- ABANDONED QUARTERS
A cast·iron potbelly stove squats to the north of the
upper level of the fortress's main tower, its stovepipe
extending out the arrow slit to the north. The wooden
frame and slats of an old bed are pushed up against a
spiral staircase that rises to a trapdoor in the ceiling,
leading to the open belfry above. Under an arrow slit
looking toward the island's western peak, a dusty desk is
covered in debris and fresh bird droppings. Hinges hang
on either side of each arrow slit, indicating that at one
time they had shutters to keep out the elements.
A section of the wall to the southwest has collapsed
inward, opening up to the rocky slope of the island's
smaller hill ten feet below. The pile of rubble covers the
smashed remains of a chair.Archais, the wizard of the old Firewatch Island garrison.
once resided in chis chamber. It was he who first gave
the warning of tbe approaching Tammeraut. resulting
in Oloran's desperate prayer to Procan and the ship's re-
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·
initial attack.
The weathering of storms and the salty air has eroded
the mortar in part of the wall, causi ng the collapse. The
room is still secure, but the hermits deemed this area
uninhabitable due to the damage.
The pile of rubble in the southwest corner conceals
a secret compartment in part of the surviving wall, just
south of the west arrow slit. A character who succeeds
on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check while
searching the room discovers the compartment. If the
characters clear the rubble. they automatically find the
compartmenc.
Treasure. One of Archais's hobbies was the underwa-
ter exploration of sunken ships, and this compartment
contains some of the items he used in that pursuit: a
ring of free action. three ounces of oil of slipperiness,
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
metal bacon the size of a torch with continual flame cast
on it, and a small metal container holding six pressure
capsules (see appendix B).
The compartment also contains a leather backpack
where Archais kept his spellbook and his journal. His
spellbook is long lost. but the journal remains inside.
Archais'sjournal r elates his numerous assignments
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-
ers. The final entry on this list gives the location of the
sunken Tammeraut.
Most of the journal is moldy and illegible. The last few
pages are intact. and they relate the events surrounding
the coming of Tammeraut:
t.:11\l'llR? l\~nttR\lf'>~Alf011r worst fears are confirmed. Virgil has bro11ght word of
disaster. A war galley fully loaded with pirates approaches
from the southwest. It flies the flag of the raiders and bears
the name of the c11rsed ship Tammeraut. We must prepare
what feeble defense we can muster. Woe to the folk of the
coast at the approach of this bloody tide.Miracle of miracles! The storm lord has answered the
prayers of our illustrio11s chaplain. A furious storm blew in
from the open sea and swept the war galley to its doom.
But I believe that the vessel went down near the Pit of
Hatred, an ill-starred undersea chasm two miles so11th of
Fire watch Isle. This does not bode well, for tile rift is said to
be a passage to a source of interminable evil that was long
ago sealed away. If the wreckage sho11ld rupture the wards,
terrible darkness might be 11nleashed. I must mo11nt an ex-
pedition to the mnken hulk and make sure all is well.A fell wind blows this evening. I fear the wards on the rift
have been broken. I must set 011t first thing in the morning
to inspect the wreckage.A character who succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (His-
tory) check connects the journal's reference to "raiders''
to the pirate captain Syrgaul. a notorious sorcerer who
forged an unholy pact with the demon lord Orcus. He
and his crew never left survivors of their attacks, and his
ship, Tammeraut, was the scourge of the seas.- ROOF
Heavy, overlapping slate tiles cover the roof of the her-
mitage. In many spots, the mortar holding the tiles in
place has crumbled, and the slates have slid off to shatter
on the ground below. The roof is patched with thatching
in those areas, creating a hodgepodge appearance. A flat
area in the center of the roof provides a platform for de-
fense. with the surrounding roof peaks providing cover.The slate tiles are strong enough to support the weight
of a Large creature, but the scattered areas of thatch
can support only Small creatures. A Medium or larger
creature that attempts to cross a portion of the thatched
roof must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or
fall through into the area below.24-. BELFRY- This open belfry offers a breathtaking view of the open
sea and the distant coast. Four stone corner posts sup-
port the belfry's conical slate roof where it peaks twenty
feet above, with a crenellated battlement running be-
tween them.