Goal (if they find out):
View the device as dangerous sorcery and proof that outsiders (Xendros, Keledek) bring trouble.
Push the Garrison to seize or destroy it.
Use the panic to rally support against the Loyalists and royal interference.
How They Treat the Party
Urge the party to “leave it alone let the Garrison handle it.”
Warn them against associating with wizards or foreigners.
Spread gossip and distrust if the heroes continue to pursue the matter.
If the party becomes too visible, Traditionalists may turn the town against them through rumor and innuendo.
Primewater’s Angle
Publicly: Plays the part of a cautious councilman, supporting the call for restraint.
Privately: Hires the party to investigate the wreck in secret, claiming he can’t trust the Loyalists.
True Motive: He wants the Apparatus for himself, to sell, smuggle, or use as leverage.
“The fewer eyes on this, the better. You find it — and I’ll make it worth your while.”
Goal (if they find out):
The Loyalists view the Apparatus of Kwalish as a matter of national security. To them, it’s not just a relic, it’s Keoland’s lost property and a potential weapon that must not fall into enemy hands.
Assert Crown ownership of the Curiosity and its cargo.
Secure or recover the Apparatus for Keoland.
Prevent its discovery by the Sea Princes or other factions.
Gather intelligence and report directly to the Admiralty or the Royal Court.
Captain Eliander Fireborn’s Role
Once he learns the wreck is tied to Mordenkainen and a Royal Navy vessel, Fireborn becomes personally involved.
Demands regular updates from the party and expects full cooperation.
Sends reports to Niole Dra, alerting the crown and the Circle of Eight.
Publicly frames the matter as a Keoland naval concern, but privately fears the political fallout if others claim it first.
Fireborn suspects the Sea Princes could weaponize the Apparatus, gaining control of the Javan Bay.
Considers ordering a containment mission — possibly destroying the device if recovery proves impossible.
May enlist or shadow the adventurers covertly through trusted marines or informants.
How They Treat the Party
Cooperative if the party shares information and respects the chain of command.
Stern or suspicious if they act independently or align with Xendros or Primewater.
Offers official support (supplies, letters of marque, naval transport) if they operate under Keoland’s authority.
The Brotherhood does not want the Apparatus as a trophy — they want it as a spark. Their aim is to sow chaos, undermine order in Saltmarsh, and push the region toward war and instability.
Goals
Foment discord between Loyalists and Traditionalists in Saltmarsh.
Help the Sea Princes obtain the device as a catalyst for war with Keoland.
Spread terror and rumors about dark magic to destabilize civic trust.
Discredit or destroy figures like Keledek and Captain Xendros by linking them to corruption, demonry, or treachery.
Tone: Calculating, covert, delighting in social rot more than open conquest.
Tactics & Methods
Whisper campaigns: seed rumors in taverns, council debates, and market stalls — always a half-truth with a poisonous tail.
False friends: place helpers, “informants,” or false patrons around the party to steer them into traps or political blunders.
Shadow work: assassins and cutthroats remove key obstacles quietly — bodies vanish, witnesses “change their minds.”
Align with opportunists: privately assist smugglers, Sea Princes’ agents, and any faction that widens the breach between town and crown.
Key Agents & Their Roles
Skerrin Wavechaser (butler / Brotherhood contact)
Uses his position (and friendship with Benedict) to gather household talk and official whispers.
Plants doubt inside the Garrison and council through carefully timed revelations.
Hires fixers who pose as allies to the party but actually provoke scandal or expose secrets.
Cyrus (assassin; Empty Net )
Keeps the party under close surveillance.
Silently removes anyone who would protect the party or aid Keoland murders staged as accidents or drownings.
Will act only while the party’s actions plausibly harm Loyalist interests; he preserves deniability.
How They Treat the Party
If the party destabilizes Loyalists/Traditionalists: cautious support (information, safe houses, paid “helpers”).
If the party aligns with Keoland: covert hostility, misinformation, hired thugs, targeted killings of the party’s allies.
Always: they offer plausible assistance at high cost (favors, moral compromises, or setups).
Suggested
Have Skerrin “accidentally” mention the party’s movements to Benedict at the Wicker Goat; Benedict repeats a slanted version to Fireborn.
Plant an eager helper (Brotherhood hire) who insists on guiding the party to a “safe” route to the Tyrants — which results in an ambush by Sea Prince skiffs.
Use Cyrus to remove one NPC ally mid-adventure (a helpful mariner, a local guide) so the party suspects a curse or a rival faction.
Drop anonymous leaflets accusing Keledek of necromancy; watch council tensions spike the next morning.
For the Sea Princes, the Apparatus of Kwalish represents more than treasure — it’s power. Whoever controls the device could dominate trade and naval warfare across the Javan Bay, shattering the uneasy peace with Keoland.
Goal (if they learn of the Apparatus)
Recover or steal the device at any cost.
Use it as leverage to break the truce and reignite conflict with Keoland.
Suppress or destroy any witnesses who know of its location.
Seize any notes, maps, or artifacts tied to the wreck.
Tone: Calculating, ruthless, opportunistic. The Sea Princes see everything as a potential advantage — and everyone as expendable.
Tactics & Actions
Smugglers, pirates, and agents approach the party with coin, threats, or promises of safety.
If persuasion fails, they dispatch privateers to the Tyrants once they know the party’s route or success.
Their flagship, The Gilded Fang, may shadow the adventurers from afar — waiting for the right moment to strike.
“You can sell it to Keoland and vanish in a cell... or sell it to us and retire rich. Seems an easy choice.”
Motives
Strategic Power: The Apparatus could serve as a weapon, a submersible transport, or proof of superior magical engineering.
Symbolic Victory: Claiming a Royal Navy relic would humiliate Keoland and embolden pirate lords.
Catalyst for War: News of their acquisition — or even a rumor — could shatter the fragile peace along the Azure coast.
How They Treat the Party
Friendly and flattering at first, offering gold or sanctuary.
If refused, they turn hostile — sending bounty hunters, spies, or ships to intercept the party.
Will ambush the group upon surfacing from the wreck, using speed and surprise to capture the Apparatus.