Meadowmont

O'er misty mountain-top peaks the Traveller has roamed, knee deep through crystalline drifts of snow.

Ever-most and high the blinding sun does not relent, nor so the biting bitter winds and threat of avalanche as, step by step, towards one final frost-crested Cairn the expectant gaze lifts, at last.

For beyond this circlet summit's pinnacled range there nestles a deep plateau; a low slung vale most arcane where blooms the vastly mysterious orchards of Meadowmont.

The cold all at once relents as underfoot becomes dappled green and lush, and a delicious sweetness hung heavy 'pon a warmth drawn forth from rare blossoms of such enormity as to confound the eye.

And, suddenly, low through the nectar mists a sight most unexpected arrives ... of honey-bees, bumbling, buzzing and busily come, each as big as a whisky barrel.

At the centre of this idyll, a lone Windmill is perched; our destination's truest treasure - for it houses the most exhaustive collection of scrolls, tablets and writings pertaining to the many creatures and beasts of this, or any, land ever compiled.

A monstrous trove like no other ... here ... in the Valley of Meadowmont.

Sights, Sounds & Smells
Sights Sounds Smells
 * Impossibly large fauna & flora
 * Giant seeds & nectar mists drifting through the air
 * Snow-capped mountains in the distance on all sides
 * Bright, warm sun
 * Buzzing and chirping of various creatures
 * Trickle of small streams full of crisp mountain water
 * Gentle creak & clacking of the Windmill’s sails
 * Sweet honeys & nectars
 * Unusual spice of various stems & roots
 * Occasional wafts of variously baked treats & delights
 * Rich soil & compost

Local Economy
It is said that in ages old not a single soul, beyond the Gods, would know nor have heard of Meadowmont, for a great Arcanist held it firmly within a veiled grasp of many magics.

As such, it was entirely self-sufficient, and tended by a small and loyal staff.

Fresh water from the surrounding glaciers drawn from a well, an abundance of food harvested from the verdant furrows and orchards, and the unique peace and quiet required for the Arcanist’s study borne of the very silence of the summits surrounding the Valley.

Imports
Since the mysterious disappearance of the Arcanist, a small number of travellers have sought out Meadowmont. The journey, being treacherous beyond belief, kept most at bay.

Those foolhardy enough to try came simply to see for themselves if the legends were true. Others set off in hope of studying the many histories and secrets of the Bestiary, for innumerable are those plagued by foul monstrosities and the chaos of indescribable creatures.

Other travellers - learning of the abandonment of its wise custodian - journeyed in hopes of claiming the Valley for themselves, or even to take the position of Arcanist as their own.

All who found Meadowmont, whatever their motives, left evidence of their presence; logs split for firewood, vegetables uprooted with naught replanted in their stead, a canvas tent lifted by the winds and draped from an incomprehensibly odd treetop ... even the occasional enormous honeycomb, looted and smashed betwixt muddy furrows where lie a heap of mutilated bones with sternums punctured with bee stingers the size of axe-handles.

Exports
Various delights from the Meadowmont stores were always meant to make their way to many a Market near and far; nonesuch places, however, knew the truth of their origin.

Honeys, tonics, bitters and balms, all sorts - these items, and more besides, spread far and wide, their benefits (promised, imagined and real) enticed much gold from many a coin purse, for some strange aura upon them was found always to be greatly alluring.

There are no two trees, plants, shrubs or flowers alike here in Meadowmont, each producing bizarre aspects or bark, fruit, and seed.

Each is rich with exceptional qualities, and near limitless potential.

The export of such goods concocted from these - as the stocks and stores allow - has continued, despite the Arcanist's disappearance, and the coin from such trade has accumulated to a grand horde worthy of a monarch ... or a dragon.

Lodgings & Shelter
Camp may be made in many a grove or plateau in the Valley, or even in the boughs of the enormous trees that grow here, with splendid views afforded from each.

The night, however, brings much that may not be kept at bay by mere tent or tarpaulin.

Fortunately, these nights are short - at least half the length of the daylight hours, of which there are many.

The Windmill, of course, may afford a more satisfactory shelter, although the Library therein is most distracting.

Many are those who might find themselves immersed, forgoing and forgetting sleep entirely for the riches of knowledge unseen and unbeknownst to all but a few.

And if the near endless array of books keep not the Traveller from sleep, then Compendious most assuredly shall; for so fond of talking are they, and so rich with riddle and confounding strangeness, that the listener might pass from dusk 'til dawn entirely bewitched by this strange paper-apparatus that walks ... and talks ... as though gifted of the life-spark, itself!

