Old Garl

Garl was once a fisherman who lived upriver. He was captured by the Gnolls and died, since he drank water from the clear pool, he rose as undead. The Gnolls forgot to bind him and he wondered off and fell into the Kingfisher River, the tide carried him downstream, where he made his refuge beneath Sharkfin Bridge.

Over the long years, Garl has learned the rhythm of survival. He avoids sunlight and divine presences, but always returns at dusk under Sharkfin Bridge. Children whisper about him, but adults shrug, Old Garl has always been there. The Bridgefolk dismiss him as one of their own, escentric but harmless. He remains reclusive and sits by himself at night.

• Revealing His Nature. Passive Perception 12 reveals Old Garl is undead. This revelation may shock or panic the townsfolk, who believed him nothing more than an odd recluse. How the characters handle this truth may affect their standing among Saltmarsh’s bridgefolk.

• Tied to the Curse. Garl’s soul may be bound to the cursed pool itself. Destroying or sanctifying the pool could finally grant him rest or twist him further into something far more dangerous.

• At Night: Old Garl is found huddled by himself beneath the bridge arches, staring upriver with vacant, unblinking eyes.

• During the Day: Absent from Saltmarsh, wandering unseen upriver into the Drowned Forest.

• Mannerisms:

  • Eats carrion, fish guts, or the occasional drowned bird, unconcerned if others notice.

  • Speaks rarely, always with a soft rasp, his breath unnaturally cold.

  • If asked about his past, he becomes confused or distressed, muttering about “the river remembering.”

Old Garl does not know what he wants, his mind is gone and sadly he operates on glimpse of his past, he knows only the river. He survives, because that is all he knows.