The Nature GM

While searching for post images on Pixabay, I often see manipulated fantasy scenes that spark my delight and imagination, but that in normal circumstances I do not have a reason to use.

I am now creating a reason. This begins a short series of adventure concepts written to justify one of these fantasy scenes as cover art. Together we will suspend our disbelief and journey into the land of possibility.

And the possibility of a god’s foot.

Image Breakdown

We have a misty sunrise over some hills, a warrior turning to look at the camera, and a god-sized carved foot preparing to crush absolutely everything.

The first question that arises is, who is this god? Why are they carved from stone? Why are they walking around on the land? If their foot is that size, and they are standing at full height, at what atmospheric layer must their head be?

The god might be carved from stone because:

• They are the god of stone. Of mountains. Of sculptors.
• They had a giant statue carved Buddha-like into a mountain, and this became their avatar when they entered the mortal plane.
• They are a forgotten god, and only a single statue preserved their image. Even the god remembers no other form than this statue.

We are ready to begin.

Adventure Hook

In an agricultural valley, a cicada swarm has returned for the first time in 1,000 years. This has resurfaced a memory of an ancient prophecy:

When the Andiland run dry
And the land touch the sky,
When the valley cicada hum
And the pure heart succumb,
Then the god that were damned
Again walk the land.

Shortly after the cicadas appeared, the village of Gaileston began reporting mysterious deaths of their villagers. There have been rumors of something called the Cult of the Forgotten God, but no one seems to know anything more than the name.

A lord of a nearby city seeks adventurers for hire to find out the cause of these mysterious deaths and stop them before the harvest.

The Road There

On the way to Gaileston, the party passes a dry streambed. They later learn this was Andiland Creek, and it was diverted for crop irrigation. A new stream (“the Crick”) drains out of Gaileston and rejoins the old Andiland channel at the bottom of the valley.

The party also notices that the mountain range behind the valley is swathed in thick clouds. The locals tell them the clouds have been there all summer—stuck behind the peaks and never raining.

The cicadas create a loud, incessant hum from sunup to sundown, making it difficult to hear sounds even a short distance away.

Village of Gaileston

Gaileston is a very small settlement of a dozen farms, a saloon that serves as the town hall, and a few businesses such as a seamstress, cobbler, blacksmith, and general store where a cleric is renting the upstairs room. There is no inn, but the cobbler has a spare room that a small party might rent out, and most of the farmers are happy to let a group sleep out in the barn.

The people of Gaileston report two strange and grisly deaths since the cicadas returned. In both instances the victim went missing, and their body was later found outside of town with their heart cut out. The victims were kind and well-liked, and their deaths have the townsfolk understandably on edge.

The townsfolk have not had any strangers in town recently, though some may mention they have seen cloaked figures wandering the valley at night. Suspicion is generally split between a reclusive woman who the townspeople say is a witch (she is) or a wealthy livestock owner who no one likes because he refused to pay for repairs when one of his bulls went on a rampage through town (after a local boy harassed it).

Needless to say, both are innocent of these grisly murders. The real culprits are those who are trying to fulfill the final requirement of the prophecy.

Cult of the Forgotten God

In the dry streambed of the old Andiland Creek is a square granite slab with an archaic symbol carved into it. The slab is a door that can be lifted by a very strong character or opened by a concealed switch. Beneath the slab, stone steps descend into darkness.

Under the old Andiland Creek is a monument to a now forgotten god. The stone halls twist madly into many dead ends and chaotically arranged rooms filled with traps and scuttling creatures. At the center is a large statue of the god on a pedestal, but its face has been sanded smooth. The god’s name has been removed from any script on the pedestal or walls, and all records have been burned.

A cult of 5-10 powerful members moved here as soon as the cicadas appeared. They believe the forgotten god was imprisoned in this ancient temple by a rival god in ages past, and they seek to free the forgotten god and reap a vast reward.

The cult has been struggling to fill the requirement “the pure heart succumb.” They have tried to bring the heart of two relatively pure people to the statue of the forgotten god to no effect. Their next plan is to kidnap the cleric of Gaileston, force them to worship the forgotten god, and, if that still has no effect, cut out their heart just to be on the safe side.

The cultists are wizards and such from different lands, united by their obsession with uncovering dark powers. They have a handful of bodyguards to provide brute force when necessary.

The God Walks

The cultists find a way to bring the statue of the forgotten god to life, growing in size and breaking apocalyptically from the ground. This stone titan walks across the land, crushing everything beneath its massive feet.

The player characters have a chance to defeat the titan statue of the forgotten god. Perhaps there is an active spell in the monument that they can interrupt. Perhaps it is sufficient to slay all the cultists whose fervor sustains the god. Perhaps they find a Bag of Holding and a Portable Hole throughout the adventure, and they know what must be done.

Whatever their path, the heroes will surely prevail, and the forgotten god will crumble, leaving nothing behind but a single stone foot.

Conclusion

There are some details to iron out; however, I think this concept has potential. It has certainly brought this image to life. Thank you KELLEPICS on Pixabay for making this wonderful image available, and also to donjon for your random dungeon generator.

I do not actually know if any of my players know about the Portable Hole in the Bag of Holding trick. Perhaps I should find out. I think my Painting of Imprisonment would reasonably have the same effect.

I have more fantasy cover art to justify with an adventure concept for the next post. Until then, keep exploring.