Champion Tier - The Temple of the Lost Fane - Part 1 | [30x40]

Hey everyone, and happy Release Monday! As many of you know, the great Pyram King and I have partnered to create a brand new dungeon for Curse of Strahd; The Temple of the Lost Fane.

This is an ongoing project in which I will create a series of three maps, and Pyram will create an amazing dungeon experience! At the time of this post, this is the first content available for this, but I will ping you all once Pyram has created the encounter to go along with this map.

I don't want to spoil anything for you all, as I want to wait for the encounter to come up, but I will say this. Temple of the Lost Fane is a three-level dungeon that will take your adventuring party all the way up through the interior of the very pillar stone that Castle Ravenloft is built on. It will feature an old and ancient temple built by the Dusk Elves long ago to worship a fourth and long-forgotten Fane. At the end of this dungeon, your players will emerge within the bowels of Ravenloft in the catacombs. Though dangerous, this might prove a good approach for your siege of the castle and allow your party to get the drop on Strahd and his minions. Will this tactical advantage be worth the dangers that lie within?

Map Overview

I created this map on a 30x40 grid and wanted to show a mix of both the outside elements along with the temple approach. This map features a cliff scaling up the Pillar stone from the base with a large crack in the rock face. The crack is only a few feet wide, so your players will have to squeeze through in order to get to the cavern within.

I wanted this temple approach to feel old and strange. I added hints of a tiled floor and a single pillar which indicates a humanoid presence here.  To the north is a massive cave-in that blocks the main entrance forcing your players to find another route (or get creative to bypass the rocks!).

To the right is a half-buried doorway leading to a dark hallway. This area features three "outer" rooms of the temple where the priests of old used for various rituals. All that remains is the crushed stonework and broken tiled floor. The room to the east has fully collapsed into a massive sinkhole separating it from the connecting room. To the north is a natural spring in the ground which the Dusk Elves used for rituals, now a putrid, bubbling pool.

To the left is a series of caverns with another small natural spring that creates moisture in the air. Who knows what foul creatures lair within these passages?

Once your players find themselves in the main chamber, they are greeted by a large altar in the center with markings on the ground depicting moon phases. If they arrive at night, a singular beam of moonlight pours through a crescent-shaped hole in the ceiling. A massive door blocks the way to the temple inside, sealed by ancient and long-forgotten magic. Your players will need to figure out how to break the seal, and be on guard for who knows who, or what lurks in this room!

I've also created a special version of the map for when the doors are finally unsealed and a massive beam of light opens the way inside!

Color Moods

This map comes with 8 different colors moods so you can set the perfect atmosphere for your party.

• Gloom: A dark and moody variant with deep shadows and colors. Comes with and without exterior fog.
• Banshee: I like the theme of using a grey-blue for the Dusk Elves here, and this spectral blue gives a haunted vibe. Comes with and without exterior fog.
• Dark Fairytale: A lighter map that brings out the colors in a fun, yet creepy way. Comes with and without exterior fog.
• Ghostly: An eerie greenish and dark feel makes this version feel truly haunted! Comes with and without exterior fog.
• Night: This temple will hold secrets that may reveal themselves only under the light of the moon. A singular beam of moonlight from the ceiling illuminates the central altar in this dark nightscape. Comes with and without exterior fog & rain.
• Overcast: Stripping color and bringing out a gloomy, greyish feel, perfect for an overcast or rainy day. Comes with and without exterior rain.
• Verdant: I ramped up the natural and green tones to give a wild and overgrown feel to this ancient temple entrance.
• Warm: A dry and earthy feel creates a warm, yet old feel to this variant.

Map Contents

For my Champion Tier patrons, this map release comes with the following:

• 4k / 8k Resolution
• Grid and NoGrid Versions
• 8 Color Moods, each containing various weather effects and a "moon-beam" version
• Jpg & Webp format
• VTT Sizing Guide

Over the next few months, I'll be releasing parts 2 & 3 of the Temple of the Lost Fane while Pyram works on the written content and Foundry modules for each.

Next up, as I partner with Lunch Break Heroes on the next adventure, I'll be working on a crypt map for the end dungeon crawl in the latest LBH original adventure (it's a good month for dungeon maps!). I will also be working on the next map in the Saltmarsh series; The Wicker Goat. An inn/tavern map you can use for all your coastal adventuring needs.

As always, thanks for your continued support, and I'll catch up with you all on the next Sneak Peek Thursday!

Cheers,

DM Andy