Random Encounters

The Cult of Tharizdun

By Darrin Drader

Tharizdun: enigmatic, feared, and utterly evil. Even from his eternal
prison, Tharizdun continues to influence the world through his cultists.
He whispers to his faithful in the darkness, promising them great rewards
for their dedication. They will be the last ones remaining after he
cleanses the world of the stink and filth that currently inhabits it. The
world is flawed and it is his job to undo all that has been created. He will
wipe away the fear, the pain, and the ugliness, but likewise, he will wipe
away hope, joy, and glory.
Come and meet those who would destroy all that currently exists. Look
upon their horrific creations, and discover the tools they will one day use
to destroy everything in existence.
Game Resources: To get the best use of the material in this article, have the following resources on hand:
Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, Complete Divine.



Cultists
The cultists of Tharizdun find themselves drawn to the banished god for a number of reasons. Some of them
are criminals, while others have been beaten by the uncaring forces within their civilization. They often have
enough negative experiences with humanity in general that they decide that the world is fundamentally
flawed. They furthermore decide that if they cannot obtain the finer things in life, no one deserves to have
them. The cult of Tharizdun has committed itself to the destruction of all things, but they welcome potential
cultists with open arms, pretending to care about the injustices that they have been victimized by, and
promising that when Tharizdun reduces the world to smoking ruins, his followers will be rewarded with all the
things they cannot possess in the world as it currently exists. They are also treated to excesses of food,
flesh, and wealth previously denied to them.
The blighter prestige class, with its ability to ruin natural locations, holds great appeal to Tharizdun's mortal
worshippers. Many Tharizdun cultists briefly follow the druidic path just long enough to learn how to despoil
nature. The cultists claim that Tharizdun, and not nature itself, empowers their druidic spells and abilities.
Blighter Cultist of Tharizdun: Male or female human ex-druid 5/cleric 3/blighter 3; CR 11; Medium
humanoid; HD 5d8+10 plus 3d8+6 plus 3d8+6; hp 71; Init +5; Spd 30 ft.; AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18;
Base Atk +7; Grp +9; Atk +12 melee (2d6+6/19-20, +3 greatsword) or +8 ranged (1d8/19-20, light
crossbow); Full Atk +12/+7 melee (2d6+6/19-20, +3 greatsword) or +8 ranged (1d8/19-20, light crossbow);
SA blightfire, deforestation, rebuke undead 2/day; SQ sustenance, undead wildshape 1/day; AL NE; SV Fort
+12, Ref +4, Will +13; Str 14, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 11, Wis 16, Cha 8.
Skills and Feats: Concentration +13, Heal +12, Knowledge (arcana) +3, Knowledge (nature) +8, Knowledge
(religion) +2.5, Knowledge (the planes) +3, Listen +9, Spellcraft +11, Spot +9, Survival +9; Cleave, Improved
Initiative, Martial Weapon Proficiency (greatsword), Power Attack, Scribe Scroll.
Blightfire (Su): As a standard action, a blighter cultist can unleash a scorching blast of fire. This effect deals
5d6 points of damage to every creature within 10 feet (DC 16 Fortitude save) and ignites flammable objects
it touches.
Deforestation (Sp): The cultist of Tharizdun can kill all nonsentient plant life within a radius of 60 feet as a
full-round action once per day. If a potentially affected plant is under the control of another (such as a druid's
liveoak or dryad's home tree), the controller can make a DC 16 Fortitude save to keep it alive. Affected
plants immediately cease photosynthesis, root tapping, and all other methods of sustenance. Like picked
flowers, they appear vibrant for several hours, but within a day, they turn brown and wither. Except for plants
saved by a controller, nothing can grow in a deforested area until it has a hallow spell cast upon it and it is
reseeded. Deforestation enables the cultist of Tharizdun to cast his daily allotment of spells. This ability
works in any terrain, but deforesting a sandy desert, ice floe, or other environment with only sparse
vegetation does not empower the character to cast spells.
Sustenance (Ex): The cultist of Tharizdun no longer needs food or water to survive.
Undead Wildshape (Sp): Once a day, the cultist of Tharizdun gains a version of the wild shape ability,
except that he uses the skeleton template to the animal form it transforms into.
