Grove Temples + Druids of the Candlelight
Grove Temples!
A grove temple is a 40 ft wide, 90 ft long building with a high roof and supports resembling pillars made out of thick, gnarled branches woven together. In fact, the entire building seems to be made of thick vine-like chords of living matter that snake together and form one large structure. Two large doors made out of what is clearly some kind of wood form the main entrance to the building.
When the players approach the structure, give them the following description:
As you emerge from a particularly wet patch of the grotto you find yourself in a small, cool clearing, dimly lit by fat fireflies lazily traveling through the air. In the centre of the clearing is a large wooden building, almost like a large church, with massive mahogany doors and walls that look like twisted vines.
The miles of land surrounding the temple form a dismal swamp known as Hag’s Nest swamp. The swamp is notorious for being a death trap and due to the fact that an enormous amount of hags, witches, and minions of these creatures use this area as their habitat. Enormous skulls of long-forgotten creatures lie half-submerged in deep pools of tar and acrid water. Grove Temples act as a safe haven and a refuge from the wasteland that surrounds them.
Though no path has ever stuck in the Hag’s Nest, skilled mages who have forged a connection with nature often find that Grove Priests leave ethereal trails through the wilderness, leading to nearby Grove Temples and similar safe havens and taking trails that put their travelers in as little danger as possible (though there is no such thing as a safe path through the Hag’s Nest). The creation of these ethereal trail markers is a secret carefully kept by grove priests, as hags have been known to try and tamper with them in order to mislead adventurers.
Grove Temples are created as a place for good creatures to rest and recuperate after traveling in the harsh terrain that they have been placed in. As such, creatures that have ill intent or are evil in nature may find themselves subtly turned away from the location, or experience a sense of discomfort when heading towards it on purpose. When they try to enter the temple, they may find that their discomfort increases to nauseating levels or even find themselves in pain, and once inside the building such creature’s may have difficulty coping without falling unconscious. That being said, any creature that is large enough to fit through the enormous wooden doors is allowed to enter, regardless of the suffering it may cause them.
The interior of each temple is lit by small candles that float high above the tallest of those who enter. These candles gently move around the room, rising and falling, but never touch any of the guests or each other. The floor of the temple is made of interwoven twigs, which caused the Priests to hand out thick woolen socks that all the visitors to the temple must wear. In the main prayer chamber that connects to the entrance of the, small brass pots of incense hang in the corners of the room and fill the room with the smell of wildflowers, dogwood, and honeysuckle. This main room takes up about 30 ft in length of the entire building.
In the back of the main room is a podium from which a high priest speaks to his congregation. This altar is made of a dark wood with leaf-like patterns carved into it. Each Grove Temple’s high priest is voted in by senior members of the temple, and is granted significantly more power from the Keeper of the Grove than any of those he is charged with guiding. On the far side of the main room is also a 3 doorways that lead to three hallways , each lined with specialty rooms and the personal rooms for the priests who serve there. Specialty rooms include steam baths, incense chambers, and areas for the crippled to meditate.
The Keeper of the Grove is an Ancient nature entity that was born when a priest from an ancient cult of druids found himself lost in the Hag’s Nest swamp. After wandering for many days without sustenance he found a small, pure, untouched glade in the middle of the swamp where he lay down and died. He was reborn as the Keeper of the Grove, a protector spirit for the waylaid and lost, whose domain is demarcated by the borders of the inhospitable swamp.
The Keeper’s power resides not only within the temples, but within priests of particular promise whom he chooses to become Sentinels of the Swamp. The Sentinels roam the swamp saving wanderers from the creatures that call them prey, and are sometimes sent to deal with the creatures head on. (They’re basically the equivalent of the Scouts from Attack on Titan).
Recently, however, the power of the Keeper has been suppressed by the hags and other foul creatures that weave their magic within the swamp. Some hags have even managed to break or find loopholes within the spells preventing the temples from being entered by creatures of evil, and these temples have fallen within days and been swallowed up by the swamp. Fearing for their lives and the lives of their brothers, priests are often willing to pay adventurers to investigate the area or take out a nearby threat. Some priests, knowing that they will be expelled from the brotherhood for doing so, have turned to darker powers in order to save their friends...
