilities, and those chosen go mad with the power granted by the fourteenth Skull. Each member of the Fray can hear the whispers of its master no matter where it is in the city and is help¬less to resist his commands. Members of the Fray are promised that when the mantle is fully restored, they will become the new Skulls of Skullport, a prospect that keeps these broken-minded creatures going.
Some of their work is relatively harmless, involving the theft of magic items to break down into residuum that the mantle can absorb. Occasionally, though, the mantle requires a greater sacrifice. At those times, the Fray must hunt down and murder one of the city’s visiting magic users. The powerful essence of the victim is captured and directed by the Fray, and although unpleasant, these sacrifices are vital to keep the newly built city intact.

LOCATIONS

The structure of Skullport is a complicated affair of stilt buildings, scaffoldings, and bridges built verti¬cally to make as much use of the limited space in the cavern as possible. From Skull Island in the south to the innermost chamber of the cavern, roughshod structures cover every conceivable inch. Built from the masts and beams of abandoned ships, scraps carried to the city by the Sargauth, and the ruins of previous incarnations of the city, the most recent incarnation of Skullport grew like mushrooms on the body of a waterlogged corpse. Now, much of the city lies crumbling and uninhabited, but pockets of life are scattered through the darkness. Skulldigger and Lowfellow, Riverborn and Fray—some people will always be hopeless enough to call a place like Skull¬port home. In the past, class stratified the various tiers of the city. Those with the most power built their homes higher and higher, bringing them as far away from the fetid stink of the Sargauth as possible, while Skullport’s poorest were driven down to the murky edge of the river. Although no clear boundaries exist between tiers, the Skulkers coined terms for each so that they could help one another navigate the chaotic streets of their city.

The Crown

The uppermost tier of Skullport is called the Crown, which hints at the status of the people who once called it home. Although they are hovels by even the most generous Waterdhavian standards, the towers of the Crown, built as affluently as possible from local materials, were home to the merchants and pirate captains of old Skullport. In a place such as the Port of Shadow, something as simple as light is a privilege, and the Crown commands the best of it. Bathed in the Gloam from above, the towers of the Crown cast all the city beneath them in shadow. A few buildings of the Crown lie in chambers carved into stalactites on the cavern’s ceiling, a reminder of the departed Netherese who once called it home. The advent of the skulldiggers has caused a shift in the landscape of the Crown. It is a hotly contested ter¬ritory, where bloody brawls are fought over the finest domiciles. Across the Crown, alehouses and gambling dens are cropping up to wrestle some coin away from the district’s new inhabitants, and the skulldiggers seem eager to let them.

Crookspar Parlor

Rising above the highest spires of the Crown is Crookspar Parlor, a two-story gambling den. Built with a commanding view of the city around it, Crook¬spar is infamous for the piles of coins won and lost daily at its gaming tables. The first floor is open to all comers and boasts a range of games. Upstairs, the parlor is divided into private rooms that can be rented by the hour for higher-stakes games. In these private rooms, the leaders of Skullport’s gangs compete with visiting pirates flush with trea¬sure. Fistfuls of gold, deeds to ships, and the leases on dozens of slaves trade hands each day on the upper floor. Anything goes in these private games; the gam¬blers are constantly searching for new thrills. In a famous bout, the slave Meirion Rainerch joined a game at the behest of his drunken owner and walked away with not only his freedom, but also a hundred pounds of pirate loot and ownership of a half-dozen mining stakes across Skullport. The leaders of Skullport have an unspoken nonag¬gression pact when it comes to Crookspar. An abiding love for wealth won easily is one of the few things they all have in common, and nothing spoils the mood of a good game of dice like attempted murder at the gaming table. Regardless of how deep-seated a rivalry might be on the streets of Skullport, enmity and vendetta are forgotten at Crookspar’s door.

The High Tide

Built atop a brewery on the level below, the High Tide is the largest alehouse in the Port of Shadow. Patronage at the High Tide is by invitation only, and its owner claims that his brews are the finest in all of Undermountain—a claim that is supported by the outrageous prices he demands. The leaders of Skullport are on the limited guest list, guaranteeing that they are never forced to drink alongside any of the less savory lower classes. The aromatic scents of brewing ale, toasted malts, and boiling hops serve to banish the worst of the reeking funk wafting from the Sargauth, and the residual heat from its kettles and fermenters makes High Tide more comfortable than any of the city’s other taverns. Those seeking information could ask for no better place than the High Tide. Though the deep booths and secluded tables that fill the pub discourage eavesdropping, the true owner of High Tide, an unas¬suming kobold named Gnawlip, sells the tidbits of plots and plans he gleans as he clears the tables of his patrons while dressed as a servant. The leaders of the city often come here to discuss matters of busi¬ness, and the quiet, eminently ignorable Gnawlip is rarely given a second glance. A purse of gold or a knot of mithral in Gnawlip’s nimble hands will elicit any number of choice rumors about the city’s most influential residents, though Gnawlip always makes sure no one knows that he is directly responsible for providing this information. He seeks to remain as anonymous as possible in his dealings, so he uses various agents and methods of subterfuge to remain cloaked.

The Venter

Most of Skullport is contained within the Venter, the cramped middle tier of the city. Home to most of the city's inhabitants, the Venter features narrow alleys, and its streets are lined with empty market stalls, taverns, and multiple-family homes. In a city that has never known sunlight nor the kiss of the moon's glow, the streets of the Venter serve as a reminder of how much Skullport has lost. Places that once teemed with people now lie mostly empty, though some areas are sparsely inhabited by nests of slaves, lurking cut¬throats, and marooned pirates. Everything the Venter has is for sale: secrets, swords, and people. Scattered storefronts display goods taken off pirate ships, while cavernous trading houses play home to mithral spec¬ulation. Back-alley dice games are a common sight in the Venter, as are foul drinking pits, where desperate merchants try to sell off waterlogged goods pulled from the Sarguath. The sparse population of the Venter toils in a constant struggle for survival in the savage environment of a decomposing city.

The Nine Bells

This long, enormous warehouse juts out over the river on the masts of nine half-sunken ships, its belly lined with a thick net of hoists, cables, and lines. Every twenty feet along the floor, trap doors allow goods to be pulled directly into the building above. Serving as the main trade house of the city, the Nine Bells is the heart of Skullport's rebuilding economy. Within it, local merchants and visiting sailors haggle over the price of items as slaves haul them up off the docks. Deeper in the building, Skulkers purchase items from rows of market stalls. The supply of goods in the Nine Bells is unpredictable and changes daily. Nearly anything is available, though many items still bear bloodstains after having been procured from their original owners. Potential guides stand against the walls, competing to sell their services to affluent newcomers who come in search of mithral, and beg¬gars from the Dredge are always in search of coin. Walking through the Nine Bells is less like a visit to the market and more like walking through a constant brawl—albeit one where the brawlers occasionally try to sell you something. The enigmatic Fray have a tattered tent in the Nine Bells, where they take turns telling fortunes for the price of a meal. The true purpose of this operation is to keep a tally of magic users who visit Skullport so that the group can choose its victims.

The Pick and Lantern

A ship's watch lantern and a miner's pick adorn the sign of this Venter drinking establishment, ostensibly signifying that the two largest groups of Skullport— the sailors and the skulldiggers—are equally welcome within it. Although the Pick and Lantern is not the largest tavern in the city, it is among the most suc¬cessful. Inside, pirates, traders, and Skulkers of every stripe gather around tables made of cast-off water barrels and ship's wheels to argue, gamble, and, most important, drink. The walls are papered with nauti¬cal charts and maps of various mining stakes around Skullport, and each is modified by the patrons with rough charcoal notes to point out hazardous routes, cave-ins, or interesting landmarks. Whenever guides bring travelers from Downshadow above, their first round of drinks is free, provided they first mark the route they traveled and the sites of any encounters they had along the way. This constant influx of new information has turned the tavern into an invaluable resource. The walls of the tavern are so reliable that even the masters of groups such as the Mandible and the Reforged Ring refer to them regularly. The tavern's owner, a dwarf named Wilgold Gunderbradt, operates the Sullied Crown, a three- story flophouse located behind the Pick and Lantern. Cots and meals are offered long term to Skullport's visitors for 5 gp a week, and, for 5 more, the guards on staff keep the lodgers safe from thieves while they sleep.

