** ALL WEEKEND (FRI 5/3 - SUN 5/5) *\*
10 AM - 2 PM Beetlejuice Tea Party Snapdragon Tea, 115 Harvard Dr. SE Themed tea party in tribute to Beetlejuice coming to Popejoy Hall! Enjoy three themed courses of small bites, accompanied by two pots of hot tea of your choice. One weekend only! We welcome kids of all ages to our tea parties. Children’s menus, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan menus are available upon request as well. Reservations required
** BOTH FRI 5/3 AND SAT 5/4 *\*
8 AM - 2 PM Old Fashioned Church Rummage Sale Hope in the Desert Episcopal Church, 8700 Alameda Blvd. NE Snag amazing deals on really good stuff - from furniture to kitchen items, household essentials, electronics, and much more!
Fri 7 - 9 PM Sat 2 - 4 PM New MexiChords In Concert! Sentimental Journey St. John's United Methodist Church, 2626 Arizona St. NE A Capella Live Concert! Join us for as we reminisce through favorite songs. Special guest: Quartet of All Time! $15 Tickets at Door
** BOTH SAT 5/4 AND SUN 5/5 *\*
Sat 3 - 5 PM Sun 2 - 4 PM Mother's Day Kid's Gift Making Workshop Pinspiration, 6271 Riverside Plaza Ln. NW, Ste D1 Join us for a unique and fun way for your kiddos to honor and celebrate their mom, aunts, grandmas or any important mother figure in their lives. A hand-crafted gift from your child will really show mom how much they love them! Drop off the kiddos for an afternoon of crafting to make something very special! $35 per child (Special gift, Gift wrapping, Snack and drink). Workshop fee is non-refundable so if you're unable to attend, a studio credit will be given for another workshop, crafts or our splatter experience (register)
4 PM American Music - Then and Now The ABQ Civic Chorus is delighted and excited to welcome you to our spring concert. We are a group of over sixty vocal musicians with different backgrounds, professions, and musical training. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets purchased online will be available at the door and are good for either day

• Fri - First Christian Church, 10101 Montgomery Blvd. NE
• Sat - Asbury United Methodist Church, 10000 Candelaria NE

** Fri 5/3 *\*
Fri 10:45 AM – 12 PM Coffee Concert 4: Early Beethoven South Broadway Cultural Center, 1025 Broadway Blvd. SE Beethoven Prometheus (Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus): Overture; Beethoven Concerto, Piano, No. 3, Op. 37, c minor; Beethoven Symphony No. 2, Op. 36, D Major. The last NMPhil Coffee Concert of 2023/24 is sure to leave you excited for next season! Premiered in 1803 in Vienna and conducted by the composer himself, Beethoven’s second foray into the world of big, public symphonies combines his unique artistry with his humor, stated through various musical jokes in the Scherzo and Finale. The program—led by conductor Na’Zir McFadden—also includes Anthony Ratinov performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 to lighten your early-spring morning (tickets)
Fri 2 – 9 PM Grand Opening NM Rave Cave, 115 7th St. NW Come see our new location and check out our vendors, food trucks and local dj’s playing in store. Complete with an ABQ Live Photo Booth. Big Boss Hotlinks will be on site with Burgers, Dogs , Fries and more! We are teaming up with Viva ABQ, 505 Junglists, Carma Presents, ABQ Live, Unyk Lyfe, ASTRL Entertainment, Otter World Music, Audio Elite NM and Mr.Afterhours to bring you a one of a kind experience! Vendors - Alchemy Beauty - Magic Cup Boba Tea - Rastafari_Mari - Own The Day - The Mexican Witch - High Chi Mandalas - Astrl Ent
Fri 3:30 - 7:30 PM Family Block Party! Coldwell Banker Legacy Paseo, 8200 Carmel Ave NE Car show, bouncy houses, mechanical bull! Welcome to a celebration for our cherished community and the wonderful clients who make our work so rewarding!
Fri 5 PM Blueberry Berliner Weisse Release Tractor Brewing - All locations You asked for a sour and now you got one! Hitting your taste buds like spring allergies, the Blueberry Berliner will be available on tap everywhere
Fri 5 – 8 PM Honky Tonk for Hope, Health and Healing Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon, 9800 Montgomery Blvd., Ste 4 Come dance the night away with us! There will be food, fun, and dancing! This fundraising event benefits Casa Esperanza! For more info, Jacob Romero 505-246-2706 or [jromero@casanm.org](mailto:jromero@casanm.org) (tickets)
Fri 6 PM Country Social Dance CSP Dance Studios, 1624 Eubank Blvd. NE The best country music for dancing to practice your Country Two Step, Night Club, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Cha Cha, Waltz, Rhythm Two Step, 4-count Swing, Line Dancing and more! $10 cash at the door. Welcome lesson 6:00-6:30pm. Call 505-883-9521 for more info
Fri 6 PM 'Burque Bee 2024 Canteen Brewhouse, 2381 Aztec Rd. NE Join us on the patio to show off your spelling chops. To give yourself an even better chance of winning, for $5 you can buy coupons like More Time (get 30 more seconds to confer), Stinger (sting your opponents!) and Help (get help from the audience). Team Registration $75. 3 people per team, limited to 12 teams (register)
Fri 6 PM Luke Bulla Concert Covenant Presbyterian Church, 9315 Candelaria Rd. NE Luke has been singing and playing music most of his life. Touring with and singing in his family band from age four, Luke has won National Fiddle Contest (in Weiser, Idaho) six times in his respective age categories. His seventh win came in the Grand Champion division at age sixteen, making him the youngest to have earned the title at the time. More recently Luke has performed and/or recorded with Brandi Carlile, Jim Lauderdale, Darrell Scott, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Kevin Costner & Modern West, Russ Barenberg Trio, Shawn Colvin, Tony Rice, Chris Thile, Peter Rowan, Rodney Crowell, and Earl Scruggs, to name a few. Doors 5:30 pm. Show 6 pm. Presented by Southwest Pickers
Fri 6 – 7:30 PM Spring Fling Dennis Chavez Elementary, 7500 Barstow St. NE Food trucks, face painters, a balloonist, a mobile petting zoo, School of Rock performances, lawn games, mini golf and a chance to dunk your principal and favorite teachers! (We could still use some extra hands to keep the event fun and seamless, if you could spare some time, sign up here)
Fri 6 – 8:30 PM Pizza Paint & Craft Night Canvas and Coffee, 6700 4th St NW, Los Ranchos Date night for Mom and Dad... Drop off the kids (6+) for a Pizza dinner, then crafting, and painting fun! Each month we will offer a theme and will have 2 projects available for your child to make and take home the same evening! The materials they will be working with will be canvas painting, crafting with wood, beads, ribbon, mod podge, glue, acrylic paint, watercolors, and more! *Children with special dietary needs will need to bring their own snack/meal (tickets)
Fri 7 PM Group Therapy Band Marble Brewery, 111 Marble Ave NW Come dance your jitters away while listening to soothing music to calm a nervous world
Fri 7 PM Roust the House + Rock 101 Music Academy Performance Night Outpost Performance Space, 210 Yale Blvd. SE Roust the House and Rock 101 Music Academy return for another exciting season of performances featuring local teen bands and soloists, from punk rock to classical piano to singer-songwriters, hip hoppers, spoken word artists, and more, including The Hunnies, a Rock 101 alumni band, and other talented up-and-coming musicians. Tonight’s show features winners of Rock 101’s Band League Challenge and more. Founded in 2011 by Director Kevin Herig, Rock 101 Music Academy is a year-round program for musicians as young as 4 years old through their teen years featuring one on one and group lessons, band mentoring, and more (tickets)
Fri 7 – 9 PM Tacos & Rides Truck Night Cafe Bella Coffee, 2604 Violeta Cir SE, Rio Rancho Join us for a night where trucks reign supreme. Roll in with your ride—whether it's lifted, lowered, or custom-built. All trucks welcome! Showcase your pride and joy. Connect & Converse: Swap stories and ideas with fellow truck and auto enthusiasts. Savor: Bite into delicious street tacos and chill out with good eats. Safety First: Courtesy presence by Rio Rancho Police for a safe, fun evening. Drive in, hang out, and fuel your passion for trucks at NM's longest-running automotive meet. Let's keep the wheels turning and the tacos grilling!
Fri 7 – 10 PM Ulthar Sister, 407 Central Ave NW This Bay Area band is sowing the seeds of planetary entropy by way of horrifying blacked cosmic death metal (tickets)
Fri 7 – 10 PM Galactic Funk Star Wars Party w/ Kaleido Tractor Brewing - Westside, 5720 McMahon Blvd. NW Come celebrate Star Wars weekend with killer tunes from the always amazing DJ Kaleido!
Fri 8 – 11 PM First Fridays w/ DJ Flo Fader Tractor Brewing, 122 Tulane Dr. SE He's just too good to not have in Nob Hill at least once a month. Come jam out with one of NM's absolute BEST DJs and kick off your weekend with FLO FADER!
Fri 8:30 PM – 12 AM 1st Fridays SBKZ Alley Kats Tap Company, 219 Truman St. NE Joining the Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, and Zouk dance communities has been a blast! Please join us as we welcome ABQ resident DJ Karla of Metta Dance Collective and welcome back world renowned Ry’el of Zenzouk for another amazing social! Theme: Sparkles -- Let’s sparkle and shine with gratitude for having Ry’el and Rachel with us the last 3 going on 4 months! There will be 2 ROOMS! Room 1: Salsa & Bachata. Room 2: Zouk & Kizomba. Music by DJ Karla - Room 1, DJ Yaz - Room 2. $10 Cover: Cash/Venmo/Cashapp accepted. Snacks and drinks provided
Fri 9 PM The Millennium Video Music Dance Party -“Barbie Prom” Sunshine Theater, 120 Central Ave NW Get ready for a night of electrifying nostalgia Millennium Video Music Dance Party presents the ultimate “Barbie Prom” extravaganza, unlike anything you've experienced before! Brace yourself for the most sensational, dazzling, and downright iconic 90s and 2000s Video Music Dance Party to ever grace our town! Picture this: a world that exudes the glamour, glitz, energy, of your very own Barbie dream world. Prepare to be dazzled into a shimmering oasis of pink, glitter, and all things fabulous. Whether you're channeling the chic sophistication of Barbie herself or embracing the edgy coolness of Ken, this is your chance to shine like never before! Dance the night away to the biggest hits from the 90s and 2000s, (100% Music videos) curated to perfection to keep you grooving all night. Think Beyonce, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Pitbull, One Direction, Kesha, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Eminem, 50 Cent, Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Flo Rida, Britney Spears…. and beyond – Get ready to strike a pose at our dedicated Barbie Prom photo-booth, make memories that are guaranteed to last for years to come (tickets)
Fri 9 – 11:30 PM LoPhat Juno, 1501 1st St. NW Dance to Live Music by one of ABQ's top R&B-flavored bands! From the Caribbean to Baltimore, from Detroit to El Paso, from the Pacific Islands to ABQ… with this melting pot of soul, rhythms, experience, and passion, there isn’t a “skool” that isn’t represented! LoPhat believes there is something to be learned from every soul that crosses your path. This way of thinking has given them the ability to incorporate and masterfully execute most genres of music and makes them a class all their own. Surpassing all “Variety Bands” with more listening choices than your radio, this band is sure to have something even the most skeptical listeners will enjoy. Founded in 2023, this band has gained a committed following. In their first year they have already played for Sandia Casino, CABQ, NM State Fair, Gathering of Nations, Ohkay Casino, Route 66 Casino, and so many more! LoPhat is set to release their first album in 2024 showcasing their melding of different cultures to bring you “feel good” music in a way that seems so familiar yet so new! (tickets)
Fri 9 PM – 1:30 AM Back in the Day: A First Friday Experience Backstage at Revel, 4720 Alexander Blvd. NE DJs Gonzo Supreme and Clout will be spinning all your favorite 90s and 2000s Hip Hop & R&B hits and more! 21+ (tickets)
Fri 9 PM – 1:30 AM Callaita Fridays Salt Yard West, 3700 Ellison Dr. NW Get ready for an unforgettable night as DJs Julio & Soiree take the outdoor stage, promising an electrifying journey into Latin music. Let the pulsating rhythms and contagious energy sweep you away as you dance under the stars. This 21+ event guarantees an atmosphere where you can fully embrace the rhythm without inhibition. Whether you're a seasoned Reggaeton enthusiast or simply looking for a night of unparalleled fun and excitement, this event promises an experience like no other! (tickets)
Fri 10:30 PM – 12:15 AM OMEN - the debut haunting psychedelic feature by Belgian-Congolese musican/artist Baloji The Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Ave NE Check out the trailer. Dir. Baloji - 2024 - 90m - Democratic Republic of Congo, Netherlands, Belgium - In French, Swahli, Lingala, English with subtitles. After spending years in Belgium, Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man, returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa to confront his family and homeland culture. Secrecy and sorcery erupt when a nosebleed is mistaken for a curse, and Koffi is shunned from his family. Using magical realism to paint a portrait of “undesirables” and “sorcerers,” OMEN delves into the intricacies of identity, culture, and belief systems through a deeply rich and visually captivating lens (tickets)
** Sat 5/4 ** -- Star Wars Day
Sat 8 AM May Volunteer Clean Up Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale Blvd. SE Mustard is running rampant! We'll focus on doing what we can to address those weeds. Please dress to protect yourself from the strong Southwest sun. Wear sunscreen, a hat, long pants and shirts, sturdy shoes. Bring tools and gloves to garden, we'll provide the trash bags, water and snacks
Sat 8 – 11 AM Rigs & Coffee Pinon Coffee House, 4545 Alameda Blvd. Get ready for a unique automotive experience! This gathering is all about celebrating the spirit of adventure and the love for off-road vehicles
Sat 8 AM – 12 PM OPENING DAY! 6718 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Los Ranchos WE'RE BACK! Come kick off the opening day of the regular season of the Los Ranchos Art Market! Plenty of parking and open space for all! Free entry! Pet friendly! Bring your family and friends to kick off the season and pick out that special mom a beautiful high quality hand made gift by our local artists!
Sat 8 AM – 12 PM Downtown Growers' Market Robinson Park, Every Saturday! This vibrant community event connects local farmers, growers, artisans, wellness makers, and hot food vendors with the local community from mid-Apr to early-Nov. Bring friends / family or come solo to enjoy fresh food made on sight, a variety of seasonal produce, unique arts and crafts, live music, and special programming all in the heart of downtown
Sat 8:30 AM Workout Fun in the Park! 9709 Layton Ave NE Join BFit505 for a fun community workout! Wear your walking/running shoes, a workout clothes. All ages, all fitness levels. Just $5 drop in to the park!
Sat 9 AM Cinco De Mayo Celebration Osuna Nursery, 501 Osuna Rd. NE Celebrate Cinco de Mayo early with a full day of celebration! You'll find: • chips & salsa • a special mix from DJ Everedy of Red Sapphire Entertainment • Osuna University 'Planting for Pollinators' with local author and landscape designer Judith Phillips from 11am-12pm. It's the perfect opportunity to brighten up your own celebrations with beautiful blooms and gorgeous serving-ware including artisan talavera
Sat 9 AM – 1 PM Herb Day 2024 Sonia Masocco Phytotherapy, 11930 Menaul Blvd NE, Ste 109 This is our Annual Herb Day Open House & Medicinal Plant Sale. Come visit your local herbal apothecary, mingle with like minded people, purchase your plants for your medicinal or aromatic garden or just come and have a cup of tea with us. This event is free, for all ages with parking lot access
Sat 9 AM – 4 PM La Cueva Band Booster Club Annual Spring Craft Fair La Cueva High School, Perfect time to pick up a unique Mother's Day gift from over 140 artists and vendors!
Sat 9 AM – 6 PM Heels & Wheels - Women's Ride Day! Indian Motorcycle, 4509 Alameda Blvd. NE Ladies, we invite you to come out and ride your bike! Ride on your own, with your significant other, with friends or find some riding partners at the event. You set your pace and ride your ride. We will be at Indian Motorcycle 9am - 11am. Grab some food and some coffee or tea at the trucks on site. Check out all the sales on bikes and gear before or after you stop by registration in the back. We will have a few stations and tables set up that we would love for you to check out. There will be some trivia at the end location for some giveaways. You will be provided a wrist band and a list of participating businesses with their addresses and hours of operation so you can plan your ride. make it a day, make it fun, stop and have lunch but visit as many of the businesses as you like. You will be collecting beads from each business you visit. These beads will only be given to a female who has a wrist band, but all are welcome to ride. Many of the businesses will have their own party going on to celebrate this day with you. Stop in and support these local businesses and collect your beads. Bring all those beads to Hops Brewery, 7222 4th St NW, Los Ranchos between 3pm-6pm. Trade them in for free raffle tickets that you can use to win many great prizes we have collected from our participating businesses. Don't worry, if you didn't collect beads or need more raffle tickets we will have them on sale and everyone is welcome to purchase as many as you like. Then grab a bite and a drink. Mingle, shop some of our vendors, enjoy the giveaways, and performance by live band, Crazy Bird! They are amazing so we hope you can dance in your biker boots (tickets)
Sat 10 AM Storybook Garden Spring Planting Day Corrales Community Library, 84 W La Entrada, Corrales We will be planting the children's Storybook Garden! Beans: Calima, Provider, Rattlesnake. Cucumbers: Dragon's Egg, Mexican Sour Gherkin. Tomatoes: A Grippoli d'Inverno, Black Cherry, Brad's Crazy Cherry, Chocolate Sprinkles, Punta Bando, Rosella, Sunrise Bumble Bee, Yellow Pear. Squash: Tromconcino
Sat 10 AM – 12 PM Fourth Annual Car Show 5111 Wilshire Ave NE All are welcome to participate in our annual car show! Corvette, Porsche, Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, and more! There will be a gift basket raffle, free shirts for the first 10 cars, coffee, and snacks. PLEASE CALL SILVER STAR AUTO HAUS AT 505-881-4855 TO REGISTER YOUR CAR!
Sat 10 AM – 1 PM Eternal Bonds & Bubbles with Link x Lou Sawmill Market, 1909 Bellamah Ave NW Indulge in an intimate setting where every ticket promises an unforgettable experience, featuring a complimentary glass of house wine or mocktail (Rosé, White, Red), a curated charcuterie board available to order, and a special $40 credit towards the permanent jewelry of your choice from Link x Lou (tickets)
Sat 10 AM – 2 PM Craft Fair Second Hand Sam's Indoor Mall,1020 Veranda Drive SE, Rio Rancho Space rentals $20. For more info, call 505-544-2636
Sat 10 AM – 2 PM The 2nd & Coal Pop-up! Flyby Provisions, 201 Coal Ave SW We’re bringing the community together for a day of shopping, music, and delicious food! Get ready to explore an eclectic mix of handcrafted treasures from over 20 local vendors, showcasing their unique creations! From handmade jewelry to artisanal foods and everything in between, there’s something for everyone at our market
Sat 10 AM – 3 PM DLC Truck Parks Spring PopUp! 2520 Jefferson St. NE Come support our local vendors! Variety of fun foods and products!
Sat 10 AM – 4 PM Tracks, Tunes, & Taps: A Steam Locomotive 2926 Fundraiser Tractor Brewing - Wells Park, 1800 4th St. NW • Live Music by RJ Perez at noon! • One of the largest steam locomotives on the Planet! • See History Alive! See her run! Become a volunteer and work on our next project! Hear her whistle! All proceeds go toward the continued maintenance and future operations. NM Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society, in charge of the operation of the historic Santa Fe Railway steam locomotive 2926 have finished renovations on this beautiful train and they'll be bringing it to the tracks next to Tractor Wells Park! Come check out this amazing piece of history and get on board!
Sat 10 AM – 4 PM Art Show Fundraiser Unity Spiritual Center, 9800 Candelaria Rd. NE Come and see the vast array of art from our local artists. Find gifts, beautiful and functional objects, and art to adorn your spaces. This is our first art show at Unity and it promises to be a good one! Our Unity EarthCare Team is hosting this art fair. Funds raised are going toward xeriscaping our property and other earth friendly efforts to save water and support pollinators. Snacks, drinks, and live music on the lawn, weather permitting. Painters, Photographers, Sculptors, Potters, Mixed Media Artists, and more have been invited
Sat 10 AM – 4 PM ABQ International Festival San Pedro, between Kathryn and Anderson A day filled with fun and festivities, including live music, kids' play area, delicious food, and local vendors!
Sat 11 AM – 1 PM Fun and Games Fundraiser ABQ Speech Language and Hearing Center (ASLHC), 9500 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Ste 215 Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of games and activities, with delicious food provided by @ withlovewaffles. A huge thank you to Eagle Credit Union for their financial support!
Sat 11 AM - 4 PM May The Fourth Be With You Sale - Biggest Sale Yet! Don’s Paperback Book Exchange, 1013 San Mateo Blvd. SE Spring has sprung and that means it’s time to have an event, folks! Let’s do a sale - a really big sale! All books and DVDs 50% off - All comics 25% off - All kids get free books too! This sale will include green label comics, CGC comics, and dollar comics
Sat 11 AM – 5 PM Mother's Day Market ABQ Food Park,6951 San Antonio Dr. NE Get ahead of the game and celebrate Mother's Day in style! Before the big day arrives, join us for a delightful pre-celebration where you can grab something special for Mom, Grandma, or that extraordinary woman in your life. Dive into a world of local craftsmanship, delicious food, live music, and outdoor fun at our enchanting outdoor venue. *Browse through the diverse offerings of local artisans *Treat yourself to a mouthwatering delight from our food trucks *Enjoy live music performed by talented local musician Joseph Velasquez *Bring the family to enjoy the festivities with some outdoor games and activities
Sat 11 AM – 7 PM Turkish Festival Raindrop Foundation, 7901 Mountain Rd. NE Festival will feature exquisite samples of Turkish- Mediterranean Cuisine (Doner Gyro Kebab, Baklava, Turkish Coffee and more), cultural exhibits, folk dances, children's area, arts & crafts and more! You do not want to miss this family event that everyone will find something to enjoy! Admission is FREE and the event is open to the public
Sat 11 AM – 10 PM Star Wars Day Celebration Slice and Dice Pizzeria, 2225 Wyoming Blvd. NE From 1-2 pm, stormtroopers from NM's 501st Legion will be available for photos. Throughout the day, we will have teach-and-play for Star Wars miniatures games (Legion and Shatterpoint), as well as the hottest game in the galaxy: Star Wars: The Card Game. Come dressed in your favorite Star Wars fit or gear for a free churro!
Sat 12 PM Free Comic Book Day Age of Comics, 3700 Osuna Rd. NE, Ste 513 We are excited to announce Andy Kuhn and Mark Fenton will be signing in store!

Anyone else worry about selling objects in video games incase they are useful down the line? Me too. So here is a complete rundown of Dondoko Island items which tells you exactly what you should keep and more importantly what you can safely sell.
Look away now if you aren't interested in a few item spoilers
>!These ingredients are used in crafting souvenirs:
Potato - Dondoko Crisps, Dondoko Curry, Daikon - Dondoko Pickle, Dondoko Crisps Onion - Dondoko Pickle, Dondoko Curry Carrot - Dondoko Curry, Dondoko Seafood Salad Tomato - Dondoko Seafood Salad, Mukku Bento, Dondoko Pasta Dondoko Scuttler - Dondoko Seafood Salad, Mukku Bento, Heaven Stew, Dondoko Sardines Garlic - Dondoko Pasta, Dondoko Bowl, Gachapin Bento Dondoko Mushroom - Dondoko Pasta, Heaven Stew, Herbal Medicine Hot Pepper - Dondoko Bowl, Mukku Bento, Hell Stew Sirloin - Dondoko Bowl, Hell Stew Egg - Mukku Bento, Hell Stew Dondoko Nut - Gachapin Bento, Hell Stew, Heaven Stew Dondoko Herb - Gachapin Bento, Heaven Stew, Herbal Medicine Toxic Shroom - Heaven Stew, Hell Stew Dondoko Mollusc - Bikini Red and Green Dondobugs - Dondoko Sake Dondoko Stone - Lucky Turtle Dinosaur Fossil - Dino Talisman Yeti Fossil - Yeti Amulet!<
>! These ingredients are used in some DIY recipes:
Egg - anpan Dondoko Mollusc - Ramen Sea Bream - Ono Michio Cutout, Fishmonger Stall Dondoko Scuttler - Takeout Sushi Gold - Scattered Bills Sticker, Golden Armchair, Golden Majima, Kasuga and Kiryu Statues, Brilliant Figurine, Bondage Cat Statue, Jiro and Taro the Demon Statues, Traditional Japanese Building Dino Fossil - Golden Gachapin Statue Yeti Fossil - Golden Mukku Statue Dondoko Nut - Fruit Stand Tomato - Blood Splatter Floor Sticker, Veg Stand Carrot - Veg Stand Bluefin Tuna - Fishmonger Stall Pearl - Jacuzzi, Fountain, Fukupi Chan, Traditional Japanese Building Sapphire and Ruby - Chinatown Gate Diamond and platinum - Cabaret club !<
So these are the objects you can safely sell as you won't be needing them at all in the future of Dondoko Island:
Silver Clam and Gold Cockle Starfish, Silver Nova and Golden Supernova Coral, Silver Tiara and Golden Crown Solid Bronze Baby Bella, Solid Silver Shiitake, and Solid Gold Truffle Crawfish Sweetfish Scorpion Fish Tiger Prawns Aweoweo Jellyfish Skipjack Tuna Salmon Humuhumunukunukuapua'a Squid Octopus Ono Porcupine fish Axolotl Box Jellyfish Tiger Puffer Spider Crab Mahi Mahi Eel Barracuda Coelacanth Marlin Oarfish Golden Shark Red and Blue Butterfly Silver and Golden Butterfly Moth, Silver and Golden Lampchaser Gnat and Poison Gnat Grasshopper, Silver Hopper and Golden Hopper Dragonfly, Silver Zinger and Golden Zinger Rainbow Dondo Bug Big C Spider, Silver Spinner and Golden Spinner Scorpion, Silver Stinger and Golden Stinger Tsuchinoko Rhinoceros Beetle, Silver Greathorn and Golden Greathorn Stag Beetle, Silver Pincher and Golden Pincher Cicada, Silver Chirper and Golden Chirper Firefly Silver egg Golden egg
Having said that, since each guest has a request attached to something in your inventory it's best to keep at least 1 of everything from the Dokopedia in your inventory. Also, if you aren't desperate for money it's a good idea to hold onto things till you have level 5 on the item as the more you collect the more money they are worth.
Hope this helps
TLDR
You can safely sell:
Silver and Gold Eggs Silver Clam and Gold Cockle All insects except for Red and Green Dondobugs All Fish except for Dondoko Scuttler, Bluefin Tuna and Sea Bream The three Solid Metal Mushrooms All Coral and Starfish

I'll put a TL;DR at the bottom. Please read if you've got the time and some knowledge.
Back story - I'm not really religious. Agnostic maybe? Raised nothing then forced into Judeo based religion as a kid. My folks are now Catholic, but my mom was always very "earthy" and has always believed in herbal medicine, holistic remedies, etc. She believed in spiritual encounters with deceased people on burial grounds, etc. Then once she found Christianity, all those experiences shifted in her mind and anything encountered was God's work or demonic/devil stuff. I never paid much mind to either way, but I experienced what I considered hauntings as a kid, maybe some premonish dreams/ deja vu type things. Nothing for a long time, but then recently, related to a specific situation there has been some weird stuff that is making me think there is more to it, and worry about what to do. The female in my story here identifies as pagan I think. She isn't practicing anything seriously, but she says she is a witch. She smudges, carries crystals, believes in energy and auras and such. I have tried to be open and understand some of what she believes. I don't know that I believe it all, but I can't say I know enough either way to make a definitive decision on how I feel.
I am staying with a woman and her kids on and off. We aren't in a relationship, we are friends, but much closer than normal. I support her financially about 75%, help her take care of her special needs kids, have tried to help her get her life on track. I am pursuing her, but she isn't there yet. But I still stay at her place about 90% of the time lately. To help with the kids and make her feel safe from some trauma stuff that isn't mine to talk about. She has had other friends stay with her over the last year as well. All ended poorly because they were bad people. One of them in particular is the concern. His name was "Fred" for sake of the story. He stayed with her under the guise of needing help because his utilities got shut off and he couldn't pay. In that time, he weasled his way in, got close to her, the kids and he had feelings for her that weren't reciprocated. Not all different from my situation with her, but he got sour about her shutting him down. She felt like he had some very creepy bad energy about him. She thinks that when he left, he may have left something behind. He often told her how he didn't like me around or anyone else. He was controlling and attempted to isolate her. When they parted ways it wasn't the nicest of goodbyes.
We often hear things in the apartment shift/move on their own. She has had some terrible night terrors with things grabbing her. I have experienced audible abnormalities.
Creepy stuff is whatever, but I was informed of something today that has me irked. As I said, I am pursuing her, so I am flirty. I made a joke and she took it as a sexual pass even though it wasn't. I am feeling down today, and she responded with "Oh yeah? You want me to fuck the sad out of you?" and I was kinda taken aback. She then told me that is what I said to her the other morning when she told me she was sad. I was sleeping on the couch, had sat up and put my shirt on when she told me she was sad and apparently I told her "I could fuck the sad out of you." - this type of statement is NOT something I would ever say. Especially to her as I know she has trauma related to sexual aggression. I may be stupid and make some dirty comments here and there, but I would NEVER be that crude, ever. She swears that I did though. I have a fairly good memory, but I have zero recollection of that statement at all. I know in my heart there is no chance I would have ever said that. I don't sleep talk/walk. I don't drink or do drugs. So there is no excuse. Unless it wasn't actually me that said it....like possession/control type stuff.
This morning, sitting at the table her son who is autistic - level 3 so considered severe, randomly tells her as I went out to my truck that "Fred said he will be back, don't worry. I saw his car" Fred isn't the only Fred in the picture. So she asked if it was grandpa Fred, or Fred who is their brother's dad. He responded very clearly, "No, the other one" So his mom asked him what the car looks like. The kid loves cars, and he says "The black one." Fred gpa drives a white minivan and fred bros dad drives a blue truck. Bad Fred drives a black Kia stinger. He was last around the place a bit before Thanksgiving. So 4+ months have gone by. She blocked him on social media, phone, etc so no contact anywhere. Her initial thought was holy shit is he stalking the kids, but they are only with me, with her, with their father who has no connection to Fred at all and at their school which is for special needs kids so one on one teacher to student and controlled access. So not like they could be seen on a playground through a fence or whatever. They've got ipads, but have no idea how to use phone/text/social media functions.
I have been sort of "sick" since i've been staying with her consistently. Like something bad in the air. But the kids aren't sick. She is also experiencing the same general congestion and thick feeling. Both been to the doctor. Both told nothing is wrong.
I could be losing my shit, or looking for something that isn't there. But part of me feels like bad Fred, or maybe even someone/something else is sticking their hands into things here. To hurt her maybe, to keep me away maybe, to keep us apart possibly. There's also a baby's grandma in the picture that has one of her kid's and hates me because I'm supporting her and making it feasible for her to get her baby back and provide a safe home. She has told me that baby's grandma has done some witchy stuff before about her ex and relationships and stuff. Said something about a green witch. Forgive me for my lack of knowledge. I don't know if one of them could be doing something. I'm not necessarily a believer or a non believer. But I'm smart enough to know that I don't know everything and shouldn't pretend like there aren't things out there that are beyond my comprehension currently that are in fact very real.
Please give me any advice, guidance, info, etc. If you think I'm just losing it, feel free to tell me that too I guess, not that it would help.
TL;DR - I think something/someone may be doing some voodoo/santeria/witchy stuff to manipulate me and someone I care about. I want to know more and how to stop it.

