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

[pinandcove]

"Thanks, man." He threw his leg over the bench and sat down. He helped himself to some manner of turnip coleslaw and a cup of turnip soup. "You from around here?"

[worstorganplayer]

"I've been a lot of places, but never up this way before," Snakes said. "My favorite place is New Orleans."

[pinandcove]

"Ahh, okay, so you're from--- Uh, I guess it wouldn't be fair to call it the 'real world,' would it? This one seems real enough." He frowned thoughtfully. "Well, roughly the same world as me. I'm from Mansfield, Ohio. I don't go to Louisiana much, on account of my camper gets real humid that far south, but it was nice when I did go."

[worstorganplayer]

Snakes gave him a blank look. "Camper?"

[pinandcove]

Oh. Maybe he's from like the past or something.

"Yeah, like a tiny apartment on wheels. Most people use them for long camping trips, but I live in mine."

[worstorganplayer]

He is indeed. Ulysses Grant was president back then.

"... That sounds really convenient. I sure could have used something like that to get around in. How do you get one of them?"

[pinandcove]

"Well, where I'm from you just buy one! I dunno about here," Milo said, musing over the possibility. "I guess you could build something like that. I'm a pretty good handyman, so maybe I can take a crack at it sometime after I get my bearings."

[worstorganplayer]

"Really? You're that handy?" Snakes' eyes glimmered. He was most definitely interested. This was good. But at the same time, he was suspicious. Surely no one would build something as elaborate as a portable home without wanting compensation. "What kind of payment would you be thinking of? I have various business ventures I would like to get going, but it might take some time before they truly begin to show their worth." If they were okayed at all. "If we were back home, I would have plenty I could give you, but here I'm starting over from the bottom up."

[pinandcove]

"Well, I dunno just yet, I'd just be messin' around at first to see if I could make it work," Milo confessed. "Maybe if I actually figure it out we can talk turkey! But I honestly just like messing around and tinkering. Priority number one, though, is gettin' me a new prosthetic arm."

[worstorganplayer]

"Yeah? Are you gonna try to make yourself one of those too?" Snakes would definitely be curious to see how that turned out as well.

[pinandcove]

"Maybe! Although they did give me a regular house for gettin' a job," Milo said. "I took up one of the little farms outside town. I got some potatoes going! They told me not to plant any turnips, and now I know why!" He barked a laugh.

[worstorganplayer]

"Oh, they did, huh? Did they give you any money to get started on?" Both would certainly be useful.

He smirked. "Yeah, they've got turnips coming out of their ears. But if some ... heh ... hex caused that to happen, what makes them think it won't again?" He looked skeptical and amused at the thought of hexes being real.

[pinandcove]

"Eh, just the same hundred brass as everyone else," he said, shrugging. "But now I got a way to make a little more than just the ol' stipend. Universal basic income is a beautiful thing, ain't it?"

He shrugged again as he considered the second question. "You got me there," he conceded. "Maybe if I look real cute I can ask the witch nicely not to hex my farm."

[worstorganplayer]

"It is indeed," Snakes muses thoughtfully.

He smirks. "Only if nobody knows who did it, it sounds like you won't get much of a chance to ask."

[pinandcove]

"I'll keep my eyes peeled," he joked. "Name's Milo, by the way. Yourself?"

[worstorganplayer]

"Snakes Tolliver," Snakes replied. The reason for that nickname in his world was an S shaped hypertrophic scar on his left cheek, the origin of which was known only to Snakes.

[pinandcove]

"Snakes! Hell of a name," Milo said. "You sound like the kinda guy who's great at getting into and out of trouble."

[worstorganplayer]

Snakes smirked. "Yeah, you could say that."

Except he hadn't made it out of this last mess okay. He would be dead if not for that lady's offer. Maybe when everything settled down and he started to remember more about his death, that would haunt him more. As it was, something flickered in his eyes.

He tried to change the subject. "So what brought you to a place like this?" Surely nothing like what had brought him.

[pinandcove]

"Oh Jesus, where do I begin," Milo muttered, raking a hand through his hair. "Well, uh... It's kind of a long story, but I got stabbed."

He hoped he would not have to explain at length that he was afflicted with a supernatural curse that caused him to have to cut off his own arm, which grew into an evil clone of himself after being buried in the ground and proceeded to do the stabbing, but he imagined he'd have to talk about it at some point.

[worstorganplayer]

"It's always a long story, isn't it?" Snakes mused. "What is it with people like us that we attract trouble like flies?"

[pinandcove]

"Hard to say, my man," Milo said with a shrug and a chuckle. "I try to mind my business, but this stuff always finds me somehow, y'know?"

[worstorganplayer]

"You and me both," Snakes said. "I've gotta say, this is the darnedest situation I've gotten into yet."

He wondered if he had even fully processed it. It still felt so unreal.