World of Samardan: The Estate of the Four Winds...

Good Afternoon, All:

This is the fifth post in my A to Z Challenge series, which describes 26 different locations in the World of Samardan campaign setting, one for each letter of the alphabet. Today, E is for the Estate of the Four Winds.

(Hex) Estate of the Four Winds

Ambiance: An unusual mixture of crystalline and organic shapes, this still-functioning air purification plant is a fantastic remnant of ancient technology. The site and the surrounding area are maintained and protected by still-functioning automatons. The surrounding land is quite fertile, and life is abundant, even with high winds blowing from numerous ports on and near the plant.

History: The Estate of the Four Winds still serves the purpose for which it was constructed: to terraform a dying world so that the planet can continue to sustain life. However, as more and more of these plants cease operations around the world, this has become a losing battle. Many warlords would love to possess this oasis of fertility, but the automated defenses have thus far prevented its conquest.

Encounters: This area is rich with life, and wild creatures are plentiful. Flocks of volsarkati (large winged saurian creatures with a long serrated beak that prefer to dive on their prey from high above) patrol the air about the site, taking advantage of the wind currents to gain lift in flight. Closer to the plant itself, visitors will encounter both defensive and service automatons. Common hazards in this area include windy conditions (which get stronger as one gets closer to the air purification plant) and automated defenses.

Treasure: Many consider the bounty of the land surrounding the Estate of the Four Winds to be its greatest treasure. Additionally, scholars of the Ancient Ones feel that the functioning equipment provide opportunities to learn more about lost technologies. Less erudite individuals treasure the technology itself, particularly the military applications of it, and do not care to understand who it works or how to maintain it.

Adventure Hooks: Adventure hooks for this site could include the following:

• An expeditionary force under the command of Pansanu Dankaheno Kasadan is marching on the Estate, conscripting able-bodied youths into his growing band in order to better defeat the automatons and claim the Estate of the Four Winds as his own.
• Far-ranging flocks of volsarkati have attacked some distant villages. Several bands of hunters have been sent to cleanse the nests, but none have been successful.
• Ganan Sanator, a Sarran wanderer, is camping on the outskirts of the fertile zone, foraging within the zone for rare fruits and vegetables to sell in a market back home. He could definitely use some help, and some company, for he is a lonely man.
• In recent weeks, intermittent smoke has occasionally been seen rising from the area of the plant. At least one town elder is curious as to what might be causing it, and whether that means that the Estate of the Four Winds might soon stop producing fresh air.
• Sen Gataloban, a Rakran mystic, seeks adventurers with diverse talents to help him penetrate the defenses of the Estate of the Four Winds, so that he may gain access to its interior.

This is the first resource site that I've detailed using this template. Several of my adventure hooks do not start in this hex itself, but rather are initiated by settlements outside of this hex. I hope to change that when dealing with future resource sites, but admittedly, that will have to come with inspiration.

Standard Disclaimer: As I have not yet decided where to set this particular location on the map as yet, I've left a placeholder to remind me to come back to this in the future. Later on, I'll replace (Hex) with the actual hex location, when I put all of this together into a single document.

With Regards,
Flynn