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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Dahlia Leeds || NPC || OTA

[thethirteenthchild]

- General -

Most afternoons it was easy to find Dahlia bustling about Town Hall, attending meetings or sorting through the archives there. Today was no exception, although Town Hall had been much busier as of late. All these new arrivals!

And there in the lobby, she spotted another. She smiled, setting her hand on the currently unoccupied front desk. "Hello there! Have you been helped yet?"

- The Brutoks -

"Shoo, shoo!"

Front doors of Greymare Library flung wide open, the blonde woman standing beneath the frame swatted a pair of screeching Brutoks out with a broom, swatting at their behinds repeatedly. The sound of their cries was like steam squealing out of a tea kettle but louder and warbling, though it seemed as if they were just making noise for the sake of it, given that the swatting was effective only for moving them and little else. Still, they took off down the street and disappeared into a bush.

"Ugh!" Dahlia stormed out of the library in a huff, still clinging to the broom. She began checking for something around the perimeter, rummaging through the topiaries on the lawn. "It's got to be around here somewhere. Where did you little monsters hide it?"

The Burtoks!

[woocas]

The sound of steam catches Lucas's attention as he meanders down the road. he had been sketching a little map in his notebook, but slaps that closed in favor of figuring out where the commotion is coming from. He skitters around a corner just in time to see a woman looking around for something in a bush.

"Hey, uh, do you need a hand?"

[thethirteenthchild]

"Hmm? Oh! Hello!" She straightened up, setting aside the broom at last by propping it up against the side of the building. "Some of those blasted Brutoks got into the library. Probably following a Historical Society member. We had a meeting this morning and now all the books are out of order because of these troublemakers. I'm trying to find their puzzle. They leave these little--- visual puzzles outside of places they're attached to."

[woocas]

"Hey, sorry if I startled you," Lucas offers a sheepish smile along with the apology. Although he does perk up a bit at description of the little critters.

"Right, the paper said something about that. So this is the Historical Society?" Lucas has about twenty other questions lined up but his brain thankfully catches up to his mouth before she's inundated with them right off the bat. "I can help you look if you want? are the obvious or kinda subtle?"

Tucking his notebook under one arm, Lucas comes around to where she's standing, already eyeing the surrounding bushes for anything that might be out of place.

General

[lickstheevidence]

Connor shakes his head slowly, still bewildered, his LED never stopping the red spin that had started back in Detroit when he'd first been shot and continuing all the way through his arrival and orientation. Now he's here, and he still doesn't know where here is, exactly, but he'd accepted the offer and now he's determined to make the best of it. His mission back in Detroit hasn't yet been accomplished.

He's started to think that maybe he and Hank were wrong, though. Maybe there is an afterlife for androids. Just not the one he'd halfway anticipated.

He focuses his attention on the blonde woman. "No. I'm not sure what kind of help I need. Do you need any help?"

[thethirteenthchild]

She looked surprised at the question. "Me? Don't be silly!" She laughed. "Are you one of the new arrivals? I don't believe we've met." She extended a hand, her fingers as long and lithe as the rest of her stature with manicured nails at the ends. "My name is Dahlia. And you?"

[lickstheevidence]

"Oh." His LED spins yellow and he looks sort of disconcerted at that. Didn't most humans usually need some kind of help?

He stares at her hand for a moment before taking it in his own and shaking it firmly.'

"Yes, I'm a new arrival. My name is Connor. It's nice to meet you, Dahlia. I'm sorry, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now." He knows what he was told before by the nice woman who gave him hot chocolate that he surprisingly could drink, but he's still out of sorts and unsure what's going on. He leans in closer and lowers his voice.

"Are we dead?"

gen

[counterstep]

He looked over when addressed, started slightly as he realized he was acknowledged, and nodded before stepping over. "Uh, not yet." The bustle made it quite obvious how much busier it was than usual, but that was all the more reason Bucky had waited quietly, not wanting to add any more pressure than necessary.

"Busy day, huh?" Rhetorical. "I'm. Actually one of the new arrivals, and I was wondering what kind of work was available. The mayor mentioned something about that, but I didn't see anything like a job board when I was walking around."

Having always been a busybody, the idea of just taking it easy on the town's dime seemed rather selfish.

[thethirteenthchild]

"I thought as much!" Her smile brightened. "I know just about everyone local, so I almost feel out of my element with all the new faces! I'm a member of town council. I'd be happy to set you up with work. May I have your name, please?"

[counterstep]

"Oh." The town council? How big even was that? This place felt so small compared to New York. It'd have to be, too, if she really was so confident knowing everyone local. "Hope it's not been too overwhelming. Your mayor definitely seems quite overtaxed.

"Barnes." It was followed by a slight shake of his head as he reminded himself of civilian usage. "James Barnes."

Burtoks

[icanmakeit]

Nieve could have done something to help get rid of the Burtoks but the truth was that she was still biding her time somewhat with revealing her own magic. Which seemed to be going a bit haywire at the moment but she was sure she could figure it out. Or at least she was hoping that she could.

Either way, she watched as the strange little creatures took off running for a nearby bush. As soon as they disappeared, Nieve started to walk close to the library, watching as the blonde changed her attention to looking around for...something.

"Did they steal something from you?"

Re: Burtoks

[thethirteenthchild]

"Hm?" She looked up to see who was speaking, then straightened. "Oh! No, I'm looking for something else. You see, they hide these little puzzles around outside. My research indicates that solving the puzzles might be enough to chase them off, or at least make them lose interest in the building."

