STARTING THE ADVENTURE
?Can Seapoint Be Saved?? is an adven-
ture designed for use with the AD&D?
rule system. To be able to answer that
question, a party of adventurers should
consist of 4-8 player characters, each of
4th-7th level. The group may also include
henchmen and hirelings. To have the best
chance for success, the party should
include as many different character
classes as possible, with emphasis on
fighter-types.

This adventure can be played as part of
a campaign, or as a stand-alone activity
independent of a campaign world.
Whether it can be easily incorporated into
a campaign depends on how the DM?s
world is structured, both geographically
and politically. In most cases, it should
be relatively simple to modify part of the
world map to fit the geographical map
portrayed here (or vice versa).

The way to begin this adventure is to
cause the player-character party to arrive
in Seapoint. Most of the preceding sec-
tion of text is information that player
characters could know before arriving in
the immediate vicinity, but it?s up to the
DM to decide how much of this detail to
give to players beforehand.

The party?s arrival could be by land or
sea, depending on circumstances. Ocean-
going travel is not that dangerous yet; the
chance that the party?s ship will be raided
on its way to Seapoint is virtually nil ?
especially if the ship the party is sailing
on doesn?t look like an ordinary mer-
chant ship.

The presence of a hardy band of adven-
turers in a town the size of Seapoint is
unlikely to go unnoticed for long. Within
just a few hours after their arrival, the
characters will find out about the reward
(if they didn?t know about it already), and
will encounter a man named Evald
Ferrier. He is a rich merchant who has
some very personal reasons for wanting
the pirates stopped: three of his ships are
among those that set out from Riverneck
and were never heard from again.

Ferrier has one valuable piece of
information above and beyond the facts
that characters might find out from other
sources. The captain of a merchant ship
owned by a competing businessman
sailed into Seapoint several days ago and
contacted Ferrier to tell him that he saw a
ship resembling one of his lost vessels
unloading cargo at the docks in River-
neck. Ferrier assumes this information to
be true, and is seeking the services of a
group of adventurers who would be will-
ing to travel to Riverneck and investigate
further. If the party agrees to undertake
this mission, Ferrier will supply them
with a ship and crew for the journey
south, against their promise that they
will do their best to find out whether the
ship actually is Ferrier?s, and if so, who?s
in command of it now. (Ferrier is also
willing to sweeten the pot with a larger
reward, especially if the adventurers see 
the town?s offer of 5,000 gold pieces as too
pal try.)

Although the plight of Seapoint is the
crux of the adventure, most of the land-
based activity of the adventuring party
will take place in Riverneck (assuming
they take Evald Ferrier up on his offer).
For this reason, a sketchy description of
Riverneck and a map of that town are
provided in the adventure, but the town
of Seapoint is not detailed in the same
way. If adventurers end up spending a lot
of time in Seapoint, the DM will have to
?design? a town for them to move around
in. Since both Riverneck and Seapoint are
relatively small harbor towns, they would
be quite similar in terms of physical
layout and the buildings and businesses
located in them.

THE TOWN OF RIVERNECK



After the party strikes its deal with
Evald Ferrier in Seapoint, they have
roughly a week-long journey ahead of
them on the open sea as they trace the
trade route southward to Riverneck. At
the DM?s discretion, the ship bearing the
party may have random encounters along
the way, but for the sake of the overall
adventure, none of these encounters
should be overly dangerous or distracting
to the party?s mission.

The bustling little harbor community
of Riverneck is a vital link in the chain of
commerce in this part of the world.
Besides being the location from which 
merchant ships set out on their journey
along the trade route north to Seapoint,
the town is also the endpoint of a couple
of major overland trade routes (not
shown on the geographical map) leading
from the south and the west. Ships arrive
in port on the average of one or two per
day ? some of them coming from Sea-
point, most arriving at Riverneck from
points further south. And, ships laden
with cargo leave the harbor with the same
regularity ? but at this point in time,
most of the ships that leave Riverneck are
headed south rather than north.

The map at the top of this page depicts
the major buildings and other features of
the business district of Riverneck (keyed
with letter-codes) as well as several other
miscellaneous structures that serve as res-
idences for some of the townspeople.
Physical details concerning the major fea-
tures (the presence of people, interior
furnishings, etc.) should be generated by
the DM if the adventurers? activities make
this necessary.

