TDM #2 - Down in the Underground

[pumpkinhollow]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette Issue #3

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette

8/5/23 | TDM #2: "Down in the Underground"
Content Warnings: [Article 2] claustrophobia, caves, drowned corpse
[Article 4] Various violence by monster

We're glad you're here!

WELCOME TO PUMPKIN HOLLOW!

By Yorick Aberdeen

JACK'S MARINA - Reports from the Pumpkin Hollow Port Authority indicate that arrivals by otherworldly newcomers to Marrow Isle are continuing at a steady rate. The first batch of new arrivals, which had been the very first travelers to Pumpkin Hollow in at least five years’ time, began in early June of this year and have already proven to be an incredible boon to both our economy and our overall quality of life. We now have a new farm on the island for the first time in years, as well as clever new members of the constabulary, a few helpful craftspeople, and even our own brand new local musical act. Not only that, but the prestigious Ms. Dahlia Leeds has taken a personal assistant, which this reporter is pleased to announce has gotten him out of a number of mundane tasks. (No offense is meant to Ms. Leeds, of course--- the Pumpkin Hollow Gazette certainly harbors no ill will toward its most consistent donor!)

According to interviews with a number of these newcomers, they appear to all come from realms far beyond our own, to the point where they have homelands with unfamiliar names and have never heard of the Emerald Isles at all. Those willing to share more details report that they each met with a strange woman in a bland-looking office building who offered them a chance at a new life, then found themselves on the ferry here. None of them seem to know anything further, as far as the Pumpkin Hollow Gazette is aware. Curious circumstances indeed.

That said, we are beyond pleased to welcome even more new neighbors to our fair town. Any newcomers should feel welcome to come to Town Hall if they are in any need of assistance. Mayor Poe and any member of Town Council would all be more than happy to lend a hand.

Additionally, the Temple of Sacred Roots will be holding a small gathering on temple grounds to welcome any wayward souls who could use a bit of help adjusting. Reverend Degas Clayton would also like to remind everyone that he is always available to offer guidance after any of his Sunday sermons unless otherwise stated. He has expressed an interest in personally welcoming as many new residents as he is able.

Hopefully things will continue to look up for Pumpkin Hollow as more arrivals land upon our docks. This will be of particular importance as we draw ever closer to Autumn. October in particular promises to be an especially difficult time, as usual. The Pumpkin Hollow Gazette will report further on our paranormal forecast as the season of spirits draws near. We hope to keep local casualties to a minimum this year after last year’s record high.

In any case, best of luck to our new residents, and welcome again!

NOTORIOUS 'RIVER WALKER' SPOTTED AFTER LONG ABSENCE; EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED

By Yorick Aberdeen

The Paring River Bridge in Lockwood Forest.

LOCKWOOD FOREST (Paring River) - Woodland travelers beware! And not just for all of the usual reasons, either. This past weekend, local shepherd Joseph Peterson reported to the local constabulary that he had an encounter with a creature that had been presumed to have moved on from our fair isle. Peterson, 37, allegedly came across the beast colloquially known as the “River Walker” while crossing the Paring River bridge near the entrance of Lockwood Forest, where he was grabbed and knocked out. Once he regained consciousness, Peterson then reported being lost in an underground cave system whilst being pursued by the monster for an unknown amount of time estimated between six and twelve hours.

The River Walker, a spider-like creature with the face of a human corpse, is so named because it appears to exclusively use the Paring River as its hunting ground. The creature is apparently completely unique to Marrow Isle, as the Pumpkin Hollow Historical Society was unable to uncover folklore or recorded sightings of anything matching the River Walker’s description in any of the texts they have access to. However, through collecting data from resurrected residents who were its victims, the Town Hall Safety Board was able to glean information about this menace that should help citizens avoid yet another timely demise.

Firstly, all residents traveling in the Lockwood Forest should steer clear of the Paring River if possible. While it is true that the Paring River cuts directly through the forest near the entrance and arcs through the majority of the woodlands, and also that the main path through the woods which goes over the Paring River bridge is the only way through to Crane’s RIdge or any of the hunting areas, the river should still be avoided whenever residents are able. This will minimize potential contact.

