TDM #5 - Paradesium [REPRINT]

[pumpkinhollow]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette April Issue

[Find our plain text version here!] MOD NOTE: April's event for members will take place between April 12-25 and will impact the whole island. As such, any tags taking place here over that time will need to be back- or future-dated unless an alternative is discussed with a mod. Don't worry over the details of this too much--- time is soup, after all. Just something to be aware of. Thanks!

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette

4/2/24 | TDM #5 - Paradesium [REPRINT]
Content Warnings: individual CWs found per prompt in "Further Details"
Forecast: Very rainy! Chance of severe storms.

WELCOME TO PUMPKIN HOLLOW!

By Yorick Aberdeen

Apparently the ferryman needed a bigger boat!

ACROSS TOWN - Since June of 16:53, a steady stream of new arrivals to our sleepy little town has flowed in by ferry, emerging from the fog. And it seems this trend is due to continue, as this past March is on record the highest number of new residents in a single month!

We are incredibly grateful for all of you coming to our home and filling it with life once more, even though the dangers of our local curse have significantly increased since all of you began arriving. This reporter isn’t complaining--- additional harm to my own person notwithstanding!

If you are a new arrival, please report to Town Hall at your leisure so that we can help you find work and permanent lodging. Or don’t! The Oak & Iron is happy to rent you a room for as long as you need. Best of luck to all of you, and as we say in Pumpkin Hollow, may your lanterns always be lit!

CHARITY DRIVE ENCOURAGES CULTURAL EXCHANGE

By Cecil Gershwin Palmer

One of the charming toys created during last year's Doll Picnic.

FESTIVAL GREEN - Preparations are underway for the upcoming annual Doll Picnic. A charity event sponsored by the Artisan’s Guild, this picnic is an Anwyllic tradition that was brought to the island and continued with love. The first Doll Picnic was organized by Dame Meredith Idlewild of the town of Glyn Rhuthun on Kora’s Haven, with the toys being donated to the local children’s hospital after a massive landslide engulfed a local school.

The Artisan’s Guild has baskets of material available for making dolls, including fabric, yarn, stuffing, buttons, and the like. However, tradition states that sourcing materials from the natural world (for example, acorn husks to use as buttons or deadwood to carve for doll arms and legs) results in the toys being blessed by Serrenai, who will watch over the children who play with them. The toys will be donated to local children after the picnic, including those who are ill or whose families can only afford necessities.

Newcomers are explicitly invited to join in the making of toys, and the resulting picnic. As a personal note: the locals have never heard of a teddy bear before. This reporter expects to see several, as we introduce our traditions to their traditions.

PLANTING SEASON BEGINS!

By Yorick Aberdeen

After a difficult winter, the appearance of spring's sprouts lifts our spirits.

NORTHWEST HOLLOW - The spring thaw is in full swing! That means it’s time for our local farmers to begin planting. Town Hall is offering a small reward to any of our newest arrivals who would be interested in assisting with planting season for farms less than a year old.

Anyone fresh off the boat interested in making 100 Brass should seek out Eddie and Angel Kasbrak, Arthur Morgan, Cèsar Salazar, Mairi Miann, Ylva Wolfsdottir, or Muriel and offer assistance with tilling and planting. We look forward to rewarding you for your contributions!

HOT SPRINGS OPEN FOR RELAXATION

By Yorick Aberdeen

Photograph provided by the Safety Board!

CRANE'S RIDGE - After a recent earthquake opened up a hot spring on the lower portion of Crane’s Ridge, a small portion of the Pumpkin Hollow Damage Claims Assessment Corps has been working to get the area cleaned up and safe for use by the general public.

Following its recent approval for compliance by the Safety Board, we are pleased to announce that Porter’s Spring is now available for public enjoyment! It can be accessed by taking the train to the North Station or by following the central trail out of Northwest Hollow, though the Safety Board does not recommend making this journey on foot due to its proximity to Lake Sal-Co-Penn. Enjoy!

STRANGE CAVERNS DISCOVERED BENEATH CRANE’S RIDGE

By Yorick Aberdeen

A small glimpse into this world beneath our own.

CRANE RIDGE - In addition to the hot springs, the earthquake can also be credited for a major cave-in in our Crane’s Ridge mines. A large tunnel was completely buried in rubble by the inexplicable natural occurrence. For the past several months, our mining team has been chipping away at the cave-in to try and regain access to the blocked tunnels in the lower area of the mountain.

