Contents
Scions of Elemental Evil
Beneath the Temple of Elemental Evil lies a labyrinth of tombs and ritual chambers. For years these dungeons have lain in ruin. Now forsaken souls return, raising an army of evil to destroy the world.
Scions of Elemental Evil is part of a yearlong celebration of Dungeons & Dragons and its 50th anniversary.
The adventure, set in Greyhawk, is designed for four to six level 4 characters. Accompanying the adventure are character sheets for the six protagonists of the beloved 1980s Dungeons & Dragons animated series: Bobby, Diana, Eric, Hank, Presto, and Sheila, all presented in young adulthood. The seventh character sheet presents Niko, a Cleric from a different set of adventurers who recently tumbled into the D&D multiverse. Each player can choose one of these characters or provide a character of their own.
Using This Supplement
This product includes all of what you need to run the adventure.
The following appendixes are included:
Appendix A presents three magic items from the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide that appear in this adventure. Characters can acquire these items during play. At your discretion, the characters might earn one or more of these treasures as a reward for completing this adventure.
Background
Long ago, elemental cultists used a chamber hidden within the Temple of Elemental Evil to summon extraplanar allies and threaten the region of Flanaess. Called the Primordial Nexus, the chamber was buried in rubble when heroes defeated the cultists.
Now, a fanatic named Ulsedra Vox has excavated the Primordial Nexus. Reverent of the Para-elements ash, ice, magma, and ooze, Vox communes with the Elder Elemental Eye, an entity of chaos and destruction. The entity imparted knowledge about the Primordial Nexus's magic in exchange for Vox's promise to use this power to kill as many nonbelievers as she can.
Vox's activities around the temple caught the attention of three new cults devoted to the Para-elemental deities of ash, ice, and ooze. Sensing the Elder Eye's involvement, the cults united to help Vox. Together, the cultists are the Primordial Alliance, and Vox leads them as a self-styled queen. Unless the characters stop Vox and the cultists, Vox will summon an army of elemental monsters to wreak havoc on the world.
Adventure Hooks
At the start of the adventure, the characters are summoned before Queen Yolande, ruler of the nation Celene. If answering the queen's call isn't sufficient motivation, you can further persuade the party with one of the following adventure hooks:
- Royal Agents. Word of a growing evil in the marshes has caused concern in the neighboring kingdom of Furyondy. The characters are secret agents sent to gather intelligence for King Belvor IV.
- Mercenaries. The last time evil arose in these parts, it disrupted vital trade routes. A powerful collective of merchants asks the adventurers to investigate new threats that could interrupt business.
Setting the Adventure
This adventure takes place in Flanaess, a region in the Greyhawk campaign setting. You can set the adventure on a different world if you wish. Consider the following suggestions:
- Dragonlance. The ruined temple lies in the mountains between Solace and Haven. The Primordial Nexus is a remnant shard of the god Chaos, who was trapped by Reorx long before recorded history began. Queen Yolande is replaced by the Forestmaster, a wise unicorn that lives in the Darken Wood.
- Eberron. In Aundair, the temple lies in the wilderness around the town of Wyr. Instead of Queen Yolande, an orc Gatekeeper called Rhasshaven seeks the characters' help. The Dreaming Dark replaces the Elder Elemental Eye.
- Forgotten Realms. The Sword Coast's Dessarin Valley is plagued by evil related to elemental forces. The temple is located in the Sumber Hills. Laeral Silverhand, the Open Lord of Waterdeep, replaces Queen Yolande.
Overview
This adventure is designed to unfold in three to four hours of play and is split into the following parts:
- Rise of Elemental Evil. Queen Yolande sends the characters to the Temple of Elemental Evil. There, the characters must eliminate Para-elemental cult leaders. The characters confront three cult leaders before finding a portal that leads deeper into the temple.
Para-elemental Queen. The characters must stop Ulsedra Vox, the self-styled Para-elemental queen, from awakening her elemental army.
