Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Finder’s Archives.
In this column, we take some of the lands from Magic: The Gathering and turn them into something you can use for your fantasy games.
The stats given in each entry assumes that you’re using Pathfinder 2 for your games, but they can easily be converted over into any fantasy system. This week we visit the Blossoming Sands.
Blossoming Sands
The Blossoming Sands are a unique patch of desert, one that seemingly defies the laws of nature. Where most deserts seem devoid of life (at least to the untrained eye), the Blossoming Sands TEEM with life. But it is not life as most people know of it. All the plants that grow from the sands have traits of sand, rather than of dirt and water like they would elsewhere. Wood that has grown here is almost impossible to get lit, but once it does, it burns with a fierce intensity that rivals the heat and glare of the desert sun. It is highly prized by blacksmiths around the world, as it allows for a cleaner smelting of rare metals than normal wood or coal.
Lay of the Land
The Blossoming Sands are very distinct, sticking out from the desert surrounding it, similar to how an oasis would. It is clearly defined by the ring of plants that surround it and by the general hum of life as one approaches it. It just FEELS different. The sand underneath is not as smooth as the top sand of a desert, but feels coarser, and is far heavier than it looks. Furthermore, the plants, the sand, and even the very air in the Blossoming Sands radiate magic from the Transmutation School. It’s clear that it’s old magic of some sort, though the actual age cannot be determined, nor is there any record anywhere of any spellcaster working with this sort of thing. It is potentially druidic in nature, and many druids consider Blossoming Sands to be sacred, even if they do not understand what is going on.
Dangers
The Blossoming Sands are dangerous due to the number of desert threats that surround it. Quicksand, sudden sinkholes, scorpions, snakes, and more are all very common in the area. But underneath the Blossoming Sands lies a bigger threat. Suspended in animation, almost hibernation-like, are a tribe of 20 aapoph serpentfolk who absolutely LOATHE humans. The hibernation isn’t broken by any recognizable means, and people have reported camping in the Blossoming Sands for days without incident, even while chopping down trees – others have reported being attacked within minutes of arriving. Trial and error have failed on this, though casting powerful magic has awoken something worse than the aapoph — their master or leader, one of the bone prophets. When the bone prophet arrives, it often shouts incoherent prophecies like “the slithering one is coming” and “the coiled doom is near,” though madness shines from the bone prophet’s eyes.
Kim Frandsen
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