Hello, IMAM! This is Part 1 of my Ajevie haul, whose arrival I detailed here. This is primarily concerned with the Possets Halloween Retour – and within that, aniseed / licorice scent comparisons; although there are two Pulp fragrances among these. This particularly shipment contained fragrances that I have wanted to try for a very long time, so I went into this particular haul with… a lot of hype.
It’s important to note that the house Possets used to, well, kind of intimidate me. The descriptions seemed to have been written by an art historian (may she rest in peace) who knew what was cool in each era. Despite most of my friend group back in college being people who would’ve answered a decisive “no” if you asked them whether they were hipsters (early 2010s, if you know you know), I didn’t think I was cool enough for these. But one day during a sale, I decided to purchase from their general catalog, and… I couldn’t believe it. Several fragrances actually went well with my skin chemistry! And one of them became one of my favorite everyday perfumes (“Dance with Me” – I’ll talk about this one later).
Alas, only the general catalog has Possets-issued samples; but I still looked at all the retours. And in the Halloween Retour I saw the largest collection of aniseed- and licorice-based fragrances of any single house. It’s one of my favorite notes, and I’ll need to find a replacement (or tag team partner) for my beloved, discontinued Solstice Scents “Black Mallow” (bold notes of anise and licorice root, a touch of sweet fennel, fluffy marshmallow and vanilla); so I was eager to try all of them. (The only scent missing, from my memory, is “Silver Licorice” – which is part of the Yule Retour.) A large component of these reviews will be comparing and contrasting the licorice fragrances.
It’s important to note that, while I initially chose the fragrances based on notes, I make a point of not double-checking when I test, going in as blindly as possible. Now, on to the reviews!
Possets
“The Mistress of Trembling” – Licorice, anise, the kiss of black oude – things of the darkness which evoke an idea of fear unto death. Surely the wandering soul must have felt great anxiety at the coming trial, that is the inspiration for The Mistress of Trembling. One of the guardians of the Thickly musky with an indefinable kick like a kick in the darkness. Really forward and not shy at all.
This was the first sample I took out of the (tightly packed) bag, so it made sense to be the first fragrance I would try, on the second evening after its arrival. I remembered this one as being one of the Egypt-themed fragrances with an advertised oud note (which I also like). When I first opened for a sniff test, I was surprised at how medicinal it smelled – and a little wary. I couldn’t figure out if that was aniseed, oud, or something else bringing about that effect.
When I tested on skin, I only put a small amount on. However, it was enough to create a rich aura, so this stuff projects, just so you know! And what stood out to me the most was… black pepper? Black pepper and a hint of Vicks Vapor Rub. It made me think of a witch purifying an area for someone who hates sage. (So… me, lol.) Looking at the trademark Possets diffuse description, “thickly musky,” “indefinable kick,” and “not shy at all” are accurate as hell!
I returned to this one a few days later to test a second time, because I couldn’t make heads or tails of it the first. In the end, while I love the oud in “Zombie,” the oud here is too medicinal for me. Even though I’ve never been in a mortuary, TMoT reminds me of embalming fluid. Maybe they were really going for the mummification process here?
Rating: 3/5 – sophisticated, but not me
“Chagrin” – Never was the green fairy so appetizing as when she flits about in all her Veridian glory backed up by a hard dark and sweet liquor, and a jolt of rare sweet black musk. This is a strong Absinthe, and it should keep its licorice character long after you are exhausted and have fallen into bed.
One of my favorite layering duos, particularly in the cold, is Solstice Scents “Black Mallow” and Arcana Wildcraft “Absinthe,” which is the most powerful absinthe perfume I’ve encountered yet. The combination is absolutely delicious, especially if you’re a fan of this scent family (cold sweetness and bracing herbs). “Chagrin” promised to combine both accords into one perfume, so why not try it?
I made an admittedly risky decision to test this before going to work (absinthe is, after all, alcohol); but blessedly, this didn’t backfire. That’s because it barely stuck around on my skin. Whatever absinthe and licorice were melding together, were so quiet about it that I barely smelled when I first tested and didn’t catch a single whiff throughout the day. Perhaps my skin just ate it up? Whatever the case, it’s still the layering duo for me.
Rating: 1/5 – yeah, chagrin is definitely one of the emotions I’m feeling right now…
“Black Annis” – Named after a dreadful crone who took small children for her favorite fare. She could have been the model for the famous witch in Hansel and Gretel! This blend is for licorice lovers only because what else would you expect to find in a perfume named Black Annis? At Possets we have really given this Halloween treat the gun! Star Anise, black anise, fennel, absinthe, smoked licorice, and sweet black dry licorice. So dark and saturated that you will fall into a raging fit! Actually, it is beautiful stuff, the sort of candy fragrance that a true gourmand (who is sophisticated) would love. Use it alone or boost another perfume with it.
For some reason, the Ajevie label on this says “Black Anise,” retaining the actual spice / herb name rather than the medieval English personal name of Annis (a variant of Agnes possibly inspired by the herb). That honestly kind of takes away from the perfume, imo, because “Black Annis” is a monster in Scottish folklore. Not sure why there’s a spelling change, but anyway…
My first whiff out of the vial was faint, but a bit medicinal. I didn’t consider this promising, but went ahead and tested one night. And I can say, definitively, that this is about as pure an anise / licorice fragrance as you can get. It’s almost a solinote, though it fades to an absinthe skin scent.
I’m somewhat amused, looking back on the description, that the notes are reportedly so similar to “Chagrin” (minus the musk). Despite the fact that “Chagrin” contained musk (which usually elongates the life of a perfume, in my experience), this one lasts longer! Though it still isn’t very loud – but it appears that’s Possets’ intention, as the end of the description even puts forward the idea of using this for layering purposes.
Rating: 3.5/5 – for licorice lovers in Mad Men professional settings
“The Dead Garden” – Summer is over and the overabundant tomatoes have started to sit in suspended animation. A walk in the garden’s detritus is a confirmation that the heat is over and the sky has turned to a watery blue. The melons and herbs are edged with frost in the mornings. Uncharacteristically sober, there is a certain sere sweetness to seeing the jolly fruits of summer with frost playing around their edges. Tomatoes that were basking in the intense sun just weeks ago are covered with frost crystals, melons are half eaten by the deer but devoid of ants, the stems and leaves are browning yellow with just a tinge of green where robust green was. There is a beautiful smell when all these dying abundances are fading, and that is what The Dead Garden commemorates. Fruity, herbal.
Amongst all the licorice-oriented fragrances I bought in my Possets order were a couple “palate cleansers” that had nothing to do with licorice or anise / aniseed. So, on what looked like it would be our warmest autumn day (before the cold really set in), I tried “The Dead Garden.” I enjoyed the idea of a tomato- or vegetable-oriented (or even atypical fruit) perfume for the transition between harvest time and yuletide.
And I am shook. Shook, I tell you! Shook, shocked, flabbers have been gasted… that TDG is so dang good. Like, it’s better than it has a right to be.
First, out of the vial was a delicious melon scent. At first I thought cantaloupe, then honeydew; and then I wondered if it was actually closer to musk melon (a.k.a. Midori)! It was a very pleasant aroma, overripe in an unusually welcome way. On skin, the sweetness died down and there was an agreeable minty, herbal (fennel?) undercurrent that supported the fruits. Despite the name, nothing was “dead” here – not in an unattractive way, at least. It’s fruitier and less vegetal than what I’d anticipated, by I am by no means complaining. I imagine wearing this both between fall and winter, and between winter and spring. It’s not super long-lasting (maybe 5 hours), but I can’t complain because I wouldn’t want this profile to be altered in any way. This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite perfumes.
Rating: 55555/5 – not much of a gardener, but I’d love to hang out here
“Nessun Dorma (Puccini)” – ‘None Shall Sleep’ is a famous aria from “Tourandot.” It tells the story that everyone must be awake all night long so that the princess can determine the name of a mysterious stranger. How sweet that sacrifice, for the stranger declares his name is “Love” ultimately. Nessun Dorma is caramel cooked to a sugary stage and wrapped around a core of old fashioned night-black licorice (the kind which lights up your mouth). An intriguing combination and a must for any licorice lovers among you. This is a totally mellowed out licorice, toothsome but retaining the personality of the black confection.
A while back, I asked on IMAM whether anyone knew a good replacement for Solstice Scents “Black Mallow,” specifically among Possets’ many licorice offerings. I’d been leaning toward either “Black Annis” or “Bat in Your Hair,” though “The Mistress of Trembling” also intrigued me to no end. There weren’t many replies—likely because a lot of people haven’t actually tried all of these fragrances—and some recommended fragrances like Andromeda’s Curse “Liebchen” or Alkemia “Trick or Treat” (I actually didn’t get licorice from either of those). But I do remember one decisive comment telling me, essentially (paraphrasing), “You’re looking for ‘Nessun Dorma.’ That’s the one you want.”
I remember feeling suspicious, initially, only because caramel had been highlighted in that fragrance’s description, and I thought caramel was too… warmly sweet for what I wanted, if that makes sense. However, after testing ND I can say, definitively, that the commenter was 100% correct.
Caramel in the ND blend takes place of marshmallow in BM (unfortunate initials), and the notes function in largely the same way. Caramel becomes a cushy, if slightly gooey, bed for the licorice to rest on after a day of showering everyone in cold root sugar. Does that make sense? The caramel might even be a really rich bourbon on the rocks at the end of the night.
Rating: 5/5 – The one that I want / You are the one I want / Oo-oo-oo honey!
“Jurogumo” – A powerful vanilla musk the likes of the one used in “Dance with Me” (VERY seductive yet subtle and cloud-like), and rich cardamom, and finally the nectar of peaches squeezed in the summer sun and concentrated to make a sugary peach liquor. This perfume is named for the Japanese spider demons who appear to hapless men as beautiful women who serve them and play irresistible music for them. They lure their victims to sleeping in their laps and them wrap them in silk and feed on them as they are helpless even to scream, being paralyzed by the venom of the spider devil, they can feel but not cry out. The choice of the white and gauzy vanilla to reminds one of spider’s silk and how appealing it is when a light shines through it and it casts a soft glow by diffusing light. The cardamom is an illusion of the hospitality the spiderwoman shows men, and peach to imagine what dainties she would prepare for the men she was going to feed upon. Dangerous and sexy.
When I got to this one, I genuinely forgot everything about it. I knew it wasn’t one of the licorice fragrances, but couldn’t remember anything else. So this testing was very, very blind.
Sniffing out of the vial, this was sweet. Very sweet. Like, icing sweet. Icing is normally a death note for me, so I almost didn’t test at all – but I told myself to quit being a baby and power on through. And after testing on skin… yeah, cream cheese icing. It’s not so loud that I feel like I slathered myself in the stuff, but there’s an aura. An aura of carrot cake, almost. With icing being the most prominent note. I don’t like it.
So when I went back to the notes, I was floored. For one thing, “Dance with Me” is one of my favorites, and I don’t read it as being incredibly sweet at all. Moreover, those official notes don’t specify vanilla at all (a superb coumarin-laced subtle lavender combines with fizzy pink grapefruit, and it all rests on a bed of white musk)! That one, indeed, reads very tonka bean-like, a feminine-leaning fougère.
I don’t get cardamom (unless that’s what comes across now as carrot). I don’t get “gauzy” vanilla (it’s quite goopy). And I certainly don’t get peaches, which, looking back, I’m sure is the reason I bought this in the first place. And again, DwM does not specify vanilla at all, but coumarin.
Rating: 1/5 – I am so confused.
“Bat in Your Hair” – Bat In Your Hair! – Eeeek! High keyed and panicky, “Bat in Your Hair” is a delightfully amusing Halloween blending of: wacky orange, black licorice, and some scratchy and batty ingredients which will have you snorting with glee, just like seeing a bat rocketing into the hairdo of one of your more annoying acquaintances. Haw haw haw, a Halloween classic. Foody, gourmand.
I opened this vial and started laughing. I put this on and laughed some more. And every time I caught a whiff of this, a smile formed on my face.
That’s because this smells like Halloween. Not pumpkin spice lattes or bonfires at dusk, no – it smells like a Trick-or-Treat haul! This smells like licorice squares and circles in confectioner’s sugar, and Tootsie Rolls, and Snickers Bars, and maybe a whiff of York Peppermint Patties, and… yeah, Halloween. This was what I’d wanted from Alkemia “Trick-or-Treat,” which I still see recommended to licorice lovers all the time (I only got smoke and fresh orange peels from that one).
I don’t know if I’ll repurchase this, if only because it isn’t very long-lasting (gone in four hours), but I don’t mind reapplying the sample I do have.
Rating: 4/5 – Boys and girls of every age / Wouldn’t you like to see something strange?
“Choc-O-Lantern” – Pumpkin and chocolate what a heavenly combination. This one is extra special because you can smell the outdoors still clinging to the orange skin of a pumpkin. Another Possets chocolate goodie.
My last Possets sample was “the chocolate one,” as I remembered it. And on that front, it delivered! It was definitely chocolate-y, almost fudge-like at times. However, the chocolate note it settled into was ultimately very similar to the chocolate in Fyrinnae “Chocolatine.” Not to sweet, definitely “dark” more than “milk” chocolate, but… yeah, it was there.
Then I thought about the name and was like, “Shouldn’t there be pumpkin in here?” And only then did I detect the faintest whiff of pumpkin—when I went looking for it.
On its own, this isn’t a bad fragrance; but if you wanted the pumpkin to be louder, you will be disappointed.
Rating: 3/5 – pumpkin frustration
Pulp
“Ignis” – raspberries, fresh ginger, smoky aloeswood, pale blond tobacco leaves & fiery red musk
I tried this one in the middle of the Possets fragrances to break things up a bit, and remembered it as mainly a collection of some of my favorite notes – raspberry and ginger sticking out in my memory. After enjoying all the Pulp fragrances I’d tried before now (especially the completely off-the-wall and utterly genius “Hall of Mirrors”), I didn’t see why I wouldn’t enjoy “Ignis.”
Sadly, I was very, very wrong. I started thinking I could be wrong when I opened the vial and smelled Jolly Ranchers. Trying it on skin, the candied aspect of the raspberry note didn’t go away. (It reminded me of CocoaPink’s solinote “Raspberry,” which was also pretty much just hard candy, not the actual fruit.)
The ginger in this is also not ginger I’m used to. There was neither freshness nor sweetness – it was, in fact, quite fiery. Like someone ground peppers into a fine powder. And then lit it all on fire, because then the smoke came in and took away just about everything else. It wasn’t even a bonfire, necessarily. It was like candles. A whole lot of candles. Like burning beeswax (and I’m not fond of beeswax as a note). I know what “Ignis” refers to, as a word, but I could’ve spent some more time with ginger and actual raspberry fruits before everything burned down. If I hadn’t been about to take a shower anyway, I would’ve scrubbed. This one was a massive disappointment.
Rating: 0/5 – burning Yankee Candle store
“When What to My Wandering Eyes” – peppermint candy stick swirled into a rich dark chocolate mocha, jazzed up with a festive splash of Irish cream
For my final fragrance to test, I saved “the mint one.” For the record, I am a huge fan of nearly all things minty. (Exception: when my lovely cousin made a cake for my 10th or 11th birthday called “the mint meltaway cake” as an experiment. The icing tasted like toothpaste.) This 100% extends into fragrances: I have worn Arcana Craves “Candy Cane” by itself on numerous occasions and been happy every time. So when I came across a “peppermint mocha” (as I remembered it) from a house that intrigued me, of course I was going to try it.
And of course, I was greeted with the lovely aroma of peppermint, chocolate, and what I thought was coffee (so, mocha); but as it settled on my skin I thought, “Wait, that’s not coffee… is that Bailey’s? Yep, that’s Bailey’s.” And then I realized: Bailey’s, peppermint schnapps, crème de cacao… oh my gosh, is this a Girl Scout Cookie?!
In this context, I’m not referring to specifically the Thin Mint™, but rather the derivative of the Grasshopper cocktail (which is crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and – after looking it up – heavy cream) called the “Girl Scout Cookie,” which swaps the crème de menthe for peppermint schnapps (and thus isn’t as… green). Turns out neither variant actually involved Bailey’s, but Bailey’s is in the Irish Stinger (with crème de menthe). A Girl Scout Cookie with Bailey’s instead of heavy cream (or ice cream) would probably be super alcoholic, and very dangerous at Christmastime.
This perfume, on the other hand, is delicious – especially if you love all the involved flavors. I’ve had Irish cream as a note get too sweet for me (in an Astrid concoction), but everything works perfectly here. This is, again, delicious.
Rating: 55555/5 – “There’s over $10,000 here. That’s a lot of Girl Scout cookies.”
__________
Aaaaaaannnd that’s a wrap! For this haul, anyway. Here are my final rankings:

1. “The Dead Garden” & “When What to My Wandering Eyes” (they could not be more different from each other, and I can’t decide between them)
2. “Nessun Dorma (Puccini)”
3. “Bat in Your Hair”
4. “Black Annis”
5. “Choc-O-Lantern”
6. “Mistress of Trembling”
7. “Chagrin”
8. “Jurogumo”
9. “Ignis” (the only scrubber)

I’m quite surprised that the two Pulp fragrances involved in this particular haul are on complete opposite ends of the list. In fact, I’m shocked at how much “Ignis” did not work on me at all, despite having notes I love; but hopefully I can get a nice home for that one. Meanwhile, I’m very grateful that I’ve found a “Black Mallow” replacement in “Nessun Dorma,” so I must thank that very kind Redditor, wherever they are, for pointing me in the direction of that particular perfume.
You will see me reviewing another haul soon enough. Not only for the Pulp fragrances yet to be delivered courtesy of Ajevie – and not my massive CocoaPink order, which I’m not expecting until January, to be honest – but because I caved and used a Black Friday discount for Nui Cobalt yesterday. Because I always cave for Nui Cobalt. C’est la vie.

Back in June, my dad spotted the ad on the post office bulletin board. It said: STRONG LAD NEEDED TO HELP OLD LADY. NO WEAKLINGS.
He punched the number into his phone and boasted about his seventeen-year-old son (me) who the school rugby coach called a ‘physical specimen’. He just left out the part about how I’d joined the Gaming & Anime Society instead of training with the squad…
“What if she thinks I’m not fit enough?” I asked him on the drive out to the marina.
“Just tell her you wrecked your ankle throwing a tackle and put on a bita bulk.”
“What if she asks a question about rugby? I don’t even know the rules.”
“She’s not gonna fucking ask.”
“But she’s a weirdo, everybody says. Even you! You told me half the town’s decorators act like that place is radioactive.”
“I couldn’t give two shits Wade, you’re not sitting on your arse all summer. If you wanted to be picky about jobs, you shoulda thought of that before you quit that cinema in the middle of your first fucking shift.”
“But they wrote me up for eating popcorn that was gonna be thrown out anyway, it was total bullshit.”
“And the petrol station?”
“That was different. Those supervisors were just dicks.”
His fingers wrapped around the steering wheel in a death grip, which I took as a sign to drop the subject.
My destination, a rocky isle named Whiteabbey, sat just off the coast of our hometown. Nobody at school knew much about the hermit who lived there except her cottage had electricity, because on clear nights you could see a tiny spec of light from the beach. Years ago, a girl in my class, Gillian, swore she saw the old lady in the pharmacy check-out line, threatening to put a hex on the nervous cashier for staring at her glass eye.
The entire school agreed Gilly was full of shit.
I followed Dad along the marina, over to a lune bobbing at the end of the last dock. From there, he watched until I’d sailed past the bay—probably because he thought I’d come straight back if he didn’t. Twenty-five minutes later, I marooned the boat on a pebble beach.
As I soaked in the landscape, my stomach felt uneasier than it did at sea. Like that feeling you get when you’re being watched.
The remote island was so large it’d take a half-day to walk around the coast, longer if you had nothing better to do than explore the hill maze in the centre. Past the shore, a grey, crooked cottage stood at the edge of a wild forest.
I zig-zagged through a minefield of used tissues coated with snot toward a rotten front door, the paint of which had flaked off in sheets.
Inches away from the cockroach-infested letterbox, my hand hesitated. Even back then, Dad called me a crybaby because I needed help getting spiders out of my room; what if more creepy crawlies were throwing a mini-rave inside? Maybe if I applied for a job at PC World on the way home, he’d spare me another lecture about ‘responsibility’…
Before I could sidestep the tissues again in reverse, bolts clanked and the door slowly shivered open.
“Hello?” I called into a dusty hall.
“Well don’t just stand there,” a rough voice yelled back.
Damnit. If I turned back now, it would cost me internet privileges for an entire month.
Five steps into the landing, the door crashed shut behind me.
“I’m not getting any younger,” the voice called, agitated now.
I hurried across a filthy carpet coated with shiny slug trails. The stale air reeked of cigarettes, which probably helped mask an even worse stink judging by all the black mould creeping out of the skirting boards.
Inside a kitchen with a warped floor, an ancient lady in a pink nightie sat behind a table, smoking away. Her gaunt appearance made me picture a dried raisin.
“You must be Wade,” she said, then entered a harsh, chainsaw coughing fit.
“That’s right.”
“Sandra.” Her cloudy eyes—neither of which were glass—travelled up and down my torso as she stubbed out her ciggy in a ceramic ashtray on the table. “I thought your dad said you played rugby?”
“Uhh, yeah.” I slumped down, pushed out my belly. “I busted my ankle so I’ve put on a bit of bulk. If you need someone fitter I can go.”
The old lady stood with great difficulty and then jabbed a sharp, yellow fingernail into my midsection. She tutted now and then while I tried not to stare at the bluebottle flies roosted in her hair. “You squeamish? How are you with blood?” she asked.
“Not great.”
“Hmm. Well, suppose you’ll have to do. Grab the straps from that hamper and follow me.” She turned away, flicking her bony wrist in the air.
“What hamp—”
Click. A battered trunk sat in the corner, the top half flipped open. Inside I found straps threaded with loops and buckles. I grabbed them and followed Sandra into a messy room choked with clutter and antique furniture. Glass jars lined three of the four walls, some filled with pickled, floating things, others stationary butterflies and noisy crickets.
“Alright, I need you to lug all this junk out back. There’s a stump with a machete sticking out of it, drop it all off there, get it chopped up, and then we’ll have a bonfire.”
“You want me to burn it?”
“You’re as sharp as a golf ball, Wade.”
My eyes scanned the textbooks and piles of newspapers held together by string. “Don’t you need it?”
As if on cue, Sandra vomited a fat oyster into a scrunched-up tissue, which she presented to me. “See this?” There were red speckles throughout the sticky mess. “Father time’s in the rearview mirror, and I’m running on fumes. No point hauling this crap to the mainland.”
“Ahh, you’re moving then?”
“…Something like that. Now come on, chop chop.”
Sandra wanted everything destroyed: embroidered chairs, carved tables, musty rugs. If it wasn't bolted down, it got carted outside in a field overrun with weeds, surrounded by a scattering of trees. Without those lifting straps, I never would have managed to shift the heavy wardrobe—which housed a colony of woodlice—by myself.
As I hauled that junk puffing and panting all the way, Sandra’s voice travelled around the ground floor muttering to the bugs housed in those jars, which she released outside. Weird.
After I set the final wicker chair down, already exhausted, my hands dropped onto my knees. Sandra limped out through the back door and pointed at the machete embedded in a nearby stump. “Good. Now cut this stuff up and get a fire going.”
My first attempt barely grazed the top of a bookcase, but after some ‘corrections’ from Sandra—keep the blade straight, bring it down in an arc—the blade sliced through in a single stroke.
“Good. Keep that up, and come inside once you’re done.”
One hour later, with the furniture piled into a bonfire, my shoulder muscles went wild with spasms. A final, especially stubborn side table refused to break apart, no matter how hard I tried.
On the hundredth attempt, a nasty jolt of pain shot along my spine. Furious, I tossed the machete aside and hurled the table as far as I could. It soared through the air and disappeared into the shoulder-high weeds.
I took a minute to compose myself before going to retrieve it. I went back and forth, combing the grass with my foot, finding nothing except beetles and rocks. I looked at the woodland. No way my throw got that kind of distance.
Just in case, however, I pushed low branches aside, stepping over the arcs of exposed tree roots.
Up ahead, there was a sudden, scuttling movement. I only caught a glimpse from the corner of my eye, but enough to send goosebumps marching up my arms. A moment later a fern got set rustling, and I hurried back to the bonfire, where I wiped the sweat from my forehead, feeling stupid for getting spooked. The sidedesk was still lost amongst the weeds, but like Sandra was ever gonna find it. I got the fire going as quickly as I could and then found her in the kitchen, where she sat wheezing like an asthmatic child.
“All done?” she asked, between rasps.
“Aye. All done.”
She gave me a serious side-eye before saying, “In that case have a seat. I’ll make tea.”
“That’s okay.”
“Have a seat.” The edge in her voice squeezed me into submission.
Sandra moved around the room supported by the counters. With a lot of trouble, she poured me a cup of what looked like the toilet bowls in the school changing room, where flushing was practically illegal. “Here, it’s herbal. Good for the sinuses.”
I gulped the whole thing down out of politeness.
“You in school then?” she asked, groaning as she eased herself onto the seat facing mine.
“Yep. Just finished lower-sixth year. Hopefully my results are good, then I’ll go back and do my A levels in September.”
“Good, good. How you feeling? Lugging my stuff about, the chopping. You knackered?”
“Nope.”
She studied my face, her pale eyes narrowing, and then snapped her fingers. “Drop the crap. If you’re gonna work for me, I need honesty.”
Almost against my own will, I said, “I can’t remember the last time I was this wrecked.”
She grabbed an envelope from inside her nightie. It fell onto the table with a hefty thud. “That’s your take home for the day. There’s just one more thing I need help with then you’re done.”
She pushed herself up, letting out an unintentional groan. “Grab those lifting straps. I step into the front part like a onesie, then the buckle goes ‘round my waist."
“Wait, what?”
“You deaf?”
“No.”
“Slow then?”
“No…it’s just…you mean I need to carry you?”
Crap. Did she put out that ad hoping to find a BDSM sex slave? In my mind’s eye, Dad’s stern voice came barrelling along. I don’t care if she asks you to apply her bunion cream with your tongue, you’re not sitting on your arse all summer.
“What’s the hold up?” she asked.
“…Is this a…sex thing?”
Liquid laughter burst from her thin lips. “Don’t flatter yourself. After all this excitement, I need to go lie down, and those steps are torture on these knees on a good day.”
The buckles fastened around my arms and legs, and then Sandra attached to my back like a parachute.
Because my passenger’s fragile joints creaked and moaned worse than a haunted house in the middle of a lightning storm, I took great care climbing the stairs, terrified one wrong foot might have shattered her into a million different pieces. Boney ribs jabbed painfully into my spine every step of the way.
“Alright,” she said, dismounting beside a bed with a worn-out headboard. “I’ll probably need your help for the next two or three days. Come back tomorrow, same time. And wear a pair of hiking boots.”
I didn’t have any boots, but judging by the envelope she’d given me more than enough for a new pair. I said goodbye and closed the door on my way out.
Back at the lune, I counted my earnings. £300. Not bad. What a weird lady, though.
The entire journey home, every time a fish jumped out of the water, it set my nerves on high alert. That creepy island made me more anxious than I realized.
At the marina, I called Dad, who said, “£300? I don’t care if she asked you to carry her naked, you’re going back. You know what I got paid for my first days work? £3.54. And I came home stinking of—”
“—plucked feathers and chicken guts, I know.”
One dull lecture later, I made my way to the high street to buy boots and a copy of Diablo 4. That night I collapsed in bed, facedown.
The next morning, thick storm clouds hovered over Whiteabbey, so I wore a raincoat and brought a backpack filled with snacks.
Greeting me at the door, Sandra jabbed a sharp fingernail at the hills that dominated the centre of the island. “Take a look out West. See that basalt cliff? Open your eyes, fuck sake—it’s a giant rock hill. Shaped like Napoleon’s nose. Don’t tell me you’re blind as well as deaf?”
“I see it,” I said.
“Good. I need you to do a very important job for me.”
As she grabbed a jar from behind the door and stuffed it into my hands, something sour crept up my throat. It looked like she’d collected her own blood in there for weeks on end, and I’m pretty sure those were toenail clippings floating around the thick, hearty broth.
“Take this up to the cliff. Just below it you’ll find a cave. There’s a stone altar inside. Empty the jar on top of it.”
“…Can I ask why?”
“No,” was the response. “Now listen carefully, I’ve got eyes all over this island. All over. You do exactly what I said and how I said it. If you don’t, we’re gonna have a problem. A serious one. Understand?”
“Yeah.”
“Where did I ask you to go?”
“The cave. Near the cliff.”
“And what are you gonna do?”
“Pour this over the…altar thingy.”
“Alright. Get a move on then.”
I marched outside and started along the trail, feet crunching through gravel which gave way to squelching mud and a carpet of needles as the valley carried me up into the heart of the island. Above the canopy, Sandra’s house disappeared and then reappeared from view.
Up there, the sense of unease got way worse—like I wasn’t alone.
Still raw and stiff from the previous day's workout, my shoulders cried out for relief the entire time. Questions kept cycling through my mind, like what’s the significance of the jar? Why such a specific spot?
If you’d asked around town, you’d have heard a million different wild stories about Sandra; she was a witch doctor, a Buddhist, a former hippie hiding from authorities because her ex-husband disappeared.
From the way she talked with those bugs, though, I reckoned she was just a senile old-timer with nobody to care for her in her winter years.
An hour or so into my trek, thunder roared, and then rain came down sideways, hard and heavy. Sheltered beneath the ceiling of trees, I leaned against a rough trunk eating some Wotsits I’d packed. A cloud of midges circled my skull the entire time.
By my guesstimate, reaching the cave would take another two hours. Two hours, with my clothes heavy and stiff with water. And those bastard bugs nibbling at me if I didn’t swat them away every ten seconds.
Why’d the jar need to go up to the cave anyway? What difference did it make where I emptied the damn thing?
Holding the container as far from myself as possible, I unscrewed the lid and tipped it upside down until the crimson sludge oozed out.
As the moist dirt lapped it up, there was a steady rumble, low at first, but gradually growing louder. Almost like a drumbeat. Beneath my feet, the earth began to wobble, and my arms windmilled for balance, and that sense of unease you couldn’t escape on the island swelled. It felt like standing on the back of a great beast.
The second Whiteabbey went back to sleep, something caressed the back of my neck, gently. I whipped around, my skin shivering.
Out in the forest, leaves stirred and branches got forced aside. There was a scurry of movement, which made me picture giant tarantulas dropping onto my head from above.
Whatever kept moving out there, there were lots of them—maybe even hundreds. Each bigger than my closed fist, scattering in every direction. I stood there, breath rasping in my chest, eyes darting all about, even the rain seeming to freeze with me, until wood splintered. This broke my paralysis.
I took off at top speed, sliding along the wet earth, only slowing down when gravel crunched underfoot.
Closer to Sandra’s house, no longer surrounded by a million different hiding places, the encounter hardly seemed so scary. I was just stressed. And overworked. And creeped out by bugs.
So that I didn’t get back suspiciously early, I took a long breather, chuckling at myself.
Afterwards, at Sandra’s place, I shook my coat dry, dropped my pack by the entrance, and set the empty jar on the table in the kitchen. “Mission accomplished.”
“You went all the way up there?” Sandra asked from her chair.
“Yup.”
“Right in the cave?”
“Right in.”
Her left eyebrow raised. “Were there any problems?”
“None.”
We stared each other down for a moment in awkward silence while she searched my expression for any signs of guilt.
“Can’t have been easy carrying all that extra flab up there,” she said finally. “Have a seat, I’ll make tea.”
I let the remark slide. I just wanted paid.
Sandra struggled to stay upright as she poured out another cup of tea, refusing my offers to help. She slammed the cup on the table and grimaced as she eased herself into the chair facing mine.
“So…where are you moving to?” I asked, hoping this might ease the tension.
She lit a cigarette, took a drag.
“You know my aunt moved into that Redburn nursing home. She was nervous at first, but now we can’t get her out of the place. Says it’s like a hotel.”
More silence.
“Still, I bet you’ll miss the peaceful nights out here, huh?”
Her mouth remained a grim, straight line. Crap. She knew.
Quickly I drained the piping-hot tea. “That was delicious. Thanks for—”
“You ever hear of a sky burial Wade?” Sandra stubbed her cigarette out in the ashtray.
“…No.”
"There you go, that's your homework for tonight. Do teachers still give homework?"
“Sometimes.”
She fished another envelope from her inside pocket and dropped it on the table. This one looked even thicker than the last.
“Is that mine?”
She gave a faint nod.
A tightness in my chest eased. Why pay me if she thought I’d cheated her? “Anything else you need me to do today?”
She shook her head.
“Awesome.”
Before I could grab the envelope, Sandra’s dry, arthritic claw clamped around my wrist in a flash.
I tried reeling away, but it was like being trapped in the pincers of a vice grip. “Is…is everything okay?”
As she squeezed, pressure built up in my hand until the fingertips throbbed like a heartbeat, the forearm starting to swell.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Her thin lips twitched over in a cruel grin. “Like lie to a helpless old lady so you can swindle her money?”
Oh fuck. “Sandra, about that. I just—"
As sharp fingernails bit into my flesh, I sprang up so fast my chair toppled backwards and the table flipped over, vomiting its contents across the floor. I wrenched my arm away and threw myself backward, Sandra struggling to stay upright as she got dragged along with me, until my back hit a cabinet full of noisy saucepans.
Those nails bit deeper and deeper until thin streams of blood leaked out. My free hand curled into a fist, but before I could drive it into Sandra’s nose her mouth hinged open. Stale prune breath engulfed my nostrils, so rotten I knew straight away I’d never eat Dad’s tuna casserole again.
She choked out a series of words I didn’t understand, spraying me with globs of milky spit, and then cold air flooded the room, flooded my body. Cabinets and drawers slammed open and shut by themselves.
A hideous buzz rang out, coming from inside Sandra’s mouth, which creaked open wider and wider. Through the gaping hole I saw insectile forms, hundreds of them, crawling over the top of one another, jostling, buzzing.
I slammed my fist into the centre of the lunatic’s face. As she continued speaking, wasps came crawling out through her mouth and past her lips, and then the winged bastards rose into the air and stung me in the neck and arms.
She entered this sort of trance, her every word hitting me like a hammer between the temples. Each time I blinked the wasp swarm seemed to double in size, becoming a vortex that spiralled around us blocking out the world roaring louder than traffic, and I knew soon they'd fly inside my mouth and I'd die with their stingers lodged in my tongue and throat.
Trapped, helpless, I squeezed my eyes and mouth shut until, out of nowhere, that built-up pressure in my hand deflated like a balloon and the buzzing vanished.
My left eye peeked open. Beside my feet, blood gushed from a wheezing Sandra’s nostrils, her friends now gone.
I didn’t even consider helping for one second, just made a desperate break for the door. Somehow I remembered to grab my backpack in the middle of that mad scramble.
I sprinted straight past the beach, pushed out the lune until the waves lifted it with a burble of water, and hurled myself into the bow. What followed was probably the fastest boat ride of my entire life. There was a red welt across my tender wrist but no pierce marks or stings.
Back in the safety of the harbour, several fishermen turned to take in the hysterical teenager and then looked away, heads shaking with disgust.
I rushed home threw my backpack to one side and dropped onto my bed. I’m not sure how long I lay there before noticing the envelope tucked into the pack’s side pocket. Sandra’s envelope. When did she even stash it there?
Inside was £3000, all in crisp twenties. This set me off pacing around my room, my thoughts a jumbled mess.
I couldn’t explain what happened or what Sandra was, but by accepting her money, had I got myself into some sort of…magic debt? Maybe now she could throw a curse on me. Hell, maybe she already did. Shit shit shit.
That money needed to go back, but how? If I set foot on Whiteabbey, she might have made boils grow over my entire body. Half the townfolk avoided that place, and not only would Dad not believe my story, he’d probably drag me back there in a straitjacket if he discovered the kind of cash getting thrown around.
Before I could get any of this straight in my mind, my phone chirped. It was her.
“That you Wade? Can you hear me?” The mucus oozing from Sandra’s lips came through the speaker, loud and clear. Her lungs sounded even weaker than before. “Now look, I’m sure you’re a little rattled, but I need you to listen carefully. Maybe grab a pen and write this down ‘cause I know you have trouble with instructions.
“By now even you should have worked out you weren’t hired for any ordinary job. I’ll not get into the specifics, but you fucked up big time, so now I need you for one more day. Consider the 3 grand an advance.”
After hacking up more phlegm, she said, “Right about now you’re probably thinking ‘fuck that’—”
She’s right, I was.
“—but what happened in the kitchen? That’ll be a drop in the ocean compared to what comes next if you take my money and run. Get back here tomorrow and let yourself in. I’ll leave a key under the welcome mat. See you then.”
With that she hung up, leaving me with an impossible decision: ignore her warning, and risk the consequences.
Or go back to Whiteabbey…

