Oooh, pretty... - Living table (3) - Entries 11-20

If you've ever wanted to see particular ideas used for a hollow Earth, Venus or Mercury setting, ArmChairGeneral is gathering suggestions for the next When the Navy Walked supplements.

The hollow Earth in the WtNW universe is called Earthin, and the descriptions out so far had me pretty excited. The mood's back now, so here are some more rock and crystal ideas to go with it.

Some are likely inspired by Mr Pratchett's thinking - hardly surprising - and one or two might aspire to be entries in the wild Barrier Trappings table up now at NetherWerks.

1. This crystal has the consistency of a diffuse gas and flows within its outline.
2. This pellucid crystal refracts white light into new and strange colours.
3. This opaque crystal acts as a lens, magnifying images not real but imagined.
4. This rock is so dense that small amounts exert a perceptible gravitational pull.
5. This porous rock is run through with fine channels used for respiration.
6. These nodules emit a warmth or cool in opposition to prevailing conditions.
7. This structure vibrates delicately to shocks distant in space or time.
8. This formation is in fact a small creature.
9. This formation appears to be the fossilised remains of a vast primordial creature.
10. This complex material is drawn to a kin separated from it at the formation of the world; it moves toward that other, as a stalagmite, a stalactite or a worked item.

The first batch went up here a couple of weeks ago, and they're also listed in the living table at DM Muse, which anyone can add to. The idea of the table is to offer inspiration for fiction, especially gaming, and be randomly determined too if that's what's needed.

The post following yesterday's will be along at some point soon. I just got distracted.

Update: Cursed13 at The Dark Workshop explains how to build crystal terrain pieces.

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Oooh, pretty... - Living table (3) - Entries 1-10

I don't know if these crystal cave pics are doing the rounds. If you haven't seen them, they're well worth a look for the wonder as well as inspiration.

The shapes remind me a little of obelisks, most likely because I still have in mind the Obelisk at Dawn scenario for Risus at engine of thwaak and that fallen obelisk terrain tile at NetherWerks.

It got me inspired enough to think about a cave contents table for DM Muse, like Small Creatures and Bodies of Water, but again NetherWerks are on it with their own Cave & Tunnel Hazards.

Then I thought of a table of rocks and crystals, maybe weird ones. Greg's totems for Novarium, explained here, and the post on the jeweller up at the moment at The Tao of D&D have that covered in part, but there's always scope for strange new types.

The idea ties in with the mines posts here too, the intro and nascent list of fictional mines and resources. The material might have effects of some sort, desirable or not, and if mined could impact the local community and area, later the wider world.

Needles deals with the subject in science fantasy with the Fuel Traders of Nimbus IV, maybe as satire. That theme of exploitation is also there in Moon too I remember now, a good film. A Field Guide to Doomsday also posted the borer blimp recently, not to mention back in February the very imaginative quarilla, an organic crystalline blend.

Thinking about those crystals then, here are some ideas to start off a living table.

1. These formations bleed a palpable energy into the surrounding space.
2. These formations absorb energies of all kinds, but whither do they go?
3. These formations are soft to the touch, flexible and strong.
4. These crystals sparkle, but to the rhythm of no light that falls upon them.
5. These crystals leak - no, whisper - the knowledge of aeons.
6. These crystals are hollow, the larger forming the passages of a strange network.
7. These structures are growing visibly, branching and filling the space.
8. The structures seem to convey something - are they a vast communications grid?
9. These structures extend filaments into rock and flesh alike, growing on within.
10. The pillars here support the world, perhaps even... Yes, even the fabric of reality...

I've just added all of these to DM Muse and they should be up soon. It's a living table, which means anyone can add new entries - if you have a good idea, don't hold back.

Update: How about treating that crack on Talysman's latest geomorph as a crystal?

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