Jarod's Journal

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!