In one of these tunnels, however, the team discovered a shocking surprise as the rubble was removed! Apparently, just beyond the mine walls, there has been an entrance to Hepogaia--- a subterranean nation running below our own fair country and many others. It seems that this particular portion of Hepogaian territory is also trapped within the barrier. Brief attempts at scouting by the Safety Board have noted a plethora of subterranean wildlife, both familiar and unfamiliar. This incredible new environment, hiding just out of sight beneath our island, is so full of wonder and splendor that it has earned a fitting name--- “Paradesium.”

A recent ecology study and expedition run by Pumpkin Hollow’s own Dr. Elias Coldwood has redirected their efforts to this new location, but those interested in exploring and scouting out this fantastical new discovery independently are encouraged to pack thoughtfully and travel in groups of two or more! Any information obtained during excursions into Paradesium would be appreciated by the Pumpkin Hollow Board of Safety.

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Further Details...

Charity Drive

The Doll Picnic Charity Drive will run throughout the next two months during our TDM, and there will be an event later on involving posing the dolls for a picnic. Once a photo is taken, the children will be allowed to come picnic with their new toys and take them home after!

There is absolutely no way this could possibly go wrong. Absolutely no dollmakers will be jumpscared or attacked by possessed dolls. None at all. (Okay, maybe some of them. But it’s fine. It’s for a good cause.)

[Mod Note: you can just make a doll without it coming to life and trying to kick your ass, that part is optional. Also the dolls will be blessed at the picnic and rendered unable to attack children.]

Planting Season

Any brand-new characters will get 100B extra on their stipend if they submit an AC-length thread with one of the existing farmers on their first Activity Check! This will be available regardless of whether the character qualifies for normal bonuses, but can only be redeemed by those who app in.

For reference for new players, threads are considered AC-length if they are ten tags in length (meaning 5 of your own tags and 5 from your partner.)

Hot Springs

Porter’s Spring is a perfectly normal and safe hot spring! However, you can encounter any number of perils on your way there if you decide to travel on foot, allowing new players to revisit some of our earlier events.

Check out our bestiary (pending update to new format) for more information on creatures such as Brutoks, the River Walker, and the Pine Devil, or stumble on Lake Sal-Co-Penn for a nasty surprise! Brutoks may also steal personal items from spring-goers on occasion. Don’t chase after them alone unless you want to be turned into a tree!

The Tristitia

In addition to the creatures in the wild, in town after dark characters may also encounter the Tristitia, Pumpkin Hollow’s newest cryptid.

She is a wraith-like spirit which haunts the island. Wearing tattered black clothes and colored all in shades of gray, she appears as a woman who walks around weeping with a caved-in chest, covering her face with her hands. Harmless if given a wide berth, but if she is set off, she will take out her desire for empathy for her grief on her target. She does this by embracing them and drawing out their own grief and trauma, leaving the target catatonic before she fades away, temporarily assuaged.

Into Paradesium

Crystals, golden with light and raw magical energy, cast what looks like sunlight down into the cascading cave. For every foot lower that the ground curls down from the entrance, the trees stretch ever-higher, carrying the raucous cries of animals unlike the surface of Marrow Isle had ever heard.

A jungle, so lush with life, sprawls ahead of any brave enough to venture into it. But what is there to see?

For Paradesium specifically, the bestiary has received a significant update. Creatures featured in prompts have their links to the accounts by Dr. Coldwood and his team marked with stars for easy location.

Below are multiple prompts for some encounters to be had in the jungle, but feel free to create any of your own encounters with any of the creatures listed! If the descriptions are short, feel free to write the creatures' behaviors however makes sense.

Welcome to the Jungle

Swallowed by dense canopies and noise, the jungle is quick to swallow any who travel within it whole.

Eyes are quick to find you, however. Perching in the treetops are a variety of small wyverns in vibrant colors, heads tilting as they try to comprehend what you could be. They squawk, chatter, and some of the bolder ones draw closer - if you sit anything aside and leave it unattended for too long, some even bolder than that will pilfer it, taking the object into the trees to admire with its companions.

Reptilian hunters with bright, keen eyes, the Plommon, consider you with much of the same interest. This interest increases tenfold if you happen to feed them.