The first things the adventurers will see
when their ship pulls into the harbor are
the receiving dock (A) and the shipbuild-
ing yard (B). The dock can accommodate
up to four relatively large merchant
ships, but seldom holds more than two
vessels at once. (See the following section
of text for a general description of a typi-
cal large merchant ship.)

The shipbuilding yard is a fenced-in
area serviced by its own pier. A partially 
constructed hull (far from being com-
pleted) is the dominant feature of the
yard; around it are stacks and piles of
wooden planks and beams, metal fittings,
and other necessary materials. The resi-
dence for the operator of the yard and his
apprentices is a simple enclosure in the
southwest corner of the yard itself.

After their ship is docked, adventurers
may want to head for the nearest tavern
(C) to find out what the people of River-
neck may have to add to the facts they
already know. Building (D), just across a
narrow walkway adjacent to the tavern, is
the shop of the town?s cooper (barrel
maker), which is regularly kept busy
manufacturing new containers to hold
cargo to be shipped out.

The two buildings marked (E) are the
property of the local Merchants? Guild.
The westernmost structure is a ?flop
house? for transients, either members of a
ship?s crew or workmen who came to
town in an overland caravan. The other
building is a warehouse for goods
received by merchants from ships or cara-
vans and destined for re-shipment.

Another nucleus of activity in the town
is the Riverneck Inn (F). Visitors can rent
rooms by the night, and meals are sold in
a large common room that is also a social
center. This place is frequented by ship?s
captains and officers, prominent mer-
chants passing through town, and other
influential and knowledgeable types.

Virtually any specific manufactured 
item of a nautical nature can be found in
the ship?s store (G). Items for sale range
from sextants to barrels of grog to caulk-
ing pitch. The proprietor of the shop
lives in the small building near the main
structure. This shop is operated more or
less in cooperation with the rope and sail
maker?s shop (H); the ship?s store doesn?t
sell rope or rigging materials or sails, and
the rope and sail maker sticks to his spe-
cialties without trying to compete for the
customers of the ship?s store.

The most remote of the main features is
the constable?s office (J). The building
contains a jail with a pair of iron-barred
cells, but they are empty more often than
not. The constable is a figurehead with
relatively little actual power in the com-
munity; law enforcement in Riverneck
consists primarily of citizens controlling
one another, in a sort of crude ?honor
system?: If you don?t try to steal some-
one?s property or slip a knife between his
ribs, chances are he (or his hired help, or
the survivors of his family) won?t try any-
thing against you, either.

Most of the main structures in the
business district of Riverneck are built
around the perimeter of the traders? 
square (K), an open-air marketplace with
a raised platform (used as an auction
block, speaker?s stand, etc.) in the center.
One day a week, the square is filled with
merchants and traders peddling their
wares. On ?market day,? virtually any
item imaginable (within reason, of
course) can be bought from one of the
vendors. Often, the captain of a ship will
try to time his arrival in Riverneck, or
delay his ship?s departure, to be on hand
for market day.

As luck would have it, the next market
day in Riverneck is scheduled for the day
after the ship carrying the adventurers
arrives in port ? a golden opportunity
for everyone to replenish supplies before
the next stage of the mission.

THE SHIPS
Depicted above and on the facing page
are the two types of sailing ships that
play a major part in this adventure. The
large merchant ship shown at left is what
Evald Ferrier?s missing ship, The Sea
Hawk,  looks like. (This ship is also the
type of vessel that the characters will use
to travel from Seapoint to Riverneck
before they encounter The Sea Hawk  and 
her new ?owners.?) The small merchant
ship shown on this page is the vessel that
the pirate band uses on its raids.

When the adventurers arrive in River-
neck, they probably won?t be fortunate
enough to find The Sea Hawk  sitting at
the dock waiting for them. However, they
will be able to find out from townspeople
that a ship matching the description of
The Sea Hawk  (sailing under a different
name, of course) was last seen in port
almost a month ago.

Since a great many merchant ships visit
Riverneck on a monthly schedule, those
who keep track of such things (the dock
manager or one of his helpers) will tell
the adventurers that they might expect to
see it return soon. And sure enough, two
days (at most) after the party arrives in
town, the ship they?re seeking will pull
into Riverneck.

