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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