danielsmaps

The Sunken Ziggurat of Olderile

Added 2025-01-25 08:00:03 +0000 UTC

Hey everyone! Let me present to you the Sunken Ziggurat of Olderile, the final map for the Cults & Swamps theme.

On the northeasternmost island of The Swamps, are old ruins of the long-gone, mysterious First Folk. These ruins have a strange attraction to them, guiding wayward, scared souls to find them. Awed by the remnants of this old civilization, these people can’t help but imagine greater forces at work and lose themselves in reverence of strange entities they can’t explain. At that point, it doesn’t take much to bring them together in worship to a God that promises to thank them graciously if they do his bidding.

The Sunken Ziggurat of Olderile is a magnificent structure, long lost to time. These days, only its highest levels can be witnessed, and for a long time, people thought it wasn’t much more than a shrine on a large hill. The hill, however, is as much part of the building as the stones that sit at its top. Once, the building must have been a sight to behold, but now nature has claimed it for itself.

When the people first saw the sacred hill that had such a strange effect on them, they ventured into it, deep into the darkness within, only to be lost in endless tunnels. Many have perished in that darkness. Have been consumed by it. Seen by it. It didn’t take long for them to start worshipping the darkness. The all-consuming darkness. The all-seeing Darkness.

After some time, dark, hooded figures, clad in purple robes, arrived on the island. They seemed to understand the darkness, and they had a name for it: Morlorrim, Lord of Darkness, The Thirteen-eyed Death, The All-Seer. They said the God was growing stronger again. One of his servants, a Demon called the Lord of Hunger, had claimed a child and was luring her to his dark domain. Once the child is there, she can fulfill her destiny and become a vessel for the Child of Morlorrim, who will, in turn, serve as a gateway for the God into the Mortal Realm. When that time has come, the God will reward them with gifts of immortality and make them Demon Lords to be feared and worshipped.

The last time the God of Darkness was strong enough for such a ritual to be attempted was millennia ago, and it was thwarted. For countless generations, those dedicated to Morlorrim have labored in the shadows. They brought sacrifices and spread their influence far and wide, slowly strengthening the God each day. All the people of Olderile have to do is make sure that the Darkness is fed with continuous sacrifices. Only then can it be strong enough to achieve his supreme power.

Around the Ziggurat, they built a village, with a Church dedicated to Morlorrim, a tavern to attract lost travelers, perfect sacrifices for their God, and the Thirteen Eyed House, where chosen ones commune with Morlorrim.