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ph_memes2024-06-04 07:30 pm
TDM #6 - The Wheel Turns [REPRINT]
Currently, we are asking that all toplevels include the age of the character (or at least a rough estimate) for TDM posts, to ensure that players both old and new can quickly make informed decisions about how to interact with a given character. We also ask that if someone lists a prompt as having an age preference, that it be respected. This is specifically for TDMs unless otherwise stated. Thank you!
Also, as of June 7th, Pumpkin Hollow will have been around for one whole year! Thanks for an awesome trip around the sun, everybody! Here’s to another! This particular TDM is going to be a celebration of making it through our first year and all the adventures we had along the way, so please enjoy this highlight reel of our year in review and take a crack at some fun you may have missed. Have fun!
[Find our plain text version here!]
Pumpkin Hollow Gazette
5/10/24 | TDM #6 - The Wheel Turns [REPRINT]
Weather Forecast: Fog in early mornings, occasional rain, otherwise clear and slightly hot. Often muggy.
WELCOMING NEW RESIDENTS FOR ONE YEAR AND COUNTING!
By Mayor Hellen Poe
The crop for which the town is named.
ISLAND-WIDE - Last June, Jack’s Marina saw its first overseas vessel in five years come into port as the very first ferry arrived. Ever since that fateful day, that same ferry has ushered in newcomers from all over this wide, wild universe, bringing to this island a multitude of individuals. Each new resident has been unique --- most have been the only person from their world of origin, and each has their own skills and knowledge. However, all of them are unified by one characteristic: they have served as a symbol of hope.
Our island is deeply cursed, of that, there is no question. And in the past year, we have faced many challenges together, from cursed pirate treasure to nightmare carnivals, from food shortage to turnip overflow, from train rides to alternate dimensions to a parasite-infested ship. But in overcoming those challenges we have grown stronger as a community.
As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, we move forward with the hope built for us by our newest residents, and we are pleased to continue welcoming ferries into our docks. If you’ve just arrived, please feel free to stop by Town Hall or reach out to any of your new neighbors for assistance. Welcome, offworlders, and may your lanterns always be lit.
LAKE SAL-CO-PENN FOG ADVISORY
By Yorick Aberdeen
An eerie view of the notorious lake.
LOCKWOOD FOREST (Northern Marrow Isle) -The Pumpkin Hollow Board of Safety has released an important new weather advisory for everyone traveling through Lockwood Forest toward Paradesium on foot. As most of us are aware, the intense rain last month resulted in some very high humidity for this time of year, especially given that this time of year is still quite cool. This has resulted in some heavy fog around the notorious Lake Sal-Co-Penn at the base of Crane’s Ridge, particularly in the very early mornings and late afternoons as the sun begins to set.
For those not yet aware, Lake Sal-Co-Penn’s fog draws those exposed closer to the lake, where it will then subject the victim to dangerous illusory experiences. The side effects of these illusions include but are not limited to foul smells, supernatural compulsion, panic attacks, drowning, and death. If you come into contact with the fog from proximity to the lake, don’t panic! Once you see where the lake itself is, turn around so that your back is to the water and begin walking straight ahead as quickly as possible while reassuring yourself that you do not recognize the bodies in the water. Safe travels!
PAST FRIGHTS MAKE ROTATING ENCORES
By Chief Constable Janine Kilbride
ISLAND-WIDE - Reconnaissance officers set out by the constabulary, in conjunction with the Pumpkin Hollow Board of Safety, have reported multiple sightings of various hostile monsters and spirits that have plagued our town over the past year. These beings include recurring island staples such as Brutoks and the River Walker, as well as newer aggressive entities such as the Tristitia and some carnivorous creatures from Paradesium. They appear to be on some sort of rotation as to which will appear on a given day.
While the Board of Safety continues to monitor the situation and test theories about an observable pattern, please travel safely regardless of time of day or location. Report any monster sightings directly to the nearest Enforcer and keep an eye on the community bulletin board for information as this situation develops.
PUMPKIN HOLLOW JOB FAIR
By Yorick Aberdeen
FESTIVAL GREEN - Due to the success of our planting season recruitment efforts over the previous months, Pumpkin Hollow’s Town Council will be expanding upon its initiative to help people seek out career opportunities in a local Job Fair! Come down to the festival green if you’re interested in a new job, and one of our seasoned artisans and skilled laborers will show you the ropes!