The Dredge

The lowest level of Skullport, the Dredge, is a dank, lightless slum, dominated by hastily built lean-tos and the rubble of collapsed towers. The passage of slave teams each day churns the muddy streets, and the bellies of buildings overhead drip with noxious run¬nels of brightly colored mold. Encampments of the destitute and the misfortunate dot the Dredge, all surrounded by an artificial forest of creaking pilings that bear the crushing weight of the city above. The people of the Dredge are made up of dis¬placed Skulkers who were forced from their homes, skulldiggers who lost everything mining fruitless claims, and sailors marooned by their visiting ships. What little living they make is provided by feeding off the scraps of the rest of Skullport. Dredgefolk pan at the river's edge, hoping to gain even a small por¬tion of the mithral harvested upriver, and by doing so, they also reclaim refuse brought to Skullport by the river. Skullport lacks any traditional means of waste disposal, and the people of the Venter and the Crown cast their garbage down to the Dredge, where its pop¬ulace eagerly picks over anything of value.

Kreel's Fishery

Other than the occasional scraps of food brought to the city in the hold of a visiting ship, or brightly covered fungus scraped from the cavern walls, every¬thing the people of Skullport eat is pulled from the river. To meet the growing needs of the city, a small team of fishers has taken control of a section of the upriver dock. Built into the city behind it stands the edifice of Kreel's Fishery, a huddle of small and medium-sized shacks linked by rope walkways. Inside, the daily catch is cut, processed, and sold to the markets of Skullport. The owners, a pair of half¬ling Skulkers named Orrin and Beldane Kreelside, personally check each shipment. If any poisonous fish make it to market, the subsequent deaths might be enough bring the Skulls to their door, a fate the broth¬ers would rather avoid. It is a well-known fact that the Riverside brothers are barely keeping ahead of Skullport’s demand for food. Even a single day of bad fishing results in the city going hungry and a potential starvation-fueled riot simmering. To guard against such an outcome, Orrin and Beldane have built storage vats behind the fishery and have been trying to create a fish supply to serve as a reserve. To date their efforts have been unsuccessful; each batch of fish they put into the vats fails to survive more than a week. This turn of events has prompted the brothers to offer a reward of 100 gp to anyone who can determine why the fish are dying.

Scupperden

Built from oiled sailcloth, rope, scavenged wood, and hope, Scupperden is the sole eatery of the Dredge. The single long room is filled with cheaply built, easily replaceable furniture, including several dozen tables. The serving line, a twenty-foot long trough, is manned by a half-dozen servers. Owned by a former ship’s cook named Davon Graesus, Scupperden offers reasonably priced food to the city’s poorest. Scupperden serves only one item: a thick stew made from fish, mushrooms, and vegetable scraps purchased cheaply from visiting ships, and it is usu¬ally described as “alarming, but not likely to kill you.” What Scupperden’s fare lacks in quality, it more than makes up for in cost. A bowl of the stew costs only 1 cp, which is an attractive price to the poor Skulkers of the Dredge. Graesus learned firsthand the cruelty of starvation when the supplies of his ship went bad, so he has something of a soft spot for the unfortunate. He gathers up any unfinished bowls to distribute to luckless sailors and skulldiggers at the end of each day, free of charge. This generosity has earned him an extensive network of eyes and ears throughout the Dredge.

The Grand Hoist

A rat’s nest of gears, winches, and chain, the Grand Hoist is proving to be the most expensive blunder in the history of the Port of Shadow. Manufactured from parts recovered from the original hoist of Skullport, it was devised by a former head of the Mandible as a means of transporting goods to Waterdeep without having to pay pirates for safe transport or to rely on the dangerous routes through Undermountain. Two teams began digging vertical tunnels, one starting in Downshadow and the other in Skullport, hoping to meet in the middle. Ideally, the Grand Hoist could move a constant stream of goods back and forth between Waterdeep and the Port of Shadow. In actu¬ality, the Grand Hoist project has been a long string of disasters and failures that have bankrupted nearly every investor who has backed it, and it has led to the Mandible forcibly ejecting its leader in favor of new blood. This failure is partly the fault of the project. Get¬ting new building material into Skullport is difficult and expensive, and the reclaimed wood and iron used to build the hoist is prone to failure, usually at the most disastrous times. Second, the Lowfellows have taken on the sabotaging of the Grand Hoist as something of a pet project, reveling in each signifi¬cant failure, and they reward anyone else who does the same. Construction of the Grand Hoist continues, albeit at a significantly reduced pace. The Mandible has recently begun to wise up to the efforts of the Low- fellows and is hiring new workers and guards in an effort to see the project to fruition. Parchments offer¬ing work on the Grand Hoist litter the street posts and alleys of every occupied street in the Venter.

The Threads

North of the main cavern, a twisted maze of tunnels winds through the rocks. Several of them are left over from the early days of Skullport, but most are still being excavated by frenetic skulldiggers in their search for riches. Tons of rock is being hauled from the ruins of the main cavern and tunnels by Ring slaves, who carelessly dump it into the Sargauth by the wheelbarrow load. Once a tunnel is uncovered, skulldiggers work it day and night in hopes of finding mithral or a Netherese artifact. Each major tunnel has a name—usually a colorful one such as Old Worthless or Rotten Luck, due to the grim gallows humor that many skulldiggers share. Other tunnels and caverns, yet to be explored, wind through the region, waiting for a skulldigger and his or her slaves to break into them and uncover the trea¬sure, and danger, that Skullport still has to offer.

DENIZENS

For the first time in generations, Skullport can boast a growing population, though that population is among the strangest in all of Undermountain. It is as if the worst chaff of the world were swept together in one place, where they struggle each day to survive in the sunless tomb they now call home. A lucky few have thrived in the rebuilding of Port of Shadow, but none do so without suffering for the effort.

Korriben Nysel

Korriben is the halfling manager of the Old Knave, a tiny gambling den in the Dredge. Korriben’s friendly personality is a strange counterpoint to the vicious scars running down his face and arms. When he arrived in Skullport, Korriben was one of the many slaves working at Beggar’s Rest, a now infamously dangerous mithral mine. A partial collapse of the mine killed dozens of Korriben’s fellow slaves and severely injured him. No longer useful to his owner, Korriben was dumped in the Sargauth to die. Fortu¬nately for him, a Dredge angler recovered him from the river and nursed him back to health. Korriben is a renowned hedonist, indulging in the many pleasures that were denied to him during his time as a slave. The halfling will gladly pay for wines, imported foods, and fashionable garments, and he has collected an impressive array of clothing and jewelry. Once an item catches Korriben's eye, he stops at nothing to possess it, no matter the cost. If he is refused, Korriben's normally cheery personality disappears, replaced with vicious anger. He attacks those he can match in combat, and he hires Skulkers to ambush those he cannot. This arrangement has led to Korriben channeling funds from the Old Knave into the Lowfellows, in a roundabout sort of way. He gives them a portion of each night's earnings, and they provide him with a band of eager thugs whenever he needs an interesting bauble recovered.

Naren Dafyre

This dour human can trace his lineage back to one of Skullport's merchants from before the city's col¬lapse, the original owner of the Dragon’s Tooth. He currently sits on the Mandible council as a lesser lord, a fact that he resents deeply. Since the sword of office belonged to one of his ancestors, he has repeatedly argued that it should be his—a position that has yet to be seen favorably by the gang's other members. Despite being a shrewd businessman, Naren was plagued by a desire to control the sword of his forefather, and through it the Mandible, and that compulsion pulled Naren away from his life in Water¬deep. Since arriving in Skullport, he has steadily clawed his way up the ranks of the group, with out¬right leadership being his ultimate goal. Naren controls several small businesses through¬out Skullport, and his desire for power is matched only by his love of money. Naren will enter into any deal that will garner him a profit, regardless of the circumstances, and he is the only member of the Mandible who regularly consorts with the Lowfellows and Riverborn alike. No deal is too dangerous or unsavory for him as long as it puts coin in his coffers, and he has hired mercenaries and murderers to deal with his competition many times. Naren's employees are instructed to keep a look out for any newcomers to Skullport who seem capable of winning a fight, and he handsomely pays those willing to undermine his many rivals.

