Giant Hollow Tree Shrine & More

They say the roots of this enormous oak plummet down and punch into the Fair Folk’s world — but good luck getting past its guardian!

This map, I’d use as the entrance to another world. It’s partially inspired by the Old School Essentials module The Hole in the Oak, but a friend says it reminds him more of the Great Deku Tree. I was a Playstation kid and the new Link to the Past is the first & last Zelda I’ve played to date, so that would’ve slipped my mind otherwise…

Thoughts

• You may hate spiders, but there are much worse things that live in trees. Like owls. Or certain bears.
• Could be a spot to gather magical materials. See those red flowers on the vines? That’s a plot device right there.
• You may also want to treat the tree itself as a youkai. The Saigyou Ayakashi in full bloom!

Contents

• Giant Hollow Tree Shrine: An enormous oak tree that someone once considered sacred — or maybe they still do!
• Spider Hollow: Oh, Christ. I don’t even want to look at this one, and I don’t even have arachnophobia.
• Winter: Bring some Christmas lights.
• Cherry Tree: In full bloom, raining blossms..!
• Fairy Forest: An odd tone for a more fair-folkish forest.
• Sealed Tree: Something’s gone terribly wrong. Is someone trying to protect the tree, or are you being protected you FROM the tree?
• Sealed Inner Gate: The tree’s core is glowing violently. A portal? Or a weakness?
• Tree House: A house inside a tree! How quaint. A trap-door is included so you can expand it into a dungeon or cellar if desired.
• Canopy Overlays: For VTT usage!
• Day/Night Variants: Wherever applicable!