A heavy, iron-banded door swings inward, releasing a breath of cold incense. Crimson carpets mute your steps while rows of candles flicker along the walls, their light glinting off polished skulls and gilded sigils of Iuz.

Velvet curtains hang ahead, parting with a faint whisper to reveal a low chamber filled with silk pillows arranged around a tall, bubbling hookah. Sweet, perfumed smoke drifts lazily through the air, twisting into faint shapes that resemble grinning demons before fading into shadow.

Atmosphere.
The air feels cool and perfumed but faintly oppressive, as if the room itself listens. Shadows near the corners sometimes seem to stretch or quiver when Iuz’s name is spoken aloud.

Guarding Skulls.
Two green-hued skulls mounted above the entrance watch silently. They serve as arcane sentinels, magically attuned to Captain Xendros. If anyone enters without her consent, the skulls emit a low hum only she can hear, instantly alerting her.

• Arcana Check (DC 15): Reveals the skulls are enchanted with an alarm and scrying ward, allowing someone elsewhere to observe the room briefly.

The Hookah of Devotion.
The hookah exudes an alluring aroma that encourages calm and openness.

• Effect: Any creature who inhales the smoke must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be affected as if by charm person for 1 hour.

• Xendros uses the hookah during “private discussions” to soften minds and slowly indoctrinate new followers into the worship of Iuz.

A tidy chamber greets you. Shelves and cubbies line the walls, each stuffed with tightly rolled scrolls arranged with almost obsessive precision. At the center stands a wide mahogany desk, its surface dominated by a large nautical chart of Javan Bay. Fine instruments; compasses, dividers, and ledgers are laid out in perfect order.

Everything here exudes discipline and control, the scent of ink and salt clinging to the air.

Scrolls & Ledgers.
Most are mundane trade records: fish manifests, shipping contracts, and delivery schedules. A DC 12 Investigation check reveals that every document is written in immaculate Keoish script and bears the seal of the Saltmarsh council.

The Nautical Chart.
The Javan chart routes from Saltmarsh across the Azure Sea to the northern ports of Iuz.

• DC 14 Investigation: Reveals an additional, faintly inked trade line veering south toward Port Torvin, the Sea Princes’ territory. The route is marked only with an unfamiliar merchant symbol, suggesting covert trade.

• DC 16 Insight: Noticing the care taken to disguise this line hints at deliberate secrecy rather than error.

Hidden Compartment.
Beneath the desk’s central drawer lies a small false bottom. DC 15 Perception or Investigation finds it. Inside are:

• 1 sealed letter bearing the black wax seal of Iuz (orders in Infernal).

• A small brass holy symbol depicting a skull within a sunburst, used only by clergy of Iuz. (Advantage on Constitution Saves).

A warm, inviting chamber opens before you. A single red leather chair sits facing a crackling hearth, the scent of smoke and spiced rum hanging in the air. Behind the chair, a polished oak shelf gleams with bottles of deep amber and crimson, rare vintages, each carefully labeled in a foreign tongue. The firelight glints off the glass, painting the room in flickering shades of red and gold.

Captain Xendros uses this room for solitude—to reflect on her missions, review coded reports, or simply to savor her strange collection of rums. It’s one of the few places where she lets her guard down.

The Rum Collection.

• A DC 12 Investigation reveals bottles from distant ports, some Keoish, some clearly smuggled from the Sea Princes.

• Closer inspection (DC 15 Perception or Arcana) shows that each bottle contains a faint red sediment swirling within the liquor.

Infernal Infusion.
The rums are infused with Fire Demon Ghost Pepper, a personal blend of Xendros’s own making, a fiery concoction rumored to include a drop of her own blood.

Tasting Effect: A creature that drinks the rum must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw.

• On a failure: suffers 1d6 fire damage as the liquid burns through the mouth and throat.

• On a success: the burn subsides to a lingering warmth, leaving behind a faint infernal aftertaste.

Xendros drinks this regularly, claiming it “clears the mind and burns away weakness.”

Hidden Note
The largest bottle, an ornate decanter with a ruby stopper, contains a concealed message within the label: a strip of parchment written in Infernal, detailing one of her three missions from Iuz.