TEXT: Gregorius21778: 
  20 Sacred Sites 
  Version 1.1; written by Kai Pütz
  (c) 2017
  Zargothrax MM (order #16774247)
  
  Legal & other stuff:
  Created by: 
  Kai Pütz; (c) 2017
  My blog: 
  www.gregorius21778.wordpress.com
  Artwork (cover): 
  copyrighted by William Murakami-Brundage; used with permission;
  acquired from Menagerie Press
  Artwork (background): 
  copyright by The Knotty-Works; used with permission
  Artwork (decoration): 
  Publisher´s Choice Quality Stock Art 
  (c) Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games.
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  By buying this product the owner is granted the non-transferable, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable right to
  use the ideas and concepts presented in this product in his or her own publications (both commercial and
  non-commercial) as long as credit is given to this product and the author with the following line [Some
  ideas  and  concepts  are  taken  from  “Gregorius21778:  20  Sacred  Sites”;  used  with
  permission] AND the publication does not include more than one of the twenty “Sacred Sites” of this title.
  About this supplement:
  20 Sacred Sites is a collection of special locations for high fantasy OSR RPG. They are
  places of magic or divine grace, and likely to be holy (or at least important) to the people
  in the area. Others are forgotten (or even shunned) remains of a faith that is long past its
  peak of adherence. All of them offer a benefit to those who visit them, but some do not
  grant it without a ritual, test or sacrifice. 
  The sites are meant to be used as a side quest, as the focal point of a quick “journey
  session” (just add random encounters on the way) or as a point-of-interest in a hex-crawl
  or sandbox scenario.
  Enjoy!
  Zargothrax MM (order #16774247)
  
  01# The Fountain of Youth
  The focal point of the sacred site is a natural spring. The
  water  erupts  from  a  rock  formation  and  pools  in  a
  carefully  arranged,  shallow  marble  basin.  Thick  moss
  grows along its edges, and the characters will startle
  singing birds that sat there as they approach. The water
  is crystal clear with no sign of pollution by local flora or
  fauna. 
  Those who drink the water of the Fountain of Youth will
  rejuvenate and become 3d6 years younger. Nobody can
  benefit from the Fountain of Youth more than once.
  02#Stoneface Oracle
  The site is centered upon a small temple, that is not more
  than a vestibule with seven stone steps which lead down
  into a small underground chamber. The wall next to the
  entry features the large fresco of a (minor) deity. If those
  of the matching faith kneel and pray before the fresco in
  solitude for 2d6 turns, there is a 20% chance that the
  fresco will come alive and prompt the believer to  “ask
  what is on your heart”. 
  This miracle is equal to the 5th level Commune cleric spell,
  but the petitioner may ask up to five yes/no questions.
  The  oracle  will  answer  to  the  prayers  of  any  given
  character only once per year (once per month in the case
  of a cleric of the deity that the fresco depicts). When a
  character´s prayers are not answered on a given day, he
  or she may try again after the next dawn.
  03# Altar of Final Hope
  The Altar of Final Hope is located in a 3´x 8´ unadorned
  cuboid that has been hewed out of a large granite bolder,
  in  a  bowl-shaped  hollow  surrounded  by  five  statues
  depicting angels and/or guardians of the realm of the
  dead. If a (mostly) complete corpse that has not been
  dead for more than three weeks is placed on it by dusk
  and left there till dawn, there is a 4 out of 6 chance that
  the dead is reanimated as per the Raise Dead cleric spell.
  Otherwise, the corpse will quickly crumble to dust at
  dawn, and a upcoming breeze will disperse the dust so
  that no attempt to revive the deceased can ever be made
  again.
  04# Portal of Absolution
  The  Portal  of  Absolution  is  a  large,  arched  and
  freestanding doorway made of stone. At the other side of
  it,  a  life-sized  statue  of  a  saint  that  was  known  for
  kindness and charity (also called “the Pardoner”) has
  been erected. It reaches out with its hands like it would
  call for a person on the other side of the doorway to walk
  through. 
  A character that steps through the doorway and towards 
  the Pardoner will be liberated from all  curses if the
  character  has  fastened  for at  least  a  day per curse
  before.  Those  who  step  through  the  doorway  while
  turning their back towards the Pardoner will suffer a
  curse  instead: whenever they ask forgiveness from a
  mortal, they will only be granted it if a roll with 2d6
  shows doubles.
