Here an Idea: What if our character were just the 'first' pilgrimage? What if every so often a new 'herd' of people would wake up in the field?

Hoping it doesn't conflict with what you have planned, or maybe you already thought of that. But I was thinking way down the line, if we get a town set up, it could be a sort of 'holy' thing, like have a festival on the eve of the arrival of the new comers or something. Anyways, just thinking up ideas.