Day 19 Prompt: Desire
Week 4 Prompt: Instinct
Weekday Prompt: Full of Woe
A desire is a type of wish. And for Day 19 of the RPGaDAY 2026 Challenge, the prompt provided by the organizers is Desire. I was tempted to just post a YouTube video of the U2 song Desire, but I didn’t know how well that would go down.
So, the following is a system agnostic plot post that could be used with Dungeons and Dragons, Basic Fantasy, Castles and Crusades, Fantasy Age, BareBones Fantasy or your favorite flavor for fantasy.
The Well of Desires
Located in a very remote location of the gamemaster’s choice, lies a secret well called the Well of Desires. Scholars have speculated that it magically moves after so many uses such as drinking or wishing. This may be to keep it from remaining in control of a single individual or group for too long or to spread the confusion around.
The origin of the well is unknown. One legend states it was wished into existence from a greedy individual desiring more wishes. Another theory offered by the research wizard, Tovark, is that agents of chaos placed the well on this plane of existence in order to cause strife and confusion that could be harnessed for wild magic. Aalaanbar the Wise believed it was a punishment from the gods to mortals for messing with magics that should have been left untouched.
Seekers will know that they have found the Well of Desires by the metal plaque attached to an ordinary looking stone curb. The plaque reads “After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.” The plaque will be readable by any creature with the ability to read in their own language. The well itself cannot be damaged by magical or non-magical means. The roof cover never burns; the crank and handle will always lower the rope and bucket down to a clear reservoir of water. If retrieved, this water will always be clean and clear regardless of the environment in which the well is located, whether desert, arctic, jungle, ruins, or otherwise. Some have sworn that the waters have healing properties, but this has not been confirmed. If anything other than the bucket or a coin enters the well, the item is immediately returned to the area around the structure.
Researchers and scholars have discovered that different coins thrown into the well can result in different wishes. Tovark was asked to research the well and provided this correspondence to his former traveling companion before he retired from adventuring life.
Exalted Tanas
I am writing in response to your request for information on the Well of Desire. I thank you for challenges such as this. I was able to pour over several scrolls, tomes, and books that I had collected within my grand library searching for nuggets of information on this unique artifact. I was not aware of the impact this device has had on the various kingdoms that we had previously adventured through.
There are two factors regarding this well. One, it never stays in one place. A report placed it at the desert oasis of Al-Kalan, a second report dated much earlier reported two goblin tribes fighting over the waters of the well in the south swamplands. A Halfling merchant named Winkel Canterbottom claimed he saw the well disappear after two individuals had thrown their coins into the well before him. He was quite irate as the effort to reach the location had not been an easy one.
The Mayor of Lower West Shireton claimed that he acquired his post from the Well of Desires. He had thrown in a copper piece and requested that he become king. Well, as fate had it, he was the king of a small hamlet with seventeen residents and 47 goats. The residents don’t want any other leader but him.
Batherly Silverwind, an elvish baker living in the Grand City of Roses, tossed in a copper coin wishing for wealth. The good news is that her business boomed with many taverns and inns ordering her goods. The bad news is she must run her ovens for eighteen hours a day to keep up with demand.
You may have heard of Korth the Sly by his many wanted posters hung over many different kingdoms. Apparently, he had tossed in a silver coin requesting to become famous. Now he regrets that wish as he has no anonymity.
Another famous individual that you may have heard of was Walter the Great, a fencer from the coastal kingdom of Tir. One gold coin combined with a wish to be the unmatched in battle has resulted in a battle with loneliness. No one will duel him because they know that they will loose.
If you recall your history lessons, Jehanne Darc was the military genius who led her troops into battle, eventually overthrowing the dark tyrant Donnicus Marx. I came across a scroll about her father claiming that he had tossed a platinum coin into a strange well and requested to save the world. Apparently that wish was granted from the daughter he raised by himself.
It’s not just the standard coins that have different levels of effects. According to my research, a wish on a bent coin will result in companions that assist the individual with their quest. A counterfeit coin will randomly steal another wish from another individual and grant it to the user. This is how one warrior discovered that he was immune to bee stings. In a desperate need, a traveler tossed in a wooden token from a carnival and wished for a horse. He received his steed but discovered that it would sing while traveling. A greedy merchant had been shaving his gold coins to use the dust for other purchases. He tossed one into the well and asked for wealth. Later he discovered that throughout his life, each night a random number of coins would just disappear out of his treasury despite all his efforts to secure them.
One of the most interesting tidbits that I came across was the wish of a half-coin. A coin broken in half grants the same wish to both holders of the coin. This caused some confusion when the two holders had different goals.
I know your quest for knowledge is not for ill purposes. But the timing makes me raise an eyebrow. Venoma had a similar line of questions and it sounded like his kids may be involved. I wonder if they may have discovered the latest location of The Well of Desire. If so, we need to stop them before they unleash any wild magic on the lands.
Your faithful companion,
Tovark
Oh, and if you have the earworm from reading the intro to this post. Here you go.
So, did I spark any imagination from you? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.