Beneath of the Isles
Secrets of Five Fingers
The various crypts, coves, tunnels, and catacombs beneath the city of Five Fingers offer adventurers an experience as diverse as the isles themselves. From the terrifying beauty of the Chapel of the Dark Twin to the crude, blood-spattered walls of the Death Pits, adventure lurks around every corner.
The underground locales of Five Fingers generally lack the technology necessary to maintain living conditions below sea level. Though many have tried keeping secretive havens in man-made chambers beneath the waves, the ravages of time and weather eventually render such projects impractical.
There is no shortage of coves or tunnels, however, especially on the northern islands that rise significantly above the channels. Navigating these tunnels can be treacherous without detailed understanding of the tides. Many an adventurer has died beneath the islands after finding the path he used hours earlier inexplicably filled with water.
If you thought that Five Fingers had plenty of potential in its mean streets and rooftops, taking the adventure underground can prove just as exciting.
Setup for Adventure
Here are just a few examples of what heroes could discover within the various tunnels, coves, and secret passageways hidden beneath Five Fingers. Use use appropriate skill tests with moderate, challenging and difficult class to find these locations.
Orgoth Exposed — Many of the unguarded tunnels and structures beneath Five Fingers remain from a time better left forgotten. Labyrinthine passages and interconnected chambers form the black heart of the ancient island fortress of the Orgoth. The scourge the invaders inflicted during their hasty departure from Five Fingers left many of these ruins disjointed and much of their legacy buried beneath tons of rock. Excavating such ruins of the past is dangerous work, but scholars frequently advertise for experienced adventurers willing to throw caution to the wind in hopes of uncovering ancient secrets.
Stolen Goods — Piracy, theft, extortion, black marketeering — Five Fingers has no shortage of illegally obtained goods changing hands. Underground coves and caves make ideal hiding spots for such items. Interested parties might hire a group of adventurers to retrieve stolen property or transport it safely to the proud new owners.
Fight Club — Though no one talks about them publicly, underground fights of varying degrees of popularity and secrecy exist on each of the main islands. The Death Pits of bloodthirsty High Captain Waernuk are the most famous, and the most exclusive, but with the right contacts and some gold in the right hands, adventurers could easily find their way into such a club. Alternatively, they could meet up with someone whose only hope for survival has become getting out of such a club.
The Dark Twin — The septs of Thamar operate extensively beneath Five Fingers. Whether drifting among the mass graves of Hospice’s Chatterstones or performing dark rites in the Thamarite cathedral on Captain’s Isle, adventurers beneath Five Fingers must remain on their guard against Thamarites.
A Life of Crime — Characters spending their time beneath the streets of Five Fingers have all the gaming options presented in the “Turning to a Life of Crime” callout in Chapter Four of Five Fingers: Port of Deceit. Activities such as gambling and smuggling are plentiful if one knows where to look. The gains offered by such activities (in terms of both reputation and gold) are halved underground, but the risk of exposure to the authorities is halved as well. The Fingers Watch has its hands full trying to keep the streets safe without worrying about what might go on beneath them, although Watch Inspectors often find their cases taking them below the streets.
General Locations
Though the specifics differ greatly from island to island, certain types of underground locations appear throughout Five Fingers. When adventurers stumble upon an entrance to a tunnel or cove beneath the isles unexpectedly, consult the table below to determine the general type of location found. Do not give players the status of ruins or caves upon first discovery, but let them quickly gain information about the locale as their characters interact with their surroundings.
Stable Ruins or Caves
Interlopers picked most of the more stable ruins or caves clean of ancient treasure and relics long ago, but like the tides of Meredius, the caverns’ ownership changes through the decades, and new treasures (as well as new dangers) replace the old. Though unused caves do not pose a great risk of cave-in or angry tenants, the danger of creatures inhabiting the caves still accounts for the frequent deaths of those who ill-equipped to deal with lurking buzzard beetles, onkar, or vektiss (see MN1). Many unused caves also serve as passageways between more exotic locales beneath the isles, so one must always tread lightly.