[icanmakeit]

"Really?" Nieve looked intrigued by that as she stepped closer, leaning forward to start looking at the area in front of her where she hadn't seen the other woman look around quite yet. "That's kind of interesting. I wouldn't have guessed they would be that sort but I also guess I shouldn't assume to understand anything here. It's always best to operate under the assumption that things are not what they seem, yes?"

She fell silent as she looked around before straightening and glancing over again. "What kind of puzzles do they leave?"

General

[wildfirecatcafe]

It's been a while, but Beatrix has finally it's time to do things instead of freaking out. And step one of that is the dreaded... paperwork.

"Hi. So. I'm reliably informed that we're stuck here for the foreseeable future." She takes a breath. "What do we need to know and/or do to like, live in this town?"

Re: General

[thethirteenthchild]

Dahlia put her hands out flat in front of her and lowered them slowly in a calming gesture. "Take a deep breath. I understand how stressful this must be, but I'll do everything in my power to make it as easy as possible for you, alright?"

She leaned around to the back of the desk, grabbing a small bundle of paper slips to hand to Beatrix. "This first one you'll turn in at the bank. That will get you 100 Brass to get you started. It isn't much, but it's enough to survive on and get you started. All residents get this much as a stipend each month, so you'll just come back next month to check in and get more. This second one is your boarding voucher and your meal ticket for the month. You'll take these to the Oak & Iron Tavern on High Street. That's where you'll stay until you get yourself someplace more permanent. If you'd like to make more money, we're offering start-up packages for people willing to work essential jobs, but there's no rush. You can talk to anyone in town hall about work options when you're ready."

Re: General

[wildfirecatcafe]

"Oh, I'm calm," Beatrix says with a weak smile as she collects the papers, "I had my freakout already.

"Work options..." She flips through the papers. "What jobs are available, anyway? Back home we ran a cat cafe, but it seems statistically unlikely for there to be a convenient opening for one of those..."

I can't believe this random podunk in the middle of nowhere managed to implement UBI before, like, Philadelphia.

Maybe they were able to pull it off because they were tiny.

Brutoks!

[sleepingswordsman]

[ It was purely happenstance that Link passed by the source of the ruckus, and with raised brows, he watched the strange creatures scurry off. They really were like evil Koroks, he decided, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Once he'd watched them away, though, it wasn't hard to miss the woman who'd chased them out seeming to be in quite the fluster. Why not lend a hand to a new neighbor?

Stepping closer, he weighed how to broach the subject, before giving her arm a gentle nudge, and pointing up to one of the edges of the roof, where a large acorn had been suspended by a dried vine. ]

Is that what you're looking for?

Re: Brutoks!

[thethirteenthchild]

Hmm?

[ Dahlia turned and looked up at the dangling acorn charm hanging from the roof of the library. ]

Oh, you know? I bet that's it. I see a lot of them on the ground, so this must be an attempt to trip me up. You have a good eye! Oh, but how can I get it down...?

[sleepingswordsman]

Oh! I think I have an idea. Can I borrow your broom?

General

[bluemisfit]

Kurt was still reeling from the information he had gotten so far, but the young woman's question brought him back down to Earth - or wherever this was - in an entirely different way. With a weak smile that betrayed his anxiety, he said, "Guten tag. I actually did have a question, if you don't mind - have you seen a group of newcomers by any chance, a big man and three women traveling together?"

He honestly wasn't certain what he wanted the answer to be. If they were here, according to the white-haired woman, they would have died... or almost died. Not that it was unusual for them, but that didn't mean it was desirable. But on the other hand, if they hadn't come, then that meant this was more than just another side trip through alternate Earths, and he was truly alone here. He didn't like either option much, but he felt he had a stronger chance of getting out of this if he weren't alone.

[thethirteenthchild]

Dahlia blinked at the question, tilting her head in thought. "I've seen a lot of newcomers over the past few weeks," she admitted. "Almost none of them seemed to be together as far as I can tell. If the people you're looking for are here... I haven't seen them. I'm sorry."

Her eyes drifted to his inhuman features with... perhaps a modicum of concern, which was understandable given the island's paranormal history, but mostly she just seemed curious. She politely moved her gaze back to his face after a moment, though, withholding her questions.

General

[borntolove]

"Yes! Hi! I'm The Doctor. I don't 'uppose you have a library or museum in this place?" The Doctor ruffles his hair in thought.

[thethirteenthchild]

"As a matter of fact!" Dahlia brightened, more than happy to discuss the library. "The Greymare Library is just up the road, with topiaries outside and the columns on the front. I'd be happy to show you! It's probably my favorite place in the whole town."

General

[deepbluerevue]

The woman in the linen shirt and trousers of a new ferry arrival bears a utilitarian walking cane in her right hand, a tidy chignon hairdo on her head, and a sweet but mildly strained smile on her face. “I don’t believe I have, thank you for asking. Would you happen to know who I can talk to about —” She hesitates briefly, perhaps waffling over her word choice. “… Settling in? I spoke to the mayor, but I’m still a mite lost.”

Re: General

[thethirteenthchild]

"Of course, ma'am! I'd be happy to help," Dahlia agreed, smiling brightly. "I'm Dahlia Leeds, I'm a member of Town Council, so anything you need, I'd be happy to help with."

Dahlia is extremely slight and pale to the point of looking one step above sickly, but holds herself with the almost regal posture of a woman with a well-to-do upbringing and is perfectly cheerful, so she somehow must be in decent health. She comes over with a stack of paperwork.

"What in particular is giving you trouble?"