Plotting - January AU Event!

[pumpkinhollow]

AU Event Plotting

Hello there, Pumpkin Patch!

Those of you who have taken a look at our January calendar may already be aware of this, but coming up at the end of this month we will be having a temporary AU event in which player characters find themselves in a strange shared dream. For the span of one night's sleep, characters will exist in an AU wherein they are from the world of Pumpkin Hollow. This dream will also take place in the year 16:45, which is about 8 years in the past. Whether they dream lucidly or spend the entire time fully immersed in the dream, they will be able to take their memories of the dream back to their normal lives.

What all of this means is that your characters, purposefully or not, have a limited amount of time to experience the world of Pumpkin Hollow before the barrier and collect information. Speak to residents that didn't survive to the present day, learn more about the events that led up to the barrier's creation, and experience the greater universe in which Pumpkin Hollow is set, but use your time wisely because there will be restraints!

Because this event is a little bit complicated, I wanted to give folks the opportunity to decide on their new backstory and ask any questions they might need answered. As such, I've put up a plotting post well in advance! Below I've written up some helpful info for AU character building and some toplevels for questions. You can also use this post to plot out what you're going to do, though I recommend keeping it loose this far in advance. Let's get into it!

Event Rules

The Basics. Characters will start out their shared dream fully believing they are natives to the world of Pumpkin Hollow, complete with memories of their unique life there. With some effort, which I leave to players' discretion, they can realize what is going on and spend the rest of the dream aware of their original life. However, the AU can also be played straight. Nearly anything about your character can be changed--- age, species, social status, finances, relationships, health conditions, history, professional life, and more! The only thing that needs to remain the same is their core identity. You'll want to explore the character building and lore sections for more information on this. You are free to explore to your heart's content, but be aware that there is an IC time restraint.

Time Management. Unlike most dreams, there is no real stretching and shrinking of time. And while time tends to be soup in most RP scenarios, that is less the case here. This means you need to make the most of your time. All this amounts to the fact that you will have eight IC hours to interact with the AU (you can backtag as long as you want OOCly, though, I'm not the boss of you). I won't be super strict about how accurately this amount of time is played out, but the amount of activities you squeeze into this time frame should be reasonably appropriate.

NPCs. There are lots of new ones available! But because of the time constraints and in the interest of not killing me, there will be some restrictions. Each character will have the opportunity to speak with only one of the following NPCs, played by me (Rose):

• Dahlia Leeds, troubled teenage debutante
• Henry Leeds, local monster hunter
• Harriet Leeds-Brenning, newly-elected mayor
• Linette Brenning, alchemist
• Jonah Leeds, daring adventurer
• Japhet Leeds, town councilman and patriarch
• Neil West, dream therapist
• Merrick Gladwyn, Reverend of the Sacred Mothers
• Hellen Poe, artist and secretary
• Yorick Aberdeen, intrepid reporter
• Elsie Helvig, feral child

Characters such as Degas Clayton and Elias Coldwood West, who are played by other mods, will not be a part of this rule. Goddesses, demons, and the Pine Devil will not be accessible during this event.

World State. The AU will take place in September of 16:45, two years before the barrier goes up and about 8 years before the present day. After the death of prior mayor Christopher Larkin, Harriet Leeds-Brenning was elected over her competitor, Janine Kilbride. This makes her the youngest mayor elected in Pumpkin Hollow. This victory is somewhat hollow in the wake of the death of her elder brother Jasper, whose funeral is on the day in which the dream takes place. Meanwhile, Merrick Gladwyn has been reverend of the temple for as long as anyone can remember, and Neil and Elias West are operating a successful business in town. The island is still very much cursed, but people are made hopeful by the efforts of Henry Leeds and his renowned hunting party. More information will be available in the lore section.

Is it possible to leave Marrow Isle without the barrier? Yes, of course. But is this the best use of your time? (Although, if you've persuaded Jonah Leeds to take you sailing, perhaps it is.)

What happens if I die in the dream? You wake prematurely, with a start in the middle of the night. You cannot resume the dream. This is a good option for characters who you would like to not be present--- people did a lot of dying in 16:45.

Can I still get bonus AC for AU threads? Yep! Same as usual.

Can I handwave CR for this AU? It would honestly be weirder if you didn't. These people have been your neighbors for a good chunk of your life, and it's a small town. All handwaved CR should be agreed upon between players, including for NPCs, but please feel free to be as generous as you like with handwaved CR.

Is there a maximum amount of threads I can do? No, but you should be aware of how much time you have. I'm not going to police this but it should be kept within reason.

Will I be able to remember the events of the dream in my waking life? Yes, absolutely. You can recall as much or as little as makes sense, regardless of whether you are lucid and aware you are dreaming or playing the AU straight and have no memory of your original life.

How difficult is it to remember my original life? Again, player's choice. You can go the whole dream without remembering, be reminded by another player character, or have just about anything jog your memory. It's more fun if you don't recall right away, though.

What happens when the dream ends? Around 4pm in dream-time, you awaken to morning in January of 16:54, just as you left it. This can be as abrupt or drawn out as you like.

With the basics out of the way, let's move on to building your character!

Character Building

This section will be a basic guide on how to build the AU version of your character!

