Established by the Elven Druid Anïthien, this garden guards an Oracle who, it is said, can answer any question. The gardens are grown and maintained magically, and it is said that any who reach the centre of the labyrinth can meet the Oracle, who will answer one question truthfully. Just reaching the gardens is quite a trek, and at their gates, questors will meet a speaking brown bear, who guards them and explains the rules. He is not above offering advice in exchange for honey or sweet foods, but will generally not fight those who arrive, unless they offer harm to the gardens. He explains Anïthien’s rules, which are as follows: • Harm not the garden, nor those who live within it. • Stay to the path. • Journeying to the centre is an experience. Experience it. • This is as much a journey of the spirit as it is the body. • To find the answer within the labyrinth, you must answer questions within yourself. • Those who enter as a group earn one answer for the group, not each. The bear then points in the direction of the entrance and wishes people well. There are seats and a safe place to camp for those who do not wish to venture into the labyrinth. (Although skilled trackers and spellcasters using Find The Path can circumvent the challenge of his labyrinth, Anïthien does not mind. He merely rearranges it after they’re gone.) The walls are around fifteen feet high, and almost block out light and sounds from outside. There is a hushed, claustrophobic feeling, although the avenues are around ten feet wide most of the time. Emphasize to anyone traversing the labyrinth how isolated they feel. Progressing through the labyrinth is a skill test, using Survival (DC 15), and requires a total of 14+1d6 successes. Someone trying to “only take the left turns” essentially Takes 20, and they reach the centre in 14+1d6 hours (it’s a BIG labyrinth). However, if they return, Anïthien changes the layout during the exploration, and they will have to try to navigate on their own. I Each failed check adds one hour of time, although curiously, a successful check only seems to take one minute. Failing five times in a row will lead someone back out the entrance, and they have failed to find the labyrinth’s centre. The bear advises them that they can try again the next day. At each fifth check, a grove can be found, often with a fountain or statuary. These are targeted to anyone entering the labyrinth, and will challenge their understanding of moral events from their past and their culture. For example: a fountain depicting two women back-to back, both defending their respective children. One is a human mother being attacked by orcish warriors, and the other is an orc mother being attacked by armoured humans (and one of these might be modeled on a PC or their culture). Both feature equal desperation, and the statue is labeled “Heroism is the same in any language, discuss.” Another grove has a fountain and plain stone seats, with the instruction to “Rest a while”. The fountain is bubbling and warm, and there is a stone pair of discarded shoes beside it. While resting, a large panther emerges from the bush. It seems unhappy to have company, and will snarl, but does not actually initiate violence. If harmed, it flees, and a terrible thunderstorm will arrive overhead very shortly, prompting evacuation from the labyrinth. Should someone who has harmed the panther complete the labyrinth, Anïthien explains that they broke the rules, and they have forfeited their answer. Another is a clear, bright grove with a ground cover of fallen twigs. However, those who walk it will have to be careful, as there are (normal-sized) caterpillars on the twigs, and stepping on them will harm them. No check is necessary, only a little thought for smaller beings, and taking a little more time. The final grove before reaching the Oracle contains only a warped mirror. In it, those who approach can see illusions of themselves as they could, or perhaps should, have been. Those who have suffered trauma might see themselves happy and unharmed. Those with evil in their hearts might glimpse themselves as noble-minded and pure. Those who value their own nobility and purity might glimpse themselves as downtrodden and villainous. There is no challenge here, the mirror only presents the idea for consideration. Anïthien, the Oracle, dwells at the centre in a large grove. A curtained alcove contains his bed of grass, and another his pantry of dried and preserved fruits and vegetables. He welcomes those who have come to him, and asks about their journey, before they pose their question. If they have struggled with any moral questions, Anïthien is most interested to hear it, and, regardless of the outcome, is proud of people who have questioned their own morals. When the questors are ready, he says that he will ask them one question first, which they must answer before he will answer theirs. Anïthien is a pot-stirrer who will have been using divination spells on the party from the moment they entered the labyrinth, and observing their actions with an incredible level of insight. He asks a question designed to prompt thought, or change. Something like “how do you ethically justify your church’s murder of infidels when your own writings speak out against it?” (For a righteous character), or “does all that gold fill the hole in your soul left by your mother having not loved you?” (for a greedy one), “what will you do when you have exterminated all of them?” (For a vengeance-based character) and so on. The question may be shocking, but he does not demand any action, just an honest answer with thought. Those who act upon these questions thoughtfully, and return to speak to Anïthien regarding their changes, gain an increase of +1 to their Wisdom score permanently (this part is not advertised, but a consequence of their self-improvement). Once it has been answered, he allows the questor to ask their own question, and will attempt to answer it with all his knowledge and magical resources (as an 18th-level Druid, these are considerable). He will then show people the exit, which appears to be a straight route leading back to the entrance, one that uses a route they never took, and which inexplicably is visible from the gate. He tells them to think carefully before their next visit, and bids them farewell. This interlude is best used to refocus a game when a bad guy has gotten away, or when something lost needs to be found. Think of it as a side episode, letting the characters examine things within themselves while finding an answer to get the plot back on track. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 28 August 2018) Categories All Comments are closed.
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