For purposes of movement, hull values,
and so forth, treat The Sea Hawk  as a
large merchant ship as per AD&D rules,
except that it has no oars and thus no
movement rate for that means of travel.

The aft cabin is the captain?s quarters,
being occupied at the present time by the
third-ranking member of the pirate gang,
Gareth Juster, a 4th level fighter (AC 6,
HP 34, Str 16, Int 12, Wis 9, Dex 17, Con
15, Cha 9, alignment lawful evil). He car-
ries a +1 dagger and a long sword, and
wears a +1  ring of protection.  Rolled up
and stored inside the drawer of a small
table inside the captain?s cabin is a map
of the island chain (refer to the map on
page 46) with the site of the pirate head-
quarters clearly marked with an ?X? and
a hand-drawn line that describes the route
the pirates take when entering and leav-
ing their base.

The other occupants of the ship when
it docks are two ?name? pirates (de-
scribed below) and five ?nameless? deck
hands. All ?nameless? pirates (whether
located on the ship or waiting back at the
pirate headquarters) are 1st-level fighters
(AC 10, HP 7) who carry daggers on their
persons and who also have access to (and
can use) short swords that are stored
below decks where the crew sleeps.

The other two ?name? pirates are: 

Aldo Huckster, 2nd level fighter (AC 9,
HP 21), armed with dagger and long
sword.

Kappern Celeste, 2nd level fighter (AC
8, HP 16), armed with short sword and
dagger.

The forward section of the ship has a
small cabin used as storage for the anchor
chains, extra ropes and lines, and other
non-merchandise materials. The cargo
hold, accessible through an open hatch in
the front of the main deck, is where the
crew?s supplies, as well as goods intended
for sale in Riverneck, are stored.

The pirates are posing as merchants
with wares for sale, just like any other
ship that comes to Riverneck. They oper-
ate ?in the open,? like any other
merchant-ship crew; that is, they will not 
be secretive about the merchandise on
their ship, and they will gladly accept all
the help any dock-workers want to give
them unloading their cargo. However,
they won?t take kindly to anyone who
tries to invade the privacy of the captain?s
cabin. The crew sleeps on the ship while
it is docked; the ?merchant sailors? will
go into town for recreation and relaxa-
tion, just like any other visitors to River-
neck, but in such a case at least one of the
?nameless? pirates will be ordered to stay
behind and make sure no one boards the
ship while the rest of the crew is away.
The pirates will not be looking to take on
new crew members, and it?s virtually
impossible for even one person ? let
alone an entire party of characters ? to
stow away aboard The Sea Hawk and not
be discovered. (Clearly, the only way for
the adventurers to deal with the pirates at
this juncture is to take the ship by force
? but without damaging the ship itself.)

The small merchant ship will probably
not come into play until the adventurers
commandeer The Sea Hawk  and sail it
back to the pirate base. Treat the small
ship as equivalent to a small merchant
ship in the AD&D rules, except that the
movement rates for ?normal oar? and
?maximum oar? are doubled.






THE PIRATES
Just as most of the merchants and resi-
dents of Seapoint have suspected, a band
of pirates is behind the evil operations in
these waters. But it isn?t that simple:
Operating in league with the pirates, and
acting as their leader in most ways, is a
9th level magic-user. And the creature ?
primarily responsible for the group?s
recent successes is neither pirate nor
magic-user ? it?s a dragon turtle, which
cooperates voluntarily with the magic-
user and the pirate band, and has this
cooperation enhanced by applications of
a  charm monster  spell.

The small, unassuming ship that the
pirates travel in (see the preceding page)
is not likely to arouse the suspicion of a
merchant-ship captain who encounters
the vessel; eight men in a small boat are
not much of a threat. But lurking nearby,
underwater, is the dragon turtle ? and
this changes the odds considerably.

The dragon turtle (while under the
influence of the charm spell) secretly
accompanies the small ship when it
leaves the pirates? headquarters and
moves into the shipping lane, hoping to
encounter a northbound ship loaded with
goods. When the small ship moves close
enough to a merchant ship to determine
that it?s worth taking, the pirate leader
orders his oarsmen to give a signal to the
dragon turtle (they slap their oars on the
surface of the water), and the monster
roars into action.

