Once a contested pirate landing a few miles down the coast from the City of Brass Bowls, Ashripper earned its name when the nearby reefs destroyed the White Ash, one of the fiercest pirate vessels to operate in these waters. But no pirate dares enter the cove now, as these same reefs have become home to an infestation of Mashers (AD&D1e Monster Manual, page 65) – massive venomous spined sea worms about 12 to 15 feet long. The reefs around Ashripper Cove are extensive enough that several family groups of mashers currently harvest them for food – at least a dozen of these deadly beasts, if not more. And they nest in shallow waters of the protected caves of the old pirate cove.

With pirate charts in hand one could still safely navigate into the cove, but if their nesting areas…