druid was more than a little dependent on his assas-
sin-berry wine (see area 10). and hid two flasks of the
stuff inside the pole. The cache also contains a charm
of plant command (see appendix 8) and a set of bronzed
ore teeth strung as a necklace (no monetary value).
- KITCHEN
The door into this area from outside is barr icaded from
within the room. It can be forced open with a successful
DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check.
This kitchen shows signs of recent use and is fairly clean.
A kettle is suspended above a large fireplace, and a brick
oven stands nearby. A cutting block bearing half a loaf of
bread stands in the center of the room, next to an empty
table. Shelves for holding dishes and utensils line the
east wall.The kettle contains cold vegetable soup, and the bread is
growing stale.
Locked Door. The west door is locked from the other
side. but can be opened with a successful DC^14 Dexter-
ity check using thieves· tools.
Treasure. A character who searches the kitchen
and succeeds on a DC^14 Intelligence (Investigation)
check discovers a flask of oil of slipperiness hidden in
a cupboard.- LARDER
- The walls of this room were once covered with row upon
row of wooden shelving holding boxes of food stuffs,
but most of those supplies have been strewn across the
floor. A few sausages still hang from hooks in the ceiling
rafters, and an undisturbed bin of potatoes is scooted up
against the rear face of the kitchen's brick hearth.
T his larder once held enough provisions to feed two
dozen people for three days.
Ruined Map. Any search of the larder turns up a sin-
gle piece of damp. crumpled parchment showing barely
legible lines and writing. This is a map dropped here by
one of the drowned ones that ransacked this area. for-
merly a navigator on Tammeraut. (See area^25 for more
infor mation about what happened here.)
T he map shows Firewatch I sland and the nearby
coast, and has diagrams that convey the invaders'
original plans for using the island as a staging ground
for a full-on assault against the mainland. Though the
sailors· map was waterproofed, long years in the depths
have made it all but illegible, and it takes a successful
DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to understand
its markings.
Secret Door. A character who searches the lar der and
succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check
notices that the back slats of the potato bin are built into
the brick of the hearth's rear face. These slats can be
removed to reveal a hollow behind the kitchen fireplace.A ladder within leads down to a secret cellar (area 25),
where the survivors of the prior attack have hidden. The
drowned ones that ransacked the shelves could sense
the nearness of the cleric of the sea god, but the undead
could not find the entrance to the cellar.- GROTTO
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-
tress. A steep path ascends ten feet from a short strand
of beach up to an exterior door. A boat is pulled halfway
up on the beach, its stern riding low in the water.This partially concealed grotto served as an escape
route for the Firewatch Island garrison.
A l arge mass of corpses is barely visible below the wa-
ter's surface near the boat. A character must succeed on
a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check or approach within
5 feet of the water to spot the bodies. which are bound
together in a fishing net.
The bodies are being stored here by the drowned ones
until they can all be transported to the Pit of Hatred,
where they will be turned into more undead to swell the
ranks of Syrgaul's minions. It is Syrgaul's ulti mate plan
to create an army of drowned ones that can lay waste to
populated coastal areas-which, of course, leads to even
more creatures coming under his sway (see "Conclu-
sion·· for more information).
Three chuuls hide beneath the mass of corpses.
These creatures were attracted by blood in the water,
and have been feeding idly on the bodies below the sur-
face. They arc quick to notice anyone on the shore or
entering the water, lunging out to attack.
Boat. The hermits kept a large rowboat in this area
for fishing and occasional trips to the mainland. It holds
up to eight Medium humanoids and is propelled by oars
and a small sail. When the drowned ones arrived, they
damaged the boat by smashing its hull with rocks to
prevent the hermits from escaping. Anyone approaching
can see that the boat is half submerged and that its hull
has several holes.
Grim Haul. After slaughtering the hermitage's inhab-
itants, the drowned ones gathered the corpses into a
large fishing net they found in the boat. weighted the net
with rocks, and dumped it in the water. After they return
by night to search for other survivors, the undead intend
to drag their load of corpses back to the Pit of Hatred as
a sacrifice to its foul essence.
The thirteen corpses are mostly humans and half-
elves, along with one dwarf. All show signs of vicious
stabbing and slashing wounds. broken bones. and blunt
trauma. The bodies have been dead for about a day and
submerged since daw n.
T hese corpses can be interrogated with a speak with
dead spell. None of the dead hermits understands why
the hermitage was attacked, but they can provide luridly
detailed information about the nature of their undead
attackers.< llAPI LR 7 I \~l~!F:RAIJ"T 'S 1 \IP