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The River-Temple
a follow up on the evil boat hoard from this post
Level 3 Heretic Temple
Crown: the Riverbed Servitors
Riverbed Servitors are humanoid nightmare creatures, cloaked in sodden
black robes. The sludge of riverbed detritus can be seen under their
hoods, shaped into the approximation of a face. Mundane weapons mire in
them as your feet might in a mud flat at low tide.
This boat resembles the trading barges common to rivers in the Kingdoms
of Law, but seems so decrepit as to seem barely afloat. The splintered
remains of oars emerge from their holes in the hull and feebly twist in
the air, no longer able to reach the water. The boat still moves,
however, dragged along from below by unseen hands, the water clouded by
churned up mud.
The ship travels back and forth along the river between 0603 and 1103,
traveling at a rate of 1 hex per day under all weather conditions. It
lingers at 0603 for 1d4 days, and by the mouth of the river in 1103 for
1d4 days. It will only otherwise stop if its passage is blocked (issuing
forth 2d6 Riverbed Servitors per day to clear the obstacle) or if there
is opportunity to invite willing guests aboard.
If the boat spots travelers that are not hostile to it, Matheo will hail
them and attempt to invite them aboard. When you make a reaction roll
under these circumstances, interpret friendly results as a desire to
spread the nightmare elsewhere through gifts, and hostile results as a
desire to entrap the players inside to feed the central nightmare.
1. The Deck
Rope ladders hanging from either side of the boat lead up to a rickety
wooden railing, covered in cracks and cuts from years of neglect. The
wooden planks of the deck similarly show signs of cuts, scrapes, and
blows. In spite of this every surface is kept spotless and clean. When
first boarding, 1d4 Riverbed Servitors are present, attending to their
cleaning duties. They will favor this task over joining combat in other
rooms or pursuing anyone fleeing the boat, though are ready to defend
the deck itself.
At the stern (north on the map) there was once a rudder attached, but
being unnecessary it has been allowed to fall off.
A wooden ladder leads to a raised deck atop the cabin (2). The cabin
itself has various small and oddly shaped windows that don’t seem to
follow a specific logic of shape or placement, doorways obscured by
hanging strings of heavy clay beads towards both the bow and stern. They
clack together rhythmically with the swaying of the boat in the
water.
2. Raised Deck
Under a rainproof canopy, upon sumptuously patterned rugs, surrounded on
four sides by braziers burning with wood and incense, is Matheo
(he/him), acting as priest of the temple. He splits his time between
playing at giving orders to the Riverbed Servitors (who are largely able
to carry out the nightmare’s wishes directly, outside of interacting
with humans) and plotting new ways to spread the influence of the
nightmare he has dedicated himself to. His orders are twofold: convince
those living in fearful circumstances to seek safety aboard the Temple,
and send those who are not receptive to the idea away with gifts that
might spread the nightmare to new locations. He talks of the boat as a
divine gift, built in ages past as a sanctuary against disaster — and
what is the exodus from Catage if not a disaster in need of a miraculous
salvation?
He has a more personal goal to pursue as well. There is a previous
priest of the temple who he opportunistically ousted, and he wishes her
dead in fear that she might return for revenge or spread word of the
Temple’s true purposes. To particularly ruthless seeming parties, or to
those who see past the Temple’s facade but remain willing to deal with
it, he describes Adhira (she/her) whom he believes has fled to the
Valley Collaboration (0807).
The raised deck is about 10 feet above the main deck, and has a wooden
ladder leading down.
Matheo
Level 4 evil human cultist
Armour 13, Hit Die 1d6, Morale 0, Speed 8, Surprise 0. Attributes
13
Skilled at religious debate, flattery, and the occult.
1 weapon attack (staff) or spell per round
Spells known: Create Object, Enlarge, Message, Detect Illusion
Matheo’s spiritual enemy is Beastlings.
He has the key to room 7.
3. The Shrine
The boat’s cabin serves as a shrine for supplicants to the temple. A
huge copper pool dominates the center, full of water, with 5d6 coins
scattered in it as offerings, and a 1-in-4 chance of an additional
special coinage (from &&&&&&&&&
Treasure). The water in this pool is deathly cold at all times, and
anyone reaching, falling, or otherwise entering the water must save
against health or take 1d6 damage. To the side of the pool sits a chest
for offerings that cannot be made wet.
