Implications of the Environment

[SilverStud]

So I'm hoping for the Science Side of the playground to show up here.

My players were witness to a horrible, sacrificial ritual performed on a Lifewell (source of the area's vitality). This ritual cursed the land rather badly. The party escaped their captors and went back to town, but they soon realized that all the plants were dying. I guess they assumed that it was only a minor case of everything dying? Well, they didn't seem to care much until crop failure caused their price of living to skyrocket. So the decided to go fix the problem, somehow. Even then they took a leisurely pace in trying to break the curse.

Long story short, they took so freaking long that a large portion (perhaps 100 miles diameter) of the land around the defunct Lifewell actually had its soil utterly removed. Literally. 100%. Annihilated by the curse. So now it is a wasteland of stones, rocks, and boulders.

Obviously this is kind of a big deal, and I'd like to follow the natural consequences at least for a little way. What happens when a 100-mile circle loses all of its soil and plant life? I figure the place will be very hot in the day and cold at night, like a sand-less desert, but what about the area around that circle?

[Slayn82]

First, the soil that used to cover that area probably became sand, and without the grass to retain it, it probably is being carried with the wind to other areas. When the wind blows fiercely, huge sandstorms should happen.

Maybe a river whose source was in the region has dried up, and other areas are dealing with lack of water. Dead trees should be covering all the place, giving it a ominous atmosphere. Herbivores that used to roam in this place either are moving away, or are struggling to live. Their natural predators must be starting to spread to other places, and became very aggressive as they compete for the remainder of the prey.

On the other hand, it's possible that treasures like natural gold and brute precious gems are being revealed as the soil disappears. Realistically, such thing would take a long time to happen, but hey, magic is making this place an arid land.

[Fishyninja]

First, the soil that used to cover that area probably became sand, and without the grass to retain it, it probably is being carried with the wind to other areas. When the wind blows fiercely, huge sandstorms should happen.

Maybe a river whose source was in the region has dried up, and other areas are dealing with lack of water. Dead trees should be covering all the place, giving it a ominous atmosphere. Herbivores that used to roam in this place either are moving away, or are struggling to live. Their natural predators must be starting to spread to other places, and became very aggressive as they compete for the remainder of the prey.

On the other hand, it's possible that treasures like natural gold and brute precious gems are being revealed as the soil disappears. Realistically, such thing would take a long time to happen, but hey, magic is making this place an arid land.

To touch a little further on this, if the soil is dead (i.e. lacking in nutrients) it does take on a very fine powederly texture, a less coarse than sand and yes it can be blown around, another thing that can occur is due to the reduced density is that any foundations built on that soil will now sink, possibly rendering buildings unihabitable and destroying, roads, bridges etc.
Also along the lines of lack of water again the animals will be dead, dying and much more aggressive and territorial. Now a 100 mile radius in the grand scheme of things is not too bad. One way to further make your party pick up there feet is state that as the cured earth is being blown around by the wind and is constantly being moved around, the curse is slowly taking hold in other areas as well.

[Nupo]

A 100 mile circle is about the size of the worst hit part of the Dust Bowl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl and it might make a pretty good comparison. Huge dust storms were common, and the dust clouds traveled hundreds of miles and blanketed far away lands with layers of very fine dust. Red snow even fell in New England.