TDM #5 - Paradesium

[pumpkinhollow]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette March Issue

[Find our plain text version here!]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette

3/8/24 | TDM #5 - Paradesium
Content Warnings: individual CWs found per prompt in "Further Details"
Forecast: Partly cloudy with a chance of rain

WELCOME TO PUMPKIN HOLLOW!

By Yorick Aberdeen

Apparently the ferryman needed a bigger boat!

ACROSS TOWN - Since June of 16:53, a steady stream of new arrivals to our sleepy little town has flowed in by ferry, emerging from the fog. And it seems this trend is due to continue, as this March is due to be on record the highest number of new residents in a single month!

We are incredibly grateful for all of you coming to our home and filling it with life once more, even though the dangers of our local curse have significantly increased since all of you began arriving. This reporter isn’t complaining--- additional harm to my own person notwithstanding!

If you are a new arrival, please report to Town Hall at your leisure so that we can help you find work and permanent lodging. Or don’t! The Oak & Iron is happy to rent you a room for as long as you need. Best of luck to all of you, and as we say in Pumpkin Hollow, may your lanterns always be lit!

CHARITY DRIVE ENCOURAGES CULTURAL EXCHANGE

By Cecil Gershwin Palmer

One of the charming toys created during last year's Doll Picnic.

FESTIVAL GREEN - Preparations are underway for the upcoming annual Doll Picnic. A charity event sponsored by the Artisan’s Guild, this picnic is an Anwyllic tradition that was brought to the island and continued with love. The first Doll Picnic was organized by Dame Meredith Idlewild of the town of Glyn Rhuthun on Kora’s Haven, with the toys being donated to the local children’s hospital after a massive landslide engulfed a local school.

The Artisan’s Guild has baskets of material available for making dolls, including fabric, yarn, stuffing, buttons, and the like. However, tradition states that sourcing materials from the natural world (for example, acorn husks to use as buttons or deadwood to carve for doll arms and legs) results in the toys being blessed by Serrenai, who will watch over the children who play with them. The toys will be donated to local children after the picnic, including those who are ill or whose families can only afford necessities.

Newcomers are explicitly invited to join in the making of toys, and the resulting picnic. As a personal note: the locals have never heard of a teddy bear before. This reporter expects to see several, as we introduce our traditions to their traditions.

PLANTING SEASON BEGINS!

By Yorick Aberdeen

After a difficult winter, the appearance of spring's sprouts lifts our spirits.

NORTHWEST HOLLOW - The spring thaw is in full swing! That means it’s time for our local farmers to begin planting. Town Hall is offering a small reward to any of our newest arrivals who would be interested in assisting with planting season for farms less than a year old.

Anyone fresh off the boat interested in making 100 Brass should seek out Eddie and Angel Kasbrak, Arthur Morgan, Cèsar Salazar, Mairi Miann, Ylva Wolfsdottir, or Muriel and offer assistance with tilling and planting. We look forward to rewarding you for your contributions!

HOT SPRINGS OPEN FOR RELAXATION

By Yorick Aberdeen

Photograph provided by the Safety Board!

CRANE'S RIDGE - After a recent earthquake opened up a hot spring on the lower portion of Crane’s Ridge, a small portion of the Pumpkin Hollow Damage Claims Assessment Corps has been working to get the area cleaned up and safe for use by the general public.

Following its recent approval for compliance by the Safety Board, we are pleased to announce that Porter’s Spring is now available for public enjoyment! It can be accessed by taking the train to the North Station or by following the central trail out of Northwest Hollow, though the Safety Board does not recommend making this journey on foot due to its proximity to Lake Sal-Co-Penn. Enjoy!

STRANGE CAVERNS DISCOVERED BENEATH CRANE’S RIDGE

By Yorick Aberdeen

A small glimpse into this world beneath our own.

CRANE RIDGE - In addition to the hot springs, the earthquake can also be credited for a major cave-in in our Crane’s Ridge mines. A large tunnel was completely buried in rubble by the inexplicable natural occurrence. For the past several months, our mining team has been chipping away at the cave-in to try and regain access to the blocked tunnels in the lower area of the mountain.