  05# Altar of the Great Smith 
  The Altar of the Great Smith is an anvil thrice the size of
  a normal one, and is dedicated to a deity of crafts and
  smithery. If a weapon is placed onto and the altar itself
  struck three times with a hammer, the weapon will
  count as a magical weapon till the next new moon.
  06# Pond of Purification
  The sacred site contains a natural pond with a larger-
  than-life white marble statue of a deity (or saint) of
  purity  and/or  healing  on  its  ground.  The  statue  is
  visible through the crystal clear water and lies on its
  back. Its eyes seem to rest on whoever peers down to it.
  Those who dive down to the ground (which is not a
  dangerous dive) and kiss the statue onto its forehead
  will have all illnesses they suffer from be gone as soon
  as  they  leave  the  water,  but  the  white  marble  will
  quickly be covered with a dirty-brown film of alga in
  turn. The brown alga will slowly chip away from the
  statue and dissolve in the water, so that it is clean again
  after 3d6 days. Healing will only be granted by a clean
  statue, and any attempt to clean the statue will infect
  the last illness it cured onto the cleaner (or cleaners).
  07# Resting Place of the Wise Ancestors
  The sacred site is a three story high mausoleum where
  the  people  used  to  entomb  their  most  wise  and
  respected sages and figures of authority. The circular
  shaped walls of white marble are partly overgrown with
  ivy, and some of the life-sized statues that line the path
  to it are worn and damaged by the ravages of time. The
  copper leafing of the gate is green with patina, and
  while the gate itself is not locked it is hard to push it
  open. Inside, the walls are lined with alcoves where the
  dead have been entombed, reachable by free-standing
  marble  stairways  and  wide  ledges  supported  by
  columns. 
  Those  who  enter  the  center  of  the  mausoleum,
  introduce themselves loudly and state the number of
  questions that they wish to ask will be witness to the
  appearance of numerous ghostly silhouettes. They rise
  out  of  the  different  alcoves  and  float  towards  the
  petitioner. To any other, the ghosts stay unseen unless
  those present have means to see what is invisible (or
  from beyond). 
  Zargothrax MM (order #16774247)
  
  Questioning the Wise Ancestors is equal to the Contact the
  Other  Plane  magic-user  spell,  but  with  the  following
  exceptions. 
  # characters of Lawful alignment will always get 
  a true answer 
  # only characters of Chaotic alignment need to
  check for Insanity 
  # any question that centers on personal wealth 
  and fortune will be be treated as “irrelevant!” 
  #only a number of questions equal to the level of 
  the character may be asked before the ancestors 
  refuse to be questioned further. From that point 
  their only answer will be  “Begone!”
  08# Kiss of the Sky
  The  peak  of  a  high  mountain,  the  highest  in  the
  surrounding area, is the sanctuary of the Kiss of the Sky.
  Clerics that sleep or rest there, below the open sky and
  between the five pillars that form the sanctuary (which
  symbolize  important  elements  or  virtues;  e.g.  water,
  wind, earth, fire and spirit) will be able to memorize the
  Wind Walk cleric spell at 10th level. Furthermore, if the
  spell is cast in this very place, the cleric may take up to
  five other characters along (instead of one per 8 levels).
  09# High Sanctuary
  The High Sanctuary is one of the oldest monasteries in
  the country, a remote place for pious reclusiveness and
  contemplation of the divine. Clerics that stay in the High
  Sanctuary for a number of days equal to twice their level
  will find deeper understanding of themselves and their
  deity. As a result, they may learn and cast spells that are
  up to two levels higher than their current experience
  level. This bonus fades away after (1d4+Wisdom Bonus)
  days  outside of the High  Sanctuary, as  the mundane
  distractions that come with a regular life dim the clear
  view of the self and the divine. 
