The Port of Shadows is a teeming hive of evil that lies deep beneath Waterdeep, on Level Three of Undermountain.
In the wretched heart of this subterranean city’s mercantile district, among the stone columns of the lower Trade Lanes, a magnificent structure stands out among the nearby homes and taverns.
Its walls are carved with images of serpents and scales, and two powerfully muscled, snake-tailed Yuan-ti stand guard at its gates. Called the Snake Pit by its wary neighbours, this imposing edifice is the residence of Zstulkk Ssarmn, a prominent slaver of the Iron Ring consortium.
Disturbing sounds emanate from within the structure at all hours, and odd, spicy odours leech through its walls. A company of pureblood and halfblood yuan-ti is always on hand to deal with intruders, along with a host of charmed. Large constrictors, monitor lizards, large vipers, and other reptiles that patrol the interior corridors.
The floors are dotted with concealed pits filled with vipers, and hidden chutes that lead directly to a temple of Sseth below the structure.
In the heart of Zstulkk’s mansion, a coiled ramp leads down into the stone below. At its bottom lies a cavern lit with lurid red flame. Magic heats pools of water and causes small geysers to erupt around the cavern floor, making the air steamy.
The resulting atmosphere is reminiscent of the southern jungles, though no trees or ferns grow this far underground. From the cavern floor, a small step pyramid rises like a coiled serpent, its stone walls carved with more reptilian imagery.
At this temple, Zstulkk Ssarmn leads his Yuan-ti brood in worship of Sseth (now Set), preaching that the Great Snake will lead his people back to the power they held during the height of Mhairshaulk and Serpentes.
This cavern is the terminus of the skull-shaped portal in the tail of the Great Petrified Serpent that lies in the Serpent Hills. Travelers emerge from thin air right in front of the entrance to the temple—and right under the watchful eyes of two halfblood guards. The guards greet Yuan-ti visitors from the Serpent Hills formally and invite them to refresh themselves in the warm pools until Zstulkk Ssarmn can meet with them. They swiftly attack any other creature that passes through the portal, but they try to take captives rather than kill intruders outright, so that Zstulkk can interrogate the prisoners at his leisure.
A carved snake’s head juts out above the temple doorway, and its ruby eyes serve as a scrying mechanism for Zstulkk Ssarmn. A mirror hanging on the wall of his sleeping chamber in the mansion above constantly shows what the snake’s gemstone eyes can “see.” In this way, he keeps track of all visitors approaching the temple via the portal.
Although his origins and original tribe are unknown, Zstulkk Ssarmn is an important figure in Skullport’s thriving slave trade and a founding member of the Iron Ring—a consortium of slavers that keeps the slave business running in the city.
The abomination has only recently completed his temple to Sseth, and he is now working hard to increase the numbers of yuan-ti in his employ. Zstulkk encourages his underlings to operate vigorous breeding programs and keeps the resulting eggs safe in the subterranean temple. He also accepts new recruits from the Chultan Peninsula, Najara, and Hlondeth, but he does not allow any Yuan-ti to remain in the city without joining his organization and swearing loyalty to him.
So far, the only Yuan-ti to escape from under his thumb is his own nephew and sworn enemy, Nhyris D’Hothek, who sometimes frequents the cellars of the Dizzy Drake tavern to plot his revenge. Zstulkk dreams of bringing all of Skullport under Yuan-ti domination and converting the city into a serpentine city-state, with himself as priest-king. In such a manner, he hopes to found not only a city but also a great tribe of his own.
In addition to the yuan-ti who travel to Skullport via the portal, Zstulkk Ssarmn happily welcomes pureblood and tainted one spies from Chult who arrive via merchant ships operated by the Rundeen. Zstulkk commands legions of spies throughout Skullport and even in Waterdeep because he has come to realize that information is truly the most valuable commodity in Skullport.
Skullport lies along the subterranean river Sargauth.
Over the centuries, several portals large enough for entire ships to pass through have been built in the cavern walls along this waterway. One such portal, about 400 feet east of Skull Island, is only faintly visible as a scratched outline in the stone.
Triggering the portal requires no special key—just extraordinary confidence on the part of the ship’s pilot, since the vessel must be steered bow-first into the wall. When the bowsprit makes contact with the portal, the vessel and all its contents are transported instantly to the middle of the Lapal Sea