Cleric Spells Prepared (4/4/3; save DC 13 + spell level): 0 -- detect magic, detect poison, guidance, inflict
minor wounds; 1st -- bane, cure light wounds, entropic shield, obscuring mist, protection from good*; 2nd --
bull's strength, detect thoughts*, shatter.
*Domain spell. Deity: None. Domains: Evil (cast evil spells at +1 caster level), Knowledge (cast divinations at
+1 caster level).
Blighter Spells Prepared (5/4/2/1; save DC 13 + spell level): 0 -- detect magic, flare, ghost sound, read
magic, touch of fatigue; 1st -- burning hands, decomposition, inflict light wounds, ray of enfeeblement; 2nd --
chill touch, warp wood; 3rd -- contagion.
Languages: Common, Infernal.
Possessions:+1 half-plate armor,+3 greatsword, light crossbow, 20 bolts, 3 potions of cure moderate
wounds.
Bringing the Parts Together
Regardless whether the PCs face the cult of Tharizdun while they are attacking a local populace or while
they are investigating the disappearance of local people who will serve as sacrifices, they are likely to
encounter numerous cultists before they reach the more powerful priests, who many know as the Witnesses
of Tharizdun.
Net of Despair
Magic items are a central focus of the cult of Tharizdun. Because Tharizdun is locked away in a plane from
which he cannot escape, his connection to his followers is not as strong as that of most other gods. His
clerics can cast divine spells, but only if they are in contact with an object or site imbued with some of
Tharizdun's power. Portions of destroyed artifacts that were crafted in his name before his imprisonment are
frequently worked into magic items to fulfill this requirement. The cult goes to great lengths to recover any
remaining portions of these items by devoting months, if not years, scouring moldering texts to learn the
history of their god's lost items of power. Remnants of once-mighty magic still possess an ember of their
former power, and many consider them the most important direct link between followers and deity.
The magic items belonging to the cult include newly forged items as well as some items so old that they date
back to the time when Tharizdun walked freely among the planes. The older the items are, the more
powerful they tend to be, provided that they remain intact. Numerous wondrous items, magic weapons,
armor, and rods have been passed down within the cult for generations, and all of them are identifiable by
the symbol of the vortex etched into them.
The church commonly crafts the following item for its followers.
Net of Despair: This net is crafted from the silk of a drider. The silk is harvested, woven, and then
blackened by infusing charred bone powder in with the fibers. The net absorbs light and has a visible aura of
darkness. It continuously radiates darkness in a 20-foot radius as the darkness spell.
Creatures that the user catch within the net begin to experience rapid decomposition and decay as though
they are aging at a massively accelerated rate (see page 117 of the Player's Handbook for net statistics A
creature entangled in the net must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) each round or suffer 2 points of ability
damage. The specific ability affected depends on the result of a d6 roll:
1 -- Strength
2 -- Dexterity
3 -- Constitution
4 -- Intelligence
5 -- Wisdom
6 -- Charisma
A creature caught within the net for 3 uninterrupted rounds suffers accelerated deterioration. Starting on the
third round of entanglement, the entangled creature gains one negative level in addition to ability damage.
The creature continues to take ability damage and negative levels each round the creature remains
entangled. A creature that escapes the net is fatigued for a number of rounds equal to the number of ability
points drained. A creature that survives entanglement in the net can heal ability damage and recover
negative levels from the net in the normal manner. The save DC to remove a negative level is 15. In the
hands of a nonevil PC, this functions as a normal masterwork net.
Moderate necromancy; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, darkness,enervation, ray of exhaustion; cleric
must worship Tharizdun; Price 150,000 gp.
Bringing the Parts Together
The net of despair is a powerful item to use against mid- to high-level PCs. A war party that carries one or
more of these items into battle is a force to be reckoned with, even by the most seasoned group of
adventurers.
Elhoriads
Encountered within the strongholds of Tharizdun's followers are elhoriads, which serve as an undead force
for the cultists. Though many adventurers often dismiss elhoriads as trivial when they first encounter the
creatures, they quickly discover that these undead foes are not as easily dispatched as most first surmise.