Secondly, be aware of your surroundings when near the river. Data indicates that the creature will make a soft chittering sound before reaching up to grab a victim. Many prior victims also report the surrounding area seeming “too still” when the creature was in the area. If you experience any of these phenomena, it would be wise to run--- though most reports suggest that outrunning the River Walker aboveground is impossible. But still, it is important to do your best.

And lastly, should you be taken below ground with this monstrous creature, it will transport you to tight underground caves where you will be forced to crawl, squeeze, and climb for your life. All the while it will follow you, taunting and toying with you. Utilize these long, grueling hours to your advantage! Studies have shown that the River Walker struggles to attack groups of two or more effectively, so while you are being tortured, search for a traveling companion!

If you do encounter the River Walker, please report the sighting to the Town Council or the Historical Society regardless of whether or not you die. Those killed by the River Walker are encouraged to stop by the Oak & Iron for a copy of the Safety Board’s Advice Pamphlet for the Recently Deceased after resurrecting. And remember, quitters are tastier prey, so don’t give in to despair! Even if you are caught and killed, you can at least say you persisted out of spite.

BLUE ISLAND CRAB HATCHING SEASON BEGINS AS SUMMER HEAT PERSISTS

By Yorick Aberdeen

A little sketch by yours truly.

TAWNY BEACH - If you’re out on the beach enjoying the last month of warm sea water, be mindful where you step! Earlier this spring, the local Blue Island Crab population had their mating season. Males of the species came up on the shore with clusters of tiny but durable eggs bundled up in their claws and buried them in the sand, and they’ve been warmed by the summer sun all season. As we enter the last month of summer the new crabs are finally ready to emerge from their birthplaces and begin their lives.

It is worth noting, however, that newborn Blue Island Crabs tend not to go directly back to the sea. In fact, it is common for them to spend the first few weeks of their lives searching for food and nesting materials such as seashells, driftwood, broken pottery, or small pieces of metal roughly the size of the average piece of valuable jewelry. They are also very adept climbers and are capable of scaling stairs and countertops with relative ease. Additionally, they seem to be able to communicate well with others of their species and are capable of collaborating. Many townsfolk have even gone so far as to describe their behavior as “scheming.” Blue Island Crabs are also notorious for not being very picky about what they eat. All this is to say, expect to have your food, personal items, and practically anything that is not tied down stolen by small blue crabs.

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.

But there is good news! Hatching season and the subsequent early life of the crabs, all told, will not last more than a few weeks before the crabs mature enough to return to the sea with the rest of their kind. And of course those lucky enough to catch some will report that they make for a fine meal. There is no finer party dish than a Blue Island crab boil!

INCREASED PINE DEVIL SIGHTINGS SPELL BAD NEWS FOR LOCAL PEDESTRIANS

By Yorick Aberdeen

A painting of the Pine Devil provided by Mayor Poe

ISLAND-WIDE - In more concerning news, reports have been coming in from all over the island that there have been an uptick in sightings of the Pumpkin Hollow Howler. Otherwise known as the Pine Devil, this extremely dangerous man-eating beast has been a staple of Marrow Isle’s rotating cast of horrors for at least the past 15 years. Much like the aforementioned River Walker, the Pine Devil has a tendency to come and go and sightings fluctuate with some regularity. It seems that as we draw closer to prime haunting season we will be faced with increased appearances from the island’s least-favorite celebrity.

Here’s what we know:

The Howler’s primary motivation is to eat and he prefers larger prey. This includes pigs, cattle, deer, and humans. He has no known den and is apparently nomadic. No one has ever been able to locate the Pumpkin Hollow Howler when he is not actively hunting. At full height, he stands a whopping eight feet tall on unguligrade legs. He has clawed hands and large fangs which are its primary method of attacking and is capable of flight, and his eyes glow blue in the dark. He is a strong, fast creature who has no qualms about coming into town if necessary. Surviving encounters with the beast is notably rare.

If you have any encounters with the Pumpkin Hollow Howler, report to Town Hall or the constable’s station at your earliest convenience to make an incident report. The constabulary is taking reports 24 hours a day, so please make your report either immediately after the incident or upon resurrection. May your lanterns stay lit, and be safe out there!

