Defiled and Cursed Groves
Some sacred groves tell a tragic story: Their plants have been dug up, trees
burned or chopped down, water sources fouled, or standing stones overturned and
broken. Perhaps their clearings once served as altars to other priests in the
worship of strange gods. Such groves have been defiled, stripped of all their
powers until druids reclaim them (described below).
Other events may result in a still worse fate--a grove becoming cursed. For
instance:
· A terrible event takes place within the grove's boundaries: Someone reads a
cursed scroll, a deity's avatar passes through, a druid dies violently, or
another highly charged event takes place.
· The grove is deliberately defiled but not destroyed. When plants begin to grow
back, the grove may retain some twisted vestige of its original power.
· If the druid who sanctified the grove strays badly from the neutral alignment,
abandons the Order, or takes up the path of the Lost Druids, the grove's
beauty and powers may become warped--perhaps as a warning to the erring steward.
To determine what curse has struck a particular sacred grove, the DM may roll
on Table 5. A druid who discovers a cursed grove nearly always tries to find a
way to lift the curse and ultimately resanctify the land. Some typical curses
are described below.
Table 5: Properties of Cursed Groves
| d6
| Property
|
| 1
| Entrancing
|
| 2
| Poisoned ground
|
| 3
| Haunted
|
| 4
| Perpetual season
|
| 5
| Hungry trees
|
| 6
| Special
|
Entrancing. This curse can apply to any grove containing a source of water or plants
bearing fruit, nuts, or berries. Those who eat natural fruits of the grove or drink
its water must save vs. spell or become charmed: They refuse to leave the
grove, claiming they must defend this beautiful place. They resist forcefully if
anyone tries to harm the grove or take them from it. The charm is broken if those
it has entranced leave the grove, or it can wear off, per the charm person spell.
Poisoned Ground. A terrible poison lives within the ground, although the plants in the grove
are immune. Those who touch the vegetation (including grass) with bare skin must
save vs. poison each round of contact or suffer 1d6 points of damage.
Characters who eat fruits, etc., from the grove must save vs. poison or die.
Haunted. The life forces of people who die in a haunted grove or within a mile of its
boundaries are drawn into one of the grove's trees or standing stones. The
trunks of the trees or the surfaces of the stones contain twisted images of the
dead trapped within. While trapped, these souls cannot be raised, resurrected, or
reincarnated.
To defend itself, the grove can summon any of its prisoners' spirits as ghosts
or banshees (described in the Monstrous Manual ™). Each summoning takes two rounds, but only one ghost or banshee can exist at
any time. Resanctifying the grove (described below) ends the curse and frees
the trapped spirits, who now may be reincarnated, raised, or resurrected.
Destroying the grove before resanctifying releases all the trapped spirits as
malevolent ghosts or banshees to haunt the region henceforth.
Perpetual Season. The grove, locked into a single season, never experiences a change in
climate. Though a grove locked into winter isn't ever popular, a grove of perpetual
spring or summer may seem like a blessing. While winter blizzards rage outside,
the day is warm and sunny within a grove of perpetual summer; grass is always
green, trees always leafy, and flowers ever blossoming. Nevertheless, druids
consider this redundant setting horribly unnatural.
Hungry Trees. The trees in this grove have been animated by a hunger for flesh. Treat the
2d8 hungry trees of this cursed grove as evil treants. Masquerading as normal
trees, they suddenly attack anyone entering the grove. They never cross its
borders unless attacked from outside the grove, though; in that case, they re-enter
the grove after defeating (and consuming) foes.
Reclaiming Cursed or Defiled Groves
Druids whose sacred grove becomes defiled or destroyed must perform a ritual
of atonement, plus find and punish the guilty party. Failing deprives druids of
all granted powers and major access to priestly spheres.
The first step in reclaiming a defiled grove involves repairing any damage it
has sustained: planting new trees, restoring damaged standing stones, and so
on. Then, a druid must perform an uninterrupted daylong ceremony within the grove
to ask for the renewed blessings of Nature.
Reclaiming a cursed grove poses additional difficulties. After performing the
above steps, the druid must complete a task to balance the forces behind the
curse. The nature of the task is up to the DM, but it usually involves a
dangerous quest in a real or symbolic attempt to "undo" the curse, punish those who
caused it, or make amends for the act that led to it. After concluding the task,
the druid must return to the grove to invoke Nature and cast a remove curse spell.
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