Unstable Rubble or Cave-In
Whether a result of the Orgoth Scourge, an enterprising yet hapless miner, or the travels of burrowing creatures, areas of deep rubble or entirely blocked passages commonly appear beneath Five Fingers. These regions have fragmented the underground into an erratic smattering of caves rather than mimicking the lattice of the streets above them. Due to their largely untouched nature, areas of rubble and cave-ins remain a location of great interest to treasure-seekers and adventurers despite the fact that dozens disappear each year while exploring these locations. The most common encounters in these areas are cave-ins (see Cave-ins and Collapses, DMG, pg. 66), although natural beasties such as those found in stable ruins or caves may still choose to make these dangerous regions their homes.
Historical or Religious Site
Though the Orgoth destroyed what they could before leaving the islands, a number of Orgoth prisons, torture chambers, meeting halls, and shrines remain hidden deep beneath the streets of Five Fingers. These locations have much to offer scholars and treasure-seekers, but the extent of dark Orgoth magic remaining here makes them very dangerous. Foul creatures such as dreads and excrutiators (see MN1) have fed on the lingering dark energies and grown strong. They do not take well to intrusion upon their ancient homes.
Summoner’s Refuge
(See Shrines, Five Fingers: Port of Deceit, pg. 52.) Any wishing to bargain with the Infernals will find the infernalist library known as the “Summoner’s Refuge” a valuable resource. Scion Ekris greatly favors those who contribute to the lore of the Refuge and guides them along the path to greater intimacy with the dark powers.
This requires an offering of an original treatise on infernalism based upon personal experience (worth 25+ gp) or a book on infernalism not already a part of the grim archive (worth 100+ gp). Infernalists whose gift and faith the Lord of the Chosen finds sufficient receive a +2 profane bonus on all Diplomacy skill checks for a week. Forged documents given as offerings automatically fail to please the scion and curse the petitioner with a -2 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks for a month. This requires a DC 24 Gather Information check (DC 14 for Thamarites who claim Scion Ekris as their patron).
Most of the historical and religious sites in the naturally occurring caves or coves of Five Fingers hold little danger to her citizens. For example, a smuggler’s cove on Bull’s Island now houses a small shrine to Ascendant Doleth due to the deathbed conversion of Captain Dorian “Bloodspike” Waites. Once a den of ruthless evil, it now stands as a place of hope for travelers of the seas. Thamar’s worship exerts a strong influence in Five Fingers, however, and several smaller shrines exist underground where worshippers can practice their beliefs in secrecy. Scion Khorva’s Shrine of the Silent Blade and Scion Ekris’ Summoner’s Refuge are just two examples of less pleasant religious sites beneath Five Fingers.
Squatter Residence
Disjointed cavern and tunnel sections beneath the city rarely draw the attention of influential criminal, political, or merchant interests. They serve instead as residences for the poor, the dispossessed, or the ostracized. Though most of these small subterranean residences house down-on-their-luck Thurians or Tordorans, a few boast more exotic tenants. A small group of satyxis has a secluded base beneath Doleth, and rumors continually circulate of a minor but growing tribe of bog trogs residing in a fresh-water marsh beneath Hospice.
Storage Area
Short tunnel sections are typically used to store goods. Most shops and taverns on the more elevated northern islands (Bull’s Island and the Twin Islands) have at least some degree of underground storage due to space constraints on the surface. Captain’s Isle also has a significant quantity of underground storage areas, but most rests in the hands of the High Captains rather than shopkeepers or tavern owners. They make ideal caches for goods or weapons the High Captains wish to keep away from the prying eyes of the Fingers Watch. Hospice Island lacks these hidden storehouses due to its low elevation above sea level, which makes it extremely difficult to keep the chambers dry. These areas present no intrinsic danger to adventurers, but their owners do not take kindly to uninvited guests. Known associates (or silver-tongued intruders) can avoid confrontation and may even find work as runners delivering money or goods to casinos, black markets, or hidden docks.
Black Market
With gold and the right contacts, almost any type of good can also be located in the black markets of Five Fingers. Black marketeers utilize arcane, mechanikal, and alchemical means to disguise their presence. Black markets beneath the streets of Five Fingers boast the same forbidden goods and services but cater to more exotic fare such as slaves, Cryxian goods, and proscribed tomes. One could traverse the mazes of Orgoth passages and natural tunnels beneath Five Fingers for weeks without ever stumbling upon a particular item for purchase. Tunnel urchins known as “blackpenny guides” offer their services readily, but many work for underground highwaymen more interested in lightening coin purses than in selling illegal goods. The black marketeers beneath the isles have a strict code and do not hesitate to slit the throats of those who threaten their business or reveal their location.