As a result, elhoriads serve as one of the cult's secret weapons against those who seek to destroy them. To
preserve the element of surprise, the cult keeps a tight rein on these creatures.
Elhoriads are not allowed to wander, and they are not sent to mindlessly terrorize the surrounding
countryside. The cult uses them for protection and for attack whenever they move against a selected target.
The cultists remain near them in battle, and they ensure that all elhoriads either return with them to their
temple or are utterly destroyed. They fear that one of these creatures will fall into the hands of their enemies,
allowing their foes to better prepare the next time they encounter the undead creatures.
Elhoriad
Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 5d12 (32 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (+3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 13, flat footed 15
Base Attack/ Grapple: +2/+5
Attack: Longsword +5 melee (1d8+4/19-20) or claw +5 melee (1d4+3 plus entropic touch)
Full Attack: Longsword +5 melee (1d8+4/19-20) or 2 claws +5 melee (1d4+3 plus entropic touch)
Special Attacks: Entropic touch
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to cold, undead traits
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 17, Con --, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 12
Skills: Hide +11, Listen +8, Move Silently +11, Spot +8
Feats: Improved Initiative, Power Attack
Environment: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary or gang (3-10)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral evil
Advancement: 6-15 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: --
The creature looks like the blackened skeletal remains of a human. Its eyes are such a deep shade of inky
black that they stand out against their ebony remains.
The cult of Tharizdun created the elhoriads to act as guardians. The cult researched the various methods of
undead creation for several years and even went so far as to recruit accomplished necromancers into their
ranks to unlock the secrets that would allow them to manipulate the various forms of undead. Cultists
produced elhoriads by taking the base skeleton and infusing them with the very power of entropy channeled
from unearthed remnants of Tharizdun's once-mighty artifacts. This grants these creatures their above
average intelligence and their deadly entropic touch ability.
Elhoriads are intelligent creatures, but they derive their power from Tharizdun, so they remain fiercely loyal
to him and his followers. Elhoriads are the foot soldiers whenever the cult takes action against the outside
world. Within their hidden temples, they serve as guards who protect the clergy in the event that their
sanctuary is attacked.
The appearance of the elhoriads is not entirely unlike that of typical animated skeletons. Many who
encounter them simply dismiss them as blackened skeletons, so they often make the mistake of employing
the same tactics that they would against these all-too common undead. The inky blackness within the
elhoriads' eye sockets and the constant shadow that surrounds their claws are the only outward
characteristics that they display that cause them to appear as anything but common skeletons. These
differences are subtle and have cost numerous adventurers their lives.
Combat
Elhoriads are used primarily for melee combat. Their job is to weaken opponents before their foes can reach
the cultists whom they protect. Elhoriads typically use longswords to cut through less powerful enemies, but
if they are pitted against higher level foes, they instead use their claw attacks to deliver their entropic touch,
which quickly weakens their opponents.
Entropic Touch (Su): An elhoriad's touch disrupts most living tissue. Whenever an elhoriad successfully
strikes an aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, outsider,
plant, or vermin with a claw attack, the creature struck must make a Fortitude save (DC 13) or take 1d4
points of permanent Constitution drain and 1d4 points of permanent Strength drain. The save DC is
Charisma based.
Undead Traits: An elhoriad is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning,
disease, death effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is
harmless. It is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage to its physical ability scores,
ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage. It cannot be raised, and
resurrection works only if it is willing.
Bringing the Parts Together
If the party is sent to deal with a cult plaguing an area or with some specific cultists who are looking for an
artifact, elhoriads are present to guard the temple or the cultist group if the group is extremely close to
acquiring their item (and need to bolster their numbers). Likewise, if the cult attacks an area where the PCs
are staying, the PCs may encounter the elhoriads as they try to defend the region.
The Witnesses of Tharizdun
The high priests of the god of entropy are known in many temples as the Witnesses of Tharizdun. They
oversee the operations of the temples, ensure that their actions remain secret, and lead the faithful in the
dark ceremonies, which they believe brings their god closer to freedom. They are dark souls who, unlike
those at lower levels of the organization, understand that if Tharizdun breaks free of his prison he will
destroy everything in existence, not just the society that may have oppressed them earlier in life.