Where did you come from? Pumpkin Hollow has been established for about 32 years by this point. You can absolutely have been born and raised right here on the island. You can also come from any of the other places on the map featured in the lore section. Most folks will be from other places in the Emerald Isles, though, as it is unlikely most people from more distant places will have immigrated to Marrow Isle.

Species? Marrow Isle is part of a world that has fantasy races! You can be a human, an elf (sun, moon, high, wood, dark, or snow), a dwarf (ice mountain, green mountain, hill, valley, or bedrock), an orc, a fae, a tiefling, a halfling, a gnome, or any manner of beastfolk (harpy, arachnus, lizardfolk, birdfolk, catfolk, animus, dragonborn, ect). Don't see something you're interested in? Run it by me!

Age? You can absolutely change the age of your character for the purpose of AU stuff. It does not have to match the amount of time the setting has reversed--- you can even age them up! You may also age your character below the age of 18 with the understanding that under no circumstances are they to engage in NSFW activities or behavior. As such, you can incorporate appropriate milestones that make sense for their new age such as marriages, children, education, ect.

Social/economic status? This can be whatever you want. You can be dirt poor or filthy rich. It's only for a few hours, after all, so have fun! Just make sure your line of work and history are befitting of your station.

Backstory? Whatever you like, as long as it's lore compliant! A wizard straight from the University of Magi, a wandering pegasus rider, a sailor with a delivery from another land, a butcher born right on Marrow Isle, one of the island's first immigrants--- this is your story to tell! Make it parallel to your original story or completely different.

Name? All characters must have a first and last name, meaning folks without a surname will need to get one. Other than that, your name should stay largely the same. Particularly modern names might need to be slightly altered or a nickname for something. (Sorry Jeff.)

Robots? Automatons are still a thing, though only magical automatons have as much personality as a sci-fi robot. You can definitely take this route, or change species. Up to you!

Magic? You can absolutely be a mage and/or alchemist! See the lore section about magic for more info!

Expanded Lore

Location, Location, Location. Marrow Isle is part of the Emerald Isles, which is a nation that is off the coast of but technically belonging to the continent of Leviathan. A chunk of it can be seen here:


Not pictured is the subterranean nation of Hepogaia, which runs underneath much of Leviathan, including under the sea. It is the home of many beastfolk like arachnea, as well as dark elves and bedrock dwarves. The most major Hepogaian city beneath the Emerald Isles is Fardune, whose main entrance can be found near the Emeran capital of Victoria's Crossing.

The Emerald Isles. Originally this archipelago consisted of three nations, but an era of feudalism resulted in the nations being "unified" under the banner of one which remains in primary control today. The ruling region is that of Braxtony, with the other two being Glassighe and Anwyll. The main island is called the Grand Fairisle and it is surrounded with a plethora of smaller islands. Some places of interest in the Emerald Isles are:

• Victoria's Crossing, the capital. A bustling, diverse city full of life and culture, though somewhat more industrial in the current day. Its architecture features a lot of height with skywalks, elevated gardens, waterfalls, and large glass windows.
• Mournstead, a heavily industrial Braxton factory town with smoggy skies, dark architecture, and dingy streets. It is ironically located very close to one of the most beautiful forests on the Grand Fairisle, known as the Sylvan Grave.
• Foxbridge, a modest and rustic Glassig village known for its artisanry. It's a common stop on the way to Victoria's Crossing.
• The Cossack Mountains, a major mountain range that cuts through the northern portion of the Grand Fairisle. While there are some small human-centric towns on and around the mountains, the primary inhabitants are moon and snow elves, ice and green mountain dwarves, valley dwarves, and Hepogaians who make their homes near the entrances to the underground which are often found among the mountains. /li>
• The Iselwood, a large Anwyllic forest in the south.
• Gwybodus, an Anwyllic city best known for harboring the University of Magi. It is full of ornate and extremely colorful architecture.
• Providence, the City of Brass. A beloved hometown of many mages and engineers, this city runs almost entirely on arcane clockwork constructs. It belongs to the Braxton territory and is near the coast, just across from Marrow Isle.
• Lochshire, a well-appointed Glassig town with beautiful lake views and sprawling fruit orchards amid the stunning mansions. It is best known for being home to illustrious mogul and inventor Daphne Applegate.
• Drakeport, a Braxton city so integrated with its river that many of its businesses and residences are floating on it. The nightlife here is vibrant.
• Amethyst, the Gateway City, an enormous amethyst geode sticking up out of the base of the Cossack Mountains in Glassighe. The city is split between two dwarven stenholms (what dwarves call their towns), one belonging to Green Mountain Dwarves and the other belonging to Bedrock Dwarves. As such, the city is half above and half below ground.
• Drakkoven, a major orcish city carved into a cliffside in Anwyll, above the plains of Lethmarga. Homes and businesses are caves cut between the bones of a giant, exposed, fossilized dragon skeleton on the cliffside. There is some interesting folklore about the area.
• Cahoots, a Glassig brewing town on the coast. Famously a fun place to party and a common pilgrimage of beer and liquor fans from all over.
• We can also come up with more in plotting! Hit me with your ideas!