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Captured by the River Walker? Click here…

Perhaps you didn’t read the paper. Perhaps you didn’t take the warnings seriously. Or maybe you simply had no other choice. Whatever the case may be, the Paring River Bridge lies before you, and the world around you is unnaturally still. The sounds of chirping birds, burrowing mammals, and chittering insects have all died and left the air uncannily silent.

You attempt to hurry across, hoping to make it before anything unsavory catches your scent. But the moment you place your foot upon the stone pavers of the bridge, it is already too late. Behind you, you can hear the scuttling of much too large insectoid legs and a soft rattling sound, almost like the sound of a woodpecker drilling into a tree but somehow… wetter.

Instinctively, you turn to look behind you. A bulbous, lumpy abdomen drags the ground, and from it extends a set of eight black legs, chunky and irregular, as if they were wooden stakes hewn into rough points with a careless knife. Long, spindly fingers extend from thin arms on either side of an emaciated torso covered in shiny black insect carapace. And on top, the face of a human woman who looked as though she’d been drowned, bloated and rotting. White eyes, matted brown hair, and a wicked smile framed by patchy blue lips.

You black out before you even have the chance to scream.

When you awaken, your head is pounding as if you’ve just woken from a bender. You are on a dirty, irregular stone floor. The beginnings of stalagmites jab into your back. In the distance, you can hear dripping water and the shifting of something moving. It is dark, but light enough to see by, allowing you to see plainly that the ceiling above you is significantly too low for you to stand.

Then, you hear a laugh, hoarse and cruel. “Rise and shine, little morsel. Oh, how I do love to play with my food…”

That’s your cue to get moving.

For the next several long, grueling hours, you crawl your way through this tight and unrelenting fortress of stone on hands and knees as rocks cut into your hands. In caves that are tall enough to stand, you have to walk sideways to proceed or even hold your breath in order to make it, and all the tunnels look more or less the same. The River Walker’s raspy voice echoes off the walls, making its location imperceptible… but it’s close.

You need to find a traveling companion. And soon.

Interested in encountering the Pine Devil? Click here...

The Pine Devil is a mod-run NPC and we can only handle a certain number of encounters at once. For this TDM we will be favoring new characters on a first-come, first-served basis. However, you may still handwave or summarize the encounter by rolling a D20 with 15+ to survive and 18+ to walk away unscathed, and write out the aftermath. You do not need a mod’s permission to do this!

You also do not need to fill out a Death Certificate if you're not fully apped in, but can if you want to. Your character will resurrect as normal either way!

Comments

[batteryacid]

Eddie is busily digging away at a section of the dirt, loosening it up for easier planting. He calls back, "That'd be me!" before even looking up in the direction of her voice.

There's a moment of startled confusion as he takes in her look -- especially those very mobile and long ears -- but he registers her friendly posture and expression, and then offers a smile back.

He knocks his hand against his leg as he walks over, to get rid of loose dirt, then scrubs his palm against the linen fabric of his trousers before offering a handshake in greeting. "Eddie Kaspbrak."

[somebodychildofanyone]

The handshake Eddie gets is firm; the elf's hand is calloused, her arms are strong, but she's not trying to prove anything here - she's just kinda muscular. "River la Croix, new blacksmith in town. Figured I should drop by since we're about to have an inevitable working relationship." Beat. "Well, I hope so anyway, if you can till the earth with your mind I might have some grocery budget problems."

[batteryacid]

Eddie laughs. "No psychic powers here," he assures her.

"Good to meet you, River. And you're right... I'm probably going to wear out and break tools every so often. Farming isn't all that close to what I used to do for work, but it sure seems necessary here, so I figured I'd give it my best shot."

[somebodychildofanyone]

A wan smile. "Wish I could give you some actionable advice but the closest I've been to farming was a one-barn tobacco growing project. Still, if you need anything fixed or forged, I've got your back. Might need blueprints, but I've got your back."

[batteryacid]

"I am having to diversify my talents by a lot," Eddie says, shaking his head. His light tone of voice should make it clear that he's not complaining, just making an observation. "I can't promise that any blueprints I draw will be good, but I can maybe talk you through the idea even with poor visual aids. If I get ambitious, that is. Either way, I appreciate it."

And then he perks up, clearly having remembered something. "Do you want to come inside for a snack? Got to baking earlier, and I ended up with more pound cake than I should probably eat on my own. Sharing it with a friendly neighbor seems like a good solution."