In one of these tunnels, however, the team discovered a shocking surprise as the rubble was removed! Apparently, just beyond the mine walls, there has been an entrance to Hepogaia--- a subterranean nation running below our own fair country and many others. It seems that this particular portion of Hepogaian territory is also trapped within the barrier. Brief attempts at scouting by the Safety Board have noted a plethora of subterranean wildlife, both familiar and unfamiliar. This incredible new environment, hiding just out of sight beneath our island, is so full of wonder and splendor that it has earned a fitting name--- “Paradesium.”

A recent ecology study and expedition run by Pumpkin Hollow’s own Dr. Elias Coldwood has redirected their efforts to this new location, but those interested in exploring and scouting out this fantastical new discovery independently are encouraged to pack thoughtfully and travel in groups of two or more! Any information obtained during excursions into Paradesium would be appreciated by the Pumpkin Hollow Board of Safety.

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Further Details...

Charity Drive

The Doll Picnic Charity Drive will run throughout the next two months during our TDM, and there will be an event later on involving posing the dolls for a picnic. Once a photo is taken, the children will be allowed to come picnic with their new toys and take them home after!

There is absolutely no way this could possibly go wrong. Absolutely no dollmakers will be jumpscared or attacked by possessed dolls. None at all. (Okay, maybe some of them. But it’s fine. It’s for a good cause.)

[Mod Note: you can just make a doll without it coming to life and trying to kick your ass, that part is optional. Also the dolls will be blessed at the picnic and rendered unable to attack children.]

Planting Season

Any brand-new characters will get 100B extra on their stipend if they submit an AC-length thread with one of the existing farmers on their first Activity Check! This will be available regardless of whether the character qualifies for normal bonuses, but can only be redeemed by those who app in.

For reference for new players, threads are considered AC-length if they are ten tags in length (meaning 5 of your own tags and 5 from your partner.)

Hot Springs

Porter’s Spring is a perfectly normal and safe hot spring! However, you can encounter any number of perils on your way there if you decide to travel on foot, allowing new players to revisit some of our earlier events.

Check out our bestiary (pending update to new format) for more information on creatures such as Brutoks, the River Walker, and the Pine Devil, or stumble on Lake Sal-Co-Penn for a nasty surprise! Brutoks may also steal personal items from spring-goers on occasion. Don’t chase after them alone unless you want to be turned into a tree!

The Tristitia

In addition to the creatures in the wild, in town after dark characters may also encounter the Tristitia, Pumpkin Hollow’s newest cryptid.

She is a wraith-like spirit which haunts the island. Wearing tattered black clothes and colored all in shades of gray, she appears as a woman who walks around weeping with a caved-in chest, covering her face with her hands. Harmless if given a wide berth, but if she is set off, she will take out her desire for empathy for her grief on her target. She does this by embracing them and drawing out their own grief and trauma, leaving the target catatonic before she fades away, temporarily assuaged.

Into Paradesium

Crystals, golden with light and raw magical energy, cast what looks like sunlight down into the cascading cave. For every foot lower that the ground curls down from the entrance, the trees stretch ever-higher, carrying the raucous cries of animals unlike the surface of Marrow Isle had ever heard.

A jungle, so lush with life, sprawls ahead of any brave enough to venture into it. But what is there to see?

For Paradesium specifically, the bestiary has received a significant update. Creatures featured in prompts have their links to the accounts by Dr. Coldwood and his team marked with stars for easy location.

Below are multiple prompts for some encounters to be had in the jungle, but feel free to create any of your own encounters with any of the creatures listed! If the descriptions are short, feel free to write the creatures' behaviors however makes sense.

Welcome to the Jungle

Swallowed by dense canopies and noise, the jungle is quick to swallow any who travel within it whole.

