History of Temple of Elemental Evil

The Convergence of Chaos and Darkness

  In the heartlands of the Flanaess, the Temple of Elemental Evil has long been a source of dread and fascination. To most, it is the seat of Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, a structure raised to consolidate her power and spread malevolence across the lands. To others, it is the staging ground for the schemes of Iuz, the Old One, a cunning demigod with ambitions of conquest and domination. Yet, beneath its profane halls lies a secret older and more sinister than any mortal can fathom: the Elder Elemental God (EEG), a cosmic aberration whose shards of being seep through the cracks of the Prime Material Plane. The temple stands as a volatile nexus of overlapping ambitions, binding Zuggtmoy, Iuz, and the EEG in a trinity of chaos. For Dungeon Masters, the Temple of Elemental Evil is not merely a dungeon crawl but a stage upon which the ambitions of gods, demons, and mortals collide. It is a place where alliances can shift in an instant, where forgotten secrets can tip the scales of power, and where adventurers can find themselves not only battling cultists and monsters but becoming pawns—or players—in a far greater conflict. As the adventurers delve deeper into its depths, they will uncover the threads that bind Zuggtmoy, Iuz, the EEG, and Lolth, setting the stage for decisions that could determine the fate of Oerth itself.

Secret History of the Temple

When Zuggtmoy conceived her plan to establish dominance in the Flanaess, she sought tools to consolidate her rule. Consulting her clerics, she embraced the concept of Elemental Evil, a theme with universal appeal that could mask her fungal predilections. By dividing the cult into four elemental factions, she ensured rivalry among them while retaining control.   The Temple rapidly grew, attracting an array of creatures drawn by elemental chaos and demonic promises. At this crucial point, Iuz offered an alliance. The Old One foresaw the Temple’s utility in diverting the forces of Good while advancing his ambitions. Zuggtmoy agreed, viewing Iuz as a weapon against the Horned Society.   The alliance thrived but ultimately failed to save the Temple. Zuggtmoy was imprisoned beneath it, leaving Iuz free to exploit the remnants of the Temple and its followers. Fragmented into competing factions, these followers clung to the principles of Elemental Evil, Iuz, or even Lolth, sowing chaos but achieving little unity.

The Ancient History of the Elder Elemental God

Long before the mortal races walked the world of Oerth, before the rise and fall of empires, and even before the gods themselves claimed dominion over the cosmos, there was the Elder Elemental God (EEG). An entity of primordial chaos, the EEG was not born of the multiverse but rather stumbled into it from the unknowable void of an alien dimension. Its essence was anathema to the ordered creation of the gods, a swirling amalgam of elemental forces twisted into something unnatural, incomprehensible, and horrifying.

Origins and Nature

The Elder Elemental God’s origin is shrouded in mystery, even to the gods. Some scholars speculate that it is a fragment of a greater entity from beyond the multiverse, a being that fractured when it collided with the very concept of order. Others believe it is the embodiment of a failed attempt by the multiverse itself to harness the raw chaos of creation. What is certain is that the EEG is not bound by the laws of reality. Its nature is so alien that even its followers struggle to describe it, relying instead on iconography of writhing tentacles, shifting colors, and elemental storms.   The EEG’s hunger was boundless. It did not seek dominion or worship in the conventional sense but rather craved entropy. It fed on the dissolution of order, the unraveling of natural laws, and the destruction of balance. It was chaos incarnate, a force that threatened to undo the fabric of the Prime Material Plane.

The War Against Beory

In the time before time, the Oerth Mother, Beory, took notice of the EEG’s growing influence. The Elder Elemental God had begun to warp the natural elements of the world, creating abominable amalgamations of earth, fire, water, and air. Its servitors, beings of alien geometry and bizarre composition, spread across the planes, corrupting the elemental forces that Beory held sacred. Recognizing the existential threat, Beory rallied the primal deities to confront this alien intruder.

The Rise of the EEG’s Cults

Over millennia, the shards of the EEG began to attract followers. Sensitive to its alien whispers, mortal minds were drawn to the promise of power and the allure of forbidden knowledge. The EEG’s followers built shrines and temples around these shards, often mistaking them for the entity itself. Through these focal points, the EEG could partially manifest, accepting sacrifices and offering boons in return. Each offering strengthened the connection between the EEG and the Prime Material Plane, bringing it closer to freedom.