Rise of Elemental Evil
The adventure begins in Celene, a prominent nation ruled by Queen Yolande. The queen is an accomplished elf wizard who has united armies to stand against invaders. She summons the characters to her palace to help with a sensitive matter, providing no information other than her problem is urgent.
[image: Queen Yolande]
Elf Queen's Palace
Read or paraphrase the following text to start the adventure:
Go around the table, allowing each player to introduce their character.
The Queen's Briefing
After the introductions, Queen Yolande nods in appreciation. She continues:
Distribute Handout: Cult Recruiter's Note to the players. Give them a few moments to read the handout before Queen Yolande continues:
[image: Handout: Cult Recruiter's Note]
The queen snaps her fingers, and an elven man in green-and-gold courtier attire emerges from behind a nearby curtain. In his arms are enough sets of black robes and silver masks for each character.
Questioning the Queen
Queen Yolande provides the following answers to the characters' questions:
- What Are You Paying?. "If you can end this evil, I'll award you each with a blue sapphire from my crown jewels." (Each gem is worth 1,000 GP.)
Tell Us More about the Attempt on Your Life. "My handmaiden, Ciande, was recently caught trying to poison my wine. Ciande died trying to evade arrest, but we found scrolls in her quarters tying her to the Order of Falling Ash. Our investigation uncovered details from there."
- Why Does the Order of Falling Ash Want to Destroy Celene?. "Those who worship Elemental Evil want to wipe out order and replace it with chaos. They hate my realm because they hate all that is good."
- Why Choose Us?. "My knights are trained to face evil directly, but this task requires discretion. The temple is outside my realm, and my spies haven't the combat prowess needed to eliminate our enemies. I need true heroes to stop these cults; I need you."
What Do You Know about This Temple? "It was a place that harbored great evil. I thought it was destroyed long ago." (If the players are interested, Queen Yolande details the temple's history as described in the "Temple of Elemental Evil" section later in this adventure.)
- Where Is the Temple?. "The temple is a three-day journey by cart from the palace. On the morning of the fourth day, you should begin your mission."
- Who Is Taking Us to the Temple?. "My agent Filonia will drive you in an ox cart to the temple's outskirts. She will brief you further along the journey."
The Queen's Boon
Once the characters have asked all their questions, read or paraphrase the following:
The boots are Boots of Elvenkind. The queen explains their function. Before proceeding, the characters must decide who wears the boots.
Leaving the Palace
Queen Yolande invites the characters to undertake any small preparations they wish before embarking on their journey.
When the characters are ready to leave, a woman dressed in nondescript leathers and a gray cloak approaches them. This is Filonia, an elf Knight, in disguise as a cloth merchant. Filonia's gear and weapons are stashed in an ox cart parked in the palace courtyard, where Filonia escorts the characters.
Road to the Temple
During the following three days of travel, Filonia reveals herself to be a polite and disciplined soldier. The agent's genuine affection for the queen and Celene is clear.
Filonia has orders to drive the characters to the temple, camp nearby during the characters' mission, then return with them to Queen Yolande's palace. If the characters don't return in a week, Filonia must return to Celene.
Filonia is briefed on the cults. If the characters ask, she reveals the information in the following sections.
Primordial Alliance
Ulsedra Vox heads an alliance of three cults, each sworn to a different deity of Elemental Evil. These deities represent Para-elemental forces of ash, ice, and ooze. The cults despise one another, but they have sworn to work together under Vox to bring pain and suffering to the world. Vox now reveres the power of all Para-elements, though she originally only worshiped the primordial might of Chlimbia, Prince of Magma.
The Children of Splintered Ice, Children of Suffocating Ooze, and Order of Falling Ash are based on the temple's ground floor. The self-styled Para-elemental Queen, Ulsedra Vox, is based deeper in the temple in the Primordial Nexus. The characters confront Vox in the "x" section later in the adventure.
Children of Splintered Ice
This violent pirate crew trolled the cold waters of Lake Quag before they fell into the worship of Elemental Evil. The crew's leader, Captain Kara Blayne, leads her pirates in the worship of Cryonax, an enormous yeti with tentacles for arms known as the Prince of Ice.
