Ranger Backstory Generator: Ground, Quarry and One Lost Trail

Press New backstory for a ranger's ground, who they answer to, what they track and the trail they lost.

Ranger Backstory Generator: Ground, Quarry and One Lost Trail: 30 backstories

Ranges the tree line, from the last pine to the first bare rock. Answers to a wage that still arrives, from no one they can name. Tracks a prize ram with a bell and no sense of direction. Travels with a packhorse that stops at every forge out of habit. Still thinks about a trail of torn paper that one gale scattered. Carries a bundle of pine torches for marking a crossing at night.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

Rangesthe tree line, from the last pine to the first bare rock
Answers toa wage that still arrives, from no one they can name
Tracksa prize ram with a bell and no sense of direction
Travels witha packhorse that stops at every forge out of habit
Still thinks abouta trail of torn paper that one gale scattered
Carriesa bundle of pine torches for marking a crossing at night

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Backstory of the day

Ranges the tree line, from the last pine to the first bare rock. Answers to a wage that still arrives, from no one they can name. Tracks a prize ram with a bell and no sense of direction. Travels with a packhorse that stops at every forge out of habit. Still thinks about a trail of torn paper that one gale scattered. Carries a bundle of pine torches for marking a crossing at night.
Ranges a cirque like an amphitheatre with nobody in the seats. Answers to a meeting of hill farmers on the first fine day of spring. Tracks timber thieves who take one tree a year, always the best. Travels with a ferret that is first into every hollow log. Still thinks about a stranger who returned their lost scarf and gave no name. Carries a birch bark box of dried mushrooms, marked twice.
Ranges an esker that makes a dry road through wet country. Answers to the reeve of a manor that is mostly hillside. Tracks the snow line as it climbs the hill each spring. Travels with a scent hound that has never once hurried. Still thinks about footprints on a beach, lost to one tide. Carries a walking stick with inches burned down one side.
Ranges a water meadow flooded on purpose every winter. Answers to the charcoal burners, who pay in fuel and good turns. Tracks the beavers, pond by pond, as the valley changes shape. Travels with a pony that walks through bogs it should sink in. Still thinks about a single ski track down a slope no one could ski. Carries a bed roll of plaited straw that doubles as a doormat.
Ranges a chain of seven beacon hills, each in sight of the next. Answers to a string of hut keepers, a day's walk apart. Tracks ducks that walked off a farm in a straight line. Travels with a goshawk that will come to no fist but theirs. Still thinks about snowshoe prints that circled their own camp in the night. Carries a notebook in a tin box, written only in pencil.
Ranges a shingle beach nine miles long with one hut on it. Answers to a retired gardener who sends seeds and firm instructions. Tracks a prize ram with a bell and no sense of direction. Travels with a terrier that cannot pass a puddle without a quarrel. Still thinks about a trail they lost while stopping to help a toad across. Carries a wicker creel used for bread, not fish.
Ranges a steppe that the marmots have dug into a city. Answers to a painter who pays to keep one view unchanged. Tracks the smoke of a fire they have never found. Travels with a peregrine that will fly only from the highest rock. Still thinks about bare footprints that ended in the middle of a turned field. Carries a ledger of every gate and stile, with its last repair.
Ranges a heath that burns one year in ten and blooms the next. Answers to a guild of bridge wardens with one bridge between them. Tracks a prize ram with a bell and no sense of direction. Travels with a packhorse that stops at every forge out of habit. Still thinks about the fork where they went left on a feeling. Carries a measuring cord knotted at every pace.
Ranges a heath that burns one year in ten and blooms the next. Answers to a royal surveyor who wants every stream named. Tracks a badger whose path crosses the road at the same stone. Travels with a peregrine that comes down like a dropped stone. Still thinks about a runaway who sent a postcard a year later. Carries a watch with only an hour hand, which is near enough.
Ranges the common, and every path that crosses it. Answers to a library that owns a forest and lends it out. Tracks a light that crosses the moor on windless nights. Travels with a merlin that weighs less than their gloves. Still thinks about tracks that went up a tree and did not come down. Carries a pot of yellow paint for blazes, put on with a thumb.
Ranges a lake that freezes hard enough for wagons. Answers to a string of hut keepers, a day's walk apart. Tracks a light that crosses the moor on windless nights. Travels with a ferret that dances sideways whenever a trail is fresh. Still thinks about signs they explained away as badgers. Carries a coat lined with the pages of a rule book they outgrew.
Ranges a valley so steep that the hay comes down it on wires. Answers to a company of salt merchants who want their wells kept sweet. Tracks the spring flowers up the valley, a village a day. Travels with a reindeer that is never cold and never lost. Still thinks about a set of prints with a third foot every seventh step. Carries a pole for vaulting ditches, with a flat wooden foot.
Ranges a border river with a different name on each bank. Answers to a foresters' guild with a very long rule book. Tracks a prize ram with a bell and no sense of direction. Travels with a pack goat that will go where no pony can. Still thinks about a trail marked with knots tied in the long grass. Carries spare soles cut from an old saddle.
Ranges a heath that burns one year in ten and blooms the next. Answers to nobody, though they still file reports in a hollow tree. Tracks the walker who signs every visitors' book with a new name. Travels with a packhorse that stops at every forge out of habit. Still thinks about a carter who followed one runaway wheel over a ridge. Carries spare soles cut from an old saddle.
Ranges the dew ponds on a chalk down. Answers to nobody since the fort was abandoned. Tracks a badger whose path crosses the road at the same stone. Travels with a sheepdog that rounds up lost hikers. Still thinks about tracks a spring flood washed out below the stepping stones. Carries a level made from a glass bottle and a bubble.
Ranges a coppice cut in turn, one block each winter. Answers to the reeve of a manor that is mostly hillside. Tracks where the cloud sits on the hill at nightfall. Travels with a ferret that is first into every hollow log. Still thinks about a trail of bent grass that closed behind as they watched. Carries a wind vane carved like a running hare.
Ranges the dew ponds on a chalk down. Answers to whoever holds the long staff this year. Tracks a fox that has learned to open gates. Travels with a mule that will cross any bridge but one. Still thinks about whoever lit a signal fire on the wrong hill. Carries a ledger of every gate and stile, with its last repair.
Ranges an old post road with no town left at the end of it. Answers to a name on a brass plate that nobody living has met. Tracks a band of players who left a debt at every lodging. Travels with an ox that pulls the winter sleigh and sets the pace. Still thinks about a trail the first snow covered an hour too soon. Carries a hat with its brim widened in tent canvas.
Ranges a valley so steep that the hay comes down it on wires. Answers to a learned society that sends one question a year. Tracks children who went to find the end of a rainbow. Travels with a terrier that cannot pass a puddle without a quarrel. Still thinks about the old sailor who said he was going back to see the sea. Carries wrist warmers made from the tops of two odd socks.
Ranges a salt road, forty miles of it, and the wells along it. Answers to a clockmaker who wants a flag dropped at noon exactly. Tracks a path that is only there in frost. Travels with a pony that walks through bogs it should sink in. Still thinks about snowshoe prints that circled their own camp in the night. Carries a wicker creel used for bread, not fish.
Ranges a shingle beach nine miles long with one hut on it. Answers to the keeper of the king's swans, by letter only. Tracks a fox that has learned to open gates. Travels with a mule that will cross any bridge but one. Still thinks about a path trodden in a perfect circle a mile across. Carries a coat lined with the pages of a rule book they outgrew.
Ranges a moor where the only landmark is the weather. Answers to their own conscience, which is strict. Tracks plum thieves with very small hands. Travels with a donkey with long ears and a temper to match. Still thinks about footprints on a beach, lost to one tide. Carries a pot of yellow paint for blazes, put on with a thumb.
Ranges a birch wood on the edge of last year's burn. Answers to a learned society that sends one question a year. Tracks wolves that circle the fold once and take nothing. Travels with a donkey that carries the flour and steals the apples. Still thinks about a set of prints with a third foot every seventh step. Carries pattens for the worst of the mud.
Ranges a causeway older than anyone's grandmother's stories. Answers to a magistrate who was a ranger once and misses it. Tracks the spring flowers up the valley, a village a day. Travels with a donkey that sings at dawn whether asked or not. Still thinks about tracks that kept exactly one day ahead for a month. Carries a red blanket to spread on a hillside as a signal.
Ranges the march, a day's ride wide, that two crowns both tax. Answers to whoever holds the long staff this year. Tracks timber thieves who take one tree a year, always the best. Travels with a flock guardian dog as big as the sheep. Still thinks about tracks they took for last week's, which were an hour old. Carries a wicker creel used for bread, not fish.
Ranges a steppe that the marmots have dug into a city. Answers to a learned society that sends one question a year. Tracks a tax collector who took the wrong turning. Travels with a mule that will cross any bridge but one. Still thinks about bare footprints that ended in the middle of a turned field. Carries a lean-to sheet sewn from flour sacks.
Ranges a cirque like an amphitheatre with nobody in the seats. Answers to a meeting of hill farmers on the first fine day of spring. Tracks a post rider who is a month behind the mail. Travels with a sheepdog retired from sheep, not from herding. Still thinks about a trail that ran straight through a standing wall. Carries a glue pot that has outlived three brushes.
Ranges a causeway older than anyone's grandmother's stories. Answers to a judge three valleys away who settles everything by post. Tracks an owl the size of a child, or so they swear. Travels with a ferret that lives in the left sleeve. Still thinks about a thread of smoke the rain put out. Carries a needle case made from a goose quill and a cork.
Ranges a water meadow flooded on purpose every winter. Answers to a company of salt merchants who want their wells kept sweet. Tracks smugglers who carry nothing but buttons. Travels with a pack goat that bleats at every stranger on the path. Still thinks about two sets of tracks that became one and then none. Carries a map of their whole ground inked on a window blind.
Ranges a moor where the only landmark is the weather. Answers to the cloth merchants of a town they have never visited. Tracks plum thieves with very small hands. Travels with a ferret that steals the breakfast and returns the spoon. Still thinks about a carter who followed one runaway wheel over a ridge. Carries a coat lined with the pages of a rule book they outgrew.

