TDM #2 - Down in the Underground [REPRINT]

[pumpkinhollow]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette Issue #3 [REPRINT]

[Moderator Notes]

Since our TDMs go out bi-monthly, this is a test run of reposting the TDM at the beginning of "off-months" in order to optimize visibility for toplevels in the second month of a TDM's lifespan. If this turns out to actually be helpful, then brand-new TDMs will be labelled "FIRST EDITION" and reruns will be labeled "REPRINT" going forward! If not, we'll just go back to posting bi-monthly. Let's give this the ol' college try and make sure to look out for new toplevels so that we can figure out how helpful it is!

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

[lasthumanvoice]

"Something else, something else, something else..."

He pulls a button from his shirt, and nabs the pen with all the swiftness of a coming deadline. "There! Take this instead, you chitinous thief!"

[thelatechrisfreeman]

The little crab clamps down on the button, and doesn't fight nearly so much to hold onto the pen.

Once sure that Cecil has hold of his pen, Chris tosses the blue crab a short distance away. They sigh, "I really ought to go back into town. This is the second time I had to chase crabs today."

Then they look over to Cecil, and smile slightly. "Oh well. At least your pen didn't join all of Town Hall's pens in the sea."

[lasthumanvoice]

"Yet. It hasn't joined town hall's pens yet. Give it time. Pens have a strange magnetism for one another."

Cecil smiles brightly, and finally turns to look at Chris, and then to look at Chris, curiosity brightening his eye-colored eyes.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Pens and left socks..." Chris muses.

Well, what does Cecil see? Chris is a tall, lanky person with dark brown hair, too-thin, with a rather permanent look of lingering exhaustion about his face. He's still wearing new-arrival clothes, except the shoes which are nowhere to be seen.

And for a moment, Chris's eyes are most definitely not eye-colored, instead looking red. Solid red.

"My name is Chris Freeman," Chris says suddenly, and there's maybe an expectation that there will be no reply...

[lasthumanvoice]

"Hello, Chris Freeman! I am Cecil Palmer, the Voice of Night Vale." If the red-eye thing surprises him, there's very little active reaction, and no intrusive curiosity about the matter. Cecil just barrels forward in his friendly, obtuse manner.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Chris says, "Hello, Cecil Palmer." Then pauses, and asks, "Is 'the Voice of Night Vale' a title, or is it part of your name?"

Before Cecil answers, Chris bends forward and pulls one of her feet closer to look at the sole, searching for the cut acquired from the beach seashells. Apparently the size and depth are not worrisome, for Chris drops that foot and repeats the process with the other one.

[lasthumanvoice]

"Title, if those are the only two options. It's my destiny, truly. I was prophesied to be the next Voice of Night Vale when I was a child, and I've been trying to live up to it, ever since."

A pause, as he watches them look at their feet.

"Are you alright?"

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"I hope destiny sits on your shoulders comfortably, then, Cecil Palmer the Voice of Night Vale."

Chris pokes at their right foot, then holds up a bloodied finger. "Seashells are sharp when they break. Lots of things are. Suppose I'll leave a trail back to the tavern."

[lasthumanvoice]

"I don't think destinies can be comfortable. They're always a little bit itchy and too small, like a wool sweater given to you at a holiday dinner by a relative you don't really know, but you have to wear it because the relative is important to your parents, but you don't really know who they are because holidays are the only context you have for them as a person and not the depth of who they actually are."

Beat.

"It was usually Rosh Hashanah, in my family. When the sweater-gifts happened."

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Chris considers Cecil's words for a moment (while still holding on to their right foot, oops). "I did not have a large family, even before my parents died. But I think I understand. Destinies do tend to needle at the people they affect."

Chris finally lets go of their foot and stands back up.

"I will have to go back into town to get my feet clean and bandaged. I... hope you enjoy the beach, despite the wildlife."

This does not mean that Chris is going to leave Cecil. Cecil is welcome to follow along if he feels like it.

[lasthumanvoice]

Cecil follows Chris, like a helium balloon tugged behind a kid who's just been very good at a visit to the shoe store. "I'd offer a piggyback ride back to town, but I'm not sure I have the strength to carry you for long."

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"I would probably be a light burden, but I'm taller than you are," Chris points out placidly, to this man who is neither short nor tall, because Chris themself is almost two meters in height. "However, I appreciate the sentiment."

They walk in silence for some time, before Chris says, "I don't know where any doctors are in town, so I am going to the Oak and Iron tavern, where I have a room."

[lasthumanvoice]

"I have a room, there as well. And if you need help, I did earn my First Aid and Blood Sacrifice badges when I was in the Boy Scouts!"

How helpful, Cecil. How fucking helpful.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Blood Sacrifice badge..? That must be particular to... Night Vale. I've never heard of it before. But I did grow up in New York City."

Chris limps on, thinking over what Cecil said. "But some first aid would be welcome, once we find bandages and can wash off the sand."

Chris is leaving very small smudges of blood with each bare-footed step zie takes, but zie soldiers on as if there is no other option but to make it 'home' to the tavern.

[lasthumanvoice]

"Really? You don't need to demonstrate proper bloodstone circle form and altar construction to become an Eagle Scout in New York?"

How incomplete...

Cecil glances over his shoulder at the trail of blood Chris is leaving. "Do you think there's any chance someone, something or somecrab might try to track us?"

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"I think in the New England area we have mostly learned our lesson about not fucking around with the spirits. We have a lot of dead native people who are pissed at us."

Chris waves a hand in the air and declares,"Oh, we're always being followed by the dead. But we should probably mention my bleeding to the tavern owner. They'll know who to talk to about cleaning up the biohazard."

[lasthumanvoice]

Walking happens. Walking happens a lot, and then eventually they reach the tavern and one of their rooms where bandaging can happen.

Cecil is gentle, but he does know what he's doing. Scout badge, as he'd said.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Once xey are all bandaged up, Chris wriggles xeir toes and then pads over to where the new arrival shoes xey initially abandoned are waiting.

"Thank you," Chris says. Xey pull on one shoe, then another -- carefully. "You definitely earned that scout badge. If you like, after we wash up, we can grab something to eat. The food here at the Oak and Iron is good, and the cost is covered by the vouchers they give us every month."

[lasthumanvoice]

"Food seems like a good idea." Cecil nods. "There's been a lot going on today."

And there may or may not be crabcakes on the menu today, given circumstances.