The bodies of the Children of Splintered Ice are blue with cold. Strange and fanatical, they stand motionless like statues until Blayne rouses them to action. Blayne can be found in x (see map 1.1).
Children of Suffocating Ooze
Members of a street gang from the Free City of Greyhawk form this cult. Their bodies glisten with oozy pustules, a gift from their evil god Bwimb II.
Known as the Princess of Ooze, Bwimb II saved the gang members' lives in exchange for their perpetual servitude. The Children of Suffocating Ooze are led by Captain Garthezz Drule, who can be found in x (see map 1.1).
Order of Falling Ash
This cult hopes to assassinate Queen Yolande of Celene and wrest control of the nation. In addition to the members based in the temple, cult operatives pose as Queen Yolande's loyal servants.
The Order of Falling Ash is led by the Succubus Cinderhide, who serves Gazra, a pit fiend known as the Prince of Ash. Cinderhide can be found in x (see map 1.1).
Temple of Elemental Evil
Thirteen years ago, an alliance of outlaws unearthed a long-buried temple to Elemental Evil. Soon after, wickedness corrupted the land for miles around: crops failed, plagues spread, trade ended, and evil creatures congregated at the temple to plot destruction.
The forces of good repeatedly beat back the evil that festered in the temple. The temple lay in ruin for five years until Ulsedra Vox awakened the evils once again.
Arriving at the Temple
Filonia stops the cart on a disused trail about 10 minutes from the temple. The elf plans to camp here during the characters' mission.
Read or paraphrase the following when the characters approach the temple:
Map 1.1 depicts the temple's layout. The characters enter from the trail on the southern side of the map.
Infiltrating the Cult
The characters aren't required to pose as cult initiates to complete this adventure, but they may wish to do so to avoid battling numerous cultists at once.
Characters posing as cultists must wear their silver masks and black robes at all times or the temple's cultists attack them. A character posing as a cultist must make a DC 10 Charisma (Deception) check each time a cultist might find them suspicious. If any character fails this check, the cultists in the area attack all the characters, assuming they're frauds.
Cultists who believe the characters are initiates freely share the following information:
- The Primordial Alliance is a union of elemental cults, as described in the "x" section. The alliance is led by a woman named Ulsedra Vox, a human devotee of Chlimbia, Prince of Magma. Vox recently developed terrifying elemental abilities, but the cultists know no further details.
- The cultists helped excavate a chamber called the Primordial Nexus. Vox is working in the nexus to call forth an army of elemental minions (see "x").
- To enter the nexus, a creature must place an elemental key in the keyhole on the southern end of the high altar (x on map 1.1). Only the cult leaders carry these keys.
- Vox is a ruthless leader. Last week she executed a cultist named Werth for daring to suggest Vox's plan might not work. (This is the body found in x of map 1.1.)
- When Vox's work is done, the cultists will lead the elemental army on a rampage throughout Flanaess.
Temple Features
The temple has the following features:
- Ceilings. The ceilings are 30 feet high. Where rubble is depicted on the map, the roof has collapsed and is open to the sky.
- Cultists. All cultists in and around the temple are Chaotic Evil and fight to the death. The cultists attack if they realize the characters are enemies. The temple's large size and tall piles of rubble mean the sounds of combat in one area don't alert cultists in other areas.
- Doors. The interior doors are made of wood and are unlocked.
- Light. During the day, the interior spaces are illuminated with Bright Light spilling in from outside. At night, torches along the interior walls cast Dim Light.
- Rubble. As shown on the map, areas of rubble are Difficult Terrain and can provide cover.
- Stone Construction. The temple is made of old, durable stones.
- Windows. The temple's windows are shaped like arrow slits and shielded with iron bars. Only Tiny creatures can squeeze through them. Each windowsill is 15 feet above the ground outside.
Temple Locations
The following locations are keyed to map 1.1.
T1: Temple Grounds
This area is overgrown with foliage and is Difficult Terrain.