Witnesses of Tharizdun rise to the top of their clergy due to certain common personality traits that ultimately
allow them to recruit and lead others within the cult. Though they don't all fit the following description, most
have many, if not all of these traits. They possess a superficial charm that attracts people toward them
rather than the message that they promote. They come across as soothing and reassuring, despite their
utter contempt for their subordinates. Their own emotions run shallow, and they cannot experience love,
shame, or guilt. They are highly egotistical with a grandiose sense of self, believing that they are entitled to
the finest things life has to offer. Before joining the cult, these individuals commonly have been bandits or
societal leeches, living off their own misdeeds or the charity of others. They often wander from place to
place, reinventing themselves as the situation demands until they find a welcoming harbor in the cult of
Tharizdun, which relies upon all of these traits to promote itself.
Many of the witnesses of Tharizdun are truly insane. Their motives are not clearly understood by their peers
or sometimes even by themselves. Some fail to fully comprehend what it is that their god wishes to do. They
are hateful, malicious individuals, but they have also found inner fulfillment with their deity and his baleful
designs. To them, life is neither sacred, nor valuable unless it serves to promote their own agenda.
Followers beneath them are to be lied to and deluded until their lives have become so intertwined with the
religion that they can no longer extricate themselves from the organization.
Damargath is a witness of Tharizdun who leads a temple of fifty-five members in the sewers beneath the city
of Verbabonc. Most regions of the Flanaess are not friendly toward the cult of Tharizdun. Damargath's
temple goes to great measures to avoid the First Army of the Church, which patrols the streets of this city
because they know that these zealous warriors would take it upon themselves to hunt them if they knew that
they were operating in this area.
Damargath had once been one of the high priests of Tharizdun in the city of Greyhawk, but he left along with
ten of his most trusted henchmen to create a new division in this city. He has found numerous malcontents
here who are not satisfied with their lives because of the usually sunless weather, or those who are
dissatisfied with the leadership of "His Noble Lordship, the Viscount Langard of Verbabonc, Defender of the
Faith." Damargath, posing as a noble from Greyhawk, has befriended his lordship and has become a
member of the court. He continually worms his way closer to becoming an advisor, and he plans to one day
make a play for leadership of the city, which would serve to subjugate all the people of the city under the will
of Tharizdun.
Damargath, Witness of Tharizdun: Male human cleric 10/fighter 5; CR 15; Medium humanoid; HD
10d8+30 plus 5d10+15; hp 117; Init +6; Spd 20 ft.; AC 24, touch 12, flat-footed 22; Base Atk +12; Grp +15;
Atk +16 melee (1d12+5/x3, +1 unholy greataxe) or +16 ranged (1d8+2/x3, +2 longbow); Full Atk +16/+11/+6
melee (1d12+5/x3, +1 unholy greataxe) or +16/+11/+6 ranged (1d8+2/x3, +2 longbow); SA rebuke undead
6/day; AL NE; SV Fort +14, Ref +6, Will +11; Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 17.
Skills and Feats: Climb +11, Concentration +16, Craft (weaponsmithing) +6, Heal +11, Intimidate +10, Jump
-3, Knowledge (religion) +14, Knowledge (the planes) +14, Spellcraft +6; Blind-Fight, Brew Potion, Cleave,
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder,
Power Attack, Scribe Scroll.
Cleric Spells Prepared (6/5+1/5+1/4+1/3+1/2+1; save DC 13 + spell level): 0 -- cure minor wounds, detect
magic, light, mending, read magic, resistance; 1st -- bane, cause fear, curse water, entropic shield,
obscuring mist, protection from good*; 2nd -- align weapon, darkness, desecrate*, make whole, sound burst,
undetectable alignment; 3rd -- cure serious wounds, dispel magic, magic circle against good*, obscure
object, searing light; 4th -- discern lies, dismissal, restoration, unholy blight*; 5th -- dispel good*, slay living,
true seeing.
*Domain spell. Deity: Tharizdun. Domains: Evil (cast evil spells at +1 caster level), Knowledge (cast
divinations at +1 caster level).
Languages: Common, Infernal.
