Barking Alien's RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE! Day 22

Mirepoix

Day 22 – Flora & Fauna

Day 22-Tell us about notable Flora and Fauna! Take us on safari around your campaign and its setting. What are some of the unique and/or unusual creatures and plants in your game?

Elowen’s Journal

"It feels like everything here watches.

Not in a threatening way. Mostly. Just… aware. Animals linger longer than they should. Plants seem to lean when you pass. Even the air feels curious. West Haven is full of animals, of course, pets and work beasts and wildlife, but also familiars. So many familiars. Cats on rooftops. Birds perched where they can hear everything. Small things darting between doorways. I’ve learned not to assume they belong to anyone in particular. They’re probably just collecting information. Or gossip. Mostly gossip.

My familiar, Mirepoix, takes this very seriously. Larina’s cat, Cotton Ball, flies and pretends that’s perfectly normal. It shocked me when this fluffy white cat spread it's wings and flew to the top of a bookcase.  Doireann’s frogs are everywhere. In fountains. In gardens. Once in my boot. No one questions it. Giant owls nest nearby, watching the roads at night, and the crows and ravens sometimes speak in human voices when they think you aren’t listening.

Yes, there are flying monkeys. They have their own small community and are very clear about not being pets or familiars. They get offended if you imply otherwise. I learned that quickly.

The plants are just as attentive. The Goblin Wood feels alive in a restless way, branches shifting, roots remembering old paths. The Maiden Wood is different. Quieter. Still. More dangerous for it. There are plants that blur the line between animal and vegetation, vines that recoil when touched, flowers that close like eyes. I don’t know if they are magical or if this land just encourages things to become more than they were meant to be.

It isn’t all strange trees and whispering leaves. The fields here are rich. The Great Flood brought down soil so dark and fertile it feels like it could grow almost anything. Esmé talked endlessly about it in my first spring here, explaining how the land itself had been fed. Crops thrive here. Gardens overflow. Even the ordinary plants seem a little… proud.

Living in West Haven means learning when something is watching because it’s curious, and when it’s watching because it’s hungry. I’m getting better at telling the difference."

Designer’s Notes

Flora and fauna in West Haven are meant to feel observant rather than aggressive. The setting leans into the idea that magic suffuses the environment, affecting animals, plants, and even agriculture, without turning everything into a monster encounter.

Familiars act as social infrastructure. They gather information, reinforce coven connections, and make the village feel alive even when no NPCs are present. Non-familiar creatures, such as the flying monkeys or giant owls, are treated as people or neighbors rather than obstacles or pets.

The Goblin Wood and the Maiden Wood represent two different expressions of living landscape: one restless and adaptive, the other still and dangerous. The fertile farmland of the Haven Valley provides a grounding counterbalance, reminding players that not all magic is strange or threatening. Some of it simply makes things grow.

Join Adam Dickstein of Barking Alien, and his RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026!