The approaching group consists of four human Cultist Fanatics patrolling the temple grounds. The cultists complete a route around the temple every 20 minutes. They'll arrive within sight of the vestibule entrance (area T2) in 3 minutes and be out of sight again in 5 minutes. The characters can slip into the temple without alerting the cultists by hurrying into the vestibule or waiting until the cultists are gone.
Alternatively, the characters can use the heavy undergrowth to ambush the cultists, causing the cultists to have Disadvantage on their Initiative rolls.
Dumped Body
As a Search action, a character can examine the temple's southern-facing end and make a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check. On a successful check, the character notices black cloth behind the rubble between the western wall of x and the southeastern wall of x.
If the characters investigate, they find cloth wrapped around the body of a young human man with short brown hair and deep cuts across his neck. This corpse belongs to Werth, a cultist Vox executed last week for disloyalty.
There is nothing of value on Werth's body. As a Search action, a character can examine the body and make a DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a successful check, the character determines the young man died of exsanguination somewhere else and his body was brought here. (Werth was killed on the altar in x.)
T2: Vestibule
The statue guards the temple's nave (area T3) and uses the game statistics of a Stone Golem, except it speaks and understands Common. While the characters keep their distance, the guardian doesn't move. If a creature hasn't observed the guardian moving or acting, that creature must succeed at a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the guardian is animate.
Guardian's Challenge
When a character comes within 5 feet of the statue, the guardian animates and says:
Each character can make a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check upon hearing the guardian's challenge (this doesn't require an action). On a successful check, the character realizes this creature is incredibly powerful and likely to kill the characters if a fight breaks out. If the guardian attacks, it doesn't pursue characters who leave this area.
The golem steps aside to let the characters pass if a character expresses loyalty to Elemental Evil, the intent to join the cults, or any similar sentiment. The guardian does nothing if the characters don't answer, but if a character condemns the cults or tries to step past the guardian into area T3 without expressing positive sentiment toward Elemental Evil, the guardian attacks. The characters' actions in other nearby temple areas don't prompt the statue to attack.
Combat in this area alerts Peluze, the Incubus in area T3, who joins the fight on Initiative count 0 (losing Initiative ties) on the third round.
T3: Nave
This is Peluze, an Incubus loyal to the Order of Falling Ash. A powerful Fiend in his own right, Peluze has accepted the important duties of welcoming recruits to the temple and solving any inter-cult squabbles that arise.
Speaking to Peluze
If the characters approach wearing cult initiates' masks and robes, Peluze addresses them:
Peluze becomes suspicious if the characters ask more than one question: he assumes they've been briefed on the cultists' alliance. If Peluze is suspicious, characters must assure him of their loyalty and succeed on a DC 10 Charisma (Deception) check to convince him. Peluze attacks the characters if they fail to convince him.
When a character claims loyalty to an element, Peluze offers them welcome. He then directs them as appropriate:
- Ash. "Turn right into the east wing. There you'll find the Order of Falling Ash." Peluze points to x.
- Ooze. "Turn left into the west wing. The Children of Suffocating Ooze await you there." Peluze points to x.
- Ice. "Move ahead to the elemental throne and join the Children of Splintered Ice." Peluze points behind him to x.
If the characters ask to see Ulsedra Vox, Peluze says the Para-elemental queen is busy working on a cataclysmic ritual deeper in the temple. Peluze tells the characters Vox must not be disturbed, and that Vox will kill the characters if they disobey.
Fellow Cultists
If the characters follow Peluze's directions, the cultists in the temple welcome them as allies (see "x" above).
T4: Central Altar
The cult leaders execute disloyal cultists here. As a Study action, a character can examine the top of the altar and make a DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) check. On a successful check, the character identifies the stains as blood. The blood belonged to Werth, a cultist Vox executed last week. (Werth's body is in x.)
T5: West Wing
The Children of Suffocating Ooze are lounging around their camp here; they are four human Berserkers.
Containers and Wagons
The barrels and crates hold food and digging supplies. A creature hiding behind a crate or barrel has Half Cover against attacks. A creature hiding behind a covered wagon has Total Cover.
