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296 The Sacred Hunt
🕑 Added 2019-09-19 16:16:37 +0000 UTCDenizens of the Tower
Here's the map of an underground complex connected to a series of caverns and tunnels. Originally I envisioned this as a ritualistic place where a druid or similarly nature-oriented character would perform a hunting ceremony. I was thinking it could be an initiation rite, a trial, or an admission exam into a coven, druid circle or something like that.
The PC would take the sword in Area 2 and had to go to the tunnels and hunt down some kind of beast to complete the trial. The tunnels are littered with the bones of those who failed this test. In the end, however, I could not decide what monster to use and how this'd make sense for a single character to traverse so I thrashed the story altogether. But the map looks great so here it is.
What I explained above are just ramblings but if you have a cool idea for what id could be about please leave a comment and I may write it out as PDF like I normally do. For the moment, though, this map is released for patrons exclusively and includes no written lore.
The illustration comes in the usual variants. Thank you for the support this far. And thanks to the new subscribers, I appreciate your support. Thank you.
Elven Tower.
Comments
David Patrick
This is going to be pretty out there, but what if this was an entrance exam for a Dwarven Druid school showcasing some of the more unique underground ecology. How the trainee (or student or whatever) handles the challenges presented determines what Circle they will be trained in. The adventure could be that this place was long since abandoned (persecution by Dwarves who don't like that naturey stuff), but the druids left some rare treasure behind guarded by rust monsters (and probably some other stuff). ...I think I just like the idea of Dwarven Druids keeping rust monsters as pets...
Dinah from Kabalor
(As Saki said at the end of 'The Open Window', "Romance at short notice was her speciality.") ;)
Dinah from Kabalor
The Gabinth people worship the earth goddess, mother womb of all things. This, their largest town, contains the sacred chamber where girls and their families and friends go to celebrate their Umbia-shawt, the opening of the gate, the beginning of the transition from girlhood to womanhood. Once this joyous (and slightly noisy) celebration has been enjoyed, she is permitted to participate fully in work with the adults, but she is Tingt, unapproachable, until her Jifel-shawt, the passing through the gate, a ceremony which takes place at least five years and usually closer to a decade later. Obviously the chamber is a vital part of their culture and the invasion of the sacred meditation spaces in the caves beyond it was a tremendous shock to the Gabinth people. After one of the priestesses was attacked by a subterranean beast while visiting a cave shrine, they sought the assistance of the adventurers to resolve the problem quickly so that ceremonies would not be further delayed. (The Gabinth representative who speaks with them is a young woman who is Tingt, but is ready to marry and so needs to be able to have her Jifel-shawt.) 1. The walls of this hall are decorated with many, many amateur paintings of tween age girls. Each painting is traditional done by the brothers or cousins of a girl about to have her Umbia-shawt. 2. The -shawt chamber, with its dancing platform. There are many low hooks around the walls at different heights to aid in stringing decorations and the room is lit with candles of all sizes on shelves above the hooks. (The candles are offerings brought by Gabinth people of all genders whenever they wish to request the aid of the mother goddess.) This room has been crowded in the corners with items from the priestesses' normal quarters, and the double doors which lead to that area have been barricaded. 3. The priestesses' quarters. Furniture and belongings have been hastily moved from here and there are signs that the beast(s) have been trying to break through the barricaded doors and have thoroughly stirred through the area. There are several ruined rugs on the floors and damaged wall draperies on every side. The curtain between the chamber and the caves has been torn roughly down and lies stained on the ground. 4. Bones of the victim. 5. This shrine room has had its wooden carvings knocked down into a heap against the north wall. (The invading beast has hidden treasure behind the shrine (either a small horde of items it carried with it, or, if an unintelligent invader, a partially eaten body of a traveller it dragged down from above through the tunnel it dug into this cave complex).) 6. The main ceremony cave, where the invading beast is hiding and will ambush the adventurers when they start to explore the tunnel opening it has created on the western side of the chamber or the southern cave which leads to a small chamber where ritual participants prepare.