Still underwater, the dragon turtle
rushes the merchant ship. It surfaces
beside the vessel and belches out a cloud
of scalding steam that kills or wounds 
anyone who isn?t below decks. After this
blast, it is a relatively simple matter for
the pirates to board the merchant ship,
making short work of any resistance that
might remain.

As a reward for its assistance, the
dragon turtle gets to devour all the crew
members it can eat. The monster also
receives a portion of the monetary trea-
sure taken from each wrecked merchant
ship. The relationship between the pirate
band and the dragon turtle is mutually
beneficial: The creature gets lots of free
meals and a goodly amount of treasure
(and a way to transport those goods back
to its lair), and the pirates get all the sal-
able merchandise they can carry off the
ships that the monster destroys.

The dragon turtle has 12 hit dice, 48 hit
points, and a 30-foot diameter shell. It is
relatively weak (as dragon turtles go) but
quite intelligent ? smart enough to real-
ize when it has a good thing going. The
monster is only charmed by the magic-
user when the pirates are about to embark
on another raiding expedition, because it
is at this time when the creature must be
strictly controlled to be sure it does
exactly what it?s supposed to do. The rest
of the time, even when it?s not under the
influence of the spell, the dragon turtle is
content to remain in its lair on the island
where the pirates have established their
headquarters. It savors its collection of
treasure, satisfies its hunger with occa-
sional meals provided by the pirates, and
waits patiently until the next time it is
called upon.

The pirates? strategy is a key to their
intentions. They don?t want to com-
pletely discourage merchant-ship traffic
in this area, or obviously they?d be out of
business. So, they only set out on raids
once every couple of weeks or so. They
strip a victimized ship of its cargo (or as
much of it as they can pile into their
smaller ship), then scuttle the empty or
near-empty ship and head back to their
headquarters. (The wrecked hulls that
infrequently wash up on the rocks near
Seapoint are evidently ships that the
pirates thought had been damaged
enough so that they would sink ? but
they retained enough buoyancy to ride
the current until beaching themselves.)

The pirates ?own? one large merchant
ship, The Sea Hawk  (see the previous sec-
tion of text). This vessel was captured
intact on one of their early raids, and
serves as a way for them to transport
stolen goods to Riverneck, where the
merchandise is sold for fair market value
by pirates posing as merchant sailors. (It
is quite possible that the pirates have
stolen and sold the same goods more than
once, since some of what they unload at
Riverneck eventually finds its way onto a
merchant ship headed north.) By just sell-
ing one ship?s worth of goods at one
time, and by doing it within the law, the
pirates avoid attracting attention to
themselves.

PIRATE HEADQUARTERS



The pirate band?s base of operations is
located on the eastern shore of one of the
small islands in the chain that extends
southward from the peninsula. The
island in question is in the center of the
enlarged inset on the geographical map,
and the approximate position of the
pirate headquarters is indicated by a dot
with a circle around it. All of the
chambers in the headquarters are natural
caves and caverns hollowed out of the
inside of the island. Except where other-
wise noted, all the chambers are well
illuminated in strategic spots by the use
of  continual light  spells. All of the
chambers have ceilings at least 20 feet
high. The doors shown on the map are
all of wood and are normally locked. 

When the party of adventurers arrives
at the island base, the site will be occu-
pied by five ?name? pirates (detailed
below), four other ?nameless? pirates
(low-level types, statistically identical to
the miscellaneous hands on the ship), and
the magic-user who is the brains behind
the operation.

The magic-user is Adoniram Latoner
(AC 4, HP 28, Str 9, Int 17, Wis 15, Dex
14, Con 12, Cha 16, alignment lawful
evil). He is proficient with the dagger and
the quarter staff, and possesses two of
each weapon. One dagger ? a +2 weapon
?is on his person, and the other (non-
magical) is kept under the pillow of the
bed in his quarters (area E on the head-
quarters map). In a pocket of his robe, he
carries a key that will unlock any door in
the complex. He  wears bracers of defense
(AC 4) and always sports a rod of beguil-
ing in a leather ?holster? hanging from
his belt. He knows the following spells:
reduce, shield, sleep (×2), invisibility,
web, continual light, hold person,
tongues, water breathing, charm monster,
wall of fire,  and  teleport.