  10# Shrine of Vengeance
  The Shrine of Vengeance is located at the bottom of a
  deep but narrow chasm, which is believed to be the result
  of  the  bitter  cries  of  a  deity  of  justice  over  the
  dishonorable ways of mankind. Those who lost a loved
  one by violence or who were given an oath that has been
  broken  may  climb  down  into  the  chasm  to  seek
  vengeance.  The  shrine  is  one  marble  square  at  the
  ground. Sulfur comes up from the surrounding cracks,
  and the very air glistens with heat. Those who made it to
  here and cry out their claim to vengeance so that it
  echoes up through the chasm will cause a Meteor Swarm
  (as the 9th level spell) to go down on the target of their
  vengeance at that very moment.
  11# Untainted Spring
  A little up in the mountains there is a large pool of
  steaming water, surrounded by the sheer mountain side
  at its back and a semi-circle of five small boulders at its
  front. The boulders are irregular in shape but smooth as
  pebbles, and when touched they glow with a soothing
  green hue. The pool itself is fed by a hot spring. Steam
  rises slowly into the air, and near its center small lines
  of bubbles constantly rise to its surface. For uncounted
  generations this hot spring used to be a gathering area
  of fairies and elves, but these times have passed. 
  The place is still one of magic, and those who take a
  long bath in  it will have their maximum hit  points
  temporarily increased by three hit dice (according to
  class). Once the hit points drop below this value the
  bonus is lost. After the spring was used this way, its
  magic will fade for 2d8 days.
  12# Gilded Icon of Enlightenment
  On a hill surrounded by barren land, a saint had a vision
  while  praying  to  his  deity:  a  vision  so  clear  and
  revealing that the saint gathered funds and supporters
  to raise a shrine in this area, with a gilded icon in honor
  of the deity and  the vision. Those who wander the
  barren  hills  in  rags  and  piety,  and  who  chastise
  themselves with flails as they walk among the thorny
  bushes (1d4 points of damage at the end of the small
  journey) will be granted an epiphany after they prayed
  in  front  of  the  gilded  icon  for  2d3  hours.  Every
  character  may  only  have  this  epiphany  once  in  a
  lifetime, and will gain 2d4x 100xp from it.
  Zargothrax MM (order #16774247)
  
  13# Tree of Gifts
  In a deep forest that is rumored to be touched by a deity
  (or powerful spirits) is a clearing with one huge tree at
  the center. The upper branches of this tree, whose size
  rivals that of a tower but is never seen from outside of
  the clearing, carry delicious green-red apples. Those who
  eat  one  will be gifted with a magical ability (and know
  about it) (d6). 
  1# The character may see all things invisible for 
  1d4 rounds after closing the eyes for 1 round. 
  2# Natural, wild animals will never attack the  
  character unprovoked. 
  3# The character will always heal an additional 
  hit point per day. 
  4# The character will only need to eat half of the 
  food he or she would usually have to (in order to 
  avoid hunger and starvation). 
  5# Once per session, the character has one re-roll
  that is not bound to a special type of roll (but  
  does  not  apply  to  a  level  up  or  downtime  
  activities). 
  6# Once per day, the character may double the 
  own strength bonus for five rounds. 
  If a character eats further apples from the tree, those will
  not grant additional gifts but have the effect of a class 2
  poison instead. Any apple will rot within a turn after
  being plugged.
  14# Chthonic Altar
  Below ground, deep inside a network of caverns, tunnels
  and chasms, stands an altar. It is a large but flat volcanic
  stone that does not match the surrounding flowstone in
  the cave. Behind it is a cave wall that´s surface vaguely
  resembles inhuman faces if it is stared at long enough.
  When a live sacrifice is made on the altar, the blood will
  seep into its surface while grayish vapors rise from it.
  Inhaling the vapors clouds the senses but opens the mind
  to entities that exist at a merciful distance to our world. 
  After a sacrifice has been made and the vapors have been
  inhaled, a character may ask questions as per the Contact
  the Other Plane spell (LL p. 29). The chance for Insanity is
  reduced  by the nature of  the sacrifice that  has been
  made. (-5%) for a mid-sized animal (e.g. a goat), (-15%) for
  a small monster (up to 2 HD), (-10%) for a human or
  humanoid (3 HD+) and (-20%) for a dwarf or elf of any
  level. If more than one character inhales the vapors to
  ask questions, the base Insanity chance for all characters
  is increased by 15% per additional character.
