Another Borderlands adventure, this time one which has been fairly well-tested - The Barrow of the Woad Chief, a low-level dungeon near the "starting town" of Gosswold. The Barrow has a small (3-4 room) tomb area with low-level learning exercises inspired by Skerples, and then two hidden areas - the Den of the Woad Archon, who runs a sacred cave-farm staffed by Sentient Cabbages and bees, and the Water Shrine, the last active Shrine to the Old Water God in Loam Country, with traps, tricks, and treasure. The hidden areas include large roleplay/negotiation opportunities - the "lead" NPCs in those areas, the Woad Archon and Dissurath the Water Elemental, are both open to friendly advances (but there's a lot of money available if you're not friendly!). Click here for the public Drive folder with my Borderlands material.
As a "bonus", find below a list of Ancestries in the Borderlands, most of which I'd like to make into Race-Classes:
The
Kind Masters – Lords of dream and
nightmare, in flowing cloaks of autumn leaves, iceshard dresses, flowerpetal
masks. Even their kindness may seem cruelty to us. Once, they ruled every deep
place in our world; now, they cannot even stay long in the Borderlands, and
their great home realm is half-palace, half-prison for them. They intend to
rectify that, though, never you worry.
The
Book People – Living humanoid books.
Their body flows with moving word in inks and fonts unique to the individual,
and their skin is like a writing material to the touch; this forms their caste
group (e.g. papyrus, vellum). Each one is an expert on topics written upon them
in the process of birth. Often find employment as museum curators,
antiquarians, or booksellers. The Establishment Book People don't care what is
written in a book, and happily accept competing claims as equal truth, given
that keeps the peace; their objection is to interlocution or debate. Upstarts
believe in a meaningful development of knowledge and enquiry into what is true,
but cannot agree on a framework to do so.
The
Arbiters of Necessity, aka the Tumour-Men – Magically
created by a Kind Master of great power. Corpulent tumour-slug-people. They
recognize the only way to cure the Borderlands of its ills is via its
destruction and dissolution into pure chaos. However, they also recognize that
may take time – and they are free to enjoy its benefits in the meantimes. They
are often puissant warriors or wizards.
Fungal
Artisans - The Artisans are in fact
only one group within a wider race of technicoloured mushroom-people, but
outsiders name the whole Ancestry for them. They are usually nomads, seeking
sustenance from decay as they travel. Sometimes these bands go wild and seek to
create new dead matter from whatever is nearby. The Artisans make startling art
out of dead matter, transforming it into bizarre, innovative sculptures and
paintings - their most skilled members can even create animate constructs.
Flower
Paladins - A strange species of
sentient and mobile plant, who communicate entirely via scent and changing the
colour of their petals. In winter they hibernate, their petals shrivelling and
their disseminate minds slowing. In spring, they ride out under their great
rose-bud banner to right what they perceive to be wrongs. The basis on which
they identify these is unclear, and sometimes their actions can seem quite
destructive to those in their path. Bizarrely, a few exhibit powers similar to
those of divinely-supported adventurers. Some have made close alliances with
Brocks.
Brocks – Badgerfolk, the Brocks are savage warriors and pensive
philosophers. They were not originally from Faery, but from another place; they
have retained their ancient ways in the Borderlands.
Brownies – Tinkering fae, known for their experiments in clockwork and
gunpowder. A whole ancestry of obsessives, little known for their empathy,
though greatly respectful of the effort and craft of others. Their technology
is the most “advanced” the Borderlands will permit to function.
Pixies – Arrogant, magically talented, artistic, inquisitive, flight
capable, born to rule, tiny. No-one can explain why the Kind Masters let the
Pixies survive, especially given the fact that every recorded rebellion against
the rule of the Kind Masters has been led by Pixies. Nor can anyone explain how
the Pixies proliferate, given the fact that all known members are (apparently)
female.
Gitsies – Like pixies, but gits. Their awkwardness and mischievousness is
unbounded. They enjoy being pranked if it's done well, though, and will negotiate.
Sometimes get it into their head to form bandit gangs, more for banter than for
wealth or sustenance.
Dervishes – An Ancestry from a distant corner of the Borderlands, Dervishes
are living man-sized tornados of wind and sand. Their ability to apparently
dissolve themselves makes them cunning thieves, and their speed is famous.
Merrow – Marine fae, resembling both fish and humans in a disturbingly
compelling way, able to breathe both in air and water. They are emotionally
unexpressive, except in their underwater architecture – each head of a Merfolk
household designs and builds their own home, expressing their worldview and
passions through it. Many of their kingdoms and holdings remain loyal to the
Kind Masters.
