Sunken Chapel at High Tide
Sunken Chapel at High Tide is a half-drowned shrine clinging to the marsh like a memory that refuses to sink.
A crooked wooden walkway leads to a candlelit platform where an old altar stone sits framed by rotting posts and warped boards, its carvings slick with salt and algae. Floating candles drift in slow rings around the chapel, their flames trembling but stubborn—casting warm halos that reveal only pieces of the dark water below. The surrounding trees and reeds loom close, turning the chapel into an isolated island of ritual light in a wide, quiet flood.
But the water is not still—and it is not finished rising. Waist-deep channels surround the shrine, and the platforms that remain are narrow, soft, and unreliable, threatening to break or tilt under sudden weight. Each round can feel like a countdown as the tide climbs: safe boards become slick hazards, shallow zones become wading traps, and once-solid routes drown into open water. In combat, the chapel becomes a shifting arena where survival depends on timing, balance, and controlling who gets forced off the planks into the deep.
Intended Use:
This map is perfect for atmospheric, objective-driven encounters: interrupt a rite, recover a relic from the altar, protect a priest, or hold the shrine until extraction arrives. The limited footing naturally creates tense choke points—ideal for melee clashes, grapples, and forced movement—while the floating candles provide dynamic, flickering visibility that can expose or conceal threats at the worst moments. It’s especially strong for battles where the party is under pressure to act quickly, because lingering means surrendering ground to the rising tide.
