The Cactus Grove
At a Glance
| Type | Grove on a mountainside ledge |
| Location | On a ledge on a mountainside near the mining village, north of Hole; the hot springs are on the other side of the mine |
| First Visited | Session 11 (located on a map in Session 10) |
| Notable Residents | — |
Description
The origin of Farmswatter's cacti — the place H.G. Farmswatter called "the blessed desert" in Session 9.
Under questioning while briefly reanimated in Session 10, Farmswatter gave a detailed explanation of where he found the plants and pointed out the location on a map: a grove on a ledge on a mountainside, near the mining village.
Notes
- Farmswatter heard a strange noise at the grove. It had a pull, a pulse. It was a hum. He demonstrated it — and Doctor Webb recognised it as the sound from his recurring nightmare and started sweating. The same hum sounds deep in the mine
- Farmswatter first tasted the tonic at the grove itself. He tested it on himself, felt better, and experimented further from there
- There was no one else in the grove when H.G. was there
- The grove is the source of the plants Farmswatter later fed on human flesh — he dug up bodies from a cemetery for the mother cactus after insects failed
- Reached in Session 11 by following a dusty trail from the hot springs. It is a flattened overlook; from further up the mountain, both the springs and the grove are visible below on lower outlooks
- The grove holds fifteen cacti — eight normal sized and seven medium sized, the medium ones bearing the flower the team has seen before. Three tiny cacti also moved and attacked, and are not accounted for within that count
- The party prepared by each drinking a shot of whiskey and covering their mouth and nose
- Cuthbert cleared the sand with his sword and accidentally cut himself. His blood dripped into the soil, and three tiny cacti moved towards him and fired spines, startling him but causing no harm. Once he stopped bleeding into the soil they did not interact with him again
- Doctor Webb dug up the root system and found the cacti are a plant hybrid infestation. Their roots are covered in the red fibre previously seen on Bart Fletchley's corn
- The plant is attempting to take root and alter the environment
- The party raised the question of whether the wolves interacted with the spore somehow — by eating a rabbit which had eaten the infected corn
- The fifteen cacti were left standing when the party rode on up the mountain
Open Thread
The hum at the grove, the hum in the mine, and the hum in Doctor Webb's nightmare are the same sound. What is making it — and what else grows on that ledge?
Open Thread
Fifteen cacti are still growing here, and the plant is attempting to alter the environment. Nobody destroyed them.
Session Appearances
| Session | What Happened Here |
|---|---|
| Session 9 | Referenced only — Farmswatter said he got the mother cactus from "the blessed desert" |
| Session 10 | Located and mapped by the reanimated Farmswatter: a grove on a mountainside ledge near the mining village. He described and demonstrated the hum he heard there, which Doctor Webb recognised from his nightmares. Not yet visited — the party made camp at the hot springs instead |
| Session 11 | First visited. Reached by a dusty trail from the springs; a flattened overlook holding fifteen cacti (eight normal, seven medium with the familiar flower). The party drank whiskey and covered their faces. Cuthbert cut himself clearing sand and three tiny cacti fired spines at him. Doctor Webb dug up the roots and identified a plant hybrid infestation whose roots carry the red fibre from Bart's corn — the plant is attempting to take root and alter the environment. The cacti were left standing |