Pools
The temple floor collapsed in these areas, creating 10-foot-deep pits filled with murky rainwater.
T6: Nightfall Vestry
When the characters open the door to this area, read or paraphrase the following:
Garthezz Drule, a human Tough Boss and leader of the Children of Suffocating Ooze, is inside the vestry writing a love song. Drule keeps two Chaotic Evil Gray Oozes here as guards. They see Drule as an ally thanks to the cult's influence.
As an Influence action, characters can show interest in Drule's music and make a DC 12 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check. On a successful check, Drule stops playing, motions for his oozes to stand down, and chats with the characters. If Drule becomes suspicious that the characters are enemies, he and the oozes attack.
Fighting Drule
On his first turn, Drule throws his Bead of Force in an area where the greatest number of characters would be affected.
Drule's Music
Drule is composing a love song for Cinderhide, leader of the Order of Falling Ash, with whom he is smitten. Drule finds Cinderhide's demonic powers of manipulation fascinating, though she has shown no interest in the gang leader. Drule is not yet pleased with his song's final verses.
As an Influence action, a character can offer to help with Drule's song and make a DC 12 Charisma (Performance) check. On a successful check, the character improves the song. Ecstatic, Drule sends the characters away, insisting that he must practice the finished song for a few hours before playing it for Cinderhide. If the character fails, Drule grumpily orders them to leave him to his work.
Treasure
Drule carries a key to the high altar (area T9) on a cord around his neck. If he hasn't used it in combat, Drule carries a Bead of Force in his breast pocket.
T7: East Wing
The six elf Cultists and four elf Cultist Fanatics of the Order of Falling Ash camp here. All ten are ashen creatures (see the "Ashen Creatures" sidebar).
Braziers
As an action, a creature can kick over a brazier, causing scorching ash to explode outward. Each creature in a 15-foot Cone originating from the brazier must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) Fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
T8: Dawn Vestry
When the characters open the door to this area, read or paraphrase the following:
Cinderhide, a Succubus and leader of the Order of Falling Ash, has just used one of a pair of Sending Stones to communicate with an operative in Queen Yolande's court. Cinderhide has just returned from a reconnaissance mission in Celene and remains in an elf's form.
Observing Cinderhide
The cult leader is engrossed in her murderous thoughts and doesn't notice the characters opening the door to this area. If a character wishes to leave the area without alerting Cinderhide to their presence, the character must make a DC 12 Dexterity (Stealth) check. On a successful check, the character silently slips away. On a failure, Cinderhide notices the character and screams at them to leave the room and close the door.
Fighting Cinderhide
If the characters fight Cinderhide, when combat begins, she dismisses her elf disguise (no action required), spreads her wings and cackles evilly before attacking.
Warning the Queen
The characters realize that Cinderhide's utterance portends another attempt on Queen Yolande's life. If the characters warn the queen when they return to her palace, Queen Yolande gives them each an extra 500 GP gem from her crown jewels (see the "x" section at the end of the adventure).
Treasure
Cinderhide carries a key to the high altar (area T9). In her pocket is one of a pair of Sending Stones; the other stone is in the possession of a traitorous elf named Saris, who is one of the pages in Queen Yolande's court.
T9: High Altar
This altar magically transports cultists to and from the Primordial Nexus (see "x"). The magical flames in the bowl don't damage anyone who touches them.
Hidden Keyhole
A keyhole is set into the bowl's southern rim. Characters who learned about this keyhole from the cultists (see the "x" section earlier in this part) easily find the keyhole. Otherwise, as a Search action, a character can make a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check to examine the bowl. On a successful check, the character finds the keyhole.
Portal
When a cult leader's key (see x, T8, and T10) is turned in this lock, the altar's flames roar to the ceiling and form a burning archway that acts as a portal. Creatures who climb into the bowl and walk through the flames are teleported to the x (see map 1.2). The portal remains as long as the key is in place and for 1 minute after the key is removed.