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Ranges: all 60 grounds

High ground 12

a chain of seven beacon hills, each in sight of the next A line of hilltops into the distance, an iron fire basket on a pole on the nearest.
a cirque like an amphitheatre with nobody in the seats A scooped hollow under a peak, ledges like rows of seats and mist where the stage would be.
a moraine like a wall nobody built A long heap of boulders and gravel across a valley, left by ice long gone.

Show all 60 grounds (57 more)

High ground, continued

a pass closed nine months of the year A notch between two peaks, a pole marked in bands to show the depth of the drift.
a scree slope that rearranges itself every spring A fan of broken rock under a cliff and a thin path redrawn across it each year.
a valley so steep that the hay comes down it on wires Bundles sliding down a long cable from a high meadow to a barn roof far below.
the bare hill under a tor shaped like a stack of pancakes A stack of rounded slabs on a bare hilltop, mist tearing past it, a ranger small beside it.
the ridge between two valleys that do not speak Two villages far below, one on each side, and a figure walking the skyline between.
the snowfields under a peak nobody has troubled to name A white apron below a dark summit and one line of steps kicked across it.
the summer pastures, and the huts that stand empty in winter Low stone huts on a high green shelf, doors propped shut with rocks.
three summits and the saddles that join them A skyline like the back of a sleeping animal, a path along its spine.
the tree line, from the last pine to the first bare rock A row of bent small trees and then nothing but stone. Draw them standing where it changes.

Woods and chases 12

a birch wood on the edge of last year's burn White trunks on one side, black ground on the other, green beginning between.
a chase with no fence, bounded by a brook and a highway Open heath and clearings among old trees, a stream on one side and a road on the other.
a coppice cut in turn, one block each winter Stumps sprouting straight poles in squares of different heights, like a quilt.
a firebreak forty paces wide and a day's walk long A bare strip ruled through dark trees to the horizon.
a hazel wood kept for the hurdle makers Bundles of cut rods stacked along a ride, tied with twisted bark.
a larch wood that goes bare every autumn, needles and all Bare straight conifers over a floor of fallen needles, a ranger brushing off a shoulder.
a pine forest with one road in and the same road out Tall straight trunks either side of a single sandy track, narrowing to a point.
a royal forest with more poachers than trees Old trees, a boundary bank and a great many sets of footprints.
a windbreak of old yews a mile long and one tree wide A dark hedge of great trees marching across open fields.
a wood planted in rows for a fleet that was never built Great trees in ruler-straight lines, all the same age, and a ranger walking one row.
a wood so thick that noon needs a candle One spot of sky far overhead and a path felt for with the feet.
an oak wood where each tree has a number and a name Small tin tags on trunks, and a ranger greeting one in passing.