History of the Temple of Elemental Evil

The Rise of the Temple 550s CY

Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, sought dominion over the Flanaess and identified elemental chaos as a unifying banner for her ambitions. Abandoning her preferred fungal themes for a broader appeal, she devised a quadrate system of worship based on the four elements: air, earth, fire, and water. This system promised destructive power while encouraging rivalry between factions, ensuring no one group would grow strong enough to threaten her supremacy.   The Temple of Elemental Evil was completed in the late 550s CY and began its rise as a center of malevolence. The Temple was established at a crossroads near the fledgling village of Hommlet, an ideal location for exploiting trade routes and regional traffic. Nearby Nulb, a haven for criminals and bandits, provided both the labor and secrecy needed to construct the Temple. Within three years, the Temple’s aboveground edifice was complete, an imposing structure of gray stone that radiated malice.

The Dungeons Below

Beneath the Temple, a sprawling labyrinth of dungeons reflected the cult's divided nature. Separate complexes were dedicated to each elemental cult, alongside a central area reserved for the greater goals of the organization. Zuggtmoy, with aid from Iuz, created the elemental nodes in the lowest depths of the dungeons.   These nodes—miniature planes of chaos—were isolated regions of magical space, each tied to an elemental power. The nodes were used as summoning grounds for powerful elemental creatures, with environments so harsh that even seasoned adventurers risked death without the proper keys. High winds carrying jagged debris, searing flames, and other dangers were constant threats.   Zuggtmoy relished the violence of the nodes, viewing them as proving grounds for her minions. Survivors of the nodes emerged stronger, though many were lost to the feral inhabitants or the dangerous conditions. To access the nodes, Zuggtmoy and Iuz crafted the Orb of Golden Death, a key artifact essential for controlling the nodes and summoning their elemental denizens.

The Shrine of the Elder Elemental God

Unbeknownst to most, the Temple was constructed near a long-buried shrine of the Elder Elemental God (EEG). These ancient conduits were created by Rentaq, the EEG’s mortal followers, to channel chaotic energy into the deity’s service. Whether by coincidence or divine manipulation, Zuggtmoy’s temple became an unwitting extension of this power.   Although Zuggtmoy sensed the latent energy of the shrine, she failed to grasp its true nature. She built the Temple slightly off the shrine’s exact location, perhaps to avoid drawing the EEG’s influence too directly. However, the nearby Moathouse, originally constructed as a fortification for the Temple, sat directly over the shrine, cementing its dark legacy.

Military Expansion and Arrogance

As the Temple’s power grew, Zuggtmoy’s ambitions extended beyond religious domination. Using the Temple and Moathouse as bases, her armies of gnolls, bugbears, trolls, giants, and demons launched devastating raids on nearby lands. Veluna and Furyondy bore the brunt of her aggression, as earthquakes, storms, fires, and floods ravaged the countryside.   These displays of power drew even more beings to the Temple, with evil creatures flocking to its banner. However, Zuggtmoy’s arrogance became her undoing. By drawing too much attention, she forced the allied forces of Good to respond.

The Battle of Emridy Meadows 569cy

The threat posed by the Temple culminated in The Battle of Emridy Meadows. Allied forces from Furyondy, Veluna, and demi-human communities banded together to confront Zuggtmoy’s forces. The battle was a decisive victory for the allies, scattering the cult’s armies and leaving the Temple vulnerable.   The upper levels of the Temple were destroyed in the aftermath, and the Moathouse was overrun. However, the dungeons beneath the Temple proved too dangerous for conventional forces to clear. Rather than risk further losses, the victorious allies sealed the dungeons, trapping Zuggtmoy within and binding her to the site.

The Aftermath and Iuz’s Role

Following the Temple’s sacking by the allied forces of Good, the victorious armies withdrew. Furyondy and Veluna, unable to maintain permanent garrisons, relied on the combined efforts of wizards, priests, and sages to bind Zuggtmoy within the dungeons and seal the Temple’s entrances. Their work was meticulous, and they deemed the remaining cultists little more than a nuisance. However, the surviving cultists returned to the ruins almost immediately, scavenging through the debris in the hopes of salvaging their former glory. Yet, the site had been thoroughly looted, and their morale plummeted. This period of desolation marked the Temple as a place of fractured dreams, a relic of squandered potential.