Latoner uses the  rod of beguiling  as a
safeguard against a mutiny by the pirates
he is leading, and only rarely has he actu-
ally had to wield it to end an argument or
quell a possible uprising. He does not use
the rod on the dragon turtle, preferring to
not waste any of its charges on the crea-
ture since his charm monster  spell can
accomplish the same effect and can be
replenished.

The pirates all know about the rod,
and they realize that Latoner can easily
put a stop to any conflict by using it, but
they don?t realize the rod has a limited
number of charges ? and Latoner doesn?t
know that the rod only has three charges
remaining at this time.

The magic-user seldom is found any-
where but in his chambers, and the
pirates have never known him to leave
the headquarters complex. Unless he
finds out in advance that adventurers
have invaded the base, Latoner will be
encountered in his living quarters (Area
E). This chamber contains a bed, a desk, a
chest of drawers, and other miscellaneous 
furniture. Latoner?s book of 4th and 5th
level spells (with only three pages filled at
the moment) is lying on his desk. His
other spell book is in one of the drawers
of the chest. Aside from his weapons and
the items he is wearing, Latoner keeps
nothing of value in this chamber.

The cavern to the southeast of Laton-
er?s quarters (Area F) is where the magic-
user keeps his share of the monetary trea-
sure and other items of high value
appropriated by the pirates. Tucked away
in the most secluded spot inside this
unlighted chamber are three wooden
chests without locks. They contain gold
pieces, silver pieces, and copper pieces in
roughly equal proportions (400-600 coins
in each chest). The only other items of
noteworthy value in the chamber are a
pair of gold urns, worth about 350 g.p.
each, and a ship?s bell formed entirely out
of silver, worth 450 g.p.

If Latoner is aware of the party?s pres-
ence within the complex, he will not con-
front them directly but will rely on the
pirates to do the dirty work. He will
gather up his spell books and weapons
and lock himself inside the treasure
chamber. At the first sign of a disturbance
in his living quarters, he will teleport
himself, his books, and his weapons into
his ?escape hatch? hideaway (Area H). 

If the magic-user is surprised inside his
living quarters, he will attempt to defend
himself with any means available (the  rod
of beguiling,  a weapon, or spell use) until
he can grab his book of 4th-5th level
spells. When he has that book in his pos-
session, he will teleport as described
above. Except in a truly life-or-death
situation, Latoner will not use his tele-
port spell to escape unless he is carrying
the book, since he must have the book to
re-learn the teleport spell and get himself
out of the hiding place the same way he
got into it. (For purposes of moderating
the teleport attempt, treat Area H as ?very
familiar? to Latoner.)

The captain of the pirate band is a 6th
level fighter named Morgan Krell (AC 6,
HP 49, Str 17, Int 15, Wis 12, Dex 14, Con
16, Cha 16, alignment lawful evil). He is
proficient with the long sword, dagger,
and spear. He carries a +1 long sword and
a non-magical dagger, and wears  bracers
of defense  (AC 6). His living quarters are
in Area D, immediately to the east of the
magic-user?s chambers. The cavern is as
sparsely furnished as Latoner?s quarters,
containing only a hammock hung from
posts, a wooden chest on the east wall,
and a table with four chairs around it
roughly in the center of the chamber. The
chest is locked. Krell has the key to this
chest in his pocket, and he also holds a
key (identical to Latoner?s) that will open
all of the doors in the headquarters.
Inside the chest are a leather bag contain-
ing 60 gold pieces, various personal items
and articles of clothing, and a book in
which Krell is writing (in the common
tongue) a log of the pirates? activities.

If he is surprised, the captain will be in
his quarters entering a passage in the
logbook, with his spear within easy reach
leaning against the hammock. If he is
alerted to the presence of the adventurers
in Latoner?s chambers, Krell will leave
his chamber through the eastern door and
round up all the pirates from the general
barracks area to the east (Area B). If he
hears a disturbance in Area B, Krell will
flee westward into the magic-user?s
chamber and alert Latoner. In such a
case, it is possible that Latoner will take
Krell along with him when he retreats
into the treasure chamber and prepares
his teleport spell. (Krell would be able to
teleport with him, since the captain?s
weight does not put Latoner over the
limit imposed by the spell description.)