Possessions:+5 mithral breastplate,+1unholygreataxe, +2 longbow, quiver with20 arrows, amulet of natural
armor +2.
Bringing the Parts Together
Damargath and the other witnesses of Tharizdun represent a dire threat to the surrounding region. If the
PCs must take action against the cult, they will ultimately face Damargath, or another like him.
Temple Sites
"Light must be snuffed, perfection decayed, order dissolved, and minds fragmented." The mantra of the cult
of Tharizdun, these words are often found etched into the altars, the stone pillars, and the doors within the
Tharizdun's temples. These dark places are crushingly void of hope, and its followers revel in the darkness
and despair that that all things almost certainly face at some time in their existence. Though their lord is
currently locked away in a planar prison, the congregations praise the fact that even the most optimistic
sages agree that in time everything that exists will one day pass into dust and nothingness. Tharizdun will
win the battle, despite the opposition of all the gods.
Each temple is led by one of the witnesses of Tharizdun, who are vile cultists who have risen to their
positions through ambition, charm, and manipulation (see Part 4). The worshipers often reside at the temple
site in opulent chambers, surrounded by riches donated to them by their body of worshipers. Despite their
message of eminent decay, they partake of the finest things life has to offer. Rich food, rare tapestries, gold,
and often harems are kept by the witness in charge of a temple. While the head of a temple indulges in
these lavish surroundings, the cult uses these very things as a means of recruiting new followers to the
temple. Those who are disenfranchised by society find not only acceptance, but luxury in these
surroundings.
Temple sites must be hidden from the local populace. Nearly all people of the Flanaess have a hatred
toward the cult of Tharizdun. This hatred, sponsored by the gods themselves, force the cult into hiding. They
exist in the shadows, often transforming abandoned buildings into temples. They have also been known to
take control of ill-used and forgotten chambers in sewer systems beneath cities. Occasionally their temples
exist in basements or cellars beneath houses belonging to respectable people who have converted.
In the wilderness regions, the cult can afford to operate somewhat more openly. Structures exist in wooded
depths and rocky plains where the followers of a region can meet and perform their dark rituals. The locals
may believe that there is a darkness hanging over the region, but as long as no harm comes to them, the
cult's activities are rarely investigated.
While the outside of a temple to Tharizdun normally doesn't betray the nature of its malign denizens, the
interior must serve as a place of worship as well as a defensive location where the inhabitants can defend
themselves from those who would try to destroy them. Doorways are usually trapped in such a way that only
someone within can disarm them to allow others entrance. Hallways are often lined with murder holes,
rooms are constructed with a dais so that warriors can gain the advantage of higher ground. Guard rooms
are placed throughout the temple and manned by either the worshipers of Tharizdun or elhoriads. Ceremony
chambers, the private rooms belonging to the high priests are located deep within the temple. Many temples
also have a permanent portal to another plane established so that they can quickly flee to another realm
where good creatures are much less likely to follow.

A Sample Temple
By using one of the maps from the Map-A-Week feature, you can either start playing right away or get an
idea of how to lay out your own temple. The map chosen as a sample here represents a hidden temple that
lurks along a seacoast. You may want to add a few other sea-going beasties to it to provide a nice local
flavor to the perils your PCs will face! This sample represents a temple that is in the process of building itself
into something more stable and permanent (inasmuch as Tharizdun's followers want stability). As a result,
some of the rooms are not quite furnished to the taste of the witness in charge of the temple. Also, only
blighters, a witness (Samiela), and elhoriads reside in these caves at present. Samiela's goal is to destroy
the local fishing industry, so there should be at least one town whose industry is based on fish within a day
or so of the caves. While she's doing this, she hopes to start recruiting new worshipers from nearby. Lack of
fish can lead to despair among those whose livelihoods depend on the fish harvest, after all. (If the DM
wishes, she may also have a deeper motive of seeking out a net of despair lost to the worshipers of
Tharizdun in a shipwreck somewhere nearby.)