Eyes are quick to find you, however. Perching in the treetops are a variety of small wyverns in vibrant colors, heads tilting as they try to comprehend what you could be. They squawk, chatter, and some of the bolder ones draw closer - if you sit anything aside and leave it unattended for too long, some even bolder than that will pilfer it, taking the object into the trees to admire with its companions.

Reptilian hunters with bright, keen eyes, the Plommon, consider you with much of the same interest. This interest increases tenfold if you happen to feed them.

If the prying eyes are no bother, then the forest's bounty is ripe for tending and taking. Bananas hang off trees, colorful citrus fruits catch light on their waxy peels, and bulky cocoa beans are jostled by movement in the branches above them. Even the broad leaves of the plants prove extraordinarily useful, whether you're looking to come in and quickly leave, or intend to push further within.

Wherever you go, those curious eyes follow you. Perhaps even out of the cave, should your attempts to shoo an adventurous creature away. What an odd way to gain a new team member.

Down a Few Notches on the Food Chain

(CWs: Potential for death, gore, or animal death)

Unfortunately, not all can be pure bounty and new friends in a place like this.

With the cavern sprawling widely and massively, there are many significantly larger creatures in this space, and some seem to be keen to take up opportunity for new prey. As you explore, there's a new feeling of eyes upon you, and the silence that overtakes the surrounding trees spells nothing good to come.

Any one of the massive predators in the wood has you in it's sights.

Escape is difficult, but manageable, as is fighting back. Creatures can be challenged, and hides, bones, and other spoils can be claimed from them, should there be success! If not, this is a good opportunity for familiarization with the Death page.

The silkhide chimera specializes in persistence. The longer and further you go, the more exhausted you'll get. A break is an opportunity that it will be keen to take.

The greenstalker excels at ambushing and high-speed pursuit. At top speeds of 30MPH, your party will need strategy and skill on their side to keep this beast at bay. (Or, alternatively, a source of fire.)

The elephant raptor does neither of these - the beast's sheer length of reach does all it needs to. Water and mud soften the sounds of the gargantuan creature's approach. Stay alert, and be sure that you hear it before it's upon you.

Safe travels become more difficult to manage, the further in you go. Deep, rumbling snores tell you that there's a chance you're just getting to the greater threats this paradise has to offer...

Fragments of the Past

Through great distances traveled, this "uninhabited" cavern begins to show signs that may speak to that not having always been the case.

Ruins of homes, crumbled bricks and tiles, can be found at the deepest reaches of the cavern. These dilapidated buildings, though worn with time, tell a story: the people who left his place, one that could be identified as a stenholm to any familiar with dwarvish culture, did not leave it on good terms.

Essentials were clearly taken with them, as the ruins of this place lack tools or clothing. Valuables are still scattered throughout, however. Large objects with too much history to have been left behind by indifference dot the collapsing homes. Ritual circles still waft radiant energy from them.

In the remains of a temple, an altar stands, cracking with age and covered in plants as the cavern reclaims it. Old candle-stands have rusted with age, but still stand, undisturbed.

Just before the altar, folded onto its side (as best as one can be, when only pieces remain), lies a skeleton. The clothes are tattered remains of stained whites and dulled blues, and the wildlife have cleaned flesh from bones, but it's remained undisturbed by time.

There's a quiet sadness to this place that lingers, even with the people who inhabited it so long since lost.

Should you linger too long, however, there comes the distinct feeling of not being alone.

Clair de Lune

(CWs: Long-term isolation, extinction)

Golden eyes of a human face follow your every moment, and the moment you lock your gaze onto them, the face emerges from the darkness, partially covered by spilling dark hair.

What follows this face, however, is not a human face - but, rather, a feline body with sprawling, grey-flecked wings.

There's a long, tense silence, as it emerges fully. Standing easily at eight feet tall while on all fours, the size of this creature becomes more and more apparent as it emerges from the dark of the collapsed wind.

Unlike the other animals of the cavern, though, there seems to be an anxiousness to its look. The lion's chest rises and falls with short, nervous breaths.

And then, in a hushed, woman's voice, hoarse from disuse, it speaks.

