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 or 5e for your games, but they can easily be converted over into any fantasy system. This week we seek out a particular waterfall at the Cascade Bluffs, the Cascading Cataracts.
Cascading Cataracts
Hidden from normal sight by powerful illusions are the Cascading Cataracts, as part of the Cascade Bluffs. Mortals were never meant to come here though as it was reserved for the power of the gods. Staying here imbues those bathing with a measure of the power of the gods, rejuvenating their powers and bodies.
Lay of the Land
The Cascading Cataracts are beyond beautiful, with the waters coming in all the colors of the rainbow. Those using magical sight, see it even better as they can see the ley lines of power that converge at the bottom of the waterfall, and they form colors impossible to describe with mortal language. The lands around the waters are incredibly fertile, and the animals that live here somehow coexist, as their hunger and animal urges are suppressed. Here one can find wolves and lions sleeping next to lambs. Somehow the area provides nourishment for all those here, ensuring that they never go hungry or thirsty. Sleep is still needed for those here but that is it.
Those who bathe in the waters are cleansed of all curses, diseases, and anything else they suffer from. Wounds close as they’re covered in the magical waters, and the worries of the real world wash away. And then the bather becomes suffused with powers, as their abilities, spells, and magical powers are restored. Not only that, but they become imbued with the ability to cast the spell heal once in their lifetime. This ability stays with them until they die or it is used.
Dangers
In and of itself, the Cascading Cataracts aren’t dangerous, but some of the people who come here may be. While unintelligent beasts and monsters are suffused with peace and become unwilling (though not unable) to hurt anyone, intelligent beings retain their own free will, and some will kill to prevent others from accessing the area. More worryingly, the area has become something of a pilgrimage site for many religions, including evil ones that look for power. As such, a shadow war of sorts has broken out among those who come here, and it’s only too easy to get caught up in it. As wounds are easily healed by simply bathing in the waters, it has become imperative to slay an opponent in a single go, to ensure that they do not come back.
And that finishes off the Cataracts. Be careful where you step, and you just might survive to join us next week. 😉
Kim Frandsen
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