Roll for Grove Temple State of Affairs (d6):
(1-3) Functioning as normal
(4) Ruined, Long-Abandoned, magical defenses dismembered, trapped (probably)
(5) Mysteriously deserted, magical defenses intact
(6) On brink of destruction, constantly sieged by swamp creatures each night
Roll for Grove Temple Leadership (d10):
(1) High Priest runs grove temple, becoming old and tutoring a bright young priest as replacement
(2) High Priest runs grove temple, senile and insane and terrifying to all of the priests
(3) High Priest runs grove temple, weak and old, younger priests vie for his favor in hopes he will determine them to be his successor in passing
(4) Small group of influential lower priests run the temple, generally work in agreement with occasional scuffles
(5) Small group of influential lower priests run the temple; cutthroat, Machiavellian environment. Kiss up, kick down and stab in the back whne no one's looking
(6) Democratic process involving all the lower priests, simple majority
(7) Group of elderly high priests run the temple, meditative and pondering, take weeks to make simple decisions
(8-10) Group of elderly high priests runs the temple by tradition, focus on training young priests to be capable and morally rigid
Defining feature of Grove Temple (remove the three you like the least and roll d66)
(1) Enormous, fat fireflies that follow the leadership’s orders and light up the building
(2) Rookery of small birds trained by one priest, act as messengers (usually eaten in swamp on route)
(3) Dark-colored butterflies and moths flit lazily through the air, make shrieking noise if danger is nearby
(4) Gargantuan beehives with 15-inch-long queens hang from indoor branches, mysterious light emanates from interior (Fertile Queen Bees glow), bees migrate away in early fall and return in spring, bees attack intruders
(5) All-knowing parliament of owls roosts in high nest, attack liars and those falsely disguised
(6) Filled with docile, affectionate predator animals 1d4 1=bobcats 2=cave bears 3=anacondas 4=crocodiles
(7) Built around pond full of oracle lampreys, psychically transmit prophecies to those who let a lamprey latch on
(8) Built around indoor well, bioluminescent bacteria make the water glow when stirred
(9) Built around speaking totemic wall of fallen civilization, small group of priests work on translating the gibberish spoken by the wall when it is asked questions.
(10) Built around old Dryad tree, Dryad is old and withered but extremely wise
(11) Built on top of old cemetery, spirits rise and make merriments with the living on full moons
(12) Build on top of geyser, every few hours the geyser erupts and spews water through the hole in the roof and sprays passersby
(14) Built within massive cave, walls inscribed with strange glyphs that no one dares read after the incident
(15) Built on ruins of strange monolith, full moons cause madness and wandering for those who leave their rooms during that night
(16) Built in centre of lake, stilted docks surround the temple
(17) Built beneath waterfall, water is fresh and uncorrupted by the swamp
(18) Built on top of plateau, Priests practice falconry and can summon birds
(19) Temple and area around it struck by lightning a strange amount, no one allowed outside on rainy days
(20) Tornadoes frequently ravage the area, most of temple is underground
(21) Firestorms ravage this area of the swamp, priests have pumps and methods of putting out blazes
(22) Priests construct huge telescope they call the Celestelobe, looking in has different effects during different phases of the moon: new moon= no signs; waxing gibbous= prophecy of growing importance, greater likelihood of madness; full moon= instant madness; waning gibbous= decreasing importance/madness chance
(23) Priests construct large robot they call Autotomricon (Tom for short) which defends the temple in a pinch and provides manual labor
(24) Priests construct enormous lamp that extends out of the roof of the temple, stuns and smites swamp creatures who try and attack the temple
(25) Priests construct statue of forest deity, makes plants grow inside the temple, animals flock to it and are rendered docile.
