The Ashen Shrine#

“There are sanctioned gates. Places written in the margins of the world. The Ashen Shrine is one such place—a whisper of a path left open for those who do not wear the chains but have earned the Library’s regard. You would not have found it unless you had alredy plucked the threads of fate.” - Vael, Fifth Binder and Chainbearer of the Silent Vault

  • Atop a moss-laced clearing at the base of Mount Vesithar, surrounded by scorched trees that have since regrown with silver-veined bark. Faint leyline currents hum in the air.
  • Half-buried in volcanic stone and time, the shrine is circular, with four broken plinths in a compass-like pattern—one for each season.
  • Vines and ash cover its etched walls, which depict ancient Elven rites that predate the Courts themselves.
  • In the center lies a flat, star-shaped platform with an indentation shaped like a sword’s blade—not a full socket, but more of a ceremonial resting groove.
    • When the reforged Summer’s Edge is laid in the groove, the shrine awakens—but not with magic alone.
    • A pulse of radiant warmth ripples outward, and the sword begins to hum with an ancient chord of sunlight. The ash lifts into the air like it’s remembering the heat of the forge. Faint whispers in Elvish echo between the plinths, saying: “He returns. The Blade of Light. The Guardian’s Promise. We remember. We recognize. We release.”
  • The plinths, responding to Summer’s Edge, glow faintly with their respective seasonal hues. The sword’s presence alone serves as proof of purpose.
  • Then, with a deep grinding of earth and an exhale of long-trapped air, the star-shaped dais is revealed to be an elevator and begins to descend—slowly, reverently—on a platform of interlocking roots, obsidian, and starlight.

The Hollow Veins#

The elevator of roots and stone descends into darkness before opening into a vast underground chamber. The air grows thick with arcane energy that makes your skin tingle. This is a place where magma once flowed, but now the stone has cooled and crystallized into veins of frozen fire along the walls—blues, purples, and golds pulse through cracks in the floor like a living heartbeat.

The Chasm: A 60-foot-wide abyss stretches before you, separating your platform from the sealed library doors on the far side. Far below, planar energy swirls—not quite Feywild, not quite Shadowfell, but something liminal and hungry. The colors shift and writhe, and you feel the pull of it even from here.

The Whispers: Ghostly echoes drift up from the chasm—not quite spirits, but imprints of those who came before seeking the library’s knowledge. They whisper fragmented warnings:

“We gave everything…”, “Not enough… never enough…”_ “The bridge demands truth…”, “Don’t look down… don’t fall…”_

The Sealed Doors: On the far side, massive adamantine doors etched with runes and wrapped in chains of radiant and shadow magic stand closed. They will not open by force or conventional magic.

The Pillars Rise#

As each party member approaches the edge of the chasm, the stone floor trembles and cracks. Four obsidian pillars rise from the ground in a semi-circle around the party, one positioning itself directly before each character—smooth, dark, and waiting. The chamber itself seems to be taking their measure.

Each pillar subtly reflects its intended recipient:

  • Shad’s pillar: Musical notes dance across its surface in flickering light
  • Skreek’s pillar: Dawn light glows from within the obsidian
  • Toby’s pillar: Shadow and blood-red veins pulse through the stone
  • Slumpet’s pillar: Fey runes shimmer and fade across its face

Vael steps forward, but the ground beneath him remains still. He glances back with a slight smile: “The library already knows me. This test is yours alone.”

The Soulwrought Bridge#

The party must activate all four pillars to manifest the bridge. Each pillar requires a sacrifice of memory and purpose—something deeply personal.

Step 1: The Question When a character touches their pillar, it pulses with warmth and a telepathic question enters their mind:

“A vow and a sacrifice will prove your worth. What promise will you make? What cost are you willing to pay?”

Step 2: The Offering The character must speak aloud a vow or promise related to their personal quest, fear, or destiny. This should be:

  • Tied to their backstory or goals
  • Something that reveals their deepest purpose
  • A genuine commitment, not just words

Step 3: The Cost Along with the vow, the character must choose what they’re willing to sacrifice:

Memory of Joy - Lose a cherished happy memory. Disadvantage on their next Charisma check or save as they feel hollow and disconnected

Memory of Pain - Offer up a traumatic memory. They no longer feel the full weight of that trauma (advantage on fear saves for 24 hours), but risk losing what made them who they are (disadvantage on Wisdom checks for 24 hours as they feel unmoored)

Future Promise - Bind themselves to complete their vow no matter the cost. Gain inspiration immediately, but if they willingly break the vow before the campaign ends, they suffer one level of exhaustion that cannot be removed until they make amends

Alternative Sacrifices (if players get creative):

  • An item of deep personal significance
  • A promise to accomplish what the failed seekers couldn’t
  • A secret revealed to the party, making themselves vulnerable

Step 4: The Judgment After the vow and sacrifice are made:

  • DC 12 Charisma or Wisdom check (player’s choice)
  • Add proficiency bonus if the vow is genuine and ties to their backstory
  • Success: The pillar ignites with brilliant light and a section of bridge materializes across the chasm
  • Failure: The pillar flickers but doesn’t ignite—the vow wasn’t strong enough or sincere enough. Another character can try their pillar, or the same character can try again with a deeper, more costly promise

Bridge Formation Progress#

  • 1st pillar activated: First stone platform appears, extending ~15 feet into the chasm
  • 2nd pillar activated: Bridge extends to the halfway point, imagery from the character’s vow flowing through the stone like water
  • 3rd pillar activated: Bridge reaches 75% across and begins to stabilize, the foundations solidifying
  • 4th pillar activated: Bridge completes fully and solidifies into a strong, stable path. The adamantine doors on the far side unlock with a resonant CLICK, and the chains slacken slightly.

Vael’s Contribution#

After the party activates the pillars and the bridge forms, Vael steps forward:

“You’ve proven yourselves worthy. The library respects sacrifice, and so do I.”

He approaches the sealed doors and speaks a phrase in an ancient elven dialect, completing the ritual. The chains fall away, and the doors swing open, revealing the entrance to the Chained Library.

“Welcome to the Chained Library. Few ever stand where you stand now. Make your sacrifice worth it.”

DM Notes#

  • Encourage them to think about what drives their character
  • If they’re stuck, Vael can offer cryptic hints: “The library values truth over power, sacrifice over strength”