Howdy! Looking for my running friends with SIBO. I just started herbal treatment and am trying to be careful about what I’m eating that’s filled with sugar. How do you fuel your long runs? I prefer honey stingers gummies. Is it going to really be detrimental to my treatment if once a week I have a package of gummies? I’m also on a herbal protocol for candida over growth. Thanks! 🏃🏻‍♀️

A sickly lilac moss enveloped the sewer walls, seeping a thick black ichor onto the plascrete walkway below, the fungi spreading into the rushing torrent of waste. The sound of music could be heard, faintly echoing along the corridor. I wasn't far, now. Maybe a couple blocks. I hated having to leave like this, but, someone had to make sure the village had supplies. And the run had went smooth this time, in and out, quick and quiet.
The clicking of boots on plascrete began echoing to the North, a chorus of militant prowess. Zipper growled furiously, foam dripping from the bald mastiff's quivering maw. The Harvesters were coming. Or, trying to, atleast. They'd have to get past me to enter the Village.
I faded into the shadows, stalking the corridors in silence. Zipper followed suit, prowling amidst the shadows. It wasn't long before we found them, a dozen flesh peddlers in outdated riot gear, toting knock off assault rifles. They'd sent another batch of rookies, the third this month. I'd have to leave one alive this time, send a message.
My grafts catalyzed simultaneously, pain wracking my body as barbed spikes of bone tore through my flesh, covering me. My arms extended, splitting at the forearm to create two pairs of razor sharp pincers, jagged hooks of bone erupting from both sides.
As Zipper's dermal plating graft catalyzed, our brains synchronized, allowing us to move in perfect tandem. We dashed through the shadows, weaving opposite of eachother in precise serpentine patterns. Before they ever saw us, I clipped the arms from a rifleman, painting the walkway with a crimson coating. I kicked him into the river of sewage before he could scream, Zipper ripping the throat from a second rifleman.
"There he is, the fucking freak!" A Harvester exclaimed.
"When we're doing icing you, we're gonna waste all your creepy little friends, too! You freaks ain't good for nothing but spare parts!" Another shouted.
A barrage of gunfire erupted, tearing through my flesh nearly faster than my grafts could regenerate. I hooked my forearm's spikes into a fleeing goon, snagging in the meat of his shoulder. The grafts devoured his life force, drinking it in sanguine swaths. My regeneration amplified, if only for a moment. But, it was enough to keep the grafts running.
The corpse flew through the air, knocking the dead man's friends over like bowling pins. I sprinted across the wall, decapitating a handful of prone Harvesters, Zipper tearing through what was left.
"Zipper, to me." I called, stopping the dismemberment of the last survivor.
"Please, don't eat me! I don't care what happens, just... Don't fucking eat me, man!" The harvester sobbed.
I slowly approached him, dragging my pincer along the wall, carving a deep indentation into the plascrete.
"Why not? You look tastier than your friends." I paused, bringing my face a hairs width from his. "Plumper, juicier.... More... Afraid."
I ripped the helmet from his head, forcing him beneath the water. I held him there until he'd almost stopped squirming. When i finally hoisted him out, he was a trembling mess, hardly able to form a sentence. I stared him in the eyes as I ripped the heart from one his fallen comrades.
"Tell your master what happened here today. Tell him there's two dozen more, just like me, waiting inside the walls." I growled, slowly forcing my pincer into his bicep.
"I... Yes...I'll... Please..." He gibbered to himself, eyes empty, brain on auto pilot.
The moss grew denser, and denser, until finally it pervaded every nook and cranny, a faint blue glow emanating from the purple fungi. I was close now. Less than a block. The air grew sweet, the familiar melodies of home intensifying. I loved it here. Sure, it was no upscale neighborhood, but it was better than the wastes.
My people came to Nova City nearly twenty years ago, when I was just a child. Turned away and slaughtered by the Doomguard, we fled, finally entering through a closed off sewer access tunnel. The fungi had followed us, kept us strong, just like it always had.
The gates were a pulsating web of violet and emerald, hundreds of eyes and mouths scattered across the organism, hidden between patches of vibrant flora. The roof above the village was a network of bioluminescent orbs, pulsing in hues of cyan and indigo, keeping rhythm with the wall.
The gates swung open as I approached, revealing dozens of immense mushrooms, grown around ramshackle homes and patchwork shops. Radiant flowers were peppered across the village, the floor a tangled mat of vines and ichor puddles. The hounds bounded about, tearing in between villagers in a game of tag with a band of local children.
I made my way through the neighborhood, distributing cash as I went. I had little need of it, and so many did. Besides, this payday had been a particularly hefty one, and Mary would be able to stock the village with less than half of it. The children swarmed, each making off with a preloaded cred stick. Not much, but enough.
Creed's shop was unique, a dome of magenta vines and indigo flora, woven together atop the same pulsing matter that formed the wall. Eyes, ears and mouths were plastered across the building, watching the streets carefully. The door opened as I approached, Creed's hounds charging Zipper and launching into an exaggerated play fight.
As I entered the building, the bioluminescent vines hanging from the roof ignited in unison, projecting a fiery shade of orange. The entrance was filled with raw, unworked fungi, neatly categorized for each recipient. Grafts had to be custom grown, bonded to a flesh culture from the recipient as sporelings. Otherwise, death or madness almost always ensued.
"Travis, good to see you made it back in one piece!" Creed called out, two rooms away.
"Good to be back, buddy." I answered, making my way to the operating room.
Creed was a mountain of a man, riddled with grafts. Four meaty arms moved in tandem with a trio of tentacles attached to his back, waving erratically. His face was a field of shifting eyes, swirling around the mouth in it's center, four ears on either side of his head. His legs were fused to the floor, a tangled grouping of fleshy vines that navigated the room with relative ease.
"So, my grafts ready, or what?" I chuckled.
"Got something special cooked up for you, Trav." He grinned, slithering towards the operating table as two overgrown slabs rolled in, carried by the net of vines above. Ichor glistened beneath the orange glow, the moss shifting and twisting.
"Looks preem." I said, cracking a smile.
"So, what do you want this time, big man? Got the venom glands you asked about grown in, as well as a custom blend I concocted, should make you a hell of a lot stronger." Creed replied.
"Im thinking claws this time, with stingers to deliver the venom. Big fuckers, though, I need a little distance." I instructed.
"Can do, big man." He motioned for me to lay on the table. "Say, your catalyzation been working okay lately?"
"Fine, yeah, why?" I asked, as I sunk into the warm mesh of vines and flora.
"Couple people around the village have been having issues getting their grafts to fire." He shrugged. "I do everything the same way I always have, hell, better even. Doesn't make sense to me."
The next six hours were a haze of herbal inebriation, the best stuff Creed had on hand. The hallucinogens tore through my consciousness, and my ego melted, reforming into an air of positivity. There was something almost spiritual about Creed's grafting process. I loved every second of it.
When the graft was finally done, I awoke in a bed of warm aloe, blanketed by vines. The makeshift pod parted in the middle, and I emerged a new man, the grafted arms still tingling. They hung past my knees, the hands over twice the size of my last pair.
"I dig it, Creed, nice work." I said with a grin, stretching my new limbs.
"Glad to hear it, big man." He paused, lighting a mixture of herbs within his pipe. "You let me know when you're finally ready to go all the way, get some real grafts, okay?" He laughed, his tentacles writhing.
"You heard from Mary, today?" I asked.
"Matter of fact, I did. Told me to send your ass her way when I was done with you, popped in while you were out." Creed replied, between coughs.
"Reckon I'll be on my way, then. Take care of yourself, you crazy old bastard." I chuckled.
Mary's house was a large octagon, mushrooms, fungus and flora nearly enveloping the structure. Mary was the village's mother, handled the supply distribution, planned holiday events, hell, she even went on the occasional run with me. She was only a few years older than me, we'd grown up together out in the wastes, before the Village, before Nova City, before all of it.
She sat amidst a field of vibrant, fruit bearing flowers, twisting vines writhing beneath healthy wheat grass. Immense trees were peppered across her yard, hounds sleeping beneath their bio luminescent warmth. The perfect picture of serenity.
Her eyes stared past me, engrossed in a psychedelic haze. Her morning ritual. I sat beside her, producing my pipe, and taking a long draw. Might as well get comfortable. Almost an hour passed before her eyes flickered back to life, a grin spreading across her soft features. As she turned her head, purple dread locks swayed towards me, wafting a cloud of smoke back into my face.
"Travis, nice to see you. How was your run?" She hummed, her tone soft and melodic.
"Not bad. Quick hit job, some two bit ganger. Made enough scratch to stock the village for a couple months, already gave some to the kids." I chuckled, cracking a grin.
"I'm glad to hear it. Maxine should be able to handle the purchases and have supplies distributed within the week." She said.
"Maxine? You're not gonna handle it?" I asked.
"No, you and I have biz to attend to." She said, standing to her feet, and leading me into her home.
Mary's house was adorned with far too much decor, vibrant flora lining the pulsating walls. She lead me into her living room, where tea awaited, stewing atop the counter. She poured us each a glass.
"Bad news, Trav, bad news. The villagers are having trouble getting their grafts to catalyze, and I think I know why." She paused, hefting a depleted tank marked 'pesticide.'
"Where did you find that?" I asked.
"Just up the stream from here. I think it was the Harvesters, but... I'm not sure. We need to investigate." She whispered.
"We need to wipe the bastards out. Hell, if it weren't for them, we could've moved to the Undercity by now!" I exclaimed, pounding my fist on the table.
"We have to be careful, Trav. A mistake could mean war.... And we'll lose more than I'd care to admit, if it comes to that." She shuddered.
"I'm in. Let's jet, go check out the spot you found it, make sure there's nothing there we're missing." I growled, chasing my words with a glass of cold tea.
"There's... Something else, Travis. You need to see your brother before we leave... He's back in jail, the community's pondering exile." She mumbled, half heartedly.
"What'd Marcus do this time?" I asked.
"Another bar fight, unprovoked. Again. Look, I know it's been tough for him, since you two lost your parents, but if you could talk to him, I might be able to appeal to the people. But, I need your word that he won't slip up again. And, only after you've talked to him." She paused. "I'm... Sorry, Trav. I know this is hard for you."
"I'll meet you at the gate in an hour." I said, sliding the credstick that held payment for the run to her.
The jail wasn't far, and it was hardly a jail. More a temporary holding facility, you couldn't be held for more than a day. Punishments were simple, either reperations were made, or the offender was exiled. A brutally efficient system, if not one I feared I may soon regret. But, those were the rules, some of the only rules, really.
The 'jail' was a small, patchwork building, constructed from jagged sheet metal, and plasteel beams. Mushrooms peppered the roof, flora sprouting from the walls. I approached the visitation window slowly, rapping three times, then four more. Our code since child hood, since back in the wastes.
Marcus was a tall, gaunt man, with sharp features, and long, shaggy hair. Four grafted arms hung past his knees, razor sharp claws protruding from his finger tips.
"Good to see ya, Trav. You here to say goodbye?" He sighed, eyes vacant.
"Nah, I'm here to ask why you keep starting fights. What gives? You know if you keep this up, they'll exile you." I growled.
"Look, it's not my fault! Everyone here looks at me like I'm a freak! You know I had nothing to do with the bullshit mom and dad pulled!" He cried, exasperation heavy in his voice.
"Buddy... You have to ignore them, everyone knows you and I had nothing to do with the killings or the...." I paused, my mind reeling back to that day. Their execution.
"The cannibalism? You can say it, Trav. They were stone cold crazy, never should've came in from the wastes. Hell, the village broke their own rules, it was so bad." He lamented.
"Executing them was the right move. What they did was... Disgusting." I shuddered, blocking out the memories, just as I'd done every day since.
"I know it was... Look, did Mary send you?" He pleaded.
"She did. Says if I can guarentee you'll stay out of trouble, she'll make an appeal to the community." I replied.
He stood in awe for a moment.
"I- I'll do my best." He sighed.
"Tell you what, from now on? You're with me. You come on runs with me, stay at my place? We're set. Deal?" I said, sternly.
"Deal." He answered.
Mary awaited at the gate, clutching a Locust assault rifle. Her dress had been replaced with sleek body armor, a black, form fitting ballistic suit. The same model I wore on runs, beneath an armored coat. Apparently, she'd elected to skip the coat.
"Looking sharp." I called out, as I approached.
"Same to you, cowboy." She chuckled.

A sickly lilac moss enveloped the sewer walls, seeping a thick black ichor onto the plascrete walkway below, the fungi spreading into the rushing torrent of waste. The sound of music could be heard, faintly echoing along the corridor. I wasn't far, now. Maybe a couple blocks. I hated having to leave like this, but, someone had to make sure the village had supplies. And the run had went smooth this time, in and out, quick and quiet.
The clicking of boots on plascrete began echoing to the North, a chorus of militant prowess. Zipper growled furiously, foam dripping from the bald mastiff's quivering maw. The Harvesters were coming. Or, trying to, atleast. They'd have to get past me to enter the Village.
I faded into the shadows, stalking the corridors in silence. Zipper followed suit, prowling amidst the shadows. It wasn't long before we found them, a dozen flesh peddlers in outdated riot gear, toting knock off assault rifles. They'd sent another batch of rookies, the third this month. I'd have to leave one alive this time, send a message.
My grafts catalyzed simultaneously, pain wracking my body as barbed spikes of bone tore through my flesh, covering me. My arms extended, splitting at the forearm to create two pairs of razor sharp pincers, jagged hooks of bone erupting from both sides.
As Zipper's dermal plating graft catalyzed, our brains synchronized, allowing us to move in perfect tandem. We dashed through the shadows, weaving opposite of eachother in precise serpentine patterns. Before they ever saw us, I clipped the arms from a rifleman, painting the walkway with a crimson coating. I kicked him into the river of sewage before he could scream, Zipper ripping the throat from a second rifleman.
"There he is, the fucking freak!" A Harvester exclaimed.
"When we're doing icing you, we're gonna waste all your creepy little friends, too! You freaks ain't good for nothing but spare parts!" Another shouted.
A barrage of gunfire errupted, tearing through my flesh nearly faster than my grafts could regenerate. I hooked my forearm's spikes into a fleeing goon, snagging in the meat of his shoulder. The grafts devoured his life force, drinking it in sanguine swaths. My regeneration amplified, if only for a moment. But, it was enough to keep the grafts running.
The corpse flew through the air, knocking the dead man's friends over like bowling pins. I sprinted across the wall, decapitating a handful of prone Harvesters, Zipper tearing through what was left.
"Zipper, to me." I called, stopping the dismemberment of the last survivor.
"Please, don't eat me! I don't care what happens, just... Don't fucking eat me, man!" The harvester sobbed.
I slowly approaced him, dragging my pincer along the wall, carving a deep indentation into the plascrete.
"Why not? You look tastier than your friends." I paused, bringing my face a hairs width from his. "Plumper, juicier.... More... Afraid."
I ripped the helmet from his head, forcing him beneath the water. I held him there until he'd almost stopped squirming. When i finally hoisted him out, he was a trembling mess, hardly able to form a sentence. I stared him in the eyes as I ripped the heart from one his fallen comrades.
"Tell your master what happened here today. Tell him there's two dozen more, just like me, waiting inside the walls." I growled, slowly forcing my pincer into his bicep.
"I... Yes...I'll... Please..." He gibbered to himself, eyes empty, brain on auto pilot.
The moss grew denser, and denser, until finally it pervaded every nook and cranny, a faint blue glow emenating from the purple fungi. I was close now. Less than a block. The air grew sweet, the familiar melodies of home intensifying. I loved it here. Sure, it was no upscale neighborhood, but it was better than the wastes.
My people came to Nova City nearly twenty years ago, when I was just a child. Turned away and slaughtered by the Doomguard, we fled, finally entering through a closed off sewer access tunnel. The fungi had followed us, kept us strong, just like it always had.
The gates were a pulsating web of violet and emerald, hundreds of eyes and mouths scattered across the organism, hidden between patches of vibrant flora. The roof above the village was a network of bioluminescent orbs, pulsing in hues of cyan and indigo, keeping rhythm with the wall.
The gates swung open as I approached, revealing dozens of immense mushrooms, grown around ramshackle homes and patchwork shops. Radiant flowers were peppered across the village, the floor a tangled mat of vines and ichor puddles. The hounds bounded about, tearing in between villagers in a game of tag with a band of local children.
I made my way through the neighborhood, distributing cash as I went. I had little need of it, and so many did. Besides, this payday had been a particularly hefty one, and Mary would be able to stock the village with less than half of it. The children swarmed, each making off with a preloaded cred stick. Not much, but enough.
Creed's shop was unique, a dome of magenta vines and indigo flora, woven together atop the same pulsing matter that formed the wall. Eyes, ears and mouths were plastered across the building, watching the streets carefully. The door opened as I approached, Creed's hounds charging Zipper and launching into an exaggerated play fight.
As I entered the building, the bioluminescent vines hanging from the roof ignited in unison, projecting a fiery shade of orange. The entrance was filled with raw, unworked fungi, neatly categorized for each recipient. Grafts had to be custom grown, bonded to a flesh culture from the recipient as sporelings. Otherwise, death or madness almost always ensued.
"Travis, good to see you made it back in one piece!" Creed called out, two rooms away.
"Good to be back, buddy." I answered, making my way to the operating room.
Creed was a mountain of a man, riddled with grafts. Four meaty arms moved in tandem with a trio of tentacles attached to his back, waving erratically. His face was a field of shifting eyes, swirling around the mouth in it's center, four ears on either side of his head. His legs were fused to the floor, a tangled grouping of fleshy vines that navigated the room with relative ease.
"So, my grafts ready, or what?" I chuckled.
"Got something special cooked up for you, Trav." He grinned, slithering towards the operating table as two overgrown slabs rolled in, carried by the net of vines above. Ichor glistened beneath the orange glow, the moss shifting and twisting.
"Looks preem." I said, cracking a smile.
"So, what do you want this time, big man? Got the venom glands you asked about grown in, as well as a custom blend I concocted, should make you a hell of a lot stronger." Creed replied.
"Im thinking claws this time, with stingers to deliver the venom. Big fuckers, though, I need a little distance." I instructed.
"Can do, big man." He motioned for me to lay on the table. "Say, your catalyzation been working okay lately?"
"Fine, yeah, why?" I asked, as I sunk into the warm mesh of vines and flora.
"Couple people around the village have been having issues getting their grafts to fire." He shrugged. "I do everything the same way I always have, hell, better even. Doesn't make sense to me."
The next six hours were a haze of herbal inebriation, the best stuff Creed had on hand. The hallucinogens tore through my consciousness, and my ego melted, reforming into an air of positivity. There was something almost spiritual about Creed's grafting process. I loved every second of it.
When the graft was finally done, I awoke in a bed of warm aloe, blanketed by vines. The makeshift pod parted in the middle, and I emerged a new man, the grafted arms still tingling. They hung past my knees, the hands over twice the size of my last pair.
"I dig it, Creed, nice work." I said with a grin, stretching my new limbs.
"Glad to hear it, big man." He paused, lighting a mixture of herbs within his pipe. "You let me know when you're finally ready to go all the way, get some real grafts, okay?" He laughed, his tentacles writhing.
"You heard from Mary, today?" I asked.
"Matter of fact, I did. Told me to send your ass her way when I was done with you, popped in while you were out." Creed replied, between coughs.
"Reckon I'll be on my way, then. Take care of yourself, you crazy old bastard." I chuckled.
Mary's house was a large octagon, mushrooms, fungus and flora nearly enveloping the structure. Mary was the village's mother, handled the supply distribution, planned holiday events, hell, she even went on the occasional run with me. She was only a few years older than me, we'd grown up together out in the wastes, before the Village, before Nova City, before all of it.
She sat amidst a field of vibrant, fruit bearing flowers, twisting vines writhing beneath healthy wheat grass. Immense trees were peppered across her yard, hounds sleeping beneath their bio luminescent warmth. The perfect picture of serenity.
Her eyes stared past me, engrossed in a psychedelic haze. Her morning ritual. I sat beside her, producing my pipe, and taking a long draw. Might as well get comfortable.
Almost an hour passed before her eyes flickered back to life, a grin spreading across her soft features. As she turned her head, purple dread locks swayed towards me, wafting a cloud of smoke back into my face.
"Travis, nice to see you. How was your run?" She hummed, her tone soft and melodic.
"Not bad. Quick hit job, some two bit ganger. Made enough scratch to stock the village for a couple months, already gave some to the kids." I chuckled, cracking a grin.
"I'm glad to hear it. Maxine should be able to handle the purchases and have supplies distributed within the week." She said.
"Maxine? You're not gonna handle it?" I asked.
"No, you and I have biz to attend to." She said, standing to her feet, and leading me into her home.
Mary's house was adorned with far too much decor, vibrant flora lining the pulsating walls. She lead me into her living room, where tea awaited, stewing atop the counter. She poured us each a glass.
"Bad news, Trav, bad news. The villagers are having trouble getting their grafts to catalyze, and I think I know why." She paused, hefting a depleted tank marked 'pesticide.'
"Where did you find that?" I asked.
"Just up the stream from here. I think it was the Harvesters, but... I'm not sure. We need to investigate." She whispered.
"We need to wipe the bastards out. Hell, if it weren't for them, we could've moved to the Undercity by now!" I exclaimed, pounding my fist on the table.
"We have to be careful, Trav. A mistake could mean war.... And we'll lose more than I'd care to admit, if it comes to that." She shuddered.
"I'm in. Let's jet, go check out the spot you found it, make sure there's nothing there we're missing." I growled, chasing my words with a glass of cold tea.
"There's... Something else, Travis. You need to see your brother before we leave... He's back in jail, the community's pondering exile." She mumbled, half heartedly.
"What'd Marcus do this time?" I asked.
"Another bar fight, unprovoked. Again. Look, I know it's been tough for him, since you two lost your parents, but if you could talk to him, I might be able to appeal to the people. But, I need your word that he won't slip up again. And, only after you've talked to him." She paused. "I'm... Sorry, Trav. I know this is hard for you."
"I'll meet you at the gate in an hour." I said, sliding the cred stick that held payment for the run to her.
The jail wasn't far, and it was hardly a jail. More a temporary holding facility, you couldn't be held for more than a day. Punishments were simple, either reparations were made, or the offender was exiled. A brutally efficient system, if not one I feared I may soon regret. But, those were the rules, some of the only rules, really.
The 'jail' was a small, patchwork building, constructed from jagged sheet metal, and plasteel beams. Mushrooms peppered the roof, flora sprouting from the walls. I approached the visitation window slowly, rapping three times, then four more. Our code since child hood, since back in the wastes.
Marcus was a tall, gaunt man, with sharp features, and long, shaggy hair. Four grafted arms hung past his knees, razor sharp claws protruding from his finger tips.
"Good to see ya, Trav. You here to say goodbye?" He sighed, eyes vacant.
"Nah, I'm here to ask why you keep starting fights. What gives? You know if you keep this up, they'll exile you." I growled.
"Look, it's not my fault! Everyone here looks at me like I'm a freak! You know I had nothing to do with the bullshit mom and dad pulled!" He cried, exasperation heavy in his voice.
"Buddy... You have to ignore them, everyone knows you and I had nothing to do with the killings or the...." I paused, my mind reeling back to that day. Their execution.
"The cannibalism? You can say it, Trav. They were stone cold crazy, never should've came in from the wastes. Hell, the village broke their own rules, it was so bad." He lamented.
"Executing them was the right move. What they did was... Disgusting." I shuddered, blocking out the memories, just as I'd done every day since.
"I know it was... Look, did Mary send you?" He pleaded.
"She did. Says if I can guarantee you'll stay out of trouble, she'll make an appeal to the community." I replied.
He stood in awe for a moment.
"I- I'll do my best." He sighed.
"Tell you what, from now on? You're with me. You come on runs with me, stay at my place? We're set. Deal?" I said, sternly.
"Deal." He answered.
Mary awaited at the gate, clutching a Locust assault rifle. Her dress had been replaced with sleek body armor, a black, form fitting ballistic suit. The same model I wore on runs, beneath an armored coat. Apparently, she'd elected to skip the coat.
"Looking sharp." I called out, as I approached.
"Same to you, cowboy." She chuckled.

