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Dungeons
Temple · Large · Level 5 · Hard

The Laurel Steps

Blue fire gutters over a stair where fresh hoofprints end at a sealed bronze door.
Rooms
24
Foes
32, CR 1/4 to 8
Traps
4
Treasure
3,063 gp
123456789101112131415161718192021222324Entrance
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The party is in

1. Lion-Mouth Entry

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

At the heart of the complex, a many-headed drakon called the Bridleless One has made the oracle's sanctuary its lair.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    1d4× Scree harriersCR 2

    When: They hear loud combat or smell blood in the corridors near rooms 3, 11, and 15.A pack of pale, feathered reptiles with narrow beaks and sharp tails.
  2. 2

    Owl-eyed basiliskCR 1

    When: It follows the glowing fish scales or a bright light moving through the lower passages.A bronze-scaled lizard with a cobra's hood and an owl's eyes.
  3. 3

    1d2× Drifting shieldsCR 2

    When: They attack anyone who steals a temple offering or forces a locked door.A pair of animated bronze shields that hover close to the walls, pretending to be wall plaques.

Rooms

24
1

Lion-Mouth Entry

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A worn stair descends between two lion statues whose mouths have been plugged with wax. Fresh scratches score the threshold, and the air carries a faint, wet animal smell from below.

Features

  • Stone offering bowl containing old bay leaves
  • Three doors bear different temple seals
  • A faint blue flame flickers in a wall lamp

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Cave houndsCR 1/2

Lean, pale temple hounds with bronze collars and cloudy eyes.Tactics. They circle intruders and try to knock one prone before retreating toward .

Treasure

Silver Laurel Leaves25 gp

A pair of small silver votive leaves, tarnished but intact.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The west secret door leads toward ; its seam is visible if the lion statues are examined. The locked eastern and southern doors open with the guard keys in or with thieves' tools.

6 doors: S (normal), N (locked), E (archway), W (archway), S (locked), N (locked)

The place

What it is

The Laurel Steps are a buried temple complex where bronze doors, steep stairs, and votive chambers descend beneath a limestone ridge.

Atmosphere

Salt, wet limestone, crushed bay leaves, and cold bronze fill the air.

The threat

At the heart of the complex, a many-headed drakon called the Bridleless One has made the oracle's sanctuary its lair.

History

The Laurel Steps were built by a coastal cult devoted to Athena and Poseidon, who raised the temple over a spring said to show possible futures.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1Fishermen say the buried temple's spring can show a person's last day, but the vision always speaks in someone else's voice.
  2. 2A shepherd swears bronze birds have been seen flying out of the ridge after moonrise.
  3. 3The old temple guards sealed their own prisoners inside, then vanished through a door no map records.
  4. 4A bronze bridle was found in a coastal market, wet with seawater though it had been kept in a locked chest.
  5. 5People who sleep near the ridge wake with sand in their mouths and hoofprints circling their beds.

Plot hooks

4
RescueVoices Below the LaurelA fishing village's boats return empty, their crews vanished after hearing a woman's voice from the sea. The sound is coming from the sealed spring beneath the temple.From: Damon, a net-mender with a cracked bronze temple tokenReward: A pearl worth 250 gp and a village boat offered for future travel
RecoveryThe Missing VersesA local magistrate wants the oracle's lost tablet before a rival scholar finds it. The tablet lies behind the shifting defenses of .From: Phaedra, a temple archivist's granddaughter who has inherited a fragmentary mapReward: 300 gp and a favor from the magistrate
RaceA Bridle for the BeastA bronze bridle has appeared in a smuggler's lot, wet with seawater and marked with the temple's seal. Someone is already descending to claim its matching oracle.From: Kostas, a broad-shouldered porter who saw the bridle change handsReward: The bridle, if recovered, and 200 gp from a concerned priest
Moral choiceThe Oracle's PriceThe villagers want the spring closed, while a fever-struck pilgrim insists it can reveal how to cure her child. The party must decide whether to destroy, guard, or use the oracle.From: Eleni, a healer carrying a clay cup of spring waterReward: A healing draught and the community's lasting protection

Corridors

4

  • Main passage between rooms 4, 11, and 19

    Bronze floor studs form a winding labyrinth pattern. Following the studs gives advantage on checks to avoid becoming lost, but a wrong turn leads toward .

  • Passage connecting rooms 6, 13, and 22

    A narrow runnel carries brackish water downhill. Small white fish swim against the current, and their scales briefly glow near secret doors.

  • Passage outside rooms 7, 8, and 15

    Old votive niches hold cracked clay masks; some turn to watch anyone carrying a drawn weapon. A niche contains a harmless but unnerving whisper in Ancient Greek.

  • Corridor approaching

    Black feathers and hoofprints appear in dust, though no creature is visible. The tracks lead toward and vanish at its archway.

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