BACKGROUND
This church belonged to a small cult which worshipped Aredhel, the sacred ur-tree which they claimed was the Mother of the Gods. The cult had a minor renaissance about fifteen years ago, during which time they claimed that the church’s tree was a sapling grown from a cutting of Aredhel herself. Seven years ago, however, the tree was struck by lightning and killed. The cult’s popularity abruptly declined and the church was abandoned.
The church stood vacant for several years and was then purchased by the Vladaams in 747 IA. They’ve used it for storage (and, most importantly, the hidden stash of illicit goods in Area 10).
(Malav Street – Temple District – I4)
THE TEMPLE
The church is entered by climbing stairs up from street level to the large balcony on the second level (Area 1).
Windows: Large windows look into Area 2 from the east and west. Smaller windows look into Areas 7, 8, and 9. Solid glass except for the window in Area 8 (which was broken and then boarded over).
AREA 1 – THE BALCONY OF THE TREE
The balcony has a balustrade of begrimed white marble. The floor is a mosaic of blue and green tiles, although several of the tiles are now missing and the rest are badly weathered.
Trap – Temple Entrance: Anyone crossing the threshold of the church into Area 2 who doesn’t wear a Vladaam deot ring triggers a bestow curse spell (DC 20 Wisdom saving throw to negate). On a failure, their forehead is branded with a “V” sigil which glows bright green and inflicts incredible pain (causing disadvantage on all attack rolls and ability checks).
- DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation), DC 24 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools)
DM Background: It’s become a custom in the neighborhood to pry up bits of the balcony as good luck charms.
AREA 2 – HALL OF THE DIVINE SEED
Statues: Depict Ahaar, the Lord of Air, and Gaen, Goddess of Light, kneeling as if in subservience towards the tree in Area 3.
Pillars: These pillars are designed to dispense some sort of small nodule. (Four dispensaries per pillar.) The mechanism still works, but nothing comes out.
- DM Background: The pillars would dispense small silver “seeds” that would be swallowed to produce an intoxicating effect on supplicants before they descended into the lower halls of worship.
AREA 3 – THE GREAT MOTHER
The tree is long dead, but still stand proudly. Its bark is papery-thin and silver-grey in color.
AREA 4 – THE ASCENT OF GODHOOD
The floor here is molded to resemble grass and dirt and is sloped steeply towards from the tree, forcing anyone proceeding towards Area 6 to climb up.
DM Background: Symbolically this mirrors the journey of the Ahaar, Gaen, and the other gods out of the Grove of Aredhel. So, too, do worshipers move out of divine grace and into the deeper mysteries of the cult.
AREA 5 – PRIESTS’ QUARTERS
Filled with old, ruined furniture.
Doors: Badly weathered. One hangs loosely by a broken hinge.
DM Background: These were once the quarters of the church’s priests. Simple abode beneath the boughs of the Great Mother.
AREA 6 – HALL
The walls have been marked with crude graffiti, but it’s so worn with age now that it’s impossible to make out.
AREA 7 – VLADAAM STORAGE
Several crates have been stacked here, each marked with the Vladaam seal.
- 500 pounds of saffron (worth 7,500 gp).
- 3 crates of purple-and-red linen (worth 3,000 gp)
- A crate containing 700 finely crafted arrows with black shafts. (DC 14 Intelligence check for local knowledge notes that the black shafted arrows identify the arrows as coming from the Red Company of Fletchers. They have a reputation for being favored by assassins in the city.)
- 2 crates containing 50 longswords.
AREA 8 – EMPTY ROOM
This room has been stripped down to the bare stone. The window has been broken and boarded over.
DM Background: Formerly the High Priestess’ chamber.
AREA 9 – EMPTY ROOM
This room has been stripped down to the bare stone.
Mental Alarm: An alarm spell keyed to Aliaster Vladaam is triggered if anyone enters the room who doesn’t wear a Vladaam deot ring.
- DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation), DC 24 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools)
Secret Door – DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation): A loose stone on the windowsill can be depressed, causing the secret door to Area 10 to swing open.
AREA 10 – VLADAAM SECURITY CACHE
Forged Art: A dozen framelss paintings have been propped against the walls here and there. DC 15 Intelligence (History) recognizes numerous famous paintings, with a total worth around 55,000 gp.
- The Heath of Midnight by Collier
- Eyes of the Satyr by Banald
- The Fire of the Gray Forest by Pannal
- The Color of the Gods by Lacas
- Beneath the Southern Sea by Lacas
- The Nine Eyes by Lacas
- Guildcrafters of Sarlush by Supparo
- The Valley of the Street by Supparo
- The Forbidden Love of the Gods by Pannal
- The Warrior’s Gauntlet by Pannal
- The Blooded Claw by Kabuto
- At Anchor at Dohrinthas by Heffala
DC 21 Intelligence (History) or Wisdom (Perception) recognizes one of the paintings as a forgery, plus one additional painting per point of success. (All of the paintings are forgeries.)
Dagger of the Black Sapphire: The dagger of the black sapphire is a +1 silvered dagger. Its hilt has a large black sapphire (cut into the shape of s dagger) embedded in it (so that it can be seen from both sides of the hilt). If someone is slain by the dagger, their soul is drawn into the gemstone and held there. Over the course of a year and a day, the soul is slowly consumed (during which time the victim cannot be revived or resurrected by any means). The holder of the dagger can speak with dead once per month to communicate with the soul. Only one soul can be held by the dagger at a time and it will not capture another until it has consumed a soul it currently holds. Shattering the gemstone releases the imprisoned soul.
- Current Occupant: A man named Makett who was a former member of the Red Company of Surveyors. He made the mistake of embezzling money from the Vladaams, and the even bigger mistake of getting caught. He does know several pertinent pieces of information regarding the Vladaams (conveying all the information on the notable guild houses and also 1d4+1 random bits of information from the gather information tables). He also suspects the presence of hidden chambers with the Surveyor’s guild headquarters (but he was not a member of the Brotherhood of Yrkyth, see Part 14: Surveyor’s Headquarters).
Black Lotus Poison: 3 vials of black lotus extract (7d8+30 poison damage and the poisoned condition, DC 17 Constitution saving throw for half damage and no poisoned condition).
- Attached Note: “Make sure payment is passed to Master Thornai for the concoction and Captain Hinmos for retrieving the lotus blooms.”
- DC 18 Charisma (Investigation): Thornai is the Master Alchemist at the alchemical lab on Black Street (see Part 7: Alchemical Labs).
- DC 14 Charisma (Inveistgation): Captain Hinmos is of the God’s Pearl, one of the Fleet of Iron Sails (see Part 9: Fleet of Iron Sails).
DM Background: This area was originally designed as a safe room where the priests could hide in case of religious persecution. The Vladaams use it as a place to store hot or risky items.
AREA 11 – HALL OF WORSHIP
Several rows of dusty pews, including one which has partially collapsed, face a dais on the far side of the chamber.
Dais: There are signs that an altar once stood here, but it’s been removed (leaving only bolt holes in the floor).
AREA 12 – MURAL OF THE GREAT MOTHER
A painting of a silver-barked and silver-leafed tree fills the wall of this alcove. Depictions of Ahaar and Gaen, their holy symbols tattooed or burned onto their chests, stand below the tree, and seventeen huge, cocoon-like seedpods depend from the boughs of the trees (each marked with a holy symbol of a different god).
A dry and empty pool is slightly raised from the floor in front of the mural.
