This week — A Town Built on the Remnants of an Ancient Temple, and the Vestige That Lurks There

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Hello! This was a very busy week. I’m looking forward to sleeping until Sunday afternoon, but first here are a couple ideas if you’re looking to add a little weirdness to your game world.

In 5th edition D&D rules, vestiges are deities who have lost nearly all their worshipers and are nothing more than husks of their once powerful selves. Rites can contact vestiges and draw on their latent power, and some vestiges cling to just enough power to reach out and affect the world on their own. There are some really interesting vestiges in the Curse of Strahd Campaign, which inspired me to create one myself, as well as the small village where it clings to its awful existence.

So there’s a happy thought to transition to a (hopefully) relaxing weekend. Thanks for reading!

Fairwater is a small town of about 150 folk, named after its humble claim to fame, the ice cold, refreshing water provided by the ancient-looking well in the center of town. Newcomers often remark on the well itself, which is fifteen feet in diameter, with a one foot thick, three foot high wall of white marble veined in silver around the edges. It was obviously once an impressive construction, though the stones tell the tale of its age, their edges softened by the elements, and hints of etchings and bas-reliefs worn down over the years to soft undulations and divots.

The well is capped by a heavy stone winch wrapped with 500 feet of thick rope and attached to an oversized bucket. Rumor has it that the well was built over a natural spring, and while the surface of the water usually rests about 400 feet down, its true depth has never been fully measured. Legend has it that an adventurer once dove in to plumb its depths, and was gone so long he was thought lost. When he reappeared hours later, his haunted expression shocked the gathered folk, and all he would say is that as he swam down and down, and the water got colder and colder, but he could see nothing of a bottom. What frightened the young man he would not, or could not say. He fled town still dripping wet, and never returned.

The winch mechanism is so heavy that the well has a Wellman on duty at all times, usually a tall, heavyset, quiet man named Worral Salenska, a town elder who is one of only a few townsfolk who can raise and lower the bucket with little difficulty.

Around the well is a square that acts as a marketplace for farm stands and traders, and beyond that is a small inn and tavern named the Promise Kept, (run by a stern looking woman named Ferah Greengrass). There is also a blacksmith, a fletcher and bowyer, a general goods trading post, and the meeting hall, where Fairwater’s elders meet weekly to discuss town business amongst themselves, and once a month, in an open meeting for residents as well. Beyond that are mostly small residences, then farms and then wilderness.

The current five elders are Ferah and Worral, as well as the blacksmith Ociff Junn, Fairwater’s midwife, Mae Aliss Myr, and the owner of the Fair Deal trading post, Graha Hiller.

The town of Fairwater is known as a welcoming, friendly place. Townsfolk often encourage visitors to come back, especially on the Holiday of Greengrass, when the whole town is decorated with flowers and colorful silks, and they celebrate the coming of Spring from dusk until dawn.

The Truth of the Well
The elders of Fairwater and a few other townsfolk know the town’s true name — Tar’ungul, which in a lost language means “Temple of Ungul”. The well is the last remaining piece of what was a grand temple to the god Ungul Masak, the Maiden of Springs, who roamed the world in its infancy, grew in power, then left the Material plane. Eons later, a twisted, corrupted vestige of the god returned to her temple, and made her home in the well.

Ungul is an insane, weakened vestige, consumed by a powerful thirst, even though she lives in the depths of the spring under the town. The only thing that quenches her thirst for a short time is consuming the living beings she once provided for and nurtured, until nothing is left but a dry, crumbling shell.

For hundreds of years, Ungul has communicated telepathically to those who drink from the spring. One of the effects of the vestige’s presence is that any water from another source, if it comes within a mile of the spring and stays that close for four hours, turns stale and tastes awful. This drives travelers and townsfolk alike to drink exclusively from the Fairwater well, and even one sip from the well makes Ungul aware of the drinker.The more a creature drinks from the well they more susceptible they become to contact and influence from Ungul, and indeed every resident of Fairwater who has lived there for 20 years or more hears the god endlessly muttering and whispering in the back of their mind.

And what is it that Ungul asks of those she contacts? She asks that they leap into the well, so that she may feed. The mad god asserts that if she does not feed, then the spring will dry up, as will any water for miles. A desert will form on that place — a desert where nothing could grow, or survive. There was a time when the people of Fairwater would have one of their own sacrifice themselves to appease the vestige in the well, but over time they devised a different solution — one that involves a celebration of spring, which eventually became the Holiday of Greengrass.

Now, once a year, the people of Fairwater create a lavish, beautiful celebration on the Holiday of Greengrass, and any travelers who happen to be in town that night become guests of honor. The revelry is loud, joyful, intoxicating, and lasts for hours, and then just before dawn, the travelers all are served drugged wine and food, and when they succumb to unconsciousness, they are thrown into the well so that Fairwater may survive one year more.

Once known as the Maiden of of Springs, Ungul Masak trod the earth eons ago when the world was young. She wandered across the world creating springs, fountains and waterfalls of fresh water that sustained her, and all living things. Over time, the world flourished and filled with life, and Ungul was honored and revered by her worshipers for her work. She grew powerful with their belief, and over time, reckless. She expanded her mission to other planes of existence, often dark places, where the denizens sometimes welcomed her, and other times despised the intrusion.

Ungul met her doom in the Far Realm. She was captured by a powerful being of that place, and over time was corrupted and twisted until only her endless thirst remained — a thirst that she can only sate for a short time by consuming the living being she once cared for. After a seemingly endless time, her captor died, and Ungul was released from her imprisonment. She returned to her home, found the ruins of one of her grand temples, and slipped down into the spring under the earth, where she still writhes in the dark…so thirsty, ever thirsty.

Should a powerful or foolish creature find her there, and enter the spring, Ungul will offer them a gift — the gift of endless water. If the gift is accepted, the creature will be able to cast the spell Create or Destroy Water at will. The price for this gift is that the creature will also have an unquenchable thirst for the rest of their days, a thirst that can only be sated for a short time with the water they create, which they must consume at a rate of a gallon every 4 hours.

You probably already know about the folks below, who are real inspirations to me, but if not, do yourself a favor and check them out.

The Arcane Library — masterpiece adventures, and Shadowdark, too!
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com

The Angry DM — so angry….so many great ideas….
https://theangrygm.com/

DMDave — on point analysis of D&D rules, and a ton of fun ideas
https://bsky.app/profile/dmdave.bsky.social

RPGBot — whip smart critique and explanations of 5e rules
https://rpgbot.net/

Sly Flourish — a DM’s best friend who is also a better DM
https://www.slyflourish.com/

Treantmonk — years of helpful advice and clever ideas
https://www.youtube.com/@TreantmonksTemple

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