MAGICAL CRITTERS GRACE ISLAND ONCE MORE
By Yorick Aberdeen
A little friend in the Festival Green tulips.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS (Lockwood Forest, Crane’s Ridge, Paradesium) - This past autumn, a host of eerie, magical animals resembling ghosts took over Lockwood Forest, but departed just as mysteriously as they’d arrived by the end of November. These creatures of unknown origin were found to possess incredible power, and while some were hostile, others seemed quite friendly and were content to follow us home. Those that decided upon homes remained even when their brethren vanished with the snowfall.
Now it would appear that another wave of these helpful companions has appeared in the wild! While some are familiar, many of them are entirely new. Most seem to bear plant-like features, but some whimsical pink creatures or pastry-themed animals have been spotted as well. If the pattern follows, they should be around until summer reaches its peak, so go out there and make a friend, and make sure to bring treats!
HELP WANTED: Piano Wrangler
By Dottie Siward, owner of Empty Pockets
DOWNTOWN HOLLOW (Empty Pockets Music Lounge) - Local music lounge seeking assistance taming piano mimic(?) acquired from Calloway’s Curios. Our old piano got bashed to bits in the flood a while back and we bought a fancy new grand piano for a ridiculously low price, especially for Calloway’s. This was a terrible mistake. The piano eats people. Especially people who play badly, which happens a lot on open stage nights. Please help. Half-price drinks for life to anyone who can get this thing to behave, at least until we get a new piano.
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Year in Review
Monsters from our previous TDMs will be making victory laps in a week-long rotation. Which creature you’ll encounter depends upon the day!
Monday's Child is Fair of Face [cw: facial mutilation]
On Mondays, Smiling Jack from TDM#3 - "It Came from Beyond the Veil!” will appear in and around the cemeteries and farmlands, primarily at night. He is a hostile spirit with a Jack-o-Lantern over his head to hide his Glasgow smile. He attempts to make his victims laugh with morbid jokes and pranks and will attack those who do not find his antics funny, exposing his mutilated face and inflicting his same injuries on them. Those who do laugh will be followed until they cross paths with someone new for him to torment. Defeat him by breaking his pumpkin head!Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace
On Tuesday nights, starry-bodied, glittering monsters themed around constellations from TDM #4 -”Aurora Borealis Blitz” can be found roaming the streets and beaches looking for people to aggress. They only appear interested in people, not in buildings. Unlike the previous iteration, they do not require the aurora borealis or a clear sky to manifest, but there are also significantly fewer of them and they do not seem interested in doing any property damage. Defeat them in combat to get a handful of magical stardust! Each monster’s worth of stardust grants one of the following wishes if tossed into the wind:Luck: One unexpected fortunate circumstance occurs organically within the next 24 hours, and any dice rolls made during the OOC week will gain a bonus of +2.
Shimmer: A Shiny Pokemon will appear.
Weather: You can decide the weather for the next day, which can only be interrupted by Cecil Palmer’s Weather with consent from the user.
Fortune: Gain 10 Brass! Wow!
Abundance: Mysteriously acquire one delicious home-cooked meal of your choice with no apparent source.
Safety:: One immediate respawn from death (only works once per character for duration of the game).
Pants: A fabulous new pair of pants, free of charge.
Those who acquired stardust in the prior TDM can now use it for these purposes.
Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe
One of the island’s local cryptids, the Tristitia, can be found wandering the streets of town on Wednesdays. She originated from player action but made her first official appearance on TDM #5 - “Paradesium”. She is a banshee-like evil spirit appearing as a veiled woman with a hollowed-out chest. While normally she is not particularly aggressive if given a wide berth, on her day of the week she has become more hostile. She is ever-grieving and will attempt to embrace her victims and force them to share in her anguish by drawing out their personal trauma and sadness. She is extremely difficult to kill, but will vanish on her own when satisfied with her work.
Thursday's Child Has Far to Go
On Thursday afternoons, Greenstriders from TDM #5 - “Paradesium” can be found coming all the way up from the underground jungles of Paradesium to hunt and forage in Lockwood Forest, even coming as far as Northwest Hollow to try and steal from farmers. They are violent, loud, aggressive, and venomous, and they work in small packs. Good luck if you get caught outside on a Thursday.Monsters from Paradesium, including Greenstriders, were studied and reported on during an expedition led by Dr. Elias Coldwood. More extensive notes on greenstriders can be found in Dr. Coldwood's improved besiary.
