Looking for some flavor ideas for a village that only has blind citizens

[PrizeFighter23]

Hey all!

My players are traveling along a river to the next big plot-hook in their current campaign, and I'm populating the road with a few villages and places that just expand the world a bit.

I had an idea for a town on the edge of a swamp that is run by a Medusa, but she's not as evil as most of her kind. The entire village is blind, but she protects them. She has basilisk pets that patrol the village as well. The citizens trade with neighboring communities, but mostly keep to themselves. They have an inn that they welcome travelers to stay at.

I'm looking for some flavor ideas that would help make the village even more unique. Some features that a village only for blind people might have, that would make their everyday lives easier. Different bells on every door, varying types of building material used for different roads that help differentiate them, things like that.

Thank you! :)

[MrCharisma]

There was a sci-fi book written about a race of people who couldn't see, but then had one child who could. The premise of the book was that he was really slow at learning most of the things that other children picked up easily, but then he could take short-cuts that they couldn't simply because he had a sense that they didn't.
Imagine that he had difficulty learning to read in braille because he was distracted by things his peers (and teachers) couldn't see. They may then view the entire adventuring party as a bunch of dim-witted fools who can't hear the difference between different ales in the tavern, or who can't read (braille) etc.

Their village would probably be very dull to look at (or vibrant clashing colours) since they can't see, but they might build near a brook because the sounds and smells are nicer. They might have more insulated homes to provide privacy (insulation cushions sound). They may not have windows, or they may use windows to get fresh air, but only cut "air holes" into walls. Nudity might be more commonplace since nobody can see one another normally. Perfumes and colognes could replace fashionable clothing.

There's plenty to work with really, just close your eyes (right now) and tell us what you notice.

[Mathmuse]

Have you read The Country of the Blind by H. G. Wells? It is not quite appropriate, because his isolated village of blind people forgot that sight ever existed, but it does describe a few everyday aspects, such as, "Everything, you see, had been made to fit their needs; each of the radiating paths of the valley area had a constant angle to the others, and was distinguished by a special notch upon its kerbing; all obstacles and irregularities of path or meadow had long since been cleared away; all their methods and procedure arose naturally from their special needs."

[PrizeFighter23]

MrCharisma wrote:

There was a sci-fi book written about a race of people who couldn't see, but then had one child who could. The premise of the book was that he was really slow at learning most of the things that other children picked up easily, but then he could take short-cuts that they couldn't simply because he had a sense that they didn't.

Imagine that he had difficulty learning to read in braille because he was distracted by things his peers (and teachers) couldn't see. They may then view the entire adventuring party as a bunch of dim-witted fools who can't hear the difference between different ales in the tavern, or who can't read (braille) etc.

Their village would probably be very dull to look at (or vibrant clashing colours) since they can't see, but they might build near a brook because the sounds and smells are nicer. They might have more insulated homes to provide privacy (insulation cushions sound). They may not have windows, or they may use windows to get fresh air, but only cut "air holes" into walls. Nudity might be more commonplace since nobody can see one another normally. Perfumes and colognes could replace fashionable clothing.

There's plenty to work with really, just close your eyes (right now) and tell us what you notice.

That's really interesting! I love all of that. Thank you so much :)

[PrizeFighter23]

Mathmuse wrote:

Have you read The Country of the Blind by H. G. Wells? It is not quite appropriate, because his isolated village of blind people forgot that sight ever existed, but it does describe a few everyday aspects, such as, "Everything, you see, had been made to fit their needs; each of the radiating paths of the valley area had a constant angle to the others, and was distinguished by a special notch upon its kerbing; all obstacles and irregularities of path or meadow had long since been cleared away; all their methods and procedure arose naturally from their special needs."

I haven't read that, but I feel like that's an excellent place to start. Thank you for the suggestion!

[Xiphose]

A funny npc you could add is Oculus, the seer. He would 'see' into the pcs futures and provide really vague descriptions of the pcs doing things such as 'the male with the hair and the weapon will harm another soon' but you gotta make him over the top and confident in every answer he offers.

[VoodistMonk]

Ropes and rails along all the roads and trails to keep them from meandering into the marsh.

All the low hanging branches are cut away, doorways are kept tall, shelves are built into walls rather than sticking out of them, the whole town is like when someone has their first child and baby-proofs the house.

An overwhelming lack of visual art. What may be beautiful sculptures to them are formless lumps of clay to you, but I would imagine they could have rather amazing, yet somewhat discombobulated gardens, organized by smells not colors or types.