"Who are you? Why have you come here?"

-------------------

The Sphinx is a new NPC available for characters to interact with, should they delve deep enough into the caverns to find the stenholm. She's wary of all the new faces, and tends to be somewhat flighty, but seems cautiously interested in what new humans being in Hepogaia have to offer. For the sort looking to understand this place, it's people, or intend to trade, she can be communed with.

To interact with her, comment on the TL provided from beastsofthehollow with her icon, and if the initial introduction isn't your speed, feel free to encounter her however you like!

Comments

claire de lune

[decohere]

She causes no scene nor fuss. Until it seems she's finally left alone. And then Ava makes a desperate break for freedom, away from the town. They claim there's some impenetrable barrier, where boats can't get past. Instead she finds herself traveling deeper and further into an abandoned cavern. Into a jungle wilderness that feels far safer than amongst those she doesn't know, whose intentions she doesn't trust.

There's strange creatures, and she does her best not to disturb anything because it's not her habitat. Doesn't touch the fruits because she's heard enough tales to know better than invite punishment.

It's not until the ruins of an abandoned civilization that Ava slows down, realizing with growing foreboding she might have gone the wrong way, is trespassing upon something she shouldn't. From the plant growth, whatever happened seems to have occurred so long ago... she quietly explores for hints to what.

Ava stares curiously at the ritual circles, not knowing much about magic but enough to step clear just in case it's still active. Still she keeps her hands to herself, anxious fingers twisting into the hem of her shirt when she feels something watching her.

She turns her gaze at the approach, watching the large creature emerge from the dark. Ava's smaller form flickers like static, trying to fade into her surroundings. Her own expression is etched with exhaustion, and a fear that runs far deeper than this encounter.

But that voice. Somehow she relaxes. "Sorry," just as hushed, just as nervous. "I... I was trying to escape. And I think I'm lost." And then remembering manners, she adds, "I'm Ava."

Prisoner Number 6 (Peter Starr) | The Prisoner | Current player, new Character-Sail CRAU

[be_seeing_you]

In the woods, [cw: grief for a spouse]
He's dead, or so he's been told. And yet? This is the most alive he's felt in some time. The air here reminds him of home. The chill and even the rain are welcome after what felt like an eternity of sunny summer sailing weather. He turns the collar of his simple shirt up against the chill and pulls the large duck wings sprouting from his back closer around him like a cloak as he forages for dead logs just inside the forest. Trees. By God, there are real trees. It's beautiful, but it makes him ache at the same time. If his wife were here, maybe they could have had that apple orchard after all. Just that stray thought is enough to make him reach for a handkerchief to wipe a stray tear or three away. He'll plant one in her honor. She would want him to try to find happiness again. So, he will try. For his dear "Pumpkin." Maybe it was her wish that sent him here. That would be just like her.

Carving a Doll
A call was put out for volunteers to help make dolls for the children. He can still recall the carvings of the ballerina he made for Fio once. She had cherished it. So, using the logs he foraged out in the woods, he settles down on the picnic grounds with his simple pocket knife and gets to work whittling. It's meditative. After everything he's experienced, there is something wonderfully simple about working with his hands, using natural materials that he never had access to on that damnable cruise ship. He shapes a ballerina first and sets that aside. That done, he starts on the next project. It's starting to look, roughly, like a tiger. It's quiet work, but he will smile a friendly smile at anyone who comes by to look or chat. Gone are the days when he would have chosen to isolate himself. If he's been given a new chance at life, he'd better make the most of it.

Wildcard Me!
What you got! Come at me!

[inaurate]

how trainable are the greatures?

specifically thinking about the paradise wyverns and the resplendent pygmy drakes

claude has trained a wyvern from hatchling to grown before but admittedly that was an animal that has been like. domesticated?? bred to respond to human commands anyway. SO understanding that it won't be nearly as smooth as what he's used to, how trainable are these silly little guys. i'm assuming the very basics of 'hey stop that' and 'come here' are do-able with time and positive reinforcement but could they learn more advanced tricks

[fishcatholic]

Many thanks! :]

carving a doll

[notinflictthem]

Hawkeye finds his eye caught by the carvings as he walks past- just out to stretch his legs now that the weather's a little nicer.

