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Message: <blockquote data-quote="quaidbrown" data-source="post: 3025513" data-attributes="member: 42966">This is the setup for a campaign I'm running. The first page is a description of the village the party grew up in...  Any ideas for expanding on these... ideas, would be greatly appreciated.The party grew up in a mining community. They live in a village, known simply as Stone. Stone is centered on a large mine. The village is in the shadow of an immense black stone, almost a mountain. They've lived here their entire life, and have never left the walls of the village, save for a few jogs around the outside of the walls on a dare. Outside the walls, there is little vegetation, and the land is mostly barren. Inside the walls thrives a lush wonderland of orchards, vineyards, trees and flowers.It never rains.Most of the men of the village work in the mine. The women spend the day tending the gardens, making meals, or taking their turn to care for the children. Day and night, the black stones that line the walls of the mine are gathered and placed near the main village gate. Every three months, a caravan of strange, very tall and thin creatures wearing fanciful masks and cowls, come to the village. They are merchants and are known as “The Gnomes”. The stones are exchanged for water, and they leave.Not much is known about the gnomes. Some speculate that the gnomes are protectors who take pity on the village, and bring water in exchange for the worthless black stones. Some think the gnomes are evil, and only help the village because they’re fattening it up for a giant feast. However, everybody agrees that the village’s fate is inextricably intertwined with the gnomes.When a villager reaches a certain age, they are put before the gnomes when they arrive with the water. The merchants take the adolescent, blindfold them and take them into one of their wagons. The young man or woman either emerges with a strange tattoo on their chest, or they are never seen again. The gnomes also occasionally select a handful of the villagers to come with them. This is seen as a great honor, stemming from ancient traditions that nobody really remembers or understands. Nobody ever objects out loud. The tattoo, they say, has a calming effect, and once you have it, you understand your place in the universe, and life is better.Nobody has successfully ventured very far out of the village. Those that wander too far are never seen again. Those that make it back never see anything interesting. Only children ever try to explore. The adults are more content inside the village walls. The running joke is that there must be something very nice out there, because those who find it choose not to return. The adults never laugh at that one.Life is peaceful, though dull, with most of the time spent growing food and mining. Strange rituals have emerged, and many have been followed for longer than anybody remembers. For instance, everybody spends about 15 minutes per day standing near the enormous black stone, pressing their hands and face against it and meditating. This is done because if you don’t, you’ll grow horns or turn to stone, and there are a few old men who swear they’ve seen it happen.This has been the way of life. Until recently.</blockquote>

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