Сад Потребления (Sad Potrebleniya)

Return to Northern Regions

Description
This region's forests are filled with short trees with thick, twisted branches. Their leaves are frilled and seem to be in a constant state of regrowth. This is because there are swarms of locust-like insects called salta. The salta look like a cross between a cicada and a grasshopper, about three inches long. This area has more sunshine and milder weather and is perfect for their breeding cycle, which results in huge swarms roaming the region. Many plants struggle to survive the constant presence of hungry mandibles, so those that remain are grasses and these strange trees whose leaves regrow in just a day or two after being eaten.

There is a research station of the triton civilization of Avathís just offshore. They are studying the gathering of the salta as a food product, similar to how land races harvest shrimp.

Latitude
27 degrees north (in our world Iheya Island in south Japan; Padre Island, TX; Sindh, Pakistan)

Average elevation (in feet)
2877 (roughly the elevation of Boise, ID)

Biome
Temperate seasonal forest

This biome provides 5 Food, 7 Shelter, and 3 Security.

The Q.E. in this biome looks like a coal fired stove. The gems are fed into the fire box. Across the stove top, power arcs. The arcs depend on the gem fed into the machine, with arcs of green plant life, barbed wire, and parasols.

Civilizations
Avathís

Landmarks
Caves, a large river

Saving Face
A tribe of centaurs was driven from the land and they have made their way here, but there is not much game and farming with the salta presence is impossible. They are a proud people and refuse help, but they are clearly starving to death. How can they accept help but also avoid looking weak?

Reward: Population - 10 people

Goose, Goose, DUCK
Some migratory geese pass through this region and you've heard they have the softest down. It would be great for bedding and cold weather gear. You know the rough area where they roost when they're passing through, but you'll have to search to find the exact spot.

Reward: Preserved Shelter - 1 point

Gourd to be Wild
There are said to be gourds that grow in this region pick up the chirping of the salta and make excellent musical instruments. There's a grove where a few have been spotted.

Reward: Morale - 1 point

Failed Homestead - COMPLETED
There was an old farmstead that is now abandoned. It looks like some forgotten jars of grain were sealed against the salta and have remained untouched.

Reward: Preserved Food - 1 point

Outcome
They found that four kobolds had taken over the homestead and had stored the grain underground. The party stole the grain (managed to cart away 4 barrels worth 4 points of preserved food) and set up a cook-off to compete with the kobolds for cooking to be held in one week's time: winner keeps the new kitchen.

Frog Devils on Horseback - COMPLETED
There is a copse of trees and an archer inside is warning people away. There is a gem inside, and it seems like someone is in need of help.

Outcome:
It turned out there was a pair of centaurs who had been jumped by the grung, an evil frog people. They had medicine in their packs, but their packs had been stolen. They were willing to part with the gem if the party could recover the poultices that would heal the poison that was killing one of them.

The team negotiated and obtained the gem and poultices for 75gp, but the grung turned on them and attacked. They defeated them but not before the grung with the gold pieces escaped. The obtained a 100gp Ruby and 20gp from the grateful centaurs.

Diamond in the Rough
There is a bandit camp in a meadow and the gemfinder says they have a diamond.

Reward: Diamond (resurrection) - 300gp

Midnight Run - COMPLETED
There's a tower in an open field surrounded by a red field. It's impenetrable except at midnight, when it flickers for a moment. You could slip through and see what's inside. Your gemfinder says there's at least a ruby in there.

Reward: Ruby (security) - 300gp

Trash and Treasure - COMPLETED
You've seen signs of crude habitation in one of the caves. There's supposedly a sapphire inside, but that kind of wealth doesn't match the crude materials and trash at the mouth of the cave.

Reward: Sapphire (shelter) - 300gp

Maze Runner
The gemfinder points straight down, and the range says it's too deep to dig. There is a crack in the earth nearby and there are a number of openings leading off of it. Maybe one of them leads to a place where you can get access to the emerald?

Reward: Emerald (food) - 300gp

Wait for It...
Orange rushes are perfect for both roofing and flooring, and they grow in this region. However, the saltas love them. You must wait for them to mature or they are too soft to be useful, but too long and the saltas will get to them first. It's a matter of careful timing.

Reward: Preserved Shelter - 3 points

Egg Raid
While most large animals left after the salta swarms transformed the region, there are large freckled monitor lizards which can grow up to three meters long. They are insectivores and their food supply has become ample. If you could steal some eggs you might be able to raise a few to act as guards, as they have a fearsome appearance and make loud honking noises when startled.

Reward: Preserved Security - 3 points

Ghost Stories
It is said that at night in this glen there is a ghost that loves stories. It will trade tales with you to teach the stories of the past but if your stories aren't good enough it will steal stories from your soul.

Reward: Culture - 2 points

Hatcoys and MacFields
There are two stubborn families that refused to leave even after the saltas got bad. They've been in a feud for generations and they believe if one leaves then the other will steal their land, so they've been living desperately hardscrabble lives in this desolate place rather than cede their home to their enemies. If they could be made to see past the ancient vendetta, maybe they could make a better life for themselves?

Reward: Population - 20 people

Install Quintessence Engine East
This mission will become available once you have completed 8 missions in this region.

Install Quintessence Engine South
This mission will become available once you have completed 8 missions in this region.

Explore West - NOT POSSIBLE
Open ocean, no QE can be installed here.

Install Quintessence Engine North - COMPLETED
See Northern Region 1

Avathís - Formal Introduction
The research station is low on resources but has a lot of information and technology. You'll have to convince them that you are worthy of their intellectual respect and have resources that will help their project. Their trading capacity may be quite limited, but their ability to share knowledge could be valuable.

Reward: Formal relationship with Avathís at a level equal to your current general Reputation level.

Trap-Breaker
The tritons at the research station have been finding their salta traps empty and broken. If you can solve this problem, the research team will give a large emerald as a reward.

Reward: Emerald (food) - 500gp

Empty Nest - COMPLETED
The natural predators of the salta are the birds known as the slimwing. They have declined until they have almost disappeared. Investigate their nesting ground and see if you can find out what's caused them to disappear. If you can bring them back, the land might be less devastated by the salta and people might be able to live here again.

Reward: Reputation - 3 points

Blink Gold
There's a legend of a vast treasure which appears and disappears seemingly at random. If you can figure it out, you can gain an enormous fortune.

Reward: 1200gp