The beacons are lit. Prismatic Wasteland calls for aid. A new blog bandwagon emerges.
This holiday season, Warren has assembled us to write a hex based on the Rankin/Bass Christmas cinematic universe. For those who don’t immediately recognize the name, that’s the studio behind the old 60’s stop-motion holiday movies. Everything from Santa Claus to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is fair game for the theme. The idea is that after the conclusion of the blogwagon (which ends December 25th), we’ll build a patchwork north pole from our collective hexes.
The Silver Steppe
Terrain & Weather
Vast expanses of grassland cover this high-altitude biome, with only slight changes in elevation due to occasional hills. There are no trees, allowing you to see for miles, and one moderate lake serving as the main source for freshwater. Despite the cold climate, the Silver Steppe has extremely low precipitation, leaving it free of snow for most of the year. Its name refers to the color of the grass, which has a desaturated hue and gleams in the wind. On bright days, the entire steppe shimmers like someone dropped a mountain of tinsel over the plains.
Plants & Foraging
As mentioned, the terrain is dominated by the silver grass, with low amounts of biodiversity. There’s simply not much here available to forage, with one exception.
Growing out of the lake and other smaller ponds with enough depth are frost lilies. When harvested correctly, these plants have a nutritious tuber-like stem that can be eaten. However, the waters of the Silver Steppe are freezing and harvesting the lilies will prove challenging.
Creatures
- Nekoyak: it looks like a yak except it has cat ears.
Nekoyaks are the predominant animal of the steppe, perfectly content to spend their life grazing the silvery plains. While you may find the occasional wild one, you will most often see them in the herds of the nekogoblins who shepherd them. As the name might suggest, nekogoblins are a goblin-shaped people covered in fur, with cat ears and sabre-tooth fangs. They are extremely short, roughly half the height of a typical human. Nekogoblins live a nomadic life; while they are friendly, it is rare for them to interact with outsiders, so most of them are unable to speak Common.
- Prairie Dragon: caretaker of the steppe
(prairie dragon art from Ryuutama)
Fun fact! Alpine steppes are pretty vulnerable ecosystems. The chemical balance in the soil has to be just right for plant growth, everything is really sensitive to global warming, and overgrazing is a big threat.
That’s why I created this prairie dragon to take care of the steppe. He has prairie magic and can also replant a lot of vegetation in the case of overgrazing. As long as this guy is around, you don’t have to worry about anything happening to the Silver Steppe. If you encounter him, be sure to give him a name.
- Various Critters: small animals live here too
Outside of the nekoyaks and the prairie dragon, you can find small creatures that live on the grasslands. These are usually rabbits and guinea pigs but you may also occasional find some turtles near sources of water.
The Tiny Bronco
The Situation
When you first enter the Silver Steppe, you can immediately see a pillar of smoke in the distance. Approaching the source of this smoke reveals that it’s coming from a crashed airship, though you’ve never seen one quite like this before. A diminutive figure — short, even for an elf — is standing atop the wreckage with his arms raised in very obvious panic. He has been cornered by three minions of the Heat Miser.
While the minions themselves are not very intimidating, they have with them a magitek automaton capable of firing a beam of directed sunlight. Judging by the scorch marks on the hull of the airship, they were the ones who shot it out of the sky.
Somehow unbeknownst to them, a lanky figure — tall, even for an elf — is crouching in the grass, clutching a large pipe wrench. He seems to be psyching himself up for something.
- Biggs the Elf
The taller of the pair. He looks like he walked out of Rivendell, except he’s clearly covered in grease and mechanical soot. Fancy clothes and a heavy pipe wrench, ready to save his best friend. - Wedge the Elf
The shorter of the pair. He looks like a keebler elf, except he’s wearing a leather pilot’s cap and goggles. Holding a broken steering wheel and clearly having a panic at being surrounded. Still, a captain must go down with his ship. - Heat Miser Minions
Extremely dumb, but that doesn’t make them any less malicious. Prone to breaking out in musical dance numbers and getting distracted. They intend to obliterate the airship for flying in restricted airspace. - Heat Miser Automaton
A serious threat, but vulnerable to all sorts of things that robots are usually vulnerable to. Lightning damage. A large magnet. If you can find its hidden power switch, you could even turn it off.
The Aftermath
If you fail to save Wedge or otherwise leave him to his fate, then the minions of the Heat Miser will completely wreck what’s left of the airship. Wedge himself is saved by Biggs, who is injured in the process. Content that the domain of the Heat Miser has been protected, the minions will move on.
On the other hand, successfully saving Wedge will keep the airship intact and net you the pocket change that the pair of elves have on them — 2500 gil in total. They explain that they work for Cid “Santa” Claus, leader of the North Pole Ironworks, and are testing a new experimental airship that doesn’t rely on reindeer power to fly. Named the Tiny Bronco, they are willing to let you test pilot the ship if you can help them get what they need to repair her.
