The Ruined Temple of the Fungal King

Background

• Built by humans a hundred years ago when Araumycos first began interacting with men and dwarves.
• His cult was wiped out by orcs seventy years ago in the Orc Raids.
• The temple was lost but then found by monstrosities who now dominate it.

Dressing

• the cool air has a faint hint of rot but also of sweat
• drumming or rhythmic thuds come from the dungeon

Layout

!Ruined Temple Layout.canvas

Chambers

Entrance Room

A mural of flora and fauna meets your gaze

Written in elvish is the following riddle along the bottom of the mural:
I have no lungs, yet I breathe the damp air. I have no eyes, yet I glow in the despair. I feast on the crown of the mightiest oak, And shroud the dark woods in a velvety cloak. To the living, I whisper of rot and decay, Yet I pave the green path for tomorrow’s new day.
What am I?

Interacting with the spores of the mushroom opens a door into the rumble room

Puzzle Room: The Chamber of the Mycelial Vault

The party steps into a damp, subterranean limestone cavern beneath the roots of an ancient, rotting oak tree. The air is thick with a rich, earthy aroma.

The Room's Setup

• The Mycelial Floor: The entire stone floor is carpeted in a thick, fibrous web of pale, pulsing fungal threads (mycelium). Walking normally across it causes it to thrum with a faint hum.

• The Altar of the King: At the far end of the room sits a massive, calcified mushroom throne. Before it rests a stone basin filled with stagnant, pitch-black water. Three hollow grooves are carved into the rim of the basin.

• The Spore Pillars: Flanking the room are three massive, towering stalks of Bioluminescent Shelf-Fungi (Caps A, B, and C). Each pillar glows with a different color:

  • Pillar A: Deep, bruised purple

  • Pillar B: Pale, ghost-white

  • Pillar C: Toxic, vibrant green

• The Locked Threshold: Behind the throne, a wall of dense, iron-hard roots blocks further passage.

The Puzzle Mechanics: "The Melody of Rot"

To open the root-door, the party must harvest a specific drop of condensed liquid ("The King's Tears") from each of the three fungal pillars and pour them into the altar's basin in the correct order.

Engraved in Elvish or Druidic upon the base of the altar is a riddle matching the one known to the Fungal King's worshipers:

"First steps the one who dines upon the fallen crown (Rot).

Second steps the one who shines when darkness settles down (Glow).

Last steps the one who binds the breath of those who drown (Spores)."

Step 1: Solving the Sequence

The players must figure out which pillar corresponds to which line of the riddle. A character can deduce the proper order with successful DC 13 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Survival) checks:

1. First (Rot): The Purple Pillar feeds directly on decaying wood placed at its base.

2. Second (Glow): The White Pillar pulses with a soft, constant bioluminescence that intensifies in complete darkness.

3. Third (Spores): The Green Pillar constantly vents a fine, irritating green mist.

The Correct Order: Purple $\to$ White $\to$ Green.

Step 2: Navigating the Floor (The Hazard)

The mycelium carpet on the floor is highly sensitive to pressure and movement.

• If a character moves more than half their speed on a turn, or fails a DC 14 Dexterity (Stealth) check while walking, the floor flares crimson.

• This triggers a Spore Burst: Everyone in the room must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take $2d6$ poison damage and be blinded until the end of their next turn as cloud-spores erupt from the walls.

Step 3: Extracting the Tears

To get the liquid from a pillar, a character must interact with it directly. Each pillar has a miniature challenge:

• The Purple Pillar: Requires a character to sacrifice something dead or decaying (a ration, a piece of wood, a dead insect) to its roots. The fungus secretes a syrupy purple tear.

• The White Pillar: Must be cast into complete darkness. If all light sources are doused or blocked within 5 feet of it, it sweats a glowing white teardrop.

• The Green Pillar: Requires a DC 15 Sleight of Hand or Dexterity check to slice a collection nodule without puncturing the toxic green spore sacs surrounding it. Failing the check causes $3d6$ acid/poison damage to the harvester.

Resolution

When the three tears are poured into the basin in the correct sequence (Purple, White, then Green), the black water violently bubbles and turns a clear, crystalline blue.

The massive roots blocking the threshold groan, peeling backward like wooden fingers to reveal the hidden chamber beyond—perhaps holding an artifact of the Fungal King, or the path deeper into the Stadental mountain foothills.

Rumble Room

Swinging from the vines in this very tall room are three girallons!

creatures:
  - 3 Girallon (MPMM)
  - 
party:  STE 06

Oddity Room

• In the middle of the room is a fountain of water with water welling up from its center and spilling onto its floor but not running onto the floor.
• The water refreshes anyone who drinks restoring hit points.
• Drinking the water twice gives a vision of light.
• Drinking the water thrice gives sounds of woods.
• Drinking the water four times requires a DC Wisdom save or fall asleep into a peaceful slumber.

Boss Room

• Breathing out its fury is a hydra!

creatures:
  - Hydra
party:  STE 06

Cache Room

• 6,000 gp in religious artifacts and treasure
• the Diadem of the Fungal King: +2 Spell DC, +2 Spell Attack; plus 1d4 on healing spells for druids.