The Abbey Ruins
The Abbey Ruins
The ruins of the old Abbey of Saint Kernath rise from the hill like broken teeth. The air smells of old smoke and wet iron. Half the main structure has collapsed into a crater where the laboratory once stood. Charred beams jut out from the earth, and scraps of burned scripture cling to the walls like dried leaves.
Nothing moves here except the wind and the rats. No voices, no chanting — just the drip of water through shattered stone.
When you step inside, your boots sink into a thin layer of black dust. In places, the dust glitters faintly gold.
The main hall still stands, barely. Sunlight cuts through a hole in the roof, falling onto a cracked altar. The stone bears deep scratches, as if someone tried to carve through it with bare hands.
To the right, a staircase leads down to the undercroft — a half-collapsed passage sealed with makeshift wooden beams. The air below smells of sulfur and mold.
If you listen carefully, you can hear something dripping… or breathing.
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APPEARANCE
The Abbey looks burned, gutted, and then forgotten. Ivy grows over scorched walls. Rusted tools and shattered glass litter the floor.
The few remaining statues are headless; the stone angels’ wings lie broken at their feet.
Someone has made camp here recently — the remains of a fire pit, a few footprints, and the torn half of a soldier’s banner.
At night, the ruins glow faintly from inside, but there’s no fire. Locals say it’s just the minerals in the soil. Others say it’s the blood that never cooled.
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FACTION
None (Disputed territory between The Crown’s Hand and The Church of the Flame)
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NPC – None (initially)
The ruins appear empty, but signs of recent activity suggest otherwise.
Later encounters may include:
Captain Velan – leader of the King’s agents, searching for the formula.
Father Lethar – inquisitor from the Church, attempting to sanctify the ruins.
Both arrive depending on player choices in earlier quests.
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QUEST HOOKS
The Golden Debt – Search the ruins for traces of the Golden Blood experiment.
A Hole in the Earth – Descend into the sealed undercroft and discover what was hidden there.
Two Flags, One Fire – Choose between helping the King’s agents recover the relic or aiding the Church in destroying it.
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GM NOTES
The Abbey Ruins are the midpoint of the campaign — not mystical, just cursed by human stupidity and ambition.
Exploration should feel tense and grounded: debris, hidden notes, half-burned corpses, makeshift barricades.
No ghosts, no whispering walls. The horror here comes from what people did, not what the world remembers.
The player can side with either faction or walk away entirely — both choices change who survives later in Kernath.