A creepy cult that goes out and recruits new members to the village by kidnapping blind children or blinding children then taking them. Maybe every so often a traveling merchant gets absorbed by the village, never to be heard from again, and other traveling merchants spread rumors about avoiding the village if at all possible.

Have the food be incredibly delicious yet looks like pig slop.

Things like notches in rails and knots in guide ropes to tell them which path they are on. Different types of patterns in the rocks or materials used for paths and roads is a really good idea as well.

No business hours because they don't care if the sun is up or down. No candles or lanterns. No mirrors, either.

Depending on how secluded they are, and how purposeful that seclusion is, there may be a lot of people using familiars or animal companions for assistance or communication with the outside world.

[PrizeFighter23]

VoodistMonk wrote:

Ropes and rails along all the roads and trails to keep them from meandering into the marsh.

All the low hanging branches are cut away, doorways are kept tall, shelves are built into walls rather than sticking out of them, the whole town is like when someone has their first child and baby-proofs the house.

An overwhelming lack of visual art. What may be beautiful sculptures to them are formless lumps of clay to you, but I would imagine they could have rather amazing, yet somewhat discombobulated gardens, organized by smells not colors or types.

A creepy cult that goes out and recruits new members to the village by kidnapping blind children or blinding children then taking them. Maybe every so often a traveling merchant gets absorbed by the village, never to be heard from again, and other traveling merchants spread rumors about avoiding the village if at all possible.

Have the food be incredibly delicious yet looks like pig slop.

Things like notches in rails and knots in guide ropes to tell them which path they are on. Different types of patterns in the rocks or materials used for paths and roads is a really good idea as well.

No business hours because they don't care if the sun is up or down. No candles or lanterns. No mirrors, either.

Depending on how secluded they are, and how purposeful that seclusion is, there may be a lot of people using familiars or animal companions for assistance or communication with the outside world.

Oh wow, I really like that sculpture idea! I never even considered that they would probably build tactile sculptures to their gods, instead of ones that look like anything.

Everything being pitch black at night, but people walking around like normal is also such a creepy visual (heh) to imagine. I love it.

My thought about kids was that all children are blinded at birth, in order to be guarded by the Medusa and her basilisks. If the parents refuse, then the family is exiled.

[VoodistMonk]

PrizeFighter23 wrote:

Everything being pitch black at night, but people walking around like normal is also such a creepy visual (heh) to imagine. I love it.

I see what you did there.

As for the children being blinded at birth, then these people are a creepy cult. There's a lot of play just in that alone.

I would have very large moral issues with encountering such a people that mutilate their children for the protection of monsters. A lot of my characters would take issue with both the monsters and the people mutilating their children. I would have to be convinced by my party to not immediately set up a plan to kill the monsters and any adult who tried to stop me from doing it. Then I would liberate these blind children to the nearest city, where they can make socks and scarves for the military.

[Dave Justus]

VoodistMonk wrote:

I would have very large moral issues with encountering such a people that mutilate their children for the protection of monsters.

I would need some context. Unless it was a very dangerous land though (and given the whole trade angle it doesn't seem to be) I would agree that it isn't ok. If the life expectancy in that village was better than others near it (due to things besides the Medusa and Basilisk) then it is a more complex question.

Killing everyone would be an issue though. It is quite possible, even likely, that many of the adults were themselves brought up as part of this culture, they didn't know any better, and regardless of that, if two blind parents are probably not going to be able to care for and protect their sighted child if they leave (meaning that they and the child will die) then it is certainly credible that blinding is the lesser evil.

And of course I am not sure the 'make socks and scarves' is any sort of viable plan. It is quite likely that the children will be unable to produce enough to cover their care, and even if they could, there would certainly be other dangers unless the nearest city is quite scrupulous. If you take away their protection (as well as killing their parents), it seems to me you are morally obligated to ensure their future protection, which is more than just dumping them someplace and assuming their labor will be enough to support them.

[blahpers]

I'm digging the idea of "being born with The Sight" for once actually meaning "being born with working eyes". : )

[VoodistMonk]

This is exactly why I need people to discourage me from acting without proper perspective. Lol.

Maybe not killing all the people, but definitely the monsters. Assuming there is literally anywhere else that is safe and doesn't require blindness to enjoy that safety, then yes, the monsters have to die, today.

See, we can build fences and walls and towers and post guards and train soldiers and these wonderful things that can be done without mutilating the children. Maybe not we as the party, but this is a problem that can be solved.

There are better ways to become safe without purposefully blinding babies.

