RotR Articles

Temple Protections

Ages ago, during the golden age of whatever civilization created the most powerful magic items of your setting, a temple was erected to protect something very dangerous. I've first two rooms of the jungle temple that I use in the 1-shot that I run for new DnD players. These first two rooms that I present guard Trafalgar's tomb in my adventure. The players are racing to brave the challenges of the temple and claim whatever lies within before their pursuers.

Disclaimer. The mechanics present in this article are still a draft. They are very potent and as such require editing and testing before recommended use at your tables.

The singular entrance and exit to Za’Ul’s Sanctum is protected by a squadron of highly specialized hero-killing golems. These guards attack any creature that enters Za’Ul’s Sanctum without his express permission. 

A Cutting From The Tree of Light

The Elves of the Garden are not born of other Elves, they are highly concentrated sparks of magic that develop sentience. The wood elves of the Verdant Wode are hewn branches from the Tree of Light. When they bask in the presence of the tree, their vitality is renewed. When they spend too much time away from it, their magic dissipates and they start to vanish.

In the year 6035, Za’Ul left his stronghold and ventured to claim the souls of the tree elves. He took on the mantle of Godrik and used powerful transmutation magic to alter his appearance. 

In the Garden, there are wonderous materials and creatures with densely concentrated magic. The Tree of Light that spawns the Tree Elves is one. Another of these wonders is the loathe stone of the Bazvania mountains. Loathe stone is a rare ore that has a potent effect on the emotions of sentient creatures that venture too close to its alluring glow. Though loathe stone is dangerous, it is also immensely valuable. Through proper application of arcana, its naturally harmful effects can be transmuted to instead produce potent magical effects.

Gradios was the Dragon King of the Gradium Empire, predating even the rise of The City State of Yarta. He was slain by Emery marking the start of the Sunless Age when the Queen of Dragons was unleashed upon the world.

Years before it revealed the secrets of Lichdom to Za’Ul, the Book of Yarta informed a young Mathis Faberman VII about a bit of magic it called the Seal of Eons. The Book described an impossible ritual that could harness the magical energies of the planet and redirect their flow. It would render most of the planet uninhabitable, but provide a wellspring of life to a single region of the planet.

Welcome to the first of many posts designed to get the materials for the Za'Ul the Lich King encounter in the hands of backers as quickly as possible. Typically, it is my preference to post finished content to distribution sites like DM's Guild or DriveThruRPG. Still, some of the content that I am cooking up is ready for playtesting well before the finished and polished product will be prepared to be sent to backers.