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villages become more common-with the drowned ones FURT H ER A DVENTURES
adding all their victims to their growing horde-and
unless they are somehow checked, Syrgaul's forces The events of Tammeraut's Face can serve as the flash
become the scourge of both land and sea in the en- point for a major event in your campaign. In the years
tire region. that Syrgaul's crew spent toiling at the ocean's floor,
Even if the characters turn back the drowned ones' they might have been directed by Orcus or Syrgaul to
assault but fail to close the rift. the evil influence of the launch other sinister plans. A search of the location of
pit strengthens and begins to extend outward. All those the wrecked ship can turn up clues to further plots.
who have drowned in the bay are gradually harvested The following adventures seeds form a story arc that
by the remaining drowned ones and transformed into you might use as individual episodes or as the outline of
undead, until Syrgaul has an army of drowned corpses a grand plot to overwhelm the region with undead and
at his command. What terrible atrocities the undead call Orcus into the world.
captain might visit upon the nearby settlements are DEATH FLEET
up to you. All pirate captains know that greed and ambition among
Even with the rift closed off, the Pit of Hatred might their crews pose a constant threat. Cultists of Orcus can
continue to be a lurking threat. With the seal restored, offer the unswerving loyalty of undead crews in return
the evil beyond is left to fester-frustrated and perhaps for allegiance to their foul lord.
seeking ways to break free, stronger and more deliber- In this continuation of the story, a powerful priest of
ate than before. Orcus forms a network of allied pirate captains. The
Above all, the question remains: what is the source of ship crews are augmented by zombies and skeletons,
the rift's evil? Perhaps the characters will return to the and, unknown to the pirates, the priest can spy through
pit as more accomplished adventurers, seeking some the undead. Captains who prove treacherous are quickly
way to descend the vent, find out what presence is down slain and replaced with more amenable allies.
there. and destroy it once and for all. As the pirates gain control of the seas, the priest is
free to establish a domain of Orcus with a great portal to
EXTENDING THE the Abyss at its center. It's up to the characters to track
down and defeat the pirate fleet.
ADVENTURE
Tammeraut's Fate gives the characters a chance to foil THE DEVOURING GYRE
an incursion by Orcus and his minions before it can take The Pit of Hatred is but one example of the planar sigils
root. The deep regions of the sea are fertile ground for that followers of Orcus can use to bolster their power.
those demons and cultists who can take advantage of Off the coast, near heavily trafficked sea lanes, cultists
it. Far from the blinding light of the sun and overlooked of Orcus create a gateway on the seabed that links to the
by many of the demons' traditional foes. a deep-sea Abyss. The water above swirls and plunges downward,
portal to the Abyss can spawn many demons and warp creating a whirlpool that devours ships and sea life.
the world around it to an irreparable degree before it is Living creatures pulled to the bottom of the whirlpool
discovered. are slain, warped with Abyssal energy, and unleashed
Pirates and similar outlaws are fertile ground for wor- into the sea as undead creatures. Unless someone finds
shipers, and those captains who achieve success and the gate, slips through it into the Abyss, and destroys the
infamy might draw the eye of any number of Abyssal unhallowed site found on the other side, the whirlpool
patrons. As befits their chaotic nature, demon lords tend will unleash a horde of undead sailors and sea creatures
to offer power and impart blessings as the opportunity that can transform the region around it into a dead zone.
presents itself rather than create a comprehensive,
long-term plan. ISLAND OF BONES
If you want to extend the concept presented in this Far out to sea, a mass of bones culled from the seabed
adventure to cast a longer shadow over your campaign, rises and coalesces into a new island -a sinister place
the following notes provide some guidance and ideas for cloaked in necrotic energy. This place, the Island of
what might come next. Bones, serves as a port of call for pirates serving Orcus.
The island swarms with undead creatures that per-
ORCUS AND T H E SEA form repairs on ships, unload loot, and protect the place
from attack. More important, it serves as the center of
The capacity for undead creatures to survive deep an unholy theocracy founded by priests of Orcus and
underwater makes Orcus and his cult well suited for dedicated to calling their master to the Material Plane.
plaguing the seas. Orcus offers undeath to his mortal As the island grows, a massive palace fit for the Lord
followers as a lure to bring them deeper into his power of the Undead himself arises from the bones. Within its
while unleashing them as a terror of the waves. depths, a portal to the Abyss slowly forms as more and
The scheme showcased in Tammeraut's Fate is a good more mortal sacrifices are made to Orcus.
example of how Orcus and his minions take advantage With a fleet of pirate captains at their call and the de-
of the sea. They march along the seabed to strike at vouring gyre cutting off sea travel, the priests of Orcus
coastal villages and recruit more living dead to their le- threaten to overwhelm the region with their undead
gions. Although the characters might have slain Syrgaul hordes. Their efforts. of course. are resisted by the char-
and destroyed the Pit of Hatred. Orcus and his followers acters and whatever forces the locales can muster.
continue to plot and plan.

GH.-\PllR7 IAMMER\lJT'SP\11