OOC Community

Hey there, pumpkin patch! It is officially SPOOKY SEASON, which means it's time for our annual Halloween special! Due to the fact that people currently already have been pretty busy, which we felt would deter people from the original "Curse of Slasher Island" premise we'd been going off of because it's so action-heavy, we thought we'd switch things up a bit. After interviewing the Discord server, we managed to land on an event that we think people will really love!

That said, we're really looking forward to getting spooky with y'all! We've got some fun things on the horizon, so let's jump right in! The fall TDM continues! It launched right as the gala was starting, so we're hoping folks will have more time to enjoy it now that the chaos is starting to dwindle somewhat. Pumpkinfest, comedy clubs, and forest monsters, oh my!

It's also worth mentioning that the timeframe where it makes sense to onboard new members is starting to dwindle. If you have people you want to harass into joining us, strike while the iron's hot! We're definitely still new-player and new-character friendly! After a visit from a reality-breaking servant of the Web during the September event, the island is in for a nasty surprise, flavored after our beloved and broad Magnus Archives cast. Honestly, we'll probably blame Jon for it anyway, though.

Once upon a time, in a very specific iteration of London, England, there was an academic institute dedicated to studying and recording supernatural occurrences caused by fear itself made manifest, come to terrorize and feed off any living thing capable of feeling terror. This institute sorted these ostensibly-higher beings, their activities and their acolytes, into fourteen (later fifteen) distinct categories, each based on a primal, instinctual fear. They existed on the outskirts of reality, picking their victims off the fringes. Until one day, they didn't, thanks to the elaborate efforts of a few deeply terrible people, at the (sometimes willing) expense of Jonathan Sims. An apocalypse was born, and then ended by sacrifice. That should have been the end of the story. But one Annabelle Cain made sure that this would not be the case.

Deep in the heart of Paradesium, there is a crack in the world. From it, all manner of interdimensional terrors have come through to Pumpkin Hollow. And also, a water park that one time. But mostly terrors, hand selected and pulled through by demons or by Nyarlathotep. But this October, it will be used to create a miniature version of the temporary apocalypse that the people of Archives Universe London came to know only as "the Change."

The Fears will each occupy a physical space on Marrow Isle, arranged as follows:

Each Fear Domain will have a specific aesthetic design as a jumping off point. However, due to the Fears operating on dream logic and wanting to terrorize each person as much as possible, some elements will be flexible and bend themselves to suit you. Each player must pick one starting point for each character, even if they have multiple suitable fears, so pick one that suits your character best or sounds the most fun--- but feel free to have them move through many! This will function pretty similar to the nightmare event from last January, for those familiar. Only those who begin in the End domain will be capable of death, meaning that others will remain alive and aware despite any injuries they might sustain--- no matter how fantastical.

Here's a breakdown of what each Fear is, and what their domains will be like.

The Buried - Also known as "Choke" or "Too Close I Cannot Breathe". Claustrophobia, the fear of being trapped without enough space, suffocation, being buried alive or drowning, or otherwise being crushed. Located inside of Crane's Ridge, occupants will find themselves trapped in tight, winding, abandoned caves or literally buried alive in loose but heavy dirt. Attempts to escape will be frequently quashed by rain, mudslides, rock slides, earthquakes, and other events designed to shuffle the earth and sink you lower. You may also find yourself crushed on a more abstract level, by feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and despair. Work together to escape... or take advantage of each other to further your own escape, like crabs in a bucket.

The Corruption - Also known as "The Crawling Rot", "The Flesh Hive," or sometimes simply "Filth." This represents the fear of corruption of bodies and spaces via disease, rot, insects, mold, and other things evoking feelings of deep disgust. The fear of unsanitary or revolting things. While this fear is almost always extremely literal, it can sometimes also manifest as toxic love. Centralized in the Winterbottom Clinic but using dream logic to tie all the medical facilities around town together via horrible "portals," the Corruption has formed a dingy hospital, where medical staff are presented with an endless string of patients with infected injuries and given only dirty tools and contaminated medicines to try and treat them with. Are you a physician, or a patient?