Magic. Both an art and a science, magic is the understanding of the powerful energy existing within all things and the ability to manipulate it. Neil explains it in this thread. No genetic component decides who can or cannot use magic, though it is considered very cerebral and challenging to learn. Magical academies for youngsters and universities for adults exist throughout the world, but they are expensive.

Species. There are many species available for your character, both fantastical and mundane! This section will be long, so bear with me.

Humans. This is the most abundant species in this particular world, and also the most diverse. They will live just about anywhere and have a wide array of unique cultures, languages, ancestral homes, and styles of dress. They are remarkably hardy and well-rounded, but they age quicker than most. They are also willing to try eating nearly anything once.

Elves. Pointy-eared folk with a history deeply rooted in the arcane. The types of elves are so thoroughly divided that they each have highly specialized physical characteristics. For the sake of brevity, each will have a quick overview, but feel free to ask questions.

• Sun Elves: coastal or arid living spaces preferred, resistant to heat, vulnerable to cold. Warm skin tones and hair colors. Pink, red, gold, brown, or ocean-blue eyes most commonly. Typically originate from the coast of the Dawn Sea or in the Waking Desert of Khorsheedan or Ngaba. Cannot live underground as sun exposure is required to live.
• Moon Elves: live in any climate but prefer elevation, resistant to thin air, vulnerable to humidity. Cool skin tones. Hair starts as black or dark blue then gradually turns silver from moonlight exposure, giving the appearance of premature greying. Black, blue, or silver eyes are common. Live at high altitudes in communal fortresses known as Skyholds.
• Dark Elves: originate from Hepogaia and have bodies highly specialized to subterranean living. Excellent dark vision, extremely sensitive to bright light. Complexions come in various shades of greyish-violet, eyes are dark jewel tones with black sclera. Protective eye gear must be worn in daylight. Special dietary restrictions.
• Wood Elves: forest dwellers who live in treehouses or nomadic settlements. Excellent survivalists, cannot become lost in woodland places. Complexions, eye colors, hair colors all tend to be in earth tones. Frequently displaced by industrialism. Often hostile toward non-elves.
• Snow Elves: strongly prefer colder climates, particularly the Cossack Mountains, extremely resistant to cold, vulnerable to heat. Always have starkly pale hair and eyes. Driven from low tundra by Braxton settlements and remain extremely hostile towards them. It is not uncommon for snow elf clans to kill Braxton soldiers on sight. Very neighborly with Moon Elves, though.
• High Elves: class traitors, old money. Originally derived from coastal Sun Elves who became successful merchants and assimilated with well-to-do human society. Look fairly similar to Sun Elves still but have lost much of their inherent strengths and drawbacks due to indoorsy lifestyle. Still get uncomfortable when cold, though.

Dwarves. Short-statured folk (not to be confused for humans with dwarfism) who have a reputation for warfaring due to their participation in the War of Ages. Widely renowned for their unique cultural practices surrounding the keeping of their hair, especially their beards. (And yes, dwarven women absolutely have beards.) Dwarves live in a variety of locations, inhabiting fortress-towns called stenholms. Each stenholm belongs to a particular clan with a unique lifestyle, described briefly below:

• Ice Mountain Clan: lives in the highest frosted peaks. Especially hardy with impeccable survival skills. Talented hunters and blacksmiths. Isolationists that do not care to be bothered.
• Green Mountain Clan: live in the lower mountain regions, sometimes inside mountains. Known for brewing and foraging. Have a reputation for being a little bit smug.
• Hill Clan: pastoral folk who are often tenders of livestock and farmers. Well known for their food. Did not participate in the War of Ages and are quite proud of that fact, much to the dismay of their brethren. Very welcoming of outsiders.
• Valley Clan: artisans, traders, and artistic sorts. Have been known to be somewhat self-centered. Have a strange manner of speaking that consists of a unique accent and incomprehensible slang.
• Bedrock Clan: Hepogaian dwarves who live either fully or partially underground. Miners and stoneworkers. Not unfriendly, but tend to keep to themselves.

Halflings. So named because they are half the height of the average human, halflings originate from Glassighe and are believed to have come from fae ancestry. While all-halfling villages aren't unheard of, many halflings do just fine amid humans, though they tend to prefer more rustic homes. Despite their size, they are known to eat double what the average human might on a daily basis and there are many foodies among their ranks. They are also known for their folk music.

Gnomes. Smaller than dwarves or halflings and even more fae-adjacent in origin, gnomes are a rare but generally cheerful species believed to have good luck and for whom magic is second nature. They tend to live in small villages exclusively for gnomes which are overwhelmingly full of whimsy. Gnomes have a habit of "collecting names," which is to say they will nickname their friends and add that nickname to their full name for the rest of their life. More middle names is said to be the sign of a life filled with friends and experiences. If a gnome gives you a nickname, it should be considered a token of profound friendship.

Orcs. Green- and grey-skinned people who were once the opponents of the dwarves in the War of Ages. Propaganda about them gave them a reputation for being violent, bloodthirsty, warmongering dullards, but this reputation has since been disproven and relations with orcs are on the mend. Many still live in ancestral villages on the plains of Lethmarga, but some live in blended towns and cities as well. They are best known for their artisan bonecraft, and many orcish scrimshaw artists are among the finest in the world.

