Farmswatter's Cacti
Description
Plants kept inside H.G. Farmswatter's waggon at the market. Two forms have been observed:
The small cacti — four small, unpotted cacti, each two to three feet tall, which appear to be pulsating. They move when not directly observed ("like the Weeping Angels but plants"): look away, and they reposition to surround you. They attack physically — a hit hurts far more than a cactus should — and spray clouds of needles. They could not be fooled by eyes drawn on an object to imply they were being watched. (Can they sense sentience?) They reminded Ms March of "some corn she once saw."
The giant cactus — an eight-foot-tall cactus with a pulsating red flower at its centre that looks like a human heart opened and peeled back. It sits in a tub/vat containing offal, blood, and guts, and gives off a strong rotting-meat smell. It can fire spines through the air as a ranged attack (one struck Ms March in the neck for 2 Harm).
The cacti wick moisture from their surroundings: anyone near the waggon feels an unnatural, desert-beating thirst, and Alfie noticed he had stopped sweating entirely in their presence.
Combat Notes
| Stat / Ability | Detail |
|---|---|
| Size | Small cacti: 2–3 ft. Giant: ~8 ft |
| Armour | |
| Weakness | — small cacti retreated from a butcher's cleaver |
| Movement | Small cacti move only when not directly watched; reposition to surround |
| Ranged | Small cacti spray needles; the giant fires spines (2 Harm to Ms March's neck) |
| Moisture-wicking | Draws moisture from the area; causes intense thirst; Alfie stopped sweating nearby |
| Special | Possibly senses sentience (not fooled by drawn-on eyes); needle spray was stopped by Ms March's Bible armour |
Notes
- Found inside H.G. Farmswatter's waggon — the four small cacti in the front workshop (among glass vials and distilling machinery), the giant cactus behind a curtain in a back room locked with chainlink
- The giant cactus's vat of offal, blood, and guts is the source of the rotting-meat smell Alfie traced from outside the waggon
- The whole team felt an unnatural thirst near the market and waggon this session — worse than ordinary desert thirst
Session Appearances
| Session | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Session 8 | Four small cacti spotted in the waggon workshop by Ms March; once she was locked in, they moved to surround her, slammed her, and sprayed needles (caught by her Bible armour); she drove them back with a butcher's cleaver. Behind the curtain she found the eight-foot heart-flowered cactus in a vat of offal — it fired a spine into her neck (2 Harm). Alfie spotted the giant cactus through the waggon slats and noticed it wicking away all moisture |