The interior is dark and cool, shaped by nature and hand into a crude shelter. Worn furs form a makeshift bed, bundles of herbs hang drying from twisted roots, and cracked clay vessels line the curved wooden walls. There's no warmth here — only function. Spartan. Cold. Defensive. Whoever lived here trusted nothing… and no one.
Outside, the clearing feels heavy. Birds avoid it. Footsteps seem louder. And something in the air makes you look over your shoulder more often than you'd like.
In summer, the tree is half-hidden by foliage, camouflaged by the forest itself. In winter, its twisted silhouette stands stark and skeletal against the snow. Regardless of the season, the hollow is never truly empty — whether it's memory, madness, or something more tangible that lingers within.
The Hateful Hermit offers Dungeon Masters a haunting, flexible location ideal for lost lore, confrontation, or forgotten treasures. Whether your players seek shelter, secrets, or answers, one thing is clear:
This place was meant to keep the world out.
Now it's up to them whether to go in.
