Tag: Spinebloom Farms

Not all desert communities are near an oasis. Long ago the Spineblooms settled in a desert area where the West Thundermoon River took a slow bend. Along that bend in the shallow salty marsh they do their best to raise some rice, as well as some fruited cacti, peppers, vines and largeflower onions in pods.

Originally the Spineblooms were a group of goliath druids, frequently connected to storms and fire. For many generations they’ve lived on The Bend in earthen huts only partially protruding from the ground.

Now, most are not magical. Instead they raise birds — herons (to fish), mynahs (pest control), bulbuls (warnings), waders (fishers) — in an aviary. They frequently trade their rice and catch upriver at the Multunyn Trading Post.

The Location

• Based on a sketch by the player that included domed buildings mostly underground
• Using zone-based combat by Sly Flourish and enabling active locations similar to location moves.
• Ensuring environmental oddities of The Ferments are included.

Thundermoon River

Slow, wide and muddy at The Bend, the Thundermoon River floods every early spring and during storms. It is the source of water which has to be filtered prior to use.

Auntie Dauthia Spinebloom kée Dustcaller is here during the daytime, fishing.

The River connects to Spinebloom Commons (the main home) and lower river marsh.

Lower rice marsh

Less productive than upper marsh, the lower marsh is an edge of wild marsh plants and some rice that isn’t farmed. Within the plants one may find a mud mephit rehydrating, or the chwinga family that settled in the Farm.

• Elemental affinity: Mud, water, salt
• Hazards: Some chwingas settled here after the mephit flood.
• Allies: The chwingas may insist they are allies while acting like foes, or they are foes acting like allies.
• Occupancy: 5 medium creatures.

Lower rice marsh connects to the Upper Marsh, Spinebloom Commons and to Thundermoon River.

Spinebloom commons

The main home is inside the Commons. It has a large kitchen and a conversation pit with several small beds cut into the earth at the edges. These ‘rooms’ are frequently sectioned off with blankets or robes, with only a tiny shelf for personal goods. At the entry to the hut is a placement for staves, cudgels and gardening equipment.

Every member of the Spineblooms spends significant portions of their days in the Commons. They will clean items, repair them, play, and gather. All property is communal and the next person will want to use it shortly — it gets left there.

• Elemental affinity: Hearth, dust, earth
• Hazards: Interior has several changes in elevation. The kitchen has many flare ups that could occur. During certain lunar conditions the conversation pit has a dust devil in the center.
  Exterior is cluttered with loose tools, toys, cleaning pans and other small chore sites. It is difficult terrain and an improvised weapon is always at hand. Creatures knocked prone may take damage from the clutter.
• Allies: There are always Spinebloom children present. Roll 2d4 to see how many. Half will be small. 1d4-1 adults are also present.
• Occupancy: 8 medium creatures outside and 8 medium creatures inside.

Spinebloom Commons is centrally located and connects to every other zone, except the Path of Dragons.

Upper rice marsh — also known as Marsh Chwinga

Once upon a time the upper marsh was highly productive for rice, eels and herbs. Now it has long furrows of damage from two dragon/ken invasions and the curse of the chwingas make it flourish for foods while everyone dreads entering the space.

• Elemental affinity: Water, mud, plants
• Hazards: Chwingas may take a soul. When a creature drops to zero HP and fails two or more death saves the chwingas can choose to stabilize it, mud wrap the body and have it kept until the mud breaks.
  There is currently an elven mage encased. The Spineblooms have not attempted to free the elf as its group tried to damage their home.
• Allies: In this space the Chwingas act through their blue thoughts, sideways from morality of people.
• Occupancy: 7 medium creatures.

Chwinga marsh connects to the lower marsh, the Commons and the aviary.

Unkie homes

Adult and middle aged men are the Unkies. They are kept aside from the Commons and the Aunties. They maintain the extremely competitive nature of goliaths, using their abilities and size to show off during the days.

Most of the Spinebloom Unkies came of age during The Awakening. The elements rage within them, frequently out of control. Lalok is peaceful. Others have wandered away with the few that stay not quite fitting in with the farm’s demeanor weaving with nature and kin to grow and thrive as one.

