A cursed relic disguised as a sacred path, the Road to Emberkeep lures travelers with visions of salvation—and traps them in a dream of their own making. This creature stat card includes full D&D 5e-style stats, lore and encounter ideas for using the Road in your next session.
TRAITS
Path of Desire
Any creature that starts its turn on the rug must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by the rug. While charmed this way, the creature:
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Is blinded to everything except the illusion of their heart’s desire.
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Uses all movement to walk toward the center of the rug (no opportunity attacks).
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Can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Whispers of the Keep (Flavor Trait)
The rug speaks directly into the minds of nearby creatures, using the voices of loved ones, long-lost mentors, or their own subconscious doubts. It never lies, but it twists truth into temptation. These whispers can’t be silenced, even with Silence or Mind Blank, and cannot be traced to the rug without magical detection.
ACTIONS
Memory Drain (Recharge 5–6)
The rug targets one creature currently charmed or incapacitated within its bounds. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or:
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Suffer 4d8 psychic damage.
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Lose a core memory (DM’s choice).
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Have disadvantage on Intelligence-based checks and saving throws for 1 hour.
On a success, the target takes half damage and clings to the memory—but just barely.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The Road to Emberkeep can take 1 legendary action, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature’s turn.
False Salvation (1/day)
The rug opens a burning gate for one creature willingly stepping onto it. The target must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or become trapped in a dream-realm of desire. This functions as the maze spell, except the creature is banished to a vision of their own deepest wish.
LORE
It first appeared outside the gates of broken cities—rolled out like an invitation. A path of velvet ash, unfurling toward a golden keep that none could reach. Those who stepped onto it saw visions: home, absolution, reunion. Some wept. Others simply vanished.
The rug is not a gateway, but a memory of one—a construct woven from longing and ruin. Its threads hum with the voices of those it has claimed, whispering the way forward, even as the way dissolves beneath your feet.
Those who walk it say Emberkeep is real. But no one who reaches it has ever returned.
ENCOUNTER IDEAS
The Pilgrim’s Wake
The party finds a lone wanderer in a ruined chapel, kneeling before the Road. They're bone-thin, starved, and smiling. "I'm so close," they whisper. The rug is laid out before them—unrolled, pulsing faintly, as if waiting.
Twist: If anyone steps on the rug, they begin to see their own Emberkeep—a personalized version of paradise. The longer they stay, the harder it is to leave. The pilgrim begs them not to “ruin the illusion.”
Optional Complication: The rug copies one player’s ideal world into a false memory and uses it as bait later in the campaign.
The Traveling Chapel
A strange caravan priest offers the party shelter on the road. He says he worships a forgotten sun god and invites them to pray beside his holy rug. The firelight dances oddly off its threads. "All pilgrims are welcome," he says, “but only the true may pass.”
Twist: The priest is under the rug’s influence. He’s not malicious—he believes he's already in Emberkeep, and that he’s welcoming the party into paradise. The longer they talk to him, the more warped the surroundings become.
Combat Hook: If the party tries to destroy or take the rug, he turns violent—channeling the rug’s powers in bursts of fiery illusion.
A Message Left Behind
The party finds a camp, but no people—only bedrolls, a kettle of cold tea, and a rolled-up rug sitting perfectly still. Nearby, a journal page reads: “We’re going ahead without you. You’ll see—it’s real.”
Trap Hook: If they follow, each party member sees a different Emberkeep inside the rug—separate visions. Players become isolated in overlapping illusions.
Mechanics: The rug attempts to cast False Salvation on the one who steps forward first. Others must decide: do they enter after their friend?
YOU'RE ALREADY ON THE PATH