Fen, marsh and water 12

a causeway older than anyone's grandmother's stories A raised track across wet ground, ruled straight, with water on both sides.
a chain of mill ponds stepping down a valley Pools one below another behind stone dams, a wheel turning at each.
a fen they patrol by punt in summer and on skates in winter Reeds, black water and a ranger poling a flat boat, skates slung round the neck.
a lake shore, right round, a walk of three days A long curve of pebbles and reeds, the far shore faint, a ranger with a bedroll.
a lake that freezes hard enough for wagons Wheel ruts crossing white ice toward a far shore.
a peat bog where the cuttings fill with sky Dark trenches in a brown plain, each a strip of bright water.
a river with nine fords, each safe on different days A row of stepping posts across brown water, the far ones under the surface.
a salt marsh with ninety creeks and a plank over each Silver creeks branching like roots through dull green flats.
a towpath, both banks, as far as the seventh lock A flat path beside still water and the worn groove of a tow rope on a bridge.
a water meadow flooded on purpose every winter Sheets of shallow water over grass, crossed by low banks and small sluices.
an estuary whose channels change with every storm A river fraying into the sea and a boat pulled up on the mud.
the reed beds where two rivers meet Tall plumes over the head and a gap just wide enough for a punt.

Roads and borders 12

a border river with a different name on each bank Two painted boards facing each other across the water, a different name on each.
a cliff path with the sea on the left hand all the way out A worn path a pace from a cliff edge, gulls wheeling below and a ranger leaning into the wind.
a drove road worn green by a hundred years of cattle A broad grassy way between banks, cropped short by passing herds.
a hollow way so deep that wagons pass unseen A track worn far below the fields, only the top of a load showing above the bank.
a line of boundary stones, one hundred and twelve of them Squat carved stones marching over a hill, each with a number.
a mountain road with a refuge hut every league A small stone hut with firewood stacked ready and a bell under the eaves.
a salt road, forty miles of it, and the wells along it Pack trails worn hollow, a well head with a stone trough at each day's end.
a toll road, from the first gate to the last A white gate across a road and a keeper's window beside it.
an old post road with no town left at the end of it Waymarks cut in stones along a track, the last one pointing at empty hill.
the common, and every path that crosses it Open grazing land, a pond, a dozen trodden lines meeting at a post.
the march, a day's ride wide, that two crowns both tax A border stone with a different crest on each face, both freshly painted.
the old straight track that newer roads avoid Grass over paving, running straight on where the modern road bends.

Open and empty country 12

a cold desert of gravel and wind Stones polished on one side, a cairn, a horizon like a ruled line.
a field of dunes with a fence half buried in it Crescent hills of sand with ripples on them and a row of post tops.
a heath that burns one year in ten and blooms the next Purple and gold scrub with a few charred stems still standing in it.
a moor where the only landmark is the weather Low heather to every horizon and a cloud shadow sliding over it.
a shingle beach nine miles long with one hut on it A bank of rounded pebbles, a tarred hut and a boat hauled above the tide.
a steppe that the marmots have dug into a city Burrow mouths and heaps of dug earth across a plain of grass, a plump short-tailed animal beside each.
an esker that makes a dry road through wet country A long winding gravel ridge with a path along its crest and pools on both sides.
badlands of clay gullies that swallow every path Bare ribbed slopes and dry channels, a ranger leading a walker through on foot.
the dew ponds on a chalk down A round shallow pond on a bare hilltop with worn tracks leading to it.
karst country, where the streams go underground A dry valley, a hole in the ground and the sound of water far below.
the strip between the last farm and the first ice A dry stone wall, then rough grass, then the dirty blue snout of a glacier.
tundra where the ground itself is frozen Low mossy plain, a few flowers no higher than a boot and no tree at all.

Answers to: all 60 employers

Crown and courts 12

a border commission that cannot agree where the border is A table of maps with two different lines inked on each.
a court of verderers that meets twice a year Four old officials at a table under an oak, and a ranger with a hat in both hands.
a crown office that pays in postage and promises A small purse, a larger letter and a ranger weighing one in each hand.

Show all 60 employers (57 more)

Crown and courts, continued

a judge three valleys away who settles everything by post A leather satchel of letters and a ranger reading a ruling aloud to a hedge.
a magistrate who was a ranger once and misses it An old man at a window, asking after particular trees.
a queen who has never seen the place A sealed letter read by a campfire, the wax bigger than the news.
a royal surveyor who wants every stream named A long list of names on a scroll, half crossed out and written again.
a sheriff who would rather not know the details A door closing politely on a report still being given.
a treasury clerk who counts the boots they wear out A requisition for one pair of soles, returned with a question.
a warden who rides the bounds once every spring Two riders on a ridge, one pointing, one nodding and writing nothing down.
the keeper of the king's swans, by letter only A parchment with a great seal and a list of swans by name.
the reeve of a manor that is mostly hillside A man with a ledger at a farm gate, counting hens that will not stand still.

Companies and guilds 12

a canal company that owns both banks and nothing else A lock keeper's cottage with a company crest and a very neat hedge.
a company of salt merchants who want their wells kept sweet Mules at a trough and a merchant tasting water from a ladle.
a drovers' guild that meets wherever the herd stops A ring of hats round a fire, cattle beyond, business done standing.
a foresters' guild with a very long rule book A thick book on a strap and a thumb keeping a place in it.
a guild of bridge wardens with one bridge between them Five keys on five belts and a single arch over a stream.
a learned society that sends one question a year A single line on a card, and a year's walking implied in it.
a mining company interested only in the road out Ore carts on a mountain track and an overseer checking a watch.
a road trust that argues over every stone it lays A row of worthy people in coats inspecting one pothole.
a timber company that wants trees counted, not kept A tally of trunks chalked on a log, and a ranger's flat stare.
a toll company that pays in arrears A gatekeeper's window, a ledger and a ranger's boots worn through at the toe.
the charcoal burners, who pay in fuel and good turns A smoking turf-covered mound in a clearing and a sack left at the path.
the cloth merchants of a town they have never visited A bale mark on a letter and a ranger turning it over for clues.