Beastfolk.Humanoid or otherwise sapient beast-people. This includes such individuals as arachnea (subterannean spider-people), centaurs, harpies, lizardfolk, dragonborn, and more.

Tieflings. Tieflings are a strange sort. Despite being technically a species all their own, they are actually a particular kind of mixed-species. When humans fraternize with infernal entities, there is a chance that such a union may yield a tiefling offspring, who then could pass their species on to other children they have with a human partner or other humanoid. The chance for tiefling descendants will remain in the bloodline until it ends and is recessive, even skipping numerous generations only to appear in a family that has only produced human children for the past 200 years. Demonic ancestry, however, does not necessarily imply demonic behavior. There are plenty of perfectly pleasant tieflings just as there are plenty of evil humans.

Faefolk. An umbrella term for members of the fae such as fairies, changelings, pixies, banshees, dullahan, satyrs, nymphs, dryads, merfolk, and more. Typically belong to either the Seelie (benevolent) or Unseelie (malevolent) court.

Other Species. Don't see a fantasy species you're interested in? You're not limited to these! Hash it out with me in the comments.

Miscellaneous Lore. Some other things worth noting is that the current king of the Emerald Isles is Ferdinand Emerick Marchbanks, IV, and the queen is Elaine Millicent Davenger Marchbanks. The king is a polarizing subject, as the Emerald Isles is going through an industrial era which is highly profitable for many people but destructive to the landscape. Another interesting bit of lore is that the goddesses are believed in worldwide but thought to have different appearances and folklore depending upon the culture you ask.

This world is quite expansive as I have been developing it for a TTRPG, so there's more, but this is already long enough for a single event so I'll speak more on other things if they become relevant! This event is due to launch on Thursday, January 25th and should prove to be a good time. I hope you have fun plotting your AU!

CODED BY TESSISAMESS

Comments

Event Questions

[pumpkinhollow]

Lore Questions

[pumpkinhollow]

[i_didnt_mean_to]

Mary would love to be tall, so... average height of a Sun Elf?

NPC Plotting

[thethirteenthchild]

Plot with me for any of these NPCs!

Dahlia Leeds
Henry Leeds
Harriet Leeds-Brenning
Linette Brenning
Jonah Leeds
Japhet Leeds
Neil West
Merrick Gladwyn
Hellen Poe
Yorick Aberdeen
Elsie Helvig

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Chris is curious about the woman by the well (Mourner's Night). Would they be able to have a thread with Linette Brenning? So as to in-character figure out if it was her.

[arcanegrasp]

Drop a comment here if you want to plot with me for any threads with Elias!

At this point in time, he's a more active member of the community, and especially focused on his studies of all things magical. He can be found in his shared home with his husband, Neil.

[theresalwaystheview]

Would Baat be able to perhaps meet Elias and Neil? I'm sure someone would have pointed him to them to start asking questions after he gets settled in when it comes to baseline information on the island!

[graveling]

Plot with me for Degas, or catch any of my PCs!

Angel isn't Angel in this verse, but is a young tiefling man named Gabriel Mora who was raised as a ward of the church. He's considering taking the cloth and devoting his life to serving the mothers.

Cerrit Watson is a human man, still an Enforcer, but married to Watson. He was a petty thief in his youth in Providence, and the nickname 'Pinch' still follows him from those days.

Annabel Lee Sims is married to Jon Sims and is a snow elf. Yes, he's gay and she's a lesbian, but they're best friends, so it somehow manages to work out for them. She's the town's top seamstress and fashion plate.

Cecil Gershwin is a centaur seer and local doomsayer who practices Astral magic (primarily, he's also into some Chaotic magic). He writes the horoscopes for the newspaper and is known for giving strange warnings, like "you don't want to go to the beach today" and "count your children twice. Then figure out which is the cuckoo." He's the centaur for public information, if you will.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Cerrit is going to get a bakery delivery from a friend <3

[batteryacid]

Guess who has five icons they never use... >_> These are some fairly vague ideas, would love some suggestions to refine things further.

Eddie Kaspbrak will now be a Pumpkin Hollow native (son of a couple that originally settled here) who has taken charge of the family farm. Knocking his age down to 18.

Chris Freeman is going to be a Deaf artisan. (That ever-present shoulder bag is going to hold a slate and some chalk, just in case your character doesn't understand sign language.) Not sure if I'll change their species. I'm thinking relative newcomer to Pumpkin Hollow who maybe came here to get away from some trouble in the big city...

[300kgbackpack]

Okokok what if Eddie has been a babysitter for Lou for basically ever since she and Sam are also PH natives now? She can hang out with the chickens and keep Eddie on his toes.

Sam, meanwhile, could learn sign from Chris and generally come check in on them from time to time?

[tisnotthehouse]

*vibrates excitedly over this event*

Taran Thule is a high or sun elf who lives on the western side of town with his adolescent half-human daughter, Dawn. A highly skilled artificer, Taran makes his living constructing and repairing clockwork devices for the town, the crowning achievement of which is Anodyne, a fully sapient clockwork fairy who assists the town doctors in surgery and emergency care.

