4. Boatman's Warehouse
The Veins of Illicit Trade
Occupying nearly a third of the Boatman’s Tavern and Market structure, the Warehouse of Nulb is the lifeblood of the town's shadow economy. Facing the swamp-stained piers, this vast, sagging structure hums with constant activity: loading, lifting, shifting, and hiding. By day, it appears a busy trade depot; by night, it becomes the artery of the Temple's supply network, where goods vanish from the manifest and reappear bound for the dark halls of Elemental Evil.
Structural Layout & Entry Points
- Pier-Side Cargo Doors: Two pairs of towering iron-bound oak doors open to the Nulb docks. Wagons and barges pull in under cover of fog, guided by dim lanterns and thick rope lines.
- Interior Access: Heavy oak doors connect to both the Indoor Market Hall and the Boatman’s Tavern, allowing fluid movement of goods, guards, and informants.
- Basement Access: A set of stone steps near the back wall leads down into the basement storage and secret prisoner room (see below).
- Second Floor Access: A set of rickety wood stairs hugs the western wall, climbing up to a gallery level above. A wooden crane platform, centered in the floor opening, is used to hoist crates from dock wagons or basement lifts. A worn winch system remains in service, though prone to loud creaks.
Main Floor Inventory
The main floor is a cluttered tangle of:
- Crates, barrels, and pallets of standard goods.
- Dried fruits, smoked meats, cheap wine, bulk cloth, rope, wax, tools, nails, wagon parts, and mundane arms and armor.
- Stamped goods from Dyvers, Verbobonc, and Wild Coast merchant houses.
All manifests are false or "cleaned" for public review. Legitimate-looking papers are ready at hand, but most of it has been redirected from raids or illicit acquisitions.
Second Floor: Private Quarters & Smuggler's Cache
- Crane Platform: Suspended over the warehouse floor, this platform allows cargo to be lifted to or from the second level.
- Locked Cargo Room: Tucked behind a reinforced iron door, this chamber stores all high-value, illicit Temple-bound goods: ritual supplies, sacred idols, rare alchemical reagents, and blackmail documents. The lock is complex, magically trapped (DC 18 Investigation or Thieves’ Tools to open).
- Servant & Guard Rooms: A secured hallway leads to the small sleeping quarters for Lodriss's personal thugs and the two serving wenches (Ketta and Norla). Each room is sparse but heavily locked. The hallway is patrolled and trapped against intruders.
Basement Level: Contraband Storage & Secret Prison
- The stone staircase from the main level descends into a cool, dark storage space.
- Illicit trade goods such as banned books, magical arms, stolen relics, elemental charms, and poisons are stored here in moisture-proof crates.
- A false wall in the rear of the basement leads to the Secret Prisoner Room:
- Five reinforced slave cages with shackles, lined with straw and alchemical sedatives.
- Used for holding captives prior to transfer to Captain Vesrek, cult rites, or ransoms.
- Guarded discreetly by Crimson Reaper enforcers under direct supervision of Madame Selentis and Lodriss.
Lodriss’s Thugs and Warehouse Operations
The warehouse is guarded around the clock by Lodriss’s personal thugs, handpicked for their loyalty and silence. While different gangs—pirates, brigands, and smugglers—offload their goods here, only Lodriss’s crew manages the inventory and controls access to the stockpiles.
- All items in the warehouse are considered property of Lodriss, or temporarily held under contract for Temple agents destined for the Temple of Elemental Evil.
- Assigned 'market sellers' from each gang handle booths and coin in the Market Hall, but the warehouse itself remains under Lodriss’s control.
- Her thugs frequently assist in loading covered wagons, inventory shifts, and guarding both the upper storage cache and the stone steps to the secret prisoner area.
- The second-floor crane platform is manned during major unloading sessions and doubles as a sentry post overlooking the main floor.
Activity & Atmosphere
- Noise: Creaking ropes, dragging crates, low curses, rat squeaks, crane chains rattling.
- Scent: Dust, fish oil, mildew, pine pitch, smoke.
- Lighting: Minimal. Lanterns hang at intervals; most of the floor is in shadow.
Plot Hooks
- “Echoes Below” – Prisoners in the basement whisper through the grates—one begs the party for help.