Lolth’s Interference

The demon queen Lolth, long a rival to Zuggtmoy and no stranger to the machinations of the Elder Elemental God, soon turned her attention to the ruins. Her motivations were complex, driven by a desire to uncover forgotten secrets, exploit the remnants of the cult, and establish her influence over new territories.   Lolth sent agents to infiltrate the cultists at the ruins and the nearby Moathouse. These agents scoured the wreckage for overlooked artifacts and knowledge. They mingled with the surviving cultists, sowing seeds of loyalty to their spider queen while gaining a foothold in the fragmented hierarchy. Through subtle manipulations, Lolth’s followers blended into the cult, quietly advancing her agenda.

Iuz’s Schemes

Iuz remained an active participant in the Temple’s shadowed history, visiting the site periodically to assess its potential. He harbored the belief that freeing Zuggtmoy would secure her allegiance and provide a potent ally against his enemies. However, his efforts to break her bonds were fruitless.

• Recognizing the cult’s loyalty to its structure rather than solely to Zuggtmoy, Iuz shifted his strategy. He began to support and guide the surviving cultists, ensuring they remained viable, albeit disorganized.
• Through this approach, Iuz maintained his influence while avoiding direct involvement in their internal conflicts. His emissary, the cleric Hedrack, was dispatched to oversee the resurgence, charged with freeing Zuggtmoy and advancing Iuz’s goals.

The Temple Resurgent

A New Power Rises
The Elder Elemental God, ever patient and calculating, saw the Temple’s downfall as an opportunity. With Zuggtmoy imprisoned and the cult fractured, the Elder Elemental God’s agents moved swiftly to influence the ruins’ restoration. Leveraging their ties to Lolth’s infiltrators, they recruited powerful individuals to lead the resurgence.
Key figures included:

• Lareth the Beautiful, a charismatic cleric who took command of the Moathouse.
• Falrinth, a wizard who recovered the Orb of Golden Death.
• Barkinar, the new Temple commander.
• Hedrack, Iuz’s emissary, who was eventually swayed to the Elder Elemental God’s service.

Though united in their belief that the Temple would rise again, these leaders were far from cohesive. Their ambitions often clashed, creating a volatile hierarchy. The Elder Elemental God exploited this turmoil, steering key individuals like Hedrack to its cause while ensuring Zuggtmoy’s imprisonment continued.

Current Rise 579cy

Fragmented Yet Persistent
The Temple’s resurgence was marked by discord and arrogance. The minds behind its rebirth encouraged competition among factions, believing it would strengthen the group as a whole. Instead, the lack of discipline and secrecy hampered their efforts. Cultists clashed internally, and their visible activities drew the attention of nearby settlements.   Hommlet’s citizens observed suspicious figures prowling the ruins, many of whom were Lolth’s agents. Within a decade, waves of monsters and bandits roamed the area, harassing travelers and locals alike. These activities gradually increased the strength of the factions but also attracted renewed attention from the forces of Good.

Lessons of the Past

This time, the forces of Good avoided large-scale military campaigns, relying instead on swift strikes by adventurers. Local villagers provided shelter and assistance to these heroes, offering swords, spells, and supplies to combat the resurgent cult.   These raids wore down the Temple’s defenders, isolating its factions and eliminating key leaders. Unlike the unified assault that destroyed the Temple initially, this piecemeal approach proved devastating, allowing the forces of Good to counter the cult’s resurgence with minimal risk.

Legacy of Chaos

Despite its repeated defeats, the Temple of Elemental Evil remains a symbol of the enduring allure of chaos and power. The Elder Elemental God, Lolth, and Iuz continue to vie for influence over its ruins, each seeking to twist its legacy to their ends. While the forces of Good have struck decisive blows, the Temple’s dark heart continues to beat, waiting for the next opportunity to rise.

The Shrine Beneath the Temple of Elemental Evil

The EEG’s most significant foothold in the Flanaess was established inadvertently. When Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, and Iuz, the Old One, conspired to create the Temple of Elemental Evil, they unknowingly chose a site of immense power. Beneath the Temple’s foundations lay a forgotten shrine to the Elder Elemental God, a nexus of its fragmented power. The site’s alien emanations subtly influenced the Temple’s builders, infusing the structure with an undercurrent of elemental chaos.   This shrine, buried deep beneath the Temple’s fourth and fifth levels, became a focal point for the EEG’s resurgence. The Elemental Nodes, created by Zuggtmoy and Iuz as reservoirs of elemental power, were indirectly linked to the EEG’s essence. The Orb of Golden Death, a tool designed to control the Nodes, also served as a key to the EEG’s prison. Thus, the Temple of Elemental Evil became a place of layered schemes, where Zuggtmoy’s fungal ambitions, Iuz’s military machinations, and the EEG’s eldritch influence converged.

