Every Old World sailor knows the nightmare. You spot black sails cutting through thick fog. Then you realize the Druchii are coming.
So if you love dark elf lore or you run WFRP, Temple of Spite is being pitched as the definitive guide to them and their roaming fortresses. It is also built to drop a terrifying new threat into almost any campaign.
What Temple of Spite is and why it travels well
Temple of Spite is a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay supplement focused on dark elves and black arks. These arks are magically sustained floating citadels, and they carry whole regiments ready to strike fast. The book centers on one specific ark, the Temple of Spite, led by corsair captain Duriath Helbane. Wherever it goes, you can expect death, captivity, and general despoiling.
Because a black ark is not tied to one map location, it works like a roaming boss encounter. It can hit any coastline, vanish, and return later. It also supports inland pressure through spy networks, so the threat can build before the sails ever show.
Dark elf villainy with factions you can weaponize
Dark elves come from Naggaroth under the Dread King Malerion. They are defined by cruelty, ambition, and betrayal, and they worship the gods of the elven underworld. However, the key pitch here is that the book avoids making them a single faceless enemy. Instead, the ark is packed with rival factions, from mercenaries and fanatics to corsairs and spies. They cooperate when useful, yet they are always plotting.
The text calls out several groups on the Temple of Spite, including Valerion Temendros’ Bleakswords, the Fell Brethren, the Glass Thorn, and the Knives of Khaine. Therefore, a GM can mix and match villains by role. One arc can feature soldiers and pirates, while another pivots to infiltrators and cultists.
How it plugs into any WFRP campaign
The big promise is flexibility. The Temple of Spite is presented as a mobile campaign threat that can strike multiple regions. Its influence can show up as raids, disappearances, and terror campaigns, while agents work through trade routes and assassination. So you can run this without a naval campaign at all. Rumors of coastal devastation can spread inward, and then the players slowly realize a larger machine is at work.
In darker scenarios, characters can be captured and taken aboard. Then the campaign can shift into survival, escape, sabotage, or even trying to scuttle the ark from within. Because the book provides tools for that, boarding the ark becomes a full chapter, not a one off fight.
Summary
Temple of Spite is designed as a GM toolkit for using dark elves as layered antagonists, with a fully realized black ark at the center. Moreover, it treats the Temple of Spite as a roaming menace backed by spies, raids, and faction infighting. So you can threaten coasts, cities, and inland plots without changing your whole campaign style. If your table needs a smart, cruel villain engine, this is a very tempting add.
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