A sickly lilac moss enveloped the sewer walls, seeping a thick black ichor onto the plascrete walkway below, the fungi spreading into the rushing torrent of waste. The sound of music could be heard, faintly echoing along the corridor. I wasn't far, now. Maybe a couple blocks. I hated having to leave like this, but, someone had to make sure the village had supplies. And the run had went smooth this time, in and out, quick and quiet.
The clicking of boots on plascrete began echoing to the North, a chorus of militant prowess. Zipper growled furiously, foam dripping from the bald mastiff's quivering maw. The Harvesters were coming. Or, trying to, atleast. They'd have to get past me to enter the Village.
I faded into the shadows, stalking the corridors in silence. Zipper followed suit, prowling amidst the shadows. It wasn't long before we found them, a dozen flesh peddlers in outdated riot gear, toting knock off assault rifles. They'd sent another batch of rookies, the third this month. I'd have to leave one alive this time, send a message.
My grafts catalyzed simultaneously, pain wracking my body as barbed spikes of bone tore through my flesh, covering me. My arms extended, splitting at the forearm to create two pairs of razor sharp pincers, jagged hooks of bone erupting from both sides.
As Zipper's dermal plating graft catalyzed, our brains synchronized, allowing us to move in perfect tandem. We dashed through the shadows, weaving opposite of eachother in precise serpentine patterns. Before they ever saw us, I clipped the arms from a rifleman, painting the walkway with a crimson coating. I kicked him into the river of sewage before he could scream, Zipper ripping the throat from a second rifleman.
"There he is, the fucking freak!" A Harvester exclaimed.
"When we're doing icing you, we're gonna waste all your creepy little friends, too! You freaks ain't good for nothing but spare parts!" Another shouted.
A barrage of gunfire errupted, tearing through my flesh nearly faster than my grafts could regenerate. I hooked my forearm's spikes into a fleeing goon, snagging in the meat of his shoulder. The grafts devoured his life force, drinking it in sanguine swaths. My regeneration amplified, if only for a moment. But, it was enough to keep the grafts running.
The corpse flew through the air, knocking the dead man's friends over like bowling pins. I sprinted across the wall, decapitating a handful of prone Harvesters, Zipper tearing through what was left.
"Zipper, to me." I called, stopping the dismemberment of the last survivor.
"Please, don't eat me! I don't care what happens, just... Don't fucking eat me, man!" The harvester sobbed.
I slowly approaced him, dragging my pincer along the wall, carving a deep indentation into the plascrete.
"Why not? You look tastier than your friends." I paused, bringing my face a hairs width from his. "Plumper, juicier.... More... Afraid."
I ripped the helmet from his head, forcing him beneath the water. I held him there until he'd almost stopped squirming. When i finally hoisted him out, he was a trembling mess, hardly able to form a sentence. I stared him in the eyes as I ripped the heart from one his fallen comrades.
"Tell your master what happened here today. Tell him there's two dozen more, just like me, waiting inside the walls." I growled, slowly forcing my pincer into his bicep.
"I... Yes...I'll... Please..." He gibbered to himself, eyes empty, brain on auto pilot.
The moss grew denser, and denser, until finally it pervaded every nook and cranny, a faint blue glow emenating from the purple fungi. I was close now. Less than a block. The air grew sweet, the familiar melodies of home intensifying. I loved it here. Sure, it was no upscale neighborhood, but it was better than the wastes.
My people came to Nova City nearly twenty years ago, when I was just a child. Turned away and slaughtered by the Doomguard, we fled, finally entering through a closed off sewer access tunnel. The fungi had followed us, kept us strong, just like it always had.
The gates were a pulsating web of violet and emerald, hundreds of eyes and mouths scattered across the organism, hidden between patches of vibrant flora. The roof above the village was a network of bioluminescent orbs, pulsing in hues of cyan and indigo, keeping rhythm with the wall.
The gates swung open as I approached, revealing dozens of immense mushrooms, grown around ramshackle homes and patchwork shops. Radiant flowers were peppered across the village, the floor a tangled mat of vines and ichor puddles. The hounds bounded about, tearing in between villagers in a game of tag with a band of local children.
I made my way through the neighborhood, distributing cash as I went. I had little need of it, and so many did. Besides, this payday had been a particularly hefty one, and Mary would be able to stock the village with less than half of it. The children swarmed, each making off with a preloaded cred stick. Not much, but enough.
Creed's shop was unique, a dome of magenta vines and indigo flora, woven together atop the same pulsing matter that formed the wall. Eyes, ears and mouths were plastered across the building, watching the streets carefully. The door opened as I approached, Creed's hounds charging Zipper and launching into an exaggerated play fight.
As I entered the building, the bioluminescent vines hanging from the roof ignited in unison, projecting a fiery shade of orange. The entrance was filled with raw, unworked fungi, neatly categorized for each recipient. Grafts had to be custom grown, bonded to a flesh culture from the recipient as sporelings. Otherwise, death or madness almost always ensued.
"Travis, good to see you made it back in one piece!" Creed called out, two rooms away.
"Good to be back, buddy." I answered, making my way to the operating room.
Creed was a mountain of a man, riddled with grafts. Four meaty arms moved in tandem with a trio of tentacles attached to his back, waving erratically. His face was a field of shifting eyes, swirling around the mouth in it's center, four ears on either side of his head. His legs were fused to the floor, a tangled grouping of fleshy vines that navigated the room with relative ease.
"So, my grafts ready, or what?" I chuckled.
"Got something special cooked up for you, Trav." He grinned, slithering towards the operating table as two overgrown slabs rolled in, carried by the net of vines above. Ichor glistened beneath the orange glow, the moss shifting and twisting.
"Looks preem." I said, cracking a smile.
"So, what do you want this time, big man? Got the venom glands you asked about grown in, as well as a custom blend I concocted, should make you a hell of a lot stronger." Creed replied.
"Im thinking claws this time, with stingers to deliver the venom. Big fuckers, though, I need a little distance." I instructed.
"Can do, big man." He motioned for me to lay on the table. "Say, your catalyzation been working okay lately?"
"Fine, yeah, why?" I asked, as I sunk into the warm mesh of vines and flora.
"Couple people around the village have been having issues getting their grafts to fire." He shrugged. "I do everything the same way I always have, hell, better even. Doesn't make sense to me."
The next six hours were a haze of herbal inebriation, the best stuff Creed had on hand. The hallucinogens tore through my consciousness, and my ego melted, reforming into an air of positivity. There was something almost spiritual about Creed's grafting process. I loved every second of it.
When the graft was finally done, I awoke in a bed of warm aloe, blanketed by vines. The makeshift pod parted in the middle, and I emerged a new man, the grafted arms still tingling. They hung past my knees, the hands over twice the size of my last pair.
"I dig it, Creed, nice work." I said with a grin, stretching my new limbs.
"Glad to hear it, big man." He paused, lighting a mixture of herbs within his pipe. "You let me know when you're finally ready to go all the way, get some real grafts, okay?" He laughed, his tentacles writhing.
"You heard from Mary, today?" I asked.
"Matter of fact, I did. Told me to send your ass her way when I was done with you, popped in while you were out." Creed replied, between coughs.
"Reckon I'll be on my way, then. Take care of yourself, you crazy old bastard." I chuckled.
Mary's house was a large octagon, mushrooms, fungus and flora nearly enveloping the structure. Mary was the village's mother, handled the supply distribution, planned holiday events, hell, she even went on the occasional run with me. She was only a few years older than me, we'd grown up together out in the wastes, before the Village, before Nova City, before all of it.
She sat amidst a field of vibrant, fruit bearing flowers, twisting vines writhing beneath healthy wheat grass. Immense trees were peppered across her yard, hounds sleeping beneath their bio luminescent warmth. The perfect picture of serenity.
Her eyes stared past me, engrossed in a psychedelic haze. Her morning ritual. I sat beside her, producing my pipe, and taking a long draw. Might as well get comfortable.
Almost an hour passed before her eyes flickered back to life, a grin spreading across her soft features. As she turned her head, purple dread locks swayed towards me, wafting a cloud of smoke back into my face.
"Travis, nice to see you. How was your run?" She hummed, her tone soft and melodic.
"Not bad. Quick hit job, some two bit ganger. Made enough scratch to stock the village for a couple months, already gave some to the kids." I chuckled, cracking a grin.
"I'm glad to hear it. Maxine should be able to handle the purchases and have supplies distributed within the week." She said.
"Maxine? You're not gonna handle it?" I asked.
"No, you and I have biz to attend to." She said, standing to her feet, and leading me into her home.
Mary's house was adorned with far too much decor, vibrant flora lining the pulsating walls. She lead me into her living room, where tea awaited, stewing atop the counter. She poured us each a glass.
"Bad news, Trav, bad news. The villagers are having trouble getting their grafts to catalyze, and I think I know why." She paused, hefting a depleted tank marked 'pesticide.'
"Where did you find that?" I asked.
"Just up the stream from here. I think it was the Harvesters, but... I'm not sure. We need to investigate." She whispered.
"We need to wipe the bastards out. Hell, if it weren't for them, we could've moved to the Undercity by now!" I exclaimed, pounding my fist on the table.
"We have to be careful, Trav. A mistake could mean war.... And we'll lose more than I'd care to admit, if it comes to that." She shuddered.
"I'm in. Let's jet, go check out the spot you found it, make sure there's nothing there we're missing." I growled, chasing my words with a glass of cold tea.
"There's... Something else, Travis. You need to see your brother before we leave... He's back in jail, the community's pondering exile." She mumbled, half heartedly.
"What'd Marcus do this time?" I asked.
"Another bar fight, unprovoked. Again. Look, I know it's been tough for him, since you two lost your parents, but if you could talk to him, I might be able to appeal to the people. But, I need your word that he won't slip up again. And, only after you've talked to him." She paused. "I'm... Sorry, Trav. I know this is hard for you."
"I'll meet you at the gate in an hour." I said, sliding the cred stick that held payment for the run to her.
The jail wasn't far, and it was hardly a jail. More a temporary holding facility, you couldn't be held for more than a day. Punishments were simple, either reparations were made, or the offender was exiled. A brutally efficient system, if not one I feared I may soon regret. But, those were the rules, some of the only rules, really.
The 'jail' was a small, patchwork building, constructed from jagged sheet metal, and plasteel beams. Mushrooms peppered the roof, flora sprouting from the walls. I approached the visitation window slowly, rapping three times, then four more. Our code since child hood, since back in the wastes.
Marcus was a tall, gaunt man, with sharp features, and long, shaggy hair. Four grafted arms hung past his knees, razor sharp claws protruding from his finger tips.
"Good to see ya, Trav. You here to say goodbye?" He sighed, eyes vacant.
"Nah, I'm here to ask why you keep starting fights. What gives? You know if you keep this up, they'll exile you." I growled.
"Look, it's not my fault! Everyone here looks at me like I'm a freak! You know I had nothing to do with the bullshit mom and dad pulled!" He cried, exasperation heavy in his voice.
"Buddy... You have to ignore them, everyone knows you and I had nothing to do with the killings or the...." I paused, my mind reeling back to that day. Their execution.
"The cannibalism? You can say it, Trav. They were stone cold crazy, never should've came in from the wastes. Hell, the village broke their own rules, it was so bad." He lamented.
"Executing them was the right move. What they did was... Disgusting." I shuddered, blocking out the memories, just as I'd done every day since.
"I know it was... Look, did Mary send you?" He pleaded.
"She did. Says if I can guarentee you'll stay out of trouble, she'll make an appeal to the community." I replied.
He stood in awe for a moment.
"I- I'll do my best." He sighed.
"Tell you what, from now on? You're with me. You come on runs with me, stay at my place? We're set. Deal?" I said, sternly.
"Deal." He answered.
Mary awaited at the gate, clutching a Locust assault rifle. Her dress had been replaced with sleek body armor, a black, form fitting ballistic suit. The same model I wore on runs, beneath an armored coat. Apparently, she'd elected to skip the coat.
"Looking sharp." I called out, as I approached.
"Same to you, cowboy." She chuckled.

Hey all! A day or two has passed since I no-lifed the hell out of this game, and it's all clicked now. Im level 14 now, and at the point in the game I'm talking to the herbal dude about the plague.
At first I avoided combat as much as possible. Now with my all plate armor and ceremonial mace/stinger longsword combo I'm actively looking for fights. When one shot bonking people on the head with the mace gets boring I'll switch to the sword.
However the problem! There's not many people to fight now! Sometimes I rotate from Skalitz back to Rattay in hopes I'll come across a fast travel fight. I finished the bandits-cuman-bandit camps activities a while ago. Does anybody know the datamined info of how long Skalitz and other bandit camps respawn?
Also, which quest is the one where you fight the bandit leader in all plate armor? Zoul armor I think it's called! I'm really looking for fights outside of the tourney for now.
But yeah, I mentioned I was going to make Henry learn how to read. I haven't even gotten around to that. There's so much to do. I even went treasure hunting!
If any of you guys have any tips/info on respawns and how to get into more fights I'd be so grateful.
Jesus be Praised!

I first was going to post my monthly indie empties month by month on here, but ended up not doing that for some reason and then decided that I could just post my yearly empties all at once. Turns out I finished off a ton of things this year, so buckle up!
For anyone wondering, I tend to mix perfume oils into things like foot soaks and hair oils, so I do go through them more than if I'd use them solely as perfume. I’ve marked things as WNRP (would not repurchase), WRP (would repurchase), MRP (might repurchase), and DRP (did repurchase). I stopped buying from Sixteen92, so all scents are marked WNRP despite any high ratings.

Makeup:

Crow & Pebble Mistress of Illusion, She Who Delights blush sample: This was a little sample in a bag that I got in a gift exchange. I was a bit hesitant about wearing purple blush, but it actually came across pretty nicely on me. I’ve got a cool yellow/olive skin tone, and the purple ended up more as like a cool pink on my skin. It was surprisingly wearable. If I applied too much, it would go purple and would end up looking sort of garish, but it was fun to experiment with. I also never quite realized that my blushes that look like that cool pink shade in the pan, don’t actually show up that color on my skin. MRP, 7/10.
Fyrinnae Mythical Dalliance eyeshadow sample: This was a free sample and from the Exquisite line. I liked the colors in this, a shifting multichrome from a yellowy gold to a sort of pinky brown to a green-gold. It was pretty. But I didn’t really care for the formula – it was a bit too chunky and sparkly for me. I prefer shimmers more than super sparkly shades or larger particles. It applied best wet and/or with Pixie Epoxy. WNRP, 3/10. Liked the color, glad for the experience, but I’m staying away from the Exquisites line. They’re just not my thing.

Perfume:

Nui Cobalt Hibernate (The scent of a peaceful woodland sanctuary. Golden oak, a bed of hay, fertile earth, peru balsam, maple wood, and an accord of dense winter fur. Wear this tranquil blend for deep relaxation and restorative rest). For a while, I thought I really wanted a pine-forward scent, especially one that is more summery like new growth on trees rather than Christmassy/wintery ones. This gets a bit closer than most. There’s quite a lot of the musky fur note and the warm, rich notes of oak and hay to help balance out just how bracing the peru balsam can be. It’s still got a bit of a wintery feel, and I’ve realized that I’m not crazy over balsam – it’s just a bit too sharp for my tastes. WNRP, probably a 6/10.
Nui Cobalt Wasp (An austere balsamic blend for when you need to clean up and get organized. Fresh linen, crisp chardonnay, and a rain-quenched herb garden edged with impeccable boxwood topiaries). This is similar to Hibernate with the fresh balsamic feel just being not really my thing perfume-wise. It’s not too bad – despite both the boxwood and herbal notes, it’s not super sharp. The rain and linen notes help it go mostly fresh and bright rather than sharp, and the wine helps mellow it a little. I liked it more mixed into my hair oil. WNRP, also a 6/10.
Nui Cobalt Stinger (A refreshing potion to cleanse, heal, and protect. Blackberry brambles, honeyed black tea, and crushed coriander with ginger root, lemon myrtle, fresh basil, and fig. Wear to banish negativity and cast a radiant shield to repel all malefaction.). This smells like Fruity Pebbles in the vial and when wet. I’ve come to realize that blackberry notes just go “generic fruity” on me, especially when paired with other fruit notes, but something about this in particular is fake and sugary and cereal-like. It takes a bit to mellow out and lose the super sweet cereal vibe, and then instead gets this sort of smooth resinous/sandalwood undertone that pairs really well with the sweet fruit. Again, it’s a confusing scent because I don’t know where that undertone comes from. Am I just completely misunderstanding how the tea, herbs, and ginger are coming across? Are they losing all sharpness and instead going almost smooth and creamy? WNRP, 7/10.
Nui Cobalt Home Sweet Hive (A comforting blend for calm contentment. Bulgarian lavender, oatstraw, honey-roasted chestnuts, maple sugar and a scant pinch of lemon zest. Wear for grounding, centering, and to carry sacred space wherever you go.). I get all the nutty, rich, warm chestnuts and oatstraw as the main notes. There’s the sweetness of maple sugar, plus the somewhat cool, herbal lavender to help round it out. I don’t necessarily get a true lemon note, but instead just a sharp zing above all the other notes. I’m a huge sucker for nut and grain notes because they’re so cozy and comfortable, and this delivers pretty well, especially mixed with the lavender. MRP, 7/10.
Nui Cobalt Apple Picking (The orchard at its peak, limbs heavy and bushels brimming. Barely-ripe apples, green leaves, rain-soaked soil, wicker baskets, and golden hay. Wear this powerful prosperity blend to call forth wealth and abundance. Anoint money charms and mojo bags to increase their power). I really liked this. I’ve had a couple apple scents that disappear on me, but this is the perfect apple scent to me. The apple note is super strong, and it’s very fresh and juicy. I also get the cool soil, and it really lends itself to the perfect fall weather – cool and crisp but still sunny and dry. I probably could wish for a touch more of the hay, since I do enjoy hay notes, but it’s still a very pretty scent! DRP, 9/10.
Nui Cobalt Hive Mind (A blend to bring people together, inspire synergy and build alliances. Delicate osmanthus blooming in an apricot orchard with spring harvest honey, toasted oats, and sweet fig preserves). I get the rich grainy oats and apricots, both of which are favorite notes, but there’s also a lot of sweetness from the honey and fig preseves. I don’t really know what osmanthus smells like or if I actually smell it here. But since buying this, I’ve come to realize that honey notes can be tricky on me, and the honey does amp up a bit on me and starts to overpower the other notes. WNRP, 6/10.
Nui Cobalt Arctic Fox (A sexy little number to inspire snuggles on the coldest nights. Soft amber nestled in sumptuous cashmere, steamed rice milk, winter white musk, and snow-covered fir trees). This is one of those scents where I don’t entirely know what I’m smelling. Like, it’s a bit musky and then there’s a sort of fresh clean powdery note, which I assume is the cashmere? I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s also the amber or even possibly the rice milk as well. It’s sort of snuggly but also a bit too clean and sort of off. WNRP, 3/10.
Nui Cobalt Energy Shield (Everyday protection against malefaction, to banish bad vibes and keep toxic people away. A dark elderflower chypre with ebony wood, tonka bean, frankincense and fig. This oil is infused with black tourmaline, renowned for its power to safeguard its bearer and the surrounding environment. It dispels negativity from others as well as from within one's self. Wear this deeply resinous perfume to ward off general energetic gunk, or anoint black candles to guard you from specific attacks). This is such a lovely scent! It’s dark and sort of wood-y, while there’s a lovely richness from the tonka and frankincense. The frankincense is honestly such a lovely resinous feel here. It’s simultaneously a bit cool but also slightly smoky (as in like sultry), which is an interesting combo. I don’t really pick up on the fig or the elderflower chypre (like, there’s no real citrusy top note or mossy base note). This is like the more mature version of the dark party scents I’d worn as a teen/college kid, which is honestly a scent type that I’ve been missing. WRP, 9/10.
Siren Song Elixirs Yennefer Soft (Delicate white lilac, Light gooseberries). This is delicate and requires a very light application to shine without the lilac getting too powdery. The gooseberries were a bit too light and could disappear easily. This is one of four Yenn-inspired scents I’ve tried, and it’s a lot more understated and delicate than the others and makes me feel very pretty. MRP, 6/10.
Siren Song Elixirs Yennefer Bold (Lush purple Lilac, Gooseberries, Black Suede, Ancient Woods). Such a pretty scent! The lilac is delicate and a touch powdery but not too much, and the sweetness of the gooseberries complements it well. You get a touch of coolness from the black suede, as well, where it just adds that little bit of emphasis. That and the richness of the ancient woods turn this into more of a perfume-y scent, compared to most of the other Yennefer-inspired scents I’ve tried (which stick more to realistic lilac and gooseberries). WRP, 7/10.
Siren Song Elixirs Mina (Forget-me-not flowers, Violets, English rose, Ivy, Oud wood). This is a hard scent to really peg down. It’s fairly complex close to the skin, but getting whiffs from farther away, it seems a bit like an air freshener or laundry detergent scent. I primarily get a slightly dewy rose and a generic floral (not sure if it’s just the forget-me-nots, or if that’s mixing with the violet). There’s something sort of powdery and something sort of cool and fresh and almost aquatic. I’m assuming the powder is maybe from the rose, but the rose seems dewy? The oud adds a slightly spicy and rich undercurrent close to the skin to help balance the florals. MRP, 6/10.
Siren Song Elixirs Triss Floral (Blushed Peony, Golden Amber, Vanilla, White Woods, Coconut, Lily, Jasmine, Violet, Rose, Sandalwood, Grapefruit). A lot of SSE florals go a bit powdery on me, and this is no exception. And it’s especially bad because there are so many florals here. If I really pay attention I can sort of tell which floral notes I smell at one point in time, but, other than the rose, a lot of times they just go a bit generic on me. I can smell the rose and other, non-floral notes a bit more – the warm amber, creamy vanilla, a touch of coconut, and a little bit of the woods. WNRP, 5/10.
Sixteen92 Atropa Belladonna (Nightshade berry, narcotic flowers, green tomato, green pepper, soil, broomstick, velvet plum). This is a nicely sharp green floral. The green tomato and pepper are pretty obviously sharp green notes, while the floral note reads as really pretty. I always love plum in perfumes, because it’s not super fruity and instead more of a pretty, sort of dark semi-fruity note, and it delivers here. The scent has a dark, almost musky or ambery feel, and it’s that little kick you’d expect from a perfume based on a poisonous plant. WNRP, 8/10.
Sixteen92 Keres (*Blood orange, black iris, metallic accord, vetiver, sun-warmed musk, ISO E Super *). This is an experience. At first and straight out of the bottle, this is primarily clean, sterile metal with a very sharp tang and the slightest touch of a floral note. And I sort of hated it – it’s too sharp without anything to really offset it or blend with it, and it just reminds me of like a science lab or a hospital. Maybe the sharpness is reading as disinfectant or something. Also, I don’t really like blood orange – the only time I ate one was a bad experience, and citrus notes in general are super hit-or-miss. After it dries, that gets toned down by the other notes, especially the ISO E Super, and there’s a bit of time where the two sets of notes are sort of competing with each other. Eventually, though, it’s this warm, woodsy, outdoorsy sort of scent with a really pretty iris note and just a touch of sharp metal. WNRP, probably like a 5/10? The start is like a 1/10, and then it goes up to like a 6/10 or 7/10.
Sixteen92 Laudanum (Sticky opium, whisky, oud, black pepper, brown leather, hearth smoke, saffron, dark amber). This is a confusing scent. Going off of whatever I smell, it’s sort of a generic S92 scent with a lot of either licorice or ink and something vaguely floral. Overall, it’s sort of rich and warm, but also with such a dry, bitter sharpness that comes across as almost cool. I think the licorice/ink vibe is a mix of the opium and pepper. And this is the scent where I realized that the “generic S92 scent with floral vibes” is the leather note. Once I realized that, I noticed how I could notice it in other S92 scents. It’s certainly an experience, but not really one I need to buy again. WNRP, 6/10.
Sixteen92 Erinyes (Sweet wood, golden amber, wild tuberose, nectarine blossom, lychee jam). This reads as a sweet, warm nectarine-and-floral scent. I think the amber and nectarine blossom sort of merge together into a sweet, juicy nectarine note, like biting into a fresh nectarine and having the juice run down your chin. I still get a touch of the amber on its own, too. The tuberose is a soft white floral that stops it from going cloyingly sweet. It’s pretty and summery and fresh, but I’ll admit – S92 has a couple similar sort of fruit-and-floral combos with different fruits, and I prefer Theda to this. WNRP, 7/10.
Sixteen92 Mellifera (Wildflower Honey Accord (not vegan), Violet, Jasmine Sambac, Vanilla Infused Sugar, Sandalwood). This is a nice mix of the jasmine with the sweet sugar and creamy sandalwood. There’s something about it that’s sort of dark and sort of dirty? I would expect patchouli or incense or something in here. I’m assuming it’s the honey – honey notes tend to go spicy and a bit earthy on me. It’s a really interesting mix of the sweet, pretty jasmine with how dark and sexy the honey note is. WNRP, 7/10.
Sixteen92 Habanera (Aldehydes, guava, bergamot flower, water hyacinth, sparkling jasmine, wild clover). This is a very pretty, fresh, warm floral paired with the sweet guava that is tempered by the aldehydes and a touch of green sharpness from the clover. I’m not sure if I amp aldehydes, or if I just notice them because I know I don’t like them, but they seem a little overpowering, both in the bottle and after drydown. While wet, the really pretty floral qualities are the star of the show – sweet, warm, fresh, and with a touch of cool green clover. WNRP, 4/10.
Sixteen92 Paper Moon (Soft vanilla musk, benzoin, oakmoss, trailing ivy, peach blossom, rose). This is actually my second sample of this finished! I mostly get the peach and musk in here, with a touch of greenery from the ivy and barest floral quality from the rose. It’s pretty and sweet and honestly not as warm as you’d expect a juicy peach note to be (which is why I assume it’s a peach blossom note, not actual peaches). WNRP, 7/10.
Sixteen92 Le Demi-Monde (Gardenia petal, Mailette lavender, oakmoss, soft suede opera gloves, chilled champagne). I mostly get the oakmoss here – it’s primarily a sharp green scent but it goes a bit funky like most oakmoss notes. I wouldn’t be surprised if the lavender is a sharper, more herbal version that gets mixed into the oakmoss, or that the champagne just makes everything a bit sharper. There’s a slightly overly sweet/slightly rotten floral quality, too. I don’t really know what gardenia smells like, but I sure hope it doesn’t actually smell like that! I do like this a bit more than I’m describing it, but it’s not that good. WNRP, 3/10.
Sixteen92 Enfant Terrible (Apricot, papaya, honeysuckle blossom, clover honey, blond woods). This is incredibly sweet. I can’t separate the apricot and papaya notes other than a sort of fruity note. Honeysuckle can end up syrupy sweet and a bit simplistic, and I think that’s going on here – plus it’s not helped by the other sweet notes. I don’t really know if I’m getting the honey note, too – many honey notes go sort of spicy on me. If this one doesn’t, it’s probably getting mixed in with all the other sweet notes. There’s a little bit of a rich base note from the blond woods, which is decent. WNRP, 6/10. Too sweet. It’s nice as a scent to add to my bath/body/hair products but not as a perfume.
Sixteen92 A Thousand Times More Fair (Honeysuckle nectar, magnolia blossom, passion flower, white peach skin, ripe plum, bright vanilla bean, delicate musk). This is incredibly sweet – I think a mix of the honeysuckle, passion flower, and fruits, followed by a bit of the cool vanilla to ground it a little. The magnolia is a bit tricky in here – it seems to get weaker, from nearly no scent, to a very pretty note, to then being overwhelmingly strong and almost a little… poopy? WNRP, 6/10.
Sixteen92 Mina Harker (Cold jasmine tea, ripe plum, black violets, pale skin musk). This is primarily a cool jasmine tea scent. The plum adds a lot of cool, juicy depth – it almost seems like the notes should be jasmine and black tea (rather than how jasmine tea is often a green tea). I’m not entirely sure where the violets are – am I just not smelling them, or are they blending in with the plum or jasmine? The musk adds a bit of powdery softness to keep it a little more wearable, and overall it’s just very pretty. WNRP, 9/10.
Sixteen92 Chiromancy (Orris, worn leather, ink, porcelain, black truffle). I don’t know what several of these notes are supposed to smell like. I do get a lot of the cool, sharp ink. This the closest I’ve come to smelling actual leather from S92. It honestly smells like both the “generic warm floral” S92 note and leather, so maybe what I’m imagining as leather is in fact the orris or black truffle? There’s a bright rain-like freshness to the scent, as well, and the porcelain seems to come across as a delicate element that’s more of an atmospheric. I don’t quite have the words to explain what porcelain smells like, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the reason this scent works. The other notes could come across as a bit too harsh and sharp, but this makes it seem refined. WNRP, 8/10.
Poesie Petit Trianon (a freshly picked bouquet of wood violets, accented with jasmine sambac, tuberose and Madonna lily, sheer sandalwood). I think this is one of those floral scents that just has too many floral notes and so goes a little generic? There’s this light, delicate, demure floral feel that is really pretty (I think it’s the jasmine) with a lot of the rich undercurrent of sandalwood to ground it. It’s soft and fluffy, if that makes any sense? If I made a mood board for this, it would have lots of flower crowns and gauzy dresses with tons of floofy tuille in soft pinks. WNRP, 6/10. It’s pretty but not really what I’m looking for in scents.
Poesie Elizabeth (a fluffy bouquet of lilac, heliotrope, and mimosa gathered on a long walk through fresh earth, grass and clover). This is sort of an oddball. I like a lot of similar Poesie scents, I like green florals, but there’s something here that’s a bit off. I think the cool earthy note is just a bit too prominent, and gets amplified by the powderiness from the lilac. I do get the slight sharp green grass and clover, and get the really pretty heliotrope and mimosa, and those notes do work well together. MRP, 6/10.
Poesie A La Reine (fresh ripe tomato, cucumber, a bouquet of garden herbs, sweet soil, all damp from the summer rain). This is a lovely fresh green scent, which is entirely up my alley. I tend to not really like herbal scents, despite loving green scents. So I guess it’s the cucumber and tomato really letting it be fresh and crisp without being sharp. The soil and summer rain notes do let it be cool and fresh, too, which again, I think helps mute any sharp herbal qualities. DRP, 9/10.
Poesie Cauldron of Morning (powdery marshmallows laced with licorice, juicy plum and blood orange, gardenia, green rose, rich mahogany). This was sort of a surprise scent that I’m still not quite sure I like a ton. This has a sort of perfume-y quality, which makes the sweet marshmallow and rich licorice and mahogany feel very pretty. I’m guessing that’s how the fruit and floral notes all come together? I can’t break them down into individual notes. I do tend to like marshmallow notes, and this seems to be one of the few licorice-forward scents that I like, I think partly because it’s similar enough to the mahogany (in that they’re both similarly rich, deep scents) that some of the harsh bite of the licorice is partly hidden. WRP, 8/10.
Poesie Cardigan (creamy Mysore sandalwood spiced with cardamom pods & pimento berries, French vanilla, white chocolate, comforting sweater musk). This is pretty much what it says on the tin – a musky, spiced vanilla and sandalwood combo. I know a lot of this sub likes vanilla/sandalwood scents, and I think it’s nice but not what I always want to smell like. Cardamom is one of the few spice notes I like, and it really works well in here – it adds a neat little edge to an otherwise comfy scent. DRP, 7/10.
Poesie Poison Pen Lane (black tea, berry and ginger scones spread with jam, polished mahogany, fuzzy jumpers, a hint of cyanide). It’s mostly flaky, buttery berry scones on me. There’s some of the black tea to add some darker richness, although it’s not super strong. I’ve never quite managed to place the mahogany (it might just blend in with the tea), and don’t know what fuzzy jumpers or cyanide are supposed to taste like. WNRP, 5/10.
Poesie Bookish (the slightly sweet smell of aged pages and leathery covers). Leather notes vary widely between houses, and this is honestly the first one that I could recognize as leather and actually like. It’s just this absolutely warm, rich, nearly spicy leather note along with the creamy vanillic scent of old paper. Sort of simple with only the two notes, but incredibly yummy and rich and nuanced. DRP, 10/10.
Poesie Pemberley (a stunning English garden where crushed tomato leaf, flowering woodbine & wisteria, peony petals, oak and ivy leaf blend seamlessly). I think I amp tomato leaf, which is a shame because it can overpower a lot of other notes. I like green scents, but it usually is just a touch too sharp for my tastes. So I get quite a bit of tomato leaf on the drydown, but it miraculously fades some. There are flashes of floral notes and richness from the oak, so overall it’s a sort of green garden vibe. It’s fresh, almost like there’s a rainwater note or something. It’s more unisex since the flowers don’t dominate, as well, so I like it a bit more than, say, Poesie’s Elizabeth. WRP, 8/10.
Poesie Artemis (sweet meadow grasses, sparkling lakewater, saffron + rockrose, dried hay, a summer breeze). This is like marigolds as a perfume, capturing the different golden shades, the slightly spicy floral scent, and the feel of late summer. There’s quite a lot of the dried hay scent, and it goes almost herbal and a bit cool. I think that’s a mix of the meadow grasses and breeze – they add the sort of depth to the hay. I think some of the coolness is also from the lakewater, and I don’t know if that “sparkling” word is supposed to mean aldehydes or anything, because there is definitely a fresh, sparkling aspect to it. Something about this seems to give a slightly floral note. DRP, 8/10.
Poesie You Tempt Me (vanilla custard, marzipan, sweet cherries, a hint of pastry crust, ambery notes). There’s a ton of yummy vanilla, creamy custard, and amber in here, with a bit of sweet fruit (I can’t quite tell that it’s cherry unless I look up the notes) and almondy marzipan. And this is truly only a hint of pastry crust. I find that a lot of dairy notes and pastry (maybe it’s all the butter in the pastry…?) don’t really work on me, so this is a happy surprise! I haven’t ventured too far into vanilla/amber blends, so this is very pretty and fills a nice hole in my collection. DRP, 8/10.
Sucreabeille Dead or Alive (juicy, plump strawberries, sweet hazelnut toffee, a fresh grass stain on the knee of your favorite pair of jeans, animalistic musk, the kind an animal gives off when it’s being threatened by someone wanting to throw down fisticuffs). I primarily get the toffee, and it’s definitely an interestingly complex note – it’s almost overly sweet but still rich and almost creamy? The hazelnut really brings out a rich, dark edge to it – I almost thought there was a coffee note in here. There’s just a touch of something fresh mixed in, and I can’t even tell if it’s the strawberry or the grass stain. I’ll admit that I was mostly here for all of the notes except the toffee since I’m not a huge fan of gourmands, but for a toffee scent it’s pretty nice. WNRP, 4/10.
Poesie Twice to Tea (a strongly brewed cup of Earl Grey tea delicately infused with all natural lavender absolute, sweetened with vanilla syrup, and lightened with a splash of milk). I love tea notes and should love this scent, but it just doesn’t work for me. I primarily get a very herbal lavender and a ton of the bergamot, and it’s just emphasizing my least favorite parts (strong citrus and herbal notes). The black tea note comes after those two. I can tell that it has a tea note, but it’s not quite a tea scent to me. I feel like as this dries, it gets a bit better as the lavender mellows out and becomes a bit more complex and less sharp, but there’s still something a little off here. WNRP, 4/10.
Sucreabeille Atlantis (grassy green tea, vibrant purple orchids, blooming cherry blossoms, rice milk). This dram is the first non-sample-sized scent I’ve finished off! This is primarily sort of aquatic and cool and fresh and sweet. No idea where that comes from. The pretty orchid and cherry blossom notes are delicate and sort of heady. The green tea is most present when I get a whiff something almost sharp and grassy (more like cut grass). It’s sort of weird, since green tea is usually not a sharp note for me. WNRP, 5/10.
Astrid Pixies in the Herb Garden (Warm summer blooms, holy basil, Italian lemon, thyme, green mandarin, and golden amber). This was a free sample and I surprisingly really loved it! Citrus and herb notes are just super hit-or-miss for me, and I tend to like them when they’re more of background notes. I get mostly a sweetened citrus vibe, sort of like candied lemon peel – there’s very little bitterness at all. It’s fresh and bright and pretty. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of that is the golden amber mixed with the Italian lemon and mandarin. The basil and thyme work really well on me, too – they go almost green and earthy on me, rather than too herbal, and just ground the sweetness. WRP, 8/10.
Astrid Motherwort (Oakmoss, fougère, white tea, black rose petal accord, nerolina, and ginger). The oakmoss and fougere dominate in here. I’ve never seen fougere as a note before, just as a scent type. I do get a lot of the herbal/green notes found in fougeres along with the sharp, woody oakmoss. It’s simultaneously a sort of clean masculine scent and a very murky scent, both with a sort of aquatic vibe. There’s both a slight zing from the ginger and a rich sweetness from the rose. WNRP, 6/10. I think it’s just a bit too masculine for my taste in green unisex scents.
Astrid Breath of Frog (Fresh lily pad, swamp moss, green musk, bamboo, key lime, and green tea). I think at times this has gone a bit too clean/soapy and therefore fake, especially if I maybe wear too much of this at once. I can’t even really make out most of the notes on their own, so I can’t even really figure out which note it could be. Because before it was a very pretty watery green scent with a bright citrusy kick from the key lime. WNRP, 5/10.
Haus of Gloi Scarecrow (Dried corn husks, dust, straw, weathered wood and a ruffle of inky black feathers). Surprisingly pretty cool and fresh. I’m assuming the dust is coming across more like dirt or earth. There’s something sort of almost fruity or wine-like underneath that. And maybe it’s the mix of the weathered wood note mixed with the cool vibe in here, but it almost seems sort of balsamic or pine-like. I’m sort of sad since I don’t get any straw or corn husks, so it’s not super scarecrow-like, but it’s more atmospheric of empty fields on a cold November morning after the harvest. A lot of fall scents include notes that don’t work for me or that I dislike, so this is a happy fall favorite. DRP (as a soft bubbling scrub), 7/10.
Haus of Gloi Tonic #5 (Sweetgrass and aquatic notes with lavender, tea tree and rosemary). This was a freebie with an order and not something I’d pick out myself. I like lavender in perfumes, but only like tea tree and herbal scents in bath products, so I ended up using this in foot soaks and things. It’s pretty sharp from the rosemary and lavender, especially paired with the sweetgrass and that unmistakably astringent tea tree note. It’s simultaneously sort of invigorating and pampering, and did its job well in that regard, but I’ve ended up with enough scents to use for bath products that I don’t need to buy this. WNRP, 5/10.
Haus of Gloi Ferntree Gully (Lush green fern fronds, humid air, and smooth stone). This was always a somewhat simple scent, but towards the end (about a year or so after buying) it went very fake like fabric softener. It’s a fresh watery green scent that reminds me of being by a pond or creek. I’ll admit I liked it but was never too impressed with it since I have similar but more complex scents, but it going off near the end is negatively affecting how I perceive this scent. MRP as a bath/body product, 6/10.
Haus of Gloi Midsummer Honeysuckle (Sultry honeysuckle, tomato leaf, and rich garden soil). This wasn’t quite what I wanted. There was just way too much tomato leaf and too little honeysuckle. I ended up using this with some honeysuckle scents that were a little too sweet for me. It’s hard to tell due to using multiple scents, but I think this may have gone a bit off and fake-smelling towards the end. I’d noticed a sort of plasticky oddness after 4+ hours of wear after over a year of owning this. WNRP, 4/10.
Haus of Gloi Marshmallow (Fresh marshmallow, right out of the bag.). It’s a nice marshmallow scent, very straightforward. A bit more sweet vanilla-y and a bit softer and thicker. I’m very picky about toasted marshmallow notes, so this being a fresh marshmallow is nice. That said, I’ve gotten out of mixing layering notes so much. WNRP, 7/10.
Haus of Gloi Apple Milk (Apple pulp, hot milk and cardamom). It’s a slightly spicy but juicy apple scent. Mostly apple, which is really great. And the cardamom is a nice bit of spice – it’s thankfully not super cinnamon-y, since I dislike cinnamon, but still gives it that slight warmth and kick. MRP in other formats, 7/10.
Death & Floral Filled with the Heat of a Reckless Summer (Realistic blueberry bush, honeysuckle wafting in the air, surrounded by the scent of an aging barn). This is a 5 mL rollerball and it’s finished! At first I liked this as a honeysuckle note, but over time I’ve changed my mind. This actually seems like a decent honeysuckle note on its own, but the other notes don’t quite work as well. It’s still a bit sweet and nearly honey-like, but there’s this tang to it that may be from the blueberry or may be trying to recreate a more realistic honeysuckle note. And there’s this sort of creamy vanilla-ish undertone that amps up the sweetness. It takes a couple hours for the “aging barn” note to come out, and it’s pretty good. It’s got this sort of musty soil-like quality along with something sort of peppery but also a smoothed out woody note. As someone who’s had and been around lots of aging barns, this fits pretty well. I do think I’m missing the actual blueberry bush – there’s the tang in the honeysuckle that might be actual blueberry, but I’m missing any actual bush-like scent. MRP, 7/10 (although I have another one already that I got as a gift).
NAVA Honeysuckle Crystalline (Egyptian Honeysuckle, Blue European Honeysuckle, White Japanese Honeysuckle crystal and Egyptian Vanilla). This is a very nice and pretty complex honeysuckle scent. A lot of others lose the complexity and end up with a more syrupy sweet note. This does still have some of that sweetness, especially after 5+ hours (I get 10+ hours of wear with this), but retains a lot of the rich complexity. I do also get some of the creamy vanilla, which doesn’t overpower the honeysuckle and instead just pairs well with and amplifies it. MRP, 8/10.
CocoaPink Hummingbird (Wild golden honeysuckle, Kentucky grass, blue lotus infiltrated with delicate cool earth notes). This ends up a bit fake on me. It definitely seems like it would be better as a shower product. Overall it’s cool and fresh and a touch powdery – I can sort of tell the grass note and the cool earth, but none of the notes are really distinct. I’m assuming the powdery bit is from the blue lotus, and the cheap/fake feel to the scent is from one or both of those notes. There’s maybe just the barest hint of honeysuckle (a note that can fade quickly, but I can usually smell more of the syrupy sweet, warm floral). Overall it’s something that seems better when applied sparingly – I don’t notice the cheap quality as much that way. MRP as a bath/body product, 4/10.
CocoaPink Blackberry Cotton Candy Frosting (Cotton candy frosting, moist yellow cake sprinkled with juicy ripe blackberries). This was one of those scents that surprised me. When I first got it, I was just starting to get into gourmands. I didn’t think I wanted a super sweet cotton candy note, and blackberry is a funky scent on me. But I was happily surprised by the cake note in here and how the cotton candy frosting pairs with it. It’s still a bit sweet and fruity on me, but was way better than I expected! WNRP, 7/10.
Fantome Ectoplasm (Spooky, goopy marshmallow over bone-chilling white musk, sweet amber, a gossamer sugar glaze, dark myrrh, and creeping greenery). This is cool and sweet and marshmallowy, but the amber and myrrh add this dark sweet resinous, nearly woodsy vibe, and the greenery is fresh and vibrant and there almost seems to be some sort of moss mixed in. It’s very reminiscent of a cool, green version of Fyrinnae Marshmalloud (a favorite and my first indie scent ever), which I’ve described as “toasting marshmallows on a bonfire while camping in the autumn woods”, except most wood and fire/smoke notes don’t work for me. This is more like “eating toasted-but-now-cooled-off marshmallows in the late Novembeearly December woods”. DRP, 10/10.
Forelsket Blomsterjordbaer. A very good strawberry single note. It was a bit sweet but wasn’t fake-smelling. I added some of this to my hair oil and to different other perfumes, but didn’t wear it on its own too much. MRP (if the store opens back up), 7/10.