The Dark - An extremely old and deep fear of darkness, the unknown, and things that lurk out of sight in the darkness. Also sometimes called "Mr. Pitch" or "The Forever Blind". Often manifests as profound, endless darkness, shadowy figures, monsters that hide in shadow, deep and dark bodies of water and blindness. The Dark has its domain set in the vast majority of Lockwood Forest, where the woods will be consumed in complete darkness. This simple domain forces you to use your other senses to try and avoid whatever else is lurking there in the shadows with you. But sometimes the tiniest flashes of light allow you a faint glimpse of what is hiding in the trees. You may not like what you see.

The Desolation - Also called "The Lightless Flame," "The Blackened Earth," or "Asag." This is the fear of pain, agony, random destruction, loss, and burning. It often manifests in the form of destructive fire and things associated with it. Forest or house fires, destruction of potential, loss of loved ones, sabotage of success, and severe burn wounds are common. Its victims tend to lose the things they love most or die before realizing their potential, as well as come to harm by literal fire. Having taken up residence in the burned out shell of Larkin Estate, the Desolation has chosen to take a fairly literal approach, causing the manor to relive its devastating inferno indefinitely. Perhaps, over the roar of the flames, you can hear the voice of a loved one, calling for your help...

The End - Also called "Terminus" or just "Death". Represents the fear of dying, especially painfully, as well as the fear of what comes after (or lack thereof, in some cases). Its victims and its servants alike tend to be those who have had close calls or near-death experiences, if they survive at all. Finding itself right at home in Fall's Promise Cemetery, the names on the headstones have been replaced with the names of this domain's occupants, who wake to find themselves in hungry, open graves. Trying to escape will involve facing a terrible and dangerous fate tailored to your personal fears that is extraordinarily likely to kill you--- but don't worry, the End has graciously allowed you a much shorter respawn time. You'll wake up after only three hours, back in your grave, ready to start again, but bearing some injury or scar from your previous death. The more you collect, the harder it will be to escape your next fate, but those who do manage to escape the End's domain will be able to retain their three-hour respawn rate until the barrier goes down.

The Eye - Also known as "The Beholding" or "Ceaseless Watcher". The fear of being watched, stalked, followed, or exposed. Fear of a lack of privacy, fear of judgement from others. Fear of knowledge that could destroy you, and obsession with knowing. Manifests in the form of any eye, either real or symbolic. This can include drawings or photos of eyes, mirror images, camera lenses, and more. Its victims usually have experiences related to being watched intently, followed by unseen eyes, or other similar experiences. In this case, the Eye has created itself a miniature Panopticon in the clock tower. Jonathan Sims is trapped here, forced to watch the suffering of his neighbors as he was during the original Eyepocalypse. Victims trapped within the tower will wander through the obelisk, which now has glass walls so that they can be watched and judged by those on the streets below as they fail to navigate their way out of the labyrinthine tower. And all the while, they will feel as though they are being followed, spied on, observed as if under a microscope, and scrutinized for their failure. Victims who encounter each other in the tower will immediately become aware of each other's greatest regret, failure, or secret.

The Flesh - Also occasionally referred to as "Viscera". This is a strange Fear that is primarily born of livestock animals and their fear of butchery. However, this also has expanded into human fears such as the existential dread of just being electrified meat, gore, body horror, and other more subtle fears and discomforts with one's body or physicality in general. This Fear is housed in a long-time home of butchery, and I don't mean the local slaughterhouse--- Leeds Estate, which normally serves as a safehouse, has been completely overtaken for a one of a kind Hunt-to-table dining experience, courtesy of the Hunt domain right out back. Victims who start here or are caught in the Hunt domain will be taken to the basement for "processing", where they will be taken apart (but as previously noted, unable to die) and loudly scrutinized for their inadequacies before being served to other victims (or perhaps Avatars) upstairs as the main course. As their bodies slowly regrow, they will be subjected to "processing" repeatedly or chucked back out into the Hunt to begin the cycle again.

The Hunt - Another fear born from that of animals, this is the fear of being prey or being chased by a relentless, violent pursuer. Manifests as predatory animals and monsters, animalistic tendencies and characteristics, and hunting of all sorts. In the somewhat brighter section of forest behind Leeds Estate which surrounds Hatchet Lake, victims here will be forced to fight or flee from monstrous predators, or transform into one themself. But no matter how wolf-like someone becomes, it won't stop the tables from turning so that they become prey once more, so never, ever drop your guard. Once prey is incapacitated, it will be hauled off to the Flesh domain to begin the next step in the cycle. But don't worry, you'll get another chance to play hide and seek when they're done with you.

