Vexation of Nature (wyld encounters)

When the Vexation of Nature manifests, nature itself will seemingly turn consciously inimical and attempt to slow or stop those seeking to travel through such protected areas, perhaps even killing them if they can. When the Spirits of the Wyld, defenders of the Wyld (ex: Dryads), Green Church or Wyld Faith agents or those who can control their local natural regions manifest their anger, such things manifest.

Targets: Often times, the initial targets will be beasts or burden, crafts, and anything that helps sojourners in the protected area to travel. This will cause the sabotage (aggravating to steer away) or fleeing (bolt and run) of mounts and beasts of burden to dissuade deeper trespass. It can be used to sabotage transport (chewing through wires, connective straps – anything organic) to slow or stop all progress. After that, to cripple trespass, then to maim or kill trespassers.

This will force travelers to make checks:

• To control and recover their animals.
• Repairs to be made to equipment and transport.

---

• i20™
• iCore™

Specific Vexation of Nature Encounters

Specific Animal/Creature Attacks: There are a variety of such which can be manifest.

• Swarm: A massive swarm of angry smaller creature.
• Giant: A massively enlarged version of a smaller creature.
• Shaped: A Lycanthrope manifestation that perhaps even leads other natural versions of itself.

Spoiled Sustenance

Such food and drink will quickly rot and go foul; maggots will erupt and flies will encircle the bearer.

From your containers of food and drink, as well as the carcass of hunted animals comes a horrible, wet sound. They seem to move with epileptic spasms! In every instance, it bursts forth in piles of writhing maggots, and a swarm of angry biting flies. The sustenance rots and spoils, giving birth to a grotesque horde of insects and larva that consume it, and seem to move to do the same to you.

Toxic Campfire

The fire was difficult to make, as if its fuel were wet, but it did light and provides enough warmth for your need. Suddenly it flickers and hisses like an angry serpent. Smoke billows up and out, and swiftly falls back down on your campsite. It takes on a pink and green hue as it does, seemingly taking the very life from you. In return, you turn ashen, and are filled with nausea as the fumes stench and toxicity cause you to retch and reel.

Vanishing Tacks

The creatures rapidly churn the ground under travelers. The soil/earth in such areas will have an odd quality – as though it were freshly tilled. There is a decided absence of animal tracks.

Under your feet, the ground seems unsteady as you walk. Nothing happens other than the odd sensation though. Until at some point you look back and realize that worms and other minute creatures in the earth are churning it so that you leave no tracks. You realize that you will not be able to follow your own tracks out if that was your plan. And why you will not be likely to hunt for game to provide sustenance.

• The same mechanism can be used to slow the movement rate or even trap travelers instead of merely scaring them.
• @Night the beds of travelers can be sunk to trap them and cover their gear and them with mud and insect bites.

Blighted Foliage

The foliage around the area becomes blighted. It can be temporary or permanent.

All around you, the foliage and flora that would normally sway in trees, and provide a home or sustenance for natural creatures becomes eerily silent. It as if a pall has fallen over the area. Animals flee silently from their homes, and seek food elsewhere. The roots, bark and leaves turn bleak gray and even black – as if a painter had swiped their brush over the landscape in one stoke. The bark turns wrinkled and twisted, you see horrible faces of anger staring at you from our of every plant and tree covering, every leaf. The soil dries up under your feet as well. You know you will find no game or even water in this area.

• In addition to becoming unusable for fire and crumbling as cover during a fight, it may take on a malignant animus:

  Eyes. In the angry faces on the foliage there appears eyes. Bloodshot and angry. You shake your head, thinking you are merely projecting your worst fears. However, those fears become manifest quickly as the eyes all converge on you. The foliage pulls its roots up, and branches reach like arms to entwin and impale you. Mouth filled with sharp fibers open to taste your flesh!

Swallowing Sinkhole

Sinkhole should capture a traveler or beast of burden, and it is an attack – not a warning.

