The Ziggurat Beneath the Endless Rain

Description

Adventure Summary

Designed for a 5th- to 7th-level party, this jungle expedition sends the heroes into a vine-choked ziggurat where an unnatural storm has raged for three weeks without pause. Local fishing villages are flooding, crops are rotting, and lightning has begun striking the same hilltop every night. A desperate guide claims serpentfolk priests are calling the storm from an ancient shrine, while a rain-soaked scholar insists a stolen relic must be recovered before the tempest becomes permanent. Both are telling only part of the truth.

Background

Long ago, the ziggurat of Sarthun-Tet bound jungle spirits with serpentfolk rites and elemental magic. At its summit rests the Eye of the Monsoon, a carved green stone focus that channels weather magic through runes and sacrificial basins. Recently, two rival serpentfolk cells returned. One, led by Ssivara, wants to preserve the storm as cover while serpentfolk agents reclaim nearby ruins. The other, led by Ithrask, wants the Eye removed and carried to a hidden serpentfolk enclave. Neither trusts the other to control the relic, so both try to use outsiders as expendable tools.