Taran and Anodyne are close-lipped about their past before arriving in Pumpkin Hollow (although Anodyne will sometimes speak longingly of Providence, the clockwork city) and Taran is known to react with vicious rudeness if presented with any speculation on Dawn's origins or her other parent. So long as those two topics are avoided, however, Taran is friendly and generous with his skills, and has never tried to restrict Dawn or Anodyne's movements around the town. This last point is especially notable given the large amount of work that must have gone into creating Anodyne's constructed soul -- and the fact that Anodyne himself tends to avoid spending any time with Taran outside of necessary maintenance of his body. There's a tension there that neither will speak of.

[pineapplesalmon]

Rex, César's younger brother, who would be 11 for this event, could repeatedly demand that Taran make him a giant robot he can have as a friend and can ride. It's not really a demand, but asking about it would be a game for Rex. He's annoying lovable that way.

He's not quite realizing girls exist yet but would stare at Dawn sometimes without knowing why.

He would treat Anodyne like anyone else, though. Just a person who's also clockwork!

Bartplotting!

[theresalwaystheview]

So! For all of this, it was decided that Bart is going to be from the mainland! The general thrust of it is that Baat Torgaljin (aesthetic provided by Deng Lun's c-drama roles) is going to be a moon elf from a skyhold-based college, prestigious at least among his people, and for a research project away from home, is coming to the Marrow Isles for an ecological study. He's going to be doing a pretty similar thing to what he normally does, though possibly be a bit less awkward about it all.

Warning: looking at him too long may overlay a soft silvery filter on his immediate surroundings

Re: Bartplotting!

[thethirteenthchild]

Would Bart have any interest in being saved from a monster by Henry Leeds?

[300kgbackpack]

Sam Porter is gonna be a Marrow Isle native, a bogstandard human, with an 8 year old daughter named Louise, and both of them are Sensitives. Specifically, sensitive to undead and ghostly things. Sam specifically has an allergic reaction that makes his eyes water, and he can sense such things coming, while Lou can see them and communicate directly. Sam is Feytouched, cursed by an incident when he was an infant, which causes terrible things to happen when he ends up dying in some way in the normal course of his duties. Usually this means explosions, like a collision of matter and antimatter. (There may in fact be a crater somewhere on the island from that kind of incident.)

Sam has been a mail carrier for the island for about a decade now. Sort of carries the whole workforce on his back. Perhaps you are someone on his regular route, someone new that's setting up to add a spot to his route, or you've seen his daughter somewhere around town! Would you like to be a regular babysitter of a little hellion?

[needmetodoanyattacking]

Ianto Jones is the 17 year old hooligans son of a tailor, and Sam is the only person in town who sees him as a good kid and lets him act as one of his regular babysitters because he FEROCIOUSLY HIDES THE TERRIBLE SECRET that he’s absolutely soft for Lou and only takes work seriously cause he’s made tiny fancy suits for her stuffed animals and/or dolls and even lets himself get roped into the most ridiculous games to make her happy, Y/N?

The Bard Formerly Known as JEFF

[cacophonish]

Okay so! I've narrowed it down to one of two possible AUs, and I'll... finalize based on whichever I can brainstorm the most plot and CR hooks out of, so lmk if one particularly appeals to you!

1) An ecoterrorist, and member of the Hands of Dusk, on the lam here after Some Shit Went Down (or is laying low here while gearing up to commit an act of sabotage against the forces of industrialism). Young, charming, friendly, but willing to be totally cutthroat for his cause. I'm thinking he's either a wood elf (though that might be too on the nose), snow elf, or tiefling, haven't decided yet.

I figure he'll have been in Pumpkin Hollow for a few months, long enough to have established cr with the locals here. He may have a cover like he's a traveling musician, or part of a theatre troupe of fellow ecoterrorists, or just doing odd jobs idk.

One cr I'd love is a partner (in crime and in LOOOOVE) for a totally toxic relationship on the rocks from life on the lam. WHO WANTS TO JOIN THE CAUSE??

2) A schoolteacher who's lived in Pumpkin Hollow for like 15 years, leaving behind a messy past in a big city. Middle aged, friendly, a bit high strung, looks out for the kids or, really, anyone in need of kindness. He could be the birth or adoptive father (or father figure) for anyone doing a teen/kid AU for the event. This is mainly based on Jeff's 'canon' future, a little glimpse into the person he can become, after.... a lot of work and therapy.

Desired cr would be: A KID (or foster kid or student/ex-student), ex-partner(s), friends, anyone he'd develop a really low stakes petty (totally unserious) small-town rivalry with...

(ftr I'm leaning towards the ecoterrorist AU idea, but I wanted to put both out there in case the middle aged teacher one offers more cr and plot hooks to folks!)

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Oooh, I'd love some kind of petty rivalry with Geoff... either with teacher!Geoff or terrorist-undercover!Geoff. Chris just over here like... "hmm, I don't like the cut of his jib" for some reason.

[lordoftheozarks]

Going to bullet point my general ideas and possibly come to flesh them out more later:

- Name Erik (might change to Eric) Osborne
- 13 years old
- Human
- Orphaned as a baby
- Adopted son of the bakers in town
- Works in the bakery with his parents, acts as an errand boy
- Closer to the end of the 8 hours I think it would be fun for him to start to realize this is a dream and remember who he is
- Possibly he may talk to Elsie and be reminded of his sister who doesn't exist in this au and that triggers him remembering

Open to CRAU siblings, childhood friends, first crush, mentors, maybe he's a little brat who likes to prank adults and he's on your adult character's shit list. idk.