(26) Priests construct statue of storm deity, lightning strikes evildoers on rainy days, priests can call storms given hours of prayer and sacrifice
(28) Priests construct statue of death deity, parliament of dead priests offer two-sense to their living counterparts
(29) Priests construct statue to fire god, lamps in the temple never go out and change color to reflect the god’s emotion
(30) Priests construct statue to war god & arsenal of weapons which never dull or become rusted
(32) Priests construct statue to night/shadow/trickery deity, temple extremely difficult to find, even though it may be in an open area or visible from a great distance
(33) Priests construct statue of one of the founders of the Grove Temples, he speaks jovially through the statue and provides advice occasionally
(34) Temple holds the corpse of an old Grove Priest who’s mantras are used for teaching and in almost every aspect of daily life
(35) Temple holds ancient tree sapling which drips panacean sap
(36) Temple holds diary of a Swamp Sentinel, containing Rosetta Stone relating common to the dialects of many swamp creatures
(37) Temple holds fake staff of long-dead Swamp Sentinel, priests insist it’s real despite flaws obvious to precise scrutiny
(38) Temple holds bone necklace of dead swamp hag, hag whispers in the minds of those of non-lawful, non-good alignment
(39) Temple holds rain stick of dead swamp shaman, functional but cursed in how ridiculously fucking powerful it is
(40) Temple afflicted by debilitating illness, priests searching for cure
(41) Temple’s altar is rotting, taken as a sign from the gods of misdeeds by: 1-2 a clergy member 3-4 a recent arrival 5-6 a priest 7-8 a contentious member of the leadership
(42) Priesthood is negotiating with a powerful swamp denizen for release from the siege they are under, unaware that signing a treaty voids their protections if they’re in the temple (and leaves them at the denizen’s mercy if outside)
(43) Member of the priesthood being blackmailed/bribed/extorted by a swamp hag
(44) Entire temple being mind-controlled by Ancient Green Dragon living nearby
(45) Temple famous for its potent barriers, repelling creatures that have any hint of evil (cannot enter if of evil or chaotic alignment unless granted permission by priest)
(46) Temple famous as repository of knowledge, has enormous underground library, priests constantly scouring the shelves for answers to life’s questions
(47) Temple famous for being centre of heated battle between swamp denizens and priests, open graves and rotting corpses everywhere, temple-goers always on edge and ready to fight
(48) Temple famous for enormous size, priests lead ascetic lives but visitors live lavishly
(49) Temple famous for its enormous coffers, frequently sends armed caravans out to hire more soldiers to defend them and to trade rare swampy stuff
(50) Temple famous for enormous arsenal, priests all armed with choice weaponry
(51) Temple has been mapped as a temple to a traditional deity on a popular map, many bewildered visitors show up in dismay and are too fearful to make the return journey through the swamp
(52) Temple raises chickens and other domestic fowl for food, in addition to mostly vegetarian diet (they have to grow the food there to be self-sufficient)
(53) Group of particularly dull ogres tricked into swearing their service to the temple leaders, stand outside warding off intruders (and eating people who are supposed to be allowed in when no one’s looking)
(54) Temple the headquarters for Swamp Sentinels (if you don’t think the Swamp Sentinels should have a HQ, reroll dummy. It’s your world)
(55) Temple half submerged in swamp and is flooded in the lower floors, priests frequently dive in to see what they can find in a traditional swamp climate (b/c the water is still sanctified ground)
(56) Temple built on the back of enormous tortoise that shuffles a few feet through the swamp each year
(57) little to no peril danger surrounds the temple, sends trading caravans and priests out into the world regularly
(58) Temple holds ancient cup, relic of a grove priest saint-equivalent, spews hallucinatory steam
(59) Temple holds ancient knife, relic of a grove priest saint-equivalent, priests in the temple practice bloodletting and cannibalism
(60) Giant pit in centre of the temple, lined with ivy. Inhabited by giant snake that slithers up the walls semi-frequently and tries to eat the priests, usually repulsed with few casualties (Think Lair of the White Worm I guess sort of)
(61) Temple built beneath enormous pine tree, has open roof, pinecones frequently fall into the temple where they are read oracularly
(62) Temple contains refugee wood spirit from another part of the forest
(63) Temple just a bunch of elevated, enclosed terraces built around number of fir trees, connected by rope bridges, priests wear cloaks of pine needles to blend in
(64) Temple built in and around massive well in the center of a lake, priests use pulley systems and staircases to travel around the temple levels
(65) Temple holds ancient walking-staff, relic of grove priest saint-equivalent, insects flock to its gnarled cap
(66) Temple disappears from the world on misty days, reappears with the new and full moons
(67) Temple holds hands and lute of ancient grove priest saint-equivalent, perfectly preserved, play music throughout the temple constantly
(68) Temple holds dungeon full of nasty evil creatures locked into cells, enter at your own peril
(69) Temple enacts massive orgies on solstices/equinoxes OR moon phase points
Druids of the Candlelight
- Sacred Space: Grove Temples
Can only be entered by good creatures. If you've committed sins recently, you might not be able to enter. Only located in the Hag's Nest Swamp. Your biome is the Hag's Nest Swamp.
- How to Restore SD:
Save/guide someone who is lost or imperiled
Kill an especially foul beast, something or someone with explicitly malicious and evil intent
Bring hope to someone who has lost it/restore order or peace to a chaotic environment (can be interpreted loosely to include conservation, for example)
- Holy Item: Keeper's Lamp
A small iron lantern, its iron frame stylized with creeping vines. Lit by fireflies which hover within. They leave and are replaced every evening as if taking shifts.