[somebodychildofanyone]

Entirely mentally: what the fuck is a pound cake?

Still, her wan smile gets warmer. "I'd be delighted to accept your hospitality." Beat. "...Wow I default to a formal register in whatever language this is don't I. I promise I'm not this stiff normally."

[batteryacid]

Eddie's smile widens a bit, and he bobs a short little bow in her direction, "I'm sure the delight will be all mine, miss!" The formality is said with a playful undertone, not mocking, and he winks to bring her into the joke even more.

When he leads her into the farmhouse, she'll soon be able to figure out that a pound cake is something sweet and buttery, just based on the smell that still lingers in the kitchen. After washing his hands, Eddie sweeps a small towel off a covered plate to reveal a golden-yellow loaf that's had a slice taken off it. He pulls out a plate and slices another piece off for River, then passes her the plate.

"You can eat it with your hands if you like, or I'll get you a fork if you prefer utensils." Eddie smiles. "The classic recipe calls for a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, but I didn't use quite that many for this one."

[somebodychildofanyone]

River washes her own hands once Eddie's done at the basin; the cake has her attention immediately, and she's halfway through getting out her eating knife when he mentions a fork.

There is a very slow pushing of the knife back into its sheath, like a kid replacing the cookie after getting caught with their hand in the jar ("A fork would uh, be, great."). She nods along with the explanation of the name of the cake, straightfoward, easy, okay, let's try this cake -

Her eyes close when she takes the first bite, and around the mouthful of it: "This's scho much better tha' marchin' bread."

[batteryacid]

Eddie smiles a little at her reaction with the knife -- he would tell her it's okay, but when she agrees to the fork, he just goes and hands her one.

His smile widens into a happy grin at her reaction. "You like it? I'm glad! And you can take some cake home with you, too. Like I said, it's too much for just me."

[somebodychildofanyone]

Listen man you can't do soft pound cake with an eating knife anyway, that shit would turn into a Nature Valley granola bar in 0.1 seconds flat.

River swallows. "I think I'm supposed to protest but honestly I'm not about to run the risk that you accept a polite refusal at face value." She grins; this is good cake, and this gentleman feels relaxing to be around. "Though...if it's not too direct...we're both new in town. Do you have the faintest clue why you got the offer?"

She's not going to ask 'how did you die'. That's a pretty personal question, even if she's free with her own answer about it.

[batteryacid]

"It's not too direct," he assures her. Eddie chews on his lower lip a little as he thinks over his reply. "I didn't get a straight answer as to why, but... going directly from being very-probably-murdered by a giant spider-monster to being offered a second life on a cursed island where we can't die... kinda seemed like just my luck.

"If there's a reason I was picked out, I don't know it. But maybe it has something to do with our past experiences being useful?"

[somebodychildofanyone]

"At the very least it sounds like you have courage. This place...it's been under siege for awhile. Courage may be in short supply. Exhaustion isn't great for maintaining it, y'know?" The grim words are paired with eating more of this cake; River's at least partly aware of the absurd contrast but she will not, you see, be ceasing the eating of the cake. Some deep animal part of her that has been food insecure her entire adult life wants this plate clean before she does anything else.

[batteryacid]

"I don't think I'm very brave," Eddie says quietly, "but if people need me to step up, then I will."

Eddie takes the time to cut the cake in two pieces -- just about half, though there is a larger piece. He wraps the larger piece in a clean cloth and gently ties it shut. Then he waits until her plate is clean and holds the package out to River.

"Here you go. Since you like it so much."

[somebodychildofanyone]

"...You ever enlist, Eddie?" The question is quiet, while River takes the package, but her eyes are on him now with a low and intent energy.

[batteryacid]

"No," Eddie says. But he looks away, looks down. "Nothing that official."

[somebodychildofanyone]

"I did," comes the answering murmur. "Lied about my age to get a life of adventure, and mostly got a life of killing people just as stupid as I was, for people who had the money to buy murder. Decades of that, in trenches, in towns, in the wilds, seeing the ten thousand faces of death, and it fucking sucked. And then...then I got better work. Protecting people who really needed it, people who couldn't and didn't pay me, breaking the grip of the greedy on their lives. And you know, the thing is, they come to you after, and they thank you. You're so brave, they say. We never could have done it without you, they say. And you can't look them in the eye and say it's the same shit from a different ass, 'cause all that'll ever do is make 'em feel bad. These people here, they need us. Maybe they didn't ask, but they need us all the same. When they come callin' you brave, try not to make 'em feel bad."