Friday's Child is Loving and Giving
Featured in our December Mini TDM - “The Dead of Winter,” the Whispering Trees of Lockwood Forest are found to be active throughout the day on Friday. Gentle voices from the trees lure unsuspecting, emotionally vulnerable victims out into the woods by telling them that they are loved--- moreso by the trees than any other time in their lives. Following their dulcet tones resulted in hypothermia back in December, but without the aid of snow, the trees will now attempt to manipulate their victims into other deadly behaviors. Lovebombing has never been so toxic.Saturday's Child Works Hard for a Living
On Saturdays, the River Walker from TDM #2 - “Down in the Underground” will be skulking around the Paring River which separates the town from the forest. A spider-like monstrosity with chitinous legs resembling rough hewn wood that bears the face of a drowned woman, the River Walker enjoys catching people unawares and knocking them unconscious. It then drags its victims down to labyrinthine tunnels where it will chase them through the claustrophobia-inducing burrows for hours and hours at a time, catching and killing them only when all hope is lost. However, the River Walker is quite weak and can only fight off one assailant at a time. Occasionally one can stop the Walker from kidnapping someone, but this is challenging as the creature is quite sneaky. The best way to defeat it is for two victims to find each other by sound in the tunnels and work together to escape, at which point the River Walker will avoid the pair and let them go for fear of retaliation. Escapees are let out near the mines in Crane’s Ridge!And the Child Born on the Sabbath Day is Bonny and Blithe, Good and Gay
Last but not least, on Sundays during daylight hours, one has a chance of being targeted by one or more Brutoks. Having been the very first monster to ever appear in a Pumpkin Hollow event, they were featured in TDM #1 - “The Vengeful Forest”. Brutoks are tricksters who hide in trees and then attach themselves to victims who make accidental eye contact. If attached, they will pull mean spirited pranks, steal personal belongings, vandalize property, and eventually try to kidnap the victim. Taken victims will be planted in the ground and slowly turn into trees that must be destroyed in order for the person to die and resurrect. To dispel Brutoks, one can look for their simple but well-camouflaged puzzles, which will be outside near the space they’ve attached to. Or, you can set them on fire. Dealer’s choice.
Additional Prompts
Lake Sal-Co-Penn
Lake Sal-Co-Penn is an infamous SCP which creates dangerous hallucinations. It presents the viewer with a vision of one or more floating corpses, which appear vaguely featureless until closer inspection. At this point the corpse(s) will take on the form of someone who the victim knows personally in an attempt to get them to enter the water, where they will be drowned and consumed. Feel free to roll dice to determine how well you can resist the illusion, and don’t forget to fill out a Death Certificate if you die!
Magical Creatures
The aforementioned mystical critters are Pokemon! Some Pokemon already exist on the island--- Ghost types were available during October and November. This time, both Fairy and Grass types can be found around the island for the duration of this TDM! (May & June). Here’s everything you need to know:
- Dual-types and pre-evolved forms of Pokemon that will gain Fairy or Grass types later are available. (Except for Eevee, due to its many evolutions. But Sylveon and Leafeon are available!)
- Evolution is possible--- stone deposits will be found in the mines later!
- Each character may have up to three Pokemon companions
- Neither Pokeballs nor the knowledge to create them currently exists in Pumpkin Hollow. Unless a PC with this knowledge shows up, you will just have to befriend them rather than capturing them properly.
- No Legendaries or Mythicals are available for adoption (for the sake of fairness), though Ogerpon can be found near Elsie’s Tree of Trinkets in Lockwood Forest. However, she is extremely shy and will flee from most people. She seems to respond to certain individuals, though…
- Shinies can be obtained through stardust or by purchasing a Sparkling Talisman from Calloway’s Curios for 50 Brass. Each character may only have one shiny. (Note that new arrivals begin with 100 Brass.)
Job Fair
The Pumpkin Hollow Job Fair is a great meet-and-greet for older residents and new arrivals! Farmers, artisans, fisherman, and more can set up booths, Q&As, or sign-ups for job shadowing on the Festival Green. New folks are given the opportunity to drop by and learn more about potential career options! Not only is this a recipe for new CR, but anyone who participates in a Job Fair thread (both presenters and newcomers) will gain an extra 100 Brass on their next (or first!) activity check! This bonus can only be claimed once per character.