Legacy and Ongoing Threat

Though the EEG remains imprisoned, its influence persists. Cults continue to worship its shards, and its connection to the Elemental Nodes offers it a path to freedom. Its rivalry with Lolth, its manipulation of mortal cults, and its subtle influence on the Temple of Elemental Evil make it a central figure in the grand narrative of chaos and darkness. For adventurers delving into the Temple, the EEG represents an existential threat—a being whose release would spell doom for Oerth itself.

Key Points for Dungeon Masters

• Elder Origins: The EEG is an alien entity from beyond the multiverse, driven by an insatiable hunger for chaos and entropy.
• Shattered Form: Its physical form was destroyed by Beory, but its essence lingers, fragmented across Oerth.
• Cults and Shrines: The EEG’s shards attract worshippers who build temples and conduct sacrifices to empower the entity.
• Elemental Power Gems: Lolth obtained the Platinum Egg containing the Power Gems, key artifacts tied to the EEG, in a bid to control the cosmic game.
• Drow Betrayal: House Eilservs’ defection to the EEG sowed discord among the drow and ignited Lolth’s personal vendetta against the Elder Elemental God.
• Temple Connection: The Shrine beneath the Temple of Elemental Evil is a nexus of the EEG’s power, tied to the Elemental Nodes and the Orb of Golden Death.
• Enduring Threat: The EEG’s influence continues to spread through cults, drow intrigues, and its subtle manipulation of mortal schemes.
• Shrines and Anomalies: The Eilservs constructed temples in the Vault, mimicking the EEG’s shrines.

The Temple of Elemental Evil: Levels of Intrigue and Chaos

The Temple of Elemental Evil is not merely a fortress of cultists and demons but a multifaceted stronghold layered with deception, corruption, and dark power. It stands as both a monument to Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, and a covert fulcrum for the Elder Elemental God’s resurgence. Central to its sinister architecture are the False Shrine and the Elemental Nodes, which form the heart of the Temple’s operations.

The False Shrine: Deception Beneath the Surface

The False Shrine lies at the center of the Temple's grand deceit. While the Temple ostensibly serves the elemental forces and their chaotic agenda, this shrine is a carefully constructed facade designed to mislead and manipulate. Zuggtmoy and Iuz, in their cunning, orchestrated its creation to divert attention and exploit the cultists’ blind devotion.

Description of the False Shrine

• Architecture and Atmosphere: The shrine is built with alien grandeur, adorned with twisted columns of serpentine stone, engraved with elemental symbols. The floor is a mosaic of overlapping elemental motifs—waves, flames, jagged peaks, and swirling winds—all crafted in vibrant but unnerving hues. The walls shimmer with unnatural light, an illusion created by magical wards.
• The Altar: At the center stands a black, porous altar block, radiating faint heat and a subtle hum. Inscriptions in an ancient, indecipherable tongue spiral along its surface, designed to mimic the style of the Elder Elemental God’s shrines but lacking the alien madness-inducing effects of a true site.
• The Ruse: The False Shrine is a deliberate construct, designed to mirror the imagery and atmosphere of a genuine shrine to the Elder Elemental God. Its purpose is to solidify the loyalty of the elemental cultists by giving them a tangible focus for their worship while keeping the Elder Elemental God’s true shrine hidden.

Functions of the False Shrine

• Recruitment and Indoctrination: The False Shrine serves as a tool to solidify the loyalty of new recruits. Initiates are brought here for ceremonies that bind them to the Temple and its elemental hierarchy.
• Control Mechanism: By fostering the illusion of the Elder Elemental God’s involvement, Zuggtmoy and Iuz ensure that the elemental factions remain focused on their supposed divine purpose, limiting infighting and rebellion.
• Deceptive Power: While the shrine lacks the true power of the Elder Elemental God, it emits subtle magical effects to simulate a divine presence. These include minor fear auras and illusory manifestations of elemental power.
• Concealment: The False Shrine acts as a smokescreen, hiding the true shrine to the Elder Elemental God, which lies deeper within the Temple complex.

