Shattered Sanctum

The Shattered Sanctum was the name given to a ruined Selûnite temple found in the Western Heartlands of Faerûn. For a time it served as a crucial stronghold in the regional struggle with the drow and bastion of light against the forces of darkness aligned with the dark goddess Shar. By the late 15 century DR, it had fallen into disrepair and became a wicked lair for the goblinoid horde that had come under the malign influence of the emergent Cult of the Absolute.

"A son of Selûne fell here in the dark below, And we sealed his grave in her holy glow May the full moon never touch the stars once more, May darkness never conquer the Moonmaiden's door."

- ''A poem written about the Shattered Sanctum.

Geography
It was located on the Risen Road, just north of the River Chionthar. The nearby town of Moonhaven formed after the temple's creation, but was eventually raided by soldiers in the late 14 century DR.

Geographical Features
The temple was built atop a rocky outcropping that overlooked a waterfall and stream that fed the Chionthar.

Structure
The Shattered Sanctum comprised an outdoor structure built into the side of a rocky cliff face and the underground temple complex found within.

A crumbling stone bridge granted access to the exterior of the temple, a vast stone-tiled courtyard set within tall stone walls. Elevated walkways set atop arcades that extended out from the second level of the temple's façade, atop which sat four domes set stop circular columns. The inner temple was accessible by a set of massive wooden double doors.

Interior
The inner temple proper was rather mundane in design, with an elongated central hall cordoned off into three sections, with several side wings extending out from either side. Sculptures of Selûne decorated the vast gathering chamber at the end of the great hall as well as several of its adjoining passageways. The upper reaches of the stone architecture was accessible by wooden scaffolding and elevated beams that ran the length of the temple close to its ceiling.

A dedicated chapel to Selûne was built along the northern end of the temple's eastern wing, and a second, more secluded place of worship could be found beneath a chamber in the western wing.

The secluded room housed the sanctuary's perilous secret: a descending passageway that granted access to the Selûnites' hidden chapel-fortress at the mouth of the Underdark. Entrance to this passageway could only be accessed by solving a puzzle within the secluded chamber: four overlapping circular stone tiles, each depicting phases of the moon had to be arranged so the four symbols of the "new moon" lay beneath a single column of moonlight that shown from the temple above.



Descending down a ladder from this room led to the heart of the temple, a guarded fortification from which the Selûnites held back the forces of darkness. In the center of this garrison was a tall statue of Selûne that held a single moonstone imbued with powerful magic. Dual beams of energy emanated from the gem outward to two smaller statues of the Moonmaiden that presided over an imposing portcullis. Any creature that dared pass near this entranceway was struck down with the full wrath of the goddess Selûne.

Atmosphere
As of the late 15 century, the atmosphere of the ruined temple of the Selûne remained in stark contrast to that when the temple was first built. Its hallowed halls were defiled by the goblinoid squatters that transformed it into a fortress of the Absolute and its valuables were plundered. The temple's walls were vandalized with crude goblinoid drawings, rooms meant for prayer were transformed into torture chambers, and bodies of the cult's victims were butchered into pieces to feed their monstrous pets.

Rather than offer veneration to the Moon Goddess, the sanctity of the temple was befouled and it languished as a monument to the depravity of the Absolute and her malevolent lieutenants. The Shattered Sanctum became a haven of debauchery and dread, rather than the enduring light holding back darkness that it once was.

Defenses
The passageway leading beneath the temple to the Underdark was hidden after the drow raid, openable by the correct arrangement of four interlocking stone discs. Each circular stone disk had to be turned in such a way that the phases of the moon inscribed on smaller plates above were set in the preferred order. The intricate mechanism was designed by a converted Gondar priestess, who previously worked at the Hall of Wonders in Baldur's Gate.

History
"He sought to forge a path through the darkness, not realizing there are some places the light was never meant to touch. He was a fool."

- High Initiate Jarrus, in reference to himself.

Origins
The construction and founding of the temple was led by the Selûnite priestess Morna, under guidance from the leadership at the House of the Moon in Waterdeep. Sometime early in its formation, High Initiate Jarrus took a group of novices into the underground tunnels beneath the temple proper. He diverted building materials from the main temple, and began construction of an underground, fortified chapel near a passage to the Underdark.

Unfortunately, Jarrus and the novices were beset by an army of drow and the elite Sharran order of Dark Justiciars. The Selûnite devotees held out against these forces for a matter of days, but eventually had to sacrifice themselves to save the temple above. Jarrus led a final charge into the drow lines, allowing his companions to collapse the underground temples and prevent the dark elves from advancing.

Cult Takeover
When the emergent Cult of the Absolute rose to power within the region in the, they overran the abandoned temple and claimed the Shattered Sanctum as their own. The hobgoblin warlord Dror Ragzlin rallied the cult's goblinoid forces at the ruined temple, while High Priestess Gut branded them with the mark of the Absolute, tightening their control over the will of their followers.

Nightwarden Minthara Baenre meanwhile used the fortress as a launching point for hunting down a mysterious artifact sought by the Absolute. She believed the cult's goblinoid forces had to be controlled in order that they did not run amok across the surrounding lands.

Rumors & Legends
As of the late 15 century DR, rumors surrounding the treasure known as the Nightsong all pointed in the direction of the Shattered Sanctum ruins.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Baldur's Gate III