Deep in the woods there is a dungeon that smells like blood and death.
Every full moon, the Sellion cult sacrifices an innocent soul in this dungeon, which fills the Ancient Skeleton with an essence called Ether.
On lunar eclipses, when the Moon is red, they perform a different ritual. This time, the Ancient Skeleton rises from its tomb and releases all the stored Ether. The green mist renders unconscious everyone in the room for the duration of the eclipse, but if they were part of the full moon rituals, it also fills them with immortality powers until the next eclipse. Then the Skeleton sleeps once more until it's summoned again.
Total lunar eclipses are quite common, but every four centuries a total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon and the Sun perfectly align with the Ancient Skeleton Sarcophagus. This is when the ritual is most powerful.
This evil magic can be destroyed if The Ancient Skeleton is defeated while it's awake. This would put an end to this ceremony forever and break the bond with whoever benefited from the ritual, instantly turning them into dust.
Sellion rituals schedule
Event | Frequency | Ritual | Ritual duration | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Full Moon | Every month | Sacrifice soul | All night | Fills the Skeleton with Ether |
Total Lunar Eclipse | Every 2.5 years | Summon the Ancient Skeleton | 2 hours | Release Ether and gain the powers |
Total Solar Eclipse | Every 375 years | Summon the Ancient Skeleton | 7 minutes | Release Ether and gain improved powers |
Quest
A cult is sacrificing our people in a dungeon to gain immortality powers.
They perform the ritual every full moon to charge a spell, then when an eclipse happens they summon an Ancient Skeleton, gaining strong powers.
The strongest ceremony in 4 centuries is happening soon, we need to stop them before it's too late.
Ideas
Kill every cultist.
Kill the Skeleton when it rises up in an eclipse.
Disrupt the ritual somehow.
Interfere with the Moon or moonlight.
Wait for the cultists to be unconscious.
How to use the map
Fill the map with skeletons or cultists. In the ritual room, there is a big skeleton boss fight if an eclipse is happening.
The ritual room can be reached in several ways:
Go straight through the prison room, killing everyone in the way
Hard Strength check to destroy the fallen rocks wall to avoid the prison room.
Athletics check or Water Breathing spell to dive through the water tunnel. Then an easy Strength check to destroy the thin wall and get a surprise attack.
Go through the cultists camp. Then medium Strength check to destroy the thin wall and get a surprise attack.
If the players gather enough information before going to this location, they can access the dungeon through an alternative entrance in the tunnel.
Enter through the ceiling, where the moonlight goes through. Careful, it may be a big fall.
The Sellion Cult name is based on the selenelion experience, which is when and where an observer can see the Sun and the eclipsed Moon at the same time from the same spot at sunrise or sunset. Also, all the events are scientifically accurate to the best of our knowledge.