Moriana Duskwalker

Moriana is a very unusual eladrin. She spent most of her life as a pirate captain, but when she first laid eyes on the damp, crumbling city of Skullport, she knew that she had found her home. She now sees herself as captain not of a ship, but of the city, and she acts to guide the city on a new course. Like most of the pirates who have returned to Skullport, Moriana sees the mithral-mad skulldiggers as a necessary evil. Without them, there would be no rebuilding in Skullport, but she feels that they are seeking to change the city too much too fast. Unlike the Riverborn and the Lowfellows, who operate in secret, though, Moriana overtly works to keep the new Skulkers in check. At different times, she has sat at the head of the Mandible, held majority ownership of Crookspar Parlor, and been a popular investor in Kreel's Fish¬ery. No matter what position she holds, the pirate makes confusing, sometimes impossible demands of her underlings, always seeking to undermine the interests of Skullport's land-loving population. In a now-famous act of belligerence, Moriana purchased nearly half of the slaves owned by the Reforged Ring, only to set them free on the streets of the Crown with the instruction to “do a little damage.” Entire swaths of the city were consumed by fighting before the Skulls could reestablish order. Among the people of the Dredge, Moriana is some¬thing of a folk hero. Many times crews under her hire have raided merchant-owned ships headed away from Skullport, only to bring their goods back to the city for Moriana to distribute freely among the city's poorest. Naren Dafyre and Moriana are longtime rivals. She sees in the human a mirror of everything she is trying to excise from Skullport, and her preponder¬ance for instilling chaos frequently interferes with his carefully laid business plans.

The Blind

The pitiful beholder known as the Blind is stag¬geringly old, his eyes clouded with thick cataracts. Weakened from centuries spent in the lowest levels of Skullport, he claims to be the Eye, a notorious crimi¬nal lord from the Port of Shadow's past. This claim seems unlikely, since the Eye is known to have been killed by the lich Avaereene, but the blind beholder maintains that, although he was severely injured, his death was merely a ruse to throw off his rival. True or not, the Blind commands an encyclopedic knowledge of Skullport's past. Unable to command the respect of a gang, the Blind serves as a consultant and an intermedi¬ary between Skullport's factions. Many of the gang boundaries were finalized at meetings where the Blind sat as adjudicator, and although he cannot personally enforce rulings he makes, he commands enough respect in the city that his judgments are maintained. The Blind is searching for a relic from Skullport's past, a crown once worn by one of the leaders of the Iron Ring. Called the crown of horns, it is a potent item said to contain the essence of the dead god Myrkul. When worn, it grants the wearer abilities akin to those of a lich. The Blind believes that posses¬sion of the crown will help restore him to his former power and secure his revenge against Avaereene. To obtain it, he hires anyone willing to search Skullport, promising fantastic rewards if they can find it for him. Rumor has it that the crown is currently in the possession of the Murkstalker, a twisted creature said to hunt the shadows of the Dredge.

The Murkstalker

Before the Spellplague, the Murkstalker was the yuan-ti Nhyris D’Hothek, a high-ranked member of the Iron Ring. Nhyris was best known for his owner¬ship of the crown of horns, which transformed him from a common slaver into a powerful and terrifying creature. Like the Blind and the fourteenth Skull, he is a holdover from Skullport’s past who was warped by his time in the Port of Shadow. Where the Blind was twisted by age, and the fourteenth Skull changed by the power of the mantle, Nhyris was altered by the crown. When the Spellplague ripped across Skull¬port, it corrupted the crown of horns, warping Nhyris’s body into an unrecognizable new form. At the same time, his mind underwent painful and permanent scarring, until Nhyris existed no more. In his place was a feral creature that knows only hunger and pain, mocked incessantly by the distorted voice of Myrkul coming from the crown that has fused permanently to his flesh. For generations, the Murkstalker has hidden in the Dredge, selecting his prey from among the unwit¬ting and unwary and dragging his victims to hidden tunnels where he can feed in safety. Much of the superstition of the Black Bell can be laid at the Murk¬stalker’s twisted feet, and he is likely to blame for the failure of the fish-farming effort at Kreel’s as well.