Below ideas are written in 1 week post launch; few of them may be repeat of previous far-fetched outings. Balancing-related ones are based on veteran difficulty unless otherwise stated.

GENERAL / SYSTEM

• Different sensitivity for each zoom level.
• There should be options for FF (friendly fire) damage indicator:
• - On (red color)
• - On (yellow color)
• - On but fades near instantly (red)
• - Doesn't dispaly for FF
• The "Dot" reticle/crosshair is too thick that it obstructs point of aim (should be a lot thinner).
• 3rd reticle style "Dot and Ring" that use a ring to show the state of accuracy.
• 4th reticle style "Double Rings". A fixed ring indicating the point of aim which fades out based on the inaccuracy on top of another invisible ring that fades in and blooms to show the state of accuracy.
• An option to make the aim point on reflex and holo sight susceptive to weapon recoil.

• Custom deck name should be made publically visible for better co-op.
• The ability to share slash copy-paste deck build.

• A "Stick With Current Team" button at the end of a run to seamlessly re-queuing the same run when a run is failed, or furthering the run (into the next mission if available) when succeeded, or simply returning Fort Hope together when the run is either failed or succeed but not all players agreed.
• The ability to give up the party leader position; if no party leader is present then any given player may choose to become the party leader in the mission menu.

• More matchmaking options:
• - Filtering out selected mission when quick joining.
• Post game screen (after action report) can be improved with:
• - more accolades per person.
• - the stats will instead written as XXX+YYY (previous amount + amount from this round).
• - the listing animation should run faster by displaying all items at once instead of one by one.
• - skip the confirmation on the copper yield (it should just be put on the screen).
• Mid join experience is a** right now. Taking over a bot should at least inherit what the bot has, meaning the loadout differential could happen until the next level/round.
• There should probably be a "Take a Break" feature similar to L4D, or quite simply a pause feature (this is a co-op game for crying out loud).

• [Bug?] Spamming the "Continue" button prompt on the copper yield in post-game screen may crash the game. Not 100% sure on this, but the game has crashed on me a couple of times during intermission.
• [NotBugBut] Auto trigger (All Weapon Full-Auto) should be re-done that it'll simply repeat trigger pull at certain interval instead of making weapons actually full-auto on their given full-auto RoF, so that players could fire on normal RoF manually.

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COSMETIC

• I understand it would require quite a lot of work, but I feel it's ultimately more interesting to have character cosmetic be customizable on a component basis, such as changing just the headgeahat with the Original B4B Outfit.
• Greater quantity of character cosmetics to compensate the absence of workshop/mod support.
• Ditto, of which the majority should be directly purchasable via supply points - while some remain inside the supply line and behind the accomplishment.

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GAMEPLAY / BALANCE

• Police car should contain a bulk of ammo of a random type instead of containing copper in most cases.
• Police car to have a small chance to contain weapon. Similarly, there should be SWAT trucks as the weaponary counterpart to ambulance that could contain medical items.
• Alternate method to deploy Propane Tank and Gas Canister that sets the object down at the coordinates of your character bypassing physics.

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• It's kind of frustrating to be stripped away of your strategy slash style of play, we should always start with the first 3 cards in our deck regardless what difficulty level is it.
• Ditto, the deck maximum could increase by 1 from 15 to 16.
• Some amount of supply points, even if it's just a small amount, should be given when failing.
• Friendly fire ratio on recruit/veteran/nightmare should be 10/25/50% instead of 0/35/60%, plus FF on recruit to be non-lethal (can't down or kill downed teammate).
• Ditto, certain type of FF should be further lessened, such as the "Combat Knife (card)", the molotov, the gas canister. Also, melee FF should be capped (looking at you Berserkers).
• There is little to no reason for the mutations (special riddens) other than the Ogre, the Hag and the Breaker to scale health along with the difficulty levels. This is supposed to be what the corruption card (namely the armor) is for.
• Stronger corruprtion cards should alter enemy's stats also in a negative way much like players' so their influence would actually be interesting.

• Not sure if it's already this way, but certain chip damage should be put on a lower ratio in trauma damage, such as the burning ridden (Charred Ridden).
• Temporary health should allow overheal up to a percentage (say 25%) of one's max health - or by a flat amount say (15 more), otherwise cards like "Amped Up" is quite useless. That said, overhealed tempoary health will decay twice as fast.
• Temporary health should have a somewhat longer delay (say 2s) before it starts decaying.
• - Or to combat temporary health being too readily available hence somewhat OP, temporary health will take noticeably longer to start decaying but the rate would be noticeably quicker, say adding a 10s delay then speed up the decay rate by 50%.

• Tool Kit amount and capacity to be quadrupled and introduce more applications for it, such as:
• - detach weapon attachment; different rarity will cost differently
• - remove corroded weapon attachment
• - secured container similar to the Mini-gun case that requires different amount of Tool Kit to unlock for different degrees of goodness inside.
• - unlock otherwise un-interactable car trunk for potential loot.
• Inventory should be somewhat full-blown where the inventory increment would allow carrying mixed things such as 1 Health Kit and 1 Pain Med, or different tiers of the same item.
• Similarly, give players a small amount of full-blown inventory for misc. things such as the special delivery container (items for the optional mission).
• Ditto, there could be a variety of optional resource that players could choose to carry in the misc. slot for later benefit, such as:
• - Gun parts: collect enough parts to redeem a weapon of your choice directly via the vendor; different tier has different cost.
• - Med ingredients: grant additional free use to a First Aid Station.
• - Car key: disarm a car alarm.
• - Silver Bullet: the next 10 hits on any mutation weakspot will inflect 25 extra damage.
• - Teddy: gain 20% trauma resistance while carrying a Teddy, has a 40% to be lost when entering the next saferoom.
• -- Stamina supplement: discount on all stamina expenses for a duration after exiting the next saferoom; double duration on the person who delivered it.
• *Content inside the misc. slot could induce disadvantage with the most common type being -3% movement speed and -15% swap speed.
• [Bug?] "Meat Grinder (LMG crouch accuracy)" will instead lower the accuracy when stacking with the LMG sustained fire stabilization.

WEAPONS

• Reloading while zoomed should un-zoom faster to ameliorate dizziness.
• [Glock Auto] Either the recoil animation or the positional origin of bullet tracer should be adjusted on this gun to address the bullet tracers looking weird on this gun.
• Similarly-speaking, the 1st-person animation for holding the weapon in crouch position should be tweaked certain weapon (such as the pistols) for better alignment between their bullet tracer and point of aim.

• There should be more listings for primary and secondary weapons in the vendor menu, along with more listing for weapon attachment.
• Bullet spread for firing should be directional (skyward/upward by default) to an extent to reflect the recoil.
• The hand sway from movement as well as the recoil animation could be increased to reflect the inaccuracy slash the accuracy bloom; otherwise it's kinda cringy to see bullet tracers going way off despite the gun pointing straight.
• Perhaps re-work the accuracy factor in the weapon system so that inaccuracy also includes the accuracy recovery rate.
• Center speed should be an actual component inside the weapon system rather than an auxiliary feature.
• Accuracy affects shotgun pellet spread too comedically; the grouping should largely stick together per the degree of accuracy and the inaccuracy will instead mostly translates to how far off the center is from the point of aim.
• Less handy/mobile weapons like the AA-12, M249, and Barrett 50-cal should also suffer movement speed reduction while reloading.

• AK47 should probably have ~35% less range and 25% higher base capacity (20 to 25).
• M9 makes no sense to have 12-round base capacity; the handling increment versus the Glock could be lessened a little bit.
• Ditto, the Glock could have slightly higher damage (since it's .40SW if I'm not mistaken).
• M1911 should have aprox. 20% higher damage and aprox. 20% less range.
• The Belgian should have a longer aprox. 1s back-swing before it can start reloading to better reflect its recoil. To compensate, its ADS speed and base spread could be aprox. 40% faster and 20% tighter respectively.
• M16 serves no gameplay purpose; If it has higher per shot damage, then it makes sense to have a such 3-round burst AR that'd be the most cost-effective AR to deal with the specials and bosses alike, with the same attribute also making it less efficient against commons as a trade-off. On this note, I would say giving M16 worse hipfire, higher per shot damage and effective range, and a pseudo full-auto capability where the between burst delay will only happen when letting go the [fire] button (full-auto if [fire] is held).
• M9 Burst is in a similar situation like M16; because this is a light-hitting pistol that has little to no room for firepower adjustment, I would suggest giving M9 Burst 100% higher stumble power and noticeably worse recoil.
• Vector is in an awkward place where it could spawn at too low of rarity with little to no attachment and performs underwhelmingly due to its base stats are made weak to compensate its otherwise best-of-the-class performance. Which is to say, either this gun simply needs better stats such as 5-10% higher per shot dmage and 25-round base capacity, or it needs something unique to secure its niche probably like exceptionally less inaccuracy from movement. Personally I woud like to see Vector equipped with all said improvements but went nearly extinct among the common and uncommon rarity.
• - In case it does spawn at common and uncommon rarity, it'll have worse recoil along with less range and lower damage.
• UMP45 should be somewhat more common.
• Perhaps it's just that the similar better role is reserved for something like a M110 SASS or quite simply the upgraded M39EMR, M1A currently lacks the per shot damage or rate of fire, which are ~10% and ~30% too low respectively, to pair with it's existing handling/recoil.
• Jim's default primary should be the Phoenix, or the optional starting weapon should include a white Phoenix that has corroded mag mod that decreases reload speed.
• Phoenix's damage is 5-10% too high; IMO the game needs an actual mid-high caliber sniper rifle that fires 338 mags.
• Barretta 50cal's RoF is ~40% too high and per shot damage is ~50% too low, and it should cost 2 sniper ammo to reload 1 round.
• Sniper rifles like Phoenix and Barrett should always come scoped (could just be a white rarity scope that offer no stat boost but the magnification).
• This would only be a cosmetic difference, but M249 should use the C79 scope for the hi-mag optic in order to operate the top cover clipping-free (that's why the scope is designed with a fat top portion so the operator can grab the optic instead).
• Holographic sight picture has clarity issue.

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• Accessories of different tierarity to co-exist in the same slot at the same time.
• Firecrackers to apply debuff that causes specials/mutations to take 25/50/75/100% more stumble power.
• Health Kit should heal 5 more trauma across all levels (the white/green/blue/purple one from 0/5/10/15 to 5/10/15/20).

CARDS

• "Fresh Bandages (card)" should take effect in the current level when it's equipped.
• Healing efficiency cards are wasteful to varying degrees due how to trauma being a crucial part of the health system.
• One's healing efficiency should be displayed at somewhere (say below the progress bar) when healing, and the healing efficiency of others should be displayed overhead while holding a healing item.
• The namesake portion of the Bounty Hunter is underwhelming; should be at least 20 copper per kill and the capped value from 300 to 500.
• Marked for Death should be applied via damage instance rather than pinging, and it could offer additional weakspot damage bonus on the first shot when marked via weakspot.
• Ditto, the marked enemy could use a different skull icon, say X-marked, for better indication that the target is being marked with this card.
• [Bug?] "Knowledge Is Power" damage pop-up would stuck on the screen as the game goes into a cut scene. Doesn't break anything but the immersion.

CHARACTERS

• Walker: His precision kill accuracy is either redudant or just not very useful because players with good aim won't need it, whereas players with poor aim won't suddenly be reliably hitting their mark because of it. On this note, it would seem a reload bonus of 20% to be both character-wise fitting and gameplay-wise useful.
• Holly: From +10 stamina to +5 stamina and +1 temporary health, and from any weapon to just melee (including quick bash); otherwise the near infinite stamina often feels outright game-breaking.
• Mom: Tough Love is very useful if not literally useless, this perk should allow Mom's teammate to revive her 50% faster; and or for something much more interesting: allowing downed teammate to revive themself in close vincinty (1.5m?) of Mom but it would be 50% slower this way.
• Doc: the Field Medic perk would seem more resonable to have less short-term heal and more long-term heal by changing it to be on a 60-second cooldown and is no longer restricted to once per person per level; the amount could be lessened to 20.
• Hoffman: Ready to Rock to have additional +10% ammo capacity on Hoffmn himself.
• Jim: The damage bonus could be more organic that insetad of losing all stacks - just like that - from any damage, it'll lose 1 stack - or maybe 2 stacks - per damage taken instead.

ENEMIES

• The head should be the secondary weakspot on all mutations with a few exceptions such as the Hag and the final big boss. Of course, the damage increment of this would only be basic, say 25% versus the default 100%.
• - Weakspot damage bonus will be proportionally lessened to a quarter, ex: a bonus of +50% will be +12.5%.
• Acid pool leave behind by commons (Blighted Ridden) lasts about 2-3s too long.
• Ditto, there could be actual specialized bloated acidic ridden for that kind of gameplay element.
• Ranged Hocker deals too much damage on nightmare; to compensate, Hocker pin could require multiple quick bashes (say 2 or 3) to breakfree.
• Stinger should have some sort of behavioral difference to the Hocker in order to stand out more, perhaps giving Stinger the ability to fire while on the move as well as the habbit to stay mobile while firing.

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MORE CHARACTERS

• Banker: Fireaxe as the only default weapon. Has built-in Copper Scavenger (stacks with card) and the ability to press and hold [interact] on a copper pick-up for a 50-50 chance to either double or nullify that yield, 15% discount on team upgrade, and start with +200 copper.
• Coyboy/girl: Lever-gun as the default primary and a pair of revolvers (Colt SAA?) as the default sidearm. Has the ability to dual wield pistols, +30% team hipfire accuracy, start with a Lasso.
• - Dual-wielded pistols would have -40% reload speed, -30% hipfire accuracy, -20% swap speed.
• - Lasso is a quick item that can be used to pick up item from a distance, bring a pinned teammate closer, and access certain vertical route. Has 5/10/15/20 (white/green/blue/purple) uses.
• Equestrian: Oveunder shotgun as default primary. Has the ability to hipfire while sprinting, +60% team slow resistance, and start with a Saddle.
• - Saddle: double the carry space for miscellaneous items, but -3% movement speed and -10% swap speed for just carrying have the saddle.
• HWG: RPK LMG only. Has the ability to use emplacement (such as Mini-gun) on the go but the handling would be a lot worse that way, +20 health and +20% rifle/lmg ammo, +30% team recoil reduction, start with Frag Rounds.
• - Frag Rounds: A box of explosive bullet, load your gun with a mag of explosive bullets that deal additional splash damage.
• Agent: AS-Val and MP-443 Grach. Has the ability to unlock security door with 50% success rate (90s cooldown, failing nullifies the attempt), +10% move speed and +10% sprint speed, start with a Flash Bang.
• Viking Ranger: Crossbow and a pair of Hatchets. Has the ability to dual wield Hatchets, +25% team melee stamina efficiency, +50% swap speed, start with a Herbal Smoke.
• - Dual-wielding melee weapon will induce: +40% attack speed, -25% damage, +20% melee stamina efficiency.
• - Herbal Smoke is an supportive smoke grenade that on detonation, will drive away common riddens or cause minor stumble to specials/mutations, then makes enemy in exposure suffer -50% melee speed, and heals ally in exposure at the rate of 0/1/2/3 health per second. Has 10/12/14/16s duration and 4/5/6/7m radius, and said radius will begin shrink at the rate of 0.2m per 0.2s during the second half of the duration.
• Yakuza: Mac-10 and Shortsword/Wakizashi. Has the ability to exchange position with a grabbed/pinned teammate, +25/50% team stumble power with bullet/melee which is doubly effective on Yakuza himself, and a small chance to drop 5-25 copper on quick bash kill.
• - Wakizashi: not to be mistaken with katanas which are noticeably longer.

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MORE CARDS

• Space Pirate: -20% copper yield, +100% copper yield while jumping.
• Survival Bonus: Gain 1 copper every 2 seconds while not pinned, incapacitated or dead. The accumulated amount will be wasted if the round is failed.
• Moonwalk: While backpedalling, +20% move speed and immune to external slow.
• Windrun: -20% sprint speed. Your sprint will be increasingly faster, up to +100% sprint speed.
• Intense Breakdance: When you ADAD at the rate of 120APM* or higher, all enemy physical projectile (eg the Ogre beat ball) cannot hit you. *60APM at console. Doesn't work against puke.
• Turtle: -100% stance switch speed, -50% crouched move speed, but crouching gives +15% damage resistance and +30% trauma resistance.
• Fist Bump Hoorah: When you and a teammate fist bashed each other within 0.2s, both of you recover 50 stamina and +30% sprint speed for 10 seconds, during which both of you also heal 1 health per second. This can only work once per 60s.
• Dragon's Breath: When firing a shotgun, the muzzle will burst out a 1.5-meter flame tongue that deals 30% damage of the shot as extra flame damage, but -20% reload speed with shotguns.
• Random Crit: 10% chance to deal double damage with bullet or melee; also applies to FF.
• Heriloom Frying Pan: Turns your bash into a Frying Pan that +300% more stumble power but -50% melee speed.
• Meat Shield: +60 health, +20% incoming healing efficiency, but +20% incoming FF ratio (ex: from 0% to 20%).
• Vampire: Whenever you damaged a teammate, 50% of the FF damage will turn to heal you, of which half is normal health and the other half is temporary health.
• Witch Doctor: When using a healing item, the target has a 75% chance to instantly lose 5 health then be healed for 10 over 5 seconds, or a 25% chance to instantly lose 20 health then be healed for 20 over 10 seconds as well as another 20 temporary health over another 10 seconds.
• Worm Eater: -20 health, -40% incoming healing efficiency, but heal 40% missing health and 80% sustained trauma between saferoom.
• *edit: Extra Flashlight Batteries: Gain the ability to turn the flashlight on and off at will.

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SOME BOLD IDEA HERE

GENERAL

• The game becomes a 5-player co-op on nightmare.
• Spend 1000 supply points to revive a failed run and resert at the point of failure, but previously used characters will be disabled for the remainder of that run. Each failed run can only be revived for 1 time.

CARDS

• Characters have additional perk or greater perk effectiveness, but they'll also have drawbacks, such as:
• - Evangelo: +50% fire resistance and molly tossed by Evagelo will be extra powerful, but -25% stamina efficiency on all action while below 30% health.
• - Holly: +25 team stamina, +10% (self) damage resistance, but Holly has -15 health.
• - Walker: +25% swap speed and 50% less firing slowdown, but friendly fire ratio from Walker will be 15% higher (ex 10% -> 25%).
• - Mom: +1 support inventory, but receive 20% more trauma.
• - Doc: +5 heal and +10 trauma recovery per saferoom for everyone, but -5% movement speed.
• - Hoffman: +10% team ammo and +15% self ammo, but -20% swap speed and -50% vault/climb speed.
• - Jim: +60% ADS aim speed, but -30% ADS movement speed.
• - Karlee: +75% resistance to fall damage and -25% incap trauma, but -50% revive speed.

BURN CARDS

• Burn cards are a separate batch of consumable cards. They are either scavenged in the world or purchased via the vendor with copper, and only usable/activatable before the exiting the saferoom.
• Rework certain cards to be burn cards instead, such as "Group Therapy", "Saferoom Recovery", "Inspiring Sacrifice" and "Avenge the Fallen".