The Elemental Nodes: Forges of Chaotic Power

The Elemental Nodes are the apex of the Temple’s unholy architecture. These extradimensional demi-planes of raw elemental energy serve as both reservoirs of power and prisons for the elemental forces Zuggtmoy and Iuz have enslaved. Each node is attuned to one of the four elements—Earth, Fire, Water, and Air—and is accessible from the fourth level of the Temple dungeons.   Earth Node:

• A labyrinth of caverns and tunnels, with stalactites and stalagmites that seem to move subtly when unobserved.
• The air is heavy, and the ground trembles periodically with faint quakes.
• Earth Elementals and subterranean creatures prowl the shadows, hunting intruders.

Fire Node:

• A volcanic hellscape of molten rock, fiery rivers, and oppressive heat.
• Geysers of flame erupt unpredictably, and the air shimmers with heat distortion.
• Fire Elementals and Efreeti guard this searing domain.

Water Node:

• A vast, dark ocean with isolated islands of jagged rock and coral.
• The waters teem with aquatic predators and shifting currents, making navigation treacherous.
• Water Elementals and Aboleths stalk the depths, preying on the unwary.

Air Node:

• A boundless void of howling winds and floating platforms of crystal and cloud.
• Lightning storms rage across the horizon, and the thin air chills to the bone.
• Air Elementals and Djinn patrol the skies, striking with speed and precision.

Functions of the Nodes

• Power Reservoirs: The nodes are the source of the Temple’s strength. They fuel its magical wards, summon creatures, and empower the elemental priests.
• Recruitment Trials: Recruits and captives are often sent into the nodes as tests of loyalty and strength. Survivors return as hardened followers or potential leaders.
• Prisons for Elemental Forces: The nodes contain enslaved elemental creatures, bound to the will of the Temple’s leaders. These beings are used as shock troops in raids and defenses.

Access and Navigation

• Elemental Glyphs: Glyphs located on the third and fourth levels of the Temple dungeons act as portals to the nodes. Each glyph is attuned to a specific node and can only be activated by the corresponding Elemental Power Gem or the Orb of Golden Death.
• Randomized Teleportation: Teleportation into and out of the nodes is unpredictable, often depositing intruders in dangerous or isolated locations.
• Elemental Hazards: Each node is fraught with environmental dangers, from collapsing tunnels to sudden storms, making survival a challenge even for seasoned adventurers.

The Third Level: Zuggtmoy’s Domain and Imprisonment

The third level of the Temple of Elemental Evil was designed as Zuggtmoy’s personal domain. This level reflected her demonic essence and fungal sovereignty, serving as both a throne room and a sanctuary for her unholy power. It was here that the Demon Queen of Fungi conducted her schemes, rewarding her faithful, nurturing her monstrous creations, and plotting her eventual domination of the Flanaess.   However, when the forces of good triumphed during the Battle of Emridy Meadows, they did not merely disperse the Temple’s forces and shatter its outer operations. Recognizing the existential threat posed by Zuggtmoy herself, the victors enacted powerful divine magic to trap her within the third level of the Temple. This magical imprisonment became both her prison and her tomb, sealing her essence in a state of stasis that has endured for years.

Zuggtmoy’s Imprisonment

• The Magical Wards: Zuggtmoy’s prison is fortified by complex and overlapping layers of magic. These wards were created with the blessings of St. Cuthbert and other divine entities aligned against the forces of elemental and demonic evil.
• Antipathy Fields: These enchantments repel most intruders, ensuring that only the truly determined or exceptionally powerful can approach her prison chambers.
• Physical Seals: Heavy bronze gates, etched with divine runes, block access to Zuggtmoy’s throne room. These gates are magically reinforced and require extraordinary strength—or a specific ritual—to breach.
• The Pillars of Containment: Three massive stone pillars in her throne room are imbued with holy energy. These serve as anchor points for her binding spell, locking her essence in place and preventing her from leaving.
• Subtle Corruption: Despite her imprisonment, Zuggtmoy’s influence seeps out from her prison, infecting the surrounding chambers with fungal growth and strange, hallucinatory spores. This corruption serves as both a warning and a lure to the unwary, drawing them deeper into her lair.

