Sur Le Pas De La Porte,

Five years. Luc Tuymans. 2004. Oil, canvas.

Part 1 of Post Reigen manga comic!

Wolves by Ivan Bilibin.

Deity: Bahamut the Martyred Wyrm

He does not answer our prayers, we answer his, the dying plea of a selfless creature who wished only that someone would stand up and care for his people after he had given his last for them.

We Stand for Bahamut,

Would you Stand With us?

The Dragon is dead, but he is remembered. One of the earliest heroes in mortal history, ever bright Bahamut turned against the proscribed order of the world and his very being to fight on behalf of the innocent; Sacrificing himself when it became clear that he had no other means of unseating the tyrant that ruled over them. His actions resound into the present day, somewhere between a folk hero and a saint for many cultures where his story and example have taken on a power all their own, called upon by the fearful and the righteous in their greatest times of need.

There is no one church of the platinum dragon as such, but there are organizations that claim him as their inspiration. Often these temples will feature some local hero or great exemplar that they claim best exemplified Bahamut’s virtues, though these “aspects of the dragon”  vary extremely in their actions, ethos, and representative philosophies.

Since he embodies reckless benevolence, courage in the face of adversity, a willingness to overturn established orders, Bahamut is often seen as the patron of more noble adventuring types, who may too often chafe under the responsibility and goody-two-shoes  reputation the mythic dragon has garnered over the intervening centuries.

Hooks:

If you want to prove yourself daring and brave they say, go up to the shrine of the platinum dragon in the mountains. Make offering and meditate by the altar fires, and by dawn you will know if Bahamut has deemed you worthy or not.   It’s only a few hours into the party’s vigil when the party hear distressed cries and the sounds of the skirmish resonating off the walls of the ravine, likely coming from the river at its mouth. Do they head out into the darkness and abandon their rite, or do they stay put and do as they’ve been told? Given that they’re at the shrine of a god of righteous bravery, the question should not be that hard to come by.

The party receive a glimpse into their possible future as they watch a pair of higher level adventurers brawling on the steps of one of Bahamut’s temples, interrupting the service for their own fallen companion. Once a close knit group of friends, this adventuring party has been sundered by the death of their paladin, a devout of the platinum dragon who gave his life so that the others could escape from a rampaging monster. One of the adventurers, mourning the loss of her best friend screams that the paladin’s sacrifice was stupid, while another won’t hear ill of the dead on the day they’re set to bury him. Some time later, one of the presiding priests will ask the party’s help in reconciling the grieving pair

Descended from a celebrated champion of Bahamut famed for battling a dragon on his own, a noble house has become increasingly arrogant and ambitious, seeing themselves as favored by the dragon god and claiming their ancestor’s virtues as their own. Their hunting of drakes and other minor wyrms has esiclated over time, and now the scion of their house wishes to mount an expedition and hunt a true dragon lairing in the nearby wilderness and he wants the party to help. Whether or not the heroes decide to tag along, the scion manages to give the dragon a nearly mortal wound, only for its mate to show up a few hours later and begin razing the countryside in a fairly justified rage. The party are then faced with a choice of either killing both dragons or playing against type figuring out a way to heal the first of the pair and quell their mates anger.

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sunlight

25 Jungle Ruins Adventure Seeds

By Robb at readytorole.com

A rumbling could be heard coming from the swamp that sits in the center of the jungle. Anyone who goes there now sees a large ziggurat that has risen, and now floats above the surface.

After a member of an excavation team falls into quicksand completely, they appear to crawl out not too long after. They claimed that they were transported back in time hundreds of years when the ruins were active and lively, and urge you to see for yourself.

A friendly tribe native to the jungle warns anyone who goes near the temple to not search for ancient artifacts, saying any that remain within are cursed and will awaken an ancient evil.

Oversized animals roam the jungle; so far giant tigers, gorillas, and crocodiles have been seen and people are taking care to avoid them. However, the gorillas have been getting closer every day and some are afraid they may attack the camp.

During an expedition into the jungle surrounding the ruins, an explorer was attacked and strangled by a living mass of vines and vegetation. This isn’t the first time the plant life has appeared to be alive, but it is the first time that they have attacked a person, and no one knows why.

