Le Temple de Frogue

Le Temple de Frogue is an ancient structure in the Caecilian Jungle.

Background

“	Here, at last, lies the thing I have been searching for all these years. Others scoffed, sure. Still others questioned my sanity. Because that is what one does when placed next to brilliance. In coming up short, they must regain their status by what they tell themselves about me. It all comes back to me, clearly just as it came back to me to what was asked of me. The gods never talked to me, not one of them, not even when I was little and needed someone to tell me that I was acceptable, not a monster, not a hideous, horrendous thing that deserved to be stuffed deep into the mud and muck. No. Here, among my own kind, resting at the feet of my own image, surrounded by my own self, I am at home. I deserve the mud and muck, surely, but only because the mud is reverence, the muck is godlike, because this is perfection and I wear its blessing.''	„
	~ The Frog King

Located deep in the heart of the Caecilian Jungle, Le Temple de Frogue is a much sought-after fertility symbol. Rumors tell tales of spontaneous pregnancies, beneficial mutations, and increased fertility. The humanoid frog remains silent on the issue, inviting explorers to discover for themselves what awaits inside her temple door.

Just inside her front door is a round great room. While there, look up - you can see all the way to the curved roof, and you'll catch glimpses of the seven floors above the ground level.

The Great room features a large, clear waterfall that flows from the top floor and splashes to the swamp below. Inside the curtain of water rest two synth statues of tadpoles, positioned as if they were swimming up the falls. Despite their age and the pressure of the water, the tadpoles are pristine, their careful etchings and details still intact. At the top of the falls, high above, sits a smaller replica of Le Temple, her frog legs spread wide on either side of the water. This is clearly an altar to Le Temple, although no offerings can be seen.

In addition to the seven floors that rise above the main level, there are also rooms inside each of the legs as well as beneath the ground floor (although those are flooded with swamp water; travelers will need water skills or equipment to explore them at length).

At the far wall, visitors can raise or lower a mechanical platform to reach the upper floors. Despite its age, the platform works smoothly, giving the impression that it's used regularly.

The Frog King, a frogoid mutant who was scorned and ostracized from his family and society for his amphibian appearance and habits, has taken LE Temple for his wife. He haunts her internal rooms, believing that all frogs within the temple are their children. He's jealous and paranoid of any who come to worship at the altar of his bride, believing that they intend to take his place as her rightful husband and king.

In his time at the temple, he has discovered some sort of numenera left by former worshippers and has puzzled out its secrets. Using the devices, the Frog King has created an army of anura: followers built of mud, living frogs, and dead worshippers. Due to experimentation and the occasional lack of appropriate parts, anura vary in appearance. One might have a body of mud, the limbs of dead worshippers, and two frog heads trained for attacking. Another might have a human head and body with frog limbs that allow it move rapidly toward its opponents. The king considers the anura to be his true children, as they carry elements of both himself and Le Temple.

The Frog King fights out of jealousy and paranoia. He's less interested in protecting his queen and his young than he is in protecting his own place as Le Temple's husband. He sends his army of anura to deal with intruders and shows himself only after most of them have been slain.

The anura seem endless, but each one is fairly easy to conquer. They have a variety of attack types (kick, tongue lash, or poison), but each anura can make one type of attack and each attack (no matter the type) deals 1 point of damage. The real danger is the potential to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of attackers.

Despite the fact that she's kept her silent, unmoving vigil for years, Le Temple (level 8) isn't entirely unliving. If she deems that those who come to her door are worthy, she assists them in their fight against the Frog King but not against his armies - that, explorers must do their own. To be considered worthy, a visitor must make an attempt (no matter how fumbling) to worship at the altar just inside her front door. Le Temple's assistance comes in the form of her blessing, which temporarily gives one chosen ally frog-like reflexes (+1 Speed Edge) and hinders the attack prowess of the Frog King. The blessing lasts for ten minutes.