Hierarchy & Political Structure
The Valley of Meadowmont was once the dominion of the Arcanist - Custodian and Guardian of the Meadowmont Bestiary.

The Arcanist is a rare bastion of knowledge, sorcery, druidcraft and articifery.

In the many centuries of their posting here, however, they found a great many things to turn their attentions to, beyond the pages of the scrolls, tablets and books under their stewardship.

And with a personal staff consisting of a Gardener, Cook & Caretaker to see to much of the labour, the Arcanist was able to achieve levels of precision and perspicacity in both research and practice.

And so, as the centuries unfolded, the Arcanist positioned themselves at the helm of a unique biosphere.

Little by little they tinkered and turned, conjuring and creating tremendous blooms and colossal blossoms, each one utterly unique, and paired with all manner of prodigious pollinators able to bring all things imagined to maturation.

And the Arcanist presided over all.

Culture
A studious air once permeated the Windmill's vast and bottomless interior, to equal the contemplative nature of the many splendid gardens and fascinating orchards of the surrounding Valley.

A rare few received invitations to steep themselves in the research, learning and science of monstrosities far and wide - physiology, biochemistry, nutrition, growth, reproduction, health, behaviour and welfare; no area of study was forsaken in regards to all creatures, great and small.

Since the disappearance of the Arcanist and their Staff, however, no such learning occurs, and the wilds have steadily encroached upon all but the deepest recesses of the Windmill's Library.

Adventure Hooks

 * The Arcanist, Cook, and Gardener are all missing, with only Compendius and The Caretaker remaining. Whoever, or whatever, is responsible for these disappearances is - at least when the Party first arrive in Meadowmont - a complete mystery. This presents an opportunity for something like a classic "murder-mystery" or "whodunnit", which may require some careful planning to ensure clues and hints are appropriately assigned (perhaps even including the odd red-herring!)
 * The strange botanical experiments of the Arcanist led to a species of strange plants capable of harm. These plants caused those missing to fall into a slumber, or to be cocooned in strange ambers, or even to be devoured and digested slowly over a thousand years. These plants are coveted by a person of wicked intent.
 * An enormous rift has torn through the earth, cutting Meadowmont almost in two. Enormous roots and subterranean tubers have unfolded from this precipice, and are beginning to overrun the Vale, tearing it apart. Unless stopped, they will certainly expand down the mountains to wreak endless destruction.
 * Compendius, Meadowmont's Automaton-Librarian, has had its defence mode activated, and is doing everything in its power to keep "intruders" out of the Windmill that houses the vast library of books, scrolls and tomes.
 * Its final defence mode is to destroy the Library entirely, ensuring its safety from all forever.
 * During the daylight hours the many insects, though unusually large, are rather harmless. As the sun begins to set, however, other creatures begin to awaken, who hunger not just for pollen or nectar, but for flesh!
 * The botanical experiments of the Arcanist were wondrous and rare, and some among the newly created buds appear to have been developed a consciousness, and are very much self-aware.
 * Another group of Adventurers are making their way to Meadowmont, and plan to strip it of its resources, selling whatever they can return from the mountains to the highest bidder.
 * The Vale of Meadowmont has completely frozen over; colder, even, than the frosted mountains that surround it. All those who reside here are frozen in huge chunks of ice, as though whatever happened was instantaneous.

Rare Plant Roll Table

 * 1) Mantis Orchid: A mobile, carnivorous orchid which attracts its prey with mantis-shaped blooms before scuttling away to devour it.
 * 2) Sonflower: A relative of the mandrake plant, the petals of this flower frame the cheerfully cooing face of a baby betwixt their delicate fronds.
 * 3) Crab-Apple: Bright red apples that, upon falling from their tree, sprout the various appendages of a crab, scuttling off in search of food.
 * 4) Porcu-Pine: The seeds of this coniferous tree are found within narrow cones covered in long, flexible needles which stand on end if moved. The cones exude excitable squeaking sounds when burrowing into their seeding grounds, increasing in volume just before their sprouting.
 * 5) Pork'o'Pine: Not to be confused with the Porcu-Pine. A community of fungi, found in the needle mast at the foot of conifer trees. Even the untrained eye would spy its signature boar-like shape which, despite the name, does not taste of bacon. The mushroom does, however, emit something of a porcine “grunt” when stood upon.
 * 6) Aerouan Applesnatch : A result of brief, but ultimately abandoned, experiments with Dragon-blood fertiliser, this immense tree produces fruit which -  given the appropriate conditions - hatch into tiny, ferocious geckos. If eaten before seeding, the fruit is astoundingly spicy, and rumoured to contain unusual after-effects.
 * 7) Henweed: Herbaceous, with flowers in the shape of tiny chickens. When pollinated, the chicken-flowers lay minuscule eggs, greatly prized by Pixies.
 * 8) Warter Lily: This plant flowers in boggy soils, with warty toad-skin petals. The stench of it attracts flies to be captured by tongues it disguises as purple stamen. Might also attract the undead.
 * 9) Eyevy: A creepy creeper, with leaves covered in blinking eyes.  Any attempt to cut it back and it weeps tears of sap, provoking severe reactions in anyone nearby.
 * 10) Liontooth: Far from your average dandelion. Successful propagation of a cutting of this plant's leaf will reward the gardener with a sabre-tooth tiger.