The people of the place 12

a council of beekeepers who notice everything Hives along a wall and a row of veiled figures, all facing the ranger.
a meeting of hill farmers on the first fine day of spring Sticks leaning in a stack and a ranger giving the news of the hill.
a string of hut keepers, a day's walk apart A lamp in a small window and a ladle of soup handed out through a half door.
a water bailiff with a boat and strong opinions A flat boat in the reeds and a finger pointed at a weir.
the commoners, all four hundred of them, at one meeting A crowded barn, every hand up, and a ranger at the front with a map.
the hayward of the largest parish, a hedge man to the core A man examining a hedge very closely while a ranger waits.
the miller, because the mill is where everyone talks A dusty doorway, a turning wheel and half the valley's gossip.
the oldest grandmother in the high village A doorstep, a stool and a report given loudly and twice.
the pound keeper, who has run out of room for strays A walled pen full of other people's animals and a hopeful face at the gate.
the schoolmistress, who files their reports as lessons A slate on a wall with the ranger's daily notes copied out by children.
seven villages, in strict rotation A list of seven names nailed in a hut, a chalk tick beside this month's.
whoever holds the long staff this year A carved staff passed across a table from one household to the next.

Nobody, more or less 12

a post that was never filled above them An office door with a blank nameplate and a ranger knocking out of habit.
a predecessor's notebook A thick book of small handwriting, consulted like a superior officer.
a wage that still arrives, from no one they can name A purse on a doorstep on the first of the month, and no footprints.
an agreement shaken on beside a gate, long ago Two weathered hands and a gatepost with a notch cut at the height of the handshake.
the land itself, they say, and mean it A palm laid flat on a boulder the way one might greet a horse.
the last order they were given, eleven years ago A worn page in an inside pocket, unfolded along creases that have gone white.
the next ranger along, who answers to them Two figures on neighbouring hilltops, each saluting the other.
nobody since the fort was abandoned An empty gatehouse with a swallow's nest in it and a duty list still pinned by the door.
nobody, though they still file reports in a hollow tree A stack of folded papers in a dry hollow, the oldest gone soft.
their own conscience, which is strict A ranger alone on a hill arguing quietly with nobody.
the weather, which gives the only orders that matter A hat pulled down and a change of direction without a word.
whoever asks politely A stranger at a stile with a question and a ranger already turning to help.

Stranger masters 12

a child who inherited the whole valley last year A small figure in a big chair, listening to a report very seriously.
a clockmaker who wants a flag dropped at noon exactly A ranger on a hilltop with a watch in one hand and a flag in the other.
a committee that exists only on market days A table between stalls, three chairs and a ranger waiting for the third to fill.
a company of ravens, or so the villages believe Black birds on a wall in a row, and a ranger tipping a hat to them.
a library that owns a forest and lends it out A book stamp on a tree tag, and a due date nobody enforces.
a lighthouse board that has mislaid its lighthouse A lamp-room sign nailed over a plain doorway, polished anyway.
a name on a brass plate that nobody living has met A plate on a gatepost, green at the edges, the letters rubbed nearly flat.
a painter who pays to keep one view unchanged An easel on a hillside and a ranger moving a fallen branch out of the picture.
a retired gardener who sends seeds and firm instructions Paper packets in a parcel and a ranger reading a long letter on a bare slope.
an almanac maker who pays in weather forecasts A desk of printed tables and a finger pointing through the window at tomorrow's cloud.
the ferry guild, which thinks bridges a passing fashion A ferryman on a landing stage, arms folded, back turned to a new stone bridge.
twin sisters who each own half the hill Two houses, two chimneys and a line of white stones exactly between them.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. No real park service, border force, regiment or company is named. The old offices used here are real ones, checked on 2026-10-01 against Wikipedia: verderers, who kept the law of a royal forest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verderer), the reeve of a manor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reeve_(England)), the hayward or hedge warden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayward_(profession)), the keeper of a pound for stray animals (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_pound), the water bailiff (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_bailiff), a trust that kept a toll road (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnpike_trust), charcoal burners (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcoal_burner) and drovers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drovers%27_road). The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Tracks: all 60 quarries

Animals 12

a badger whose path crosses the road at the same stone A narrow trodden line through grass, under a fence and over the cobbles.
a bear that visits the hives every ninth night A hive lid set carefully to one side and a sticky print on the wall.
a fox that has learned to open gates A latch lifted by a nose, drawn in three small pictures.

Show all 60 quarries (57 more)

Animals, continued

a lynx that sits on the same rock every dusk, watching One round print in mud below a boulder, no claw marks, and a ranger measuring it with a hand.
a stag with a broken antler, for nine seasons now One tall branching antler and one short, against the light.
an otter that empties the eel baskets and folds the nets A net laid out tidy on a bank and a whiskered head watching from the water.
the beavers, pond by pond, as the valley changes shape Fresh pale shavings round a stump cut to a point.
the eagle pair that nests one crag further each year A heap of sticks on a ledge and a telescope propped on a boulder far below.
the hares as they come down ahead of the first snow A line of long ears over a ridge and a sky as dark as slate.
wild boar that dig up the same field every October Turf turned over in long rows as if by a very untidy farmer.
wild ponies that graze a different hill each week Manes and dust on a hillside and a tally started over for the fifth time.
wolves that circle the fold once and take nothing Paw prints circling a fold once, neatly, and going away in single file.

People 12

a band of players who left a debt at every lodging Cart ruts, a dropped paper crown and a poster for last week's show.
a hermit who moves house whenever found A cold fire ring swept clean and a thank-you note under a stone.
a lost survey party and their brass instruments Three sets of boot prints and the round dents of a tripod, repeated up a valley.
a post rider who is a month behind the mail A bag strap snagged on a thorn and a trail of dropped envelopes like bread crumbs.
a tax collector who took the wrong turning Fine town shoes printed deep in a bog, heading firmly the wrong way.
plum thieves with very small hands A shaken plum tree by a wall and child-sized prints in the dew.
poachers, who are mostly somebody's cousin A cap on a bush and a ranger looking the other way for exactly one minute.
smugglers who carry nothing but buttons Small footprints of a loaded mule and one bright button on a stone.
timber thieves who take one tree a year, always the best A fresh stump among old ones and a drag mark toward the river.
two runaway apprentices and a borrowed cart Narrow wheel marks wandering from ditch to ditch.
the walker who signs every visitors' book with a new name A row of books open at the same handwriting.
whoever keeps mending the stile in the night New pale rails among the old and no one to thank.