"Hey- that's not half bad," he comments, crouching down to take a closer look at the ballerina, "a lot handier than anything I can do with a knife. I'm only good at straight lines. You a carpenter or something?"

[freedomsuitsme]

"Really? I go through the trouble of dressing to the nines and somehow my countenance says 'field laborer'? Hmph." He closes his eyes and straightens his clothes with a huff, but he quickly looks back at César.

"I took care of farming duties back in the Constant generally, when we didn't have the plant creature as part of our group. That included layout management, planting, tending, watering, weeding, and... eugh... fertilizing." Max, stop complaining, you go out of your way to attain the extra-strong, extra-stinky fertilizers and you know it.

"I assure you, I'm quite capable."

[redlightgreenlight]

Though for all it appears her attention is on her book, Valdis keeps her senses spread around the room, touching each individual, memorizing their souls. A part of her draws back to the blond man on multiple occasions, but it's not until the barmaid sets a new glass of wine down and gestures to him that her full attention centers on him again. A small, amused smile crosses her face, and she shakes her head ever so slightly before meeting his gaze and inclining her head in thanks. Then she closes her book and sets it aside, picking up the glass to raise it in his direction. It's as much of an invitation she is going to offer him.

[nothingbadeverhappensto]

Much to Leon's chagrin, he's got awkwardness in spades, and proceeds to demonstrate as much by visibly flustering at the compliment momentarily before managing to get his composure back. He thinks about the offer, his kneejerk instinct to politely refuse, but his conversation with Angel is still sitting at the back of his mind. It's not like he's doing anything else right now. Why not hang out with someone new? It doesn't have to go anywhere.

"Yeah, sure," he says, rising to his feet and making his way over. As always he's got a pretty bad case of resting bitchface, but he makes an effort to ease up a bit, at least. "I'm Leon. You another one of the new arrivals?"

lol late series GenRex joke

[pineapplesalmon]

Yay a friendly handshake commences. And that's fair. It'd be a bit awkward to be meeting a god when you made your brother one for a bit? Probably?

"Poet! We could use more people like you. It's been a while since I've been able to sit down and read poetry. Forever since I've been to a reading. We're so focused on survival here that we aren't nurturing our minds." He thinks for a moment. "Oh! I'm learning to be a druid, too. I wanted to try something different."

[yournewsidekick]

Nimona still feels kinda awkward around Ylva. On the one hand, Ylva knows way more about her past than almost anybody else from the murder boat, more than Nimona would've preferred to tell if she hadn't stuck her face in those stupid memory-loss flowers. But on the other... she was chill about it. No, she was downright kind. And she's probably not gonna get weird about it if Nimona doesn't want to be human.

So -- awkwardly -- she sends Ylva a message over the Sending Stone, and -- slightly less awkwardly -- a literal pink panther comes padding up to her on the agreed-upon time, a crooked, hopeful smile on her face.

"Hey," she greets her. "Uh, am I gonna need opposable thumbs for this?"

[listenforbirdsong]

Mairi chuckles. "Is it weird to think about? Your world didn't have magic at all, right?"

[yournewsidekick]

The bird's groaning a little, but aside from a couple crooked feathers, doesn't appear too much worse for wear. She hops upright in the palm of Bronwyn's hand and ruffles her wings, trying to smooth them down.

"Whoa," she breathes as she peers up at the towering moth-person. The faint embarrassment radiating off of her quickly shifts to delighted wonder; she beams, gleeful, and does another tiny hop closer. "You look so awesome."

Benoîte D. || OC || new || info & general character CWs on her journal if you want them!

[fishcatholic]

i. the oak & iron

One of the new arrivals is an individual both ichthyic and batrachian, who smells like she got here on a fishing-boat instead of on the ferry. One eye is hidden behind a patch, and everywhere there's exposed skin there are also scars; you may note a long one that runs from the corner of her mouth, giving the appearance of a lopsided grin.