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LOCATIONS IN SKULLPORT LOWER LEVEL LOWER PORT SLAVE MARKET During its peak, this marketplace near the docks clamored with business. With the scouring of many drow from Undermountain and the decline of the Iron Ring, the slave market is rarely used as anything more than a convenient landmark as a meeting place. The abandoned market is a small flagstone courtyard with multiple stage platforms and a number of humanoid¬sized cages rusted beyond all usability. LP1. DEAD MAN’S CORNER (DOTMM) A sea hag named Olive Stillwater sells human zombies out of this shop. THE TRADEWAY Where Furlough Street turns east it becomes the Tradeway, running the length of the lower trade lanes until it meets the Lower Heart. LP2. SKIN DEEP TATTOOS An old dwarf named Dwarnid Inkpeddler (N male shield dwarf thug) is a walking advertisement for his work; his body is covered in tatoos that he did himself, even in areas he had to use a mirror to see. Dwarnid has had his share of apprentices over the years, but currently works alone. He offers tattoos at a rate of 5 gp per square inch of full-color coverage, at roughly 30 minutes per square inch. Rumors swirl that Dwarnid knows how to create magic-infused tattoos that can cast simple spells in a manner and style similar to low-level spell scrolls for a price premium. If there's any truth to this, both Dwarnid and his customers are good at keeping it a secret. LP3. LEECH’S QUICK CURES The owner of this business is not the original Leech, but this apparent inheritor is no less of a charlatan healer. Leech sells ‘miracle cures' of herbal remedies and false potions; his potions of healing are sold at market price, but the hit points they restore are only temporary hit points that vanish after an hour. LP4. WAREHOUSE This warehouse nestled up to Leech's Quick Cures is an eyesore, even for Skullport. Most Skulkers don't know it's owned by a lamia named Transtra. Transtra owns a brothel in the Lower Heart called the House of the Long Slow Kiss, and this warehouse is used to house supplies for the business—at least, that's the story. The warehouse is also used to house illicit goods that the lamia doesn't want the Xanathar Guild to collect ‘tax' on. LP5. WAREHOUSE This large warehouse is three full stories, and is rigged with multiple traps to dissuade intruders. Hidden compartments and illusory wall sections make it a smuggler's dream—at least, it was until the Xanathar Guild took control of Skullport. The warehouse was cleaned out to discourage anyone from holding out on Xanathar. LP6. SPIDER’S FLEET O’ FEET Until a few years ago, this small shack was a courier service run by a tiefling nicknamed Spider, who had the inexplicable power to stick to surfaces. Spider hired the acrobatic and the quick-footed from around Skullport to act as message runners until the day he died; many of his former employees still live in Skullport and remember the old tiefling fondly. A few of them still sell their speed for message running and other odd jobs, usually at Herald's Meet. LP7. SKULL ISLAND REGISTRY This house is packed from cellar to second story with filing cabinets and harassed clerks. The employees of the registry have the job of recording bills of sale, shipping records, and other transactions—a bizarre vocation for a city built on crime and underhanded dealings. This business was originally founded by the Iron Ring as a means of tracking important intel. When the Iron Ring's control of Skullport waned, so did the Registry. With the Xanathar Guild's rise to power, the registry has been newly staffed under the direction of the beholder crime lord's lieutenants. HERALD’S MEET This courtyard acts as a rare public common area in Skullport. Ten ship masts are embedded in the ground and are used to post flyers, advertisements, and job postings. Many of the offers of employment lack specific detail but will often direct job-seekers to established local middlemen. Scribes (NG commoners with a +2 proficiency using calligrapher's supplies) loiter around the Herald's Meet, making a modest living by writing or reading postings for illiterate Skulkers, or translating those in an unfamiliar language. There's an unspoken rule that the scribes are not to be meddled with due to the service they provide; anyone attempting to hurt or steal from one of the scribes will find themselves quickly surrounded by angry locals. SHADOW PASS On the opposite, northern end of Skullport from the river's edge is Shadow Pass, one of Skullport's many passages to the rest of Undermountain and one of the most frequently used. This rough, crooked passageway has two key features; the creatures from whom the passage gets its name, and a large black block of stone. Shadows. Numerous shadows lurk in this route to and from Skullport. They appear to be bound to the black block of stone in the passage, as they attack anyone who attempts to damage or deface it. Otherwise, the shadows only attack travelers who attempt to rest within the crooked path of the pass. Stone block. A block of dark basalt stands near the Skullport end of Shadow Pass. Humanoid skulls occupy many hollows on the stone's surface, which stands almost twenty feet high. Those approaching Skullport from Undermountain are greeted by the block when it causes one of its skulls to animate at random, floating forward to welcome travelers to the city and warning them against bringing the ire of the Skulls of Skullport. LP8. STORR-IT Storr is a half-orc who thinks the name of his business is the smartest thing he's ever come up with (it is). Storr-It is a small warehouse where Skulkers can store items they don't want to keep on their person or in their residence. Storr will protect items in storage for only a few copper a day, but the low price comes at the cost of quality; Storr-It is a leaky, rat-infested pit of a building where items run the risk of spoiling in the squalid conditions. LP9. THE TROLL’S GUFFAW This ramshackle theater keeps up business with bawdy comedies and dramas twisted to include more violence and off-color humor to appeal to its disreputable audience. During its founding, performances in the Troll's Guffaw were enhanced with magical illusions and acted out by a cast of doppelgangers, some of them members of the notorious Unseen. Today, the theater still pulls crowds looking for good entertainment in the squalor of Skullport, and the actors and actresses aren't doppelgangers...as far as anyone knows. THE GAUNTLET This narrow east-west alley lies in the north east section of the Lower Port, near where the port transitions into the Lower Trade Lanes. It earns its grim moniker due to the high population of common thieves and muggers that loitered there, usually discussing some upcoming illicit job or accosting any poor fool who made the mistake of wandering into the alleyway. Today, there are no more pickpockets and robbers in the alleyway than any other street in Skullport, but for the sake of navigation the Gauntlet has kept its name. LP10. SHATTERBLADE’S This drinking hall was owned by a pirate lord named Rhaunaguth and named for a mithral shield he carries into battle. Its current owner, a crooked-nosed human named Bulmoor, boasts that the shield still hangs above the bar. In truth, it's a passable fake that Bulmoor paid well for—but not nearly as much as he got for selling the real shield. The tales of Rhaunaguth still draw pirates and other sea scum to the hall for a drink and frequent fistfights. LP11. THE BLACK TANKARD The sign hanging outside this business is a charred black mug filled with bones. The building itself is equally grim, with black stone walls and customers sipping bitter mugs of beer. In a feature oddly reminiscent of Waterdeep's Yawning Portal tavern, a well stands in the middle of the common room. No intrepid adventurers pay to dive into this well, however, as it leads straight into Skullport's monster- infested and mazelike sewers. Despite the barely passable quality of its food, the Black Tankard is a favorite watering hole of Ahmaergo, one of Xanathar's top underlings. LP12. WUGG’S NECESSITIES Thessia Wugg (LE human commoner) inherited this adventuring supply store from her father Thesophus. She also inherited his business security guard, a narcoleptic minotaur named S'nogg Mudmane who spends as much time nodding off on the job as he does intimidating would-be thieves. Thessia is a ruthless businesswoman who charges adventurers double the usual price for essential supplies...unless they’re truly desperate. Then she charges triple. 