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ph_memes2024-03-08 12:39 pm
TDM #5 - Paradesium
[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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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!
It's all bad, man
He's unsteady on his feet, and he's certainly feeling it, but he's never let that stop him before. He continues, in spite of everything. He continues because Lou needs him. She goes with him when it's warm enough out, strapped to his body as always, now that he can't ask one of the others to watch her as they, too, get back to work.
Sam nearly doesn't notice when Chris draws level with him, until they speak up with the offer of soup. Lou mmlams at them, reaching a hand out then curling it back into the warmth of her sling. Sam is quiet as always, considering it as he draws level with a postbox and pulls one of the smaller pouches around to fish in and leave a folded package behind, before continuing on.
"Alright," he replies simply.
And he would, too. He's nothing if not extremely punctual, and the rest of his route wouldn't take long at all so he has no qualms about spending some time there at Chris' house before continuing on.
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"Okay, I'll see you then," Chris says. They give one last smile, at Sam this time, before walking onward back to the clinic.
They mention to First Aid that they'll be having a guest for lunch, at home, so it'll be a longer lunch break than usual for today. There's enough time to make adjustments to be sure the front desk is covered. And then at the appointed time, Chris heads home and tosses a par-baked loaf in the oven to finish cooking, and brings out the soup to reheat on the stove.
Chris calls out a greeting when Sam knocks, and there will be warm, homey smells of good food that greet Sam and Lou when Sam opens the door.
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Sam briefly pauses to set Lou down where she would normally be penned in when Chris watches her, crouching and arranging a few cushions around while she sits up and hollers her chagrin at being abandoned there without both of them in line of sight. She knows Chris is there after all, she hears them rattling around.
"Hey Freeman," Sam murmurs, lurching his way into the kitchen and leaning against the counter well away from where Chris is reheating the food. It smells good, but Sam can't necessarily say he's all that hungry. He's still getting used to meal-sized meals, and his stomach hasn't exactly stretched that much yet.
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The soup needs to be brought to a boil for food safety reasons, then it can simmer. Even at the lower temperature, though, they should let it cool once in the bowl for the baby. Sam's place setting will include a knife and fork in case he wants to shred the pieces of beef smaller for Lou.
Luckily for Sam and his stomach, Chris will defer to him on portion size by letting him serve himself.
"I'm glad you could come over, take a break with me. I always enjoy chatting with you."
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Still, he's going to trust Chris's judgment on this. They're the physician here, after all.
Sam will at least help himself to a decent (for him) portion of the soup. He's careful about it, and makes a gruff sound at Chris' assertion that they enjoy Sam's company. "Ain't really had time to do it lately. Sorry about that."
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Chris will not dismiss Sam's worries, but rather gives assurances and suggests workarounds. This is because they respect Sam, and his place as Lou's parent.
Chris ladles a small portion that's mostly broth and barley into a bowl for Lou, as well as those crustless slices of bread on a plate for her. Then they serve themself, taking a seat at the table with a relaxed sigh.
"We've both had busy days lately, so I understand." Chris grins. "Any hot gossip from the locals?"
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Sitting with his soup and a thick slice of bread for himself, Sam dips the latter into the former as he slouches down. "It's been nonstop. Between the farms getting up and running, people finding their places to live, upgrading, figuring out what they wanna do..." He shakes his head. The main upside is not having to think almost that much about the fact that he'd fucked up his relationship, and now his damn feet, though the latter does have a direct impact on his ability to actually do that escapist sinking into his work.
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Chris eats a spoonful of the soup.
"I mean... I assume you're very busy. Since you're limping when you walk."
Sorry, Sam. Called out.
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"Info here's a little behind the times," he points out. "Kinda surprised we haven't seen more patent medicine around. 'Do cocaine about it' was a thing for a while there and between you n' me, I don't need my kid on crack."
Sam chews a bite of bread soaked in broth slowly for a moment so that he doesn't have to acknowledge that call out right away.
"Don't worry about it. Just gotta get some new boots."
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One eyebrow goes up. "And you're sure your feet aren't damaged from walking in worn down boots, then?"
Look at this face. Can you lie to this face?
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To Lou, Chris says, "Your dad is very silly, Lou. We'll have to take care of him."