This lantern always sheds a mediocre amount of light. (For my hack, this lantern depletes as a torch except over the course of 24 hours from d8-d0, in even intervals.) when only one shutter is opened, its light is irritating and fearful to malicious creatures like demons, hags, witches if they're evil in your setting, shadow-things. Opening or closing the shutters requires a bonus action and a magic phrase.
You can have multiple spells going from your lantern at once.
- Spells (trying to keep them non-system exclusive):
(Note: There are a few different ranges listed here. Lantern's Bullseye range refers to the range of the lantern's bright light when it's being used as a bullseye lantern. Lantern's Unshuttered Range refers to the range of the lantern's bright light when all the shutters are open. These tell you what mode the Keeper's Lamp must be in to use the spell. Lantern Range means you can use either range profile.
1. Find the Path
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R: Lantern's Bullseye Range T: Lantern D: Lantern
While only one shutter is open, your lantern aims itself at the least obstructed path towards a destination you name. It does not care about time. It cannot find locations that don't physically exist, or that the Lantern-bearer doesn't know (yes, that does mean you can pass the lantern around!)
2. Reveal
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R: Lantern's Bullseye Range T: Thing D: (SUM) combat rounds
You aim the lantern at a target. No magical effects prevent you from seeing its true nature. It gets an extremely dry and itchy throat when lying (if it's a creature)
3. Sear
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R: Lantern's Bullseye Range T: Creature D: (SUM) combat rounds
Creatures targeted by your light must save vs Holy Magic or take damage. Unholy or malicious creatures suffer a penalty/disadvantage to this save.
4. Flash
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R: Unshuttered Lantern Range T: N/A D: instantaneous
Creatures must Save or be blinded for (dice) rounds. Unholy or malicious creatures that fail the save take (sum) damage.
5. Cure Wounds
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R: Touch T: Creature D: instantaneous
Creature restores (sum) health.
6. Prophecy
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R: n/a T: Lantern D: instantaneous
You feed a sacrifice to your lantern's fireflies in the form of a small plant-- the more nutritious the better. You may then ask them a number of simple questions-- the better the sacrifice, the more questions you can ask. They must be yes or no, and though fireflies are bright lights, they are dim oracles, so they can't answer particularly complex questions. They answer "Yes" with a bright flash of light and give no response on a no.
7. Guiding Light
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R: touch T: firefly D: a firefly's lifespan
You touch a magic Firefly in your lantern and describe a charge. The charge must be information they could use to find a person. Examples include "on this road" "at this place" "the first person you see" "someone without a light." The firefly then finds the first person who fulfills your description and provides light for them (d4) until it dies after 5 days without being fed. If it's fed, it stays alive. It can travel for five days before dying en route.
8. Immolate
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R: n/a T: point D: 3 rounds
Your lantern dies as your fireflies immolate and fly out as a furious ball of flame. They can travel 30ft per turn, and when they strike your desired target, they wash their surroundings in flame, dealing 5d6 damage to all creatures in a 20ft radius, 10ft height disk.
9. Spirit Bind
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R: Bullseye Lantern Range T: Creature D: Theoretically forever
Over the course of 8 hours, you take a creature that is tied up and Spirit Bind them. They must be capable of casting magic. If bound in chains, the chains gain (dice+1) locks. If bound in rope, the rope gains that number of knots. The creature cannot escape its bindings or use magic. However, they may grant wishes that would be within their magical power as if they had 1 MD for each knot that is untied. Untying a knot is more ritualistic than with normal knots.
Once all the knots/locks are undone, the chain/rope falls and they are released.
10. Radiance
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R: Lantern Range T: (Dice+1) chosen Creatures D: (SUM) combat rounds
Creatures in your range may add a bonus (or, in my hack, the lantern's Light Die Size) to the roll for tasks that requires calmness to execute well (say, ending a fear affect on oneself, or disarming a trap under time pressure). Unholy or evil creatures you choose must subtract the die.
11. Spirit Snipe
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R: Bullseye Lantern Range T: Creature D: (SUM) combat rounds
Creature must save or not be able to do anything while your light is shining on them. This means if you need, you can move your lantern away to do something else, then focus back on them.
12. Apophoton
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R: Lantern Range T: Creatures D: 1 minute
Creatures in your light heal 1d4 HP per turn, if you so choose, or take 1d4 damage, if you choose. In addition, they may gain or lose 5ft of movement. +2 damage/healing, or +/-5ft of movement, if in bullseye lantern range.
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