[batteryacid]

Since Eddie will probably have eight-year-old Louise in tow (babysitting), any interest in having young Erik interact with her?

Josiah Cole. That's it, that's the AU. XD

[deaths_head]

Modified for Pumpkin Hollow...y'all just get Josiah for this one. XD

The Cole family has always been known for their devotion to Mortanne, specifically--some have joined the clergy in her name, some have taken large roles in communal celebrations in the heart of winter, and then there's the Cole Family Funeral Home which has seen to the needs of Marrow Isle's dead for generations.

Bottom line? When death comes to call, denizens of Pumpkin Hollow always know they can find a Cole nearby.

The eldest of two children, Josiah Cole's life has never been easy. Before he was even born, those who saw how horrifically sick his mother when she carried him feared she would not survive the birth--and not merely because he was a behemoth of a child. Somehow, she survived Josiah's birth--but she, his father, and Josiah's three year old brother, Ezekiel, would perish in a mysterious fire that burned the Cole funeral home to the ground, leaving a nine year old Josiah as the only survivor.

From then on, Josiah's life was, and remains...unremarkable. Raised to adulthood by a local widow, he left Marrow Isle but once to complete his apprenticeship in his mother's home town of Lochshire. Josiah has plied his trade ever since his return, proving himself to be a shy but gentle giant, respectful and devoted to his trade and to the goddess, Mortanne.

Sure, it's a little odd that deaths often come with a visit from Josiah out of nowhere, about a week before the passing. Yes, he's been known to appear as if he's talking to himself. And naturally, he's come off as a little off-putting to some for the occasional pointed remark that might seem like a threat--if not for the fact that those who heed him have avoided becoming the next occupant of one of his beautifully made coffins.

Josiah is a man you either know or you don't--but like always, when Death comes to call, everyone knows that the last living Cole is never too far away.

[batteryacid]

So I have Eddie taking over the family farm in this AU, and would it make sense for his father to have passed away after one of those visits from Josiah? So that Eddie is cold around him because those rumors and then it looks like it happened to Eddie's Pa...

I also feel like this version of Eddie would be less cautious and careful than the canon Eddie, and might run his mouth more. If you want to play up Josiah being somewhat isolated like when he was alive in his canon.

Watson Plotting post

[lightconductor]

AU Dr. John H Watson is still human and still a doctor, though not currently in practice. Originally from Glassighe, he was injured in the elf war or at least some war in a far land, and he nearly died a few times, but he's recovering and married to Cerrit, local Enforcer.

He himself is a novelist. The details of these books is unclear at present but it's probably very exciting adventure and possibly some mystery.

Later update: NOT HUMAN. he is a selkie. Watson is a selkie and Cerrit has his sealskin totally voluntarily and it's gay

Re: Watson Plotting post

[thethirteenthchild]

I feel like Watson on an afternoon swim should definitely have an Elsie moment.

[wolfborn_were]

I feel like I should make Emery something completely different for the AU. Not a human, because he's got issues around possibly being stuck in his human-like form, but something other than a werewolf.

And, like, have him actually live in the town and not out in the woods. Something completely opposite. But other than those vague ideas, I'm not sure what to do with him. Any thoughts?

[thethirteenthchild]

You could totally make Emery some kind of animal-folk or a dragonborn, that could be pretty wildly different! Or you could go for something tamer like a dwarf or wood elf.

John Rambo, Still A Commando, Sort Of

[theydrewfirstblood]

So John is going to be of mixed heritage--one quarter wood elf. His human father married a halfblooded woman raised by her elvish kin, but John himself was born in Pumpkin Hollow. His parents...did not get along, and when John's mother died young he bore the brunt of his father's excessive drinking and intolerance of elvish culture, as John was close to and favored his mom a great deal.

The second John was old enough to get away, he left Marrow Isle and didn't return until he was in his late twenties--and that only came to light when reports of a man living half wild in the forest came to light.

No one's sure what happened, as he won't talk about it. The few he's spoken to at length (which isn't much) know he left to live among some wood elves in the Islewood, and returned because he was no longer welcome. Local physicians have seen the brutal scars whose origins he won't discuss, marring his chest and his back. Early on after his presence came to light, rare trips into town made others wary of him--at his best, he was odd, at his worst he was known to draw a weapon in a visceral reaction of fear if you got too close or if a loud noise occurred outside his field of vision.

These days, age seems to have mellowed him some. He lives in a little shack of his own construction instead of the treetops, comes into town more often, and though still very much known as the wildman living in the woods, he's also appreciated by the locals for his ability to find lost travelers, killing predators that bother the local farmers, and providing fresh game to those in need during lean winters.

In the last few years, too, John has become less skittish about human contact. He's not comfortable with it, but doesn't react with fear. Does it have something to do with the dreamcatcher he's been seen wearing when he comes into town? Who knows?

...but still be careful of those loud noises, though. Does NOT like those.

Re: John Rambo, Still A Commando, Sort Of

[thethirteenthchild]

I feel like John's chances of running into Jonah Leeds are pretty high, and I'd love for someone to meet him!