74 SKULLPORT DRAGON SWINDLE LP13. THIMBLEWINE’S PAWNSHOP (DOTMM) Krystaleen (NE female rock gnome commoner) is the niece of the establishment’s former owner and namesake. Her pawnshop has a habit of buying trinkets and other likely-stolen goods. LP14. FINDLEWULF’S GALLEY Named for its founder, this tavern hall is now run by his son, Fimblewulf (N male human commoner). Long bench seats and tables serve simple but hearty meals in what is less a restaurant and more a mess hall. Residents of Skullport can pay 3 sp for a good meal and a tankard of weak ale, but Findlewulf’s is not a place for conversation; numerous thugs on staff make sure diners clear out as soon as they’ve finished their meal. As Fimblewulf sees it, customers rarely have a chance to start a brawl in his establishment if they never get a chance to talk to each other. LP15. THE BURNING TROLL This inn is sizable for Skullport, with a full three stories and a cellar. Rooms here are of a comfortable quality, and it boasts a wide range of passable food and drink. It’s also one of the few businesses in Skullport founded by former adventurers; these adventurers pursued marauding trolls right into the city, using brandy to torch the creatures and put them down for good. The locally nicknamed ‘Trollsinge Vanguard’ used the money form their adventures to build the Burning Troll and even expand it over time. The original adventuring company are long dead, and their grandchildren currently own and operate the Burning Troll. LP16. MADAME IVYDANYA’S FORTUNES REVEALED Many in Skullport are superstitious and desperate to believe in things than can predict or control their fate. Many see Madame Ivydanya as the real deal, due in no small part to the fact that the human woman hasn’t appeared to age a day in over a century. The truth is that Ivydanya is long dead, and a green hag named Auntie Gutcrunch has assumed her form and her business. Posing as Ivydanya, Auntie Gutcrunch has kept up appearances with her own hag magic and manipulative talents. Only Olive Stillwater at the Dead Man’s Corner knows Auntie Gutcrunch’s true nature, but doesn’t share this knowledge out of a kind of begrudging professional courtesy. LP17. THE FLATBACKS Originally called ‘Haffa’s Flatbacks’ after its half- ogre founder, this freight hauling business is now owned and operated by the goblins and kobolds that would have been in Haffa’s employ while he was alive. The goblins and kobolds are remarkably disciplined for their kind, likely just intelligent enough to know that menial labor for an honest wage is preferable to enslavement or extermination in Skullport. LP18. THE DROWNED BUOY This dingy one-story inn is located near the banks of the Sargauth in the lower level. The proprietor, a man named Wallid “Wally” Gumluk, is so decrepitly ancient that some suspect him of being a poorly- disguised undead creature. Rooms are only 2 silver pieces a night, but the passably comfortable rooms come without a meal. They also come without assurances; old Wally is quick to tell patrons that he isn’t responsible for any robberies, burglaries, pickpocketing, assaults, or murders...though he waits until the room is already paid for before making this disclaimer. LP19. XANATHAR WAREHOUSE This warehouse business close to the Sargauth was taken over by the Xanathar Guild when they rose to power. It’s protected at all times by a handful of bugbears and thugs who work for the guild. LP20. SARGAUTH FISH MARKET Skulkers say you can tell which fish are brought in by ships from the South Sea Caves and which are caught in the River Sargauth, because the ones brought in by the sea caves actually look like fish. The local catch are generally bony, pale things that bottom¬feed in the still, cold waters of the Sargauth, including gray eels and bony white flatfish. FURLOUGH STREET The street heading due north from the Sargauth Fish Market is one of the most trafficked and well- maintained. Business owners and questionable independent contractors seek to attract residents coming to or from the fish market, or those heading to or from the River Sargauth and Skull Island. LP21. THE NORTHERN WHARVES FISHERY This was the site of a fish market and a popular spot for rumor-spreading, until an errant rumor about Xanathar made its way to the beholder crime lord and LOWER SKULLPORT TAGLATH'S GAP STEAHFALL PASS BEGGAR'S REST PASS RUMBLECLEFT PASS HERALD'S [ IMO LI LM1 I THE TRADEWÄY he had the place burned out. Now it's a charred-out husk. LP22. THE BROKEN PIKE TAVERN This small, one-floor taproom is a cheap, run-down meeting place for plenty of low-ranking bandits and enforcers. Unknown to many is that it's also a meeting place for the Unseen, a dangerous criminal faction that welcomes shapechangers. One or more doppelgangers are usually in the tavern at any one time in disguise. LP23. ABANDONED BUILDING Despite its large size and excellent placement along Furlough Street, this large home never stays occupied for long. Years ago it was the site of Hired Horrors, a business of wizards that created twisted monsters for dungeons all over the world. One night, terrible screams erupted from Hired Horrors; its occupants were never seen again. Though no monster has ever been proven to reside there, unsettling feelings and even injuries attributed to ‘a creature' keep would-be residents from staying long. LP24. THE HOBBLED LAMIA Years ago, the Hobbled Lamia was a festhall complete with poor drinks, poor food, nightly wrestling matches, and adult company for hire. Its current owners, encouraged by the Xanathar Guild, have placed greater emphasis on nightly fights. Many members of the Xanathar Guild place bets on these fights or participate themselves, often getting an unfair advantage; few Skulkers want to risk the guild's wrath by injuring a member of the Xanathar Guild. LOWER TRADE LANES LT1. GYUDD’S DISTILLERY (DOTMM) One of the few local suppliers in Skullport, this distillery is owned by a group of dour mountain dwarves. The eponymous Gyudd (CN male shield dwarf commoner) is a notorious drunk who nevertheless makes consistent deliveries to local taverns and the Xanathar Guild itself. His ‘Wyrmwizz' ale is particularly popular, though some aren't sure Gyudd is joking when he says the brew's recipe includes a “special ingredient.” LT2. CLOCKWORK WONDERS A pair of rock gnomes named Tykkyl and Tohkkal Burrwarden own this business, where they can construct clocks and clockwork contraptions of all kinds. Their best-known work is Skullport's waterclock, which allows accurate measurement of time in the subterranean city. The Burrwardens have taken on an apprentice in recent years named Nim Wracksputter, who has created a clockwork humanoid he dubbed the nimblewright. Nim and his creations are relevant to the events of Skullport: Dragon Swindle. LT3. THE SEA CHEST (DOTMM) This business sold chests and other containers, but closed after a mind flayer ate the owner's brain. LT4. THE DRAGLINES This business offers ship repairs to the many vessels that sustain damage over the course of navigating the Sargauth, smuggling, or engaging in piracy. LT5. HALL OF THE VOICE Silver tongues can be hard to find in a city of foul¬mouthed miscreants. The speakers in the Hall of the Voice can be hired to speak convincingly on behalf of someone, usually someone accused of a crime. Though the Xanathar Guild metes out punishment for crimes against the guild, public opinion is usually the deciding factor on cases heard in Skull Square, which lies just around the corner from the Hall of the Voice. Those who can afford the Hall's services usually go free, and those who don't usually aren't around to make a complaint. SKULL SQUARE Stocks and cages mark this sizable public square in the trade lanes on the lower level. Here criminals are punished with hours and even days spent locked in stocks or cages, subject to public ridicule in what might be Skullport's kindest form of justice. A far crueler avenue to punishment stands nearby. Skullport dungeon well. A grated well in Skull Square is a steep, sloped passageway to a myriad of chambers beneath Skullport. Severe crimes that don't carry a sentence of immediate death might subject the criminal to an unpleasant trip into these chambers. The dungeons below are a haphazard assortment of rooms that occasionally connect to the sewers and which house many dangerous creatures; few who are sentenced to the dungeons ever find their way back out. LT6. MISKER’S MANSE Before the coming of Xanathar, a different beholder ruled Skullport. Decades ago, a beholder named Misker became a successful smuggler and took on the title of the Pirate Tyrant, exerting considerable control over the city. The three-story mansion of strange purple and green stone still stands today, though its interior has been modified to better facilitate humanoids. LT7. THE SNAKE PIT This two-floor home was the notorious residence of Zstulkk Ssarmn, the yuan-ti abomination leader of the Iron Ring slavers. No one dared uttered the nickname ‘Snake Pit' near a member of the Iron Ring while they ruled Skullport, but the moniker has become part of the public vernacular in the years since. Even Mertensian Bluud (Appendix A), the leader of the Iron Ring's successor organization the Reforged Ring, uses the nickname when referring to his own home. What people don't know is that Martensian is actually Zstulkk Ssarmn himself, disguised as a human. The patient yuan-ti has learned from his prior mistakes