TDM #1 - The Vengeful Forest

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Pumpkin Hollow Gazette

6/7/23 | TDM #1: "The Vengeful Forest"
Content Warnings: body horror mentioned, article 2

A typical view from Jack's Marina

FIRST NEW ARRIVALS IN HALF-DECADE: MORE TO FOLLOW?

By Yorick Aberdeen

TAWNY BEACH - Big news at Jack’s Marina--- for the first time in roughly five years, the Marrow Isle Port Authority has reported a new arrival by ferry. And it’s not just one person.

Since the advent of the Barrier that has plagued our fair island for the past 5 years, no transport vessels have been logged for departure or arrival by the Port Authority. And for good reason! Any boat that attempted to make the journey beyond the blackened waters surrounding the island has met with a terrible fate ranging from property destruction to untimely demise. While said casualties don’t quite carry the sting they used to, the situation has obviously proven less than ideal for those looking to leave and ultimately halted the mass exodus from Pumpkin Hollow indefinitely.

Today, for the first time since the formation of the Barrier, we are seeing brand new faces arrive at the docks. All of them have been somewhat disoriented and some have claimed to be from locations that do not exist in our world. We approached one of these new arrivals, Milo Fields, for comment on his experience.

“A lady in an office told me I was dead and then I woke up on a boat,” Fields, 26, was quoted as stating on the matter. Succinct and fascinating, indeed! It would seem that for once, our island’s propensity for supernatural oddities has brought us something that we can be hopeful about. More on this as it develops.

‘CREEPY LITTLE TREES’ SEEN IN TOWN

By Yorick Aberdeen

Artist rendition of a "Brutok".

NORTHWEST HOLLOW (Prague Mills) - This morning Town Hall received a report from the road by the lumber mill, which leads out to Crane’s Ridge, that there have been more sightings of the “tiny tree people” that have been appearing around Lockwood Forest. Over the past few weeks there have been multiple sightings of short-statured creatures with gnarled limbs, bark complexions, and leaf-shaped masks moving about among the trees. There have also been several reports claiming that they have been in town. These reports are particularly prominent in areas toward the outskirts of the forest such as the aforementioned Prague Mills.

However, movement is not the only activity people claim to have seen. Many of these sightings detail more insidious behaviors such as mean-spirited practical jokes, theft, and attempted kidnapping.

The Pumpkin Hollow Gazette reached out to local historian and town council member Dahlia Leeds for any insight on these creatures from her research.

“These creatures appear to be Brutoks,” Leeds, 23, concluded in her interview with us on Tuesday evening. “They’re angry woodland spirits known to appear in cursed forests, much like our own.”

Ms. Leeds went on to issue a number of safety warnings for residents. According to her research, these Brutoks often move in groups and will lock on to woodland travelers who make eye contact with them. Their eyes are not visible so this can be done by accident quite easily if one spends too much time staring into trees. If Brutoks attach themselves to you, they will follow you home, proceeding to destroy your property, hide your personal items, attempt to cause you bodily harm, tear up your garden, and eventually spirit you away to the woods. Victims of these kidnappings will be “planted” in the woods by the Brutoks and spend the next several hours enduring the deeply unpleasant process of being turned into a tree, ultimately killing the individual. A gruesome affair.

There are several ways to dispel a Brutok invasion before it escalates to kidnapping. Ms. Leeds recommends observing their behavior for clues and keeping an eye out for puzzles set by the creatures while outside, though there may be other solutions. If you are unable to dispel them, it is possible to fight them off with brute force. Those walking in or near the woods are advised to keep their eyes on the trail but listen carefully for sounds of distress and be prepared to intervene. Should you encounter any trees that look like people, Ms. Leeds has also cited the unfortunate need to burn the unsettling foliage in order to release the spirit of the victim so that they can regenerate as usual.

As always, the sharing of information and community vigilance are imperative in warding off this new threat. Please share any information you have on the message boards at town hall or with your neighbors, and consider reaching out to Ms. Leeds or any other respected community figure if you find yourself in a bind. Keep your lanterns lit, Pumpkin Hollow. We’re in for quite the summer.

