CHAPTER 7: TAMMERAUT's FATE
IVE YEARS ACO, A llERMITACE DEVOTED TO
the contemplation of nature was established
in an abandoned island fortress, once the
site of a beacon meanl to warn against inva-
sion from the sea. The folk of the hermitage
opened the island to people of all faiths,
promising a place for those seeking solitude
and peace. But that peace has now been shat-
tered. and the characters must determine what force of
evil has slain the residents of Firewatch island almost
to the last-and how to prevent the even greater trag-
edy to come.
Tammeraut's Fate is an adventure designed for four to
six 9th-level characters.
BACKGROUN D
Several years ago, a fearsome pirate named Syrgaul
sailed the sea aboard his war galley, Tammeraut.
Syrgaul and his crew showed no mercy to those who
crossed their path. killing the crews of those ships that
fell prey to him.
Syrgaul was a mighty sorcerer, and his crew was
bloodthirsty and skilled in both sailing and killing.
Worse still, Syrgaul claimed allegiance to Orcus, the de-
mon lord of the undead.
Orcus did indeed seem to favor Syrgaul, who often
benefited from strong winds in his sails and swirl-
ing currents that prevented his prey from escaping.
In return. the pirate captain made sacrifices to the
demon lord.
Syrgaul eventually met his end just over ten years
ago. As he and his crew approached a naval post called
Firewatch Island to plunder it, a priest garrisoned at
the outpost implored the sea god. Procan. for mercy.
Whether because of luck or because the cleric's prayers
were answered, a sudden storm swept through the area,
capsizing Tammeraut and sending the ship to the bot-
tom of the sea.
TAMMERAUT'S SECRET
The sinking of Tammeraut did not spell the end for Syr-
gaul and his band of pirates. As his ship plunged into the
sea. he called out to his fiendish patron. Orcus heeded
his call and imbued Syrgaul and his crew with undeath,
the twisted form of immortality he offers his followers.
The pirates, now fully under Orcus's thrall. emerged
from the wreckage and marched across the seabed to
Firewatch Island. They overran the garrison and carried
the remains back to their wrecked ship. There, with
Orcus's instruction, they began the laborious process
of opening the Pit of Hatred, a rift to the Abyss that can
transform corpses into drowned ones.DEATH I N THE NIGHT
After the raid by Syrgaul's undcad minions, the garrison
at Firewatch Island remained empty for several years.
The undead were careful to leave behind no sign of theirpresence, such that the next ship to drop anchor there
found the place abandoned, its defenders seemingly van-
ished. The place was considered c ursed for some time
thereafter and remained abandoned until five years ago.
At that time, a minor order of monks, hermits, and
contemplatives moved in and claimed the island as their
home. The old garrison fort has been repaired and re-
built as a place of peaceful living.
Unfortunately for the island's latest residents. their
peaceful reverie has been ruined. Syrgaurs crew has
finally completed the work of preparing the Pit of Ha-
tred. Now, they need humanoid corpses to feed into
the pit and spawn more drowned ones like themselves.
The hermits ofFirewatch Is land make the perfect
first recruits.ADVENTURE SUMMARY
The adventure begins with the characters traveling
along the coast and arriving in the nearby village of Us-
karn, they learn that the villagers are concerned about
the hermitage that stands on an island in the adjacent
bay. The village druid, Vortanim, asks the characters to
investigate and make sure the hermitage is safe.
When they arrive at Firewatch Island. the characters
discover a grisly scene. Evidence of a fatal battle and
the presence of dangerous scavengers gives little hope
of finding anyone alive. But when a handful of survivors
a re discovered hidden in a bolt-hole, the characters
learn about the dark fate of the hermitage and its people.
More important, they come to understand that after the
drowned ones have finished hunting the last residents of
Firewatch Island, the undead will turn their attention to
the settlements of the coast becoming an unstoppable
army of undead.
As darkness falls, the drowned ones that attacked
the hermitage the previous night return to finish the
job. The characters must defend themselves and the
s urvivors, using the assault as an opportunity to destroy
the drowned ones before their threat can spread. After
doing so, the characters learn of the island's history and
how it connects to the undead attacks. They then have
a chance to destroy the underwater source of evil-the
twisted undead captain Syrgaul. Seeking the undead
in his watery lair, they discover the damaged magical
seal that once kept the portal inside the Pit of Hatred
closed. Only by resealing the rift can they end its corrup-
tion for good.ADVENTURE HOOKS
You can use this adventure at any point in your cam-
paign when the characters are traveling on a remote
coastal road. You might have them drawn into the
mystery by chance. trusting the players to want to ex-
plore the devastated hermitage. rescue the survivors,
and learn what happened. Alternatively, consider ei-
ther of the following hooks to get the characters to the
hermitage.
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