Outside Environs
The cliffs near the sea cave have a cleverly hidden path leading upward. The beach itself is barely a strip of
sand at high tide, though low tide exposes a fair amount of bracken-strewn sand. Both the land above and
the beach serve as areas for the blighters inside the temple to go out and find plenty of nature to destroy
with their innate abilities. At any moment, 1d4 blighters may be outside the temple. (Use the statistics
presented in Part 1 of this series.) Another nearby cave (not shown on map) has a few hidden canoes and a
small ship owned by Samiela and crewed by the blighters she brought with her (replace the blighters' Listen
skills with Profession [sailor]).
1. Entrance: At least two elhoriads (see Part 2) lurk just within the entrance to the temple.
Elhoriads (2): hp 32; see Part 2.
2. Trap: The area has a spiked pit trap. The DM can choose to add a few elhoriads at the bottom of this pit.
Spiked Pit Trap: CR 3; mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; Reflex save (DC 14) avoids; 10 ft. deep
(1d6, fall); pit spikes (Atk +10 melee, 3d6 damage); Search (DC 15); Disable Device (DC 30). Market Price:
5,700 gp.
3. Outer Temple: The ceremonies for this hidden temple take place within this room. Four elhoriads stand
guard within, and a ghost of a former seagoing fighter (a former pirate) wanders the area. There is usually
one blighter here, as well (90% chance of her being present).
Elhoriads (4): hp 32; see Part 2.
Ghost: hp 32; see Monster Manual, page 117.
4. Sea Cat Lair Trapdoor: A trapdoor here opens into a water-filled pit that has a sea cat living in it part of
the time (50% chance of it being present). The pit has an exit to the sea, and the tide brings in more water at
various parts of the day. (The normal water depth is about 10 feet deep, but it can fluctuate between 15 feet
deep and 5 feet deep.) One part of the wall forms a lip that is available only when the water depth is 10 feet
or less. Samiela has plans to make these creatures into undead of some sort in the future.
Camouflaged Watery Pit Trap: CR 5; mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; Reflex save (DC 20)
avoids; 25 ft. deep (2d6, fall); multiple targets (first target in each of two adjacent 5-ft. squares); Search (DC
25); Disable Device (DC 317). Market Price: 8,500 gp.
Sea Cat: hp 51; see Monster Manual, page 220.
5. Witness Chamber: The temple's witness of Tharizdun resides in a room beyond a black velvet curtain. A
rich bear-fur rug is spread out over a sleigh bed. Two chests made of dark-stained oak rest at the far end of
the room. A dark wardrobe stands opposite the bed, and a full-length silver mirror hangs on the wall to the
left of the doorway. Despite the overriding scent of salty water, a pleasing aroma drifts from a censer
hanging next to the bed. While the PCs can find several sets of rich priestly vestments and some very nice
outfits, not much else of importance is in this room -- unless the DM wishes it to be.
Samiela, Witness of Tharizdun: hp 110; see Part 4.
6. Eating Chamber: A couple of round wooden tables are grouped in this room, and a cooking area,
complete with brick oven and vent, is on the far end of the room. (The vent branches into several other
smaller crevices, which helps disperse the cooking smoke in a less visible manner.) Two blighters are
usually in this room taking a break.
Blighters (2): 76 hp; see Part 1.
7. Privies: The priests have added wooden seating to what used to be little more than holes in the ground.
A censer filled with fragrant incense hangs outside each entrance.
8. Meeting Room: The temple's witness has set up this room as a meeting room. Though the room has a
few wooden chairs, these seats serve only to make the room look emptier. Four elhoriads are stationed
here.
Elhoriads (4): hp 32; see Part 2.
9. Temporary Storage and Sleeping Areas: These rooms contain crates of food and other necessities, as
well as several simple beds. There are usually 2d4 blighters in the area.
Blighters (2d4): 76 hp; see Part 1.
Bringing the Parts Together
The ultimate challenge a party faces with regards to the forces of Tharizdun should be its location of
strength: the temple itself. Uncovering and destroying a temple site can be the focus of an entire campaign.
Once here, they face a number of deadly obstacles, ranging from fanatic followers who view their own
deaths as progress toward their ultimate goal to traps, undead creatures unknown to the outside world, and
powerful priests intent on preserving not only their decadent lifestyle as well as their following. If the party
succeeds in destroying the temple but fails to eliminate the high priest, chances are that the temple will arise
at a later point in time, even stronger than it is now.