CUCUMBER FESTIVAL CANCELED DUE TO UNFORTUNATE TURNIP HEX; REPLACED WITH POTLUCK

By Yorick Aberdeen

They haunt my dinner plate and my dreams.

DOWNTOWN (Temple of Sacred Roots) - In lighter news, a solution has been found to the much-loathed Turnip Hex debacle.

As most residents of Pumpkin Hollow are aware, earlier in spring a crop hex was placed on the island by an unidentified witch that turned all ground crops sown at the time into turnips. While this is not as bad as it could be, it has resulted in mounds upon mounds of turnips and a complete lack of other crops until later harvests. The witch who cast this hex is still at large.

An unfortunate side effect of the hex has been that the beloved and highly anticipated Cucumber Festival, which normally takes place in early June, had to be canceled due to a lack of cucumbers. This has earned the ire of a great many residents who have cited the festival as “their last source of a modicum of joy on this goddess-forsaken island”, among other more colorful statements.

Reverend Degas Clayton of the Temple of Sacred Roots of our Four Earthly Mothers has proposed an alternative to the festival. While not nearly as exciting, Clayton, 57, believes that a turnip potluck is still a great community-building exercise and excuse for a social gathering. He encourages attendees to find the most inventive ways they can think of to cook up excess turnips and present their dishes on the temple lawn during the party. “The sooner we eat the blasted things, the sooner we’ll no longer have to look at them anymore,” said Mayor Poe in her endorsement of the event. It would appear she plans to be in attendance.

To participate, please bring an appropriate dish to the Temple of Sacred Roots on Friday at noon. The party will run until sundown and wine will be provided, which may improve the taste of the turnips. New residents are encouraged to attend even if they are not able to provide a dish so that they can meet their local community and learn more about the church.

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Comments

[icanmakeit]

"Good point, I could see that too now that you say that," Nieve agreed after a moment of consideration, glancing over at the young woman with an amused look on her face. "Or maybe, if we're lucky, they will hate the turnips and we can use them as wards against them."

"We could always experiment and see what happens?"

[hyliasblessing]

Zelda giggled at that. "We could always get one step ahead and start throwing turnips first! How is your aim?"

[icanmakeit]

"It depends on the technique I use but I could actually come up with a few ways to use these as a weapon of sorts," she smirked as she looked over the turnips. "I could create a trap out of one? Or make it explode when picked up?"

[hyliasblessing]

"Explode? Goodness. I suppose that would work." She put a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "I imagine they're susceptible to fire. But we would have to be quite careful with that."

[icanmakeit]

"True," Nieve nodded as she turned her attention to a plateful of turnips, studying them with a renewed interest that had nothing to do with eating them. "We wouldn't want to burn down the island."

[hyliasblessing]

"Heavens, no," she chuckled. "But how does one make a turnip explode?"

[icanmakeit]

Nieve thought about that as she looked at the turnips. "It wouldn't be that difficult. I know a simple enough spell."

[hyliasblessing]

"You know magic?" Her eyebrows raised. "That's quite impressive."

[icanmakeit]

"I know a bit," Nieve answered with a little nod. She knew too that usually when people said that? They knew more than a little bit.

"Do you know magic?" She asked curiously, almost hopefully.

[hyliasblessing]

"I do know some, yes," Zelda replied. "It's not common for my people to have magic without an artifact or tool of some kind, but I went through a very special and rigorous training regimen to be able to do it. Would you like to see?"

[icanmakeit]

"Ah, artifacts and tools are very useful to have. I do like working with them whenever I can," Nieve smiled even though she was feeling a tiny bit frustrated still over the fact that she didn't have access to her usual tools. But then she paused, intrigued still. "Yes, I would. Very much!"

[hyliasblessing]

"It's a bit weakened here," Zelda confessed, before cupping her hands in front of her. Without much thought, she manifested a pool of golden, holy light.

"It's harmless to those with good in their hearts," she explained. "But it has the power to banish evil."

[icanmakeit]

"Yes and it's annoying, isn't it?" Nieve huffed just a little at the reminder that her magic was weakened here. Then she stepped back as a pool of golden, holy light appeared.

"That's amazing," she breathed as she leaned forward to look at the light. "And useful."

Where had that been when she had needed it?