The lost and strayed 12

a balloon and its two passengers A wicker basket in a treetop and a silk cloud draped over the wood.
a caravan that left the road to save a day Wheel ruts leaving a paved track for a slope of loose stones.
a carnival horse that ran off, still in ribbons A white ribbon on a bramble and deep prints at a gallop.
a flock driven off by thunder in the night Wool on every fence for a mile and a lamb answering from a ditch.
a lamb that climbs until it cannot get down A small shape on a ledge and a coil of line being shaken out below.
a prize ram with a bell and no sense of direction A faint clank in the mist and a ranger turning to listen, first one way, then the other.
a shepherd's dog that went home to the wrong valley A dog on a ridge looking both ways and a far whistle on the wind.
an old man who walks to a village that is gone A neat line of stick marks and footprints to a field of nettles.
children who went to find the end of a rainbow Two small coats on a gatepost and a line of trampled wet grass.
ducks that walked off a farm in a straight line A row of webbed prints across three fields and under a hedge.
forty strayed goats, one valley at a time Small cloven prints fanning out at a river and a ranger sighing at the far bank.
hikers who trusted a shortcut somebody described Boot prints leaving a good path at a pointing hand somebody chalked on a rock.

Slow things 12

a snow bridge, to say when it will no longer bear weight A white arch over a dark crack and a long pole probing it from the side.
the bank a river eats, a hand's width a year A row of dated posts along a meadow, the oldest already standing in water.
boundary stones that someone moves a pace a year A carved stone, a patch of pale grass beside it and a measuring cord.
the edge of the quicksand, which wanders A line of flagged poles across a wet shore and one leaning at an angle.
erosion on a path that ten thousand boots have worn A track cut knee deep into a hillside, with new stone steps going in.
the first swallow, and writes down the day A notebook column of dates and a bird drawn very small beside each.
the frost, noting which pond skins over first A fingertip testing the edge of a pool at dawn.
the line of last year's fire, to see what grows back Black trunks, bright green sprouts and a stake driven in at the edge.
the snow line as it climbs the hill each spring A white edge halfway up a green slope and a ranger pacing off the gap.
the spring flowers up the valley, a village a day A sprig in a hatband from each place, the lowest already wilting.
where the cloud sits on the hill at nightfall A hand held level against a slope, marking the cloud's edge.
windthrow after every gale, tree by fallen tree Root plates standing on end like shields along a forest ride.

Seen by them alone 12

a bird with a call that is in no book A head tilted in a dawn wood and a page of attempts to write the sound down.
a hum in the ground near the old mine An ear to the turf, eyes shut, one finger raised for quiet.
a light that crosses the moor on windless nights A small glow low over heather and a ranger keeping a steady distance.
a path that is only there in frost A straight silver line across a field at sunrise, gone by breakfast.
a walker seen only across water, never on their side of it A small upright figure across the water, in every drawing of the journey.
a white stag only they have seen A pale shape between trunks at dusk, drawn in the paper's own white.
a wild cat with one white paw A paw print in soft earth and, on a far rock, a tail tip disappearing.
an owl the size of a child, or so they swear Two round eyes high in a bare tree and a great many doubtful listeners.
the black hare of the high pasture A dark shape sitting bolt upright in pale grass, blacker than its own shadow.
prints that begin in the middle of a snowfield A line of prints starting from nothing, with clean snow all round the first.
the smoke of a fire they have never found A thin pale thread over the same wood on the same day each year.
whatever leaves three-toed prints as wide as a spade Wide prints in soft ground and a ranger's boot set beside one for scale.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. A ranger here follows and finds: nothing in the list is harmed, and the people tracked are found, warned or sent home. Real terms were checked on 2026-10-01 against Wikipedia: a white stag (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_stag), beaver dams (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_dam), trees thrown by wind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windthrow), a snow bridge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_bridge), quicksand (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksand) and the signs an animal leaves, called spoor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoor_(animal)). The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Travels with: all 60 animals

Dogs 15

a flock guardian dog as big as the sheep A great shaggy dog lying among ewes, hard to pick out until it lifts its head.
a lurcher that outruns its own shadow uphill Legs bunched under a rough coat in mid stride, ears flat back.
a lurcher that sleeps across the door A long lean dog, part sighthound, laid like a rolled rug along a threshold.

Show all 60 animals (57 more)

Dogs, continued

a mastiff afraid of thunder A very large dog trying to fit under a very small cloak.
a pointer that points at things only it can see One forepaw lifted, tail straight out, nose aimed at an empty field.
a scent hound that follows a trail three days old Nose down, ears trailing in the dust, a long line taut behind.
a scent hound that has never once hurried Deep folds over the eyes and a ranger waiting with folded arms.
a sheepdog retired from sheep, not from herding A crouched black and white dog steering three ducks along a path.
a sheepdog that rounds up lost hikers Walkers in a tight nervous group and a dog trotting round them, pleased.
a sled dog that sleeps under the snow by choice A white mound beside the door with a black nose at the top of it.
a spaniel that brings back everything but the stick A proud wet dog holding somebody's boot.
a terrier that cannot pass a puddle without a quarrel A small wiry dog standing very square at the edge of a very small puddle.
a terrier that goes down every hole to say hello A short tail sticking out of a bank and wagging.
an otterhound that would rather swim than walk A shaggy waterproof coat moving up a river beside a ranger on the bank.
two sled dogs that disagree about left A small loaded sleigh and a tangle of traces pulled in a V.

Birds 15

a cormorant that fishes for both of them A long-necked black bird on the front of a small boat, watching the water.
a cormorant that keeps one fish in three A bird and a ranger on a riverbank, dividing a catch with great suspicion.
a golden eagle that shares the fire but not the fish A huge bird on a log at the edge of the firelight, one foot on its supper.
a golden eagle too heavy to carry far A huge bird on a padded forearm, the arm propped on a forked stick.
a goshawk that sulks on a branch when it rains A hunched hawk under a bough, back turned, the ranger holding out a tidbit.
a goshawk that will come to no fist but theirs A broad barred hawk settling on a thick glove, wings still half open.
a homing pigeon that always stops for a bath A bird in a puddle with a message tube on its leg and no sense of urgency.
a homing pigeon that carries the weekly report A small tube tied to a pink leg and a bird launched from both hands.
a kestrel raised from an egg in a hat A fluffed chick looking out from a hat lining, already cross.
a kestrel that hovers over them like a kite on a string A small falcon fanned out on the wind above a walking figure, tail spread.
a merlin that scolds them from the saddle A very small falcon on a pommel, beak open, the ranger nodding along.
a merlin that weighs less than their gloves A falcon no bigger than a thrush on one finger, feathers fluffed.
a pair of pigeons, one for good news Two wicker cages on a pack, one bird white and one slate blue.
a peregrine that comes down like a dropped stone A tiny folded shape high over a cliff and a glove raised to meet it.
a peregrine that will fly only from the highest rock A neat falcon with a black head on a crag, waiting to be asked properly.