Pit Fighting Arena
Much like the black markets of Five Fingers, the pit fighting arenas beneath the streets mirror those above but with a darker complexion born of an existence away from casual observers. Underground pit fighting arenas appear more commonly in areas of Orgoth ruins than in naturally occurring caverns. Tales of ancient torture and carnage lend themselves well to brutal blood sports. The average pit fighting arena has little security, yet also has little to lose. They simply offer diversion from city life, and many permit fighters to enter the contests off the streets. Though far more brutal than the organized fights in the Southhold Warehouse Arena, most of these arenas take precautions to prevent the death of their participants. Waernuk’s Death Pits (see below) are an exception to the rule. Their security is tight, their income is high, and death is a certainty.
Hidden Haven or Port
Though the dangers of cave-ins, wild beasts, and bloody arenas may sound like cause for alarm, the hideouts and coves used by gangs, smugglers, and pirates constitute the most dangerous locales beneath the surface of the islands. These locations, strictly off-limits to non-members, can quickly lead
to a “kill or be killed” scenario for trespassers. Many pirate coves also boast an additional danger of drowning if one is marooned there when the tides rise (see Water Dangers, DMG, pg. 304).
Specific Locations
Waernuk’s Death Pits
One can find pit fighting in towns across the Iron Kingdoms. Combatants range from gobbers to gorax. The stakes of these games also vary greatly — some grant little but bragging rights while others determine the leadership of an entire village or clan. Though pit fighting is a found throughout Immoren, High Captain Waernuk has taken the blood sport to a new level of violence and a new level of profit.
Waernuk keeps the location of his Death Pits a well-guarded secret, and individuals without a great deal of fame and influence within Five Fingers (a reputation score of 30 or greater) can expect to spend hundreds of gold just to learn the time, date, and location of one fight night. Fight nights occur every week, but the date and location changes constantly, even moving from island to island, meaning fight enthusiasts must be in the know.
Deep within Orgoth ruins, the main event at each of Waernuk’s pit fights features no limits on the betting or the bloodshed. Fighters circle one another in former Orgoth torture chambers under the watchful eyes of wealthy merchants, influential politicians, and silent Orgoth visages stained by the blood of past fighters. These final fights of the night feature the barbaric pit blades, cutlass-like swords bristling with barbs, spikes, and blades.
Waernuk’s stable of fighters for the early rounds includes hardened criminals and experienced gangers. Some of the current crowd favorites include Barnabas Laszlo (male Umbrian Ftr8/Rog3), an escapee from Blackstone Prison, and Mitchell Swain (male Scharde Enf6/Rog7), former captain of the Bitter End, a schooner in Waernuk’s pirate fleet. Unlike the early rounds of the fight nights, the featured death matches involve fighters largely unknown to the audience. Past “volunteers” include lieutenants who have failed Waernuk, officers of rival interests and gangs, watchmen or watch inspectors who began to interfere with his business, and even merchants or politicians who avoided paying their debts. As the only “no limits” fight of the night, the use of unknown fighters ensures that the Death Pits remain a highly profitable business.
Pit Blade
The official weapon of Wearnuk’s Death Pits, the pit blade bears a passing resemblance to a short sword twisted nearly beyond recognition. Bristling with barbs, hooks, and crossblades, the pit blade is an intimidating weapon in the hands of those who have mastered its intricacies. The pit blade is an exotic one-handed weapon with the barbed (+1 damage) and cleft-bladed (+1 threat range) modifications (IKCG, pg. 176–177). Pit blades are almost never seen outside of the Death Pits and fetch a hefty price on the rare occassions that they surface on the black market.
Chapel of the Dark Twin
Although Bellicose Island has the greatest elevation, the sheer size of Captain’s Isle makes its underground world the largest and most complex. The western portion of the island is laced with tunnels that once comprised the Orgoth naval fortress and interrogation complex, and one could wander for weeks without finding a specific location beneath the isle.
Within the maze-like tunnels of western Captain’s Isle the great Thamarite cathedral known as the Chapel of the Dark Twin lies hidden. This wonder of scavenged Orgoth stonework and dark magic has a beauty truly terrible to behold. The centerpiece of this unholy temple, a great window mosaic of tinted glass and human bones, does not showcase the radiance of the sun with beautiful colors. Rather, this window of darkness opens into a tunnel that never sees daylight and filters only the light from the Baleful Moon, Laris. Instead of brilliant golds and greens, this stained glass horror radiates only sickly purples and bloody reds. The bone altar beneath this wondrous window is known as Thamar’s Bosom, and the rituals performed upon it are among the most sacred of all Thamarite ceremonies.
