In a hidden glade, at the top of Mount Locchis, amid the dwarven territory of the Ironcrags, stands the ancient shrine of Liadmura, the Eagle Court of the elves from before the Great Retreat. It is dedicated to the mythic founder of the Elven Imperium, the god-king, Valeresh.

The tall, domed shrine is adorned with eagle art and elegant pillars. The pillars are warm to the touch, and glow with a gentle starshine at night. The chilling alpine winds never enter the dome; it is always springtime there. Wildflowers and pampas grass lie between the pillars and the plain, rectangular plinth of grey stone at the center of the shrine. This simple slab of an altar is marred by crude runic dwarven carvings, which, if translated, are a mix of odes to Wotan and dwarven graffiti.

The dwarven vandals never learned that if they stood before the altar and pronounced the words inscribed in ancient Elvish on the dome above their heads, “Vistori, Exori, Stemporori, Xeuni – Valereshi” (which means in Common: “Conqueror, King, Emperor, God – Valeresh”), the slab slides aside and reveal purple-veined marble steps leading down into the true temple of Valeresh. The secret entrance may also be opened by casting a knock spell using a 3rd circle or higher spell slot.

The True Temple

The marble, winding staircase beneath the entrance has no visible means of support. It descends to the center of a 60-foot-diameter circular room, beneath a 30-foot domed ceiling.

Every room here is lit by multiple continual light spells cast at regular intervals along the edge where the walls meet the ceilings, with the exception of the Summer room. The walls and ceilings are decorated by colorful murals and bas-relief sculptures of Valeresh’s conquests and victories over giants, goblins, and humans.

This entry chamber is guarded by a Large air elemental. The elemental attacks any non-elf or non-elfmarked creature that descends the stairs, attempting to buffet trespassers off the rail-less stairs to fall to their deaths on the marble floor below. Any elf or elfmarked character that says Valeresh’s name aloud causes the elemental to stop attacking and leave the temple for 24 hours.

The desiccated remains of former explorers killed by the elemental are scattered about the floor. If the PCs take 10 minutes to search through the dust, bones, and rags scattered about the chamber, they find 41 gp, 73 sp, 22 cp, a +1 dwarven daggerbearing the crest of the dwarven canton of Grisal, and a ring of spell storing.

Four marble doors lead out of the room at the north, south, east and west vertices.

The Doors

Each of the four carved, white marble doors has a seasonal mural: wildflowers blooming, a summer sun, harvests, and mid-winter pyres. The doors lead to 30-foot-diameter rooms. Each door is magically sealed, but can be opened or forced in a number of ways: speaking Valeresh’s name by an elf or elfmarked creature, a knock spell, a DC 25 STR check, or by destroying the door (AC 15, 116 HP—the doors are immune to necrotic, poison, and psychic damage, resistant to cold, fire, lightning, piercing and slashing damage, and vulnerable to thunder damage).

Spring

Behind the Spring door, the room is covered in murals depicting Valeresh and his armies besieging cities of goblins, humans, and giants, and each civilization’s surrender. A squad of sixteen armored skeletons (AC 17, resistant to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage, otherwise treat as normal skeletons) stands in the center of the room.

Spring was the time of mustering and marching for Valeresh’s armies, and this platoon of soldiers was one of Valeresh’s favorites, so he rewarded them with eternal service. One skeleton wears a +1 ring of resistance.

Summer

Behind the Summer door is another circular room, lit by four black iron braziers filled with magical fire, rather than the continual light spells in the other rooms. The murals in this room show Valeresh and his noble elven courtiers cavorting and relaxing in sylvan summer scenes: drinking wine served by goblin servants and eating grapes on reclining divans served by collared humans.

The flames in the braziers are actually a sun elemental (use fire elemental stats, but with an additional 30 hit points, and each Fiery Touch attack deals an additional 1d6 radiant damage). The elemental does not reveal itself immediately, but slams the door shut behinds the party after they enter the room.

The flames then become great gouts of fire shooting from the braziers, raising the temperature in the room dramatically. After 1 minute, every living creature in the room gains one level of exhaustion from the heat. During the following minute, each creature in the room takes 1d6 fire damage per round. Unless the elemental is destroyed or banished, the damage die increases one step per minute (d8, d10, d12, d20).

If the sun elemental is attacked and damaged while still in “brazier” form, it leaps out and coalesces into its fiery form in the center of the room and attacks. If PCs search the sconces after the elemental is dealt with, each brazier contains a sooty ruby worth 400 gp.

Autumn

Behind the Autumn door, the room is adorned with murals of harvests and drowning sacrifices. In a shallow, 10-foot-diameter pool in the center of the room, be a large damp pile of leaves appears to molder. It is in fact a leaf golem (use statistics for a shambling mound). If any non-elf or non-elfmarked approaches within 5 feet of it, or if it is attacked and damaged, it rises and attacks. It has 61 gp and a wand of magic missiles in its gullet.

Winter

Behind the Winter door awaits a room with murals depicting elves building mighty, elegant fortifications in snowy passes and fighting giants and trollkin. In the center of the room is a 5-foot by 5-foot altar that is chill to the touch, and bloodstained. A long, curved, bloody sacrificial knife (nearly a sword) lies on the altar.

If a non-elf or non elfmarked creature approaches within 5 feet of the altar, or if the altar or knife are struck or attacked with damaging magic (i.e. a fireball), the knife animates and attacks, attempting to kill everyone in the room.

The knife has the stats of a flying sword, but with AC 18, 117 HP, and a Multiattack trait that allows is to attacks four times per turn at +7 to hit, dealing 2d6 + 6 slashing damage In addition, lightning damage restores hit points to it rather than damaging it. If it is destroyed, a 1,000 gp diamond can be retrieved from its pommel.