Type
Abbey
About 20 miles northwest of Ashabenford across the Ashaba on the edge of the elven woods is the second abbey of Mistledale: a walled stronghold that protects an ancient oak grove sacred to Silvanus. The abbey is almost hidden by trees, but its outer shape is defined by a large fortress ring studded with small towers, which are actually the cells where the priests live. The ring is almost a mile across and encloses a woodland alive with a wild variety of trees and crisscrossed by small chuckling streams and meandering paths. Wherever a path crosses a stream, the bridge takes the form of a tiny meditation hut, and these are lovely in their serenity. At the heart of the ring is a hill crowned with old, massive oak trees: the sacred grove itself. The priests have had to fight off some brigand raids over the years; it seems that one Dale rumor says treasure is buried here.
Only eight clerics now serve the Lord of the Forests within walls that once held over a hundred devout worshipers - and some of these priests are very old. They are led, however, by a young and ambitious man, Oakfather Gannon Durei, who was led here by a vision sent to him by the Divine Forestfather himself and dreams of fulfilling that vision by renewing old Oakengrove into the mighty community it once was. Gannon sees three things he must do to achieve this: attract wives (and even better, female clerics or druids) to wed the priests so that the cycle of life Silvanus
speaks of can be followed within the abbey and younglings brought up to revere the Forestfather from birth; make a reputation for the abbey by sponsoring adventurers to do great things in its name; and bring back living specimens of rare plants and trees and plant them in the abbey to bring about the abbey's own renewal. He hopes to hire adventures to scour western Mistledale of all monsters and then tackle the menaces lurking around Myth Drannor and Daggerdale in the abbey's name. He also plans on using hired adventurers to search out rare trees and flora for growing from seed or transplanting to the abbey, for he dare not risk himself or his dwindling flock of aged priests on such forays.
Gannon can only accept trustworthy folk to serve his abbey, and they must be led by one who worships Silvanus. Through the Harpers and hired merchants, he has located three such young men. They are bored noble younger sons from Sembia who have grown to hate the filth, crowding, and empty wealth of the cities they have grown up in. Gannon now desperately needs some
adventurers of sylvan or good faiths to lead these young heroes before they grow bored and wander away from the abbey. As a result, Gannon has been advertising in Ashabenford and by
means of merchants and is hopeful that adventurers will soon come to his isolated abbey who can pass his magical tests and prove worthy to serve Silvanus. If the youths or, even better, an adventuring band of greater size grows to become loyal to the abbey, Gannon could die content, secure in the knowledge that he had at least set the abbey on the road to recovery.
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