MATERIALS

• Material is another in-match resource similar to copper that can be used for a variety of things, such as upgrading a weapon of choice by 1 tier (ex: from the common to uncommon).
• - By default, each weapon can only be upgraded this way for 1 time. There could be cards that allow further upgrade(s).
• Material is passively gained per round/level, and the amount will be affected by the difficulty level.
• Material can be spent between saferoom for:
• - ammo of a specific type of a pick-up (the amount you would drop with a single left-click)
• - healing of 15
• - trauma recovery of 5
• - As of now the model I have in mind is gaining 60/45/30 material per round/level on recruit/veteran/nightmare, and ammo costs 5 material, healing costs 5, trauma costs 10, upgrading weapon costs 15.

PISTOL VARIETIES

• There could be way more pistols each with different quirks, such as:
• - M9: Baseline, decent overall while being affordable, always listed in the vendor.
• - P320/M17: bigger mag (17 vs 15) but but somewhat more expensive and rarer than the M9.
• - Px4 Compact: Quicker to swap, slightly less range, and slightly higher recoil than the M9.
• - Shield Plus: Significantly quicker to swap, noticeably less range, significantly smaller mag size (10-round vs 15-round) than the M9.
• - .40SW P229: Slightly quicker to swap, somewhat higher damage, somewhat higher recoil, and smaller mag size (13 vs 15) than the M9.
• - M1911 GI: Slightly slower to swap, higher damage, significantly higher recoil, noticeably lower RoF, and smaller mag size (8 vs 15) than the M9.
• - M45CQBP: Slightly higher damage, slightly lower recoil, slightly higher RoF, and bigger mag size (10 vs 8) than the M1911 GI.
• - USP45: Somewhat slower to ADS, marginally higher recoil, and bigger mag size (12 vs 10) than the M45CQBP.
• - FNP45-Tac: Slightly slower to ADS, slightly lower recoil, and bigger mag than the USP45 (15 vs 12).
• - PPQ: Slighly higher base accuracy, less per shot bloom/inaccuracy, less sway, and 0.1x higher ADS zoom than the M9.
• - Canik SFX: Faster aim, faster reload, slighly higher RoF than the M9.
• - MP-443 Grach: slightly higher recoil, slightly lower RoF, bigger mag (18 vs 15) than the M9. Also, MP-443 Grach is very rare to scavenge from the world, even rarer to be listed by the vendor, but it also has dedicated drop/loot source.
• - .38 Snubnose: A lot cheaper, somewhat quicker to swap, slightly faster ADS, somewhat higher damage, noticeably less range, lower RoF, and slower reload than the M9.
• - Ruger Mk5: Noticeably lower damage, lower stumble power, a lot lower recoil, longer range, and better silencer efficiency than the M9.
• - Pistol carbine chassis: A lot slower swap, a lot lower recoil, a lot less sway, slightly slower reload, and somewhat slower ADS than the M9.

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*edit1:
- Slight polish to some wordings.
- Added some ideas (such as the 4th reticle style, the SWAT truck and the C79 scope for M249).
- Tweaked some of the character nightmare pros and cons.
- Further explain on the optional resource, plus some examples.
- Added tweaked some character suggestions (such as giving Saddle to Equestrian) and added Agent among the character suggestions.
- Further explanation on the burn cards and the material.
- Added MP-443 Grach among the pistol vareities
​
​

I finally beat the whole game, and decided to see how much resource is given to player on Hard Mode.
Because 0 doesn't have inventory, so I have to pick up everything and drop them on the ground for them to show up on map, and due to that, I'm not gonna show any pictures this time.
Hard Mode Resource:
33 Ink Ribbons
575 Handgun Ammo (Both Handgun Chambers Included)
101 Shotgun Ammo (Both Shotgun Chambers Included)
18 Regular Grenades
12 Napalm Grenades
12 Acid Grenades
33 Magnum Ammo (Chamber Included)
27 Molotov Cocktail (36 Gasoline & 27 Empty Bottles)
4 RBG Herbal Mix
3 GGG Herbal Mix
5 RG Herbal Mix
7 First-Aid Spray
1 GG Herbal Mix
If I didn't miss anything, here should be everything in the game.
Wouldn't advice on killing everything, because on Hard Mode, you need approximately 10 - 12 handgun rounds to kill 1 zombie, if you try to kill every enemy, you will run out of ammo faster than you think.
And the bosses have very thick HP, the Infected Bat is hard to hit, and will summon a lot of small bats to waste your ammo; the Centurion's weakness is its head, and is really easy to miss the head because it's constantly moving; the Stinger weakness is also its head, you need to aim down to hit it, otherwise it will be a waste of ammo.
And the Proto Tyrant, god I hate that thing, it hits hard, and it's fast, and it suck a lot of ammo, not to mention you need to face it twice, so, good luck.
Finally, the Queen Leech. That thing has a very thick HP, it can take 80-100 handgun rounds, and that's only the first time, in the end, you need to deal enough damage to get its attention and cover Rebecca at the same time, if you didn't have enough firepower, you're pretty much dead in the water.
RE0 is a lot harder than RE1, in RE1 you can get the Infinite Rocket Launcher from Normal Mode, then use it on Hard Mode, but RE0 is different, what you get from Normal stays in Normal, so you need to beat Hard Mode at least once to get Infinite Rocket Launcher for Hard Mode.
Just sharing some info for anyone who needs it, good luck~

Recent Update changelog: v0.1.4.3 The Political Armor update -Added Political Armor, an armor set post-Prime Minister -Nerfed Bee Bodyguard and Starlazer v0.1.4.2 the update -added the final boss lol -fixed a ton of bugs with drones: drones have been fixed so that they dont despawn anymore enemies will target drones more than the player controlling it added a drone cancel button to manually cancel the drone (defaults to Q) when your drone is destroyed, you get teleported to where the drone died there are also going to be more drone variants added hypno keeper, removed beenado. added new weapons new plant weapons new plant accessories the scope creep was too much, i cant even remember what i added in the past months v0.1.4.1 small patch of patches Changed Nightlight Slicer description because IT WAS TOO FUCKING EDGY added time looper, important item taht lets you fight post ml bosses again after they canonically die v0.1.4.0 Jerry Update Major Tomato Biome Overhaul (not really the generation is the same) added tomato floating island above tomato fields bounties have been completely removed and are now inaccessible Added Jerry EX Holy Tomato drops from Jerry EX now Jerry Pet now mocks you Added new enemeies: Ketchup Abomination Tomato Man Royal Tomato Man Added music for tomato fields Added new Weapons: Red Angel Staff of the Red Painter Blaster Arm Added smores which drop from the post ml bosses and increase ur stats when favorited Added new accessories: Seed Modifiers, which affect seeds you shoot (plant class) Peat Moss Magic Beans Aloe Vera Bucket of Sunshine Carrot Necklace Vile Bug Spray Bloody Concoction i swear i added other stuff v0.1.3.2 The Sigma Update COOL BALANCEING CHANGES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -Redid thunder cock -Added Smelly Bill, a new boss -Redid Blizzard and Beenado -Also redid Prime Minister -Added boss head for Prime Minister -Completly Re-did the Soul Keys (Thank you Stardust) -Added new accessories: Primetime Pincer Armor Plating Epic Goggles -Added Ghost Potions -Added new Weapons: Cool Beats Smelly Slingshot Phonogun Devil's Matchstick Sparkle Boom Goahst Staff Goatarang Apple Assault Blaster Ripcore Apple Stick Bee Bodyguard Staff Government Support Staff -Added two new Plant class armors: Ceramic Armor Set Porcelain Protector Set you will look gorgeous wearing this ;) -Added Drones: Onion Drone Cactiny BCB-35 Fixed an oversight where you could craft 75 cortarrows instead of 50. Fixed a bug where multiple Cortal Juniors spawn from the Cortascale armor set bonus. Lunatic Cultist now always drops Life Fragments. Fixed Gardener Pants recipe. Nerfed the Cosmic Sling Made the Tomato, Carrot, Potato, and Wheat tiles not breakable by weapons. :) Balanced Vaccumccumber or whatever the hell youre supposed to spell it Prime Minister is now a weeb who watches animes about how great he is Added Core, the final boss. There are many other things I probably added but somehow forgot. Also a few resprites here and there. Added the thing thats the thing that does the thing where it does th. v0.1.3.1 small mini update -Beekeeper's dialogue changed to make her sound much better. -Added a summon item for Prime Minister, you'll have to talk to the Beekeeper for it! -Added a new Accessory: The Money Necklace! -Added Emergency Escape, an accessory dropped by Cortal which saves you from death by teleporting you to spawn, and despawning all enemies. -Added new weapons: Hot Shot Battery Blaster Grass Wand Glass Cannon Clover Clobber Erlenmeyer Warhammer Chaos Caster Reinforced Carrot Spudiscus Bioluminator Added a new miniboss: Commando Flashlight, who will ambush you Post-Cortal! -(Unfinished and Unstable) Added Bounty Hunting! Craft lures for Radicow's bounties, travel to different dimensions, and help Radicow eliminate his most wanted bounties! Current Bounties and Subworlds: Poltergate - The Gatrix Pinball - Ricochet Rocks Bounty hunting is still not done and is still not stable so do not try it yet ok please -Added Emergency Escape, an accessory dropped by Cortal which saves you from death by teleporting you to spawn, and despawning all enemies. -Added 2 new weapons, Hot Shot and Battery Blaster! v0.1.3.0 Big Update !!!!!!! New icon!!!!! Boohoo onion is "less mobile" Cherry Bomber takes time to jump, less grenades, lowered damage Cob drone is slower and takes 2 more seconds to buff enemies, and also no longer buffs defense Grape Destruction only shoots when it has a line of sight at you, proejctiles will no longer pass through tiles, damage and defense of the grape lefttovers are lowered They no longer spawn underground and in the dungeon. They only spawn anywhere but those two places. Added music for Thunder Cock, along with more chicken screams. Added the Pearstrike, an enemy that spawns after Skeletron is defeated. Any Queen Bees you fight after beating one for the first time will be named "Queen Bee's Daughter". Acorn Spirits will no longer spawn naturally (chopping too much trees) after beating one for the first time. Added Frost Savage Armor, a new Melee Armor. Added Gardener Armor, a new Plant Armor. Added Nightmare Armor, a new Ranged Armor. Added Starrite Armor, a new Summoner Armor. Added Cherry Cakes Nerfed Cortal for the 3rd time i think Added Gizmo Helmet Oh did i forget to mention I added a new crimson herb like 5 updates ago? Soul Catcher now has changed dialogue Carrotyx and Potatiumite now take longer to mine Fixed Nebulily Added Soul Maker Added Zap Staff Reduced Energy Blaster Heal Cacterus has been shutted up, except for phase 2 transition and ending Added Dandelions Added Vacuucumbers Added Herbacutter Added Icicle Basher Added Bad Moon Rising Added Cosmic Leaf Added Cosmic Sling Added Ghost Sprout Sling Added Determinator Added Bamboo Shoot Added Bean Bomb Blaster Added a secret toggleable option, which is not so secret Magic Storage tiles will now count towards the Chest Wasteland Biome Added the Prime Minister, a new boss. There are still changes to be made, but those will be for future small updates.v0.1.2.9 Added 4 new mobs that spawn after Eye of Cthulhu is defeated. Added four new items: Cherries, Grapes, Onions, and Corn. Added the Starlazer, a new summoner weapon. Photon pet obtaining timer will now reset if you move. Ichor elementals will no longer spawn in pre-hardmode. Crystal and Cursed Flame Elementals will also not spawn in Pre-hradmode. Tomato field generation completly remade, is now tomato shaped, will now override sand and no more dirt wall pillars. Tile requirements for Tomato Fields are lowered from 200 to 100. v0.1.2.8 Fixed multiplayer!!!!!!!!!!!!! LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOO! Lesser and Greater Reverse Healers will not affect dummies Chloro bottles stack to 1 now eggs give less yolk owo Cacterus Spikes will now only say stuff in chat when cacterus is alive Merchant will now sell seeds Carrotaprisma has been buffed (80 -> 140 damage) Carrotaprisma mana cost and hp drain increased Beenado Fight has been revamed entirely (still no drops) Only players with the Nightmare debuff can see, be hurt, and be debuffed by Nightmare mobs. Blizzard's Frost Wave attack spread has been nerfed Added Iceberg Lettuce, Spinach Captain, Rose Shield, and Pumpkitron, new Potted Turrets obtainable in Hardmode! Existing Potted Turrets have been modified to be able to be boosted by Spinach Captain Added the Transformer, an accessory that drops from Thunder Cock, with the same 1/5 rate as the other Prehardmode Bosses! v0.1.2.7 Added Accessories obtained from some of the Pre-HM Bosses! Added: King Slimes Crown Glasses of Cthulhu Collarbone Collar Necromancy Guide Royal Stinger Eater of Soles Blood Climbing Gear Added Acorn Spirits, they spawn when you've chopped too much trees Spud Lord now is immune to some lingering projectiles v0.1.2.6 Added Steak, which drops from cows. Added afritada, another craftable food item that you can sometimes cook badly! Added Potted Turrets, herb-like tiles that grow into sentries that live forever. You need "seeds" of that Turret to be able to plant it on Pots, Planter Boxes, or tilled dirt. Currently there are 4 Pre-Hardmode potted turrets: Sap-Ling (Sappy Acorn) Tobaccap (Tobaccap Spore Bag) Catcus (1/5 drop from Cacterus, in stacks of 2-4) Carrotillery (Carrocket) Added the Glowsword and Energy Blaster, weapons made from Linimisifrififlium. Reduced the bullet spread of Herbawarp Gun Did not fix the mod in multiplayer Note: The bug with Chickens and Cows being able to do orgies when breeding has not been fixed yet. v0.1.2.5 Added The Soul Catcher, another Post-Moon Lord boss fought in the Underworld (Music made by Yuri O! Thank you so much!) Added Linimisifrififlium, a crafting material dropped by Soul Catcher. Gave the Nightmare debuff a cool filter effect on the world, and it has some cool music too! Nightmare Creatures now spawn anywhere when you have the Nightmare debuff. Nightmare Hornet shoots less projectiles. Added pancakes, you can try to cook them, but they can turn out badly! Added Cows Added Milk Buckets Added Butter Added a very scuffed breeding system for Chickens and Cows where you throw seeds at Chickens and slap Wheat at cows. Added Eggs and Egg Yolk. v0.1.2.4 Added Frozen Essence, a drop from Blizzard. Resprited Blizzard. Greatly nerfed the Lil' Chillers, only one of them will spawn now Added the Frost Lance, Ice Slice, and the Snow Globe, crafted from Frozen Essence Added Nightmare Fuel, dropped by Nightmare mobs Added the Scimiterror and the Nightmare Impaler, new weapons made from Nightmare Fuel. Added Blobbo and Bloodo, Pre-Hardmode minibosses that drop the Blob and Blood Core, respectively You can buy their summons from the Witch Doctor. The Blob Core and the Blood Core can be used to spread the evil biomes. Added the Meteor Gun, a rocket launcher that shoots meteors. Cursed Flame Elemntal has been resprited! (Thank you virginwarrior) Added the Rift Shot, a bullet made from Cortascales. Added the Dimension Slicer, a sword made from cortascales. v0.1.2.3 Re-revamped the Cacterus Fight Ending Re-did Cortal's AI Completly. Added the Rod of Cortal, a crafting recipe for the Rod of Cortal, dropped from Enraged Cortal in the Underground Hallow during the day. Buffed Cortascale armor Cortal is now Post-EoW/BoC Added the Spacesaber, a melee weapon that deflects projectiles! Added Nightmare Mobs, spawned when the player has the Nightmare debuff, obtained from Hell Spirits in the Underworld after Moon Lord is defeated Blizzard is now summonable using the Chilly Cube. Throw it in a snow biome. Nerfed Fighting Spirit (I think?) The Soul Keys have cool song!!! Re-did Spud Lord's AI Spud Lord's first phase texture no longer shows in the second phase Re-did Carrot King's AI Nerfed Carrot Biters Herbalgamation now doesnt teleport in its spin phase Herbalgamation's projectiles during the spin phase have a shorter live time. New Textures for these Items: Soul of Fight Fragment of Light Fragment of Night Fragment of Flight Carrotyx Claymore (Thanks Pyrossal!) v0.1.2.2 Revamped the ending of Cacterus Fight! cool dialogue and stuff Buffed Meteor Heads Post-ML Added Asteroid Bars, crafted from Luminite Bars and Meteorite Bars. Added the Gun of the Universe, which is not a shadowbeam staff clone. Storage Overflow Music Box is placeable now :) Thats it lol v0.1.2.1 Added The Spirit Thruster and the Fighting Spirit, new close range weapons made from Souls of Fight. Added the Herbomer, Herballista, and the Herbawarp Gun, new weapons made from Herbal Cores. Completly re-did Herbalgamation AI. Added Blizzard, a new boss, but still unsummonable. Added Starfruit, a new type of Life Crystal item that increases your Max HP Post-Moon Lord. Added Chickens, Raw Chicken, and Coocked Chicken. Also tweaked Thunder Cock's AI. v0.1.2.0 The Plant Update (kind of, it's still wip)! Added herb slingshots, which use seeds as ammo and have special effects based on the weather or biome Added Leaf weapons, which have special effects and abilities based on what it is. New class lol Added the Gardening Glove and Watering Can, new plant accessories Reworked the Spirit Socks Re-did Thunder Cocks AI, not much, but still a change. Added Coconuts Added Wheat Added Coconut Milk, and its corresponding buff Re-did Herbalgamation AI????? Honestly it's still super wack v0.1.1.9 Added Ketchup Water, a special water found in the Tomato Fields (It acts like regular water) Added the Tomato Fish and the Lycofin. Ketchup Slimes have a new sprite! (Thanks Callie!) v0.1.1.8 Added the Tomato Fields, a new biome that generates behind the Dungeon. Tomato Bats and Ketchup Slimes will now spawn there instead of rarely spawning on the surface. Ketchup Slimes now have varying sizes, which scale their health. Added the Ranger set of the Potatiumite Armor. Fixed the recipes for the Potato Probe and Carrotrahedron, making them Post-Plantera v0.1.1.7 Added Tomatoes. Can be thrown or crafted into seeds. Added Ketchup. Added the Tomato Bat and Ketchup Slime, creatures that spawn after Eye of Cthulhu is defeated. Added a recipe to Potato Probe. Added the Carrotrahedron, the boss summon for The Carrot King. Want to experiment with the NPC downed bools? Now you can reset them with the Sans Undertale Branded NPC Downed Bool Resetter! (Unobtainable through regular gameplay, you'll to cheat it in.) Dryad now sells Potatoes, Carrots, and Tomatoes after EoC is defeated. v0.1.1.6 Sorry for the long break, I was staying at my cousins house Added the Photon Light Pet, obtained from not moving for 24 minutes. Buffed Herbalgamation. Added real drops to Herbalgamation. Added a background to the Chest Wastelands. Star Prince and Stylist will not be harmed during a Moon Lord Fight. Added the Terra Dagger, a magic weapon. Demoman Skeleton, Fallen Hero, and Spirit Mage now spawn in Post-Moon Lord dungeons. v0.1.1.5 Added the Dungeon Army, an event summonable using the Skull Beacon. Added New Dungeon Mobs that spawn post-Moon Lord. Fixed the Tree Tome that has been there ever since release. Added Souls of Fight, I wonder what they could be? v0.1.1.4 Added Carrots and Potatoes, which have to be farmed on Tilled Dirt. Added the Rake, a tool used to make Tilled Dirt. Carrotyx and Potatiumite weapons now need Carrots and Potatoes, respectively to make. Carrots and Potatoes are obtained on the first Eye of Cthulhu kill. Nerfed the Herbliterator. v0.1.1.3 Added the other Potatiumite/Carrotyx weapons! Carrotyx and Potatiumite are now resistant to explosions. Darkstring Bow is now a bit inaccurate. v0.1.1.2 Chest Wasteland Shader fixed, it now no longer looks like the second coming of Christ. (your eyes can now live peacefully) Also added The Carrot Claymore, a carrotyx weapon. If you want to submit weapon suggestions, join the discord in the homepage! v0.1.1.1 Added the Nightlight Slicer, Soul Keychain, and Darkstring Bow, new weapons made from the Fragments of Light, Night and Flight! v0.1.1.0 The Big Chest Wasteland Update! New mimic enemies in the Chest Wasteland! The Soul Keys will now drop special fragments, recipes with them will be added soon. Upon defeating the Soul Keys, Chest Wasteland enemies are slightly buffed, and Wasteland Mimics will drop special loot. New Shader added to the Chest Wasteland! Nerfed the Wasteland Mimics stats and Coin Drops. 20 chests are now required for the Chest Wasteland instead of 30. Finally added Boss Heads to the Soul Keys! Added Soul Keys to boss checklist, still kinda wack because idk how to add multiple bosses in one entry. Added Carrotyx Ore and Bars. Redid the Potatiumite ore sprites. Added the McPickaxe and the Drarrot, mining tools that can break Potatiumite and Carrotyx. Dropped by The Spud Lord and The Carrot King, respecitvely. Added the Demon Gauntlet, Space Robe, Platinum Cross, Elixir of Life (pls sponsor me jack daniels), and Broken Hero Knife. Chest Wasteland music box has been added! Several bug fixes. v0.1.0.18 Re-tweaked the elementals' spawning AGAIN. (One spawned while I was fighting another one) v0.1.0.17 Added the Crystal Elemental, miniboss that rarely spawns in the Underground Hallow. Tweaked spawn chance of Ichor and Cursed Flame Elemntals Added the Pencil Wand, still unobtainable. v0.1.0.16 Added The Ichor and Cursed Flame Minibosses, spawning in the Underground Crimson and Underground Corruption rarely. The Spud Lord has a summoning item. There was supposed to be a structure that generates after plantera is defeated, but worldgen will always fail. v0.1.0.15 Added the Carrot King v0.1.0.14 ADDED THUNDER COCK CHICEKEN SOUNDS WOOOOHHOOOOOO Added Post-ML Weapons but nobody cares about those v0.1.0.13 Added the Beenado, it doesnt have actual drops yet. v0.1.0.12 Added The Snowpoff Staff and the Twig Necklace. Redid the amount of chests needed for the Chest Wastelands Made a small change to mobs that spawn during Cortal and The Soul Key's fight. Living Loom now has a recipe. Changed homepage to the discord server v0.1.0.11 Redid Cortal's despawning v0.1.0.10 Added Cortascale Armor, a summoner armor. Added the Lesser and Greater Reverse Healer. Redid the Detonato, with a new sprite ! (Thanks Sag!) Added music for Cortal's Fight. v0.1.0.9 Redid Cacterus' AI. v0.1.0.8 Buffed the AI of Cortal, Cacterus and Thunder Cock. Cacterus is now Post-Skeletron in Boss Checklist. Added Gamblestone, a grab bag from the Star Prince that gives rocks and stuff. Added Batteries and Zappy Bullets. v0.1.0.7 Added Thunder Cock and Thunder Chick. Summon Thunder Cock by bringing a Thunder Chick down to 1 HP. Thunder Chicks spawn in rain. v0.1.0.6 Added Manual Cooldown to Overheat Weapons, changed the homepage to my forum post rather than the Discord Server. v0.1.0.5: Added Cacterus and Cortal to Boss Checklist, reversed the changelog order. Added proper despawning for Cacterus and Cortal. v0.1.0.4: Added Music to the Chest Wastelands. v0.1.0.3: Fixed Cortal's teleporting attack, reduced demon sickle fire rate. v0.1.0.2: updated icon v0.1.0.1: released 

My campaign’s druid is equipped with a longbow fashioned from the quarter staff of an ancient druid. Every day at dawn it grows acorns which grow into arrows with magical effects. This list could also be used for acorns growing on a druid’s quarterstaff that could be used as tiny “wild magic grenades”.

d100 Magical Acorns

1. Acorn-tipped arrow: will harmlessly bounce off the target, sprouting into a baby treent which wanders off with no concern for the battle.
   
2. Stinger-tipped arrow: will turn into a small swarm of bees which buzz towards the target, dealing 1d4 poison damage.
   
3. Stump-tipped arrow: will create a log where it lands, acting as half-cover for 10ft.
   
4. Crescent moon-tipped arrow: deals 1d10 radiant damage, has the anti-shape-changer effects of Moonbeam
   
5. Bark-tipped arrow: strikes a target for standard attack damage, but casts Barkskin on the target, setting their AC to a minimum of 16.
   
6. Vine-tipped arrow: on a successful hit, the target must make a DEX save or be grappled by magical binding vines.
   
7. Flower-tipped arrow: upon hitting the ground, grows a 5ft circle of flowers.
   
8. Sap tipped arrow. The sap is flammable and when lit on fire will not extinguish in flight, will not set the shaft or bow on fire, and (not worn or carried objects only) is guaranteed to set the target on fire. +1d6 fire damage. by B3C4U5E_
   
9. Explosive arrow. The head of this arrow will explode on impact. +2d4 bludgeoning or fire damage. If as an acorn only, they are more like fire crackers than grenades. by B3C4U5E_
   
10. Pollen-tipped arrow: Target suffers an allergic, hayfever-like reaction, uncontrollably sneezing and eyes watering.
    
11. Root-tipped arrow: Upon next rest, roots will grow from target’s feet, immobilising them.
    
12. Droplet-tipped arrow: on impact, creates the sound of a bubbling brook nearby. Nearby creatures will be drawn to the sound.
    
13. Bat-fang arrow: allows user to “echo locate”, knowing location of targets behind full cover near the point of impact.
    
14. Puffball-tipped arrow: A magical, lighter-than-air puffball fungus will sprout from the target, lifting them until the puffball is destroyed.
    
15. Treebirth: If the target of this arrow takes damage from the attack it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 17). If it fails, the target begins to sprout small plants from within their body, taking 2d6 piercing damage at the beginning of each of their turns as the roots, vines, flowers, and leaves seek air and sunlight. This effect lasts for 1d4 rounds. At the end of each of their turns they may attempt another Constitution save to end the effect. by Coalesced
    
16. Wood Bite When struck by this arrow, the target must make a Charisma saving throw (DC 17) to resist being Cursed. They must repeat this save at the end of each of their turns. Upon accumulating 3 failures, the target creature becomes Cursed. Upon accumulating three successes the effect ends. For the Curse’s duration the target must make an Athletics check (DC 15) when attempting to touch or handle objects made of wood. This includes objects of composite make (doors, beds, floors). Failure results in the cursed individual taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage (or more if the object is size Large or greater) as they are despised by all wood - living or dead. Bows and axe handles twist in their hands, chairs upend them, floors become difficult terrain covered in splinters. Success on this athletics check results in half damage. Clothing items (gloves, boots, etc) provide no protection from this effect. Any attacks made against them with wooden or wood handled weapons are made at advantage, and any attacks they make with wooden or wood handled weapons are made at disadvantage. This curse can be lifted by a Remove Curse spell if cast in a forest on a sunny day. by Coalesced
    
17. Sleeping powder arrow: puffs of powder explode on contact, casting sleep in an aoe around the target. (dice included for the spell can be modified) by ShrimpNChips
    
18. Thorn Arrow: absolutely covered in thorns. On a hit, the arrow stays embedded in the target, imposing disadvantage on all ability checks (or attack rolls, your choice) while it remains there. Removing the arrow requires an action and the creature performing the action takes 1d4 piercing damage. by powerbrik
    
19. Stinkhorn-tipped Arrow: Explodes into a weakly poisonous cloud with a 5 foot radius. by fuckingchris
    
20. Stalk-tipped Arrow: Anchors in the ground or a suitably soft/porous surface and grows into a climbable beanstalk. The greater the distance the arrow was fired from, the taller it grows. by fuckingchris
    
21. Beaver-Tooth-Tipped Arrow: Cuts through wood as if the tooth was made of adamantine. by fuckingchris
    
22. Moss-Tipped Arrow: Instantly causes a springy, damp bed of moss to cover a 2 foot radius spread of the target hit. Also makes all damage from the shot nonlethal. by fuckingchris
    
23. Honeysuckle-Tipped Arrow: Does no damage but makes the target smell delicious to many kinds of insects and bears. Note that this does not inherently make them hostile, or friendly. by fuckingchris
    
24. Lily-Tipped Arrow: Instantly expands into a huge lilypad when fired, making the arrow drop to the ground immediately due to massive air resistance. Not strong enough to act as cover, but may obscure line of sight...? by fuckingchris
    
25. Weeping Willow Seed-Tipped Arrow: Weirdly enough, causes injured plant and fey creatures to weep uncontrollably and generally look more droopy and dejected. by fuckingchris
    
26. Sprouting Acorn: it quickly grows (within three rounds) into a large oak tree. by FirstChAoS
    
27. Alluring Acorn: when it hits a target, small acorn eating critters (squirrels, jays, etc.) swarm the target. by FirstChAoS
    
28. Herbal acorn- cures poison in the target. Still does normal damage though. by Trsddppy
    
29. Remedy acorn- heals for 2d8+wis. by Trsddppy
    
30. Spiders home acorn- a spider lives in it, when it breaks, roll a d6, on a 1, the spider dies. All other results, the spider leaves angry at the nearest creature. by Trsddppy
    
31. Fish scale acorn: The target must make a WIS save or be cursed with pseudo gills. Air becomes poisonous. The target can make a CON save (DC 6+rounds affected) to act as normal while holding their breath or they can forgo a turn to chug water (I would assume any adventurer has a canteen) to undo the spell permanently. If the player tries to act and fails to make the save they take 2d8 damage from the air destroying their gills. They now have lungs again. by IdahoJones
    
32. Vine-shaft arrow: When shot, this arrow generates a vine that trails behind it as it moves through the air (like an instant grappling hook or rope bridge). It is securely anchored to whatever the arrow hits. by mindless_confusion
    
33. Tempered Arrow: By all appearances a normal arrow. If the attacker has imbibed alcohol in the last 24hrs, it appears phase-shifted and in multiple, becoming difficult both to grasp and accurately aim. Fires with disadvantage, but does normal dmg. by PM_ME_HOTDADS
    
34. Tenfold Acorn: This acorn is slightly squishy. If a creature uses it to attack a foe, it bounces and rebounds back to the thrower's face, doing 1d2 bludgeoning damage and exploding into a puff of pollen. If planted or dropped on ground, it sprouts a tree in 3 days, yielding 3d8 fruit, 2d4 of which have the following property when consumed: if by a creature of Evil or Chaotic alignment, roll on the [Bag of Beans] table; if by a creature of Good or Lawful alignment, they gain 3 Luck (unused points expire in 48h). If Neutral, or if the fruits are gifted to an individual unknown to the giver, they enjoy a delightful snack! If at any point the anyone insults the acorn or tree, the acorn/tree responds with devastatingly accurate and humiliating scorn. A genuine enough compliment may be (secretly!) awarded Luck, advantage on the next death saving throw, Inspiration, etc. at DM discretion. by PM_ME_HOTDADS
    
