Dave Wood's

Campaign

History of The Temple

History as the Locals Know it

Twenty-five years ago, the forces of evil and darkness gathered north and east of Hommlet and constructed a huge temple. This was a bastion for their armies of gnolls, bugbears, ogres, trolls, and giants - not to mention the evil human masters of the place and the demons and other foul creatures that served them. From this awful place, the malevolent denizens unleashed earthquakes, storms, fires and floods upon the countryside. Monsters were drawn to the area like steel to a lodestone. The Temple of Elemental Evil took three years to complete, but even in that short time, the forces of good knew that they could not abide such a place. The lands of Damara and Vaasa rallied their forces and sacked the temple twenty-two years ago in a battle called Emridy Meadows (named for the site of the largest confrontation). Most of the evil forces were destroyed or driven off. The temple itself was greatly damaged, but the underground levels were extensive and dangerous even for those heroic folk. So the Temple of Elemental Evil was sealed with great magic, imprisoning a powerful demon within its confines.

Nine years later, bandits began troubling the area around Hommlet. Evil humanoids and strangely garbed priests were seen on the road. Within the following year, it became clear that the Temple of Elemental Evil was rising again. This time, the folk of Hommlet and the surrounding area coordinated and fostered attacks by bands of adventurers against the ruined but still-occupied temple. Eventually, the evil was once again overthrown, and this time the temple's dangerous lower levels were destroyed. Since then, the territory has prospered in the peace that has settled in, apparently for a long stay. Common wisdom has it that no more adventures can be had in Hommlet.

True History

Many years ago, the worshippers of Tharizdun concieved a bizarre plan to promote and reinvigorate the power of their religion. Their agents, as insidious as they were insane, infiltrated the ranks of other evil religions. They even managed to worm their way into the ranks of the Lolth-worshipping drow. Once their agents were in place, they began a campaign of lies, misdirection, and manipulation. Among the drow, they formed a new religion, turning a small but powerful contingent of dark elves against their spider goddess and toward the Elder Elemental Eye. These renegade drow attempted to expand their area of influence to the surface by controlling many tribes og giants and inciting them to attack the communities around them, but this plan was ultimately foiled.

Zuggtmoy

Meanwhile, the clerics of Tharizdun were having much more success among the ranks of those serving Zuggtomy (ironically, an enemy and competitor of Lolth). Not surprisingly, being the patron of fungi and mold, this demon had few worshipers among the surface-dwelling peoples. Tharizdun's infiltrators among her clerical servants convinced her that a religion based on Elemental Evil would have more appeal than one dealing with her own mushrooms and slime. Zuggtomy appreciated the wisdom of this advice - each of the four elements would draw a different group of worshipers, and the elements' competitive nature would hone the skills and power of the cult quickly.

So successful were these efforts that the infiltrators decided the Zuggtmoy-backed religion of Elemental Evil could also help recover some of the ancient shrines to Tharizdun, created by time-lost followers of the Dark God when it was still possible for them to operate in the open. The greatest of these places of power was located in the Kron Hills (the area surrounding Hommlet), buried deep under the earth for centuries. A few whispered suggestions later, the forces of Elemental Evil began erecting a grand temple directly over this ancient location of dark power. Zuggtmoy could sense the power in the area, but instead of being suspicious, she believed she could tap into and exploit it. She did not realize its real nature, nor that she in fact would be the conduit through which that power would once again be unleashed upon the world.

Enter Zhengyi

Much to the surprise of the forces of Tharizdun, the Witch-King Zhengyi became involved in creating the Temple of Elemental Evil. Attracted by its growing power, the Witch-King sought it as a way to defeat or weaken his enemies in Damara and further his evil plans. Zhengyi was even more easily manipulated than Zuggtmoy, it turned out, and soon he was devoting a great deal of his own power and influence to the project.

Zhengyi and Zuggtmoy gathered their power and created the orb of Golden Death (an artifact also known as Yellowskull, Goldenskull, or the Death Orb) to open up powerful elemental nodes. Each node was a partial plane containing a moonlike body stranded in a cold, isolated region of magically created space. These nodes hovered right at the edge of the Elemental Planes, drawing forth power from them and taking on their aspects (so there was one each of fire, water, earth, and air). Zhengyi and Zuggtmoy knew only that control of the nodes would give them and their temple great power. What they did not know was that creating the nodes also served the goals of the Cult of Tharizdun.

The Fall of the Temple

Zuggtmoy became arrogant. With the nodes developing nicely, and her armies growing steadily, she made it clear through raids north and west that the Temple of Elemental Evil now controlled the territory. Not surprisingly, those nearby Baronies that were suddenly threatened banded together and attacked the temple, laying siege to it. In less than two weeks, the temple was laid waste and its servants scattered. Even the moathouse to the west was sacked.

After the temple fell, a number of drow were seen in the area, searching the ruins. There were actually two factions present: Some were followers of Lolth, looking for objects of power and servants of the temple who could be co-opted by the demon queen. Lolth felt a strong connection to the entire operation, since she believed that at least some of the servants of Tharizdun were actually worshipers of hers. Her drow servants were also there to find out what had become of her rival, Zuggtmoy. The other drow were followers of the Elder Elemental Eye, all of whom searched the ruins with similar goals-salvage and information gathering.

The Temple Rises Again

Years passed, and the cult of Tharizdun knew that the Temple of Elemental Evil was too powerful and too valuable to their plans to let it lie fallow for long. Zuggtmoy was imprisoned, but perhaps that was for the best-in fact, the cultists did not intend to free her.

Using their connections in the still-thriving cult of Lolth (unlike that of Zuggtmoy), the clerics of the Elder Elemental Eye influenced powerful individuals to return to the ruined temple. Lareth the Beautiful, the wizard Falrinth, Barkinar the commander, and others, not all of whom were friendly to one another, found their way into the hierarchy of the new temple. This time, its backers believed, the temple would grow quietly until it was ready to strike.

Zhengyi's attention was gained once again, and he once again lent his support. He sent a powerful cleric named Hedrack, who was quickly subverted into following the Elder Elemental Eye (and eventually became privy to all the secrets of the cult of Tharizdun). Converting Hedrack was important, for Zhengyi had commissioned his emissary to discover a way to free Zuggtmoy so that she would be in Zhengyi's debt thereafter-but that was not in the plans of the temple's true backers.

The Temple Falls Again

Unfortunately for them, the Temple of Elemental Evil was discovered before its forces could fully prepare. instead of armies, parties of adventurers made quick but painful strikes against key personnel and winnowed down the number of guards. The heroic bands were given succor by the locals, who at times even lent a sword arm or a spell to bring down the evil temple.

Finally, adventurers broke the sealed doors and destroyed the wards placed upon them ten years previous, freeing Zuggtmoy. The demon immediately suspected something was going on, and for the first time, she began to understand that in the shadows were those who manipulated events and directed the forces of what she had thought of as her temple.

Zuggtmoy's liberation was short lived: The Orb of Golden Death was destroyed, hurtling the demon into the Abyss. The subterranean levels of the Temple of Elemental Evil collapsed, as did its access to the elemental nodes.

Today

Surely, after such utter defeat, the temple would pose no further threat to the lands of good.

Not so. In fact, the years that have passed the insane and corrupt followers of the Dark God have been stirring near the temple grounds again.