The Lonely - Also called "The Forsaken" or "The One Alone." This is the fear of isolation, either due to being separated from others by tangible barriers or social/emotional ones. The fear of having no one to reach out to, of abandonment, of being unloved or unwanted, of being cut off from society. This domain features two distinct areas. The first is the Tundra, a freighter ship owned by one Peter Lukas. Sailors aboard this ship will carry out tasks without any means to communicate with one another, finding themselves unable to speak or emote in any way, so that even on the crowded ship, they will never stop feeling alone. Any attempts to work around this will be swiftly punished by the crew in the form of solitary confinement in the brig, so be careful not to get caught. And then, on the beach and Bluffs, victims will find themselves perfectly capable of speech but struggling to recall or retain any memories or perceive each other's features. Maybe for a moment you might remember something about who you are, but in moments it will slip away once more.

The Slaughter - Fear of random, unpredictable outbursts of violence, pain, and death. Its most common manifestation is that of war and combat. However, it can apply to any form of random or mass violence. In this case, war has broken out in the fields of Northwest Hollow. Soldiers and warriors will find themselves fending off an endless onslaught of faceless enemies (who look suspiciously like enemies they've fought before) that they know want to do harm to their friends, while civilians trying to hunker down in farm houses will find themselves only slightly safer--- but who knows when a stray bullet or explosive might do them harm, or members of the enemy army might drag them from their home and beat them bloody? Unable to die, occupants of this domain find themselves forced to carry on through injuries that would have otherwise killed them. And sometimes, victims will succumb to the sound of beating war drums and be briefly overtaken with an insatiable desire to do violence themselves.

The Spiral - Also called "It Is Not What It Is" or "The Twisting Deceit." It is the fear of madness, losing one's grip on reality, being gaslit, deception of the mind and the senses. Manifests as hallucinations or illusions and can cause victims to improperly perceive time. A common appearance is that of a door that should not be where it is and impossible spaces, as well as fractal images. In this case, the Oak & Iron has been taken over by the Distortion, turning the tavern inn into a maze of impossible architecture, false friends, and hallucinated images.

The Stranger - Also called "I Do Not Know You". The fear of the uncanny valley, things that are almost human but not quite, perversions of the human form, and existential dread regarding identity and selfhood. Here, the Stranger has chosen to simply lay itself over Pumpkinfest, creating a horrible carnival of uncanny performers. Lining the streets are booths that sell spare parts--- new names, new faces, new souls, stolen from loved ones, objects of envy, or shiny, plastic, and brand new. Carve yourself a new identity at the pumpkin carving station or have your "you" stolen by someone else in the streets. Forget your face, your name, don a mask and become a brand new you. How will you fight back? Do you even remember how to make a fist? Which of these hands are yours?

The Vast - Also known as the "Falling Titan" or simply "Vertigo". It is the fear of heights, falling, endlessness, and the existential dread associated with inconceivably large spaces like the open sky, the depths of the sea, and the entirety of the universe. It also addresses the fear and despair surrounding being very small in comparison with grander things so as to be pointless or infinitesimal. Stationed on the edge of Ripjaw Falls and the surrounding ocean, victims will find themselves with a stone wall to their backs, toes hanging over the precipice. Fall for eternity at terminal velocity through open air or plunge into a deep and endless sea with access to air impossibly far above. Or for those who are terribly, terribly unlucky, bear witness as a dark, colossal rogue planet converges with the orbit of Concorde, two worlds colliding into one another and threatening to swallow your minuscule form whole.

The Web - Sometimes called "The Spider" or "The Mother of Puppets". This in part the fear of spiders themselves, but also the fear of being caught in someone else's web. The fear of being manipulated by someone else or having your actions controlled, being part of someone's master plan. This domain also features two areas. The part in Town Hall forces you to navigate an intricate web of municipal red tape to try and get yourself out. Complex rules and office politics pull strings to keep you trapped and wandering, filling out form after form and performing increasingly oppressive and undignified ID checks to proceed. In the library, the only way to proceed is to read--- but beware. The text in these books determines what you or others do. Choose the wrong book and wander deeper into danger, or control someone else in ways neither of you like. And on top of it all, both buildings are terribly full of cobwebs...