The walls of the shrine are covered in intricate wood carvings,
depicting human cities in miniature being watched over by hooded robed
figures that loom above them, often emerging from bodies of water and
bearing gifts of fish and whales. The hooded figures have no faces, in
their place small windows are left to the outside of the shrine to allow
light to stream in.
Concealed in the corner behind the chest is a trapdoor and ladder
leading downwards to room 4. Any who make an offering to the pool or
chest have their attention drawn to it.
4. Guest Quarters
Any person entering this room finds themselves separated from their
companions, in a cabin lightly furnished but bearing several qualities
they find comforting — a familiar smell, their preferred light source, a
bed they find comfortable to lie upon. Beside the bed sits a chest. It
is empty now, but if the nightmare steals any belongings, this is where
they will be placed. This is the sanctuary the boat offers, a room in
which no other humans can enter. Sounds from outside the room will
emanate into it, but when sounds from within the room may only be heard
by their owners. Riverbed servitors can enter any guest’s quarters
freely and distinguish sounds from any of them. If significantly hurt,
Matheo and Nahid will try to flee to their own quarters.
A ladder to the east of the room ascends into room 3, and a curtain of
beads to the south leads to room 5.
5. Corridor
This corridor is unlit and unadorned. Wooden slits in the walls are
large enough to see into rooms 6. The interred boatmen within rooms 6
can and will reach through these slits to grab at anyone fighting in the
corridor or trying to force the door to room 7 open. A curtain of beads
to the north leads to room 4, and a locked and sturdy door to the south
leads to room 7.
Nahid (they/them) is lurking in this hallway. They are a recent addition
to the Temple. A communist guerrilla fleeing from the Kingdoms of Law,
they survived the slaughter of most of their comrades at the Rittersnake
dam in 0603 by boarding the ship, and they are wracked by guilt. The
nightmare has a hold on them through their fear, but they are not fully
given over to it. They are actively trying to square their philosophy
and the temple’s mechanisms into one coherent whole to justify their
continued presence aboard it, but cannot convince themselves
fully.
Nahid
Level 2 chaotic human fighter
Armour 13, Hit Die 1d8, Morale -2, Speed 7, Surprise 0. Attributes 10,
Fer 15
Skilled at fighting, scavenging, labouring, and falconry.
1 weapon attack as fighter (falchion) per round.
6. The Crew
Ten interred servants (stats as silent accusers) are seated in each of
these chambers, from which there are no entrances or exits to
accommodate them. They work the useless oars and hate to be
interrupted.
7. Reliquary
The nightmare here is anchored by a broken compass, from which icy cold
water drips forever, inside a wooden trunk with a cloth draped over it
to serve as a shrine. This anchor is worth 1600 coins to one willing and
able to buy such a thing. The walls are carved much like the walls of
room 3, but the hooded figure’s empty faces are windows into
unidentifiable murk and they are shown to be leading the human cities in
war against strange geometric monoliths emanating from the ground. Atop
the trunk-turned-shrine are a much-rusted brand and a copied codex (both
from &&&&&&&&&
Treasure).
Two large chests sit on the floor. One contains 1000 coins donated to
the temple. The other contains the rare powdered spices that Matheo
gives as gifts or trades with the Rittersnakes at 0603, worth another
1000 coins in this quantity.
Encounter die d8
special event for a 2-3: an item conspicuously goes missing. It can now
be found in it’s owner’s version of room 4, in the chest if it is small
or hung decoratively on the wall if it is larger.
1-2. 1d4 Riverbed Servitors (stats as Wound Men)
3. 1 willing Temple cultist (stats as Thaumaturgist)
4. 1 Temple resident, undecided on allegiance
New Riverbed Servitors enter the Temple from the river below it,
climbing aboard the deck. They may enter any version of Room 4. cultists
and residents emerge from their versions of room 4 and cannot enter the
room 4 of others — if they are encountered while there, they can be
heard outside.
Stats, rules, procedures etc assume use of The
Nightmares Underneath.
Stat blocks for Wound Men and Thaumaturgists found in the bestiary available on Johnstone
Metzger’s patreon.
Map made with Dungeon
Scrawl.