There's nothing disqualifyingly alien about her. If you're expecting to see a human, then she could get away with passing as a particularly ugly one. But if you're not expecting that, because, let's say for example, you're in a magical world of a hundred and one intelligent species, then... she could go either way.

She lurks, hulking and menacing, at a table in some shadowy corner of the inn, reading the morning paper. Frowning and moving her lips as she reads. Giving it... looks.


ii. the oak & iron again, now with 100% less come-bother-me

None of the people in this place are 1) her coworkers or 2) her church, and they all talk funny, and therefore she has no idea how to speak to any of them.

But drastic times call for drastic measures. If you're standing at the bar, or leaning on a wall, or otherwise not obviously radiating 'I'm busy' vibes, there's a chance you'll be approached by a somewhat fishy-looking woman... man?... one of the two.

"Beg your pardon," she says in a rough voice, and then 'sir' or 'miss' depending on visual cues, and a halting 'friend' if she's not sure either way -- "And I'll let you get back to it; but I wonder could you point me towards, er..."

Shuffling paper shuffling paper. She's holding out a copy of the Gazette, pointing to the article about planting season with one stubby finger.

"...Any of these gentlemen written here, if you can read the names?"


iii. around town

It is remarkably difficult to buy an axe in Pumpkin Hollow, or at least one that Benoîte can afford with the pouch of little brass coins that she was passed during her arrival. Maybe you see her in some shop or other, attempting to haggle on the price, offering labour or barter, and being politely yet firmly shut down.

And perhaps she sees you seeing her, and gives you a good eyeballing (as good as one can with just one eye), as if you're a stranger who's wandered into her small town instead of the other way around.

As guarded as Hell after a breakout: "Want something?"

[nothingbadeverhappensto]

"You got it." He nods and starts walking slowly, being sure to keep talking so she can follow his voice if she needs to. "There's also this article in the paper, here -"

He reads off Planting Season Begins!

"I don't know if you're much of a farmer, but it might be worth looking into. I've only met Angel out of all the people mentioned there? But he's great, and I'm sure he or any of the others could find something you could do to help out. Otherwise there's plenty of jobs that need doing around here, and people are pretty accommodating."

An Artificial Sky

[misbegottendreamer]

Drelasa Veloth does not fear the dark. In her mind, it is a place where distractions are dulled and deeper truths are revealed. She walks through the night, at the pace of a leisurely stroll, the ringing of dozens of small bells accompanying each step. At some point she stops, sensing the presence of someone else nearby. She's torn between wanting to approach in curiosity, and wanting to keep her distance out of caution.

[takethatnature]

Wilson has never been a morning person in his life, apart from when he lived in the Constant and sleep was optional. It's been less than 48 hours since he got off the ferry and when he used the magic rock telephone to set this up he expressed a fervent hope that either equipment would be provided or he'd be able to find flint and grass to make basic armor and a spear after the party got underway.

So here he is, looking bedraggled to a greater degree than usual and badly dressed (well, he's wearing the clothes he showed up in), full of as much coffee as the innkeeper was willing to serve him.

"Did we have to do this so early?" he complains to anyone in earshot.

[misbegottendreamer]

"I wouldn't mind doing some farming. My family owned a farm, before the Red Mountain erupted and everything was swallowed by ash. We grew wickwheat and ash yams in the fields of the Ascadian Isles. I wouldn't mind living that life again. Though... I'm also a keeper of stories, and a musician. I don't know if this place is in need of an entertainer, or if my songs would be something the people of this place would enjoy."

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar only vaguely recognizes Ylva's name when he sees the sign, and knows better than to assume that the same given name means the same person -- but he's pleased to find out, once they've made contact, that this is indeed the person he met on the big boat. They never really talked much, but he knows she and Max are close, and she seems like someone he could get along with.