There is, of course an opt-out/safe zone for this event--- you'll notice that the very top of Crane's Ridge is not colored. This is because Celestine has set up a safe zone where her festival is normally held. With little notice, she focused on snatching up those who most needed to not be down in the rest of the town (this is your opt-out), but she didn't have time to get everyone. Work with Celestine to try and create signals to the rest of town, trying to summon as many people as possible to the top of the mountain! But with the rest of the landmark owned by the Buried, there is only one way to get to the safe zone. Which brings us to our final Fear...

The Extinction - Also referred to as "The Future Without Us". This is a relatively new Fear that plays off of several others, but has begun to establish itself as unique as environmental issues and weapons of mass destruction become more of a pressing issue. It is the fear of apocalypse, of a mass extinction event created by human hands through violence or negligence. Due to its youth, it occupies only one space on the island: the train up to Crane's Ridge. Innocuous at first, those who board the train will simply find it full of detritus. However, as soon as the train begins to run, smog will fill the air and the train cars will become inhospitably hot. Riders will become consumed with the fear that the train is poisoning the land, be shown visions of an apocalyptic future out the windows of the train, cough up gobs of crude oil, have their train car fill up with concrete, or be attacked by humanoid figures made of garbage. These terrible visions only cease when the train does.

So it's no small feat to get to the safe zone, but doing so will allow you to escape from the horrors below and spend some time with the Mother of Autumn and Sky. Most people who do not opt-out will be considered victims. However, there will be some guests/infernal servants as well as PCs who are already entitled to an Avatar role. It's also possible for other PCs who are suitable to acquire an Avatar role during the event. For those unfamiliar, an Avatar of a Fear is someone who has a special connection to that Fear that affords them a slice of its power. Avatars feed off the terror of victims, so accepting such a role will force you to participate in the suffering of those around you--- however, it will spare you from further danger, and those who accept Avatar status will be able to retain it after the event. This status is accompanied by thematic powers that can be used to help out with later events, including Endgame, so if you were looking for a way to power up and be a meaningful contender against Nyarlathotep, this is your in.

Phew! This was a long one, but we wanted to bring out our best for the Halloween season! This event will ICly run from Oct. 18th to 31st, with the island back to normal on Nov. 1st, at which point Nyarly will shunt the Fears out of the barrier because they're pushy and he's bored of them. Happy Halloween! We now have a set roadmap towards Endgame! It's still a good ways off, but we're at the point where we have a clear picture of how and when the game is going to conclude, which we would like to share.

Because I'm hilarious, Eligos will meet his end over the Ides of March, giving Aster until Halloween of 2026 to be King of Hell. At this point, Dahlia will step into her role as King of Woman Scorned, and begin planning how to go about removing the barrier. Because it's just a new worldstate establishing event, I was planning to introduce our transition to the Dreamlands in December of 2026 so that people will have some low-stakes slice of (weird new) life and exploring to do over the holidays, and then begin the endgame questlines in January of 2027.

The preamble part of endgame is intended to last 6 months and be comprised of 3 questlines that will be assigned 2 months a piece, each one belonging to a particular team. Those who remain back on the island will have their own things to do, but each of the 3 quests will involve excursions into the Dreamlands for their respective teams. Teams for these quests will be chosen from characters that have been consistently active and will favor characters to whom they are plot relevant, and we currently do not have a set number of team members (though most threads within those quests will be able to be done in pairs still, so don't worry about potentially needing to do like a 6 person thread for 2 months). Because it's going to be important to move the plot along during this time, after the 2 months assigned, members of the teams will be asked to provide a write-up of how their quest went, even if some of it needs to be handwaved or backtagged later. That way the next team can proceed to their quest! Finally, there will be a final showdown with Nyarlathotep, and then an epilogue, each one being a month.

