Deep Country: The Avian Mountain Jungle and Rowley Manor

Ten good words: barking, snatch, howl, bare, dodge, shout, grip, melee, echo, skitter.

I’d never played Electric Bastionland before and prepped this region for a weekend game, however, I am on a trip for work at the moment and ended up running this for some colleagues. I had five players; none had any experience whatsoever with TTRPGs… and it went GREAT. I loved that the rules were so simple for them to understand without previous familiarity with typical explanations of dice or saves or skills or attacks. I think this region specifically lent itself well to new players as a more traditional jungle is more approachable than the more absurd feeling of Bastion-proper. All in all it was a resounding success and I am excited to run more things in the future.

The Region

The Avian Mountain Jungle is a portion of forest connected (distantly) to Bastion by the 100 Rail (technically it is connected to the Graybow rail, connected to the Fish rail, which has a station in Bastion.)

The eruption of a volcano of roiling underground lakes has led to the sudden introduction of a steaming river—which separated the southern majority of the Avian Mountain Jungle from the rail.

Rowley Manor

Rowley Manor was constructed only about a decade ago by the Rowley family as a retreat from Bastion. It is built on the jungle cliffs above the raucous nests of a thousand paradise birds. 

By time its construction was completed, the Rowleys had lost interest. (The Rowleys are extremely wealthy avian cybernetics insurers) The jungle claimed it quickly. No member of the family has ever even seen the manor. . . but rumor has it they did have it stocked with niceties to be enjoyed for their forsaken vacations.

Many of the rooms have windows, and even the second floor windows are relatively easy access via the wide roof, but you should make a random encounter check per each window examined from the outside.

1. Foyer. Vines and hole in wall near ceiling.
2. Bird Hall. All cages are empty, many smashed. A few cybernetics-enhanced birds remain in the hall, on elevated vines. Balcony (9) above is visibly covered with sleeping baboons. The remaining birds could wake the baboons if antagonized.
3. Dry Conservatory. Yucca and cacti. Cold metal atmosphere. Mummy rehydrator (he will come back to life in about another 200 years, once his soul is rehydrated. This could be sped up dramatically through submersion, but it will get all ugly.)
4. Kitchen/Laboratory. Destroyed. Hidden dumbwaiter to Alcohol Room (12). 
5. Wet (flooded) Conservatory. Treasure. Giant shed snake skin. 50% chance the giant snake is here.
6. Sketch Library. "x-ray" sketches of mountains with giant crab monsters in them. Vines in here will reactively entangle creatures which touch them.
7. Fermentation Collection. There are two colonies of mundane ants at war over the valuable resources in this room. They will ineffectively attack characters who disturb the fermented items here. Some fermenting jars might be useful as poisons, as nasty remedies, or for pranks.
8. Courtyard. Covered walkway. Turtle ponds. Bucket of water and turtle egg-shells. No baby turtles.
9. Balcony. Covered in sleeping baboons. If waked, they will be violent unless shouted down.
10. Bedroom. Baboons have barricaded the door from the outside. Inside is a skeleton parrot animated solely by its cybernetics.
11. Alcohol room. Two drunk baboons. Obvious dumbwaiter to Kitchen/Laboratory.
12. The bee room. Previously a study. The honey causes mild allergic reactions.
13. Phonograph room. Lots of chairs for an audience. Shattered glass dome; large curved shards of rose-colored glass covers the floor. The phonograph is extremely valuable, but weighs 600 lbs. The 8 giant records are each worth 10% of the phonograph's value, but are 8' across.
14. The baboon matriarch uses this room to nurse all the baby baboons (she has taken over motherhood for the other females.)

D6 Wandering Encounters

1. A cute infant baboon will want to be picked up and carried. Its mother, in the next room, will be irate if the party enters carrying her son.
2. A young baboon distracts the party while his sister tries to steal something from them. If successful it disappears our the window to the other floor.
3. The rotting wooden floor below gives way, dropping a character onto the floor below or underneath the manor.
4. The rotting wooden floor above gives way, dropping two angry baboons onto the party's heads. The baboons are just as angry with each other as with the party, and choose targets randomly.
5. Three baboons try to intimidate the party. They each fight until injured unless the party leaves the room the way they came.
6. Giant snake swallowing a sleeping or unconscious baboon. Can regurgitate the ape with crazy power to launch it like a projectile.