All but one of the remaining residents
of the complex will be in Area B when
the adventurers arrive at the island. The
exception is a lone sentry (one of the
?nameless? pirates) who is pulling guard
duty at the dock (Area A). The five
?name? pirates found in Area B, all
humans of lawful evil alignment, are:

Jans Harper, 3rd level fighter (AC 9,
HP 25); armed with long sword and
dagger, also proficient with spear and
club.

Larkin Fletcher, 3rd level fighter (AC 7,
HP 23); armed with long sword and
dagger, also proficient with spear.

Klass Goffe, 2nd level fighter (AC 8,
HP 19); armed with long sword and
dagger.

Dongal Maskill, 2nd level fighter (AC
10, HP 14); armed with short sword and
dagger.

Gorlon Dundore, 2nd level fighter (AC
10, HP 15); armed with short sword and
dagger.

All four of the ?nameless? pirates in
the complex are armed with daggers. In
addition, the pirate on sentry duty has a
short sword at his side, and each of the
other three pirates can also use a short
sword if one is available,

The barracks area doubles as a dining
room and sleeping chamber. It contains
several hammocks hung from posts and
an equal number of small, unlocked
chests that contain clothing and personal
items. Crates and barrels of foodstuffs are
stacked along the northern wall of the
chamber; nearby are a fire pit, a large
square table for preparing food, other
kitchen-type furnishings and equipment,
and a long, low table on which meals are
served. Scattered about the room are sev-
eral ?community property? weapons,
predominantly daggers and short swords,
which can be snatched up at a moment?s
notice by anyone who finds himself in
need of one.

Unless intruders use some form of
magic that makes them undetectable, it
will be virtually impossible to invade the
barracks and surprise everyone in it. If the
party advances into this room from Area
A and a conflict ensues, the pirates will 
try to get past the party and escape into
Area A (since they don?t have keys to get
through any of the doors leading out of
the barracks). If the party enters the com-
plex from the southern end (through Area
G) and Krell is alerted to the intrusion,
the captain will move into Area B, lock-
ing the door behind him, and will then
unlock the door leading to Area C (a
dark, empty chamber) and the door in the
lower right-hand corner of the map. This
latter door blocks off an ascending tunnel
that leads out of the subterranean com-
plex. The pirates will not use this door,
but will try to make it look as though
they have. When his men are organized
(which will take two rounds), Krell will
lead them into Area A, and they will all
try to escape by using the barge tied to the
pier. The pirates? small merchant ship is
anchored just outside the opening to this
waterway. As long as the number of
pirates who escape is sufficient to get the
small ship under way (at least two men to
work the sails, four to man the oars), they
will be able to leave the complex.

The sentry in Area A will certainly be
alerted if characters attempt a direct
assault on the complex through the wide
waterway leading east. If this occurs, the
guard will sound an alarm; two rounds
later, the dock area will fill up with angry
pirates from Area B. Unless the party has
obviously superior power, the pirates will
make a determined defensive stand at this
location. Crates, barrels, and boxes of
stolen merchandise are stacked in many
places around the open warehouse area,
offering substantial cover and lots of hid-
ing places for the defenders. If the pirates
are getting the worst of the fight, or it
looks like they won?t be able to hold off
the adventurers? assault, they will retreat
back into Area B and entrench them-
selves. As a last resort only, they will try
to open or break down the door leading
to the tunnel and head outside. 

Area G is ?no man?s land? for everyone
except Latoner, the magic-user. This is
the lair of the dragon turtle. On a narrow
patch of land adjoining the small but
deep lagoon there is a disorderly pile of
coins with a few gems and bits of jewelry
thrown in (just for ?color?). This is the
treasure that Latoner has given to the
dragon turtle as part of their bargain; it is
roughly equivalent to the value of the
monetary treasure in Area F. The monster
itself lurks in the depths of the lagoon,
generally surfacing only on a signal from
Latoner. At the bottom of the lagoon is
another pile of treasure, composed of all
the valuables that the dragon turtle
acquired before getting involved with the
pirates. In all probability, this treasure
pile will not be discovered by the party
(unless they somehow manage to kill or
disable the dragon turtle). If it becomes
necessary to know the contents of the
underwater treasure pile, the DM should
generate it according to the Monster
Manual specifications.

<Dragon Turtle>
<TREASURE TYPE: [B], [R], [S], [T], [V] >