Pumpkin Hollow: IC Inbox

[lestercraft]

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Arthur's Files

[lestercraft]

[IC Note containment of what Arthur has learned in his time in Pumpkin Hollow.

Kept in a locked drawer of his apartment-cum-office's desk.]

[lestercraft]

[Imagine his handwriting is atrocious. These are personal notes across multiple pages, covered in cross-outs and slanted edits as he discovers new information.]

FILE: Major Players

Nyarlathotep

- Crawling Chaos / spawn of Azathoth / creature of a thousand forms
- Aware of Kayne, my own existence + Yellow (Crichton knows)
- 1/2 of barrier support (made by cult)
- Allegedly here to watch "demon political drama", unclear if deeper motives besides "bored"
- HIDING IN TOWN IN DISGUISE wants us to find him (how???)

Cult of Nyarlathotep

- Created the barrier
- Killed by N., allegedly no members left? Gerry says 2 left
- makes sense, why would you leave anyone alive that would know how to reverse it
- Murdered Linette Brennan + Merrick. Tortured both for several months
- Linette died w Necronomicon on her (cult book/ religious text)

Demon Royals

Eligos: King domain: betrayal
Efrain: Prince
Mendel Prince (deceased) (beheaded)
Aster: Prince (of the Dark Feast: consumption, greed, cannibalism)
Dahlia Leeds: daughter of Aster (turned into a full demon by her father through cannibal ritual)
- Performed ritual simultaneously w N. Conjoined effort? Coincidence?
- Political drama/succession
- Both parties harvesting fear? N. wants to watch demon dramatics
- Dahlia allegedly allied w humans, gave statement(?) to Jon Sims. (See Martin Blackwood at tea room)
- Gerry wants to leave Eligos alive due to domain, take the fall. Not a bad plan but I'm still worried about the impact of destroying the succession plans before N. is satisfied

FILE: Community Members

Dahlia Leeds

- Biological daughter of Aster & wife of Japhet Leeds
- 25yo woman, youngest daughter of 12, brother Henry Leeds
- Was 13 when Aster killed her other siblings and forced her to eat her father to complete the ritual (fully demon now?) (Aster's "contribution" to the Barrier)
- Formerly on the city council, removed herself recently after her heritage was revealed.
- Gave statement about demon family to Jon Sims (follow-up on this ASAP)

Degas Clayton

- Middle aged, grave demeanor. Preacher with local temple
- Not native to the island, migrated with Merrick to establish temple on island
- Only been preacher since barrier went up

Merrick

- Went missing same period as Linette + Henry
- Body found 1yr ago, presumed killed by N.'s cult and body left in a cabin
- No ghost

Linette Brennan

- Family were members of N's cult. Married into the Leeds family (who?)
- Captured/tortured/killed by N. cult to perform N's part of barrier ritual (Starved to death)
- Body was dumped in well/tunnels beneath well (still alive when body dumped? might explain movement)
- Found with Necronomicon on her body (stolen?) Book found in same tunnel system, but different place/time, well before Linette's body was discovered
- Haunts cemetery (possibly due to Necronomicon?)

Henry Leeds

- Went missing same period as Linette + Merrick
- Older brother of Dahlia Leeds, son of Japhet Leeds
- Presumed dead along with 12 older Leeds children (Dahlia only survivor)
- Body never found

SENDING STONE'D, not too long after the arrival of You Know Who

[howtheyshine]

Stay- Stay the fuck away from me. You and your fucking pet.

[lestercraft]

[This is the first time his sending stone has lit up, and when he picks it up there's an obvious air of confusion to him for a moment.]

...Yellow? Wh- what are you talking about?

[howtheyshine]

You know what I'm fucking talking about.

[lestercraft]

[His tone cools immediately.]

John isn't a pet any more than you are.

[howtheyshine]

[There, good, good. If John's not going to attack him at least he can count on Arthur to do it. He layers contempt into his tone almost desperately.]

No, he's John, the half of me you forgive. And you've got him back, so you don't need to pretend to want my trust any more.

