Page 142 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

CHAPTER 7: TAMMERAUT's FATE

IVE YEARS ACO, A llERMITACE DEVOTED TO presence, such that the next ship to drop anchor there
the contemplation of nature was established found the place abandoned, its defenders seemingly van-
in an abandoned island fortress, once the ished. The place was considered cursed for some time
site of a beacon meanl to warn against inva- thereafter and remained abandoned until five years ago.
sion from the sea. The folk of the hermitage At that time, a minor order of monks, hermits, and
opened the island to people of all faiths, contemplatives moved in and claimed the island as their
promising a place for those seeking solitude home. The old garrison fort has been repaired and re-
and peace. But that peace has now been shat- built as a place of peaceful living.
tered. and the characters must determine what force of Unfortunately for the island's latest residents. their
evil has slain the residents of Firewatch island almost peaceful reverie has been ruined. Syrgaurs crew has
to the last-and how to prevent the even greater trag- finally completed the work of preparing the Pit of Ha-
edy to come. tred. Now, they need humanoid corpses to feed into
Tammeraut's Fate is an adventure designed for four to the pit and spawn more drowned ones like themselves.
six 9th-level characters. The hermits ofFirewatch Island make the perfect
first recruits.
BACKGROUN D
ADVENTURE SUMMARY
Several years ago, a fearsome pirate named Syrgaul
sailed the sea aboard his war galley, Tammeraut. The adventure begins with the characters traveling
Syrgaul and his crew showed no mercy to those who along the coast and arriving in the nearby village of Us-
crossed their path. killing the crews of those ships that karn, they learn that the villagers are concerned about
fell prey to him. the hermitage that stands on an island in the adjacent
Syrgaul was a mighty sorcerer, and his crew was bay. The village druid, Vortanim, asks the characters to
bloodthirsty and skilled in both sailing and killing. investigate and make sure the hermitage is safe.
Worse still, Syrgaul claimed allegiance to Orcus, the de- When they arrive at Firewatch Island. the characters
mon lord of the undead. discover a grisly scene. Evidence of a fatal battle and
Orcus did indeed seem to favor Syrgaul, who often the presence of dangerous scavengers gives little hope
benefited from strong winds in his sails and swirl- of finding anyone alive. But when a handful of survivors
ing currents that prevented his prey from escaping. are discovered hidden in a bolt-hole, the characters
In return. the pirate captain made sacrifices to the learn about the dark fate of the hermitage and its people.
demon lord. More important, they come to understand that after the
Syrgaul eventually met his end just over ten years drowned ones have finished hunting the last residents of
ago. As he and his crew approached a naval post called Firewatch Island, the undead will turn their attention to
Firewatch Island to plunder it, a priest garrisoned at the settlements of the coast becoming an unstoppable
the outpost implored the sea god. Procan. for mercy. army of undead.
Whether because of luck or because the cleric's prayers As darkness falls, the drowned ones that attacked
were answered, a sudden storm swept through the area, the hermitage the previous night return to finish the
capsizing Tammeraut and sending the ship to the bot- job. The characters must defend themselves and the
tom of the sea. survivors, using the assault as an opportunity to destroy
the drowned ones before their threat can spread. After
TAMMERAUT'S SECRET doing so, the characters learn of the island's history and
how it connects to the undead attacks. They then have
The sinking of Tammeraut did not spell the end for Syr-
gaul and his band of pirates. As his ship plunged into the a chance to destroy the underwater source of evil-the
sea. he called out to his fiendish patron. Orcus heeded twisted undead captain Syrgaul. Seeking the undead
his call and imbued Syrgaul and his crew with undeath, in his watery lair, they discover the damaged magical
the twisted form of immortality he offers his followers. seal that once kept the portal inside the Pit of Hatred
The pirates, now fully under Orcus's thrall. emerged closed. Only by resealing the rift can they end its corrup-
from the wreckage and marched across the seabed to tion for good.
Firewatch Island. They overran the garrison and carried
the remains back to their wrecked ship. There, with ADVENTURE HOOKS
Orcus's instruction, they began the laborious process You can use this adventure at any point in your cam-
of opening the Pit of Hatred, a rift to the Abyss that can paign when the characters are traveling on a remote
transform corpses into drowned ones. coastal road. You might have them drawn into the
mystery by chance. trusting the players to want to ex-
DEATH I N THE NIGHT plore the devastated hermitage. rescue the survivors,
After the raid by Syrgaul's undcad minions, the garrison and learn what happened. Alternatively, consider ei-
at Firewatch Island remained empty for several years. ther of the following hooks to get the characters to the
The undead were careful to leave behind no sign of their hermitage.
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