35. Mushroom-tipped Arrow: upon hitting the ground, a 5ft circle of 1d8 Shriekers and 1d4 Violet Fungus spawn. by PM_ME_HOTDADS
    
36. Spore-rrow (or, Spore-Tipped Arrow): has the same effect as [Color Spray] in a 10' radius upon impact, but with pollen, dealing 1d4 poison dmg to creatures who might reasonably have a histamine response (humanoids, giants, beasts?), which may be calculated before the spell effect. by PM_ME_HOTDADS
    
37. Screaming Arrow: A sleek, steel-tipped arrow that gives off a continuous, low hum and slight vibration when held. Upon impact, emits a shriek that is heard up to 120ft and reverberates back to the shooter, granting Truesight for 1min. by PM_ME_HOTDADS
    
38. Acorn of Annihilation: With an amber cap, this seed is inky black and does not reflect light, but compels you to touch it. Creates a 4' flat Circle of Annihilation where it impacts. If the DM is feeling particularly frisky, this circle is imbued with the effects of the [Sympathy] spell with reduced range. by PM_ME_HOTDADS
    
39. Cacti (Arrow / Grenade): Cacti rapidly grow in a 20ft radius of the impact site. Any creature that move through this area faster than 5ft pr turn takes 1d4 piercing damage for each 5ft of travel. by World_of_Ideas
    
40. Goathead (Arrow / Grenade): Covers the ground in a 10ft radius with goathead (Acanthospermum hispidum) seeds. Effect similar to covering a similar area with caltrops. by World_of_Ideas
    
41. Insect Attack Pheromones (Arrow / Grenade): The acorn releases pheromones that attract any insects within 500ft. If used on a creature, all insects will be hostile to the target. If on an area the insects will attack any creature within 20ft of the impact site. by World_of_Ideas
    
42. Insect Repellent (Arrow / Grenade): 50ft radius around the impact site, all insects leave. An insect must make a DC 20 CHA save to remain in or voluntarily enter the affected area. Effect last for 10 minutes. by World_of_Ideas
    
43. Shambler (Arrow / Grenade): A "shambling mound" rapidly grows at the impact site. by World_of_Ideas
    
44. Tangle (Arrow / Grenade): animated vines rapidly grow in a 20ft radius of the impact site. Effect similar to "Entangle" spell. by World_of_Ideas
    
45. Thorny Tangle (Arrow / Grenade): animated thorny vines grow in a 20ft radius of the impact site. Effect similar to "Entangle spell" + Any creature attempting to move through the area takes 1d4 piercing damage for each 5ft of travel. Also any creature that makes a STR check to escape entanglement takes 1d4 piercing damage. by World_of_Ideas
    
46. Werewood (Arrow / Grenade): Creatures hit by this acorn transform into a tree. Effect is similar to "Flesh to Stone" spell, except the end result transforms the victim into a wooden tree that vaguely resembles their original shape. by World_of_Ideas
    
47. A Hive-tipped Arrow: Explodes into a cloud of angry bees that sting the enemy, but said bees don't know friend from foe. by Gmknewday1
    
48. A large bright green mushroom with with white spots and a smiley face. It grows slowly at first but then pops out when it’s fully grown to reveal it has a much larger and incredibly muscular white body. It falls to the ground and gets up quickly before leaning casually against a nearby object (standing about 3ft tall). It begins to flirt with members of the team, literally begging them to eat him. He continues to do this as long as he’s alive, saying it’s his dream to get eaten. As soon as one of the members tries to pick him up to cook him or eat him he instantly changes his mind and will fight to the death to avoid it. If the party reconsiders he goes back to wanting to get eaten again. If the team actually eats him they will gain all of their health and spell slots back.... but they have to beat him in combat first so maybe make him an equitable fightebarbarian. by HotNubsOfSteel
    
49. Tinea tipped arrow: Causes target to be covered by itchy fungus that spreads when scratched, lowering the targets Skill score by 3. by Chekaman
    
50. Cobwebbed tipped arrow: traps target in a large sticky web as strong as steel. by Chekaman
    

So a little late but things happen which may or may not include hangovers and unexpected visitors. anywho I did manage to get a chapter done for you so here it is. I hope you enjoy it.
As per usual my two brilliant editors have been sifting through the shitshow to get rid of the worst offenders so hopefully, it is nice and readable.
ko-fi For having a pretty picture commissioned.
Sapphire
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Chapter 85: Under Siege
As Tom sat on the table, just having washed down a pair of painkillers, he took a second to appreciate the scene. All these different faces. None of them familiar, most of them fucked up, but all of them alive. Even if he didn't know how many there used to be here. They had properly closed the neck wound, but his other injuries had only been bandaged up. The worst one had been the cut to his side from the stinger. It burned with a vengeance, likely due to the poison involved. It had gotten better after they had cleaned it though, so that was something.
Jackalope was currently being tended to by the healer woman. Jarix was still being looked at. Apparently, the impact had knocked out his shoulder. Putting that back in had been sounded like the world's largest dog being stepped on. Tom was absolutely amazed the dragon hadn't broken anything, he had felt the collision in his chest after all.
“You good there… whatever you are?” Luke questioned from behind him.
“Not quite sure,” Tom replied, not knowing what else to say to that.
“Mind filling me in on what the fuck just happened?”
“Can’t you ask Zarko? I think she’s got a better grasp of that,” Tom tried to dismiss him.
“Uhm… Sure… You were Tom right?”
“Yup.”
“I just wanna say thank you. The dragon is a bit distracted right now so I guess you will do.” Right on cue, Jarix let out another groaning whimper as one more arrow was yanked out. Looking at Jarix, he looked almost part pincushion right now. There were dozens of arrows embedded in his back.
“Couldn’t take another one.”
“Another what?”
“Sir, Lord, whatever…”
“Lukano, but Just Luke, that’s fine” the dragonette interrupted, though he sounded mostly apologetic rather than rude.
“Luke then… They burned down Hylsdal. They took everyone. We only found the kids ‘cause they hid them underground… couldn’t let that happen again.”
“Well you might not look like it, but you sure sound noble,” the dragonette replied, sounding like he was trying to cheer Tom up.
“How many did you lose?”
“Mostly wounded, but we got 4 dead and two missing. We couldn’t even count how many of them there were. It was fifty easily though. I have to ask... How did you kill that many?”
“Hate and firepower,” Tom replied, looking back at Luke. “And a fair amount of luck. If you want to thank someone, thank him,” Tom continued, pointing at Jarix.
“Oh, I have…” Luke replied in an uncertain voice, glancing at Jarix “What of the other dragon? We couldn’t see him. Did he fly off into the night? Not that I would blame him; that would be very smart.” He sounded almost like he was worried he had just insulted Tom with that insinuation.
“You are looking at him, Luke,” the female dragonette who had attacked him went before Tom could respond, walking up. “I have no clue what he is, but he spews fire and death, unlike anything. Also sorry about earlier.” Tom nodded at her. How was she supposed to know after all?
“So it was you that made the explosions?”
“Yeah, I’m a powerful fire mage,” Tom replied, not having the energy to put in much effort. “And I’m quite tired right now, so no magic tricks… Did anyone get hurt when I blew up the lower level?” Tom hadn’t noticed any deaf dragonettes running around, so he hoped not.
“No, fortunately not. You did give us the scare of our lives though… quite a few times in fact.”
“Are the kids here okay?”
“They are quite safe, thanks to you people.” Luke looked like he wanted to give Tom a punch to the shoulder. He did clearly think better of it though, Tom giving him a weak smile. Luke bowed slightly, walking away. There was plenty to do, though the sound of fighting had seemingly ceased.
“Luke, what were those bat things?” Tom interjected as Luke walked to leave.
“I was hoping you could tell me…” He replied, turning back.
“Well that’s just brilliant,” Tom sighed.
“Fucking arseholes, that's what,” Jarix replied with a considerable amount of malice in his voice. “And cheaters.”
“Bats can see in the dark, Jarix,” Tom replied in a normal tone. He knew the dragon could hear him just fine. “In fact they use sound to see”
“That still doesn't make it fair. Auu! It’s cheating!”
“You breathe lightning; that’s hardly fair either. Fights shouldn’t be fair anyway. Those are for suckers, and you did well. Extremely well in fact.”
“Are you kidding me? How many do you think you killed?” Jarix replied.
“The ones I needed to. All but three were dead anyway,” Tom replied gingerly, trying to stand up. Someone, who themselves looked beaten to shit, came over to give him a hand.
The two of them hobbled over to Jackalope who was also lying on a table, but up on her side. Her breastplate had been removed and the bolt taken out. Currently, someone was applying some herbal looking stuff to the wound, along with bandages, much like what had been done to Tom’s neck.
He sat down in front of her with a smile. She moved to open her mouth. Tom just put a finger on her snout. She needed to be still right now he reckoned. She did bring a hand up to caress his face though and smiled a bit, even if her face betrayed just how much pain she was in right now.
“Is it okay if she drinks some water?” Tom asked, looking to the one applying bandages.
“Should be fine. Just don’t make her move or shout or anything like that please.” The dragonette sounded tired as all hell. Tom guessed they had been treating the wounded for a while even before the shit show had kicked off.
He brought up the painkillers, taking one out and gesturing for Jackalope to open her mouth. She did so as he put the small pill in her mouth, unscrewing his flask for her. She turned her head 90 degrees to the side looking up into the ceiling, drinking in deep gulps before handing the flask back.
Tom still had to get used to that. It wasn’t any different than when they had a drink in flight though. But still that looked weird.
“There we go, you crazy bastard,” Tom went, setting the flask aside before laying his arms on the table resting his head on them. He felt tired enough to sleep standing; how much the blood loss had to do with that he didn't know but he would sleep just fine here for now. The fact that Jackalope moved her head in closer didn’t hurt either.
__________________________________________________________________________________
“So we travel with you now?”
“I guess so. Someone apparently has to keep you from being murdered in the night,” Maiko replied. He didn't seem to have much of a problem with the arrangement. Nor did Sapphire, though she had worried they might get that Latori guy. Sure, he was probably the most useful in their current situation, but he didn’t seem like very interesting company. Maiko also knew where he was going, so that was a big plus.
The plan for the day, following the unorthodox start, was to go to Tink’s place. This time trying to ensure they weren't followed. They landed early, took several turns, and had a bit to eat following the slightly rushed breakfast. They hadn’t spotted anyone though.
“They just tried to scare you. Hiring a bunch of people to do a flyby and look scary isn't that expensive. Now they need to figure out if it worked. Then they might spend a bit more. I’m guessing that's why I’m actually here.”
“You think you would make the difference in a fight?” Dakota questioned, clearly trying not to insult the dude. Makio didn't even flinch though.
“Nah, my armor says Royal Guard on it. That makes the proposition a lot more expensive.”
“Huh,” was all Sapphire got out at that.
“Don't worry, if they are dumb enough to attack me they will have a whole new order of problems to deal with. Now are you done? I wanna see what Tom gave to that crazy guy you found.”
“We better get cracking. I hope you're not afraid of possible explosions,” Dakota replied, getting up. Earning a slightly worried look from Maiko.
They had made it mostly to the workshop before the food break, so they did the last bit on foot. Stepping into the workshop, it was clear Tink hadn’t been waiting for them before getting started.
“You’ve been busy.”
“Why yes, of course, this is so very exciting. Are you sure this oil is enough to keep it from touching? Oh, a new friend! Pleased to meet you. I’m Tink; this is Tink Junior,” Tink went, holding out a dirty hand.
Maiko took it, looking a bit strained, but remaining polite. “Corporal Maiko, Royal Guard.”
“Yes, I knew you were a real one,” Junior let out, clearly excited. “Are you dragon crew? Who do you fly with?” Junior continued, seemingly barely able to restrain himself. Maiko seemed to find it rather amusing though, so no harm done in Sapphire’s book.
“I fly with Baron and Colonel Hashaw.” Junior’s eyes went wide as he looked at the corporal.
“That’s so cool!”
“So what you’re doing here? You're working for Tom. He got a dragon to work for him not the other way around after all.”
‘Ha. Someone's a showman,’ Sapphire mused to herself.
“Did he really?” Junior questioned, turning to Dakota.
“Sort of, I guess. Sapphire, Tink asked about the wire oil. What do you think?” Dakota replied, deflecting the question and looking to Sapphire.
“Damned if I know. He put some of it on there and let it sit for a few hours till it dried,” Sapphire replied. She didn't know how that electricity stuff really worked. “I’m not sure the wire will even work. It was made by a musician wasn’t it?”
“A luthier specifically and it better be. That the guy told me I was being an idiot five times before he agreed to make it, because copper strings were a stupid idea.” Junior responded. He had been responsible for acquiring the wire and had been in a foul mood when he returned yesterday. At least he was cheered up now though, thanks to Maiko.
“Well, it’s dry already so we need to wind it around this piece of iron. I still don't get why he didn't want some good nice steel.”
“It said iron so we use iron,” Dakota replied, leaving no room for wiggling. They had learned that the hard way already. Tink did like to ‘Improve’ things as it turned out.
“What exactly are we doing?” the clearly quite confused Maiko questioned, inspecting the magnet.
“We are building an electrical nagnet to make more small nagnets for making navigation devices,” Dakota responded, looking slightly worried at the device.
“Huh. And it might explode?”
“Oh no, it won’t. I have followed the instructions exactly. Well except for the wire thickness… and the number of coils, but that will give the same amount of copper, so that should be good… then the oil that has been sitting overnight to dry so that's good. Then comes the power source,” Tink started rattling off, enthusiasm unimpeded.
“That sounds explodey,” Maiko interjected.
“Only a small chance by my reckoning.”
“That means keep your distance and plug your ears,” Sapphire cut him off, looking at Maiko with a serious expression. “It hurts a lot otherwise.”
“Okay then, I’ll just stay over here.”
“Oh come on, you’re the one in armor and afraid of nothing,” Junior went, sounding dead serious.
“Uhm.. okay, how does it work?”
The explanation took a bit, but then again there was quite a bit of wiring to do so it nearly canceled out. It was a tedious job, though it was nowhere near as bad as that strange “motor” thing Tom had been making for a while.
“So we put the plates in there. This thing starts to attract metal and we run it along this nail to see if it works…” Dakota was trying to sound confident, but this just seemed too absurd to be true.
“And I put the plates in the jar then look away?” Maiko questioned, clearly not convinced either. Okay here goes nothing.”
Sapphire stepped a few paces back along with Dakota and Balethon. Leaving the others to try it out. She was rather happy they had gotten their hands on a fearless member of the Royal Guard, otherwise, they would likely have had to force Balethon to do it.
As the plates went in nothing seemed to happen though, until Tink put the nail in the end of the iron bar.
“It sticks!” He let out in triumph.
__________________________________________________________________________________
When Tom woke up again, he felt like he had been run over by a truck. Perhaps sleeping sitting at a table hadn’t been the smartest. Jackalope was still sleeping soundly and snoring, her head now lying on top of him. His head was throbbing painfully and he was thirsty as hell, not to mention his heart was pounding in his chest.
Tom gently maneuvered out from under Jackalope’s head, laying it down on the table. He downed what was left of his water bottle, taking stock of the situation. Jackalope was out cold, as were most of the people around him. A few were walking around checking up on the wounded. The healer who had worked on him was slumped against the wall. Zarko was currently sleeping on Jarix's back.
Jarix looked a lot better now that the arrows had been removed. ‘He needs a treat after this one,’ Tom thought to himself, looking to Jackalope. “And so do you, that’s for damn sure.” He tried listening for the tell-tell sounds of battle, but there was silence. In fact, Jackalope’s snoring was about the loudest thing he could hear.
He was still rather dizzy. ‘How much blood did I lose?’ he questioned himself, looking down at his very blood-soaked clothes. “That’s not gonna wash out.” They had taken his vest off, though he still had the shirt on and it was soaked in blood all the way down. His pants were too, in fact, now that he got a proper look. God, he looked like shit, covered in mud and blood: some of it his, some of it Jacky’s, and there had to be vargulf in there too.
“You emm… want to wash?” Someone asked from behind him. He turned to see a young woman, maybe 15 or 16 years old, holding a bucket .
“Yes, thank you,” Tom replied, taking the bucket and going about stripping off the ruined clothes.
“Are you some kind of monster?”
“I hope not. Do I look like one?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t mea…
“Nothing to be sorry for,” Tom cut her off. “Could you get another bucket for Jacky?”
“Certainly, right away. I could wash your clothes too.” Tom looked up at the girl from his impromptu wash. “Sure. How are you guys doing on food?”
“Oh we're good, want me to get you something to eat too?”
“That would be great. I’m starving.”
“Sure, I’ll be right back,” the girl went, scampering off to what was left of the kitchen, leaving Tom in his undies. He almost wanted to stop her from going down there. It had to be a mess, all things considered, it certainly had been yesterday.
He continued with the washing, rinsing off the worst of the muck. His wounds had been cleaned but the rest of him sure as hell needed a wash. The few people who were up and about were staring quite a lot too. The girl soon returned with another bucket, going back for the food. Tom set about trying to wash Jackalope, more blood had leaked from her ears and mouth as she slept.
“You just had to pull those fingers out, huh?” He asked her, receiving a snore in reply. “It was fucking crazy, though. Jarix did great. Zarko blew them to kingdom come… you’re deaf, but they are all dead. And save my ass twice… Thanks for that by the way,” he went, caressing her cheek before moving to wash off her arms and legs.
“I think it’s thank you, young one,” he heard the old granny go from behind him.
“You’re up early,” Tom replied, turning back to look at her, getting his first look. She looked proper old. She was wrinkly, slightly sunken in the face, and slumped over quite a bit, using a walking stick.
“A worried mother always is,” she replied, looking around the room. “I know not how to repay you.”
“Get the children to safety from that forest. I can’t do it. Kinda lacking in the wings department.”
“Oh you poor thing. I still remember flying around by myself. Still… I think you have an alternative,” she continued, looking at him knowingly before looking at Jackalope. “Luke says they are still outside, but they don’t know what to do. If we go out there he says they will attack us.” Tom looked over to where his stuff had been set down.
“More fighting then.”
“I’m afraid so. But don’t you worry yourself with that, Luke will figure it out I’m sure. You have done so much. You all have. I recognize young Jackalope, but where are you all from?” She questioned, gesturing towards Tom then over to Jarix.
“Also Bizmati keep. I’m training our big blue friend there. Zarko is his navigator.”
“My, my, you must be quite something… Oh who am I kidding, you killed all three of them, correct?”
“Sorta. Jacky pretty much got one of them. I just made sure it stayed down.”
“Do you know why they came here?” The old lady continued, hand starting to wobble a bit on her cane, free hand fidgeting.
“Please Lady Deriva, sit down.” Tom gestured the lady over towards his things, rummaging around for the knife.
“Oh, such a gentleman. Thank you,” she replied, clearly trying to hold it together.
“I found this.” Tom presented the blade. “Bizmati Keep was attacked over a month ago, and they were looking for a blade just like this,” he continued, placing the knife on the table. “They didn't get it though, so I’m guessing there are more than one.”
“But if they already had it… why did they come to my keep?” The old lady continued, tears starting to well up in her eyes.
“I can’t tell you, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
“No! Don’t you dare say you’re sorry, young man. Not with what you did. I will go find Luke. We must retrieve the kids. Maybe… maybe he’s figured it out,” the Lady replied, slowly standing up.
The girl had returned with a nice hot bowl of stew. Taking the old lady by the arm, she led her back down into the kitchen. Tom picked up the bowl and walked back over to Jackalope, placing it in front of her face as he sat down to eat.
It didn't take too long for that to work as she started stirring, sniffing the air, before her eyes slowly opened, looking at him intently before they flicked down to the bowl of stew.
__________________________________________________________________________________
So then the people that we know are alive, dragonettes have sort of discovered magnetism, and Jacky could do with a good breakfast following that whole situation. As always do let me know what you thought of it down below.
As we get into February my uni-classes are gonna be starting up again which means a lot of work for me, so the usual luxury of daily uploads is gonna come to an end for a bit. Though there will definitely still be regular posts, there are gonna be holes in the schedule. I'm sorry but such is life.
Until next time have an awesome day.
ko-fi For having a pretty picture commissioned.
Sapphire
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ok, as some people pointed out on my last post the honey feature was too much, so i have tried to make it less complicated, emphasis on "tried" it's still complicated but i couldn't bring myself to get rid of it, but now it might be broken.
bee race - hachi
+2 dex +1 wis
hachis are about 4'5 feet tall. They have thin, lightweight bodies that weigh between 80 and 100 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet
flight: You have a flying speed of 25 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.
darkvision: Accustomed to a life of searching through out the night til morning for the next unknown ingredient, you have vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can discern color in darkness
Tool Proficiency: You gain proficiency with the Cook's utensils or Herbalism kit
the wisdom of the Hachis: you can add half your Proficiency bonus rounded to your wis modifier.
stinger: Your stinger is a natural weapon, which you can use to make a unarmed strike. If you hit with them, you will stick inside of your opponent dealing 1d4 + str modifier per turn it's inside but if not taken out carefully it will rip off dealing 50% damage of your maximum hitpoints to yourself
honey makers: Hachis can ingest flowers/pollen/fruit to make Hachi honey.
Hachi honey: Hachi honey can have different kinds of effects depending the Hachi subrace, further more Hachi honey only works for the ones they deem worthy. the Hachi have to choose what effect the honey has before or as they are making it the. honey can have the following effects.
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Hachi subrace impetus honey effects
-Hachi healing honey- Hachi healing honey can heal 1d6 times player level + your wis modifier. Hachi honey can also remove any disease, and the honey can also remove any one condition. you can make one dose at level 1, two doses at level 3, three doses at level 6, four doses at level 12, five doses at level 16 and eight doses at level 20 . The clear orange substance has tiny bubbles of light in it
-Hachi strengthening honey- at level 1 the Hachi strengthening honey gives 1 extra attack, once it is used it will be lost, and when the effects ends the drinker will not be affected by same effects. 10 minutes (this effect does not stack) . at 5 level the drinker gains a +3 to the attack. at 10 level the drinker will gain advantage on the attack roll with extra damage. at 15 level level this effect changes to 2 extra attacks. at 20 level the drinker's attacks will ignore all resistances
Hachi subrace vitae honey effects
-Hachi healing honey- Hachi honey can heal 1d6 times player level + your wis modifier. Hachi honey can also remove any disease and the honey can also remove any one condition. you can make one dose at level 1, two doses at level 3, three doses at level 6, four doses at level 12, 6 doses at level 16 and eight doses at level 20 . The clear orange substance has tiny bubbles of light in it
-Hachis charming honey- at 1 level the drinker gains 10 temporary hitpoints. at level 5 the drinker gain a +4 to hit with one spell attack. at 10 level the drinker gains 20 temporary hitpoints instea of 10. at level 15 the drinker gains advantage with two spell attacks. at level 20 the drinker gains 40 temporary hitpoints instead of 20.

while i was making my campaign i decided to create a player character for fun and i might have gone overboard.
bee race - hachi
+2 dex +1 wis
hachis are about 4'5 feet tall. They have thin, lightweight bodies that weigh between 80 and 100 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet
flight: You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.
darkvision: Accustomed to a life of searching through out the night til morning for the next unknown ingredient, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can discern color in darkness
Tool Proficiency: You gain proficiency with the Cook's utensils or Herbalism kit
the wisdom of the Hachis: you can add half your Proficiency bonus rounded op to any skill/spell that uses wisdom
stinger: Your stinger are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the piercing damage, but you roll with disadvantage
honey makers: Hachis can ingest flowers/pollen/fruit to vomit out Hachi honey. it takes one week to make one dose hachi honey
Hachi honey: Hachi honey can have different kinds of effects depending on the choosing of the Hachi making it, the honey can have the following effects, but the Hachi have to be above a certain to use some of them
-honey of health- When you drink this honey, it cures any disease afflicting you, and it removes the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, and poisoned conditions. The clear orange sub has tiny bubbles of light in it. (level 5)
-honey of love- The next time you see a creature within 10 minutes after drinking this honey, you become Charmed by that creature for 1 hour. If the creature is of a species and Gender you are normally attracted to, you regard it as your true love while you are Charmed. This honey's rose-hued, effervescent substance contains multiple easy-to-miss bubble shaped like a heart.(4 level)
-honey of giant strength-When you drink this honey your Strength score changes for 1 hour. The type of giant determines the score (see the table below). The potion has no effect on you if your Strength is equal to or greater than that score. This honey's transparent substance has a floating sliver of pedals from a flower of the appropriate type. The honey of white flower strength and the honey of grey flower strength have the same effect. honey of green flower Strength 21 Uncommon (4 level) honey of white flower Strength 23 Rare ( 7 level) honey of grey flower Strength 23 Rare ( 7 level) honey of red flower Strength 25 Rare ( 9 level) honey of blue flower Strength 27 Very Rare (16 level) honey of rainbow flower Strength 29 Legendary (18 level)
-honey of Healing- You regain hit points when you drink this honey. The number of hit points depends on the honey’s rarity, as shown in the honeys of Healing table. Whatever its potency, the honey’s red substance glimmers when agitated. Healing Common 2d4 + 2 (1 level) Greater healing Uncommon 4d4 + 4 (3 level) Superior healing Rare 8d4 + 8 (8 level) Supreme healing Very rare 10d4 + 20 (15 level)
-honey of Maximum Power- The first time you cast a damage-dealing spell of 4th level or lower within 1 minute after drinking the potion, instead of rolling dice to determine the damage dealt, you can instead use the highest number possible for each die.This glowing purple piece of honey smells of sugar and plum, but it has a muddy taste. (10 level)
-honey of Mind Control (humanoid)- When you drink honey of mind control, you can cast a dominate spell (save DC 15) on a specific creature if you do so before the end of your next turn. If you don't, the potion is wasted. Honey of mind control produces the effect of a dominate person spell. If the target's initial saving throw fails, the effect lasts for 1 hour, with no concentration required on your part. The charmed creature has disadvantage on new saving throws to break the effect during this time.(9 level)
-honey OF LONGEVITY- When you drink this honey, your physical age is reduced by 1d6 + 6 years, to a minimum of 13 years. Each time you subsequently drink honey of longevity, there is 10 percent cumulative chance that you instead age by 1d6 + 6 years. Suspended in this amber substance are a scorpion's tail, an adder's fang, a dead spider, and a tiny heart that, against all reason, is still beating. These ingredients vanish when the honey is opened.(17 level)
-honey of Vitality- When you drink this honey, it removes any exhaustion you are suffering and cures any disease or poison affecting you. For the next 24 hours, you regain the maximum number of hit points for any Hit Die you spend. The honey's crimson substance regularly pulses with dull light, calling to mind a heartbeat.(16 level)

Turn of Tides
· Re-enforcement Kit: Cut Stone*4 + Gold Nugget*3 at a Think Tank. This re-enforces the boat with 10 trapeziums that make a decagon around the rim. If a collision happens that would normally cause no leaks or a small leak, then the damage to the boat is multiplied by 0.6 and no leaks occur. If a collision happens that would cause a large leak, the damage taken to the boat is multiplied by 0.6, and the trapezium that was hit breaks and that edge of the boat returns to being wooden, loosing its re-enforced properties. The re-enforcement can be replaced by re adding the re-enforcement kit.
This change would allow for another way to sail safely without the need of stingers, or just a way to less harshly punish mishaps at sea.
Salty Dog
· Scary Mask: 10% chance to drop from cookie cutters. Wearing drains your sanity at -4/min, but has a chance to cause mobs, that can, to panic upon an attack in a 3 tile radius.
I didn't have much for Salty Dog exclusive content, I just though this would be a neat idea.
Hook Line and Inker
· Horn Cannon: Narwail Horn*1 + Logs*2 at a Think Tank. Structure built upon the edge of a boat that causes waves similarly to the Narwhail Horn, but it has two slots within it: the material slot and ammo slot. The Horn has 10 uses similarly to the Narwhail Horn but can be repaired using Broken Shells or Cookie Cutter Shells. The ammo slot can be loaded with flint, stones, cut stone or marble. This launches a wave that deal 10 damage if loaded with flint or stone, 20 if loaded with cut stone and 30 if loaded with marble.

• Smoke box: Charcoal*4 + Boards*3 at Think Tank. The box has 9 slots which can each old one fish meat or one fish morsel. After 30 seconds the meat will be cooked, but after a day the fish will be 'smoked', giving 30 hunger, 0 sanity and 20 health for big fish meat and 18 hunger, 0 sanity and 10 health for morsels.

The horn cannon would make attack on sea easier as well as give more significance to Narwail horns outside of the already mediocre Strident Trident. The smoke box allows fish meat to equal its Shipwrecked levels of health restoration while preserving its old perks of being equally restoring regardless of being cooked or not.
She Sells Sea Shells
· Tribute Detector: Given with Pearl’s Pearl. A specialised Astral Detector that only locates the position of the Celestial Tribute and, by extension, the Crab King.
· Encrusted Treasure Chest: An Underwater Salvageable that is dropped when the Crab King is defeated without Pearl’s Pearl. Drops 2 jewelled bags and chest pieces when hammered.
· Jewelled Bags: Dropped from a hammered Encrusted Treasure Chest. One Jewelled Bag contains one of each gem, with a 20% chance per gem for there to be two. The other bag contains a Strident Trident and a Greedy Crown.
· Greedy Crown: Dropped from a Jewelled Bag. The Greedy Crown can have gems socketed into, like the Cratered Moon Rock. The Crown has no effects while worn without a gem.
· Healthy Crown: A red gem increases the character’s health by one fifth, and lasts for 3 minutes.
· Winter’s Crown: A blue gem cools the character down similarly to a chilled amulet, and can cast a freeze beam when nothing is held in hand, similarly to how Fryfocals cast a fire beam. The durability drains at 1 every 3.6 seconds, while a freeze beam will drain 2 durability per use.
· Shadow’s Crown: A purple gem increases every attack’s damage by 10% at the cost of sanity. The crown lasts for 5 minutes.
· Energetic Crown: A yellow gem increases movement speed and attack speed, while also reducing the insanity cost of the deconstruction, lazy explorer’s, star caller’s and moon caller’s staves. The crown lasts for 5 minutes.
· Restorative Crown: An orange gem allows the character to heal themselves for 40 health in an animation that takes as long as Wormwood’s Herbal Therapy. The crown loses 10% durability per use.
· Summoner’s Crown: A green gem causes attack done by the character to have a chance of leaving a claw stuck to the mob that the player was fighting. This claw reduces movement speed and does 20 damage every 5 seconds for 30 seconds. The crown looses 6 durability when a claw is summoned.
· Chest Pieces: Dropped from a hammered Encrusted Treasure Chest. Can be used to craft the valuable chest.
· Valuable Chest: Chest Pieces * 5 at an Alchemy Engine. A structure with the same size as the scaled chest, but can only hold gems, gold, thulecite and moon glass.
The specialised detector would help player find the Crab King (although the regular Astral Detector also does that when the other Celestial Crafting Stations are assembled so this addition would be somewhat pointless). The rest of the changes are there to give players a reason to fight the Crab King without Pearl's Pearl.
Troubled Waters
· Bucket of Chum: 1.5 fish and 1 Monster Meat at Crock Pot. This food can be eaten for 5 hunger, -5 sanity, -1 health, but it’s main purpose is to throw onto the sea. If thrown near a Deep Bass shoal, it will immediately summon a Malbatross. If thrown in the Costal Ocean, it has a 95% chance to summon a Narwail and 5% chance to summon a Rockjaw. If thrown in the Swell Ocean, there is a 70% chance to spawn a Narwail and 30% to attract a Rockjaw. If thrown in Rough Ocean then it is a 50:50 split, and in Hazardous ocean it guarantees a Rockjaw spawn.
· Rockjaw: As well as dropping fish meat, it has an 80% chance of dropping stones and a 20% chance of dropping a Jaw of Death.
· Jaw of Death: Dropped from Rockjaws. Can be hammered for rocks or used to craft a shark tooth necklace.
· Shark Tooth Necklace: Crafted in the dress tab from Jaw of Death at Alchemy Engine. Worn in the body slot, it grants sanity regeneration equivalent to dapper vest while increases damage done on the ocean by 5%.
Just some changes to make the rarer creatures of the sea easier to find.
Those were just a collection of ideas to make seafaring in DST more fun. Are these overpowered, underpowered, or just plain stupid? Please comment if you have any ammendments, additions or subtractions.