Key Features of Zuggtmoy’s Domain

The Sealed Throne Room:
At the heart of the third level lies Zuggtmoy’s throne room, where she remains bound. The room exudes an oppressive aura of decay, with fungal growth covering the walls, floor, and ceiling. The air is thick with spore clouds, which induce visions and confusion in intruders. The room is dominated by her silver throne, inlaid with gems of malevolent power. This throne serves as the focal point of her binding, connecting her essence to the containment pillars.
  The Fungal Groves:
Surrounding Zuggtmoy’s throne room are vast fungal gardens, populated by bioluminescent mushrooms, towering fungal stalks, and carnivorous molds. These groves serve as both a defense and a testament to her corrupting influence.

• Defenders: The groves are inhabited by fungal creatures, including Myconids warped by Zuggtmoy’s essence, shambling mounds, and strange fungal oozes.

The Audience Chambers:

• These chambers once hosted Zuggtmoy’s most loyal followers, who sought her favor or carried out her decrees. Ornate but unsettling tapestries and mosaics depict scenes of fungal conquest and corruption. Now abandoned, these rooms are haunted by the psychic echoes of their former occupants.

The Southern Warrens:
The southern part of this level served as barracks and living quarters for Zuggtmoy’s elite minions. These chambers are now overrun by her fungal pets—monstrosities left behind during her imprisonment. Adventurers navigating these warrens must contend with spore-spewing guardians and relentless predatory fungi.

Zuggtmoy's Imprisonment and the Elemental Nodes: A Hidden Threat

Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, remains a key figure within the dark tapestry of the Temple of Elemental Evil, despite her current imprisonment. Her location, magically sealed and hidden by the forces of good, is a closely guarded mystery. Even among her closest allies and followers, knowledge of her exact confinement is scarce, creating an air of tension and unease within the Temple.

Zuggtmoy's Prison: Shrouded in Secrecy

• Uncertain Location: The most likely location of Zuggtmoy's prison is speculated to be within dungeon areas 340–353, a heavily warded and forgotten sector of the Temple’s third level. Iuz, her most prominent ally, suspects this location but has yet to confirm it.
• Iuz’s Indifference: The Old One, Iuz, is content to leave Zuggtmoy’s prison intact for now. He finds her absence advantageous as he pursues his own schemes of chaos and conquest. Her meddling could disrupt his carefully laid plans.
• Communications Persist: Despite her imprisonment, Zuggtmoy maintains a limited connection with her loyal priests and the Greater Temple through ancient demonic rituals and psionic projections. These communications keep her influence alive but limited.
• The Role of St. Cuthbert: The imprisonment of Zuggtmoy was orchestrated with the direct intervention of the god St. Cuthbert, a being of immense power and justice. His divine seal ensures that her prison cannot be easily breached by mortal or divine forces, adding an extra layer of complexity for those who might seek to release her.

Implications for Adventurers

• Zuggtmoy’s Influence: Although imprisoned, Zuggtmoy’s subtle power can affect the minds of intruders. Those who linger too long in her domain may find themselves inexplicably drawn to her throne room, compelled by her whispering voice and the allure of forbidden power.
• Breaching the Seals: Adventurers seeking to access Zuggtmoy’s throne room must bypass layers of physical and magical defenses. Doing so risks unleashing her once more upon the world.
• The Danger of Freedom: Freeing Zuggtmoy inadvertently also weakens the barriers holding back the Elder Elemental God, whose anomaly lies deeper within the Temple. This dual threat ensures that any meddling in Zuggtmoy’s domain carries catastrophic stakes.

Key Points for Dungeon Masters

• Dramatic Tension: Use Zuggtmoy’s whispering influence and the eerie fungal corruption to create a sense of foreboding as adventurers explore her domain.
• Moral Dilemmas: Present the party with difficult choices—whether to risk freeing Zuggtmoy for a greater goal, such as confronting the Elder Elemental God, or to leave her imprisoned but face her corrupting influence in the long term.
• Dynamic Challenges: Populate the third level with unique hazards and encounters, including fungal creatures, spore-based traps, and visions that challenge the party’s resolve and sanity.

The Fourth Level: The Greater Temple

The fourth level is the heart of the Temple of Elemental Evil. It houses the Greater Temple, the central command hub for the cult’s operations, and the key to the Elder Elemental God’s resurgence.

