Keledek the Unspoken is haunted by the shadow of Zenopus. Though outwardly composed and aloof, the wizard is consumed by the belief that the Book of Zenopus survived the destruction of its master’s tower. To him, it is not merely a relic, but the culmination of Zenopus’ work — a key to power and truths buried for a century.

Keledek first learned of the book’s existence from a single missing page, a scrap of parchment written in Zenopus’ own hand that spoke of dark discoveries and a tome where they were recorded. This page was the reason he came to Saltmarsh. He has searched the ruins himself but found nothing; the passages are too treacherous, too vast. Once, he even hired a band of adventurers to seek the book in his stead. They never returned.

He knows well how dangerous the dungeons are, but he does not share this knowledge openly. Fear, he believes, only drives away those strong enough to succeed. Instead, when he chooses to confide in the adventurers, his tone is precise and urgent, his piercing eyes unblinking: “This book must not fall into other hands. Too many would seek to wield what they cannot comprehend.”

Keledek offers only fragments: strange flickers of green light in the ruin, whispers carried on the sea wind, the furtive movement of smugglers near the sea caves. “Something stirs,” he says quietly. “If you are bold enough to claim it, keep what treasure you will. But the book… the book is mine.”

• The Book of Zenopus survived the destruction of the original tower, hidden somewhere in the ruins or catacombs below.

• The tome holds dangerous, ancient magic, knowledge too powerful to be trusted in the hands of smugglers, cultists, or rival wizards.

• If word spreads of its existence, others will come, ambitious mages, secret cults, perhaps even foreign powers — and Saltmarsh will become a battlefield.

• Polite but intimidating, Keledek addresses the party with a deliberate calm, his deep voice and piercing gaze leaving little doubt of his authority.

• Offers only fragments of guidance, speaking in half-truths and veiled warnings, expecting the adventurers to act with discretion and insight.

• Tests their loyalty subtly, entrusting them with minor tasks or observations before revealing more of his true interest in Zenopus and the ruins.

• If the party proves capable and discreet, he may become a powerful but exacting patron, granting them access to knowledge, spells, or rare components.

Keledek wants the Book of Zenopus recovered before anyone else can claim it. His motives are complex: part obsession with forbidden knowledge, part fear of what might happen if rival powers; smugglers, cultists, or foreign wizards, seize it first.

He values secrecy, precision, and obedience, qualities he expects from those he entrusts with such a mission. Above all, he wants the matter kept entirely outside the council’s knowledge, believing that panic or interference would only draw dangerous attention to Saltmarsh.

Though he presents the quest as a matter of necessity and civic protection, the truth is that Keledek desires the book for himself, convinced only he can unlock and control its power.

For years, Gellan Primewater has maintained a lucrative partnership with Keledek the Unspoken. Gold flows from Primewater’s coffers to the wizard’s tower, and in return Keledek provides discreet magical aid for his smuggling fleet, wards to hide contraband, potions to steady sailors, enchantments to deter prying eyes.

But over time, Gellan has grown uneasy. The wizard sees too much, knows too much. Keledek is powerful, and Primewater realizes that if the wizard ever turned against him, it could spell his ruin. Worse still, whispers among the smugglers suggest that Keledek has become obsessed with something in the old ruins of Zenopus’ tower, a relic, a book, some artifact of terrible value.

Primewater doesn’t know what it is, but he knows one thing: he cannot allow Keledek to hold that power unchecked. If the adventurers can recover this prize for him instead, it would give Gellan a weapon of his own, a bargaining chip against Saltmarsh’s most dangerous ally.

Thus, with his usual charm and a cup of his best wine, Primewater approaches the party. His words are smooth, almost casual, but his eyes betray the seriousness beneath: “There’s something that wizard wants in the old ruins. I don’t care what it is, I just need it in my hands first.”

• Keledek knows too much about his smuggling empire, and that knowledge could one day be turned against him

• The wizard is searching the ruins of Zenopus for a powerful relic or book, and whatever it is, Gellan must uncover it first.

• If he can secure the artifact, it will serve as leverage against Keledek, a way to balance the scales and keep the wizard in check.

• Charming and disarming, Gellan greets the party with fine wine, easy laughter, and the air of a generous patron, masking the sharp calculation behind his eyes.

• Keeps the matter quiet, lowering his voice and stressing the importance of discretion; he makes it clear the council, the guard, and even trusted allies must not know.

• Offers rewards freely, promising coin, favors, and introductions — but hints that true loyalty may bring greater opportunities in Saltmarsh’s undercurrents.

Gellan wants the Book of Zenopus recovered without anyone else learning of its existence. He doesn’t care what secrets it contains, only that it not fall into Keledek’s hands unchallenged.

To him, the book is not a tool for study, but a bargaining chip, leverage to balance or even control his uneasy partnership with the wizard. With it, Primewater hopes to turn a dangerous dependency into a position of strength, ensuring Keledek remains bound by fear, favor, or mutual need.

Above all, Gellan wants the matter handled in absolute secrecy, for exposure would risk his reputation on the council and reveal far too much about his ties to Saltmarsh’s smugglers.

Once a minor hedge-wizard, he ventured into the ruins of Zenopus and claims to have glimpsed the book itself. He insists it burned his hands and filled his mind with voices that have never left. He mutters of symbols, secrets, and ancient dark magic, knowledge no mortal was meant to carry. For years he wandered the region, broken by what he saw, until at last he was cast into the Saltmarsh jail, half-mad and raving in riddles.

“The book waits in the darkness… it knows your name before you read it. Others seek it, they hunger for its power. Green fire, the city of the dead… all of it will come again.”

Whether truth or delusion, his obsession is real. He begs the adventurers to find the book and end its whispering, convinced it must be destroyed before history repeats itself.

Note: He is being held in the town jail (Barracks & Jail)

• The Book of Zenopus is a vessel of darkness, possessed by a demon that, if released, will destroy Saltmarsh and the surrounding lands.

• The voices warn of what is coming: monsters, horrors, and worse things waiting in the ruins to be unleashed upon the world.

• The book must be destroyed at all costs, only then will the whispers cease, and only then can the cycle of green fire and ruin be broken.

• Erratic and unsettling: the Mad Mage veers between fleeting lucidity and wild-eyed ravings, often speaking in riddles that trail off mid-sentence.

• Fixates on symbols and patterns, scrawling them in dirt or scratching them onto walls. Amid the nonsense, fragments of true knowledge sometimes emerge.

• Alternates between pleading and threatening, warning of the book’s whispers and begging the party to heed him before it’s too late.

The Mad Mage wants the Book of Zenopus destroyed. To him, it is not a treasure but a curse, a vessel of voices and visions that have tormented him since his glimpse of it. He believes only by ending the book can Saltmarsh be spared the fate that befell Zenopus, and only then will the whispers in his own mind finally be silenced.