Help Wanted
The man-eating piano in question is Yamaha, a staple of a previous game that much of our current player-base has migrated over from. While it has a particular taste for bad players, mistake-makers, and your sheet music, it seems to have an affinity for specific individuals. This is mostly a treat for our CRAU folks, but feel free to get eaten! We’ll see you tomorrow.
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"I suppose digging up is a terrible idea," Watson muses. "Can we try to backtrack the way you came?" That involves putting a good deal of trust in Imbros, of course, but it does seem the simplest way.
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He's confident that he could both telekinetically slam a boulder into the ceiling and react quick enough to prevent rocks from raining down on their heads, but at some point they'd be in a void space surrounded by debris that they'd need to deal with.
"That might be our only option since you woke up down here." He sighs, a sound that whistles slightly over far too many sharp teeth, "I can get us back to where the pathway branches but I, unfortunately, was not paying attention to where I was going at first, assuming I wouldn't need to remember it."
And now he pays for his hubris, "A lesson to myself to not assume this place works like realms I'm familiar with."
He turns to head back the way he came, completely oblivious to the fact that Watson can't see him.
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As Imbros turns away, and the glow of his eyes disappears, Watson gives a sudden shout and steps forward after him, into the darkness. His cane cracks against the wall. He may not be convinced that the squidman is safe, but it's likely better than being left in this tunnel alone. "Hold on, you -- whatever you call yourself -- I can't follow if I can't see you."
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"What? Why not?" It takes a moment before he registers why a human might have problems in a cave with no natural lighting. "How have humans survived for millennia? Can't see in the dark. Have no innate magical prowess. Don't regrow limbs, complicated digestive system.."
He has a litany of complaints he could list, but that doesn't help them get out of the cave. Strangely this has never been a problem before, most people who couldn't see in the dark had some way to light their own path and Imbros... does not. There's nothing psionic that casts light, and mentally running down every spell he knows none of them do either.
"We don't have a lot of options."
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He lets out a sigh. "Perhaps if you just... try not to get too far from me. And keep talking."
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For Watson's sake he walks, rather than levitates, so at least his footfalls can be heard, though they're not very loud while wearing leather bottomed sandals. "Up ahead is where the path splits, but there's several more splits beyond and I'm not sure which way I chose originally. I'm used to caves, but I've never had to navigate without all my senses."
Well, that's not actually true, it's just been over a century since he's had to do so. "I seem to recall there's something about trying to follow airflow to see where it's coming from?"
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In the dark, he frowns, because yes he's heard something of the sort too, something about air in mine shafts. What was that? "Of course. If we can find a draft, we can follow it out. I have plenty of matches with me." There's a plan, then, something concrete, something to strive for. There's hope. Watson draws a breath.
"Let's hope the thing doesn't find us. Do you have a name?"
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"My name is Imbros. I've yet to see any sort of webbing so that's promising that we're heading away from the nest. If it's the kind of spider that weaves webs anyway, it could be something else. But we should be able to hear it with how sound echoes around in here." He pauses at the next split in the pathway, turning towards Watson, "Let's see if your matches can decide the way."
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Watson fishes around in his pocket for the matches again. He strikes another match, and holds it aloft to the tunnels in turn, watching for the flicker. Imbros is less of a shock, this time. At least there's that.
"This way, I think," he says, as the match burns out. He tosses it to one side. "Is it a safe assumption that your people are more adapted for an underground existence?"
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"No. It can't be... A woman's face or the entire torso of a woman with a spider body?" This is a very important distinction and something in his voice makes it seem like this is critical information for some reason. Needless to say he does not answer the question about his species nor head further down the path.
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He is still a little mad at himself for being caught out like that.
"Why?"
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That's far softer, almost under his breath if his breathing actually effected his speech anyway. But then he snaps out of it.
"Good, that's... better. I thought perhaps a goddess of my world was here and that would be catastrophic. She'd bring utter devastation to this island long before anyone could figure out anything about the barrier." He turns purposefully away from where he's looking, as if turning his back on something down there, "No matter, let's press on."
And down the path Watson indicated he goes! He had been paying attention even if he'd been distracted.
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"And she has a fondness for spider-women, does she? I suppose we have enough problems here without finding more." He follows behind, tapping with his cane a little. "No, I imagine this creature has more to do with the curse than any sinister goddess."
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All gods are capricious, but Lolth moreso than most.
"Brought in by the flooding like the insect creatures were?"