and wishes to build a new slaver organization with a clean slate. Zstulkk's continued presence here also protects the home's secret, a small temple to the yuan-ti god Sseth. The temple is located beneath the bottom floor of the home, and only Zstulkk and a few trusted lieutenants know of its existence. LOWER HEART LH1. THE FLAGON AND DRAGON TAVERN (DOTMM) This one-story tavern serves local brews from Gyudd's Distillery. It's owned and operated by Cal’al Claddani (NE female half-drow spy), who is happy to share information about the city or valuable information for a few coins. LH2. MANOR HOUSE This two-floor manor was once owned by a wealthy speaker from the Hall of the Voice; if it is currently occupied, it is likely by a rich merchant or favored ally of the Xanathar Guild. LH3. THE HELL HOUND’S MUZZLE No tavern in Skullport can be considered ‘safe,’ but some are more dangerous than others. One of the deadliest is the Hell Hound’s Muzzle, frequented by assassins and hired killers of all stripes. The owner is an ancient githzerai named Grimmbold (CE male githzerai zerth), who has a side job overseeing a group of contract killers with his companion Esten (CE male rock gnome mage). The two were originally sent to Skullport as Zhentarim agents on a suicide mission to investigate and take control of Undermountain; Grimmbold and Esten became disillusioned with the Black Network and left the organization, settling down in Skullport. Today, they are no particular friend or foe to the Zhents and have considerable information about the goings-on in both Skullport and Undermountain. LH4. THE FEATHERED RAT (DOTMM) No one would expect a pet store to succeed in a town like Skullport. Then again, the owner Ulvira Snowveins (CG female half-elf commoner) doesn’t ask what happens to the animals after they’re sold. She also pointedly doesn’t ask why goblins and kobolds sometimes refer to her pet store as “the best restaurant in town.” LH5. THE GUTS & GARTERS (DOTMM) LH6. THE THROWN GAUNTLET The most popular pit fighting establishment in Skullport. A small sand-floored fighting ring sees at least half a dozen bouts per day, all under the control of Skuerren Skargettian (LE male duergar). The house controls and enforces all betting (and takes its cut the proceeds have allowed the Thrown Gauntlet to offer food and drink of better quality than one might expect from such a violent business. LH7. THE SANGUINE HALL The previous owner of this butcher’s shop skipped town with years of savings and amid rumors that he offered services beyond cutting up livestock. Its current owner is a Calimshite woman named Pasha, who does not offer ‘special butchering services’ as far as anyone knows. DARK HARVEST MARKET The Dark Harvest is a food market specializing in local ingredients—primarily fungi and the meat of underground creatures. This includes insects and bugs found in Undermountain, a fact that shocks new arrivals to the city. Nastier fare can be bought here, sought by intelligent creatures with less standard appetites. The occasional mind flayer can be found around the area of the Dark Harvest, looking for a stall selling preserved brains for their consumption. LH8. THE RAGING BULL Originally a tastefully expensive inn called The Deepfires, the old inn’s primary landmark was the Raging Bull, a minotaur kept caged and insane near the entrance. Decades later the inn is under new management and named for the now-deceased minotaur, whose suspended skeleton within the cage now acts as macabre signage for the business. LH9. THE SWORD & SEXTANT (DOTMM) This business was originally founded by a retired adventurer. It’s now owned by two halflings named Will and Oleander, who buy and sell maps. ILLITHID WAY This prominent central street in the Lower Heart gets its moniker for its appeal to mind flayers and their servants. Dark and shadowy, Illithid Way is a welcome environment for illithids to shop unnoticed for pickled brains and stranger items, which stalls along This building presents itself as an inn, but everyone knows it's a front for the Xanathar Guild. The LH10. HOUSE OF THE LONG SLOW KISS This tall four-floor structure is painted a clean white, which its owner ensures is kept clean. The lamia Transtra owns and operates this brothel, as well as a number of illicit side businesses. Transtra is interested in the treasures of Undermountain, and might hire adventurers to retrieve certain items for her. Under the lamia's sway is Ulisss, a behir that is enamored with Transtra and protects her fiercely when summoned from a depths of a well in her private chambers. LH11. MALAKUTH TABUIRR'S RESIDENCE This townhouse is home to two drow males. The first is Malakuth Tabuirr (NE male drow elite warrior), who trades in slaves and mercenary work. His life partner Amryyr Yauntyrr (LE male drow mage) is more erudite, spending most of his time studying in the home after his old book business was replaced by the Sea Chest. The pair have spent years changing the exterior of the home to match a drow aesthetic. The upper floor of the home contains a shrine to the drow god Vhaeraun, a piece of information the couple carefully hides from other drow in Skullport. LH12. RHAUNAGUTH'S KEEP This fortified tower was once the home of the pirate lord Rhaunaguth. The pirate is long dead, but various bandit groups, squatters, and would-be Skulker factions have operated out of this tower. LH13. THAGLAR'S FOUNDRY (DOTMM) A harsh duergar named Thaglar Xundorn runs this large foundry, which crafts weapons, armor, and tools. STEAMFALL PASS This tunnel is constantly dampened by blasts of steam from Thaglar's Foundry (see Dungeon of the Mad Mage). Hot, humid air pervades the tunnel and the soot and steam have made the floor muddy, turning it to difficult terrain. Steamfall Pass is dangerous to enter or exit at night, when random blasts of fresh steam from the Foundry pose a threat to anyone near the Skullport end of the pass. Creatures caught by a blast of steam must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. BEGGAR'S REST PASS This route to Undermountain gets its grim name in commemoration of hundreds of vagrants, all of whom were buried alive when the stone floor of the passage liquefied and re-solidified within the span of a few brief moments in 1358 DR. The event was linked to the Time of Troubles, though this fact has yet to convince anyone to build any kind of structure within the confines of the pass. Travelers say the passage is eerily quiet—just quiet enough to hear the faint moans and scratches of the long-dead beggars trapped below. It's said that if blood is shed in Beggar's Rest Pass, zombies will emerge from the stone floor and attack those who would dare to bring more death to this mournful place. RUMBLECLEFT PASS A deadly earthquake shook Skullport within a century of its founding, releasing a gas that killed hundreds of residents and then inexplicably reanimated them as zombies, causing further destruction. Though Shradin Mulophor took control of the undead and supposedly saved the city, dark rumors still swirl that it was a ploy for Mulophor to replenish his undead army. The fissure opened by the quake is referred to as Rumblecleft Pass, as it connected to a number of irregular tunnels that eventually connect to other areas of Undermountain. The tunnels are confusing and cross over themselves several times, making them a maze that's never been mapped. TAGLATH'S GAP This passage to Undermountain is named for its only permanent resident. While he was alive, Taglath was a seducer and poet who wooed many women (and possibly men) in Skullport. One night, Taglath was attacked by an invisible foe who left slashing wounds across his body. The entity pursued the poet into the infamous pass and ended his life for good; now Taglath's Gap is haunted by his ghost. Most often, Taglath's spirit manifests as a greenish vapor that sparkles with a dark purple light, preceded by whispered lines of prose. CENTRAL LEVEL CENTRAL PORT CPI. GENTLEMAN'S GROGGERY This single-story tavern has two oddities: first, the massive colony of bats that lives above (and sometimes within) the structure; second, an antimagic field that pervades the entire structure, an odd relic from the Time of Troubles. Because of this, the Gentleman’s Groggery is a popular meeting place for negotiations, as it minimizes the chance for enchantment or magical attack. The proprietor here is a half-orc named Wurgit (NE male half-orc bandit) who inherited the tavern from his grandfather. There’s a new waiter every few tendays in the Gentleman’s Groggery, as the constant need to scare away bats leaves workers exhausted and covered in guano. CP2. THE BAT'S ROOST (DOTMM) Named for the bat swarms that sleep throughout this entire area of the central level, the Bat’s Roost is a small establishment dedicated to battles of fisticuffs and heavy betting. CP3. THE WANDERING DERVISH The term ‘exotic’ is not often thrown about in the melancholy darkness of Skullport, but it’s the façade presented at the