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I'm thinking of working this into a campaign, probably as the "bottle of holding" version. I have some ideas of ways to keep the crew from using it to just pocket their ship, though.

First of all, being magically pulled into the bottle isn't going to be comfortable. Think of the people being transported in "Galaxy Quest", where they get stretched, and thrown across the galaxy, and arrive quivering and in shock. I plan to describe an effect similar to that; it won't do damage to any sailors, but none of them will ever want to go through it again. In fact, some will be torn by wanting out of the bottle right away, and dreading going through the experience again on the way out. (Actually, I plan to just 'poof' ships OUT of the bottle.)

Second, once inside the bottle, everything can be upset if the bottle is badly shaken. The idea comes from this thread.

Shaking the bottle does upset the contents but they eventually settle into the same or other formation of a shipwreck. The survivors feel pain and panic as their world trembles and heaves but they recover automatically when the abuse ceases. The slow settling process after being shaken is reminiscent of a snow globe.

I will assume that due to the magic of the bottle, neither the ship nor the crew inside the bottle take actual damage from being shaken, nor can someone die.

With these two things combined, no ship's crew will ever consent to go into the bottle a second time, and they would fight to avoid it. On the other hand, putting a ship in the bottle without a crew is not a good idea either. The ship itself might not be harmed if the bottle is shaken, but supplies could be washed overboard or other troubles arise. I don't intend that the crew will be able to use the bottle as a convenient way to escape docking fees or being spotted in a port.

Lilabeth’s Dream

The hammock swayed gently with the motion of the ship. Lilabeth was taking a nap in the Hammock of Hospitality. She had come back to the ship for a bit. The crew was just starting to tame the island that they had won and already they had encountered a tentacled monstrosity and undead hands. One undead hand had slimed her when she had slashed into it. The slime had sickened her even after she went to the water’s edge to wash it off, so she took the smaller of the two boats and headed back to the ship to recuperate.

She was just dozing, letting her mind wander. Lilabeth thought of Captain Pierce Jerrell and was filled with longing. Three months was a long time to be apart but she knew there would be plenty to do so the time would fly by. Her stomach gave a little growl; the nausea was wearing off, and her mind wandered toward dinner and what the cook might be making that night. Finally she drifted off to sleep.

Lilabeth walked down a street of Port Peril as the last glow of sunset dimmed in the sky. She neared the sign of the Golden Rooster, and suddenly the scene changed and she was inside, watching Pierce laughing and gambling at a table near the back. A black cat with bright green eyes stalked back and forth near his chair; he patted it absently a few times and dropped it some scraps from his plate. The cat wandered off and then was back shortly, but it looked bigger to Lilabeth. After pacing around Pierce’s chair, it jumped up on the seat next to him and Pierce petted it while it ate the tidbits he placed there for it. Soon the cat hopped back down and disappeared,

A few minutes later the creature returned again and this time there was no doubt that it was bigger; it had grown as large as a dog of middling size. No one else in the tavern took any notice. In fact Pierce welcomed the cat, saying something about it bringing him luck. He gave it some choice pieces of meat as it stood with its chin on his leg. It was not long before the cat again went wandering out of sight. This time when it returned it was a panther, dark and sleek with green eyes that practically glowed. No one else saw anything amiss; Pierce petted it and called it “nice kitty.” Finally he stood and said, “Come on, kitty, let’s take all this lovely gold and my new map, and go try our luck somewhere else.” He gathered his winnings and left the tavern with his hand on the head of the huge cat, which paced soundlessly beside him.

Suddenly outside again, Lilabeth realized it was late; after midnight, to judge by the angle of the moon. She could see Pierce and the huge black cat ahead of her. They turned into a small street that she knew was a short way to the next major street with several gambling establishments, though the short-cut is dark and not kept up well. She turned into the street right behind them and saw movement in the shadows just before the big cat snarled. Suddenly half a dozen other black panthers leapt out and attacked Pierce. He drew his sword, but went down in a flurry of white fangs and razor-sharp claws. Lilabeth was immobile, helpless to do anything to assist. The attack took only a few moments, or perhaps hours, and then it was over. The cats faded away into the dark and Lilabeth somehow knew that Pierce’s life, his winnings, and anything else of value he had, were gone.

Her best chance for survival is to leave the area, not hang around to get "revenge" on people who basically just tipped her hand into doing something she was already planning to do anyway.

I agree that Zarskia is not likely to hang around in the Shackles. Aside from the negative consequences to her, it seems her 'handlers' have other things for her to do elsewhere.

However, it might be possible to introduce the Eel to the PCs a little early. After all, rumor is that the alchemist is selling out her stocks. If they spend any time observing Zarskia's house before moving in, they could possibly see a halfling matching the Eel's description entering and leaving. If the PCs arrive as supposed customers rather than attackers at first, they might get a glimpse of the Eel in another room, or as he is escorted back to the front door. That would give them a chance to recognize him later as someone with at least slight ties to another enemy, rather than being merely a random addition.

My group is getting ready to start this part of the AP. I've read through the entire adventure, but have some issues with parts surrounding the party at the end. In particular, I don't understand how the Eel is able to in effect poison the food for the dinner without anyone noticing he is around. The text says he gets to the island aboard a ship bringing supplies. Unless he's lucky enough to be aboard a ship carrying food, it seems to me the only place to be sure of contaminating the meal is in the kitchen, probably during the dinner preparations.

Unless he's willing to make a guess and assume that certain common ingredients are probably going to be used, the Eel would need to wait until preparations have started to be sure he affects the right stuff. Most of his prepared extracts are designated for use when he is later setting bombs on the ships, or in case he needs to go into combat, so he won't just be able to use "greater invisibility" to waltz in and out undetected. Even if the Eel finds an excuse to be present (he supposedly came with one of the captains and offers to help) it seems unlikely to me that he would be able to mess with the food in a kitchen full of courtesans (and possibly other people) preparing food, and not have anyone notice. It also feels very much like railroading the players, to not even give anyone a chance to discover the Eel until much later. How have others handled this?