Mapping a Hexflower 

The Task:

To design the contents of a Hexflower - a region on a larger map - for use in Mythic Bastionland - a TTRPG by Chris McDowall. The project goal (documented HERE) is a map of a Realm produced by twenty designers - not so much collaboratively as stitched together from our individual efforts.

The Realm is to be named ‘Woland’. So close to Poland? Or is it a place of misery, or indeed excitement! Perhaps it is simply named after a particularly notowious wuler. I shall never ask. It’s a fine task - as much fun as the ‘Rich Prep’ involved in designing one’s own Realm to run the game.

I randomly selected a Hexflower from the map - it contained a Holding - one of the Landmarks I would need to describe - and I decided it would be an insular, possibly rebellious place, and set about creating an isolated region of ancient forest - a forest so old it had another forest growing on its bones.

The Barrowode

The entire region; the petrified remains of vast, primordial trunks. This fallen forest of stone now serves as the bedrock for the - merely ancient - greenwood which has grown atop it. The abundance of flora climbs and delves great heights and depths, along the slopes and slants of the hulking rocky lattice: The bones of its arboreal ancestors, entombed in stone.

On the deep forests southern edge, the ways are easier to traverse and - though still heavily wooded - are less wild: Orchards, managed by the druids, stretch along a peaceful valley as far as the eye can see.

The Barrowode is rich with life. It teems with Chubchicks and Long-haired Trufflers, as well as the sacred herds of agile Goldhorne, and flocks of mysterious Warrabat, known as the Tree-tenders. This natural wealth provides nourishment for both hunters and predators alike, though even the resourceful folk who dwell within the Wode, acknowledge the superiority of the Wolf-martens, who hunt in packs; ranging from the highest branches of the canopy - to the deepest crumbling coves.

Wolf-marten 

Snarklar, Boarent, Fangfleigh

VIG 9, CLA 16, SPI 6, 3GD

Hunt in a pack of d6+2. Fang and Claw (2d8), Never surprised. Sense the weakest target.

May automatically flee if any of the pack are wounded.

The Holding

Barrowode - the Holding - is built amongst the highest tangle of ruined stone trees; its denizens: An eclectic tribe of druids, hunters, trappers and foragers - are all unified in their reverence of the ancient stone forest itself.

Much of the Barrowode interior (K9) is impenetrable to all but the most skilful of climbers - and even they require guidance from those Wodefolk who have studied its hidden ways.

Barriers bar the way to all but two borders of the Hex containing the Holding: Used purely to accentuate the insularity of the region.

The Ruler of Barrowode - The Cawler - is inaugurated each Spring, in a ceremony marked by speeches of defiance toward the Seat of Power. They are bestowed with three Chains of Office - one for each season - and at the end of each they must shed a chain; bestowing it upon a potential successor. Whoever wears the most chains, wields the most power in the Barrowode, and so - by the End of Harvest - it is usual to see the incumbent confer their chains on two different potential successors. The existential responsibilities of the region then typically fall on three worthy individuals, and it is typical for the office of ‘Cawler’ becomes a triumvirate during Winter.

Very occasionally the Incumbent, at the end of Winter, will bestow their final chain upon a third beneficiary, which necessitates an election for the following year. Most usual of course is that they will bestow a second (or third) chain upon their favoured successor.

The timing of the inauguration itself is something of an act of rebellion; occurring immediately after the out-going Cawler has made a solitary pilgrimage to the Seat of Power for the old feast of Sceptremass, where they pledge allegiance before disappearing into the wilds: Never to return to the Barrowode.

And so the attitude of the Holding toward the rest of the Realm is one of independence and isolation, which confers upon them their greatest strengths and weaknesses. The Wodefolk rely on their fortified position and wealth of game to preserve their hermetic existence, granting access only to those who offer no threat to their way of life. Yet, they are often found wanting, particularly of metalwork, or domesticated livestock, which they prize; though they do everything they can not to appear too desperate for that which they lack.