Wandering Dervish. This festhall’s interior is painted with desert scenes and décor supposedly inspired by the desert of Zakhara, a land far to the east of the Sword Coast. The unscrupulous owner is Nicamar Turtlebuck (NE male halfling noble), who plays up the ‘mystique’ of Zakhara to a painful degree, including hiring dancers who supposedly don’t speak Common or Undercommon. CP4. THE KEEL HALL (DOTMM) This former tavern still bears its ship-themed decorations, but is now a Zhentarim outpost. Only CENTRAL SKULLPORT CENTRAL PORT îWfTnq-i fTt Ail LEHLS E< CENTRAL HEART 8i Zhentarim members are given free reign here. The leader of the Zhentarim in Skullport, a blind tiefling spy named Bosskyn Gorrb, lives here. CP5. ROONSUNDYR’S WARREN This uncharted section of tunnels and caverns is blocked by a magical door, which shifts through various colors. This was, or is, the home of a wizard named Othur Roonsundyr (CN male human archmage), an eccentric man who never accepted visitors and only rarely strayed from his home to the markets of Skullport. Few have any clue how to get past Roonsundyr's prismatic door, and none who have ever came back out again. Though the wizard should have been dead of old age decades ago and hasn't been seen in all that time, the magic of the door and rooms beyond it are apparently as strong as ever. It's a popular rumor around Skullport that Roonsundyr is still alive beyond that door, living in some enchanted cavern or demiplane of his own making. CENTRAL TRADE LANES CT1. THE LANTERNLIGHTER’S (DOTMM) The old half-elf Anderian Dusk (N male commoner) sells all manner of lanterns and lamp oils from his little shop in the central level trade lanes. With the rise of the Xanathar Guild, Anderian has been tasked with keeping some areas of the city well-lit, such as the port area and around warehouses or other businesses owned by the guild. CT2. TWINBEARD’S TRAPS Dwarf trapsmith Thorvin Twinbeard works out of this shop, but he's often away doing work directly for Xanathar. CT3. THE POISONED QUILL (DOTMM) This go-to forgery service is run by a woman named Tasselgryn ‘Tas' Velldarn (NE human archmage), who secretly knows and communicates with Halaster. She has a teleportation circle hidden in her residence and is the only person in Skullport permitted by Halaster to cast such a teleportation spell; however, she will not reveal its existence or permit the characters to use it, under Halaster's orders. CT4. THE LANTERNLIGHTER’S (DOTMM) Anderian Dusk is an aged half-elf who runs this small lantern shop. The Xanathar Guild frequently uses Anderian to replace or repair the small number of streetlights they want to maintain. CT5. SARGAUTH’S BOUNTY (DOTMM) Darum and Duram Ghaz are a pair of dwarf brothers who sell salvage from the river. CENTRAL HEART CHI. SANGALOR’S HOME It's not necessarily rare to see an illithid in Skullport, but it's certainly unusual to see one that worships a traditionally human deity. Sangalor is a devout follower of Oghma, god of knowledge, and their home is filled with thousands of every kind of book and scroll imaginable. The house itself is shaped like a nautilus shell set with rows of stained- glass windows. Sangalor is a courteous host to the intelligent and informed, but has no qualms about incapacitating intruders with magical defenses or his own considerable power. CH2. LORD TRILLUACH’S VILLA This fortified manor is suspended from the cavern ceiling by massive chains and supported from beneath by stone buttresses. It is one of the most strikingly fashionable buildings in Skullport; Lord Byronae Trilluach insisted on importing materials and builders from beyond Undermountain to construct his home and spared no expense. This half-elf mercenary ‘lord' of Skullport is recently dead of old age, but his children keep a retinue of loyal guards on the payroll to defend their home. Byronae's son Auden Trilluach features in the events of Skullport: Dragon Swindle. CH3. DALAGOR’S FORTRESS (DOTMM) In Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Dalagor's Fortress is a three-story manor that has been utilized as a Harper hideout and is staffed solely by a dragonborn mage named Felrax. In Skullport: Dragon Swindle, this location is Remallia Haventree's headquarters. See Chapter 5: Growing Concern for full details on the manor home. CH4. LODGE OF THE BEASTLORD This lavish tavern and inn is generally reserved for members only. Its membership is reserved for hunters of beasts and of men, and only those who prioritize the thrill of the hunt above all else can hope to be accepted as initiates. Those invited to join must eventually pass a final test that involves hunting down and killing a close friend or family member, or risk being hunted themselves. The lodge boasts luxurious wood-paneled walls, enormous fireplaces, and many trophies from contributing members. The only stone room is a bare chamber containing a shrine to Malar, god of the savage and bloody hunt. UPPER LEVEL UPPER TRADE LANES WHISPERHAUNT PASS An opening to this passage is easily accessible from the Upper Trade Lanes but its other end opens well above the lower trade lanes, making it useless as a travel path. It is made doubly so by the dangerously strong gusts of wind that blow through the passage without warning, which can be strong enough to knock someone off of their feet or send them tumbling downward. It’s believed there is a one-way portal to the Plane of Air somewhere in the small tunnels that branch off of the passage; no one seems certain, however, because the strength of the wind increases exponentially as one attempts to explore these tunnels. UT1. THE HIDE N' HAIR For over a century now, this tannery has mysteriously changed hands at a rapid pace. Locals swear there’s a new owner every time they go in, but the current proprietor never seems to remember much about the previous owner or even how they got there. Skulkers have learned to accept the good products provided at the Hide n’ Hair and to avoid questions about its staffing. UT2. THE OVERFLOWING URN (DOTMM) A man named Garryth operates this lantern oil business. Unknown to anyone else in Skullport, the real Garryth has been dead for years; a doppelganger killed him and took his place some time ago. UT3. THE BONEYARD Trading in bones of all kinds, Dethyn Hurl (NE male shield dwarf commoner) sells everything from tiny UPPER SKULLPORT -I WHISPERHAUNT PASS BONEWATCH PASS UPPER HEART bones for a few coppers apiece to full skeletons. A bullette skull hangs over the front door to the shop, and Dethyn has happily spread the rumor that it will animate if anyone attempts to shoplift. UT4. DUMATHOIN’S JEST (DOTMM) A duergar named Ygarra Urmbaalt appraises gems from this squat one-story building. UT5. THE MAEDAR’S WIDOW Despite the incredible quality and the high price of her work, Morganis Andropoea is not a sculptor in a traditional sense. Morganis is a medusa, and her detailed sculptures are the work of her Petrifying Gaze rather than any learned craft. The medusa came to Skullport more than a century ago after her husband was killed by adventurers, and operates the business by arranging victims in the proper attire and poses before freezing them in place. Her work can even be found in the villas of some Waterdhavian nobles, who are either unaware of the sculptures’ true origin or look the other way. UT6. THE NIGHTSHADE’S CARESS (DOTMM) A withered mummified hag owns this apothecary, which specializes in ingredients and deadly poisons from the underground. UPPER HEART BONEWATCH PASS Named for the enormous, immovable one-eyed skull that peers down onto Skullport, Bonewatch Pass is a miles-long tunnel riddled with spiked pits and spear traps. The traps make the pass attractive to necrophages like carrion crawlers and the occasional ghoul, or to creatures like kobolds who possess an affinity for such devices. UH1. THE WORM’S GULLET (DOTMM) The popularity of this restaurant, located inside a petrified purple worm corpse, has plummeted since it received its new owner. Gharz Stonedark (LE male duergar) is a Xanathar-appointed loyalist who had better odds of killing the purple worm with his bare hands while it was alive than he does serving a passable meal. UH2. TANOR’THAL REFUGE (DOTMM) Magically carved by a drow family to resemble a massive spider clinging to the cavern ceiling, this house is long since abandoned. Today it is infested with giant spiders and choked with webs. UH3. THE FRONTAL LOBE There’s an alien quality to the Frontal Lobe’s dark crystal windows and polished walls. Decades ago this business was too dangerous for anyone but its illithid patrons to frequent, but a decline in the local mind flayer population has opened the venue to other patrons. Most non-illithid visitors find the strange dissonant music and unnatural perfume-like vapors disconcerting. Mind flayers still come to the Frontal Lobe for its aesthetic, though the decline of the Iron Ring slavers have reduced the stock of slaves available for well-paying illithids to feast upon.