Random Encounter Table

 * 1) A sickly-sweet smell emanates from a thick clump of tall blooms. Investigating closer, the Party finds their feet becoming stuck to the floor by a treacle-like sap just as a pack of hungry creatures approach.
 * 2) Books from the library are taking flight, and Compendious desperately needs help catching, and returning them to the Library.
 * 3) A hot-air balloon approaches. Within, two individuals can be heard angrily announcing that they shall imminently “have our revenge upon that bastard bear!”
 * 4) The Caretaker seems most at odds with its usual tasks - all furniture and various belongings are being stacked in a great tower in a meadow outside the Windmill.
 * 5) Fantastical creatures from the pages of the Meadowmont Bestiary are - somehow or another - coming to life and exiting their books.
 * 6) Having apparently acquired a taste for Adventurer, several Giant-Insects are now on the hunt for the Party.

Residents of Note

 * The Arcanist
 * A wise and noble individual of unnatural age, and endless youth, the Arcanist is a being of unerring wonder and boundless curiosity. Legend speaks of naught but a ball of light, but in truth they appear as a small child with a temperament most thoughtful and serious. Despite having read every word of the Meadowmont Bestiary, the Arcanist quickly tires of any conversation centred upon it, preferring instead to proselytise upon their own passion : experimental botany. Worryingly, the Arcanist has been missing for some time.
 * Compendious - The Librarian
 * An automaton made entirely from roughly pulped paper, Compendius is - nevertheless - a capable and loyal addition to the Library. What manner of magic propels and protects it, who can say? Compendius has, of late, grown extremely fond of the varied birdlife that has recently begun to arrive here in the Vale, and much of their time is spent tending to these new feathery friends with all the insight and expertise afforded them by the great Bestiary of Meadowmont.
 * Zulfern - Head Gardener
 * An old, grisly tempered, green-fingered soul long departed from their mortal coil and somehow relocated into a battered old suit of armour stuffed with straw. Zulfern kept the many gardens and orchards in neat and bounteous order for many a-year. Much griping displeasure was seeded, however as, little by little, their roaming was curtailed by the Arcanist requisitioning acre after acre for their own secretive, botanical experiments. Thereafter, this Gardener's grumblings could be heard just as often as the angry snipping of their many secateurs. Zulfern, too, has long been missing from the Vale.
 * Virgil - The Cook
 * A brown bear who, one fine day, clambered into a landed hot-air balloon in search of the scent of treats most odorous. The owner(s) of the balloon, having fallen into a deathly panic, cut the weights and allowed their magnificent transport to take flight. Virgil, thereafter, was sky-bound, with the winds bringing them eventually to Meadowmont. Perhaps the weave, or the Arcanist - who could say - but something brought forth the gift of language and greater dexterity to this Ursidae so far from home, and a position in the Library's well-stocked Kitchen seemed only natural for one with such a rarely refined nose.
 * The Caretaker
 * Neither an individual, nor even a spirit; the Caretaker is something of a frequency of light and energy, able to access the deepest recesses of your memory and mind. The Caretaker is then able to furnish your surroundings with comforts most personal and meaningful, and to bring a true sense of home to this Vale so far from everywhere. The Caretaker does not announce its presence, except through the gradual placement of objects and items - perhaps a portrait from the family study, or an old wooden chest once stowed beneath a bed, or a small eggcup carved by the hand of a parent. These things, sometimes long forgotten or unseen since childhood, are placed for the visitor to find and, the Caretaker might hope, find comfort in.