Archon of the Archipelago

 Four Fingers is bound to protect the treasure of the Atharis Archipelago by any means necessary.

 Four Fingers shares a strong emotional bond with his pet and familiar, the reanimated parrot named Jazz. 

 Four Fingers is easy to anger and prone to making strategic errors in his fits of fury.

Locals know that those who venture too close to the Atharis Archipelago risk never returning home. The archipelago is a small chain of islands formed above the Atharis coral reef, situated off the coast of the nation of Prossau. Throughout history, those aware of the archipelago thought little of it, for the islands are not rich in natural resources. Their proximity to oceanic trade routes meant they were previously explored on a handful of occasions, but if anything of note came of these expeditions, the insights have since been lost to history.

At some point in the not-too-distant past, however, the legendary warlock pirate captain Lucille “the Succubus” Hallewell, nearing the end of her life, decided that the archipelago would make a suitable burial site for her vast fortune. The captain and her crew dug a vast vault deep within the archipelago and filled it with several lifetimes' worth of treasure. Unable to bear the idea of her wealth falling into the hands of another, Lucille knew that a guardian of her treasure should persist after her death. In a pact with her patron of the Near Beyond, Lucille sacrificed her own life and the lives of her entire crew to perform a ritual that would ensure that her treasure would have its immortal protector. 

Unfortunate circumstance designated Four Fingers, captain of 

, as that immortal protector. While Four Fingers and his crew were conducting privateering business on behalf of Prossau in proximity to Atharis, Lucille’s ritual called forth a terrifying storm that crashed their ship against the rocky outcroppings of the archipelago, sending it into the sea. The ship, however, scarcely reached the bottom before it and its crew were repurposed to suit their new calling. The splintered fragments of the 

were bound together using Four Finger’s spirit to create a shipwreck golem that would guard the archipelago. Four Fingers’ crew were also raised as drenched ones to aid their captain in his new task. Though the captain and his crew retain vague awareness of their past lives, they are now singularly focused on protecting the archipelago and safeguarding the spectacular treasure buried there. They maintain outposts across Atharis to defend it from all approaches, many of which were originally constructed by Lucille and her crew. In addition to Lucille’s treasure locked within her vault, Four Fingers has amassed a small wealth of his own from the ships he has plundered through his protection of the islands. 

 serve as Four Fingers’ faithful crew. Though the original drenched ones that drowned alongside Four Fingers on 

 serve him in death just as they did in life, subsequent shipwrecks along the archipelago have bolstered their ranks with new recruits similarly bound by the magic of Lucille’s ritual. Some unsuspecting ships that sail too close to the archipelago’s waters have been forcibly commandeered by the drenched ones to join the ranks of the Four Fingers’ small navy. 

  Four Fingers' first mate, Goodwin, has been a friend of the captain since both of them were children. Goodwin is the only one in the world who Four Fingers believes will never betray him. All secrets known to Four Fingers are shared by the first mate. When The Atharis Pact raised four Fingers and his crew, Goodwin was afflicted differently by the ritual than the rest of the crew who became drenched ones, and instead was transformed into 

Jazz, Four Fingers’ favored pet, went down with the captain and his ship and was similarly brought back by Lucille’s ritual as a 

. Jazz shares a telepathic link with Four Fingers, and spends most of his time flying around the archipelago serving as an extra set of eyes and ears for the captain. 

 named Mirgeth has laired in the reef below the archipelago since before the arrival of Lucille. Mirgeth has agreed to help Four Fingers and his crew defend the archipelago in exchange for a portion of the captain’s pillaged loot from captured ships. Mirgeth does not feel particularly strongly about this alliance, however, as he has become increasingly annoyed at the growing presence of activity around the reef as Four Fingers expands his crew. 

Linyth the Hatred, Bloodwidow Harpy of the Bloody Band. 

The Bloody Band is a faction of harpies led by Linyth the Hatred, a 

. They make their home on the southern tip of Atharis and have persisted since before Lucille buried her treasure on the archipelago. The Bloody Band has formed an alliance of convenience with Four Fingers and his crew; the harpies help protect the archipelago from outsiders in exchange for receiving a portion of captives from any ships captured by the drenched ones. 

 that linger around the Atharis Archipelago are an unwitting defensive feature of the islands. Drawn to the supernatural presence of Four Fingers and his crew, the jellyfish pose serious hazard to any creatures who linger too long in their coastal waters. During a jellyfish bloom, the creatures coalesce in numbers large enough to rock vessels such as rowboats or smaller fishing boats, potentially capsizing them and dumping their occupants into the water.

The players may wish to explore the Atharis Archipelago for a number of reasons. A couple of these reasons are outlined below.

A mysterious man approaches the party in a tavern, claiming to be the grandson of a member of Lucille’s crew. He wants to avenge the memory of his grandfather, and explains that he is willing to share with the party everything he knows about the archipelago and her treasure in exchange for a small fraction of the hoard should the party recover it. 

A trade ship scheduled to arrive in port is nowhere to be found. Its route took it within proximity of the Atharis Archipelago, and locals have begun to spread rumors about its demise there.  Perhaps an NPC known to the characters was present on the ship, or perhaps a wealthy merchant has offered the party a handsome sum to confirm if the ship did wreck on the rocks of Atharis. The rumors are accurate, as the ship was captured by Four Fingers and his crew. Many of its occupants were slain, but a few survivors were handed over to the harpies of the Bloody Band. 

This former ship captain unknowingly stumbled upon an old treasure he was never supposed to find. Powerful magic has turned him and his crew into its new protector. 