Barring incident, this means that Pumpkin Hollow will conclude in August of 2027. Throughout this time, Team Pumpkin will be preparing Emerald Crown so that we will be more or less prepared to jump into a prologue for the sequel game in September of that same year. It seems like a long time right now, but we've learned from experience that 2 years goes by in a flash! If you're looking to get properly involved in the plot, or people are looking to power up their characters so as to be a contender against Nyarly, now's the time to begin discussing it so that we can give you a satisfying character arc! See our State of the Game post for more details on how we plan to make sure everyone gets a slice of the plot pie!

Howdy gang, happy July! Sorry for missing the June plotting post, I'd been pretty sick last month and the heat's had me down, but I am slowly chugging back to life.

Special thanks to Kalineh and Meghan for helping me work on the concepts for the main events for July and August, and to Harvey for putting out this super fun mini event for this month! We're taking a short intermission still from the heavier plot stuff while I get my roll back, but we have some cool treats for you planned in the meantime, so stay tuned!

ALSO, don't forget to mark down whatever goodies you want to get at the Summer Flea Market! That stays open till August and I know y'all want some stuff to make this island weirder.

Round 2 of the Summer TDM begins! If you had a character do the treasure dive last month, you can now have the same character play again! You'll also get one more go in August. Also, reminder that while you don't need to actually thread out the obtaining of Pokemon if you don't want to, you should decide if you want any of this season's selection before the end of August. Thanks! Thanks to numerous donations, the Autumn Leaves Dormitory House is getting an upgrade. Which means the kids are getting a camping excursion while renovations on their home are underway! And Mr. Pennyburrow is going to need all the help he can get. Guard the youngsters from pesky forest monsters like Brutoks and the River Walker, chase crabs out of the campsite, help to organize activities like skill classes and games, and keep the kiddos out of trouble! There's also a lot of cooking to do to keep these hungry campers fed. Who's ready for spooky summer camp?

This event is still in the works, which means I get to do one of my favorite things, which is open the floor to you all for suggestions!

Toward mid July, the fairy courts of Pumpkin Hollow will be gathering their best and brightest to put on a magical performance for the town. But this is no ordinary three-ring circus. It is a show of whimsy and terror, magic and mystery. Fairies, after all, don't play by our rules.

So far the structure that I'm planning is going to be a large tent full of multiple performance stages and other attractions, such as fun houses and "freak" shows and the like, some of which are pure fun and wonder, others of which are tricks and traps full of genuine danger, all with a nature/fae spin. There'll also be sort of a renaissance faire type campus around the tent. I don't have a ton of specifics hammered out just yet because life has been so crazy, but I did have a few concepts in mind, including something to do with carnivorous mushrooms, fortune telling by Amarantha, and some kind of nightmare funhouse. I plan on taking inspo from the Devil's Carnival! More details as they develop, but please feel free to leave ideas in my suggestion box below <3

CURRENT METAPLOT

Happy Spring, gang! February was a tough month for a lot of folks in the game, but with warm weather and more sunshine on the horizon, I am so excited for what’s to come! I’m also SO PLEASED to be celebrating the anniversary of our game’s biggest boost in size to date! Even if the circumstances surrounding the Sail Migration weren’t the best, and we had a lot of growing pains in the aftermath of such a large change, we also gained a lot of beloved and engaged community members and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m so glad you guys are here and I’m so excited to celebrate the anniversary of our time as a community.

In more game-related news: I don’t know about you guys, but with a major plot event on the way (i.e. Efrain’s downfall in the March event), I could use a little extra time to wrap up my current threads and gear up for the big moment. Merrymeet is one of my favorite recurring events, and I’m excited to give it the time it deserves before a major plot development. Plus we’ve got a new TDM going up toward the beginning of March and a small mingle! As such, I’m going to have the March event be a little bit on the late side this month. I’m thinking either the 23rd or the 28th. Thoughts one way or the other? Drop a comment on the mod toplevel or let us know on Discord!

I also want to use this month’s metaplot section to talk about the game’s future--- the roadmap for the rest of the game, and what the sequel game will look like! It’s still a good ways off (like probably 8-12 months if we’re really efficient), but I want to give folks plenty of time to think about their post-game plans! Plus I’ve had it on the brain.

