Page 155 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

22. ABANDONED QUARTERS
011r worst fears are confirmed. Virgil has bro11ght word of
disaster. A war galley fully loaded with pirates approaches
A cast·iron potbelly stove squats to the north of the from the southwest. It flies the flag of the raiders and bears
upper level of the fortress's main tower, its stovepipe the name of the c11rsed ship Tammeraut. We must prepare
extending out the arrow slit to the north. The wooden what feeble defense we can muster. Woe to the folk of the
frame and slats of an old bed are pushed up against a coast at the approach of this bloody tide.
spiral staircase that rises to a trapdoor in the ceiling,
leading to the open belfry above. Under an arrow slit Miracle of miracles! The storm lord has answered the
looking toward the island's western peak, a dusty desk is prayers of our illustrio11s chaplain. A furious storm blew in
covered in debris and fresh bird droppings. Hinges hang from the open sea and swept the war galley to its doom.
on either side of each arrow slit, indicating that at one But I believe that the vessel went down near the Pit of
time they had shutters to keep out the elements. Hatred, an ill-starred undersea chasm two miles so11th of
A section of the wall to the southwest has collapsed Fire watch Isle. This does not bode well, for tile rift is said to
inward, opening up to the rocky slope of the island's be a passage to a source of interminable evil that was long
smaller hill ten feet below. The pile of rubble covers the ago sealed away. If the wreckage sho11ld rupture the wards,
smashed remains of a chair.
terrible darkness might be 11nleashed. I must mo11nt an ex-
pedition to the mnken hulk and make sure all is well.
Archais, the wizard of the old Firewatch Island garrison.
once resided in chis chamber. It was he who first gave A fell wind blows this evening. I fear the wards on the rift
the warning of tbe approaching Tammeraut. resulting have been broken. I must set 011t first thing in the morning
in Oloran's desperate prayer to Procan and the ship's re-
to inspect the wreckage.
sulting demise. The wizard·s gull familiar spied the ship
at sea and brought word back to him. Archais was slain
with the rest of the garrison during the drowned ones· A character who succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (His-
initial attack. tory) check connects the journal's reference to "raiders''
The weathering of storms and the salty air has eroded to the pirate captain Syrgaul. a notorious sorcerer who
the mortar in part of the wall, causing the collapse. The forged an unholy pact with the demon lord Orcus. He
room is still secure, but the hermits deemed this area and his crew never left survivors of their attacks, and his
uninhabitable due to the damage. ship, Tammeraut, was the scourge of the seas.
The pile of rubble in the southwest corner conceals
a secret compartment in part of the surviving wall, just 23. ROOF
south of the west arrow slit. A character who succeeds •
on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check while
Heavy, overlapping slate tiles cover the roof of the her-
searching the room discovers the compartment. If the
characters clear the rubble. they automatically find the mitage. In many spots, the mortar holding the tiles in
compartmenc. place has crumbled, and the slates have slid off to shatter
Treasure. One of Archais's hobbies was the underwa- on the ground below. The roof is patched with thatching
ter exploration of sunken ships, and this compartment
in those areas, creating a hodgepodge appearance. A flat
contains some of the items he used in that pursuit: a
area in the center of the roof provides a platform for de-
ring of free action. three ounces of oil of slipperiness,
fense. with the surrounding roof peaks providing cover.
three potions of water breathing, an immovable rod, a
folding boat, a bag of holding containing several fishing
nets and 500 feet of weighted hempen rope, a small
The slate tiles are strong enough to support the weight
metal bacon the size of a torch with continual flame cast
of a Large creature, but the scattered areas of thatch
on it, and a small metal container holding six pressure
can support only Small creatures. A Medium or larger
capsules (see appendix B).
creature that attempts to cross a portion of the thatched
The compartment also contains a leather backpack
roof must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or
where Archais kept his spellbook and his journal. His
fall through into the area below.
spellbook is long lost. but the journal remains inside.
Archais'sjournal relates his numerous assignments 24-. BELFRY
and duty stations while a member of the military. lt also
includes notes about the different sunken ships he has •
explored in the surrounding bay and its tributary riv- This open belfry offers a breathtaking view of the open
ers. The final entry on this list gives the location of the sea and the distant coast. Four stone corner posts sup-
sunken Tammeraut. port the belfry's conical slate roof where it peaks twenty
Most of the journal is moldy and illegible. The last few
feet above, with a crenellated battlement running be-
pages are intact. and they relate the events surrounding
tween them.
the coming of Tammeraut:
t.:11\l'llR? l\~nttR\lf'>~Alf