On the day of the meeting, he shows up with a borrowed axe; he doesn't know if that's the best sort of weapon to go hunting with, but it's the one he knows best how to use. "Morning," he offers, approaching and holding up the axe in a non-threatening way. "Will this do? Wasn't sure what would be good."

[divasmio]

Oh, César, you have no idea what you've just unleashed. Apollo lights up at the revelation that the man reads poetry.

"Ah, a man of class!" He straightens up, looking thoughtful. "If the people here need nurturing for the mind and heart, I'd be delighted to provide that nourishment. Poetry jams, performances... the possibilities are endless."

Clearly, César has the personality to go with his looks.

[graveling]

"Couple farms down the road." Angel, if he's offended by Maxwell not wanting to work on his and Eddie's farm, doesn't show it. "I've got a wagon, I can give you a ride out that way if you want."

[divasmio]

Apollo is still exploring this new world, and he felt drawn to the forest. Perhaps, he supposed, because he desperately longed to see his sister again. He knew he wouldn't find her here, but there's a comforting nostalgia in the wilderness that reminded him so much of her.

He's wrapped up in a warm red cloak that's keeping most of the rain off him, golden longbow and quiver strapped to his back in case he might need to defend himself.

Raindrops on leaves made such a pleasant sound, a droning backdrop for music or poetry. He inhales deeply, taking in that earthy scent that the rain always coaxed into the air.

Apollo plants his feet, feeling the nostalgic longing take the form of verse in his mind, and recites to the forest:

"The woods are crying,
one hunter not in its midst,
and I miss you, too."

The sound of a twig snapping to his left jars Apollo from his melancholy recitation, and he jumps in surprise, looking the stranger over.

"Oh. Um, hello. Did you hear all that?" Normally, he's ecstatic to have an audience, but he'd hoped to long for his sister in private.

[spaghettification]

"Komt er iemand?" Wait, no. Better to use the local common tongue to be sure he's understood. "Erm, is someone coming?"

[misbegottendreamer]

"Am I interrupting anything?" she asks, softly. She's an enigmatic figure, garbed in heavy, embroidered robes that seem a bit like religious vestments, while her face is covered by a polished death mask.

[spaghettification]

"Paars. Een paarse vlinder? Boefje?" Sigma turns his head to look at the butterfly, confused. For a moment, he raises his hand like he's going to swat at the insect, but the motion never completes.

Claude von Riegan | FE3H | Existing player

[inaurate]

hot springs

Look, the baths at Garreg Mach spoiled him a bit. Even the master bath at Reigan estate was nothing to sneeze at, never mind his private rooms in the palace in Almyra, though he didn't get to enjoy those again for too long before showing up here. Claude is not a complainer, but he has missed the luxury of a big warm bath he can really stretch out in.

So, on one of his days off from working in Sally's pharmacy, he takes the trip by train (which is in itself an interesting novelty to him) to the newly discovered hot spring. The weather here is still a little chilly for his taste, so he doesn't linger for long after stripping down to his boxers, sliding in to the hot water with a long sigh. For a guy who seems to take everything in stride, he sure does carry a lot of tension!

into paradesium

Nothing has put Claude's naturally strong sense of self-preservation to the test as frequently as his equally naturally strong curiosity. It was true in Almyra, and in Fodlan, and it's true here in Pumpkin Hollow as well. As soon as he reads about the jungle found in the caves, he knows he'll be taking some trips out there to see it for himself. He does everything he can to prepare, packing a few days worth of provisions just in case as well as borrowing a fresh bow from town hall, and hiding away a few daggers in his clothes and boots.

Just about the only thing he doesn't prepare ahead of time is an adventuring buddy, but surely the jungle will be full of other curious folk interested in checking things out, right? Well-- that's not entirely true. Blueberry sneaks herself into his pack (not that her ghostly form actually takes up any space) and invites herself along for the adventure!

The two of them can be run into at any point from the caves all the way to the stenholm-- he likely won't make the whole trip with a single companion, instead parting ways with people and meeting new traveling buddies as he goes deeper into the jungle.