Zakkarii Aarlen

Today's post will be for my homebrew setting, and a fast one because I have a lot to get done today. I decided to randomize a list of 400 worldbuilding prompts by rolling 1d4 + 2d10 dice, since the prompt list was conveniently numbered. I rolled a funny number, 333, and got the following:

Write about a species commonly grown as a crop in your world. What conditions does it grow in and what products can be made from it?

For this prompt, I utilized my world and lore decks from The Story Engine. Since I was working quickly today, I didn't photo any of my card draws, but I didn't make any spreads today anyway. Here's my results:

• Region: Forest
• Origin: Grows in what was once an ancient lake
• Spin-Off Origin: Origin of a pastry
• Attribute: All access to this crop's growing area is controlled by one faction
• Material (Type, in this case): Fruit
• Other Tidbits: Powder, Explosive, Waxy
• Faction Notes: Expert harvesters, are also the ones that discovered how to grow and utilize it

The Interpretation

This crop is a fruit that grows on the bed of what used to be an ancient lake in the middle of a large forest. The lake is dried up, for reasons I've yet to determine, but the soil is extremely fertile and great for growing things. This fruit, however, is a dangerous crop: it produces an excessive amount of pollen that is extremely flammable; any hint of a flame near it can result in fiery chaos. Because of this, growing it in the bottom of the lake was a brilliant idea. The walls of the lake formed a natural barrier from wind and can keep the forest safe since it's isolated.

The fruit itself has a waxy skin, and is the origin of a specific pastry that was first created using this fruit. Because of the pollen, the flowers, while lovely, are left to naturally wither and dry up before being doused with water and crushed into fertilizer paste.

Due to the dangers of this pollen, this crop is grown only by one faction, or group of people, who are experts in harvesting it. They are the only ones with access to the lake bottom in which this crop is grown in.

Possible Plot Hooks

There's several ideas I could utilize as TTRPG session plot hooks. What if someone nefarious was attempting to sabotage the crop by dropping a flame into it? What if an NPC wants the player to obtain one of these fruits, but the faction, who has a monopoly on them, refuses to sell outside of their chosen dealers, and now the player must convince them? What if the fruit turns out to also be a key ingredient in a potion that can cure a deadly disease, and that's why the NPC needs it?

Another idea is that the faction is in need of pest control. Something is attracted to the crop, and since it's grown in small, careful batches, damage to a batch could jeopardize the group's income. And if the creature became covered in the pollen and happened to get near an open flame somewhere, that could start a forest fire. Maybe there's a group that protests the crop being grown in the forest because of forest fire risks.

This was a fun exercise and I'll likely do more throughout the year. I liked that I was able to quickly tinker on a tidbit of lore I can incorporate into my setting, along with some plot hooks.