Well, this is a year of big changes for us pumpkins...
We had some complaints and grumblings from the pumpkin heads that we had drifted too far away from our roots. Living underground, building a fortress and becoming a forge-town, but that's the price of safety in these times! Whole world's gone mad!
As a concession though we decided to expand our fields. One day we may see the roads to our town lined with fields of good honest labor!
Also put some peasants to work! These guys have been standing around for who knows how long only occasionally helping carry things for others! To the fields with you!
We saw fit to look into the caverns once more and found something strange...
The floor is covered in grass!
In the distance we see one of the locals
We decided on two things in regards to the caves below!
1. After having some monster hunters and bounty hunters show up asking us if they could enter the caves we decided to let them
2. Because of that we decided we needed a proper bridge to the caves for safety!
Mid construction and tragedy struck!
The salamander swam over and grabbed a pumpkin right from the water!
She is wrestling free!
Oh thank goodness she made it to the shore on the other side!
Oh no the salamander followed her! He threw her back in the water!
OH what's this! Karm the herbalist jumped into the water and swam over! He's beating the salamander!
The animal caretaker the salamander attacked swam back to the bridge and climbed up. Good thing that all pumpkins know at least basic swim techniques. In a world that is mostly filled with water it would be ridiculous for us to not have even basic swimming abilities!
Karm chases the salamander off! But I think he's afraid of jumping back into the water to cross? I can't blame him it's so dark in here and who knows what else is in there. Regardless, we gotta got this guy some recognition!
Well, while Karm waits on the bridge to finish I wanted to see some of the specters that joined us.
As it turns out even their gods have become ghosts now!
We decided to add a second pasture just past the new fields for great pumpkins for when the original pasture overflows. We figure it will give a good distraction if those bogeys attack plus the pumpkins appreciate any rural aesthetic we can give them.
Oh Mcman is haunting us now. Scared some pumpkins he served with, but hey Mcman just head over to the tavern and hang with the other ghosts!
I gotta say even if some of the pumpkins grumble about wanting to return to the farms I am impressed by our forge, smelting and stone set up! Everything makes perfect sense where it is! Whoever's idea this was had a tedious job to do, but they made it easier for the rest of us!
Let's check in on Karm; it's been several days now and all.
He looks really lonely. He's just wandering around the caves exploring and occasionally cleaning up blood splatters from where predators battled.
Hold on, buddy! Help is almost there!
I think he went a bit wacky in the solitude he's trying to keep cleaning the caves, but we got one of our mason's carrying him back. Rest well, hero!
A famous bounty hunter entered the caverns. A specter with a gun. I don't know what he is hunting for, but best we stay out of his way. He promised to share any maps of the caves he draws so that is nice.
A monster slayer beheaded the salamander-GOOD.
Many of us pumpkins have been talking about the world situation.
Strangelings took a town from us and the bogeys are continuing to attack us and have taken a few human towns, of which there are only a few left!
We've been blessed by the great pumpkin spirit with peace, but frankly I don't think she would want us to sit by while others are being hurt!
I mean just this year another pumpkin and human town were founded nearby by refugees fleeing! There's now hundreds of people wandering the forests near here looking for homes!
In the history of pumpkinheads we've never been the ones to start a war, but only acted in self-defense. Today that has to change and may our king accept our decision.
It's done! We sure surprised those bogeys haha. Took out two of their dark pits!
Since the battles took place we got word that two more pumpkin villages got founded nearby and rely on us! That makes 7 villages now! They have almost no leadership or protection and need us
Yeah we definitely made the right choice to attack first. The king sent an envoy to promote Sodafountain even further. I think he might be the highest-ranking noble other than the king now!
Also the specter axewoman got in a fight with a spider. The specter is tireless, but webbed. While the spider can't bite through her helmet. They seem doomed to fight for eternity. We will check back later.
Preparing for the strangelings to come back next year. Had a town hall meeting in the mansion and a lot of folks were annoyed at how we ignore our strangeling guests who come to trade. It's just not neighborly. So we queued up some gold crafts and some other wooden works to see what they might buy from us in the spring.
We also agreed that if pumpkins are going to war we need more on the homefront. All farmers have been drafted into a militia and they will use their farming scythes as weapons. They only train in winter though because they need to be working the rest of the year!
Oh wow the spider and specter still going?
A giant rat is wandering our mines now. Got in from the caves.
Oh hey the spider just got up and left the specter. Can't blame it hahaha.