Pack and saddle 15

a donkey that carries the flour and steals the apples Panniers on both sides and a long lip reaching into an orchard.
a donkey that sings at dawn whether asked or not A raised head, a wide mouth and a ranger with a blanket over both ears.
a donkey with long ears and a temper to match One ear forward, one ear back and a look that has already settled the matter.
a fell pony as dark as peat A small sturdy pony with a heavy mane, almost lost against a dark hillside.
a hinny, which they are tired of explaining Smaller than a mule and shorter in the ear, and just as sure of itself.
a llama that will not move when the weather is turning A long neck, a loaded back and both ears aimed at a cloud.
a mule that carries the tent and chooses the campsite A mule standing still in a good flat spot, waiting to be unloaded.
a mule that knows the way home in any fog Long ears forward in white mist and a ranger holding on to the tail.
a mule that will cross any bridge but one Four hooves planted at the first timber and a ranger pulling on nothing.
a packhorse older than the road A swaybacked horse under sidebags, placing each foot from memory.
a packhorse that stops at every forge out of habit A horse planted at a smithy door and a ranger hauling on the lead rope.
a pony that walks through bogs it should sink in A calm pony on a quaking green surface and a ranger testing each step behind.
a reindeer that is never cold and never lost A broad-hoofed beast on a white slope and a ranger walking in its tracks.
a yak that carries a month of stores up the mountain A shaggy long-haired beast loaded with sacks on a mountain path.
an ox that pulls the winter sleigh and sets the pace A broad yoke, slow steam from the nostrils and a ranger walking at its shoulder.

Small and clever 15

a barn cat that adopted the pack, then the ranger A cat asleep on a pack that is trying to be lifted.
a barn cat that keeps the stores free of mice A cat sitting upright on a sack of oats like a guard at a gate.
a cat that complains at every stream and crosses first A wet cat on the far bank, washing, while a ranger wades after it.
a cat that walks the boundary every evening, alone A small upright tail moving along the top of a wall at dusk.
a ferret that dances sideways whenever a trail is fresh A ferret in mid hop, back arched, going sideways across the path while a ranger waits.
a ferret that is first into every hollow log A log on the ground with a tail at one end and a nose at the other.
a ferret that lives in the left sleeve A cuff with a pink nose in it.
a ferret that steals the breakfast and returns the spoon A long low shape under a blanket and a spoon set neatly on a boot.
a goose that keeps watch all night and sleeps all day A wicker pannier on a ranger's back with a long white neck out of the top, fast asleep.
a pack goat that bleats at every stranger on the path A goat blocking a narrow track, head down, until introductions are made.
a pack goat that carries the kettle and eats the notes A horned goat under two small panniers, a corner of paper in its mouth.
a pack goat that will go where no pony can A goat with sidebags on a ledge, looking back with contempt.
a truffle pig that also finds lost gloves A pig trotting ahead with a mitten in its mouth.
a truffle pig that refuses to work before noon A pig asleep in a patch of sun and a ranger checking the height of it.
a truffle pig with a nose worth more than a farm A pink snout in oak leaves and a ranger on hands and knees beside it.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Every animal is a real working kind, checked on 2026-10-01 against Wikipedia: Lurcher, Scent hound, Terrier, Spaniel, Pointing dog, Otterhound, Herding dog, Livestock guardian dog, Mastiff, Sled dog, Eurasian goshawk, Peregrine falcon, Merlin (bird), Common kestrel, Golden eagle and Falconry for the trained birds, Homing pigeon, Cormorant fishing, Mule, Hinny, Donkey, Packhorse, Fell pony, Ox, Yak, Llama, Reindeer, Pack goat, Ferret, Farm cat, Guard goose and Truffle pig (each at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by its title). The habits given to each one are invented. No animal here is hurt, and none is a creature from a game. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Still thinks about: all 60 lost trails

Tracks that stopped 12

a child's prints that turned into a bird's Small boot marks in dew, then three-toed marks, then nothing.
a dotted line of dropped beads through a wood Blue glass dots among leaves, the last one just out of reach of a stream.
a single ski track down a slope no one could ski One clean line through deep snow between close trees.

Show all 60 lost trails (57 more)

Tracks that stopped, continued

a trail of bent grass that closed behind as they watched Stems slowly standing up again along a line toward the trees.
a wheelbarrow track that crossed three counties One narrow rut over hills and through fords, with a boot print beside it.
bare footprints that ended in the middle of a turned field A line of prints across furrows, the last one as clear as the first.
cart ruts that stopped at a cliff with no cart below Two grooves running to an edge and a ranger lying flat to look over.
hoofprints that went into a river and never came out Churned mud on one bank and smooth, unmarked sand on the other.
snowshoe prints that circled their own camp in the night A wide ring of webbed ovals round a tent, never coming closer.
stilt marks across a marsh, twice anyone's stride apart Pairs of small round holes in mud, spaced like a giant's steps.
two sets of tracks that became one and then none Prints side by side, then single file, then clean ground.
wet paw prints across a dry stone floor, one way only A row of dark marks down a long hall, drying from the far end.

Someone who slipped away 12

a carter who followed one runaway wheel over a ridge A cart tilted on three wheels and a small figure on the skyline, still running.
a mapmaker who walked off the edge of her own map A chart pinned to a tree with the last line of ink still wet.
a peddler whose tracks joined a road and became everyone's A crossroads of a thousand prints and a ranger turning slowly on the spot.
a runaway who sent a postcard a year later A small card with a picture of a seaside town and three words on the back.
a singer heard on four nights and never seen A hillside at dusk, a hand cupped to an ear, a tune written on a cuff.
a stranger who returned their lost scarf and gave no name A scarf tied to a field gate, shaken clean, and no one in either direction.
a woman carrying a ladder who asked no directions A figure with a ladder on one shoulder crossing a ford without slowing, seen from far behind.
an old weaver who asked the way to a pass with no name A back going up a path at evening, a stick marking time.
the old sailor who said he was going back to see the sea A small pack, a rolling walk and a river pointing the way down.
the pot mender who left one mended pan at every farm A bright pan on a doorstep in the rain and a gate still swinging.
twins who took different paths at the same fork A signpost with two arms and a ranger standing under it, unable to choose.
whoever lit a signal fire on the wrong hill A blackened ring of stones on a summit with a view of nothing in particular.