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"Perhaps, though I hear tell it's been seen here before. Perhaps it never left."
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He's about to say more when he reaches out to touch the wall on one side of them, "I can't sense anything beyond this wall, and I think that means it must be an exterior wall. We should be able to follow it to an opening."
Hopefully anyway, he doesn't really want to bash a hole in the wall.
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Watson reaches for the wall as well, though he's not sure which one is being indicated other than his attempts to follow where Imbros might be looking. Freedom is very close.
"We might get out of here without encountering the mistress of the house at all, then." He strikes another match, confirming which way the draft is. "I won't complain if that's the case."
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He glances back at Watson when he hears the match strike, pleased to see that the flame flickers indicating they're headed in the right direction. That's a good sign.
"I haven't so much as heard any skittering." He agrees, granted it would have been nice if this mission had proved more fruitful in finding a source of food. He'll just have to try elsewhere. "I assume someone from the town is probably looking for you by now?"
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He tosses the match aside before it burns his fingers. He will not comment on the optics of being asked if anyone will miss him by a strange and monstrous creature who felt it necessary to clarify that he did not currently plan to eat Watson. It could be innocent, after all.
"It's very likely someone has already missed me, yes." There are people who would miss him quickly enough, certainly. He can't imagine it escaping Cerrit for long. "Though I suppose whether or not they've started forming a search party depends on how long I was unconscious."
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He stops to once again put his hand on the wall and try and sense the area beyond, this time he gets the vague sense of trees. "We're close now, I think the exit may be up ahead, I'm starting to be able to see beyond the wall."
The breeze is stronger now, able to be felt without the aid of a match, bringing with it the scent of trees to mingle with the damp rock smell that's been pervading everything for the last few hours. "Ah, there we are, lets see if you have a welcoming party."
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He can smell it, and it's a relief. They might, Watson thinks, be about to get out of this in one piece, with no trouble, and perhaps he's lost a day's work but there are worse tragedies. Unfortunately, this is the sort of thought that must immediately be proven wrong.
There is a welcoming party, but not a very lucky one. As they come in view of the tunnel's exit, silhouetted against the light is the River Walker, coming back from hunting for further victims. It hesitates, as though caught off guard by finding two escapees (and one unknown to it). It can take one such of these creatures, it knows. But two?
It hisses and moves forward.
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There's only a brief few moments to study it before it hisses and advances on them. It's walking slowly, sizing them up and determining how best to recapture it's escaping dinner. There's a bit of hesitation, as if it's not sure about taking on both of them at the same time.
Sensing that trepidation Imbros strikes first. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of huge boulders in this narrow tunnel that Imbros can start throwing around, but he's never unarmed. Floating a few inches off the ground again, he conjures what looks like a clear bubble in his hand filled with something green. He tosses it towards the creature, the bubble bursting on the ground against one of it's legs with a sudden sizzling and horrible smell of melting spider-carapace.
The River Walker screeches terribly and scuttles to the side, raising it's two front legs like a praying mantis and giving a feinting swipe at them from a great distance.
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But he'll be damned if he stands to one side and lets Imbros have all the fun.
"I hope you can do that again," he says, and steps forward, hefting his cane in one hand and momentarily not bothering to hide his limp. He keeps his back to the wall. "Hey, over here! You just look at me, I'm the one you want to fight."
The River Walker clicks uncertainly, looking between them. Judging Watson the easier opponent, it takes a few cautious, limping steps in his direction -- which should, hopefully, allow Imbros to get a better shot at it.
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The creature turns towards Watson, noticing the limp and easily swayed by the chance to finish him off. As soon as Imbros gets a good broadside shot he takes it, the orb crashing against the spidery abdomen and dribbling down between the joints of two legs. Imbros attempts to telekinetically lift the entire monster and smash it into the ceiling, but he can't seem to target it in that way.
No matter, he does another gesture and pulls the packed dirt ground beneath one of its legs away causing it to stumble and fall, off balance and screeching in pain. Unfortunately the other legs are on the rocky surface of the cave and far more stable.
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A direct attack is nonsense. Instead, he hooks the handle of his cane around the leg, and yanks outwards with all his strength in a way he knows he's going to feel in his bad shoulder tomorrow. It's not what the creature expected, particularly as it's recovering from Imbros's attacks, and it staggers again; its body slams into the wall hard enough to rattle pebbles and dirt down from the ceiling.
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