Greenbelt Cavern Lagoons Free 40×30 Multi-Level Battlemap & Adventure
Greenbelt Cavern Lagoons Free 40×30 Multi-Level Battlemap & Adventure
Grove of the Everlasting
While staying at a forested village you’re approached by a large muscled man who is an elder of the town and claims to be a shaman, he greets you kindly and asks if he may have a word with you. The man appears concerned and tense.
If you agree, he introduces himself as Adalbern before explaining that, over the last few months, the forest has seen a change. Dangerous beasts who live deep in the forest have made their way closer to the village, attacking those who stray too far in search of wild berries or herbs.
Adalbern continues that he believes the balance of the forest has been broken by something dark, originating from a sacred site the villagers called the Grove of the Everlasting.
Adalbern beseeched the other elders of the village to allow him to travel to the grove to investigate, but he was refused due to the nature of the grove. You see, Adalbern continues, only those old, ill, or close to death seek the grove after proper funeral rites have been undergone for those individuals, because those who enter the grove do-no return. Instead, they are accepted into the afterlife, becoming one with the forest. Because of this, the other elders could not take the chance of Adalbern not returning, even if he was only to investigate the surroundings of the grove.
Adalbern sighs before explaining that, to make matters worse, it appears his son overheard the conversation between the elders and rashly decided to travel to the grove himself with a friend in tow. Those young men have not returned since last dusk, and so Adalbern begs for your assistance to travel to the grove and find them, if they have not already entered the grove, and–if possible–uncover the nature of the darkness which now shrouds the forest.
If you ask why the grove wouldn’t accept you into the afterlife if you enter it, Adalbern explains that you’re an outsider and not of the forest. He means no offense, but you do not belong here or to the forest, and so it would not accept you.
If you agree to help, Adalbern grips your hand tightly and thanks you before giving you simple directions to arrive at the grove. It appears to only be half a day’s travel away on foot through the thick forest, luckily a path will take you most of the way however.
As you approach the Grove of the Everlasting, you begin noticing ancient stone ruins surrounded by many wide, muddy trails–some more well used than others–which branch off into the forest in all directions.
If you’re perceptive, you might notice some footprints in one of the muddy trails before entering the grove, which could be from the young men. Entering the grove, you find a paradise of lush plant life, streams and waterfalls which pour down into a grotto. To your surprise, the scent of smoke is on the breeze but it’s hard to pin down where it’s coming from.
Making your way deeper into the grotto after taking a winding tunnel, you come across the two young men you were sent to rescue solemnly sitting on bed rolls around a fire. They’re surprised to see you but quickly pick up their spears and stand their ground.
If you explain you’re there to bring them back to the village, they look visibly upset explaining that all they were told about the Grove of the Everlasting were lies and that the afterlife doesn’t exist. If you point out that if the tales were true they’d be dead, they respond back that while that may be true they would have died heroes, willing to give their lives to attempt to appease the forest.
Interrupting your conversation, the ground shakes and you can hear the sound of scraping echoing from deeper within the grotto then a big splash, as if something large is moving nearby. If you follow the sound, you’re led through several caverns and tunnels before reaching the bottom of the grotto next to a small waterfall, which pours into a small lake.
The shaking has stopped now but it appears like it was coming from a cavern on the other side of the lake. Making your way over to the cavern you’re shocked to find a wet colossal basilisk curled up, resting amongst the bones of many humans and other animals.
Flicking out its tongue the basilisk senses your presence and its eyes pop open before the monster eagerly slithers toward you, its maw ready to bite. The young men retreat, drawing their bows and firing arrows as you’re engaged by the basilisk.
When it’s defeated, the basilisk begins flailing wildly, blood pouring from its wounds before it crashes into the lake. The young men rush up to you cheering in cocky excitement, adrenaline still pumping in their veins.
Lifeless, the basilisk sinks into the depths of the lake which is clearly much deeper than it appears. If inspected, it seems that the lake is connected to flooded underground caverns which reach deep beneath the earth, and may be where the basilisk originally came from.
When you return to Adalbern he thanks you profusely for saving his son but when you explain what happened at the grove he appears shocked, but then deep in thought. He explains that two years ago the village suffered heavy droughts and food stocks were low due to the forest not providing its usual yield.
Many were set to starve before the previous elders of the village decided to make the sacrifice of going to the Grove of the Everlasting early. Over fifty elders chose this path and, due to their sacrifice, no one in the village starved. Since then no one has been sick or old enough to go to the grove.
It is a horrible thought, Adalbern continues. But what if those who entered the grove these many hundreds of years were not taken into the afterlife by the grove, but instead eaten by the basilisk? Maybe it was the sacrifice of those who chose to go to the grove that kept it well fed and docile.
Perhaps the story was told in order to keep the village safe, even if it was a lie. The world is harsh and often tradition serves a purpose even if it is long forgotten.
In this case, perhaps the lack of villagers going to the grove over the last two years forced the basilisk to leave its normally rich feeding ground, pushing out the other predators closer to the village.
With a sigh, Adalbern thanks you again. Stating that perhaps they can put this tradition to rest now that they understand its purpose, and those who are ready to die can instead die in the presence of their loved ones.
If you’d enjoy more TTRPG resources like this Greenbelt Cavern Lagoons Free 40×30 Multi-Level Battlemap & Adventure, Luke and I have released our newest Hardcore GM’s bundle of 520 large, 40×30″ battlemaps (double the size of those in the Quarantine Bundle) with 255 fantasy adventures for $39. It’s your chance to have a great deal on some of our most beautiful maps! We guarantee that is something here for every GM—no matter what setting you prefer, from large cities to underwater seascapes.
Paying just $39 rather than full price saves you over 98%! Take a look at all the extra maps you can download with one click in the Hardcore GM’s Bundle here.