  15# The Healing Hand
  In  a  remote  place  that  may  only  be  reached  via  a
  mountain pass, a small shrine has been build in honor
  to a stern but benevolent deity. A slightly larger-than-
  life statue has been erected there that depicts the deity
  with one arm raised, a palm facing outward as if she
  would bless somebody in front of her. Those who kneel
  down in front of the statue and place their lowered
  head in line with the statues hand may gain a divine
  favor. 
  When the character prays and pleads kneeling in front
  of the statue for 2d6 turns and gains a better result
  than Indifferent on a random reaction roll, the PC will
  either  have  a  Remove  Curse,  Remove  Disease  or  Cure
  Critical Wounds spell cast upon him or her. The reaction
  roll is not modified by Charisma, but by other factors
  (see below). The character may try more than once per
  day to gain the deity´s favor, but each attempt takes
  2d6 turns. 
  The character is of lawful alignment +2 
  The character is of neutral alignment -1 
  The character is of chaotic alignment -3 
  Each successive attempt -1 
  The third attempt +6
  Zargothrax MM (order #16774247)
  
  16# The Circle of the Six Maidens
  On a forested island in the middle of a large lake stands a
  small temple with a silver plated, domed roof. The inside
  is empty but for six marble statues arranged around a
  circular  mosaic  of  basalt  and  yellow  pyrites.  All  six
  statues face inside the circle and resemble women, clad
  in thin and very revealing gowns. 
  One of them has a beautiful face and is depicted with 
  flowers woven into the hair [CHA]. 
  The second has the head of an owl, which it tilts slightly
  [WIS]. 
  The third has the face of an old woman with a benign 
  smile, and holds a scroll in her hand [INT]. 
  The fourth has the head of a mare with a braided mane 
  as well as bountiful hips and strong, but well-defined 
  legs [CON]. 
  The fifth has the head of a cougar and seems to be 
  ready to evade to the left [DEX]. 
  The last is a most strange of sights: on the body of a 
  strong, broad-shouldered and small-breasted woman 
  rests the head of a long-horned cow [STR]. 
  A character that steps into the circle and kisses one of
  the statues will have the matching attribute permanently
  increased by +3 points (up to the maximum of 18), but all
  of the maidens the PC did not kiss will each place a curse
  onto  the  character  that  will  reduce  their  matching
  attribute by one (minimum: 3). A character that kisses
  more than one statue earns the scorn (the curses) of all
  and the benefit of non. Even worse, the penalty imposed
  by the curses will worsen to (-2).
  17# The Gauntlet
  A shrine to a deity of war has been erected inside of a
  crack high up in the flank of a mountain. The ascent is
  strenuous (and dangerous if attempted in heavy armor),
  but not impossible. The crack itself is wide enough for
  two chariots to pass side by side at the opening, but
  narrows with each step. At the end of the crack, a relief
  of the deity has been hewed out of the sheer stone. It is
  flanked by two coal pans in which eternal, elemental fire
  burns. The walls left and right have been covered and
  smoothed with plaster, and been adorned with a painting
  of a large and brutal battle scene. Anyone who passes the
  length of the crack to reach the relief at the end will
  begin  to  hear the noise of battle, faintly at first  but
  growing louder with each step. 
  After a few steps, a character will receive a cut out of
  nowhere (1d4 dmg). A character that walks on will have
  another wound magically manifest itself (1d6 dmg) later.
  The final blow will come before the last three steps on
  the way to the relief (1d8 dmg). Those who passed the
  gauntlet and kneel in front of the relief will have half of
  the dealt damage restored (no other healing magic works 
  in this sanctuary) and receive a vision of the gift that
  has now been bestowed upon them: the next time the
  character holds a weapon high and shouts out the name
  of the deity, the deity will bestow upon the character
  the equivalent of the Protection from Normal Missiles spell
  (p.38) and turn the weapon into a magical +1 weapon for
  12 turns. In addition, the first three blows that the
  character receives after he or she called upon the deity
  will be reduce to one point of damage each.
  18# Bath of Beauty
  The sanctuary has been erected around a cliff with a
  waterfall  that  carries  especially  clear  (but  ice  cold)
  water from deep inside of the earth. A now ivy covered,
  seven feet high wall, made from smooth stones, has
  been  erected  around  the  site.  The  opening  in  it  is
  shielded by another small wall of the same type, so that
  the waterfall and the pond are out of sight until one
  stands right in the opening of the wall. The pond itself
  is only ankle deep, the stones on its ground are smooth
  and there is no vegetation. 
