Saturday 22 January 2022

Sacred Wells and Springs in Romance of the Perilous Land


Around the Perilous Land are various springs and wells deemed sacred by the populace for their restorative and divinatory properties. These blessed waters bubble up from the earth, attracting all manner of magical beings (lending them their common name of fairy wells). It's not known why, but the western coast is home to a high density of sacred Wells, stretching all the way up Escose. Great tales are told of springs rising from the ground where a legendary hero has perished. 

Druids gather around a sacred well to divine the will and mood of the gods. At sunset a pebble is dropped in the water and the number of bubbles determines the answer to the diviner's questions (such as 'how many days until the next storm?). 

Most wells are used for healing. Taking a rag to sacred water and wrapping around a wound causes it to heal twice as fast during a rest, but only as the sun rises and they have circled the well thrice. Drinking by starlight (it absolutely must be clear) can alleviate all manner of maladies. In game terms, a disease effect ends. 

As for some rarer effects, drawing water from a sacred well an hour before midnight on the eve of a new year turns the water to wine (called druid's wine). 

Water should not be taken from a well without giving something back. A coin will do the trick, as will a cloutie, a piece of cloth rag tied to a tree branch. Leaving without an offering has an effect on the well user until they return with an offering.


1. They are stalked by a magical being, such as a fairy, boggart or bogie. The being will steal from their pack, make noises and generally be mischievous. 

2. Their weapons are dulled or become brittle and useless. Weapon damage is halved.

3. They can't sleep due to awful nightmares, becoming fatigued.

4. Their body becomes weak, getting a setback on all Might-based checks and saves.

5. Their armour becomes cracked and worn, falling apart. Their effective armour points are reduced to 1.

6. They are stalked by a Black Dog.

There is a 1 in 4 chance that a sacred spring will appear at the site of a level 10 character death (if they die in a spot where a natural spring would make sense). The chance is reduced by 1 for every Valour point that has been used. 

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