If the prying eyes are no bother, then the forest's bounty is ripe for tending and taking. Bananas hang off trees, colorful citrus fruits catch light on their waxy peels, and bulky cocoa beans are jostled by movement in the branches above them. Even the broad leaves of the plants prove extraordinarily useful, whether you're looking to come in and quickly leave, or intend to push further within.

Wherever you go, those curious eyes follow you. Perhaps even out of the cave, should your attempts to shoo an adventurous creature away. What an odd way to gain a new team member.

Down a Few Notches on the Food Chain

(CWs: Potential for death, gore, or animal death)

Unfortunately, not all can be pure bounty and new friends in a place like this.

With the cavern sprawling widely and massively, there are many significantly larger creatures in this space, and some seem to be keen to take up opportunity for new prey. As you explore, there's a new feeling of eyes upon you, and the silence that overtakes the surrounding trees spells nothing good to come.

Any one of the massive predators in the wood has you in it's sights.

Escape is difficult, but manageable, as is fighting back. Creatures can be challenged, and hides, bones, and other spoils can be claimed from them, should there be success! If not, this is a good opportunity for familiarization with the Death page.

The silkhide chimera specializes in persistence. The longer and further you go, the more exhausted you'll get. A break is an opportunity that it will be keen to take.

The greenstalker excels at ambushing and high-speed pursuit. At top speeds of 30MPH, your party will need strategy and skill on their side to keep this beast at bay. (Or, alternatively, a source of fire.)

The elephant raptor does neither of these - the beast's sheer length of reach does all it needs to. Water and mud soften the sounds of the gargantuan creature's approach. Stay alert, and be sure that you hear it before it's upon you.

Safe travels become more difficult to manage, the further in you go. Deep, rumbling snores tell you that there's a chance you're just getting to the greater threats this paradise has to offer...

Fragments of the Past

Through great distances traveled, this "uninhabited" cavern begins to show signs that may speak to that not having always been the case.

Ruins of homes, crumbled bricks and tiles, can be found at the deepest reaches of the cavern. These dilapidated buildings, though worn with time, tell a story: the people who left his place, one that could be identified as a stenholm to any familiar with dwarvish culture, did not leave it on good terms.

Essentials were clearly taken with them, as the ruins of this place lack tools or clothing. Valuables are still scattered throughout, however. Large objects with too much history to have been left behind by indifference dot the collapsing homes. Ritual circles still waft radiant energy from them.

In the remains of a temple, an altar stands, cracking with age and covered in plants as the cavern reclaims it. Old candle-stands have rusted with age, but still stand, undisturbed.

Just before the altar, folded onto its side (as best as one can be, when only pieces remain), lies a skeleton. The clothes are tattered remains of stained whites and dulled blues, and the wildlife have cleaned flesh from bones, but it's remained undisturbed by time.

There's a quiet sadness to this place that lingers, even with the people who inhabited it so long since lost.

Should you linger too long, however, there comes the distinct feeling of not being alone.

Clair de Lune

(CWs: Long-term isolation, extinction)

Golden eyes of a human face follow your every moment, and the moment you lock your gaze onto them, the face emerges from the darkness, partially covered by spilling dark hair.

What follows this face, however, is not a human face - but, rather, a feline body with sprawling, grey-flecked wings.

There's a long, tense silence, as it emerges fully. Standing easily at eight feet tall while on all fours, the size of this creature becomes more and more apparent as it emerges from the dark of the collapsed wind.

Unlike the other animals of the cavern, though, there seems to be an anxiousness to its look. The lion's chest rises and falls with short, nervous breaths.

And then, in a hushed, woman's voice, hoarse from disuse, it speaks.

"Who are you? Why have you come here?"

-------------------

The Sphinx is a new NPC available for characters to interact with, should they delve deep enough into the caverns to find the stenholm. She's wary of all the new faces, and tends to be somewhat flighty, but seems cautiously interested in what new humans being in Hepogaia have to offer. For the sort looking to understand this place, it's people, or intend to trade, she can be communed with.

To interact with her, comment on the TL provided from beastsofthehollow with her icon, and if the initial introduction isn't your speed, feel free to encounter her however you like!

