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With the 106th Map of the Week we look at the Black Temple of the covert Sawblade Ruin encampment of the evil Society of Immortal Darkness.

The Black Temple is not a traditional temple in the ordinary sense. Normally, one considers a temple to be a place where a deity is worshipped by his or her followers. The Black Temple is a temple devoted to the dark draug Mýsing. However, Mýsing is not a deity. He is a dark draug that is aspiring to godhood. As a result, the Black Temple is not really a place of worship. Instead, it is a location where worshippers of Mýsing do their part to see that he attains godhood.

In that spirit, the Black Temple is first and foremost a training center for spellcasters who aspire to become priests of the still non-deity Mýsing. The temple is in four parts. On the ground floor, one finds an instructional area and a study area. In the cellar, one finds the area reserved for magical experiments and the cells where human captives who are used in those experiments are held.

Key to the floor plan of the Black Temple

Cellar – Instructional Area:

This is the area where aspiring priests of Mýsing can experiment with the use of black necromantic magic upon living human test candidates.

1. Stairway from Ground Floor.

2. Test Area. In this area, students learn not only how to work black necromantic magic upon human victims but also how to use torture to gain cooperation from unwilling victims. Here one finds a table for black necromantic experiments as well as torture equipment. The Society of Immortal Darkness has no interest in torture for its own sake, but it believes that torture is a very effective instrument with which to win submission or to gain cooperation. The area incudes branding irons, an operating table, a gibbet, a rack and a whipping post. Candidates for Mýsing's priesthood are trained to use all of them effectively.

3. Cell Corridor.

4. Cells. Humans who were abducted are held here until they are used for training. Each cell has four bunks, four bedpans and a table with a pitcher of drinking water and ceramic cups.

Ground Floor:

This is the area where instruction takes place and the candidates for priesthood can study and practice magic that they've learned.

5. Entrance.

6. Statue of Mýsing.

7. Teacher's Desk.

8. Student Desks.

9. Bone Altar. Students learn here how to conduct religious services. It should be noted that Mýsing places no particular value upon altar worship, but he understands that such rituals will help in the future to win and keep the lay worshippers who are important in defining how powerful a deity is. For the time being, his priests are developing such rituals.

10. Wizard workbenches. This area is reserved for student priests.

11. Bookshelves and Library Table.

12. Stairway to Cellar Level,

You can get the map in two versions:

1. The Fractal Mapper (TM) 8 version in FMP format, fully editable, from our Jörðgarð web page (24 MB).

2. Two JPG flat map of 3000 Pixels x 2060 Pixels (4.6 MB), above.

Both versions are released for personal and commercial use under the Open Game License Version 1.0a, which you can read on the Jörðgarð website at:

The Jörðgarð World

Next week: Forest Watch Ruin

Celebrating 20 Years of RPG Freeware