RUSTPLAINS

The Rustplains is a desert of sand and rust. It is a flat and featureless ground due to the churning of the LEECH WORMS. It acts as the transitonary zone between the four main settlements of the LEMAN GROVE, WHALEFALL, THE GARDENS, and SKYSLIP.

LEECH WORMS

LEECH WORMS feed on rust, carrion, and the excretions of creatures including FLYTOPLANKTON.

Creatures are normally safe from them unless a swarm of LEECH WORMS are near the surface causing moving patches of quick sand. This allows them to suck in tracks, rocks, and human sized creatures into the rust sands where they may be consumed. This maintains the flat surface of the RUSTPLAINS.

SWARM OF LEECH WORMS

3HP | 0 ARMOR | TAC:-1 | FRC:+1 | RFX:+1 | CRE:-1

  • Leech like worms
  • Bite (1 DAMAGE, continues every turn until 3 DAMAGE total or removed)
  • Can sense vibrations in the sand
  • Move through the sand via vibration, causing quick sand and a levelling effect
  • Process the rust sands allowing to LEMAN TREE to absorb nutrients with its roots

REDUCTIVE-GIZZARD: The LEECH WORMS hunger for iron. Thankfully they can use their specialised gizzards to convert rust to iron. However, if they can they will partake in opportunistic blood meals.

WEATHER

They day and night have similar weather with the only difference being the presence or absence of the sun.

You can roll on the below weather table to determine the weather during travel in the RUSTPLAINS.

2D6 Weather
2 Rock fall. Rocks from the surrounding tempest fall onto the RUSTPLAINS. The characters better take cover.
3 Rust winds. The winds become powerful blowing the rust. This makes travel difficult if going against the wind. Roll a D6 to determine direction (1 = North, 2 = East, 3 = South east, 4 = South, 5 = South west, 6 = West). 
4 - 5 Gaze of NYXMERA. The visible eyes of NYXMERA (sun/moon/stars) are staring at the players. This is a sign of something interesting happening soon.
6 - 8 Clear skies with passing swarms of FLYTOPLANKTON.
9 - 10 Rain with no clouds. FLYTOPLANKTON are hiding in any covered and dry surfaces they can find.
11 FLYTOPLANKTON fog. The players are surrounded by a massive swarm of migrating FLYTOPLANKTON. Not harmful but makes navigation next to impossible.
12 LEECH WORM SWARMS. The area is less flat than normal. This will soon attract many SWARMS OF LEECH WORMS to the surface. The characters will need to escape or involuntarily donate blood.

EVENTS

Possible interesting events in the RUSTPLAINS include:

  1. LEMAN WOODPECKERS are harassing a flock of RUSTY HORSEHOSE CRABS
  2. An ARMOURED ICEFISH is collecting rust from the sand with a sort of magnetic gathering device
  3. What seems like dandelion seeds are falling from the sky. These are actually ABYSSAL BUTTERCUPS eggs blown up by the hydrothermal vents in THE GARDEN
  4. An OBSIDIAN LAVA TALOS is hunting JUVENILE OCTONUT CRAB
  5. Discover the desiccated remains of a NOSEY MONKEYS.
  6. A long forgotten research base called ATE-R. Kept frozen are brown six legged starfish. They will try to enter orifices of creatures to take over their mind and form a hivemind. If the Starfish are unleashed the lab will lockdown into quarantine till there are no more active starfish.