IMPORTANT MOD NOTE

As of April 8th we are allowing characters under the age of 18 to apply to Pumpkin Hollow. As we begin to navigate how to approach the change, we ask that anyone posting a TDM toplevel after this date include their character's numerical age (or a general idea of their age) in the title of the comment. We may not stick with this strategy permanently, but for the time being it allows players to quickly gauge what interactions and relationship dynamics are appropriate to pursue with unfamiliar characters! Please bear with us while we experiment!

Comments

Max Maximum | OC | Current Player | OTA!!

[maximumcake]

Hot Springs [cw: Potential Nudity, aka Max might be nude in here, dealer's choice, Alcohol]

Ever since he found out about these hot springs, Max has made it a point to go up at least once, if not twice a week to relax in the late afternoon. "This is the life," he sighs to himself as he leans back against the rough edge of the pool.

Beside him is a picnic basket with some bread, cheese, and an uncorked bottle of wine. He's brought more than one wine glass just in case anyone joins him. Drinking alone is less fun, anyway.

But, until someone does join him, he will be there reclined in the steaming water with two leaves over his eyes like cucumber slices at a spa, and two leaves over his nipples, too, like pasties.

Full Moon at the Hot Springs [CW: 100% nudity in this prompt]

Everything seems fine and normal during this day's dip in the hot springs until...

"Hey! Put those down! Hey!"

A gaggle of Brutoks cackle as they run away carrying various pieces of Max's clothes, including his underwear and one of his shoes.

"Stop!" Max is running after them, completely naked in all of his Maximum glory. Two choices here: help out or enjoy the view?

Full Moon

[misbegottendreamer]

The Dunmer feels something whoosh by her and hears the shouting, and it's enough for her to put two and two together. There's suddenly a sound like something between a lullaby and a lament, throat-sung and played on an oboe, and the Brutoks are hit with a powerful sleep spell- not quite as powerful as it would normally be, given the womer's unfamiliarity with the local magic, but enough to stop them in their tracks for about a minute.

[maximumcake]

Whoa...what was that? A moment of weariness hits him as well but he shakes it off. The brutoks, however, tumble to the grass in sudden slumber. Max races up and seizes his clothes back from them. And then, with said clothes pressed to his groin in an attempt at modesty, he addresses the stranger who has helped him.

"Whew, thank you so much. I was afraid I'd have to ride the train home naked."

[misbegottendreamer]

"It was no trouble, sera. You say these mischief-makers are called brutoks. Are there many of them around here?" Her tone is formal but friendly, though her expression is impossible to read, hidden behind what seems to be a mask.

[maximumcake]

"That's what the locals called them. There are only a couple of ones here but, apparently, they can be dangerous in numbers. They turn you into a tree if they swarm you..." he stops talking as realization dawns.

"Shit. I think they were trying to lure me into a trap in the woods. There's probably a bunch more waiting in there." Josiah would be slapping him upside the head for being so easily fooled.

"You really saved my bacon. Oh, um. My name is Max Maximum, by the way. Sorry for being, well, naked, right now."

Replies To Bulletin Go Here!

[maximumcake]

[decohere]

I'd do it for a toffee cake.

[maximumcake]

"You got a deal. Oh, that reminds me. It won't be long now until your anniversary, right? I know you don't have your original cake topper anymore, but I could always make a replacement one for you."

[decohere]

"Oh, yes. The last several months have felt like several lifetimes, and I still can't believe it's already been almost a year..." wistful though, because it's something to look forward to.

"Whenever you want to get going, I'm hoping to forage some seeds I can bring back to the farm." Maybe expand on what types of crops are available.

Via sending stone

[saltwaterlungs]

"You know you could just ask me if it involves going dangerous places and punching shit. Let me know when we're going and I'll be there."

Re: Via sending stone

[maximumcake]

"I know. I just... I don't know, I didn't want to make the same three people go over and over. But if you're free this afternoon, I'd really like to get down there and grab some ingredients."

[saltwaterlungs]

"Do you think I don't like hanging out with you and helping or something? I'll be there. I'm finding olives this time I swear to God."

Via Sending Stone

[onyssius]

Hello! My name is Jarod, I understand you're looking for an escort into a local cave system? If you still need assistance, I can provide escort, botanical expertise, coordination, whatever is required.

Payment isn't necessary, but perhaps you could trade in information? I witnessed something very strange recently between a woman and her infant child, and I'm having a great deal of trouble understanding it.