• Elemental affinity: Hearth, fire, air, water
• Hazards: These homes have doors with locks and they can be barred from the outside. Random spouts of elemental anger pop up regularly.
• Allies: Unkies are usually around, but disorganized and will wrestle solo.
• Occupancy: 5 medium creatures outside. Each hut fits 1.

Unkie homes connect to the Aunties, to the Commons, to the River and to the path.

Auntie homes

Most of the women of the family live in smaller huts here by ones and twos. These small dugouts are protection from the elements, but few have cooking hearths.

Two took significant damage during a dragon attack, one of which collapsed and is now a pit.

• Elemental affinity: Hearth, dust
• Hazards: The pit-home is a ten-foot fall.
• Allies: Aunties are frequently in the area able to help with militia actions.
• Occupancy: This is a larger space able to hold 12 medium creatures outside.

Auntie homes connect to the Unkie homes, the path, the aviary and the Commons.

Fruitful Aviary

A mix of cacti and spined bushes the aviary is the home of the non-waterfowl that companion with the Spineblooms. Some of the cacti have fruits that the family eat, turn into jam, and use for meads.

Unkie Lalok Goateye Spinebloom is found at the aviary most times of the day, sometimes sleeping near the spiney bushes. He can create a small pool of water for the bird bath if need be.

• Elemental affinity: Plants, water
• Hazards: The maze of briars and cacti are spiny everywhere. Those knocked prone will take damage.
• Allies: Many birds and Unkie Lalok are present
• Occupancy: 4 medium creatures usually separated by the plants.

The fruited aviary connects to the Commons, the Path of Dragons, the auntie homes and the upper marsh

Path of dragons

A few months ago this path was simply “the path.” It is bare trail with scratched ruts in hard dirt that heads towards the West Thundermoon Mountains.

Then dragons and their ken attacked. They attacked again. Since the river is where the Maltunyans visit, the path is now the Path of Dragons. Everyone assumes more dragons are coming soon. They left one of their own behind.

• Elemental affinity: Dust, sand
• Hazards: Drakes, dragons and their Ken may come at any time.
• Allies: None
• Occupancy: There is no limit.

The Path connects to the Auntie and Unkie homes.

Allies

Auntie Dauthia Dustcaller

Ask a Spinebloom and Auntie Dauthia is a Spinebloom. If you can convince Duathia to talk she may, eventually tell you she’s a Dustcaller, a separate desert goliath collective that lives even more remotely. She’s mastered the ability to use small dust devils to carry fishing lures and nets around the river, until she catches something.

Every member of the family has a different tale about what Auntie Dauthia did before they found her injured along the path. She was a thief, a sorcerer, clergy with the Reformed Church of Quar, a warrior of the wilds or some other mystical thing. They all agree that there is no better fisher in all the land and likely the world.

Unkie Lalok Goateye Spinebloom

Lalok once left the home to work in a caravan. He’s wandered the Ferments and Western Wildes, seen Telse and the Evereflow, visited the Cliffs of Galinor, and Fort Ooshar. He’s seen everything.

He’ll never tell you about his encounters protecting the caravan. It”s the cities and his friends he tells tales of while sipping on cacti mead and with a flutter of sandpipers around him. He still has a massive pike, a shield the size of a table and a helm missing a third of an eye ridge where is slightly bulging ‘goateye’ is.

Adversaries

Chwingas

These elemental sprites act on their own will, with purposes that center the elements, not people. Though intelligent, it is impossible for normal kin to understand what the chwingas want. They are extremely active when Unkies or ken are in the area. If someone tries to visit the encased elf the chwingas attempt to block that path through mischief and thievery.

Dragons and their ken

Twice ken and dragons struck at the Farm. They damaged upper marsh while attacking the Auntie homes and the Commons. These powerful magic users are not local to The Ferments and remind most of the myths of a time unification, before companionship.

Downtime and Quests

Guarase is searching for answers as to why the dragons and their ken came to the Spineblooms. The two attacks leave few clues and lots of damage.

There is a body and two members of the family were away during The Awakening when magic came back to The Ferments