After a team of builders begin to reinforce parts of the ruins so that they don’t collapse, their tools have started breaking. Some believe them to be cursed, and now they aren’t allowed back into the camps until they can prove they’re uncursed.

Large stone guardians, at first believed to be statues, have begun roaming around the ruins, charging at anyone you gets too close to them. An excavator screamed at one during the charge and it halted its attack, but now it follows the excavator around and watches over them. Other stone guardians pay them no here but will still attack others in the expedition.

A tinkerer within the group has devised a new way to travel within the jungle! They’ve created pairs of canvas wings that you strap into, and then you get catapulted into the sky above the trees. This sounded great until the lead explorer was flung halfway across the jungle with no good way of navigating back.

Relations with the normally agreeable lizardfolk in the area have grown tense as those within the tribe deal with infighting. Some wish to continue to revere the ancient spirits of the swamp as they have, while others want to change their allegiance to a new black dragon that has made their lair in the area.

Snake people have begun coming out of the ruins and raiding camps, but most horrifically they are stealing people out of their beds to be sacrificed at an alter atop the ruins to appease an ancient god.

An alchemist has requested help from anyone who can get him certain plants so that he can help stave off rashes and poison in the jungle. It’s these same plants however that are extremely poisonous to handle, so none have been willing to help him.

After digging in the swampy waters, zombies have been awakened and now climb out from under the fetid water, seeking only to reenter the ruins of a large temple and clawing at the entrance until their hands fall off.

Small moving lights have been seen at night, occasionally helping lead those out exploring through difficult passages. Their help has been appreciated, until two incidents of the lights leading them straight into the nests of hungry animals has led to some casualties.

A famous explorer, well known for their ability to handle any situation with a cool head and always being successful, has found your camp and is extremely shaken. They say their entire expedition has fallen prey to a humongous bird that swoops down and between the trees with ease, and that their cries for help still haunt him.

Legends from locals warn you of an ancient shapeshifting hag who resides in the jungle. They say she can read your mind and will transform into the visage of someone you know, asking for help. If you get too close though, she will pounce and take you, leading to people being unwilling to aid anyone by themselves who have been lost in the jungle.

Since some alchemical supplies were accidentally poured into swampy waters, the area surrounding the jungle has been masked with a thick fog, causing coughing fits for anyone who enters. Samples of the water have revealed a chemical reaction is causing this, and the only way to stop it is to pour a sufficient amount of holy water towards the center of the water.

Each night, spectral visages of ancient people can be seen walking around the ruins, interacting as if they were still intact. They haven’t acknowledged anyone living, though they walk around them and can make physical contact.

A witch doctor has claimed that he can cure any ailment which has brought a good number of travelers to the swamp seeking his help. While most of his visitors speak good things of him, lately there have been some disappearances of those who went to visit him and people are beginning to get suspicious.

The remains of a destroyed campsite were found a few hundred feet from your own. No one was aware of any other expeditions in the jungle, but more disturbing are the giant claw marks that are found in the site, ripping even into metal.

A large whirlpool has opened up in the swamp that surrounds some of the ruins. It seems to move around and head for any movement in the water. No one has dared enter, but some have claim to have seen a bird get sucked into the water by sheer force.

While normally not being short on bugs, the jungle has seen swarms of insects take flight and resembling one large, amorphous entity. Natives say the strange behavior means the return of an old warlock who used to terrorize the jungle hundreds of years ago.

An old arena in the ruins of the jungle still seems some use by native tribes as a way to show tests of strength. A member of the expedition accidentally volunteered to enter through a miscommunication and was mauled by a together after pleas to be let out, causing a rift between the natives and the expedition.

Many of the braziers that litter the ruins have spontaneously lit themselves, spreading concern amongst the expedition. Even more concerning is when the fires of the braziers moves off them, resembling fire elementals, and attack any creatures that come to close

Explorers have found a section of jungle filled with thorns and briers, unusual for the climate and the environment. They didn’t have much time to investigate as plant-like humanoids made of vines and thorns chased them out before resuming corrupting more of the jungle.

After concocting a strange potion using ingredients from the jungle, a wizard from the expedition has managed to turn himself into a lizard. He still possesses intelligence and is writing instructions in the dirt on how to turn him back, including delving into the temple for some reagents.