Rose's Assorted Bastards

[skeletonkeay]

Gerry is going to be a Dark Elf from Hepogaia! He originally came topside to experience more of the world and escape his strict mother in a place he was sure she wouldn't want to go. I'm considering having him be a member of the Hands of Dusk (a lore thing I talked about in the server).

Sally is staying human! She and her young daughter Gwen came to the island when Gwen was a baby to escape Sally's somewhat sordid past and get a fresh start. They've been there about eight years now. They were originally from Victoria's Crossing.

Zelda is a "Sun" Elf pirate captain just arriving to the island for shore leave! She has no intentions of staying currently, but perhaps she could be convinced to stay. Perhaps she might even reveal that she was born a High Elf noble in Lochshire to the right person!

Re: Rose's Assorted Bastards

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Walking down to the Bastard Store to shop for an interaction... <3

Chris is gonna have a mild rivalry with Geoff, who may be Hands of Dusk affiliated

and Eddie is one of Louise's babysitters, so the two girls playing together under his watch may happen

also open for any other ideas, just touching base for the moment

[not_a_corvid]

A vague assortment of details for Maggie:

Named Margaret "Maggie" Bonne

Harpy, not sure what kind specifically yet, either an Aussie Magpie like she is normally or a European songbird of some sort

Travelling musician, by which I mean she settles in a town for a while and performs in local pubs and the like until she gets bored and ups sticks for the next place. And has probably been in pumpkin hollow for about 6 months to a year

Aged up slightly to somewhere around 30

[pumpkinhollowites]

Hello! It's the Lore Fairy! With the event coming up on Thursday, here are some questions to help you to add some final touches to your AU lore!

Have you decided what sort of harpy Maggie is? Is she friendly towards humans, or hostile? From what part of the world does she originate? What sort of places has she been in her travels? I can offer more information about various locations if you'd like, and help you come up with travelling tales!

Headless Housewife

[somebodychildofanyone]

River will be making her appearance as Amaranth "Amy" Fisher; a second-generation resident from a decidedly mixed bloodline, Amy's father was human for lack of a better word unless saying he was an elf was funnier, and ended up in a tempestuous on-again-off-again with a dullahan reaper of the Unseelie. When his time came her mother took his soul and then left the island and her adult daughter behind.

Details like her wealth and social status are to be determined, because, you see, I would like Amy to be married to someone here! She's made her bones as an apothecary and healer, and likely still does a lot of that from home, but honestly girl is tired and her high ambition is to be a homemaker and mother. It doesn't help that her feelings about being a healer are complicated, as it's a career she pushed herself into out of rejection of her mother's seemingly unfeeling attitude towards death and violence.

Amy is almost always seen with an oversized lantern that contains no flame, and is boxed with one-way glass. Popular rumor says she keeps her head in it; her chosen spouse will know the truth of the matter.

So! Give me your pitches. Who's looking to get hitched? People River has little or no CR with are much preferred.

[tisnotthehouse]

Taran Thule is a middle-aged high elven trans man who rolled into town +/- 14 years ago with a half-elven baby in arms and a fairy-shaped construct in tow. He doesn't like to talk about himself but he is very lonely, and desperately keen to be a good parent to his daughter, Dawn. If Amy finds brilliant but moody men attractive and happens to be keen on becoming a stepmom, this might be the right household for her XD

Masked Bunny Oracle

[maskedstarbunny]

So! Ryja will, for her first ever experience on the island, sit down for a little nap and be caught up in this! She's going to end up being a bunnyfolk and carpenter, but her passion is divination. She came to the island as a child, after running away from home for reasons she can't properly remember anymore. She was taken in by an elderly carpenter, and as far as she's concerned now, this is the only home that matters.

After his death, she took up his shop, but her chosen path is that of a fortune teller. She got her hands on books of divination, stories of prophecies, and found herself enamored with the concept... And in her hands, it even works. Not perfectly, but she has a talent for accurate predictions, which she happily sells alongside her mundane craft.

Tell me if you want her to read your future as part of the event!

Re: Masked Bunny Oracle

[pumpkinhollowites]

Hello! It's the Lore Fairy! With the event coming up on Thursday, here are some questions to help you to add some final touches to your AU lore!

Where did Ryja come to Pumpkin Hollow from? Is her adoptive parent still around? What are they like?

Local Dog Ammy

[i_ink_therefore_i_ammy]

In the AU, Amaterasu is going to be a local dog, or possibly wolf. A mundane, if quite intelligent, canine known to the residents of the town and perfectly capable of digging into things like mysteries, or just holes in the ground.

If you want to be Ammy's notional 'owner' or something, hit me up! Either way, she'll be wandering town getting into trouble/mysteries.

She'll probably come to awareness after a while, and then continue doing basically the same thing, because this is, after all, Amaterasu.

[batteryacid]

Would Ammy like to be a farm dog? (It occurred to me since she helped out Eddie after the earthquake that the dream could build off that connection.) And her tendency to free roam wouldn't be that odd.

[apocryphalarchivist]

Posting mad late, but I wanted to throw my crew at this in case anyone wanted to plot!