Originally, we had Pokemon acquisition sequestered to specific periods of time and only specific types, and the reason for this is because we didn’t want them to overwhelm the game. However, over the past year and a half, the concerns we had about Pumpkin Hollow developing a heavy culture around Pokemon that overtook the game never really came to pass--- people generally don’t even fill all their slots, and they are used more as a fun accent rather than a main feature! When last we discussed the Pokemon situation in the server, we had people express that they might like to check out some other types and we’d planned to have them available for Summer and Winter this year, but with the understanding that the way Pokemon are treated by the player base will most likely continue, we’d like to go ahead and offer them year-round with types determined by season, and have divided up all the types into a thematically appropriate season!

For springtime, you’ll be able to find Grass, Fairy, Ground, Bug, and Normal! (Yep, that’s right--- by popular demand, Eevee will be available with this change!) Rather than a special article, available types will now be listed at the top of the Gazette, and the intro article will make a brief note. We are prepared to roll back this change if it doesn’t work out or if it’s undesirable, but the intention is to make it so that everyone will have a chance to get their faves. Catch responsibly! Each character is still limited to 6 Pokemon pals, as we don’t have a PC for you to send them to!

Also on the agenda for spring right now are the player-requested community laundry days, a potluck as an homage to last year’s, as well as the ever-popular speed-dating from last year. (Although this year it’ll be called “Swift Social” to be inclusive of those looking for platonic CR, though it’ll still have opportunities to indicate you’re looking for love.) I’ve also got some plant-themed and fae-themed spookies on the docket for spring that are still in the works, so stay tuned! As always, I’m also open to suggestions!

To celebrate the anniversary of the Great Sail Migration, we’ll be doing a simple mingle event called Then and Now--- post a toplevel to invite other characters to comment leaving their first impressions of yours and how they compare to their current feelings. How have things changed since your character arrived? Whether you’ve been here for a year, the whole game, or just a week or two, enjoy reminiscing with your Pumpkin Hollow pals! It’s finally time to take down another Demon Prince! Efrain, the Prince of Sorrow’s Song, is the last thing standing between Prince Aster and becoming heir apparent--- leaving only King Eligos himself as Aster’s final obstacle.

A while ago, Nimbus had mentioned offhandedly the idea of a “day at the opera” event which has lived in my head rent-free ever since, and so it’s off to the opera we go. In Efrain’s attempt at a grand demonstration of his power, he will be transporting the islanders to a grand amphitheater, where his demonic orchestra will perform musical interpretations of each islander’s deepest source of pain, regret, and sorrow--- with the subject themself and their loved ones compelled to play the roles on stage while everyone else is a captive audience. Play out musical renditions of scenes from your past with your CR cast as your loved ones or enemies, catch a moment to chat in the Green Room before or after your performance, or find moments of solidarity from the auditorium seats between songs.

Not feeling the limelight? Take on a role as a member of the stage crew for the show and succumb instead to the despair of endless toil for the cruel and merciless stage manager! Take a seat in the pit and play with the orchestra, feeling every moment of others’ pain by proxy from the music your hands are forced to create. Or get saddled with a job in the concession stand for a different flavor of suffering--- mindless drudgery for an uncaring public. The choice is yours! But get too feisty and face the wrath of the security guards: a shade of one of your own loved ones like the false Ballister that had been created for Nimona.

However, Aster will be taking the beginning of March to prepare his assassins. Have a bone to pick with Efrain? Let me know and the demon-killing effort might recruit you! But anyone looking to get too close to Efrain will have to fight their way through his strange bodyguards, creatures of living glass whose creation Pyotr Stamatin may have to answer for later.

Due to the narrative function of the event, I am unfortunately unable to offer a full opt-out aside from a handwave for this event. But hopefully I’ve created enough alternative ways to enjoy this pity party that you’ll be able to find one that suits you! If not, let me know!

CURRENT METAPLOT

Hello friends! Rose here!

First off, I wanna apologize for getting to this so late. I'd strongly prefer to get this out before AC closes for the month and that will usually be my plan. I was dealing with some bad mental health and a little bit of RP burnout, plus I was still hammering out some of the specifics for the Halloween event, all of which contributed to the delay. But thanks so much for the patience!

