Battlemap
Peak Throat Temple
Shadows cling to the stone where prayer once lived.
A once-sacred mountain pass now choked by filth and chittering horrors. This ancient temple serves as the only shortcut through the frozen peaks, but its halls are now a lethal gauntlet of sightless predators and warped vermin.
The air is thin and smells of wet fur and ozone. Sounds of clicking mandibles and distant stone-on-stone scraping echo through the halls. The lighting is non-existent except for the dim bioluminescence of fungus in specific corners.
☠ Threat
The temple is dominated by Slink-Skin, a mutated Choker of unusual size that has subjugated the local Grimlocks. Slink-Skin uses the temple's vertical architecture to ambush travelers, while the Grimlocks manage the traps and lower corridors. The threat is one of constant surveillance from the darkness, as the inhabitants have evolved to hunt without light.
History
Originally built by a monastic order of stone-shapers to provide safe passage for travelers, the temple was abandoned after a seismic event cracked the inner sanctum. These cracks released aberrations from the deep earth, who slaughtered the monks. Now, a small tribe of Grimlocks lives in a parasitic relationship with the monsters, preying on any merchants foolish enough to seek the faster route.
Encounter Table
CRLarge, mosquito-like pests that cling to the high ceilings.
A lone hunter searching for intruders with its keen sense of smell.
Rumours & Whispers
The Peak Throat Temple shortcut is faster, but only the blind return from it.
A great grey hand reaches from the ceiling to snatch the tallest travelers.
There is a vault of gold hidden behind a shrine to the mountain's voice.
The Grimlocks worship a god of meat that fell from the stars.
Quest Hooks
Quest giver: Borgus the Stout
A merchant's caravan was lost in the shortcut. He wants his Ledger recovered.
50 gp and a discount on travel gear.
Quest giver: Mayor Vane
The local mayor offers a bounty for every 'pale-skin' head brought from the mountain.
10 gp per head and local hero status.
Corridor Notes
Long streaks of sticky grey slime along the upper walls.
A pile of discarded boots and empty backpacks, stripped of all value.
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