Key Points for Dungeon Masters

• False Shrine Deception: The False Shrine is a tool of manipulation, keeping cultists loyal while hiding the Elder Elemental God’s true shrine.
• Elemental Nodes’ Role: The nodes are critical to the Temple’s power, serving as both resources and challenges for adventurers.
• Dangerous Portals: The glyphs connecting the nodes are unpredictable, adding an element of risk to their use.
• Layered Intrigue: The third and fourth levels are designed to showcase the interplay between Zuggtmoy, Iuz, and the Elder Elemental God.
• Anomaly Connection: The Elder Elemental God’s influence subtly pervades the Temple, making its resurgence a constant threat.

The Fifth Level: The True Shrine of the Elder Elemental God

 

The Nexus: A Conduit of Chaos

The fifth level of the Temple of Elemental Evil, long buried and forgotten beneath the surface, houses the True Shrine of the Elder Elemental God (EEG). Unlike the false shrine on the fourth level, which serves as a distraction and deception, this level is where the Elder Elemental God’s power truly manifests. Hidden behind layers of corrupted reality and eldritch horrors, the shrine is a chaotic nexus that bridges the Material Plane with the Elder Elemental God’s otherworldly prison.   The Nexus is far more than an architectural curiosity—it is the beating heart of the Temple’s connection to otherworldly powers. While it appears to be a simple chamber adorned with a gemstone mural and a radiance-filled Light Chamber, its true function is more insidious and multifaceted.

• Gateway Between Realms: '10. DAIS AND THRONE 'The Light Chamber' Four steps lead to the upper platform, and upon it is a great throne of purplish basalt, with leering demon faces and carved grinning skulls.' (A faint dweomer also radiates from the entire area.) acts as a conduit, linking the Greater Temple to Zuggtmoy’s prison above and the Elder Elemental God’s anomaly below. It is here that mortals in possession of the Elemental Power Gems may unknowingly trigger a sequence of events capable of unsealing the Elder Elemental God.
• Role of the Bejeweled Throne: The throne within the Light Chamber serves as a mechanism of transference. When the Elemental Power Gems are present, whether housed in the Orb of Golden Death or loose, it activates the chamber’s latent teleportation magic. Adventurers or intruders seated in the throne, along with any within the Light Chamber, are immediately transported to the anomaly of the Elder Elemental God on the fifth level.
• Elemental Sigils and Glyphs: Scattered throughout the Temple, glyphs resembling those in the Elemental Nodes function as teleportation points. With the power of the Orb of Golden Death, these glyphs can be partially controlled, offering travel between key locations in the Temple and the anomaly itself.
• The Nexus as a Core: The Nexus serves as the focal point for the Temple’s operations, channeling elemental energies and providing access to the Temple’s deepest secrets. Its name reflects its purpose—a central hub of power, connection, and chaos.

 

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A Nexus of Chaos

Beneath the Temple lies the true shrine to the EEG. Unlike the faux shrine on the fourth level, this site is a nexus of the deity’s power. The shrine’s completion and the unsealing of its anomaly would herald the EEG’s return.

• Cosmic Risks: Unsealing the anomaly would also empower Lolth, as her interference ties her fate to the EEG’s.
• Apocalyptic Stakes: Adventurers must navigate not only Zuggtmoy’s prison but also the lurking presence of the EEG.

The Orb of Golden Death and the Elemental Nodes

• The Orb’s full potential can only be unlocked here, where it draws on the EEG’s primal chaos.
• The Nexus serves as a focal point for the Elemental Nodes, linking the nodes to the EEG’s prison. Adventurers may find clues here about how to manipulate the nodes—or escape them.

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Zuggtmoy, Iuz, and the EEG

The Threefold Struggle

The Greater Temple reflects a complex dynamic: Zuggtmoy, imprisoned but influential; Iuz, exploiting chaos for conquest; and the EEG, an ancient power poised for resurgence.

• Zuggtmoy’s Schemes: Her imprisonment does not prevent her influence over the Temple’s factions.
• Iuz’s Pragmatism: Iuz uses the Temple to weaken his enemies, maintaining loose ties with the EEG’s cultists.
• EEG’s Hidden Power: The true shrine beneath the Temple represents an existential threat to both.
• Key Artifacts: The Elemental Power Gems and Orb of Golden Death

Tools of Chaos

The Power Gems and Orb are central to the Temple’s schemes, acting as both keys and weapons.

• Power Gem Functionality: Each gem allows teleportation, elemental control, and demon summoning when mounted in the Orb.
• Orb of Golden Death: This artifact ties directly to the Nodes and the EEG, amplifying its wielder’s power.