Temple of Knowledge | Living Dungeon [82 x 160]
Archivist Sorren paced about the base of the Great Tree, hands nervously folded behind his back.
The tree hadn't delivered a new leaf in days. The longest period of time he could remember was during an extremely cold winter, when the sheltered tree went several hours without delivering some type of knowledge about the outside world. Its roots stretched far and wide, connecting to root systems of sweeping forests, tiny groves and lonely copses perched atop mountains. The tree listened to the world and brought knowledge here to the temple in the form of leaves dropped from its massive boughs.
The last few days, however, every fallen leaf delivered the exact same message.
"It is coming."
Sorren glanced up at the mighty trunk of the tree, toward its brilliant amber and golden-hued branches and canopy of colorful leaves. Suddenly, the tree shivered, so slightly that only someone that had spent decades walking its base would have noticed. Sorren glanced up to see a brilliant red leaf falling lazily through the air.
Sorren raced over toward the leaf as it touched the ground, breathless with excitement and hopeful for some change in the tree's message. Picking it up with gentle hands, the archivist regarding its broad face and his expression tensed.
It was different, but it was worse.
Sorren smoothed a hand across the blood-red face of the leaf and mouthed the words.
"It is here."
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This is a large map of the Temple of Knowledge, a location that could be used as a resource location in your Homebrew world (i.e. where can I learn this obscure language? where can I research more about this ancient foe? where can I learn this high-level spell?), but also for an encounter that I am terming a Living Dungeon.
What is a Living Dungeon?
Most dungeons are the skeletal remnants of a place that was. It USED to be a mine, or a city or a temple, but something happened, the original occupants died/fled, and now it's inhabited by all manner of nasty things that need clearing out and potentially looted.
My interpretation of a Living Dungeon is an encounter where the location is operating at its peak efficiency. Everyone is there. Everything is fine, until...it isn't. In this case, the party may arrive (or have arrived) to research some particular bit of knowledge, or been sent there by someone to obtain a scroll or book, when the archivists get the last message from the tree. That is when things begin to happen. It could be people beginning to become possessed by some type of demon, or a portal opening that carries with it foes from another Realm, or it could be entities from the Fey or Shadowfel or another Plane that have targeted this location for whatever reason pleases you.
The party then has to deal with this new threat and either determine a way to escape or to combat the threat in a place/location that may feel very much like a dungeon if/when the demons/creatures have suddenly appeared running amok within its walls.
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The Temple of Knowlege has several rooms:
1. A temple dedicated to a deity of knowledge or learning.
2. The chamber of the Great Tree and Library.
3. Living quarters for the priests.
4. Scribing room as archivists transcribe the tree's messages into books.
5. Storage Room
6. Grand Dining Hall
7. Kitchen & Storage
8. Archivist's Living Quarters
9. [4] Personal Living Quarters
10. Main Entrance
11. Bath & Privies
12. The Great Well
13. Official Receiving Room
14. Official Dining Hall
15. [3] Small Guard Barracks
16. Large Guard Barracks
17. Leader's Chambers
There are beds for 60+ persons, imagining mostly priests and archivists along with some assigned guards and visitors/guests.
I designed the size and scope to feel very large and grand, as well as to provide a lot of good space for potential encounters (both social and combat).
If you like this and would to see more, consider supporting me on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/morvoldpress)!
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[Made in Dungeondraft with some assets from Birdie, AoA, BMM, Geordie_LaForge, Orcitect, Gogot and Gnome Factory.]
