Chapter 5: Temple of the Elder Elemental Eye - Princes of the Apocalypse

Chapter 5: Temple of the Elder Elemental Eye. The struggle to defeat the forces of Elemental Evil is coming to a head. Characters have cleared out the cult's surface outposts and taken the fight to the temples beneath the Sumber Hills. Below the ancient dwarven stronghold of Tyar-Besil is a deeper and even older maze of dark caverns-the Temple of the Elder Elemental Eye. This area consists of the Fane of the Eye and the four elemental nodes from which the cults draw their power. The elemental nodes are growing so strong that their mere existence is triggering catastrophes. Little investigation is to be done at this point; the cultists' plans are clear. The big question is whether the characters can contain the damage. Time is pressing, and the party might have to make hard choices. Character Advancement If the party cleaned out each of the temples in chapter 4, the adventurers begin this chapter around 10th level. The Fane of the Eye is intended for a 10th-level group; the Howling Caves are designed for an 11th-level party; the Plunging Torrents and Black Geode are intended for a party of about 12th level; and the Weeping Colossus is designed for a 13th-level party. As a rough guideline, the party should gain one level after clearing the Fane, one level after finishing the first elemental node they explore, and one more level after completing the third node they explore. Wrath of the Elements The elemental prophets sense that they are running out of time, and they redouble their efforts to expand Elemental Evil's power across the Dessarin Valley. If they can't subdue the area with Devastation Orb, the prophets tear open rifts to the elemental planes so that nothing can resist the elemental power. The characters must contain the damage. Each time the characters retreat from the Fane of the Eye or finish exploring an elemental node, run one of the encounters from among "Downpour," "Burning Hills," and "Tortured Earth." In addition, two new threats establish themsel...