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"Hawk's got a lot on his plate, n' Watson's got a new guy for clinic duty. I'm not dealin' with First Aid bein' all fuckin' judgy." Which is accompanied by a look at Chris, a tired plea for them not to be judgmental either.
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There's a sad look in Chris's eyes for a moment. They want to point out that the island's doctors all have gotten into this business to help people. They want to defend their brother Aidie, insofar as reminding Sam that he's only in his twenties and sheltered. But they set all that aside to ask quietly,
"What are you punishing yourself for, Sam? You're a good man, and I know you deserve better than this. I don't want you hurting."
I don't want you hurting yourself, Chris does not say.
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His eyes narrow at Chris' question, and he looks back down at the floor. "Ain't punishin' anything. I just wanna get shit squared away for when Lou starts walkin' and needin' solid food more. That's all." Which would be the truth. Just not the whole truth. So he braces himself, but forces himself to keep going, if only so that Chris will stop looking at him like that. "Besides, it's not like I got anyone else out there that can do what I can. Ain't got anyone, period. Fuckin' driving everyone off. Well, 'sides you."
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Chris nods at that explanation, and says, "That part makes sense, the building up a nest egg. But... if we only have one of a resource, shouldn't we protect that? If we only have you alone who can do what you do... shouldn't you be taking good care of yourself, too?"
They fiddle with their soup spoon for a moment. "I'm sorry. I just... I worry about my friends. And you're my friend."
(Too late I'm coming undone)
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"Look, before all this, I had this real nice old lady that'd fix up my boots or give me new pairs that were better than Bridges ever supplied me with. Here, I don't have that option or the money to foot that kind of trade. It's been a long damn time since it got this bad."
Meaning it's gotten that bad before.
He sighs, sinking a little on the spot. He knows he's being difficult. "...sorry. I just don't know what you want me to do here that I can actually adhere to. I can't really take days off, I got responsibilities, you know that."
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Chris sighs, "Or, shit. Maybe you already have an answer and you just need someone to give you the kick in the butt to do it already..." and Chris gives a demonstrative swing of their foot. "I'm good for that, too. Friends do that."
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"He's not addressed the idea of having more people do what he does. He isn't going to even begin to ask that if anyone else. None of the other couriers he'd ever encountered on the road could do what he could, and he wouldn't ask it of them.
Rubbing a hand across his mouth, he instead offers, "might get a horse eventually. 'm never gonna get my bike back, but it's somethin' right? But you just keep that foot to yourself if you don't wanna get kicked back," he warns.
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Lou takes Chris sticking their tongue out as a cue to do the same, and giggle about it.
"Also, if I really wanted to, I could be a spooky bitch and outsource kicks to the butt," Chris can't keep a straight face after that one.
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Glancing over at Lou, Sam finally gets a soft smile quirking up the corner of his mouth. "Great, so I'm gonna walk around with footprints besides the handprints."
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Thinking of birthdays has them thinking of zodiac signs -- and then horoscopes. Chris frowns thoughtfully, trying to recall... there was something about horoscopes a while back.
Eh, it'll come to them.
"The footprints will be in just one area. I'm sure you'll adjust," Chris teases lightly. Pause. "You know I'm kidding, right?"
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Sam shifts in place, leaning against a wall nearby with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "Yeah I know. You're not the literal ass kicking type."
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"So... I'd like to get a look at your feet today, assess their condition, and what kind of medicine you'll need to get them healed up. And I'd like to buy you a pair of good boots, so you don't do permanent damage to your feet by walking around in broken-down boots before you get the horse." Chris spreads their hands. "You can consider it a favor from a friend, and plan to pay me back later. I'll accept that. But please, Sam... don't shut me out."
Chris is hoping that they have the right topical medicine on hand, so that Sam can go home with it, and not make promises to go the apothecary that might go unfulfilled. (Listen, it just happened with Leon a little earlier, so Chris is a little paranoid.)
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"'m not...I'm not trying to shut you out," he argues quietly, though he's gone back to looking down at the floor just in front of his feet. "I'm just kinda, y'know. Out of whack lately. Between the festival, the springs, the new guys, n' John Rambo fuckin' disappearing and coming back weird...I'unno." He shakes his head. "Every time I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be alright, somethin' else decides it's time to kick me in the fuckin' teeth. I'm tired, Freeman."
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