• Goals: Traditionalists want Saltmarsh kept safe and self-sufficient. A spreading blight like the Corpse Bloom Fungus threatens trade and the town’s stability. They see this as exactly the kind of danger the Loyalist garrison should handle and would urge them to act swiftly to contain it.

• Response to the Party: The Traditionalists thank the adventurers for the warning but react with visible concern, fearing the infection could reach town. They insist the party report to Eliander Fireborn and undergo Marella’s cure before returning to Saltmarsh. Once cleared, they praise the group for protecting the town and push the garrison to do more.

“This is why the king’s soldiers are here! To keep the Hool Marsh and its sickness away from our doors.”

• Goals: The Loyalists seek to maintain order and strengthen the crown’s authority in Saltmarsh. The discovery of the Corpse Bloom Fungus gives them a perfect reason to assert control and to prove that the Keoland garrison is essential to the town’s safety.

• Response to the Party: The Loyalists commend the adventurers for their report and quickly move to establish a quarantine and containment patrols under Captain Eliander Fireborn. Fireborn welcomes the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and expand his influence on the Town Council, positioning himself as the protector of Saltmarsh.

“You’ve done your duty. Now let the crown’s men take charge, Saltmarsh will not fall to rot or neglect.”

• Goals: The Scarlet Brotherhood sees the Corpse Bloom Fungus as an opportunity to sow fear and division among the factions. By amplifying the threat, they can undermine trust in both the Loyalist garrison and the Town Council, pushing the people of Saltmarsh toward panic and dependency.
  Their agents quietly spread rumors that the infection came from foreign ships or Keoland negligence, deepening factional rifts.

• Response to the Party: Brotherhood agents, posing as merchants or sympathetic townsfolk, thank the party publicly for uncovering the danger but privately fan fear that the garrison cannot be trusted to contain it.
  If the heroes gain fame, the Brotherhood may praise them in whispers as “true defenders of Saltmarsh,” hoping to draw them away from the council’s influence and use them later.

• Plot: They would try to foil Merella's cure, sell snake oil, or cause rumors so people do not trust Marella or her cure.

“Strange, isn’t it? The king’s soldiers here for years, and it takes strangers to keep us safe. Perhaps the council needs… new voices.”

• Goals: The Sea Princes profit from smuggling routes and coastal raids that depend on Saltmarsh remaining distracted but functional. An outbreak of the Corpse Bloom Fungus threatens trade, supply lines, and secrecy — a plague-ridden port draws patrols and scrutiny from Keoland. They want the problem contained quietly to avoid unwanted attention.

• Response to the Party: Through smugglers or hired intermediaries, the Sea Princes approach the party in secret, offering coin or favors to keep the details quiet and resolve the threat without alerting the council or garrison. If the heroes refuse, the Princes spread whispers that the party caused or worsened the infection to divert suspicion from their own dealings.

• Plot: They would want to get their hands on Meralla's cure.

“You’ve done fine work finding this… problem. Best to keep it quiet. Panic ruins business, and business is all that matters.”