The Shattered Chalice: Trial of the Forsaken Ashes
Setting: The Forgotten Temple of Ashen Virtue
In the heart of the Weeping Vale, a once-hallowed site lies in ruin, cloaked by vines and the tepid air of decay. The Forgotten Temple of Ashen Virtue was once a bastion of wisdom and serenity, where guardians of the Chalice of Remembrance safeguarded its sacred essence. Now, it stands as a monument to forgotten glory, its walls embittered by time and betrayal. Legend has it that an ancient artifact, the Shattered Chalice, contains the power to restore lost memories or rend the very fabric of existence.
The players traverse through a dense forest filled with twisted oaks and treacherous mud, finally arriving at a crumbling entrance, framed by two massive statues of long-forgotten deities, their faces marred by eroded stone. Inside, the temple is dark, illuminated by faint glimmers of phosphorescent lichen clinging to the dampness of the stone. The air buzzes with a low hum, the telltale sign that something arcane stirs within.
Objective: Restore the Chalice and Escape
To retrieve the Shattered Chalice, the players must navigate through a series of trials, including traps, puzzles, and confrontations with guardians of the temple that test their resolve and wit. Ultimately, their goal is to restore the Chalice atop an altar that sits in the heart of the temple, guarded by echoes from the past: vengeful spirits of forsaken guardians.
The Trials of Ash
Upon entering the temple's antechamber, the party is met with a flickering light emanating from an ornate pedestal at the room's center, showcasing fragments of the shattered Chalice. Around it sits four murals depicting trials faced by the temple's guardians, each representing the emotions tied to memories: Joy, Sorrow, Fear, and Anger. To proceed, the party must choose one of these trials to undertake.
Trial of Joy: The Garden of Delights
- Setup: The room bursts open into a garden filled with vibrant flowers and plants, lush and radiant. A soft melody plays, drawing the players toward it.
- Challenge: As the players wander through the garden, they must focus on the flowers that pulse in rhythm with the music. Mishandling a flower, or touching the wrong plant, releases a wave of phantom guardians.
- Combat Encounter: 4 Phantasmal Guardians (use stats for Specters) appear and attack. If the party can defeat them and focus on the source of the music, they can gather petals that hold memory fragments.
Trial of Sorrow: The Hall of Echoes
- Setup: This dimly lit room echoes faint cries of lost lovers and bittersweet stories. Ghostly images replay moments of heartbreak.
- Challenge: To progress, the players must discern the true source of sorrow from the phantoms’ memories. Using Insight checks (DC 15), they can find the right story to share and commence a ritual to banish the sorrow.
- Encounter: Successful players must confront an Echo of Regret (use stats for a Banshee). The Banshee will not attack unless players choose to dispel the echoes without understanding their intent. Speaking to the phantoms calms the echoes and gives them a piece of the shattered Chalice.
Trial of Fear: The Labyrinth of Shadows
- Setup: A narrow corridor filled with illusions that play on the characters' fears, causing them to see nightmarish versions of themselves.
- Challenge: Each player must face their fear in a minor illusion based on their character traits, leading to Wisdom saving throws (DC 14). Failure results in psychic damage and fear effects.
- Encounter: The players can confront factory forms of their fears, manifesting as Shadowbeasts (use stats for Shadows). Overcoming these phantoms grants them dark essence that holds power.
Trial of Anger: The Arena of Wrath
- Setup: Arriving in a circular combat arena, the team is met by a menacing figure, a Spirit of Vengeance (use stats for a Wraith) who challenges them.
- Challenge: To win, players must channel their anger into strength and use non-lethal damage to subdue the spirit. If lethal force is used, the spirit grows stronger rather than weaker.
- Combat Encounter: The players must work together to outsmart the Wraith and push through their anger by relying on each other’s strengths. At the end of the battle, the Wraith crumbles into ash, revealing a piece of the shattered Chalice.
The Guardian of the Chalice
With all four pieces collected, the players find their way to the heart of the temple, a grand hall adorned with remnants of ancient glory. An elevated altar sits at the center, where the shards are to be placed. As they place the pieces atop the altar, an ethereal figure materializes before them— the High Guardian of the Chalice, who demands to know why they seek to reforge it.
- Dialogue Opportunity: The party must explain their intentions and the memories shared during the trials. Successful persuasion (Charisma checks, DC 16) can convince the Guardian of their noble cause.
Should the players fail the dialogue to convince the guardian, they must face him in battle (use stats for a Ghost).
The Conclusion: Restoration and Revelation
Upon either success in dialogue or combat, the players witness the Chalice reform before them. As it shines with renewed vigor, ethereal memories flood the chamber, revealing secrets and truths long lost to the annals of time.
- Reward: The Chalice provides the players with unique boons: each can choose one spell per long rest from a selection available via remnants of their trials (for example, Alter Memory, Fear, or Healing Word). Additionally, the Chalice can be used once to restore a lost memory for its holder—either theirs or someone else's.
As the players leave the temple, the vibrant colors of the weeping vale seem enriched, reflecting the journey they’ve taken and the lives they’ve touched along the way. The temple that once stood forlorn and forgotten begins reawakening, whispering tales of the adventurers who dared to mend what was broken. The echoes of the past are now intertwined with the bonds of newfound friendships—a memory reverberated into the tapestry of the world, forever inspiring those who seek the Chalice of Remembrance.
Epilogue: The Unexpected Encounter
As the players begin to exit, they suddenly feel a shudder beneath their feet. Residual energy from the Chalice’s restoration has drawn the attention of a much darker entity—a shadowy figure watches them from the periphery, an unknown force that hints at further adventures yet to come. The players leave the temple, posturing the next phase of their journey is just beginning, filled with new adventures and lingering shadows that seek the power of the Shattered Chalice for their own dark means.
