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ph_memes2023-06-07 02:56 pm
TDM #1 - The Vengeful Forest
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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[ Clearly, there's much to think about. But perhaps she'll do that later. For now, the sly little smile returns to her features, and she lifts her cup of tea in a toasting gesture. ]
Well, here's to a new life, I suppose.
You seem to be eager enough to embrace it; what do you have in mind? Do you already have plans for what you want to do?
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I was thinking of taking up one of the farming jobs they were offering. I grew up on a farm, so it's what I'm used to. Never had my own, though. Just a garden. I figure I better get cracking if I ever wanna buy myself a new prosthetic. [ He patted the remaining half of his missing arm for emphasis. ] Kind of a rip off I didn't get to keep my old one, but I guess you don't take anything with you when you die.
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Is that what they're expected to do here? She's never had a job. She's never dealt much in currency. She's always just lived off the land, hunting and foraging. Ionia's rich wilderness had easily allowed such a life, but what if Pumpkin Hollow does not? What if she has to live among society here? Is she even capable of that?
Milo's subject change is a welcome relief. Ahri pulls a face, appalled. ]
They took your prosthetic, and did not even see fit to provide you a new one? That's... very cold. Will you be able to farm like that?
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His question sends a pang of nervousness through her, anxiety twisting in her gut. It's a question she's only just begun to think about, and she doesn't really like any of the answers she's coming up with.
She hopes he's not an empath like she is. Otherwise, her fear would be obvious, aside from the quick blankness of her expression.
"Perhaps I'll rent my services out to those who need help hunting," she laughs lightly. "If there's even game to be had in the nearby forest. I haven't had a thorough enough look to make sure. I have seen a market, though, so you don't strictly need to hunt."
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I dunno about you, but back in my original world, big companies own basically everything you can buy and a small handful of people are super fuckin' rich. They're wasteful and pollute the environment and take advantage of people. So I just bought what I'd need to be comfortable and started living in the woods. I garden, I hunt, I fish, and the little money I do spend on things I can't do myself, I make from doing work with my hands. Odd jobs and furniture refurbishing. But here... I imagine most businesses are owned by regular people, so it's probably not a big deal.
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She, too, lives her life off the land. For as long as she can remember she has never lived in a house; always in the forest, sleeping under the stars on fine nights or in a cave when the weather was bad. She hunts and she gathers, and occasionally earns some coin in whatever town she happens to be nearby by trading in food and pelts. Here, however, it seems... more useful to get a job, as it may provide her contacts to learn more about this place.
"You're likely right about this town, but still, I'm sure there's probably a rich person or two that's annoying enough for you to hate," she teases. "It does sound like a farm would suit you well -- since this town's population has been decreasing, I imagine agricultural workers are something they desperately need."
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"Yeah, that's what the lady at town hall said," he agreed. "I'm always happy to help feed folks! And it's something I got experience in, so all the better."
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"I... am not sure what I will do," she finally admits, gaze downcast, staring down at her tea. "I have never worked. I have always foraged for my food and lived under the stars, and on the rare occasion that I absolutely needed money, I just took on odd jobs."
She hates being so truthful about something so vulnerable, but Milo has been friendly and kind so far, perhaps he might have a useful idea about her future that Ahri hasn't considered.
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Though she has helped a few people with the Brutok so far, and that had been easy enough. Perhaps... this town has need of fighters? But there's no telling how often dangers like the Brutok crop up.
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