Sacred Grove

The Sacred Grove is a place near Gathering in the kingdom of Elaria where for centuries rituals and ceremonies associated with the cult of the Goddess have been carried out.
Like the Gathering itself, it has been surrounded with a lot of tales among common folk. Most people have avoided it, believing that spirits are guarding it from unwanted visitors. This was supported by some people never returning after entering the grove. Others claimed that those who didn't return did so because they've encountered the Goddess herself or her servants and choose to follow them to the other world.
The annual Initiation ceremonies gave rise to some legends themselves. The loud noises and fires burning over the May Night led later the believers of True Faith to claim it was a place for witches to consort with demons. Of course everybody who followed Old Ways knew it was nonsense. The consorting that was taking place was completely natural and involved Priestesses and young men dressed up as the God of the Forest.
In Gathering Wise Ones knew that those stories had little to do with reality. However, they still treated the place with respect. The waters of Source flowing there could bring about visions. And sometimes even falling asleep in that area could bring you strange experiences and foresight.
For that reason, the access to Sacred Grove was protected and reserved to fully ascended Wise Ones and Initiates at the time of their Initiation. Occassionally the permission was granted in exceptional circumstances and times of great need for other people to enter it and ask for guidance.
It was a risky thing to do, however, as the case of Rothrimir the Great shows. The king was said to request personal access in times of the Great Death. He wanted to hear from the Goddess what he needed to do to save the kingdom. When he emerged the next day, after drinking from the Source and spending the night in the Grove, he was mad. Wise Ones closed him in a remote wing of the Gathering and soon enough he died. Right after that, the plague has ended, leading people to whisper the king must have committed some terrible crime and his death cleansed the land. Wise Ones never commented on this suggestion.

Type

Grove