T10: Elemental Throne
The praying woman is Captain Kara Blayne, a human Pirate Captain and leader of the Children of Splintered Ice. The ruffians are Blayne's cultists; they are human Pirates. All four are ice creatures (see the "Ice Creatures" sidebar).
The cultists are under a magical effect originating from Cryonax, the deity the cult venerates.
Thanks to the effect, the four cultists have the Paralyzed condition until Blayne orders them to fight (Blayne must do this on her turn, but it doesn't require an action).
The characters can sneak up on Blayne with a successful DC 17 Dexterity (Stealth) check. If the characters interrupt Blayne, she barks at them to leave her to her prayers. Blayne orders her cultists to join the fight as soon as she realizes the characters are attacking her.
Treasure
Kara Blayne carries a key to the high altar (area T9).
Para-elemental Queen
Ulsedra Vox recently learned from the Elder Elemental Eye how to activate the portal in the Temple of Elemental Evil's high altar. The portal led to the buried Primordial Nexus 500 feet underground. Vox excavated the nexus; now, she uses its power to summon evil elemental monsters to do her destructive bidding.
By the time the characters confront her, Vox has called forth her first minions. The characters must defeat Vox and these monsters before the minions become an army.
Primordial Nexus
The characters are magically transported to the Primordial Nexus when they step through the portal on the temple's high altar (x of map 1.1).
The nexus is shown on map 1.2. The characters arrive in the brazier shown on the map. The brazier's portal works the same way as the portal in the high altar.
[image: Map 1.2: Primordial Nexus]
Primordial Nexus Features
The nexus has the following features:
- Ceiling. The ceiling is 30 feet high.
- Light. The nexus's elemental pools cast Bright Light.
- Obsidian Construction. The nexus is made from obsidian bedrock.
Confronting Vox
When the characters arrive in the nexus, read or paraphrase the following:
The woman is Ulsedra Vox, the Para-elemental Queen. When Initiative is rolled, Vox transforms into a Large monster made of elemental energy; use the game statistics of a Fire Elemental.
When the Fire Elemental would be destroyed, Vox transforms into an unharmed, Chaotic Evil human Cultist Fanatic. The transformation doesn't require Vox to use an action.
Vox's Minions
One Para-elemental minion is next to each pool. Each minion uses the game statistics of an Ogre, except its weapons deal damage based on its pool's associated element instead of Bludgeoning damage, as indicated in the Para-elemental Pools table below. Each minion also has Resistance to the same damage type that its weapons deal.
Para-elemental Pools
| Pool | Element | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | Ash | Fire |
| Southeast | Ooze | Acid |
| Southwest | Ice | Cold |
| Northwest | Magma | Fire |
Elemental Pools
The pools are bottomless and connect directly to their corresponding Para-elemental Plane. The pools have no lip. Any creature that falls or is shoved into a pool by an Unarmed Strike takes 55 (10d10) damage of the type indicated on the Para-elemental Pools table. A creature still in a pool at the end of their next turn is sucked into the hostile plane and destroyed.
Treasure
Vox carries a key that can be used to access the portal in the brazier at the northern end of the map and in the high altar in x of map 1.1.
Conclusion
Once the characters defeat Ulsedra Vox, any cultists remaining inside the temple flee when told their leader is gone. The characters can easily leave the building.
On the temple's outskirts, the characters rejoin the elf Filonia in her small camp. Pleased beyond measure to see the characters, the knight asks to hear tales of their mission during their return to Celene.
Rewards
When the characters return to Queen Yolande's palace, word quickly spreads of their success. The queen's attendants prepare a lavish banquet in the characters' honor. Courtiers and palace residents extol the characters' heroism and thank them for their service.
At the banquet, Queen Yolande presents each character with a blue sapphire worth 1,000 GP as promised. If the characters warn the queen about the upcoming attempt on her life, Queen Yolande is deeply grateful and gives each of them an additional gem worth 500 GP.
Although the forces of Elemental Evil are thwarted, the threat to Queen Yolande and Celene is far from over. At the banquet, the queen offers the characters employment as royal bodyguards dedicated to stamping out cult threats. If the characters accept, more adventures lie ahead!