- “The Wrong Crate” – A PC finds a crate with familiar gear, looted from a recent raid on allies.
- “Shipment for the Temple” – An encrypted manifest reveals the next delivery to the Temple of Elemental Evil.
- “Second Floor Secrets” – The hidden cache upstairs contains incriminating letters linking nobles to the cult.
Conclusion: The Pulse of Smuggled Sin
This warehouse is not just a storage space. It is a living organ of corruption, where vice is boxed, catalogued, and shipped like salted pork. To control it is to choke Nulb’s breath. But to challenge it? That invites the blade.
Scene: Warehouse Confrontation – “You Lost, Stranger?”
Then, boots scrape across the stone floor—slow, deliberate. Two men emerge from behind a stack of barrels near the central aisle. One is broad-shouldered with a sagging eye and an iron-ringed cudgel. The other, lean and sharp-eyed, rests a hand on the pommel of a curved blade, his jaw twitching as he sizes you up.
The broad one speaks first, voice like gravel soaked in ale. “This ain’t no market stall, friend. Only names on a ledger walk in here.”
He taps his cudgel twice against the floor. “You see your name anywhere?”
The wiry thug flanks you with casual menace, circling a few feet to the side. “Not smart, poking where you ain’t wanted. Some crates bite back. Others scream.”
He grins, revealing three gold teeth. “If Lodriss knew you were sniffin’ around unsupervised…” He draws the last word out like a knife from its sheath. “…she’d charge us extra for the cleanup.”
The larger one takes a step closer. “So unless you’re here to load freight or unload secrets—turn your boots around. Or we’ll be selling that armor off your corpse by sundown.”



d20 Merchant Bulk Inventory – Warehouse Main Floor (Common Goods)
Roll | Crate, Barrel, or Sack Contents | Markings or Ownership Signs |
---|---|---|
1 | Crate of dried apples and hardtack | Branded with House Delerin of Dyvers (stylized crane crest) |
2 | Barrel of tar and pitch | Stamped “Port of Fax”, wax-sealed with red rope |
3 | Sack of charcoal bricks | Marked in black with wild boar sigil from the Wild Coast frontier |
4 | Barrel of smoked river eel | Label reads “D. Voss – Trade Post #3 – Velverdyva Route” |
5 | Crate of iron nails and blacksmith rivets | Bears an etched hammer-and-anvil glyph from Verbobonc |
6 | Sack of onions and pickled root vegetables | Faded merchant tag in Flan dialect: “For Mol Route - 3rd Harvest” |
7 | Barrel of dyed wool (green and grey) | Chalked with trade triangle symbol of the Wool Guild of Celene |
8 | Crate of simple spears (unsharpened) | Crate end is painted with “For Caravan South” and a broken wagon wheel mark |
9 | Sack of dried lentils and red beans | Printed with stylized tree-ring symbol of Gnome caravans |
10 | Barrel of low-grade spirits (grain alcohol) | Cork branded “River Excise Cleared - Tolub’s Mark” |
11 | Crate of brass lanterns and spare glass chimneys | Wax seal of Verbobonc Lighthouse Guild (VLH), half broken |
12 | Bundle of linen bolts and leather scraps | Leather tag etched with twin oaks and moon glyph – suspected from Hommlet |
13 | Sack of rough salt and crushed limes | Painted stencil of “Dyvers Naval Trade – Hold #12” |
14 | Crate of pitch-coated canvas tarps | Marked with black paint: “Bark: Crone’s Tooth” (Tolub’s pirate crew) |
15 | Barrel of broken horseshoes and iron bridle bits | Smeared brand of “Wright & Sons – Eastern Farrier Line” |
16 | Sack of fermented fish paste | Bound with knotted yellow twine used by Wild Coast river folk |
17 | Crate of clay oil lamps and jugs | Side panel reads: “Nulb Mission Supply - Do Not Delay” (possibly forged) |
18 | Barrel of wax and tall tallow candles | Woodcut stamp of a sunburst wheel from the Trade Guild of Veluna |
19 | Crate of copper cooking pots and utensils | Copper stamped “Property of House Milinous” (partially scratched out) |
20 | Sack of grain with signs of water damage | Stenciled in blue with merchant rune of Greyhawk (counterfeit mark) |
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