Lost to weather 12

a line of cairns that an avalanche rearranged A fan of snow and scattered stones across a hillside path.
a line of flattened dew that dried as they followed it A dark stripe across a silver meadow, fading from one end.
a thread of smoke the rain put out A ranger on a ridge, staring at the grey place where it was.
a trail of torn paper that one gale scattered Scraps whirling over a moor and a ranger catching a single piece.
a trail the first snow covered an hour too soon Prints going soft at the edges under big falling flakes.
a trail through fog that led them back to themselves A ranger in mist, looking down at their own boot print.
footprints on a beach, lost to one tide A line of marks running down to shining wet sand and a wave drawing back.
marks in dust that the first rain in a year erased Big drops pocking a dry track, each one taking a little of the trail.
prints in volcanic ash, three hours too old Ashen ground, blurred hollows and a wind already at work on them.
scent that a hard frost took off the ground overnight A ranger crouched over white grass, breathing on it to no purpose.
tracks a spring flood washed out below the stepping stones A brown river over its banks and a line of prints entering the far side of it.
tracks on a lake that thawed before they could cross Dark water opening along a shore and a faint line continuing beyond it.

Their own mistake 12

a blaze they cut themselves and later could not find A wood of a thousand trunks and a ranger checking each one for a pale mark.
a track they lost by trusting a signpost over their feet Boots pointing one way, a finger post the other, and a long pause.
a trail they followed backward for a whole day A ranger arriving, tired and proud, at the place the tracks began.
a trail they gave up one bend too early A ranger turning back, and round the next corner a camp just being struck.
a trail they lost while stopping to help a toad across A toad safe on the far verge at last and a hillside with nothing moving on it.
a traveller they walked past, asleep under a haystack A ranger striding along a lane and a pair of boots sticking out of the hay behind.
a turning they missed because the view was good A ranger admiring a valley, a side path unnoticed at the elbow.
the day they followed their own apprentice by mistake Two figures meeting on a ridge, both pointing at the other's prints.
the fork where they went left on a feeling Two paths, one hat thrown down in annoyance at the wrong one.
prints they walked over in the dark and found at dawn A ranger's own boot marks stamped across the trail they wanted.
signs they explained away as badgers A notebook page with the word badger written three times, less surely each time.
tracks they took for last week's, which were an hour old A ranger strolling past a print with water still seeping into it.

Never explained 12

a line of prints that got smaller with every step Boot marks shrinking to a child's, then a doll's, then a pinprick.
a path they walked at dawn and could not find by noon A ranger with a map upside down, then the right way up, then folded.
a path trodden in a perfect circle a mile across Seen from a hilltop: a faint ring in grass with nothing in the middle.
a set of prints with a third foot every seventh step A patient diagram in a notebook, numbered, with a question mark.
a trail marked with knots tied in the long grass A tuft with a neat overhand knot in it, and another twenty paces on.
a trail of feathers that led to a locked door on a moor A door in a frame with no walls round it, shut, a feather on the step.
a trail that ended at a chair set facing the view A plain wooden chair on a hilltop, still warm.
a trail that ran straight through a standing wall Prints up to old stonework and prints leading away on the far side.
footprints of someone walking carefully on their hands Palm marks and finger dents along a sandy path, unhurried.
tracks that crossed their own from the day before, older Two lines of prints meeting at a cross, the fresh one underneath.
tracks that kept exactly one day ahead for a month A campfire still warm each evening and a courteous stack of dry wood beside it.
tracks that went up a tree and did not come down A ranger at the foot of a tall pine with a very sore neck.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Each entry is one trail that ended before the ranger reached the end of it. None ends in harm: whoever made the trail is assumed to have got where they were going, and the ranger simply never learned where that was. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Carries: all 60 pieces of kit

For the feet and the going 12

a pair of marsh stilts that fold in half Two hinged poles with foot blocks, slung like fishing rods.
a pole for vaulting ditches, with a flat wooden foot A ranger in mid-air over black water, the pole bent like a fishing rod.
a second pair of laces, plaited from garden twine A pale plaited cord looped through a buttonhole, ready.

Show all 60 pieces of kit (57 more)

For the feet and the going, continued

a staff with a spike at the foot and a gate hook at the head A long pole with a pointed foot and a small iron hook, lifting a latch from a distance.
a walking stick with inches burned down one side A hazel stick used to measure streams, snow and fish stories.
gaiters cut from an old tent Canvas wrapped from ankle to knee, buttoned with toggles of wood.
ice grips made from a broken harrow Short iron teeth on a strap, tied over the instep.
pattens for the worst of the mud Wooden soles on iron rings strapped under ordinary boots.
skates with beechwood soles that screw into the heel Two wooden soles with iron blades hung by their straps from the pack.
skis they split from one birch log A pair of plain wooden skis, one slightly longer, both waxed with candle ends.
snowshoes of bent ash, laced with rawhide Two long teardrop frames tied on a pack, the lacing like a spider's web.
spare soles cut from an old saddle Two foot-shaped pieces of thick leather tied together with their own laces.

For marking and measuring 12

a bundle of small red flags on willow wands Thin sticks with scraps of cloth, some planted along a trail behind them.
a ledger of every gate and stile, with its last repair Thick pages of small sketches: a gate, a date, a tick.
a level made from a glass bottle and a bubble A corked bottle of water laid on a rock, one eye squinting along it.
a map of their whole ground inked on a window blind A roller blind pulled open between two hands, paths in brown, water in blue.
a measuring cord knotted at every pace A long cord wrapped on a forked stick, with a red knot at each tenth.
a notebook in a tin box, written only in pencil A flat tin opened like a book, a pencil on a string and rain on the lid.
a plaster cast of the largest print they ever found A white lump in a cloth bag, handled like an egg.
a pot of yellow paint for blazes, put on with a thumb A small lidded pot at the belt, one yellow thumb and a tree with a fresh dab at eye height.
a set of wooden stamps for marking counted trees Three carved blocks and an ink pad in a tin, a crown on one of them.
a slate and a stub of chalk on a string A square of dark slate with yesterday's figures half rubbed out.
a tally stick notched for every stray brought home A split hazel rod, notches worn smooth at the old end and sharp at the new.
a watch with only an hour hand, which is near enough A fat pocket watch with a single hand, held up beside the sun to check it.