The monsters demanding such a sacrifice for their services will be dealt with accordingly.

[Shiroi]

I don't think the idea was the Medusa demanding they blind themselves for her protection, but rather that they blind themselves to protect themselves from being accidentally turned to stone while their benevolent protector turned Intruders to statues.

That in mind, I'd say finding a way to cure blindness and cure petrification, giving them the first now and access to the second for accidents, and then asking the Medusa to use this relatively comfortable face mask to protect them from herself would be perhaps a clean answer for this town.

I'd say you won't see many sharp corners (inside or out) in this village. Everything is rounded or beveled in some way to avoid minor bumps being more painful than needed. Nicer stuff is also padded in some way, the best coffee table in town is a piece of wood that's flat on top and has pillows belted to every side.

[Thunderlord]

The mayor can actually see! He just bluffs his way into office.
I think it'd be funny if the town was collectively racist despite their lack of vision. Hatred is blind in this town.

[VoodistMonk]

Having them be racist despite not being able to see is actually pretty brilliant and adds a level of depth to how well characters can submerse themselves in your created environment.

Just like people causally walking around conducting business as normal in the depths of the night.

It's unnatural and bazaar, just like racism (especially without the ability to see). But yeah, I think that is an element people can sadly relate to an recognize and now you're there dealing with imaginary ignorant blind people in an imaginary swamp village, but you're in it, you're there experiencing it. It's good development of your setting.

Obviously it's something that should be used as little as possible and tactfully in regards to the people at and around your table, but Thunderlord has a good idea that adds depth to the story.

[Cavall]

Things I think would add flavour.

Things that make sound as a way of signaling attention. Like.. every door has a different bell on it.

Knots in rope, to indicate lengths.

No paint anywhere.

Clothes that are mismatched but clearly used for comfort or purpose over style.

Worn marks in buildings where people have traced hands over the sides over and over enough to make grooves.

Flowers that are grown by scent and tactile feel over visuals, but none with thorns.

An immaculate sense of cleanliness, to avoid hazards in every street and home. There's no such thing as even a shoe out of place at the doorways.

Places of worship that use Braille or song over text. Smaller idols over statues so people can touch them rather than gaze on them.

No flags or signs. No windows unless a breeze picks up and people air the homes out.

All ranged weapons are things like nets that physically tell you if you hit, allowing you to drag the enemy down.. or something with rope like harpoons. Something that connects them so they can always tell where it is once it's hit.

No open flames.

Just a few ideas.

[Ryze Kuja]

Rather than using walking sticks to find their way around town, the citizens have learned to use echolocation, similar to a dolphin or a bat, and demonstrate this by "thlocking" their tongue to make noise, and then using their hearing they can tell the exact location of obstacles (like buggies, fences, houses, etc) from them.

I would imagine that these citizens would be extremely familiar with their own town, so they would only "thlock" every once in a while, whenever they think something is out of place. So they wouldn't thlock constantly, just when they think they need to.

[VoodistMonk]

During the course of a characters adventure, one can "learn" through feats how to use blindesnse... it would be pretty easy to understand everyone there having something similar after a lifetime without sight.

How big is this village?

[Scott Wilhelm]

Perhaps a nearby duke is interested in having an armies of Blind Soldiers for tactical advantages and wants to levy some of the able-bodied amongst them. Perhaps that training is going on with or without some feudal burden, and there are plenty of Blind Soldiers with Greater Blindfighting, Tremorsense, and/or Scent working with Alchemists throwing Smokesticks and opening Eversmoking Bottles.

[PrizeFighter23]

Just got a chance to check back on all of this. I want to thank everyone so much for the ideas and conversation!

As for how the players react to the people of the village, I definitely want it to be a moral dilemma for them. The Medusa in control won't attack the players. She allows people to come and go from the town, and sometimes will have her assistant pass out blindfolds to them so that she can meet them and thank them for coming and spending money in the town.

If the players choose to attack her because she's "technically evil", they could end her reign over the town, but it's like someone said previously, this is the life that everyone there knows. They're happy and safe there. The children born there have literally never known sight. The swamps surrounding their home are full of hostile lizardfolk, goblin tribes, giants, etc. Relocating every citizen from the town to the closest "normal" colony would be a major task, as it would be about ~100 blind adults and several children, not to mention that many of them will flat out just refuse to go anywhere.

[Scrapper]

There was an episode of SyFy's Killjoys last season similar to that.
Season 3, Episode 3 "The Hullen Have Eyes"