The Warden Awakened

The underground temple of the four reptile gods was abandoned when it was already old, more than a thousand years ago. Big temples like this were customarily blessed by the presence of an ophessai, a serpent-like emissary of the gods, who served as guardians and intermediaries. The ophessai of this temple was named Ssaruviel.

The temple stood, slowly decaying. Ssaruviel slept and awoke and slept again. Kobolds tried to settle inside several times, but each colonization attempt was driven out by the guardian or died of other causes.

The guardian was asleep for the last 137 years.

Five years ago, two rival towns were founded in the vicinity, Brightshore and Silvermere. Brightshore’s mayor, Edric Thorne, intends to build a lighthouse to turn his town into a trading hub. The perfect place for the lighthouse is on a nearby cliff, and nobody paid much attention to old ruins nearby—except for a Silvermere’s agent, who awakened Ssaruviel by dowsing the altar with blood.