Spiritgroves
Spiritgroves are spots on Prime Material plane where the veil between planes gets thin. This usually manifests with spots connected to Feywild, yet the phenomena might also occur with connections to Upper Planes.
These points spring out life in an exceptional rate, causing flora and sometimes fauna to develop in surprising ways. The spots are known to be highly magical. Bothering a sanctity of a spiritgrove can become costly to the disturber, so the places and revered with great respect.
Manifestation
Most of the Spiritgroves have high concentrations of flora growth, where the plants are part of the typical fauna of the area, but usually bigger, brighter or in other ways unique. These areas have a strong, lively aura that overflows with untamed energy.
As DnD mechanics
Spiritgroves are a useful GM tool and narrative device that is meant to work as players' advantage. These small areas have a strange aura that makes all living beings reluctant to break their peace, and undead creatures tend to prefer to stay away from them.
If any creature makes a hostile move against another creature or Spiritgrove itself in a Spiritgrove, the whole Spiritgrove will automatically start to defend the attacked place or individual and try to pacify the attacker in any means possible. Trees will animate, animals will get hostile, people in the grove might feel compelled to protect it and fey creatures may come out of nothing to Spiritgrove's aid. Not even wild animals dare to hunt one another in the area of a Spiritgrove. The only acceptable form of violence in a Spiritgrove is a defensive one to protect, was it oneself or someone else that is being attacked.
Spiritgroves can offer shelter to players during difficult journeys, and respectful travellers can find anything from healing waters to magical components, depending on the unique features of the grove that GM chooses. Spiritgroves do not differentiate travellers according to their alignment.
These places also attract people to pilgrimage on their grounds, and some servants of nature-related deities and druids might give themselves for the groves service. These NPCs might live in the grove and perform services like healing spells, potion-making, resurrections and other things for the travellers as part of their service to the Grove. What each NPC offers depends on GM's discretion.
Spiritgroves are particularly helpful places to contact spirits and entities, mostly ones of upper planes and Feywild. Sometimes they house a Fey or celestial entity, that functions as the protector of the Grove, that players might be able to find and talk to them and maybe get a quest or some help. If the players do stay in the grove more than a week though, they will start to feel compelled to serve the Grove and do favours to other travellers, as offering to the Grove.
Each Grove is unique, with its own special properties. They are not meant to be "get out of jail free"-cards, so one should always treat them with respect. They are almost entities on themselves, and their goodwill can be lost.
Origin of the groves
A lesser-known tale tells that the origin of the Spiritgroves is the goddess Eldath, making the groves naturally form shrines for her glory. The serene athmosphere of the Spiritgroves backs up this theory.
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