Evil Temples
Evil temples are temples dedicated to evil gods or evil magics. Fictional evil temples often contain sacrificial altars, torture chambers, dungeons, blood pools, and dungeon cells to hold unwilling participants. There may be cult chambers. There may be candles and magic or occult symbols. Often evil temples are located in inhospitable or threatening terrain, such as at the mouth of an active volcano, within a skull rock, or on a hidden island. They are home to cultists, evil clerics, and monsters from other realms.
| Synonyms: corrupt churches, evil cathedrals |
| Example Mythonyms: the Blood Church, Temple of the Night |
Designing Fictional Evil Temples
Archetypes
Quick Elements
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Overview
Fictional evil temples are recurring elements in literature, video games, and film. They serve as both setting and symbol, representing forces of darkness, corruption, and danger. These temples are often a destination for heroes to conquer, a source of monstrous guardians, or a repository of powerful but forbidden magics, technologies, treasures, and relics.
When designing evil temples, consider the god or religion for which they were constructed. Often in fictional worlds evil temples serve as a means to bring forth an apocalypse, summon a cosmic monster to this dimension or awaken them from a slumber, or fulfil or end a prophecy.
Evil temples are often used as game dungeons in game worlds, and may be sites of traps. Flame traps, blade traps, or pitfall traps may all be found in fictional evil temples.
Fictional evil temples often feature elements such as altars (for sacrifices), dungeon cells (for keeping soon to be sacrificed individuals), and catacombs (for storing recently sacrificed individuals).
World Locations
Evil temples are frequently situated in remote or inhospitable locations, such as mountain peaks, swamps, deserts, or volcanic landscapes. This isolation emphasizes their separation from the moral world and connection to the forces of evil. This also allows worldbuilders to use the region and local terrain to help set the tone of the temple. Skull rocks, lavafalls, and bottomless pits, for instance, are commonly used terrain elements incorporated into fictional evil temples.
Architectures
The architecture of evil temples is typically characterized by dark and imposing features. They may be built from ominous materials like obsidian or blood-red stone, and adorned with grotesque statues, twisted spires, and menacing symbols. Decay and ruin are also common elements, reflecting the corrupting influence housed within.
Ancient Traps
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Cautions
Designers may wish to avoid basing aspects of their fictional evil temples on the belief systems, architectures, or iconographies of real world religions, holy places, or cultures. Associating elements of a real religion with fictional evil elements implies a negative connotation and may offend practitioners of that religion (especially so if they have a history of being marginalized or oppressed). Unless a fictional world or narrative is directly exploring negative aspects of a real religion (such is often the case with evil theocracies), worldbuilders should develop unique characteristics for their evil temples that do not reference real world elements.