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druid was more than a little dependent on his assas- A ladder within leads down to a secret cellar (area 25),
sin-berry wine (see area 10). and hid two flasks of the where the survivors of the prior attack have hidden. The
stuff inside the pole. The cache also contains a charm drowned ones that ransacked the shelves could sense
of plant command (see appendix 8) and a set of bronzed the nearness of the cleric of the sea god, but the undead
ore teeth strung as a necklace (no monetary value). could not find the entrance to the cellar.

12. KITCHEN 14. GROTTO
The door into this area from outside is barricaded from
within the room. It can be forced open with a successful
DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check. The stone peaks of the island rise alongside the walls of
the hermitage to create a sheltered grotto, overlooked by
a rampart walkway along the west side of the former for-
This kitchen shows signs of recent use and is fairly clean.
tress. A steep path ascends ten feet from a short strand
A kettle is suspended above a large fireplace, and a brick
of beach up to an exterior door. A boat is pulled halfway
oven stands nearby. A cutting block bearing half a loaf of
up on the beach, its stern riding low in the water.
bread stands in the center of the room, next to an empty
table. Shelves for holding dishes and utensils line the
This partially concealed grotto served as an escape
east wall.
• route for the Firewatch Island garrison .
A large mass of corpses is barely visible below the wa-
T he kettle contains cold vegetable soup, and the bread is ter's surface near the boat. A character must succeed on
growing stale. a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check or approach within
Locked Door. The west door is locked from the other 5 feet of the water to spot the bodies. which are bound
side. but can be opened with a successful DC 14 Dexter- together in a fishing net.
ity check using thieves· tools. The bodies are being stored here by the drowned ones
Treasure. A character who searches the kitchen until they can all be transported to the Pit of Hatred,
and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) where they will be turned into more undead to swell the
check discovers a flask of oil of slipperiness hidden in ranks of Syrgaul's minions. It is Syrgaul's ultimate plan
a cupboard. to create an army of drowned ones that can lay waste to
populated coastal areas-which, of course, leads to even
13. LARDER more creatures coming under his sway (see "Conclu-
sion·· for more information) .
• • Three chuuls hide beneath the mass of corpses.
The walls of this room were once covered with row upon
These creatures were attracted by blood in the water,
row of wooden shelving holding boxes of foodstuffs, and have been feeding idly on the bodies below the sur-
but most of those supplies have been strewn across the face. They arc quick to notice anyone on the shore or
floor. A few sausages still hang from hooks in the ceiling entering the water, lunging out to attack.
rafters, and an undisturbed bin of potatoes is scooted up Boat. The hermits kept a large rowboat in this area
for fishing and occasional trips to the mainland. It holds
against the rear face of the kitchen's brick hearth.
up to eight Medium humanoids and is propelled by oars
and a small sail. When the drowned ones arrived, they
T his larder once held enough provisions to feed two damaged the boat by smashing its hull with rocks to
dozen people for three days. prevent the hermits from escaping. Anyone approaching
Ruined Map. Any search of the larder turns up a sin- can see that the boat is half submerged and that its hull
gle piece of damp. crumpled parchment showing barely has several holes.
legible lines and writing. This is a map dropped here by Grim Haul. After slaughtering the hermitage's inhab-
one of the drowned ones that ransacked this area. for- itants, the drowned ones gathered the corpses into a
merly a navigator on Tammeraut. (See area 25 for more large fishing net they found in the boat. weighted the net
information about what happened here.) with rocks, and dumped it in the water. After they return
T he map shows Firewatch Island and the nearby by night to search for other survivors, the undead intend
coast, and has diagrams that convey the invaders' to drag their load of corpses back to the Pit of Hatred as
original plans for using the island as a staging ground a sacrifice to its foul essence.
for a full-on assault against the mainland. Though the The thirteen corpses are mostly humans and half-
sailors· map was waterproofed, long years in the depths elves, along with one dwarf. All show signs of vicious
have made it all but illegible, and it takes a successful stabbing and slashing wounds. broken bones. and blunt
DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to understand trauma. The bodies have been dead for about a day and
its markings. submerged since dawn.
Secret Door. A character who searches the larder and These corpses can be interrogated with a speak with
succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check dead spell. None of the dead hermits understands why
notices that the back slats of the potato bin are built into the hermitage was attacked, but they can provide luridly
the brick of the hearth's rear face. These slats can be detailed information about the nature of their undead
removed to reveal a hollow behind the kitchen fireplace. attackers.

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