Description
A fence of carved posts connected by rope braided from black-dyed harakeke surrounds the grove's perimeter, marking the boundary beyond which common folk cannot pass without inviting spiritual catastrophe. These boundary posts are carved with warning symbols and protective patterns, their surfaces treated with red ochre that seems to glow with an inner light during dawn and dusk. The posts are not tall or imposing like the Tiki Guardians, standing only six feet high, but their message is unmistakable to anyone raised in Vaitafe traditions. Small carved figures hang from the connecting ropes, representations of ancestors and guardian spirits that watch over the boundary, their wooden faces turned outward to discourage the curious and protect the sanctity of the space within.
Within the forbidden boundary, the ancient stones dominate the landscape. The accelerated growth properties of the dimensional bubble have allowed moss and lichen to establish themselves on the stone surfaces far faster than would normally occur, creating patterns of green and silver that seem almost intentional in their beauty. Between the stones, carefully tended native grasses grow in thick clusters, their blade edges sharp enough to draw blood from any who brush against them carelessly. A single narrow path of fitted stones winds between the larger formations, leading to a small cleared area at the grove's center where a natural depression in the rock creates a basin that fills with rainwater and sea spray. This water is considered the most sacred in the entire settlement, never drunk but used only for the most important ritual purifications and blessings.
Duke Karthos enters the grove during times of major decision-making, seeking clarity and wisdom from the spiritual forces that concentrate here. The settlement priest comes monthly to perform maintenance rituals that keep the space properly consecrated and to leave offerings at specific stones that represent different aspects of spiritual power. On rare occasions, individuals undergoing significant life transitions may be granted permission to enter after days of fasting and ritual purification, always accompanied by the priest and never alone. The grove is never completely empty of human presence for long, yet it is never crowded, existing in a state of careful balance between accessibility and restriction that reflects its unique status as a bridge between worlds.
Benefits
The Tapu Grove generates 6 Prestige, as maintaining such a sacred restricted space demonstrates the community's spiritual sophistication and respect for traditional law. Once per month, the settlement priest can perform a ritual within the grove that grants one willing creature the benefit of a remove curse or remove disease spell (caster level 7th). The grove radiates an aura of powerful consecration that extends 30 feet beyond its boundaries, granting all allies within this aura a +2 sacred bonus on saving throws against curse and disease effects.