[lestercraft]

[...what the fuck.]

Yellow... I wasn't pretending-?

[howtheyshine]

Shut up. [NO, STAY MAD AT HIM, ARTHUR.] Don't fucking lie to me.

[lestercraft]

Fine. If you don't trust my word, then ask your friend who approached me at Max's party. The one who threatened to kill me if I hurt you.

a week or so after John's arrival, or shortly before The Pages happen

[howtheyshine]

Knock knock, sir, there's a nervous entity at your door as a tentacle boi because he's been weirdly anxious about human-ness ever since being introduced to the question of why he looks like he looks.

He is also weirdly anxious about coming to Arthur's apartment. An anxiety he doesn't have going to see Sally or, he notes with confusion, Crichton. But with Arthur, even more with John present, Yellow is the invader now. Uninvited. Not one of the people meant to occupy the space. He knocks with a tentacle from the opposite side of the hall.

Gods bless this baby mess

[lestercraft]

Arthur hasn't seen much of Yellow around in the previous week, but he has heard part of what happened with John.

So when he opens the door, catching sight of the tentacle whipping back to its owner like a flinch, he just sighs softly.

"I thought you told us to stay away from you?" he asks. Tired, more than annoyed.

[howtheyshine]

"Y..." He catches the immediate, defensive snarl that fills his chest and tries to smother it. "Y... yeah."

[lestercraft]

He looks at the massive of tentacles and anxiety, and just leans against the door frame, tucking a thumb into his belt as he gives Yellow a more sympathetic look.

"How can I help you, Yellow?"

[howtheyshine]

How can he help... How can he help? Yellow came to apologize but now that he's here there's something knotted tight around the words.

"Wh- What did you... did I you mean about Larson? About what I did, a-and what he made me do, and what he was going to do."

[lestercraft]

"Well, that's..."

It's a hell of a lot to talk about in the hallway. Small town gossip moves quickly, but he'd rather not risk it.

"Look, why don't you come in, and I'll- explain whatever I can." And he steps back a little, to give Yellow space to enter.

[howtheyshine]

He shrinks the tiniest bit as he passes Arthur, making sure not to touch the man and confused over whether it's for him or for Arthur. The closing of the door makes him feel prickly inside with what he's starting to recognize consistently as fear.

Does he even care about knowing everything? Or does he just want to know how to keep it from happening?

Sorry hang on-- "How'd you fit a piano through the door?"

[lestercraft]

"Oh, that-" was not the direction he expected Yellow to start in, but it's a fair question. "I expect the movers might have had to take the door off its hinges, but it's actually quite a lot more narrow than you'd expect."

It's only an upright, not like the pianoforte Larson had in his fucking mansion. "I need it, f-for my job."

Via sending stone

[skeletonkeay]

At some point prior to Merrymeet, Arthur's sending stone chimes before a familiar voice can be heard emitting from it.

"Hey, got a minute?"

Re: Via sending stone

[lestercraft]

And he's quick to grab his stone in turn to reply. "Hey, Gerry. What's up?"

[skeletonkeay]

"Big news." There's a lilt of amusement to Gerry's voice. "You ever meet Dr. Coldwood? The lighthouse keeper? If not, don't feel bad, man's bit of a hermit."

[lestercraft]

"I'm going to assume the present tense means we're not having to look for a body?"

[skeletonkeay]

"People don't stay dead here anyway, remember? Anyway, you're gonna want to sit down. Get this--- He's been arrested for harboring an eldritch entity in his basement."

[lestercraft]

Arthur goes still, and looks across at John fucking Doe.

"But- h-hold on, multiple entities have come to Pumpkin Hollow on the ship, what's the fucking difference?"

[skeletonkeay]

"Seems hostile." You can almost hear the shrug in his voice. "He was doing it in secret, and seems to have cult related ties. Had a knife with that language from the Necronomicon engraved in it, some weird notes about the gods being dead and building our own. At least, that's what I've heard. So he's in holding while they figure out if it's dangerous. You wanna check the place out while he's out of office? I'd be keen to have a look."