  Whoever showers in the waterfall will be gifted with
  beauty, and the CHA attribute will increase by one point
  for every round of showering (till the maximum of 18 is
  reached). But beauty is not a thing to last: every week,
  the  CHA  attribute  will  drop  by  one  point  till  its
  “natural” value is reached once more.
  Zargothrax MM (order #16774247)
  
  19# The Breath of the Underworld
  The entrance to the sacred site is a natural cave with two
  marble pillars next  to its  opening.  Both  feature the
  counter-relief of a skull. At the end of the short cave is a
  narrow and winding tunnel that leads further down into
  the earth. The decline is steep, and the stone steps are
  dangerously smooth: those who do not treat carefully
  might tumble and fall. The winding stairs and the narrow
  tunnel seem to go on forever at first, but after about 30
  minutes the stair ends and the tunnel opens into a wide
  cave filled with stalagmites. The air here is hot and moist,
  water drops from the ceiling, and from a large crack in
  the ground a glimmering stream of hot gases rises up.
  Around the crack a number of occult symbols have been
  carved  into  the  floor  (for  warding,  protection  and
  summoning). 
  This  vapor  stream  is  called  “the  Breath  of  the
  Underworld”, and those who inhale it deeply while they
  repeat the right chants and mantras may try to gain
  wisdom and visions from those who have already passed.
  Those who do may gain  (1d4 x100) xp for every ten
  minutes of meditation, but must pass a Saving Throw vs
  Magic at the end of each turn. If the Saving Throw is
  failed, the character becomes possessed by an evil soul of
  the dead. The possession will last until the soul is driven
  out  with  Dispel  Evil. It  is  two  levels  higher  than  the
  character and there is 25% chance that it has devoured
  the soul of the character already.
  20# The Pit of Vipers
  The cult this site used to belong to is long gone, and the
  temple above it has been destroyed. Still, somebody has
  cleared the entrance of rubble and found that the pit at
  its center had been wondrously spared by the collapse.
  The pit, called the Pit of Vipers has been used by the cult
  for rites of initiation, trial and ascension. Those who
  want to visit the Pit must now crawl on all four through a
  narrow tunnel passage, surrounded by the debris of the
  erstwhile  great  temple.  After  this  claustrophobic
  nightmare the character reaches the ledge of the Pit. The
  ceiling of broken stone slabs above it is to low to stand
  up, but one now has a good view of the wide, round pit:
  the sand stone it is lined with and its sandy ground, now
  littered with rocks and stone splinters of different sizes.
  Eight round openings are visible in the walls, each only
  large enough for a man to stick a fist into it. 
  When somebody spreads out on the ground of the pit
  and waits, a growing number of poisonous snakes will
  begin to slither out of these openings and into the pit.
  After a few minutes, there will be 3d6+2 of them. Before
  a turn ends, they will begin to slither over the character
  and bite, one by one. The character must pass a Saving
  Throw vs. Poison. On a failure, he or she is reduced to 1
  Hit Point and falls into vision-filled fever for about a
  turn,  and  gains  100xp  from  this  experience.  If  the
  Saving Throw was successful, the character may from
  now on Save against Poison as if he or she would be two
  levels higher. A character that enters the Pit more than
  once will only be “gifted” with poisonous snake bites
  (equal to a 3rd level poison).
  If you like this work of mine, please have a look at the
  following titles as well.
  From the Maw of the Würm came...
  10 Mighty Magical Weapons
  OSR Turn Management Sheet
  Ssssnake-Men!
  20 Encounters in the Ruins of the Elder Beings
  25 Encounters in the Eerie, Barbaric North
  30 Items for Dwarfs
  30 Magical Items of Armor
  30 Magical Weapons for Fantasy OSR RPG
  50 Curses
  50 Magical Bows and Arrows
  50 Mythical Abilities
  99 Names for Dragons
  Almanac of Animated Skeletons
  By-Names for Dwarfs
  Fantastic Cornucopia [BUNDLE]
  Zargothrax MM (order #16774247)
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Labyrinth Lord (osr)/Adventures & Settings/LL - 20 Sacred Sites v1.1.pdf