This month we will not be doing a mini event in an effort to catch our collective breath after the gala, so I'll just be talking about some other activities y'all can get into for the moment. The big focus will be our big Halloween event at the end of the month. Halloween's coming up fast, so let's get cracking!

Now that TDMs are 3-monthers and a bit lighter in nature, there's no serious rush to hop on the TDM as it will still be live until the end of November. However, please be aware that if you want to explore the Balverine situation or pick up Ghost or Dark type Pokémon pals, don't forget to catch that train before the end of next month!

Also, exclusively for the month of October, we've tacked the link to last year's Pumpkinfest event onto the TDM. As previously stated, we're avoiding doing a proper mini event, but Pumpkinfest this year will look much the same around town as it did last year! Feel free to make use of it in your open logs, TDM posts, player plots, etc. Technically it runs for the second to last week of October ICly, but feel free to forward-date it!

Content Warnings:
Violence, stalking/being chased, potential for gore and character death, violation of free will, potential NSFW, alcohol, gambling, disordered eating, abusive parent.

As the morning of October 26th dawns, you find yourself in a situation that is likely not too unfamiliar. Once again, you have been transported. Has the island been transformed or have you been pulled into a pocket dimension? Perhaps it doesn't matter. Regardless you wake in what appears to be an incredibly lavish hotel room, decorated in familiar blues, blacks, and golds. Everything is richly decorated, with plush bedding and elegant swags, and each room is outfitted with a balcony overlooking a deep, dark forest of enormous pine trees that make the ones in Lockwood Forest feel miniscule. It is beautiful and haunting, and something deep in your gut tells you that you could roam those woods forever and never find the end.

However, you are far from trapped. Exiting the hotel room, you'll find a sprawling resort with all manner of luxuries and indulgences, including a buffet with food so good that it's hard to leave, an open bar where the drinks flow freely, a fabulous spa with massages and saunas, a 24 hour cabaret, and room service for anything you could ever desire. And what's more, the staff will happily tell you that all of it is complements of the owner. Questions? They'll answer any that you have. Nothing here appears to be dangerous no matter how much you investigate. There isn't even any cannibalism happening. Despite this, though, you are being aggressively encouraged to indulge.

The main feature of the resort, however, is the casino. It's massive, with hundreds of gambling tables for any card or dice game you could possibly imagine, as well as an absolutely massive roulette wheel. You are given a handful of chips and informed of the prize counter--- try your luck at any game you please, and see if you can win your fortune. Surely the dangers of losing can't be more severe than just a loss of chips, right?

And if you're really in the market for a windfall, there is one game that relies more on skill than on chance which appears to be played outside. Perhaps some kind of race? You can speak to a bookie about placing a bet or becoming a contestant, or observe the game from a balcony wrapping around a particular fenced-in section of forest using elevated seating and magical screens. Apparently the payout for winning this game, simply called "PREY", is rather hefty, especially if a lot of the spectators have bet against you. Although you may not get a choice of whether or not you play...


GENERAL INFO:

The Black Stag casino is a working of Aster, the Prince of the Dark Feast, whose domain covers indulgence, hedonism, greed, manipulation, consumption, cannibalism---- effectively, it boils down to taking that which is not rightfully yours. As such, this is why you're being encouraged to indulge in the pleasures of the lodge. The amenities are genuinely not harmful, they are simply feeding and empowering Aster by being used. Additionally, there are some mild enchantments on the buffet, the cabaret, and the casino itself that encourage guests to stay longer and overindulge.

Some parts of the event are still under construction with regard to their specifics, but we're looking at having the consequences for losses be physically or mentally dangerous, perhaps just for critical failures, with critical successes being jackpots! There will be some math involved with calculating winnings, and you will have to actually win the chips required in order to gain the prizes via games of chance. What would a casino event be without a bit of gambling?

Additionally, Aster, Eligos, and Efrain will be around and available for conversation, but you will not be able to fight them at this time. No weapons will be accessible at the Black Stag Casino, and a mild bit of mind control prevents guests from using other forms of violence that even Neil's charms are not capable of overriding. The only ones who are fully immune to this are Alice Dyer and Samama Khalid, who are both noncombatants anyway. You are, however, free to talk as much shit as you'd like!