The Warbands

The Barrowode maintains two warbands - The Cawlers Guard and The Marten Pykes, the first of which serves the Cawler directly, and the second are often dispersed; tasked with protecting the region at large. These well-trained warriors are fearsome defenders of their territory, but would be considerably less effective if forced to fight outside the Barrowode. 

The Cawler Guard

Syra, Franck, Lydiana

VIG 13, CLA 10, SPI 13, 4GD

A2 (Feathered gambeson, shield)

Shortbow (d6, long) shortsword (2d6, hefty), shield (d4)

Hoots and whistles - The battle-tongue of their order. May Deny when fighting in Forest

The Marten Pykes

Dolder, Barwent, Agnes

VIG 10, CLA 13, SPI 10, 2GD

A1 (mail)

Longbow (d8, slow), Martenpike (d10 long), dagger (d6),

Shadowy cloaks of leaves and feathers. Always act first when fighting in Forest 

Cackhand (A Curse) (K8)

Curses are an obstacle on the map - hidden from the Players. Mechanically they make travelling from the Hex more risky, as if ‘Travelling Blind’.

The North of the Barrowode is under an eternal malaise, one kept in check only by the fervent ministrations of the Wodefolk. The ‘Cackhand Curse’ as it is known colloquially, refers to the proliferation of the Cackhand Fungus - a bright pink toadstool, whose broad plates cause no problem for the local flora nor fauna, but strike humans down with increasingly devastating symptoms: The first are dimmed vision and the persistent odour of rotting excrement; both of which last until exposure is ended. Should exposure persist; there follows the weakening of limbs and trembling extremities by which the Cackhand gains its name. The victim begins to lose motor skills, and weakens considerably the longer they spend in proximity to the fungus (d6 VIG loss, when ending a phase in the Hex).

The Inseparables (A Monument & Site) (K10)

Monuments are another discoverable Landmark, which provide the Player Characters an opportunity to restore their Spirit (One of their measured Virtues). I decided to create a Site for this Monument, which offers Players further scope to explore and interact with the Sites denizens.

South of the fertile orchards, atop the only mountain in the region, and towering above its summit: The last two stone trees still standing, are miraculously twisted about one another in a dizzying corkscrew, hundreds of feet tall. Maintained by the druids: This wonder of nature is known by the Wodefolk as ‘The Inseparables’, and is considered their most sacred site; playing host to many of the region's festivals and devotions. 

1 - A broad stairway begins its climb at the roots of the vast stone trunks. Teams of painted acolytes practice a dance with staves.

2 - A camouflaged trapdoor amidst a stand of poplar, leads into the ancient root system and up into the trunk. Guarded by two Marten Pykes in a camouflaged hide. The internal shaft within one of the twisted stone trunks is only accessible by a series of ladders which collapse unless certain levers are pulled. Even with knowledge of these traps, a climber must lose d8 VIG should they proceed to the top.

3 - A broad platform, sheltered with wide panels of woven leaves, circles the intertwined stone trunks. At polite intervals, Druids meditate alone.

4 - The stairs end, the way up continues by means of a caged lift: A Horn sits beside it. From a covered gantry, three acolytes practice archery.

5 - Acolytes raise the lift when given the signal from below. The uppermost platform offers a magnificent view. The Barrowode to the North resplendent with the trappings of the Season! A hidden doorway leads inside the twisted trunks. The passageway inside is guarded by two chained Wolf Martens.

6 - The treasure room of The Barrowode. Shelves laden with precious herbs, dried fungi and amphoras of mysterious concoctions, line the walls of the vault. A cross section of trunk, 12 ft wide (the Oaken Eye) is displayed on a waist-high dais in the centre. A hidden exit leading to the booby-trapped ladder shaft lies beneath the dais.

The Oaken Eye: Once per day, The Oaken Eye can be asked three questions about recent events in another forest Hex in the realm. With the correct incantations spoken, it can also focus on any named target within that Hex. The Oaken Eye communicates strangely and may take a toll from its user.