Ruined Abbey
The Ruined Abbey is the only notable structure on the Isle of the Abbey, located off the coast to the south of Neverwinter. The abbey once was dedicated to Deep Sashelas, the god of sea elves, but had been converted into a worship site for Bane decades ago. The building was destroyed in 1492, following a raid by the Sea Prince Syrgaul. The dungeon in the abbey's basement was looted by the Heroes of Saltmarsh in 1496.
Purpose / Function
The abbey was built centuries ago to venerate the sea elf god Deep Sashelas. However, decades ago, the little used abbey was taken over by the Cult of Bane. The abbey was then converted into a research site, where cultists pried into the secrets of the Century of Strife to uncover new forms of power.
The abbey also hid an underground dungeon complex, called the Winding Way, originally built to house treasures and offerings for Deep Sashelas. Following the Cult of Bane's arrival, the dungeon was hidden, only known to the cult chapter's leader, and used to hoard information and secrets.
Architecture
The abbey, before it was destroyed, was a simple stone building that contained enough space and amenities for a small congregation. In addition, it had a basement, the entrance to which was hidden in case of attack.
Most notably, the abbey contained a hidden dungeon, called the Winding Way, that was originally designed to hold and guard offerings to Deep Sashelas. The various guardians in this dungeon included undead, a vampire jade statue of the god and a crystal Minotaur statue.
Following the arrival of the Cult of Bane, the Winding Way's entrance was hidden by a shrine to Bane and only the leader of the chapter was made aware of it.
While Ordurn was the head of the abbey, he created a specialty medallion that allowed him free access through the labyrinth's undead. In addition, he discovered the pass phrase used to avoid the vampiric jade statue. He modified the dungeon's final room to include a research area, hidden from the rest of the cult. The room contained a direct, water-filled tunnel to the sea, as the temple venerated the elven sea god, and the end of the tunnel was modified to contain the aboleth S'gothgah, to allow the two to study and research in tandem.
History
In Deepwinter of 1489, Ordurn was chosen to be the abbey's new leader. The cultist dedicated his time researching the mysterious of the Century of Strife. During his tenure, Ordurn met, and later befriended the aboleth S'gothgah, unbeknownst to the other members of the abbey. The two of them engaged in dedicated research on the Century of Strife, eventually rediscovering the existence of the Banesmark.
In 1492, the Isle of the Abbey came under assault by a group of pirates led by the Sea Prince Syrgaul. The pirates ransacked the abbey, but failed to discover its basement level. During the assault, they destroyed all boats on the island, stranding its inhabitants. In order to save the abbey's residents, Ordurn promised to take the pirates to their "treasure." In actuality, he took them to the north side of the island, where Syrgaul was put under the telepathic control of S'gothgah. S'gothgah left with the crew of pirates, but not before attacking Ordurn to silence any news of the Banesmark from getting out. Ordurn, psionically damaged, fled to the Winding Way through the basement, shedding his clothes and eventually dying as a skum. The other cultists, save for the mercenary Bayleaf, believed Ordurn simply vanished without a trace. For the next four years, stranded on the island, the remaining cultists, now led by Ozymandius, turned to simple farming and fishing on the barren island, praying that they would be rescued. Tensions grew hot during this time, namely involving Odium, a cultist who was visiting the island when it was attacked, and Bayleaf, a elven mercenary hired to protect the abbey that was not a worshiper of Bane. On the 25th of Eleasis 1496, the Heroes of Saltmarsh arrived at the Isle of the Abbey, joined by Krisella Ferox, who the group had rescued days prior during the Attack on the Neverwinter Gala. The adventurers were following a lead they had learned from the wizard Brisk, before he was killed, that members of the Cult of Bane might know something about the strange swirly mark the group had discovered on the Emperor of the Waves. The adventurers attacked the cult, killing all of the remaining inhabitants, save for the mercenary Bayleaf and Odium. The group discovered the hidden entrance to the Winding Way, tricking Odium into traversing it, where he was savagely torn apart by its protectors. Following a resting day, where Micah Pierce and Lyra were involved in their own mini adventure, the Heroes of Saltmarsh returned to the island and explored the Winding Way, destroying the dungeon's guardians. Mogran Oredelver also acquired a giant crystal axe from a minotaur statue. At the dungeon's end, they discovered the hidden research room, Ordurn's body, and the cultist's tome, the latter of which revealed to the adventurers the name of the swirl pattern: the Banesmark. It also mentioned that the aboleth "S" had learned of it and left the island with Syrgaul. Since the attack by the Heroes of Saltmarsh, the ruined abbey has remained empty.
In 1492, the Isle of the Abbey came under assault by a group of pirates led by the Sea Prince Syrgaul. The pirates ransacked the abbey, but failed to discover its basement level. During the assault, they destroyed all boats on the island, stranding its inhabitants. In order to save the abbey's residents, Ordurn promised to take the pirates to their "treasure." In actuality, he took them to the north side of the island, where Syrgaul was put under the telepathic control of S'gothgah. S'gothgah left with the crew of pirates, but not before attacking Ordurn to silence any news of the Banesmark from getting out. Ordurn, psionically damaged, fled to the Winding Way through the basement, shedding his clothes and eventually dying as a skum. The other cultists, save for the mercenary Bayleaf, believed Ordurn simply vanished without a trace. For the next four years, stranded on the island, the remaining cultists, now led by Ozymandius, turned to simple farming and fishing on the barren island, praying that they would be rescued. Tensions grew hot during this time, namely involving Odium, a cultist who was visiting the island when it was attacked, and Bayleaf, a elven mercenary hired to protect the abbey that was not a worshiper of Bane. On the 25th of Eleasis 1496, the Heroes of Saltmarsh arrived at the Isle of the Abbey, joined by Krisella Ferox, who the group had rescued days prior during the Attack on the Neverwinter Gala. The adventurers were following a lead they had learned from the wizard Brisk, before he was killed, that members of the Cult of Bane might know something about the strange swirly mark the group had discovered on the Emperor of the Waves. The adventurers attacked the cult, killing all of the remaining inhabitants, save for the mercenary Bayleaf and Odium. The group discovered the hidden entrance to the Winding Way, tricking Odium into traversing it, where he was savagely torn apart by its protectors. Following a resting day, where Micah Pierce and Lyra were involved in their own mini adventure, the Heroes of Saltmarsh returned to the island and explored the Winding Way, destroying the dungeon's guardians. Mogran Oredelver also acquired a giant crystal axe from a minotaur statue. At the dungeon's end, they discovered the hidden research room, Ordurn's body, and the cultist's tome, the latter of which revealed to the adventurers the name of the swirl pattern: the Banesmark. It also mentioned that the aboleth "S" had learned of it and left the island with Syrgaul. Since the attack by the Heroes of Saltmarsh, the ruined abbey has remained empty.
RUINED STRUCTURE
1492
1492
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