Who the Senkamati Were
The Senkamati are an ancient people whose ruins dot the archipelago of Windrose. Their civilization vanished long before the European arrivals that frame the game's pirate-era setting; the player encounters them only through the artifacts they left behind, the ruins they built, the murals they painted on the walls of Stargazer Towers, and the corrupted descendants and asset family that bear their name. The Senkamati are the strongest lore hook for the archipelago's pre-pirate history and the only confirmed indigenous civilization referenced in the launch build.
How the Senkamati Show up In-Game
Senkamati content reaches the player through four overlapping channels:
Ruins and dig sites: Ancient ruins scattered across the Foothills, Coastal Jungle, and Cursed Swamps biomes. Ancient chests inside these ruins hold the nine Senkamati artifacts plus the ancient region keys that unlock sealed chests.
Senkamati Artifacts: Nine relic items sold to the Smugglers of Port Royal. The set splits into three Uncommon (Wooden Talisman, Bone Beads, Clay Vase, 5 Piastre each), three Epic (Ancient Chalice, Ancient Incense Burner, Pot with Golden Horns, 1 Guinea each), and three Legendary (Gold Mask of the Priest, Gold Temple Jug, Gold Vase of the Chief, 5 Guinea each). Smugglers pay in Guinea for Epic and Legendary artifacts; the canonical exchange rate at the Smugglers buyer is 20 Piastre per Guinea, so a Legendary sells for 100 Piastre when converted back.
Corrupted Senkamati enemies: Tribal humanoid spellcasters and warriors aligned with the plague forces deep in the Cursed Swamps. The Senkamati Shaman Healer is the support caster; it heals or buffs adjacent corrupted Senkamati and is a priority kill on every pull. Senkamati enemies share the Human, Undead, Plague trait set.
Senkamati Giant template: An asset family used for the high-HP melee bruisers in the Cursed Swamps. The Plague Berserker (5,520 HP, 270 Crude per swing, 325 Crude AoE), Plague Crusher, and the Chick Chan quest variant all share this template. Stagger Defence 5 means most single hits will not poise-break, so high-poise weapons or the Boar Whistle's Truffle companion are the standard counter.
Lore Reading: Murals I-III and the Clay Tablets
The richest narrative window into the Senkamati comes from the murals carved into the walls of Stargazer Tower sites and the Clay Tablets collected throughout the world. Read together they describe a settled, ritual-focused civilization with priests, fishermen, hunters, and chiefs (the three Legendary artifacts are explicitly tied to those three social roles: Priest's mask, Chief's vase, and a Temple jug). The fact that plague-corrupted descendants are still active in the Cursed Swamps suggests the same supernatural force that fuels the swamp's corruption is responsible for what happened to the original Senkamati people.
Senkamati and the Plague
The exact mechanism that turned the Senkamati into the corrupted enemies the player fights is not spelled out in launch-build dialogue. The most consistent reading across the artifacts, murals, and creature traits is that the same older powers behind the Cursed Swamps corruption (and possibly behind the pact Edward Teach struck for his undead fleet) reached into the Senkamati priesthood long before the European arrivals, with the Cursed Swamps being the heart of that earlier corruption rather than its leading edge. The High Priestess boss is the Cursed Swamps capstone fight and the most direct narrative tie between the Senkamati past and the current swamp threat.
Practical Player Notes
Stack Senkamati artifacts at base and sell them in bulk at the Smugglers of Port Royal Buyer. Bank Guinea rather than converting back to Piastre; Guinea-priced Smuggler inventory is the bigger win.
Uncommon artifacts stack to 20, Epic to 5, Legendary to 1. Plan inventory slots accordingly on long ruin dives, especially when the Ancient Foothills Key or Ancient Swamp Key has unlocked a sealed chest cluster.
Senkamati Giant family fights reward poise-break tools more than raw damage. Bring a Halberd, Truffle from the Boar Whistle, or any high-Stagger weapon.
Senkamati Shaman Healers should be opened with a ranged shot to interrupt the cast bar; otherwise they extend the rest of the pull's effective HP through heals and buffs.
See Also
Senkamati Artifacts full nine-artifact list with Smuggler payouts.
Senkamati Shaman Healer plague-aligned support caster.
Plague Berserker Senkamati Giant family elite.
Plague Crusher Senkamati Giant family bruiser tied to the warlord's death site.
Chick Chan the unique Senkamati Giant quest boss.
Clay Tablets pre-pirate lore collectibles.
Cursed Swamps the heart of the Senkamati corruption.
Smugglers of Port Royal the faction that buys Senkamati artifacts.