Slogging slowly and methodically, one of you turns to the group. Am I wrong? Or is the world… rising? One of you replies: I don’t know. But whatever it is, I hate it. The ground under you is slowly dissolving. You hastily try and grab anything to anchor yourselves.

Massive Mudslide

A mudslide will target all animals and travelers indiscriminately.

The ground ahead at least is solid for the next few hundred meters, as you are moving on the top of a hard ridge. About halfway across, the ground becomes wet, and a fog boils out of the ground all around you. The earth dissolves to mud and you go sliding down the embankment, into a pool of suddenly wet silt at the base.

• The twisting nd breaking of bones and tearing of flesh is possible.
• The destruction or losing of gear, packs, equipment is possible.

Flash Flood

What seemed like normal weather masks a hidden danger. From out of nowhere, a massive wall of water comes flooding down the the trail. Terror grips you quickly as you realize that you cannot escape it. It sweeps your feet out from under you, causing you to tumble and roll. Water and mud threaten to drown you even in the few feet it eventually evens out to. Buy the time its down, you estimate you will be off course and an unknown distance – but significant – from where you started.

• The twisting nd breaking of bones and tearing of flesh is possible.
• The destruction or losing of gear, packs, equipment is possible.

Noxious Boil from Within the Earth

Mud popping, brings poison/disease from its depths

Around you, foliage begins to shift. Waiting for another mudslide or sinkhole, you find anchor points. Instead of large parts of the earth going liquid, small holes form and hideously smelling bubbles begin to rise up, making disgusting sounds as they gurgle and pop. You begin to reel from the fumes.

Bats (@Night Only) Attack

Such creatures will follow any of the normal vexation manifestations.

With a creepy, tingly sensation you hear the fluttering of leathery wings. Bats! With glowing red eyes and glistening fangs these unspeakable giant bugs descend upon you. From out of nowhere a massive swarm of bats pounces from above, terrorizing the carriers of your burden and yourselves!

• They could be carrying poison and/or disease.

Insect Attack

Such creatures will follow any of the normal vexation manifestations.

The normal buzz of insects around you rises in crescendo suddenly. Moving swiftly, a wall of insects comes from every direction. It is obvious they mean to overwhelm you.

• They could be carrying poison and/or disease.

Rodent Attack

Such creatures will follow any of the normal vexation manifestations.

The buzzing of insects fades all around you, alerting you to some danger nearby. You can hear a lot of movement through the undergrowth – its coming from all around you, not allowing you to get a fix on it. Suddenly flooding over the ground and through the trees is a tidal wave of rodents!

• They could be carrying poison and/or disease.

Example Giant Rat Attack

Skittering is heard all around you. Something cat sized is moving through the underbrush in all directions. You begin to hear squeaks and chittering and the ground and brush erupt as a bunch of giant rats come charging at you from all directions!

Elemental Anger

Such creatures may follow any of the normal vexation manifestations, though are typically Eyphlem (mephits).

All around you, things start to shimmer. There is a feeling of hostility and an aloneness that takes hold of you. The very elements are becoming hostile – making it dry or wet, harder to breathe, harder to see and hear, and irritating all your senses.

Example Water Elemental Attack

A heavy rainfall has stalled you for several minutes. These are frequent enough not to frighten you, but this one seems to go one for almost twice the amount of time. You find a little higher ground and wait a few minutes for the water to drain, but this time it does not. After the rain clouds leave, the water pools and collects. It circles violently for a few moments, putting you on edge. Then it rears up, a living wave! Two bright blue eyes stare out of it malevolently, and it forms mist all around it – slightly obscuring its precise movements as it moves to attack you. Suddenly the entire area is covered in fog and spiraling waves shoot out in all directions.

• Movement through the area as if it were difficult terrain.
• The cloud of fog can provide minor cover for (and moves with) the elemental.

© Incarna Gaming Network 2024

Powered by BestWebLayout and WordPress