TDM #1 - The Vengeful Forest

[pumpkinhollow]

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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

Hallie Mathews (OC) \ Open

[fieryenforcer]

The woods are just wood, the trees are just wood...
In retrospect, Hallie isn't entirely sure they know what drove them to go straight from the dock to the woods like this. ... Or, well, obviously it was the rumors of little tree people acting out, but why in the world Hallie's response was "investigate immediately" instead of "put a pin in that and figure out literally anything else first" was a mystery.

"At least they haven't tried murdering me?" Hallie grumbled, thoroughly lost. "... This was a bad idea. I don't even know what direction anything is."

[hereticofthewilds]

The locals warn against going into the woods for a reason. In every dark nook and cranny could hold a snarling beast ready to devour the unwary traveler. Under every leaf something might stare back.

And Hallie would find that yes, something was watching them.

Beyond a crop of trees, peeking just around a pine's snarled truck, is a hooded figure. The shadows obscure any features, but Hallie just might make out that they are human-like in shape.

[fieryenforcer]

"Oh, good, a person." Hallie pauses briefly. "... that is good, right?"

Hallie takes a moment to consider that. The last time they had been lost in the woods they'd been trying to get away from people, and this time they're doing the opposite of that. Last time the random person they'd stumbled into had been a creepy ghost girl thoroughly demonstrating how much she didn't grasp what Hallie or her friends had wanted, so this time the person they'd run into would be... the opposite of that...?

"I'm not convinced this logic works, but I'm following it anyway." Hallie begins making their way toward the cryptic figure. "Yo! Person!" they call out, waving one arm.

[hereticofthewilds]

Good is relative, isn't it?

The wind carries a laugh, seemingly from the figure before them. The figure lifts a hand, a slender finger pointing at something past Hallie, behind them.

When next Hallie blinks, the figure turns, appearing to step through the tree and vanishing without a trace.

[woocas]

Now Hallie might hear someone calling after them!

"Hellooo!" Lucas calls while running. he comes to a stop a few feet away, breathless, hands bracing to his knees. "Geez! I didn't think I'd see anyone else out here!"

[fieryenforcer]

"Hello?!" Hallie looks completely off balance. "There was- a second ago, someone else??" They look back at the tree the figure walked into. "... What??"

[woocas]

“Huh?” Lucas straightens up a touch, looking around. “Someone else…?”

He frowns a bit. “Dude, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be out here with those little brutok thingies in the first place but, uh…who did you see??”

[fieryenforcer]

"Some, uh... hooded person who walked into a tree?" Hallie is still staring at the tree in question. "Not like bonk but like vvvm," they add, as though that explains anything.

[woocas]

"Well that doesn't sound ominous at all..." Is it bad that her explanation actually made sense? Time for another bad decision.

"...What tree was it."

[fieryenforcer]

Hallie points directly in front of them. "That one." They're staring at the tree like it's gonna bite them, or vanish, or both. "I think they laughed??"

[woocas]

"Oh good, of course they did! Was it a creepy laugh?" He's seen this movie before and he doesn't like it!

"Well...wanna go over there with me? I can see if I can figure out what happened." Lucas pauses a beat. "Lucas, by the way."

[fieryenforcer]

Hallie shakes out of their trance. "Y- yeah, sure. ... I'm Hallie.

"... is this kinda thing... normal, around here? I ran here straight off the dock cause someone said something about angry tree people."

[woocas]

"Dude, I have no idea. I just got here like a day or two ago. But it sounds like you've got the knack for looking into this stuff?" Or at least she doesn't mind running headlong into danger.

"Or at least running into danger, that is." He says with a laugh.

[fieryenforcer]

"One of these days I'm gonna know better than to dash right into anything weird I learn about," Hallie says with a small smile, finally looking a bit less freaked out. "But it ain't gonna be today." They approach the tree, cautiously examining it for any signs of... anything, really.

[woocas]

"That's the spirit!" Lucas remarks eagerly. Just the sort of person he can get into trouble with!

And trouble is exactly what they will find, in the form of some tiny tree creatures that seem to be really annoyed by their presence. The little fiends burst out from the underbrush, clicking at the pair.

"Woah! Guess your mystery person might be in cahoots with these things??"

[fieryenforcer]

"These things!" Hallie exclaims. "The little tree people! These are what I charged in here looking for." They eye the little leafy buggers cautiously. "... Well, we found them! ... What do I do with this information."

[woocas]

"Well, we got two options." Lucas just hopes she's a fast runner for one of them...

"We punt these little guys into next week or we book it for town."

[fieryenforcer]

"Is negotiation not on the table...?" The leafy clicking noises continue. "... I suppose that would require figuring out how to communicate with them."

Seems like Hallie doesn't quite grasp what the Brutoks have been up to. The drawbacks of charging in without doing your research 😔

[woocas]

"I mean if you can speak tree then be my guest!"

The brutok, however, seems to have run out of its limited patience! It chitters loudly and starts charging towards them!

[fieryenforcer]

Hallie stumbles backwards a bit. "Whoa, treeface, I ain't planning to hurt you!"

The brutok doesn't seem to care.

[woocas]

Luckily Lucas has dealt with them a few times by this point, so he steps forward between Hallie and the little fiend.

"Hey, buzz off!" He kicks out his foot like someone playing soccer and catches the brutok square in the chest. It sails backwards into the treeline!

"See, not so bad ri--" Lucas starts to say before a chorus of angry tree chittering rustles from that very same tree line. Oops?

[fieryenforcer]

WELP. "... I'm not so idealistic to ignore when negotiation has thoroughly failed." Not anymore, I'm not. "Running seems like the best option here." Hallie quickly grabs a big stick (okay, more medium-sized, it was the biggest one in arm's reach) in case violence becomes necessary on their way out.

[woocas]

"I agree!" He'd rather not become a tree, thanks! "Just keep an eye out for any traps on the way out okay? I've got your six!"

Lucas does wait a few beats so Hallie can be in front. As long as the brutoks didn't booby trap the place they should be fine!