Attempting to exit the casino is entirely possible, but not advisable, as you'll be met with a long and grueling journey through an endless woods full of increasingly violent predators and thick fog. Conveniently, however, once you turn back, you'll find the path very easily traversed and the lodge only a minute or two's walk away, even if you've been travelling through the woods for hours.

You do need to eat and sleep as you normally would while at the casino. If you die during the event, you die in real life you wake up back in your hotel room. There is no official opt-out for this event, but you are only required to participate in elements you feel comfortable with.

LODGING:

All of the hotel rooms are the absolute pinnacle of luxury, done up in Aster's colors and style and come in a number of standard hotel floorplans, such as two queen or single king. Each room can house one to four guests which players can decide for themselves how they'd like to arrange. As long as there are 4 guests maximum to a room, and all players are okay with assignments, anything goes! Have fun! There can be as many rooms as are needed, so don't feel bad about taking a room for just one or two people.

Additionally, on the second floor there are VIP suites that are reserved for Aster and his special guests. The first two are reserved for people chosen by Dahlia, including Dahlia herself. The third is for Alice and Sam, as Aster continues to give special treatment to Alice after the gala. The others are for Aster, Eligos, and Efrain, with room for one guest if they choose one. ;) These are the only VIP suites available. The rest of the second floor is a handwaved amount of rooms for the guest villains.

Sign up for rooms here! Feel free to add as many rooms as necessary by simply copying the format from a prior room, but ONLY on the first floor!

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME:

For the game called "PREY," the premise is simple. A Pumpkin Hollow resident playing the role of "prey" will be paired with a reasonably evenly matched "predator" of Aster's choosing. If the predator kills the prey, the prey loses. If the prey kills, incapacitates, or meaningfully escapes the predator, the prey wins. If the prey wins, they are given a substantial amount of chips, including a flat prize and a cut of the house's earnings on bets made against them. Easy, right? Except that the playing field is modified to the predator's specifications, giving them home court advantage.

"Predators" will be played by players, and anyone is welcome to sign up to play one via our guest villain claim, which has all the rules for signing up. If you want to claim a villain, you absolutely must have that character submitted by no later than October 25th, the day before the event drops. Same goes for if you want to change characters or drop a villain. Please do not sign up if you don't feel that you can complete at least one AC-length thread with your villain. Guest villains are also allowed to, but not required to, hang out in the lodge for the duration of the event, but will return to where they come from at the event's end unless other arrangements are made ICly!

Also, we strongly recommend you make use of the Villain's Lounge test drive meme to voice test your villain before bringing them into the game. There are several toplevels already up to tag into! I know that I personally would very much like an opportunity to test drive my own guest villain before the event launches.

Lastly, PCs will be able to bet on matchups of PREY with their chips! Bet on your friends! Bet against your enemies! Bet against your friends if you want, o ye of little faith. ;P And have fun!

More information on Black Stag Casino will be available when the event launches! Sorry that it's still a bit skeletal, but that means we have the opportunity to take suggestions! Feel free to make some below.

Last month, Dahlia's heritage as the daughter of Prince Aster and the Pine Devil was revealed to the entire population of the island. Even if you didn't attend her birthday gala, this has been the topic on everyone's lips. The Ocularum also had a meeting to swap information about this and decide how to proceed. Additionally, the thread is still in progress, but ICly Prince Mendel died on the night of the party, leaving the demonic hierarchy down one Prince. One of Mendel's demons, Blanche, was also killed in the kerfuffle and had her powers absorbed by Siebren de Kuiper. Only the demon noble named Seemingly remains at large from the Court of Fools.

Also, Elsie received an interesting letter from her father from beyond the barrier--- who informs her that he is an Archfey and a fairy king! It turns out that Elsie is a half-fae princess and the daughter of King Olwylder, who also let her know that her mother is not dead, but a sleeping dryad housed in the tree she calls home. Who knows how this will affect the future of the island!

This month will focus on player plots! Check out CitrusQuest, led by our own Sid! Additionally, Neil and Mulcahy will be investigating the Crystallizer of Dreams, an item owned by Calloway that seems to be what gives him the power to fetch items from other worlds, and Dr. Coldwood now has an assistant team that might be able to help him make some interesting discoveries!