Fire, food and shelter 12

a bed roll of plaited straw that doubles as a doormat A thick golden roll tied with a strap, one end scuffed by boots.
a birch bark box of dried mushrooms, marked twice A round lidded box and a tag that says safe, underlined.
a bunch of feather sticks shaved on wet evenings Dry sticks whittled into frills of thin curls, three tied together with twine.
a bundle of rushlights dipped last winter Thin greased rush stems tied like a sheaf, one held in a split stick.
a cup turned from an old gatepost A wooden cup with a nail hole plugged in the side.
a hammock netted from unpicked rope A fine brown mesh slung between two pines.
a kettle beaten out of a copper pan A dented pot with a wire handle and a lid that was once a plate.
a lean-to sheet sewn from flour sacks A patched cloth pitched at a slant between two trees, a baker's mark showing.
a water bottle sewn into a jacket of old blanket A plump padded bottle hanging from a pack, still warm at noon.
a wicker creel used for bread, not fish A lidded basket on a strap with a loaf's end sticking out.
a windbreak hurdle that rolls up like a mat A panel of woven willow unrolled against the wind beside a small fire.
an oven made of two flowerpots, one upturned on the other A clay pot upside down on another in the embers, a crust showing at the gap.

For signals and weather 12

a bundle of pine torches for marking a crossing at night Split resinous sticks tied in threes, one alight at the water's edge.
a drum the size of a plate, for calling across water A shallow hoop drum and a single padded stick.
a kite for carrying a line across a gorge A paper diamond over a ravine with a cord trailing to the far side.
a lantern with horn panes, for wind A small lamp with yellowed windows and a candle stub inside.
a pennant for each kind of news, six in all Small triangles of cloth on a line, the top one meaning all is well.
a red blanket to spread on a hillside as a signal A bright square on a green slope, seen from two valleys away.
a signal mirror cut from a broken looking glass A flash of sunlight thrown across a valley from a hand-sized square.
a string of tin lids that clatters in any wind Bright discs on a cord between two poles, swinging.
a tin bell on the pack, so nothing on the path is surprised A small bell swinging under a pack frame on a forest path.
a weather glass made from a jar and a hollow reed A sealed jar of water with a thin tube, the level marked in scratches.
a wind vane carved like a running hare A flat wooden hare on a pin at the top of a staff, nose to the weather.
two hardwood blocks to knock together across fog Two short blocks held like cymbals, knocked twice for yes.

Remade from something else 12

a coat lined with the pages of a rule book they outgrew An open coat with print showing at the hem.
a glue pot that has outlived three brushes A small blackened pot, a brush bound with string and one hard drip down the side.
a hat with its brim widened in tent canvas A two-tone hat with a line of careful stitches round it.
a needle case made from a goose quill and a cork A fat quill stopped with a cork, a thread wound round the outside.
a pack basket woven from willow withies A tall narrow basket on two straps, the weave tight as cloth.
a pack frame bent from a barrel hoop A hooped wooden frame with a load tied on in a spiral.
a pillow stuffed with heather, refilled each August A sacking bag with purple sprigs poking through the weave.
a pouch made from the first glove they wore out Five stubby fingers tied shut, a drawstring at the wrist.
a quilt pieced from a scrap of every worn-out coat A patchwork rolled on top of the pack, no two squares alike.
a rain cape of waxed sailcloth with a hood for the hat A stiff cape standing away from the shoulders, water running off the hem.
braces made from a harness strap, buckles and all Wide leather straps over the shoulders, each with a brass buckle too big for the job.
wrist warmers made from the tops of two odd socks Two ribbed tubes over the cuffs, one grey and one brown.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Everything here is small enough to carry, and most of it was made or altered by the ranger's own hands. The real gear was checked on 2026-10-01 against Wikipedia: snowshoes of bent ash laced with rawhide (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowshoe), wooden skis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski), pattens that lift a shoe above mud (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patten_(shoe)), stilts for marshy ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilts), gaiters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaiters), a staff with an iron spike (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpenstock), blazes cut or painted on trees and cairns as trail marks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_blazing and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairn), tally sticks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tally_stick), birch bark containers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch_bark), feather sticks for lighting a fire with damp wood (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feather_stick), skates with a beechwood sole screwed to the boot heel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fen_skating), rushlights (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rushlight), willow withies, wattle hurdles and wicker creels (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withy, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattle_(construction), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creel_(basket)) and a mirror for sending signals by flashes of sunlight (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliograph). The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

How it works

This ranger backstory generator deals a working life out of doors in six parts: the ground they range, who they answer to, what they track, the animal beside them, the trail they lost and one piece of kit they carry.

Read the full guide

Start with the ground

The first line is a place: a pass, a fen, a drove road, a pine forest with one road in. Draw that as the whole background before the figure, because a ranger is dressed by their country. Snow means the staff and the snowshoes, marsh means stilts and wet boots.

The lost trail is the story

Every result holds one trail that ended too soon, such as hoofprints that went into a river and never came out. Nobody was hurt in any of them. The ranger simply never found out, and that question is what you write or play toward.

Draw the animal at work, not posed: the lurcher asleep across a door, the goshawk landing on a glove.
Put the kit where a hand can reach it: on the belt, on the pack or tied to the staff.
At a game table, print 30 and let each player trade the lost trail with someone else.

Questions and answers

What is a ranger in this generator?

Someone who ranges over a stretch of country and looks after it: part warden, part tracker, part guide. The word is used in its plain sense. No park service, border force, regiment or game is named, so a result fits any world.

Are the animals and places real?

The kinds are. Lurchers, goshawks, mules, fens, scree, drove roads and snowshoes of bent ash are all real and were checked against Wikipedia. The particular places, employers and habits are invented, and no real forest or border is named.

Does the ranger fight or hunt anything?

No. In these lists a ranger follows, finds and sends home. Wolves are tracked and left alone, poachers are mostly somebody's cousin, and the ranger carries no weapon and sets no snare.

How do I turn six lines into a character?

Read the employer against the quarry. Someone paid by a toll company to track a white stag has a problem already. Then ask why the lost trail still matters, and you have a first scene.