Day 28 - Is there anything else we should know before we head home?
Any parting knowing you want to leave us with that didn't fit anywhere else?
Elowen’s Journal
"My parents left after their visit.
They wished me well. They told me they thought I was doing really well here. My mother hugged Larina. Larina, even after everything I’ve learned about her authority and power, smiled and hugged her back with the same warmth. I think my father wanted to as well. He hesitated, then laughed, a little embarrassed. That felt important somehow.
I’m getting ready for my first real adventure now. Larina says there’s only so much I can learn in books, though I’ve seen her library and I’m certain it would take several lifetimes to master even a fraction of it. Still, she’s right. I’m heading out with Aisling and Eoddard. They travel with the Free Elves when they pass through each spring. Doireann is coming too. She’s never left the Haven Valley. I haven’t either, not since I arrived here three years ago. She’s scared but excited. So am I.
The last time Aisling and I went on an adventure together, we ended up in an East Haven jail. I’m hoping this time we make it a little farther down the road.
The ghosts surprised me most of all. They wished me well. Even those who had never spoken to me before offered quiet blessings as I passed. That felt…like the end of something, but in a good way. Renee hugged me so tight I thought she was going to choke me. She is quite strong for such a small woman. She gave me a bag filled with little satchels of different teas. She said I'll know which ones to brew when. She also packaged up a bunch of her little pumpkin muffins. Though I think Dori and I ate half of them before we got back to Larina's cottage.
I know that no matter what lies ahead, I have a home to return to. I also hope I can come back with enough gold to get a place of my own. I loved Larina’s spare room, but it’s time. Change is part of the work.
I’m leaving this journal here for safekeeping. Omar stopped by earlier with some gear Larina purchased for me. On top was a brand-new journal and a new witch's hat.
I can’t wait to fill that one too."
Designer’s Notes
West Haven is not just a “Witch Haven.” It is a crossroads and a home, a place where witches from different editions, systems, and eras can meet without explanation. The lens is always whatever game I’m playing at the time, but the world remains consistent. NPCs may follow different rules than the player characters. That’s intentional. Mystery matters.
I wanted to involve as many characters as possible. Some appear more than others. Elowen and Aisling naturally surfaced together. Others, like Rána, remained distant by design. She belongs to the Maiden Wood, and Elowen’s fear of that place keeps them apart, so their tales rarely intersect. BTW I have had more ideas about what the Maiden Wood is all about, but that will be for another time I think.
Most importantly, I wanted a place characters could call home.
The Lord of the Rings is ultimately about returning. Odysseus is nothing without Ithaca. West Haven exists so characters can leave, grow, break, change, and still have somewhere that remembers them.
Finally, this series is tied directly to Advanced Witches & Warlocks. While I avoided direct statistics, nearly everything described here emerged from those rules or their playtests. This is an invitation, not an explanation. If you want to know how this world works, the door is open.
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And that is a wrap on another challenge! Thanks to Adam Dickstein of Barking Alien for this challenge; it was a lot of fun. It was great reading others' posts and meeting their Tour Guides. This came at the right time, really. I had just thought up Elowen, and she turned out to be perfect for this task. She is going to be a great character, and I hope she has many great adventures.
.jpg "Elowen and Shae. May the have many adventures!") |
| Elowen and Shae. May they have many adventures! |
Join Adam Dickstein of Barking Alien, and his RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026!
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