[batteryacid]

There's a brief spark of anger, down deep, but Eddie smothers that and the childish thought that she doesn't know what it was like. She knew something different and worse, and it's not her fault that Eddie is now apart from the only people who did know him well enough.

'Don't you dare lash out at her, don't you dare,' Eddie tells himself sternly.

"For the record... any time I do something that people call brave? I'm most likely still going to be terrified all the way through. But," he sighs softly, "I'll keep it to myself."

[somebodychildofanyone]

A soft smile. "Yeah, that's how it is. People trying to kill me is a day ending in Y but I'm still scared to die. A hereafter might be promised me, but cake sure isn't, y'know?" Tiptoeing around that subject of 'how did we die to get here', carefully, carefully. "Fear's...an old friend, to the living. Worm, wolf, wyvern, they all fear. Don't hold it against yourself, sir."

[batteryacid]

"I think... that it's all starting to hit me. What I agreed to, and what led to me even getting the offer to come here. The alternative still scares me more, but... at night, I get to thinking. Maybe too much."

[somebodychildofanyone]

River nods, even as she sets the package of cake back down. Her ears flatten against her skull, pressing her hair to it, and she flashes a rueful grin. "Immortal pirate got me, right in the spine. In his defense I killed him so it's not like it was for no reason but in my defense he was uh, y'know...betraying and abandoning his crew. One of those deaths that hurts the whole time you die. You'd think it wouldn't, but the thing is, long as the axe is in there your nerves keep working, so you feel it. The whole goddamn time."

[batteryacid]

The description gets a look of mingled horror and sympathy from Eddie. "That sounds awful. I'm so sorry."

Is there an expectation that he talk about how he got here? How he died? What are the social rules on a cursed island of the restless technically-dead?

"I don't... like to sleep, since I got... here," Eddie begins, haltingly. "The only thing that I dream about is how I died. It crushed my ribcage and snapped my spine. Like I was nothing. I couldn't feel half my body, but I could feel myself drowning from the blood filling my lungs."

The last part, his last moments with the best friends he ever had, he keeps to himself.

[somebodychildofanyone]

River closes her eyes, and nods. "...There's no good way to die, but some of them are a lot worse than others. Working yourself to the bone might help fight off the nightmares, and you sure picked the career for that, but..." She hesitates. Seems to be debating something.

Opens her eyes with a cautious expression. "If nothing else works, I think I can whip something up for a dreamless sleep. But don't...lean on it. Strange things happen to a mind if you take all its dreams away."

[batteryacid]

"I don't think you should offer that to me. Or trust me to dose myself properly if you do." Eddie takes a deep breath, and forces himself to say it -- to be honest --

"I have a history with misusing medicine, thanks to the way my mother raised me. And so... if I ever come asking you for that... dreamless sleep stuff. It'd probably be best if you only gave me a single dose at a time. If you can."

[somebodychildofanyone]

"Dose - oh!" River brightens up, not to genuine excitement given the grim nature of their talk, but she does look Less Visibly Sad. "I have...potentially good news there, Eddie. I'm not an alchemist, I don't make medicine. It's a spell."

She rolls up her sleeve, revealing sigils scarred into her arm; they glow, like coals, each one identical with no space between it and the next. "Let's try the introductions again, Eddie. River la Croix, of the la Croix family by adoption. Necromancer and diabolist. The blacksmithing's to earn my bread, but magic's how I help people."

[batteryacid]

Eddie just looks confused for a while -- the sigils mean nothing to him, and 'la Croix' as a family name isn't particularly special in his world. But then she mentions magic and... all things considered, why wouldn't magic also be real? Or at least realer for an elf?

"So... I'd be asking you to cast a spell on me." Eddie visibly thinks things over with that new information.

"I think... in the winter, when there's not as much work to wear me out, I'd be more in need of your help. And I don't want to go messing around with something that'd still be dangerous from overuse... not before I really needed it, you know?" He smiles, a touch uncertainly, at her. "I don't mean to insult you by turning you down, so it's more of a 'yes but not yet'?"