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Skullport, the Port of Shadow A dismal, dangerous, and lawless town populated by the most vile creatures the Underdark has to offer. You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. Overview. (Large Town, population 5000) Skullport is located on Level 3 of Undermountain, in a giant cavern along the River Sargauth. Most of the town's structures are made from wood from salvaged ships. The buildings are run down, deteriorated, haphazardly placed, and frequented by bats. Taller buildings are connected via catwalks made from wood, rope, and sailcloth. Twisting and uneven streets wind and turn between the buildings. The town is broken up into four districts: Skull Island, The Port, The Trade Lanes, and The Heart. The Gloam Above. Much to the delight of its light-sensitive visitors, Skullport is mostly dark and dim. The cavern's humidity also makes torches hard to keep lit. Instead, the town is illuminated by the Gloam, which is a soft, green-glowing mold growing on the cavern ceiling above. Some areas of town are additionally illuminated by spherical aquariums filled with bioluminescent fish. A Criminal Underworld. In this underworld city beneath Mount Waterdeep, anything and everything can be bought, sold, or traded for a price. Skullport is a haven for underworld and illicit activities, especially dangerous ones: Smuggling and smugglers; piracy and pirates; slavery and slavers; drug cartels and sellswords; assassins and poison makers; necromancers and corpse robbers. All thrive and dwell cheek by jowl in the Port of Shadow. The Skulkers. Skullport's long-time residents are known as the Skulkers. They wear black wide-brimmed hats and black face scarves, covered in oil to ward off the constant dripping and moisture in the cavern. Some are folk hiding from the Land Above. Others are poor folk that had the personal misfortune of being born in this city of darkness. The Skulls. No formal government. Skullport is so named after the enigmatic Skulls that rule and maintain order over the city. These floating disembodied skulls wander about Skullport, using their magic to enforce the laws, which is often whimsical and harsh. Generally, the Skulls leave you alone unless you're inhibiting trade, causing mass destruction, or attempt to wrest control of the Port from the Skulls. Their punishments vary from arbitrarily harsh to the strange and absurd. But none dare cross them. Snapshots of Skullport A Drow noblewoman rides atop a giant spider mount while her entourage of slaves walks beside her. Goblin mushroom farmers dressed in unwashed rags wander about, smelling like mold. Hoards of shackled Zombies shuffle by carrying heavy loads for their masters. Hobgoblin and Orc mercenaries duel in the streets, looking to sell their swords and their lives to the highest bidder. Merchants without protection get extorted by a Beholder and his gang of pirates. Mind Flayers lead humanoid slaves down the streets like obedient dogs. Nearby shops explode with bangs and sparks as Duergar Engineers work on their inventions. Trolls and Ogres wrestle for sport in smoky taverns. Vampire Assassins strike in the dark and then vanish without a trace into the bat-filed caverns above the town. Skull Island Nestled in the River Sargauth is an island shaped like a skull. The island's large fortresses tower above the jagged harbor. Landmarks and Passageways. River Sargauth. A strong and brackish river that flows into Skullport from the East. 51. Skull Pool. The lake around Skull Island, which is fed by the River Sargauth. 52. Maw Harbor. A wide harbor with wooden docks like jagged teeth. 53. Skull Square. Skullport's troublemakers are brought here to be judged and punished by the Skulls. There are stocks and small cages containing the recently guilty. It's considered a crime to NOT throw something at the guilty. 54. Murkspan Bridge. Connects the island to the rest of the town. It is guarded by Hobgoblin Guards armed with Tridents. Taverns, Inns, and Festhalls. 55. The Drowned Buoy. One of the roughest taverns in Skullport. A barrel near the door is filled with bones, presumably belonging to those who have previously died inside. Businesses, Goods, and Services 56. Skullport Island Registry. The Skulls have people to keep track of the shipments going in and out of Skullport. If you're caught not registering your goods, the Skulls can throw you in the dungeons. 58. Halls of the Iron Ring. The guildhall for the Iron Ring, the organization that runs the Slavery business in Skullport. 59. Skull Island Prison. A heavily fortified dungeon where the city's slaves are kept before sale. A nearby building houses the Slave Obedience School. S10. The Skullwater Lock. A magical water gate that lifts boats into the Skull Pool. Notable Residences. 57. The Tower of Seven Darks. This huge black basalt tower is where unspeakable torture is performed on the unlucky souls to cross Lord Malphaez. At times, the screams coming from the Tower of the Seven Darks can be heard through the city. The Port The most dangerous area of town. Full of busy markets, darkened warehouses, cheap trade, and poor housing. Landmarks and Passageways. P1. Fish Market. A smelly and fishy market that sells more than fish. P2. Slaver' s Circus. An open-air market with a circus-like atmosphere. Candied meets and sweetened drinks are sold on the street. Slaves go up on the blocks to feed the Calishite and mind flayer demand for labor. P3. Ship Graveyard. An old graveyard for wrecked ships. Locals typically put flyers on the masts, advertising work. P4. Rock Tooth Forest. A forest of stalactites and stalagmites that form a maw of rocky teeth. P5. Ghost Shrimp Beach. A rocky beach area where scavengers crawl about. P6. Shadow Pass. A darkened passageway inhabited by evil shadows. Leads from Skullport to the Underhalls. Rat Alley. An alleyway full of rats. Leads from Slaver's Square to the Ship Graveyard. Stink Street. The main street that leads from Fish Market to Slaver's Market. Taverns, Inns, and Festhalls. P7. The Flagon and the Dragon. A decent place to stay if you're friendly to dragons. A bad place to be if you're not. P8. Gyudd' s Distillery. A bat-filled restaurant that serves edgy, innovative, and "foody" food. Has the finest Dwarven ale you can find in Skullport. P9. The Hell Hound' s Muzzle. A squalid shack of a tavern where the drinks are strong and the daggers are sharp. Businesses, Goods, and Services. P10. Wugg's Necessities. Sells poor quality goods at high prices. If you touch it, you've bought it. He has a great selection though. Almost anything you need. P11. Thimblewine s Pawnshop. Anything lost in Skullport ends up here. Great place to fence hot goods. P12. The Axe Grinders. Here you can hire bodyguards to protect you against the Skullport gangs. P13. Deep Rune Tattoo. A local dwarven runeartist does magical tattoos here. P14. Madame Ivydanya' s Fortunes Revealed. A mystic and fortune teller service with a reputation for being dead right in her predictions. P15. Mhaug' s Hogs. A place you can rent or purchase fat goblin zombies. They are strong, cheap, and skilled at basic labor. The Trade Lanes. A wide and long street market where thieves roam, goblin carriers move goods for mind flayers, and human slaves work to repair the buildings and walkways. Landmarks and Passageways. T1. Ragtime Alley. A dangerous network of shadowy alleyways leading from the Ship Graveyard to the Waterclock Tower Square. The streets here are alive with discarded clothing and rags, which crawl around like rodents. T2. The Waterclock. A deep gnome made waterclock that tracks the time of day, time of year, season, holidays, and the motion of the stars. T3. Whisperhaunt Passage. A gusty tunnel containing a permanent vortex to the Elemental Plane of Air leads from the Port Fish Market to the Trade Way. It's almost impossible to go towards the Trade Way from the Fish Market because of the strong air currents. T4. The Trade Way. Hundreds of market stalls fill this wide street leading from Slaver's Circus to the Waterclock. Taverns, Inns, and Festhalls. T5. The Gallowshark' s Bite. A spirited and lively inn where the patrons tell chilling tales, sing bawdy songs, and play drinking games. (formerly: the Crowing Cockatrice) T6. The Troll' s Guffaw. A dinner theater venue where the performances are so realistic that people have actually died of fright. Businesses, Goods, and Services. T7. The Crypt Keepers. A business of corpses, usually stolen from tombs in the Land Above (Waterdeep mostly). The place is guarded by a horde of scuttling crawling claws. T8. Clockwork Wonders. The deep gnomes famous for building the Waterclock also have a specialty tinkering shop with all sorts of toys and gadgets. T9. Lily' s Librams. A bookstore with books on everything from gardening to hedge magic. She also sells scrolls and hardM toMfind information. T10. Traps R Us. A kobold owned and run store for quality woodworking and custom traps, for all your home security needs. T11. The Boneyard. A shop that trades in bones of all sorts. T12. The Hide n Hair. A tannery and leatherworkery. T13. The Nightshade' s Caress. An apothecary that specializes in plants, herbs, and fungus that have toxic applications. T14. Monsters Made to Order. A shop where you can hire any sort of monstrous beast, which the wizards summon for you and then deliver (via Teleport) to a location of your choice. They also offer freaky monster hybrids creations. T15. The Swift Black Spider. A drowMowned courier service that delivers messages and packages throughout Skullport. Notable Residences. T16. Misker' s Manse. The mansion of Misker the Pirate Tyrant, one of the most successful smugglers in Skullport. T17. Roonsundyr' s Prismatic Wall. An eccentric archmage lives here, behind a permanent Prismatic Wall. The Heart. The oldest, darkest, and deepest parts of Skullport. Landmarks and Passageways. H1. Darkharvest Market. Skullport's largest food market, with goods shipped in from across the realms. Specialties include: locally sourced fungi, lichen, and moss; beetle larvae; pickled goblin hearts; and other strange foods. H2. The Red Rumble. A deadly earthquake once created this open fissure of red caves. It is said that any blood spilled upon the ground here attracts a zombie from below. H3. The Steamfalls. A natural waterfall of a mysterious boiling liquid that is not water and should not be touched. The heat from the Steamfalls is used to power nearby business. H4. Bonewatch Passage. The large skull of a giant is embedded in the cavern wall here. People say the skull can be activated to reveal a passageway to the Underdark. H5. Tagin Street. A lonely street haunted by the ghost of a duergar bard named Tagin the Gray. H6. Tentacle Alley. This circular street deep in the Heart is mind flayers territory. Keep a close watch on your brains here. They tend to get eaten. Taverns, Inns, and Festhalls. H7. The Thrown Gauntlet. A dirty and despicable tavern with organized gambling and fighting pits. H8. The Deepfires Inn. A luxurious, 3Mstory inn. It's well guarded and their breakfasts are legendary. H9. The Frontal Lobe. An exotic spa where no one is welcome here without a mind flayer escort. You won't even believe the things that go on inside here. H10. The Wheel Hall. A twoMstory gambling den, featuring a giant Wheel of Chance. Anything can be gambled, won, or lost here. Businesses, Goods, and Services. H11. Excellent Zombies by Mestifarious. High quality zombies for hire, with only a mild hunger for brains and a scent like popcorn instead of rotting flesh. H12. Thalgar' s Foundry. A blacksmith powered by the Steamfalls. They can make anything you want. For a price. H13. The Feathered Rat. A cozy and mossMcovered cabin that that deals in all sort of beastMrelated trade. H14. The Brigadier's Bombshack. A selection of strange, metallic, magicpowder weapons are sold here. H15. The Mortal and Pestle. A magical goods shop for spell components, reagents, potions, and scrolls. Notable Residences. H16. The Perplexing Palace of Trespin the Portal Keeper. An exotic Travel Agency run by a 4-armed troll archmage. H17. Rhaunaguth's Keep. An ugly stone and iron fortress of a mercenary lord. H18. Lodge of the Beastlord. An Invitation only hunting club. H19. Tanor' Thai Manor. A drow noble house. H20. Lord Trilluach's Villa. The lavish estate of a mercenary lord. It's under heavily guard by men and traps. H21. Dalagor's Fortress. The fortress of a mercenary lord with an army of undead soldiers. PISTIUCT MA? Wayne Cribbs, 2015 "Thf RvVFK. SAR -.. W^-ra? RCiroe* p\ ' H4. ,0WtWA«* pA<5**£ <rm u S§10 -r-3- wHi«pe*HAUMT PASS A* F U“ a Cs -x ?1- *>* 0 ÖL (T \ \JWLLL-L jt-—& M~ L- 1
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