Jonathan Lee Sims is a moon elf, married to Annabel Lee Sims. He's a historian, philosopher, and library hermit. He's thought of being an author, but won't ever put anything out into the world until it's just so. (And he's been at it for ages, so it's probably not happening any time soon.)

Pomni, or Penelope Desrosiers, is a half-halfing, half-changeling from Florentino who snuck aboard a ship to try to start a new life. She's been trying to take up any jobs she can around town to build a life for herself, and maybe prove that she's competent at anything at all. She's fairly guarded about her life in Florentino, and doesn't care to get into it. Additional note: being a half-changeling, she's capable of shapeshifting, but it's always imperfect, and she is incredibly short, standing around 4'9"-4'11".

Arthur Morgan is a Pumpkin Hollow native, a former urchin, and now, a fairly-upstanding citizen. Unless a hand is needed in a less-than-legal place to help a friend, of course. He's married to Sally, and is the adoptive father to Gwen! He's also a known hardass, leads hunting parties, and has very friendly ties with Jonah Leeds.

Any pitches are welcome, be it friends, relationships, enemies, or otherwise! Drop me a line and we'll hash it out! :D

Pomni

[maskedstarbunny]

Pomni could absolutely try her hand working with Ryja, either in carpentry, sculpting or divination! The first two, Ryja does in the shop she inherited from her father figure.

Magne

[sistermagnetic]

Magne is a fairly recent transplant from the mainland, keeps a lot of secrets close to the chest, and is determined to behave like she's always been here.

You may recognize her vaguely from wanted posters back on the mainland. They deadname her tho, and she will not hesitate to punch someone who calls her 'Kenji'.

[pineapplesalmon]

Magne and César should be friends! Maybe he even has a nickname for her (Maggie). It's quite possible he saw that she needed some money and has paid her occasionally to help him with things his prosthetic hands can't do (mostly, carry heavy stuff).

César

[pineapplesalmon]

César will be with his baby brother, Rex, who is 11 now. Same age for César (28). The big difference is that César and Rex were on the run from Providence, the City of Brass. There was an accident that killed their parents, nearly killed Rex (who's doing fine now), and took César's hands. Years ago, anyway. César's settled in, and he has money to spare from his family being wealthy to work on recovery.

They here for one reason: Vika the dwarf has created him new prosthetic hands, which need consistent upkeep. They're absolutely cutting edge, so she's not only constantly making adjustments but they need repairs since the hardiness of available materials hasn't caught up yet. César spends his days chasing his brother down and educating him, working on small projects, and reading. He's known for not bothering to haggle prices but otherwise keeps a low-key existence inside a regular old townhouse. They have a maid who doubles as a cook.

I'm thinking of giving Rex some sort of strange ability but undecided right now. Also, I'm going to give him his goatee to mess with Jesse.

Looking for science friends for him to have! And regular friends. He's very friendly and loves to be helpful, especially since that's now getting much easier.

[theresalwaystheview]

Science friend reporting for duty! Bart is going to be a moon elf coming from one of the skyhold colleges to study the ecology of Marrow Isle and he will talk to anyone and everyone that has any interest in it about his research.

[graphomaniac]

So! Lev is going to be a mixed moon/snow elf and a recently graduated wizard. They're also going to be from a poor background, likely a scholarship case. I have no real plans beyond that, so I'm open to suggestions!

[thelatechrisfreeman]

So I went so far as to grab a new PB for AU Chris -- now a relative new arrival to Pumpkin Hollow, a Deaf artisan who paints landscapes and portraits. She signs, but also has a slate and chalk if people don't understand that, so written communication is a thing.

I think it would be cute if she saw Lev and asked to paint them.

Mary Dahl

[i_didnt_mean_to]

Meryem is a Sun Elf originally from Koshtur. When she was younger, she was a famous actress and in high demand. She's travelled to several places all over the known world in order to entertain people -- from common folks to important dignitaries.

She's left active touring behind of her own volition by now, and teaching acting classes wherever she decides to settle down. Well, "settle"... she stays in a town for a few years, teaches people, gives a few performances mostly for charitable causes, and then gets the itch to travel somewhere new.

Meryem has been on Marrow Isle for just over a year at this point, having last lived in Drakeport. Though she doesn't volunteer the stories herself, if someone asks about her experiences she'll happy to share.

****

I'm very deliberately contrasting Mary's canon backstory (her stardom was limited to a single sitcom that typecast her hard, she was forced out of acting and was the subject of ridicule, most people don't care if she has experience to share when it comes to acting, and she wasn't able to be as independent and carefree as she wished).

Oh, also, she's like 5'8" in the AU and is going to cherish the memories of being able to look people in the eye when this is all over.

Re: Mary Dahl

[pumpkinhollowites]

It sounds like you've got some really solid ideas for Mary! I just thought I might tell you a bit about Koshtur for flavor!

Being wedged between the Waking Desert, the low Singing Mountains, and the coast, Koshtur is a fascinating and beautiful place to live. It doesn't look like much to the untrained eye, with its organically-shaped architecture made mostly of the same clay as the ground. However, it is filled with colorful mozaic artwork, dotted sparsely with enormous palm trees, and its blazing heat is managed perfectly by the ocean breeze and the large waterfall to the south. It's the perfect choice for Meryem, being extremely beloved by the Sun Elves who make up most of its population.