In addition to the secrecy of the Thamarite septs about the cathedral’s location and the natural defenses provided by the maze of tunnels beneath Captain’s Isle, the Chapel of the Dark Twin boasts both arcane protections and numerous guardians drawn from the ranks of Thamar’s faithful. A permanent unhallow spell tied with dispel magic protects the whole interior of the chape, affecting non-Thamarites entering the area. Experienced warriors and pious clergy of the Dark Twin stand beside powerful undead minions to defend the unholy site with great vigor and stop at nothing to destroy any intruders upon the desecrated ground. The rare few skilled or lucky enough to find their way into the cathedral itself face powerful enemies in the form of the bone pillars of the cathedral. Each an animate construct of Thamar’s dark will, these pillars grow in size each year as the very bones of their victims supplement their strength. Mortayah Telim (female Tordoran Clr9), a woman capable of breaking a man’s mind as easily as his body, oversees the chapel’s defenses. She is said to be on comfortable terms with the chapel’s undead sentries, who heed her commands as well as others of the Shroud sept enlisted to maintain security.
Additional information concerning the chapel’s architecture, layout, defenders, and relics appears in Chapter Six of Five Fingers: Port of Deceit, pg. 131.
The Chatterstones
The Chapel of the Dark Twin is far from the only underground site in Five Fingers that holds great importance for the Septs of Thamar. The mass plague graves beneath Hospice, known as the Chatterstones, are another key location. The minimal presence of the Fingers Watch on Hospice coupled with the sheer quantity of corpses in the shallow graves of the Chatterstones guarantees that a few missing bodies here and there go unnoticed. This is not to say, however, that the tombs aren’t dangerous. Even the boldest necromancer has cause for caution due to the threat of naturally occurring undead such as the disembodied or creatures such as crypt spiders (see MN1) drawn to graves.
The members of the Blackguard (Five Fingers: Port of Deceit, pg. 70) do what they can to combat the threats that rise from the graves of the Chatterstones. Even with assistance from Morrowans within the city, the Blackguard remain ill-equipped to deal with the root of the problem and can only provide a modicum of safety to the poverty-stricken citizens of Hospice Isle. The fact that they even minimally threaten the Thamarites of Five Fingers is both a blessing and a curse. Should the Blackguard ever draw The Shroud’s ire, Coveward Bourg would soon find itself defenseless against the undead menace.
Most members of the Shroud prefer to work alone. A sub-sept known as the Deathkeepers Order, however, has begun to work together to advance their knowledge and provide mutual protection from the dangers of these mass graves. By cooperating rather than competing, the Deathkeepers have rapidly grown in power and influence within the Shroud. Some members of the Shroud’s hierarchy view the Deathkeepers as a threat to eliminate rather than successful members to reward, due to their frequent and shocking experiments.
Deathkeepers
The Deathkeepers, a splinter cabal of the Shroud Thamarite sept specific to Five Fingers and based on Hospice Island, are a tight-knit group which has cultivated bonds of loyalty by recruiting from within families. Deathkeepers are obsessed with necromantic rituals and Scion Delesle is their patron. They are most interested in forming alliances with self-willed undead and encouraging the manifestation of the thinking dead. They have little interest in mindless thralls. Fully half of the Deathkeepers are blood relations of the current leader, Tybal Yorley, including all of his immediate family.
Secrecy: Secret;
Organization: Structured;
Enforcement: Harsh;
Size: Cabal (16~);
Operations: Acquisition (remains of likely candidates for undead rites, such as the corpses of murder victims or murderers), Agenda (befriending self-willed undead), Rituals (fostering the rise of self-willed undead), Worship (Sc. Delesle, Thamar);
Member Assets: 4,000+ gp (dwelling, cover identity, discrete laboratory and storage place for corpses, arcane paraphernalia and occult library); Membership Requirements: Apprenticeship (occult), Legacy (family), Sponsor (current member), Initiation (covert theft of a promising corpse); Leader: Tybal Yorley (male Thurian Nec7/Mal3)
