Salvator R. Tarnmoor

For those same islands seeming now and than,
Are not firme land, nor any certein wonne,
But stragling plots which to and fro do ronne
In the wide waters; therefore are they hight
The Wandering Islands; therefore do them shonne;
For they have oft drawne many a wandring wight
Into most deadly daunger and distressed plight;
For whosoever once hath fastened
His foot thereon may never it secure
But wandreth evermore uncertain and unsure.
—Herman Melville, “The Encantadas”

Salvator R. Tarnmoor

Statistics
Age 34, Nationality: American, Birthplace: New York City 1811. Call of Dagon Stage 1.

Combat

Skills
Accounting 5%, Anthropology 10%, Appraise 50%, Archeology 1%, Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 15%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 35%, Art/Craft (Cooperage) 15%, Art/Craft (Telling Outrageous Lies) 85%, Art/Craft (Writing) 60%, Artillery 1%, Charm 30%, Climb 75%, Credit Rating 5%, Demolitions 1%, Disguise 50%, Fast Talk 75%, First Aid 45%, History 35%, Hypnosis 1%, Intimidate 20%, Jump 55%, Law 5%, Leadership 20%, Library Use 20%, Listen 65%, Locksmith 1%, Mechanical Repair 50%, Medicine 15%, Natural World 40%, Navigate 40%, Occult 5%, Operate Heavy Machinery 25%, Persuade 25%, Pilot (Boat) 60%, Psychology 20%, Read Lips 10%, Renown 15%, Ride 15%, Science (Astronomy) 10%, Science (Meteorology) 15%, Seamanship 60%, Sea Lore 80%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 50%, Stealth 80%, Survival 70%, Swim 50%, Throw 40%, Track 50%, Whalecraft 50%.

Languages: English native; Italian 15%, Dutch 10%.

Description

The quintessential isolato, Salvator R. Tarnmoor is a wiry, bearded man dressed in duckcloth trousers, the threadbare coat of a Peruvian colonel, and a tattered straw hat with an iguana-skin band. His moccasins are hand-crafted from dog-hide, and when he feels himself in peril, he trades his straw hat for a helmet improvised from a small tortoise shell. But it’s his necklace that draws the envy of all onlookers—a cord of rawhide bedecked with dozens of blue-footed booby feet.

History
Born in New York City to an Italian mother and a Knickerbocker father, Salvator R. Tarnmoor received a decent education at the Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, and was expected to enter his father’s printing business. Instead he dropped out of the eleventh grade and ran away to sea. Having served—and deserted—countless whaling ships, Tarnmoor is a fairly competent harpooneer and seaman. His last assignment was on the Acushnet, but he’s been comfortably living on Albemarle Island since 1841, trading tortoise oil and fresh vegetables to passing whalers. Possessing something of a literary streak, Tarnmoor keeps a journal which contains all manner of fanciful sketches about “The Encantadas.”

The Role of Salvator Tarnmoor

Salvator Tarnmoor is a wild card, and may be used by the Keeper to add an unpredictable element to the scenario.

Tarnmoor’s Goals
Over the course of his residence at “Tarnmoor’s Lagoon,” Tarnmoor became convinced he was being watched by an organized group of castaways. A week before the Quiddity arrived at Albemarle, he decided to explore Volcán Wolf and find these “secret watchers” and “garden plunderers.” Accompanied by his blunderbuss and faithful dog Pilot, Tarnmoor came across the Republic of Caliban just as they were dragging their new captive, Geoffrey Turrick, to the caldera cave. For the last few days, he’s been haunting the slopes of the volcano, assessing the general threat and formulating a plan.

Tarnmoor and the Player Characters
No friend of Quiring or the Calibans, Tarnmoor may sympathize with the player characters, and come to their rescue if they are captured. Alternatively, if the Quids are able to handle themselves, Tarnmoor may spontaneously join their ranks in expectation of some kind of reward—he may even join the crew, should the Quiddity be in need of any replacement sailors. (This is why Tarnmoor has been given a full set of stats.)

Tarnmoor and Mocha Dick
If interrogated about Mocha Dick, Tarnmoor spins a yarn about encountering the White Whale off the coast of Nuka Hiva. This colorful tale ends with Tarnmoor single-handedly slaying the beast with a harpoon! Fortunately for Captain Joab, the story is a pure hogwash. Tarnmoor has never laid eyes on Mocha Dick, and substitutes fabulous embellishments for accurate descriptions—“Oh, aye, the whale was huge, and sported a great big unicorn tusk to boot!” Not that Joab needs any convincing of the man’s unreliability, but a simple Psychology roll confirms he’s making things up to entertain or please his audience. Salvator Tarnmoor claims that one day he’ll write a “whole damn novel about Mocha Dick,” an assertion that may certainly trouble Redburn!

Possessions
Tarnmoor lives on an island near Banks Cove, as described in Chapter 4, Encounter 8. His only possession of note is a French espingole, a flintlock blunderbuss with a brass barrel. Loaded with five .69-caliber balls, the blunderbuss has one charge remaining—someone stole Tarnmoor’s supply of powder when he was away from his island. Fortunately the thief (Nigel Vox) left Tarnmoor’s makeshift companion, a leather football decorated with a smiling face and a wig of tangled saltbush.

Pilot (Dog)
Aside from his painted football, Tarnmoor’s other companion is Pilot, a wild dog he befriended in 1842. The very image of the “mangy mutt,” Pilot is fiercely loyal to his master, and has a marked fondness for tortoise eggs.

Combat

Attacks per round: 1 (bite, maul)

Maul: with a successful bite attack, the jaws lock onto the target, delivering 1 HP damage per round after. The victim may escape only by injuring Pilot.

Skills: Fetch 75%, Jump 70%, Listen 75%, Respond to “Good Boy!” 120%, Track (Scent) 80%, Spot Hidden 60%.

Notes & Inspirations for Salvator R. Tarnmoor

Salvator R. Tarnmoor is one of Herman Melville’s lesser-known creations—it was the penname he used when he submitted The Encantadas for publication in Putnam’s Monthly Magazine. The Salvator R. Tarnmoor of White Leviathan is a fictionalized version of Melville—certainly more fictionalized than Redburn!—and represents the author having a little fun. Could Tarnmoor be played by Tom Hanks? Well, who couldn’t be?

White Leviathan > NPC Profiles
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 12 August 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]