Entering The Moonwatch Temple - Travel There if you Dare
/The game of Dungeons and Dragons inspires all of us to be storytellers and weavers of myth around the table with our dearest friends. I’d argue that tabletop roleplaying games are the last pure way of telling stories. The essence of an evolving narrative shared by all is as close to as our ancestors around a campfire as possible.
When brewing monsters and items for my written projects, it’s easy to just put the new material together for some to see. It’s easy to present it in a factual lore way, but I like to explore it. Just like this post earlier in the blog, I wanted to present a monster in a more fun way. More true to how things are in a game of Dungeons and Dragons.
Taking the Treasures of the Moon
The lonely temple at the top of a forgotten mountain pass has been a draw for adventurers of all kinds for generations. The path up is not easy. The slopes are sheer, with no path to climb or follow. The wind howls at its fiercest that high up. Snow falls at its thickest up here, with the flakes shredding and feeling sharp.
Stone Shapes reside in Ancient places - ‘Crescent Guardian’ by Aron Elekes
Moonsilver Guardian Stats Generated with Homebrewery
Fortunate few make the vertical climb to the ancient black stone carved into the uneven grey of the mountain side. The doorway stands high, ten feet tall, over the strangers making their way deep within. Despite the alpine weather, the temple inside is warm, and the light of the silvery moon trickles through from an oculus on the top of the structure. The light shines on a pedestal, showing off the immense gem on the plinth.
Immense figures, made of uneven shapes of stone line the walls left and right, making arms and legs beneath them, with the great crescent over the top. As an adventure makes the unfortunate mistake of reaching their hand into the moonlight, the grinding of stone on stone is heard all around. An ominous blue glow shines from the crescent. These stone beings will stop at nothing to keep the moon stone here in the temple.
Now we want to hear from you. Will a moonlit temple like this appear in your world? What does the strange artefact do that requires such close guard? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.
Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com, they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes, or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere. Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree.