Re: Via Sending Stone

[maximumcake]

Hi, Jarod. That would be great. I know how to identify the basic stuff, but I'd take any advice you can give me about what other plants are down there.

And, uh, sure? I'll try to answer any questions I can.

[onyssius]

Wonderful! We can talk during the trip.

I've actually been reading up on the local flora and fauna, but I haven't seen much about the local cave systems in my research. I could be ready in...oh, twelve hours, so whenever you'd like to depart on the expedition would be good for me.

Full Moon

[300kgbackpack]

Max, running through the trees full pelt as he is, might get tripped up when out of the brush off to one side, a rope flies on a pair of weights and wraps once, twice, thrice around one of the scattering creatures carrying what seems to be a pair of breeches. The garment is bound to the struggling creature, now falling flat on its face in the underbrush.

And then a few moments later, the man that had thrown the bolas sidles out of the underbrush with a grunt of effort, stepping over the prone creature and putting his boot on its head. He's dressed in tough worker's clothes, with his hair falling into his face as he looks down at the brutok on the ground.

"Gonna let it go?" he asks shortly. This is a man that has dealt with the creatures out here before, that much is obvious.

Re: Full Moon

[maximumcake]

"Holy shi--!" He screeches to a halt, stunned to see the brutok suddenly entangled. Was that a booby trap or... oh. No. There's another person out here. Whoops. Hope he doesn't mind the view.

Still puffing from the run, Max doubles over and holds himself up with hands on his knees. "Thanks. I owe you one. I was afraid I'd have to ride the train back in the nude."

[300kgbackpack]

For his part, Sam doesn't actually seem to react to Max's nakedness at first, save to glance back at him, then avert his eyes back to the ground and the struggling creature thereon. He doesn't lift his boot just yet, instead bending with just enough pressure kept on its head as he pulls the loops of the rope just loose enough to pull the garment away from it, handing it back over to Max.

"You're up at the springs, right?" he asks, only just loud enough to be heard over the sounds of struggling, and the rustle of the other creatures coming to observe what Sam intended to do with their captured comrade. "Might put in a request with the folks that set the stuff up out here for a locker. Not a lot of people make it out this way until real recently so they prob'ly didn't think about it."

[maximumcake]

"Yeah, I was. That would be a good idea, for sure, if these little jerks are going to keep trying to steal stuff."

Speaking of, Max is looking around nervously as he sees the trees and bushes rustle lightly.

"Hey, um. I think its friends are coming to check on it. Maybe you should let it up so they all leave together?"

[stormbornsagacity]

There's a sound of laughter as a very tall, muscular person stumbles across the scene.

"Oh? Do you need help there, little voe?" There's mischief in his eyes as he takes in the sights.

[maximumcake]

"If you don't mind giving me a hand?" Max wheezes, as he still runs after the brutok in possession of his pants. "That would be great! Thanks?"

[stormbornsagacity]

He smirks, and with a dramatic gesture, a massive gust of wind bowls the brutoks overs. The Gerudo dashes over to them, the wind at his back, and he immediately begins retrieving Max's things, holding them out with a coy smile.

"Such rude things. I do not look kindly upon thieves. You are not wounded outside of your pride, I hope?" He's got an accent Max can't recognize, some bizarre mix of Iraqi and something out of eastern Europe. Rolling Rs and deep, breathy As.

Full Moon at the Hot Springs :) late but here anyway

[actuallyawolf]

Two choices, but what if both?

Ylva, who has just come around the corner, bursts into laughter, but she's also immediately running forward to rescue him, enjoying the view for a moment, just a little. With a word and a gesture, she has vines and tendrils bursting up from the ground to try to seize the Brutoks as they run.

At least this particular prank is relatively harmless.

<3

[maximumcake]

"Sure, laugh it up," Max calls back to her, but he's grinning too. He doesn't mind Ylva getting the full show.

"Whew, thank goodness," he tells her, planting a breathless kiss on her cheek. "I don't know what I would have done if they got away with my pants."

[actuallyawolf]

"You'd have to come home with me," she says, brightly.

With a handful of summoned fire it's easy to retrieve the clothing and scare the stragglers away; Ylva brings it back to Max, and then throws her arms around him instead of giving it to him.

"Good thing I got here just in time."