Soon The Flowers Will Blossom Again
Pinned to The notice board
A slightly yellowed and dirtied poster announces:
Soon the Flowers will Blossom Again.
[The heading is underlined by a leafed vine on either side snaking towards the middle, coalescing into a flower.]
As the days grow longer it comes time to prepare our tributes to the spirit of the forest for a flourishing year and warm tidings.
Travellers here with us on the evening of the next full moon will also be expected to make a tribute of an item hand-crafted
by you. No other item will do.
We meet at dusk at the west road’s entrance into the woods before travelling to the shrine within.
Ways to approach
The ritual of renewal beckons the spirit of the forest to return after the winter has come to drive it away. Locally the people believe that the tributes can help encourage the spirit to return sooner for an early spring, and true enough ever since they started hand crafting their own tributes after a particularly harsh winter spring has indeed come early every year. All except for one when a group of outsiders saw no reason to make anything for a tribute. Now all who pass through on the day of the ritual are required to contribute in the same fashion as everyone else, or continue on their way.
Is any of it true? Is there really a spirit of the forest that can help bring early spring for the area? If there is then why the handmade gifts - is it because there's a little bit of the creator in there? If there isn't a spirit then why didn't spring come early on the one year outsiders didn't contribute - could those outsiders have taken something?
Every world is going to be different and I'd love to hear how you use this poster in your world!
