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Dungeons
Temple · Medium · Level 13 · Medium

The Three-Nail Temple

Blue fire gutters over a dented sun disk, and water in the entrance basin ripples to a bell you cannot hear.
Rooms
30
Foes
36, CR 3 to 13
Traps
6
Treasure
30,680 gp
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. The Dented Sun

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

At the deepest altar, the star-born presence called the Hollow Radiance wears the preserved body of the last high priest.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    1d2× Lantern keepersCR 6

    When: A loud noise or a forced door near rooms 6 through 14 draws them within rounds.Two copper-masked keepers carry a lantern with a blue flame and silently inspect doors for signs of tampering.
  2. 2

    1d4+1× Empty-bowl processionCR 7

    When: They appear after the party takes treasure from a shrine or reliquary.A procession of skeletal attendants shuffles in single file, carrying empty offering bowls.
  3. 3

    1 cluster× The listening bellsCR 8

    When: They arrive when characters disturb a warding nail or loudly discuss the meteorite.A floating cluster of stone bells follows the party, tolling whenever someone speaks a lie.

Rooms

30
1

The Dented Sun

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A broad entry hall bears a sun disk whose face has been hammered inward. Water drips from the ceiling into a shallow basin, and a low three-note vibration seems to come from the western passage.

Features

  • Broken sun-disk lintel
  • Basin of rainwater

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Sunward revenantsCR 5

Bronze-armored temple sentries with cracked masks and dim blue eyes.Tactics. They hold the two exits, shove intruders into the basin, and pursue anyone carrying a lit flame.

Treasure

Temple offering bowl75 gp

A tarnished bronze offering bowl remains beneath the basin's rim.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The eastern door leads to ; the western arch opens toward . A character who listens at the basin hears a bell from deep below.

2 doors: S (normal), W (normal)

The place

What it is

The temple descends through crowded cells, chained shrines, and sealed reliquaries built around a sunken sanctum.

Atmosphere

Cold mineral damp clings to the skin.

The threat

At the deepest altar, the star-born presence called the Hollow Radiance wears the preserved body of the last high priest.

History

The temple was raised by the river communities of the old valley to house a meteorite that fell during a summer drought.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The old temple bells ring three times before someone in the valley dies. The sound has started coming from the wells.
  2. 2A priest once locked the lower shrine with silver nails, and the nails are worth more than a manor.
  3. 3People who escape the temple forget the faces of their families, but remember every room perfectly.
  4. 4A spring beneath the ruins heals wounds, though nobody who drinks from it can cast a shadow.
  5. 5The temple's high priest was buried alive, and the stone above him still burns warm.

Plot hooks

3
InvestigationThe Bell in the WellA spring near town has turned black, and its water carries the temple's three-note bell sound. The party must find the source before the valley's wells fail.From: Toma, a tired village well-keeperReward: A sealed purse of 1,200 gp and a map of the old river channels.
Rescue and recoveryThe Prisoner's NameA local noble's ancestor vanished in the temple prison. A newly discovered family letter suggests one captive escaped and left a claim to a hidden reliquary.From: Iven Pell, an anxious family archivistReward: A signet ring worth 800 gp and legal access to the family vault.
ExpeditionA Cure Under StoneA scholar believes the meteorite can cure a spreading magical wasting disease, but the first expedition returned with no shadows.From: Sella Varo, a field physicianReward: A rare healing draught and 1,500 gp for a safe sample.

Corridors

3

  • Between and

    A waist-high groove channels thin water toward the deeper rooms; its flow reverses whenever the buried bell tolls.

  • Between and

    Faded processional footprints cross the dust, all pointing toward , though none lead back.

  • Near and

    Copper prayer discs hang from hair-thin wires. Their soft chime warns nearby guardians when someone passes.

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