Quest for the Tiny Bronco
Fully repairing the Tiny Bronco will unlock the airship for the party, allowing you to travel across the map much faster. In order to get her operational again, Biggs and Wedge need three things:
- Flame Crystal
Often found in the hottest furnaces of the Heat Miser: he will not part with his warmth willingly. The ship uses these to regulate the temperature of the air in its balloons. - Ice Crystal
As shards of purest ice, the Snow Miser enjoys carving these into treasures of exceptional beauty. Despite their aesthetic value, they can also be used to control airship pressure. - Headlight Fluid
This is definitely a real thing. Wedge assures you it’s a real thing. “Merchants sell it all the time, you just have to ask.”
Return to the Silver Steppe
When you re-enter the hex for the second time, you find that the Ironworks has set up a small encampment around the wreckage of the Tiny Bronco. If the Bronco was destroyed, they are working on salvage operations; otherwise, they are attempting to find substitutes for the elemental crystals without much success.
Features
- The Tiny Bronco
Wreckage of the airship being slowly repaired to pristine condition. Aside from the missing crystals, it almost looks ready to fly. - Aetheryte
A large spinning crystal, with bands of brass rotating around it. Individuals capable of using Christmas magic can use this as a fast travel point. - Several Tents
There are ten people living here and they have room to accommodate you (see below). - Open-air Workshop
Anvils and makeshift forges have been set up. They even have a table saw. - Huge Fire Pit
With a giant cauldron and a roasting spit. Maybe you could stay for dinner. - Magitek Cannon
A good offense is the best defense.
People
- Jessie
The de facto leader of the Ironworks when Cid’s not around. Where is he anyway? She wants to get out of here as fast as possible, but recognizes that the Tiny Bronco is a significant investment that they cannot abandon. If you can help repair it, she will be very grateful.
- Biggs
Mechanic and engineer of the Tiny Bronco. He left home long ago when the other elves didn’t understand his passion for combustion engines. When he joined the Ironworks, he found the family he’d been missing in the form of a tiny elf.
- Wedge
Pilot and designer of the Tiny Bronco. He left home long ago when the other elves didn’t understand his passion for lighter-than-air craft. When he joined the Ironworks, he found the family he’d been missing in the form of a towering elf.
- E’bolaff
As the camp scout, E’bolaff is often informed on the happenings in neighboring hexes. Additionally, speaking to her will add the Heat Miser Convoy encounter to your random encounter table when moving between hexes. There’s a rumor that they’re transporting supplies for a new furnace array.
- Gelfradus
Though an architect by trade, Gelfradus has been reduced to tent master for this encampment. Not every project can be a new manufactory he supposes. For the price of 10 gil per person, he will make room for you in the tents, allowing you to sleep here without needing to set watch.
If you rest here, there is a 1-in-6 chance that the Heat Miser minions return in greater force, however this encounter only happens once.
- Notrelchamps
All Ironworks employees are skilled craftspeople, but Notrelchamps is the smith on duty for small repairs. They can mend any of your non-magical gear for a reasonable fee, depending on the size and scope of the damage.
- Philiot
While this encampment is extremely modest, the Ironworks have brought a stockpile of useful materiel they are willing to sell. Philiot is the camp’s quartermaster and she can sell you basic adventuring gear at standard prices. She is also interested in purchasing any rare materials you happen to discover on your travels.
- Ebrelnaux
Ebrelnaux is the cook. If you pay 5 gil, you can get a bowl of what he’s serving.
- Lilja
With the modest facilities available at the camp, Lilja is able to remove status effects and conditions, though more serious injuries cannot be treated here. The price for the chirurgeon’s services is 20 gil.
- Cato
Cato the researcher has a quest for you.
Quest: Testdrive
You can find Cato tinkering with a large machine roughly the size of a nekoyak. It has four wheels and a seat, though it’s clearly more than a simple vehicle. Upon inquiry, Cato excitedly displays his roto-reaper, a machine he’s developed for large scale botanical pruning operations. However, he needs a test driver to operate the machine while he makes observations from the side. If you are willing to do this for him, he’s willing to pay 1000 gil.
You might recognize this machine by another name. This is a riding lawnmower.
Starting the engine causes it to make a roaring noise that echoes across the steppe, attracting an immediate encounter: a big beautiful butch reindeer named Vixen demands to wrestle you. Your machine woke her from a power nap over a nearby hill and now you’re gonna pay by being her sparring partner. It is absolutely essential that she gets in peak form for the upcoming reindeer games and that won’t happen if she doesn’t get the rest she needs.
Vixen will not kill you, but she is a trained wrestler set on giving you a thrashing.
If you manage to satisfy her, she’ll leave you her number before she walks off to find a quieter part of the steppe to go take a nap. The rest of your testdrive for Cato proceeds uneventfully.
Connections
Adjacent to the Silver Steppe is:
- East: the Orcish Toy Factory.
- Southeast: the Snow Miser’s Houseboat