Chapter four
From the place of the Blackstone circles, where skies are always dark and foreboding. Where clouds of earth-shaking thunder ever threaten in the distance. Where lightning flashes blue narrow channels through a seemingly resistant ether. Never rain, only tangible electric energy stimulates the skin and brings the mind into full awakeness and sharply aware. Still its darkly dreamlike, but so real. Breathing becomes more of a response than a reflex. Each exhale impatiently demands an inhale. Breathing in is an inspiration; a thought, a desire. Exhaling is a prayer; an aspiration, a praise or a willful affirmation. To slow the breathing for meditation requires an enormous effort within the Blackstone circles because it is a place of compressed life; a place of deep inward experience. Pain is its threshold because of the enormous willfulness required just to be there. Once calmed; the spirit is prepared for a journey of the great undertaking. The crossing of the unsettled waters that stretch to lands, and peoples, known only to Tajet and the two leaders; Ombram and Mosha. The people had no ships to cross the angry dark immense sea that divides the lands; the continents. Monsters of unimaginable size and terror reside in these oceans. No ships could stand up to the crushing jaws of these leviathanic ocean dwellers. Only over the dark seas could the rainfall in torrential storms of compressed weather, this, because it couldn’t stretch its massive black and deep gray clouds over the warmer land. The people could not live on its bright sand shores because of twenty to thirty-foot turtles, and crabs with thirty-foot arms with nine-foot claws. Even the leathered long wings stayed away and contented themselves with the delights of the smaller river denizens. They ate of the softer shelled flesh of the spawn of the armor-clad ocean fish.
Because of the opening sky, Tajet prepared himself for the journey across the sea. He needed witnesses to the vision, to bring to Etrad and the temple of justice. He could only undertake this long trek across the unknown expanse in spirit form. Even he wasn’t safe from the demons that prey on the lost souls of the dead. Only Etrad had the ability to cross the sea without the special intoxicating herbal protection. But he had to do this because of world law. The shamans of the far lands had to know and are present for things of great importance to the people. So he made an intoxicating herbal tea and smoked of the earth vine with flowers that kill the ordinary people. Even to breathe the perfume would paralyze the unwary. He had to die for three days, only three days allotted for him to be out of his body. First, he had to summon the others who would join him in the crossing of the abyss.
Chapter five
The red men of the deep thick forests knew of Tajets coming. They cut the leaves and flowers of their elixir of traveling. Theirs was not so intoxicating as was Tajet’s elixir because they would travel on his power; his authority. They had to hide their bodies from the cave bears and cave lions that would surely come for the easy dining, drawn by the smell of unwashed bodies sleeping for three days. No one could know of their hiding places. Because in this land, people were the prey of other people. Monkeys were monsters compared to the fragile flesh of humans. Snakes could swallow an entire hunting party of five or six men. The men hid in secret canyons of the wild mountains. Days journey from the dense forests that protected them from the larger beasts in their busy lives.
Yesh was the leader, the chief, the shaman. Other tribes came to him, no matter how far the journey. Yesh was the keeper of the spells of protection. Others had healers and shamans, but only Yesh had high authority with the spirit realms. He was older than most trees in the forest. Where he came from was unknown even to him. He was shorter than most, but he was expansive of girth and muscle. Yesh could rip the hide off of a warring cave bear. He could, and often did, open and break the jaws of an uncooperative cave lion. He could also speak the spirit languages of the hidden meadow and mountain dwellers. These Elvin dwarfs and fairies could easily cast spells on unwary travelers who might cross their domain without giving tribute to them. Travelers felt safe with Yesh. So he led his small party to the canyons of safety. Because of the tight spaces in deep walled rocks, not many creatures would dare the journey into these unforgiving places where food and water were nonexistent.
Soon upon arriving, Yesh raised his heavy ironwood staff to the four corners of place and time. He called for the circle of blue-gray mist to rise around and protect the sleeping travelers. The five of them drank of the mix of flower and vine and relaxed into the zone of waiting. Waiting for Tajet to come and lead them across the fearful waters to the black stone circles. The place of meeting. The place where the earth expands its energy tendrils from the center. These tendrils feed the conscience of mortal intelligence. This is how Yesh knew the exact time of Tajet’s coming, as foretold by Etrad.
As Yesh and the three travelers of the thick woods relaxed, they talked of what was to come. Yesh opened the conversation with details of his vision. He spoke of the concentric circles of Blackstone. How the circles held people in an inescapable prison, and a place of interrogation; not to punish, but to protect the communities of people, and to hold meetings away from distractions. Yesh had been to the Blackstone circles many times before. The world was organized by these meetings. People learned from each other the ways of survival
Shandrill, the house weaver, opened the conversation. He was not a man of fear or unfettered speech. His was the soul of quality considerations. He wove the tree huts from various vines and leaf-covered roofs. So tight and thoughtful the weaving, not even small insects could find a path into the protective nest like domes that he constructed in the high trees. To live, or sleep on the ground, was to offer oneself up to the many hungry or bloodthirsty critters. A thick-skinned colorful nine-foot centipede was an unwelcome diner of people. Spiders were none too friendly and were drawn by the smell of sweat. Some could cocoon a full-grown man. Leaving him for days screaming, before sinking its mandrills into the flesh to liquefy him. That’s if the larger ants didn’t claim his fresh meat first. Then, there were the usual, and awful mites and worms that ate into the guts of ill-prepared people. Only by a thick rubbing of the body in sterilized mud could one hope to escape those parasites.
To pass the time of waiting, Shandrill told the story of his mate. Everyone wondered what happened to her, but Shandrill kept his silence mostly. The elixir shut the eyes but opened the mouth. He told of how Meandra was out picking the big orange balls that grew on short trees. Sweet fruit that people love to eat, and flavor other foods with. They ate strange things that no longer exist. Meandra was reaching for an especially bright, ripe ball fruit when a particularly nasty spider bit her arm. Screaming in pain, she ran through the trees to get home. Maybe it was her screaming that attracted the swarm of bees. But only one would’ve been enough to maim her. A swarm was a rare attack, no one thought she was gathering honey. No one understands why her limp and swollen body was so filled with stinger welts. These pencil-sized stingers are not left in the body that was carried and dropped a hundred feet high in the overhang. This overhang was the home of many large insects that fed on rotten leaves and branches. They kept the mid forest healthy. The canopy was another 150 feet above the place of the tee crawlers. No birds nesting in the higher places. The winged ones stayed on the ground and ran down the various antelope, horses, and other fast runners. Too large for practical flight, they used their many-colored feathered wings to aid in maneuvering their hefty bodies. Flapping their wings to lift their weight, to make speed and changing direction an easier thing. The feathers were of dull hues so they didn’t stand out and make easy prey for the faster wolf-like creatures who hunted in small packs. The larger crawling insects supplement the wolves diet of the smaller and younger birds who were born alive and never through vulnerable eggs. The larger bird parents dined on the wolves.
Most of the land was a forest, but it was riddled with meadowed clearings. Further, from the shore some deserts were found. The mountains had many regions of forest, meadowlands, and wetlands fed by torrential rivers. These rivers carved canyons; lifeless because of rain inspired flash floods that came too often to support established life. These were the places of hiding for the people who journey in spirit.
Now came Tajet.
​
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Hi All,
As part of my ongoing obsession with Druids, I have compiled a fat list of plot hooks. Some are vague, some are specific. I hope you find some use for them!
Thanks to Gollicking Members, M0rdenkainen, InfinityCircuit, Mimir-ion, RexiconJesse for some ideas!
Note: There are archetypes listed in some of the hooks (Avenger, Guardian, etc...) - the details on those are found at the bottom of the post.

1. A prey species is nearly extinct.
2. A predator species is nearly extinct.
3. A harmful mutation is affecting a local species.
4. A beneficial mutation is affecting a local species.
5. Birth rates of a local species has fallen almost to zero.
6. Primary habitat for a local species is being destroyed by weather.
7. Locals are polluting the waterways.
8. Chance of a wildfire is high.
9. Wildfire has started. The winds will drive its course.
10. Locals are overfishing the local waterways.
11. Locals are overhunting the local wildlife.
12. Chance of a flood from a local waterway is high.
13. Severe rain has triggered a flood.
14. An invasive species of fungus is destroying a habitat.
15. An invasive insect species is destroying a habitat.
16. The local trees are suffering from a blight.
17. The local crops are suffering from a blight.
18. A virulent biological disease is affecting the local population.
19. A virulent biological disease is affecting the local wildlife.
20. A series of violent earthquakes affect the local area.
21. Loggers are taking too much timber.
22. Miners are disrupting local habitats.
23. Construction workers are destroying habitats to build a road.
24. Poachers are taking too much game.
25. A magical disease is affecting the local wildlife.
26. A magical disease is affecting the local population.
27. Free-Willed Undead have been turning the local wildlife and population into new Undead.
28. A mated pair of Ankheg have destroyed several local farms.
29. A migrating swarm of Stirge have settled in the area for a few days to rest and feed.
30. A locust swarm descends on the area and strips it of vegetation.
31. Periodical cicadas emerge from the ground and begin breeding and seeking food.
32. Recent storm has blown trees down all over the paths and roads.
33. Local waterway is choked with treefalls and storm-swept brush.
34. Local peat bog has caught fire. Choking, poisonous smoke threatens the area, and the threat of a wildfire is high.
35. The local bee population is threatened with extinction.
36. A local village has too many children/people.
37. A local wildlife species is overbreeding.
38. A clan of Goblins has emerged from the underworld and begins breeding near established civilizations.
39. A fungus has wiped out the years harvest.
40. A mold has wiped out the stored harvest.
41. Local vermin is overbreeding. Chance of disease outbreak is high.
42. An invasive vine has appeared in the local forest. This new plant strangles the host and hooks into the taproot.
43. A new wildlife species appears in numbers, threatening the local ecosystem's balance.
44. An algae bloom threatens a local watershed/oasis.
45. Poisonous fungi have appeared from the Underdark, destroying the local fungi ecosystem.
46. Oozes/Slimes/Jellies are overbreeding in the local caverns.
47. The seasonal period of high rainfall is late, threatening ecosystems and food production.
48. The seasonal period of dry is late, threatening ecosystems and encouraging disease and rot.
49. A new disease appears in a local population, transmitted by an insect new to the area, originally from very far away.
50. The leylines are being "disconnected/turned off" from the Gaia web.
51. A local circle of stones has inadvertently trapped a demon, who wants nothing more than to escape.
52. A local elder tree has Awakened, spontaneously, and has demands.
53. All of the local wildlife have become Awakened. An Avenger Druid is behind the phenomenon.
54. The party has wandered into an Adviser's territory and the Druid secretly spies upon them until they leave their influence. If the party transgresses (hunting too much, destroying natural resources), the Druid will inform their superior and a group will be sent to detain them.
55. A local ruler has a pet raven that never leaves his side, and is often seen talking to it. Though the ruler is beloved and his rule just, there are many who believe him to be slightly mad. At night, strangely, the raven can be seen flying in the local area.
56. A baron's adviser has been murdered and the locals are up in arms, going from house-to-house and shop-to-shop, accosting any strangers and accusing them of the murder. The adviser's kin (several mid-level Druids) are on hand to assist in the interrogation. False clues have led the mob to the party themselves.
57. A king has declared a large section of the forest "Royal Lands" and the local foresters are protesting outside the city walls. They are drunk and angry and ready to riot. The king's adviser has a spy planted among them - a favorite hunting dog named Blue.
58. A local village elder has just welcomed a Druid into his inner circle - a forester's child who has shown the gift of animal affinity, and declared the child their trusted adviser. There are some, however, who suspect the child is not what they seem.
59. The village where the party is staying is challenged by an Avenger, who denounces them for overfishing and overhunting. The Avenger says this is their last warning and vanishes into the night. In the next few days the villagers start disappearing.
60. An Avenger approaches the party and says that she sees they are heading through (terrain) and requests their help with clearing out a den of monsters. She will run off to execute the plan as soon as it is formed, and refuses to wait.
61. The party comes across an Avenger burning the crop fields of a local village. The Avenger, if asked, says that these fields are proscribed and cannot be farmed, as per the ancient Compact. If threatened, the Avenger will flee, only to return and carry on their arsonist activities the next day.
62. The party stumbles across a fresh battlefield. An Avenger is walking through the field, dispatching the mortally-wounded with a dagger slash to the throat. There are hundreds of dead here, and dozens of wounded crying out in pain. A murder of crows watches from a nearby tree.
63. The party discovers a local hamlet (a village with orchards) under siege by an Avenger and a pack of wild animals that appear to be under its control. The animals are savaging anyone caught in the streets, and trying to break into the locked and shuttered houses. The Avenger is purging this hamlet for defying his orders to stop logging the nearby forest.
64. An Avenger and 3 brown bears confront the party while they are camped and says that open flames are forbidden here, since there has not been a burn-off in 3 years. If challenged, the Avenger will order the bears to attack and being casting.
65. A traveling zoo is passing through the area. If the party attends, the show is attacked by 2 Beastfriends and their canine allies. If the party does not attend, they will espy the Druids leading a docile line of animals through the area (perhaps while camped). In either case, the Beastfriends will attempt to free the animals and escape with as many as they can. If they kill the zoo workers, all the better.
66. A friend of the party sends a letter inviting them to his birthday party in a nearby city. It takes place first at a racing track - dogs are the main event today, and the friend treats the party to a good time, and wins some money. After the race, on the way to the pub to continue the party, the friend is murdered by a snipers crossbow and a letter is found on his body from someone threatening his life. It seems the friend wasn't just a racing fan, but a breeder and owner. The letter orders him to stop what he is doing or else. It isn't signed but there is a bird's clawprint hastily stamped in blood at the bottom. A cabal of Beastfriends is taking down all the animal entertainment in the city simultaneously - there are 5 active cells on a schedule of 10 days.
67. An awakened horse comes to the party and explains that it is a Druid, stuck (cursed) in this form. It begs for help and promises to reward the party with information or whatever you like. The Druid attempted to kill a Hag and failed. She is not close, but not too far either. She is ready for a counter-attack.
68. The party comes across a weeping Druid, surrounded by the corpses of hundreds, perhaps thousands of rabbits. The whole area looks as its been dug up. There is a disease spreading. Its infected the rabbits first, and the Druid says that foxes and wolves are showing signs of it now as well. If asked, the Druid used the Dig spell to uncover the destroyed warrens. The Druid asks for help, and will recall a host of birds (mostly raptors) that he calls, "the flock". The birds do not feed on the bounty before them. The Druid speaks to and (mostly) controls them, but cannot predict the stubbornness of birds. The disease is natural, but amplified. Rabies 2.0. Its a mutation of evolution, nothing more. Its going to infect all the mammals if left unchecked.
69. A murderous pack of Wererats has been discovered by a Beastfriend. The Druid has attempted to negotiate their withdrawal from the area, but they have refused, citing good hunting grounds. The Druid has escalated and turned most of the area's rats against the “verminthropes”. The party comes across an open battle between the Beastfriend and a massive swarm of rats, and a group of Wererats caught out in the open. If the party intervenes, they later discover that the Wererats have been turning others, boosting their numbers. If they do not intervene, they find out the same thing, only one of the party members gets infected.
70. After the party awakens from a night of camping in a cave system, they see fresh graffiti scrawled on a nearby wall - "LEAVE THIS PLACE". If they do not, they become subject to a relentless series of guerrilla attacks and sabotage on themselves and their equipment. If the party kills any denizens, the Druid will confront the party directly. The Druid has local allies and is a few levels above the party.
71. A Grey Druid staggers into a town, half-dead, and begs for aid. The Druid explains that the entire empire of the Porto (a Myconid group of colonies) has been destroyed by Drow and that the Elves are making their way towards the surface. There is only a few days remaining before they arrive.
72. A Grey Druid is discovered trapped under a rock-slide. The Druid is dying and begs for death. If the Druid dies, a ring of twisted vines can be looted from the Druid's finger. If the Druid is rescued, they will become very angry and rant about the "preservation of Balance", stating that healing magicks are an abomination to the "natural cycles of the world". If the party remains in the area, the Druid will begin to try and drive them out.
73. A huge Dwarven vault-door blocks the party's passage through an underground area. Sleeping in a nearby chamber is a Grey Druid of an unusual race for the Order. The Druid cannot be woken by any means short of magic, and there is no way past the vault-door (it is highly enchanted with Abjuration magicks). If the party cannot wake the Druid, they can search the Druid and find a phrase written in Draconic. Its a magical trigger for the vault-door. Inside the vault is a Black Dragon that has been imprisoned for centuries. Its very angry and very happy to be released. Its name is Venomfang and its legendary. When the vault is opened, the Druid will wake and rage at the party's stupidity. Violence is most likely to follow.
74. While the party is underground they will be approached by a Grey Druid who asks for their aid in quelling a war between two intelligent species. The war is threatening to destroy the entire ecosystem and spill out onto the surface world. They party will be outnumbered 10-to-1 if they agree, and will soon find themselves in the middle of the front lines, surrounded. The Druid's Order is coming to aid, but they will arrive too late.
75. The party comes across a strange sight - a group of 4 Grey Druids worshiping at a standing circle of stones deep, deep underground. The area is lit with strange glowing fungus, and a large, dead, Carrion Crawler is sprawled across the sacrificial slab. Its been cut open and candles have been tucked inside, and lit. The Druids are chanting in some language (Infernal) and are attempting to summon a demon to help them destroy a particularly nasty Illithid colony in the area. If the party interferes, the Druids will flee.
76. The party crosses into the territory of a Guardian and is suddenly under constant and covert attacks that seem like the party is being opposed by many enemies, but it is only a single Druid. The Druid will not speak or negotiate and will be very difficult to locate without magic. If pressed, the Druid will explain that the area they are trespassing in is proscribed by ancient law to remain free of any humanoids save a single protector.
77. The party is contacted by an old Druid ally who says they have taken up the mantle of a Guardian and asks them to visit when they can. Upon visiting, the party discovers their friend has been slain and the thing they were protecting is gone/destroyed/other.
78. A band of 5 Guardian Druids have closed the main road through a forest, and have stopped all trade and traffic. When asked for an explanation, the Guardians claim that the area was part of a unicorn's domain and now the Fey creature has been slain (they do not know by whom). When powerful Fey die, their spirits linger and sometimes can cause magical oddities to occur. The Guardians say this closure will be temporary (100 years) but they cannot allow anyone to be exposed to the danger.
79. A dungeon that the party has arrived at is under the Guardianship of an awakened Elk, who was inducted into the Druidic Order, and has taken it upon itself to ensure that the dungeon remains sealed. The Guardian cannot say why, as its under the influence of a Geas (cast by the Grand Druid themselves), and begs the party to turn back. If they insist, the Guardian expresses regret and will fight to the death. If the dungeon is opened, something truly horrible is released.
80. A sleeping Guardian is resting in front of a Gate, and appears unable to wake. In reality, the Guardian's body is now dead and it exists as an incorporeal spirit, with the same powers it had in life. It will not let the Gate be opened unless extreme need and a convincing argument can make it stand down.
81. The party receives a letter from an old Druid ally who has joined the Order as a Hivemaster. The Druid begs for aid, as their beekeeping farm has become corrupted and Giant Bees and Wasps are now running amok, killing livestock and the local populace. A corrupted Druid, and enemy to the party's ally, is behind the events.
82. The party finds themselves in a deep wood, among huge spiderwebs. The party gets ambushed by Giant Spiders, but before the encounter ends, a Hivemaster shows up, angry and threatening the party for killing his "pets". The Druid calls for Giant Insect reinforcements and bullies the party into leaving the wood. If left unchecked, this Hivemaster's arachnids will eventually populate the entire forest.
83. While visiting a village, the party is offered honey at the Tavern, and told its local. If the party eats some, they become sickened and begin to suffer strange transformations - bee wings, antennae, and eventually a stinger. If the party does not eat the honey, they see the villagers undergo the same transformations. Told that a local Hivemaster has gone missing, the party will find the Druid, dead, and the trappings of a ritual that appears to have killed the Druid. Revenge or a curse, the party does not know, but time is running out before the transformations are permanent.
84. A series of Giant Termite mounds begin appearing in local farmland, and the villagers are in a panic as the insects have begun devouring houses and local businesses. All attempts to drive the termites off have failed, and when the party arrives, the villagers are holed up in the local Mill - the only stone building in town. The villagers explain that their local Druid was driven off, accused of a crime it was later discovered they didn't commit. If the party searches, the Druid has taken up residence in a nearby wood, but refuses to help the villagers who betrayed him. He offers no advice and no explanation as to the termite phenomenon, but knows that it is the result of a Hag's curse.
85. The party is contacted by a local Hivemaster who asks for aid in destroying a series of Giant Wasps nests in the area. The wasps have been killing locals and are breeding in numbers. The creatures have been naturally warped by a font of raw dweomer deep underground, its "vapors" seeping to the surface and causing strange mutations (and not just among the wasps).
86. An angry Hivemaster has decided to punish a local Elven village for defying their orders to slow their breeding down. The Druid has been casting Insect Swarm every day and harassing the colony. The Elves are at their wit's end and beg the party for aid. If the party confronts the Druid, the Hivemaster will show incontrovertible proof that the Elven presence is going to disrupt the local ecology, sending ripples throughout the web of life that will eventually result in this entire area becoming a wasteland.
87. A Lost Druid has been waging a war of attrition on a human settlement that dared to raze a forest to make room for their habitation. The villagers are in a panic and believe the area to be haunted. They have sent out word that a reward is waiting for anyone to free them from this menace.
88. The party receives a message from an old Druid ally that their mountain home has been poisoned by Duergar miners, who have allowed a radioactive metal to leech into the mountain's underground springs. The wildlife has all died and the plantlife is nearly extinct. The ally begs the party for help, and says that they are biding their time in a nearby swamp.
89. A Lost Druid has fulfilled their vendetta, and has chosen to remain as an Avenger Druid, but refuses to give up the necromantic knowledge obtained in the process. The Druid has found a Necromancer mentor and will soon be a powerful multi-classed villain, hellbent on wiping out a huge colony of elves that turned the Lost Druid's former home of grasslands into a magical forest.
90. A Lost Druid of the forest, now razed by Minoi (Tinker Gnomes) has sabotaged the Minoi's operations, turning their constructs against them, and now dozens of these "rogue clank" are in the wild, indiscriminately hurting and destroying those that they come into contact with, as without proper controls in place, the constructs follow their prime directive - to convert all life into energy to be stored (and returned to the Minoi's labs). The Lost Druid will remain in the area until the Minoi are all destroyed.
91. A Lost Druid of a freshwater lake, now destroyed by large-scale terraforming and allowed to become saltwater, has laid the area with hundreds of booby-traps, designed to mangle and kill. The Druid's rage is such that they will mock and taunt all who have been caught in the deadly traps and frees some of them to take back to the Dwarven terraformers as a warning.
92. A Lost Druid of the Underdark has been forced to the surface after a Drow weapon scoured a huge section of the underworld clean - razed of all life and all sources of food and water, the area is now a silent, barren tangle of tunnels and chambers. The Lost Druid is distraught and howls with rage every evening, lamenting their former home. Locals believe that the forest where the cavern entrance was found is now home to some savage beast and they have let these fears ride on the tongues of merchants, who have spread the story far and wide.
93. The party finds themselves stymied by a Druid who refuses entry into a local dungeon - citing the fragility of the ecosystem contained within. If opposed, the Druid will do everything in their power to frustrate, delay, and thwart their efforts inside the dungeon and out (and until they leave the area).
94. The local road has been cut by a deep ditch and no traffic can pass. The party has been delayed by this action, and hears that the local Druid has done this to punish the local leader for disobeying a command to stop mining the nearby hills.
95. The party comes across a strange sight - two opposing armies are seemingly frozen in time. All soldiers have been Held, and a Druid is walking among them, taking their weapons and placing them into a seemingly bottomless sack (Bag of Devouring).
96. A Druid steps out of a Dragon's lair, explaining that they are the emissary, and that The Grand Drake is not interested in a fight with the party, and what can be done to facilitate their swift and quiet departure? The Druid has the dragon's proxy in the negotiations, and if attacked, will draw the wrath of the Dragon itself.
97. A Druid is blocking the way to a monster's lair by casting Mirage Arcana wherever the party goes, in an attempt to dissuade them from committing violence against the species. The Druid explains that the ecosystem is delicate and if this species is destroyed, then the balance of the local web will become violently unstable.
98. After slaying a powerful monster, a local Druid will cast Geas on one of the party members, compelling them to find another pair of the same monster and encourage them to mate successfully in order to restore the population's numbers.
99. In the midst of an undead invasion/outbreak, the party sees a Druid putting down a large group at once with magic. If approached the Druid will ask for their aid, and if ignored, they will see the Druid later leaving the scene.
100. A village caretaker Druid approaches the party and accuses them of possessing dark/necromantic magicks. The druid demands they hand the offending object over and wants to know where they obtained it.
101. A Shepherd Druid is disguised as a tinker, and is giving away amulets to passers-by. The Druid will refuse all payment and guarantees their effectiveness against all forms of "the shambling dead". The amulet is real and will make the characters invisible to Zombies and Ghouls for 1 houday (the amulet does not have a command word, but will activate automatically in the presence of the creatures).
102. A Shepherd Druid is attempting to complete a ritual, and the party is in the dungeon where the Druid needs to obtain the final ingredient. The Druid will fight for it, but is open to negotiation if the party is - the Druid will explain the ritual's purpose and ask for their aid.
103. A local forest has become corrupted, and a rogue Shepherd Druid is the cause. The Order is sending agents to deal with the problem, but in the meantime, the locals are being terrorized.
104. A dead Shepherd Druid is half-in, half-out of an open portal one of the Outer Planes. On the druid's person are 2 powerful weapons as well as a letter imploring the druid to complete some vital task.
105. A druid finds the party, lost in a vast urban landscape. The druid offers to show them a shortcut in exchange for the delivery of a message to a dangerous individual.
106. The party is confronted by a druid who claims that this part of the city is forbidden to outsiders and will back up his claim with a very large rat swarm (200 individuals) and a dozen feral dogs.
107. A druid on a woven mat is selling herbal remedies at half the price of the commercial shops. The druid claims that the city provides all it needs to survive if we know where to look. If friendly, the Druid will ask the party to harvest some rare herbs in exchange for some herbal recipes.
108. The party is stalked through the city by a huge pack of feral dogs (20+ individuals). The leader is a shapechanged Druid and is simply keeping an eye on some dangerous individuals (the party). If the party starts any trouble, the pack will intervene.
109. The city's parks have been closed down by overgrown plant growth and the local Druid council has declared them off limits until the crisis is over (the details of which are not announced).
110. The city's trees have been Awakened into a malevolent state and the local Druids are attempting to contain them, with little success.
111. The Party meets a Wanderer Druid who is following an annual migration of large deer-types (Elk, Moose, etc...), who is happy to travel with them as long as they are going the direction of the herd. The Wanderer can offer a lot of information about where they have been in the recent past, and pass along any other news or rumors. At times, the Druid disappears from the company of the Party, and travels as part of the herd in wildshape.
112. A group of Druids are chasing a renegade Wanderer Druid, whom they accuse of destroying their grove and murdering their fellow Druids (partially true). The group will be quite forceful in demanding information from the Party and/or local populace. The Wanderer is hiding among them as a local animal, watching and listening. If given the opportunity, the Wanderer will attempt to kill the posse.
113. A Druid is trapped in a bog and is calling out for help. If assisted, the Druid claims that they are lost and are seeking a local landmark, where they plan to establish a new home. If questioned, the Druid will reveal that they left their homeland because of a terrible event/enemy, and that this peril is following them. The claim is true, and in only a few weeks, will arrive in the area.
114. A local area is being hit with an unusual amount of storms. A Druid is calling these, tired of the locals interference in the ecosystem, and hopes to drive them out. If confronted, the Druid will fight fiercely, but flee if overwhelmed. If approached diplomatically, the Druid will reveal a deep emotional wound after their home territory was nearly destroyed by humanoid greed, and this is simply revenge.
115. A Wanderer is in the area, clearing a forest of the undergrowth and destroying a large presence of predators in preparation of a new standing circle of stones to be erected, thus adding to the Order's power. The Druid will not take kindly to visitors or travelers, and will force trespassers to leave as quickly as possible, calling upon many animal allies to do so if necessary. The circle will take 10 years to construct.
116. A group of unassociated Druids have been tasked to Wander to a region where humanoids are growing exponentially and the land cannot support them. Their charge is to stabilize the ecosystem - by helping reinvigorate the land or by culling the population (or convincing many to leave), the choice is theirs.
117. Irrigation is taking too much water from the nearby source.
118. Magical extraplanar hunting parties decimating the population.
119. Far Realm mutations and worm infestation.
120. Demons mating with bears/wolves/cats/squirrels, creating demonic species running amok.
121. Beasts are acting unnaturally. Strange formations and patterns. Silence where there should be noise.
122. A new Druid circle is forming. There is contention among the established circles about this new political entity.
123. An entity is attempting to terraform the territory.
124. Spore Druids begin worshiping Zuggtmoy, multiclassing into Warlocks to strengthen the coven. They begin to fill the forest with demons and fungal growth, and cover the canopy in an impenetrable layer of fungus, creating an Underdark above-ground. Illithids, beholders, drow, et al all come to this new surface Underdark and use it as a staging area.
125. New religion moves in, calls all druids pagans, and works to remove them from the world
126. A rogue movement of druids is sabotaging ecosystems, destabilizing them to the point of collapse. They operate in guerrilla tactics and small units, targeting linchpins that they know to be essential. Territorial Terrorism.
127. Swamp druid, tricked by a sentient magic item placed by hags, opens a portal into Para-Elemental Plane of Ooze. Hags keep the portal open and begin to infiltrate the world. Druid thinks his territory expanding is natural, and his power grows. Other druids try to fight this but are consumed or "accidents" happen when they try to oppose him. Swamp, ooze, and all manner of Inner planar creatures begin to destroy the world by turning it into a diseased festering swamp.
128. A wasiege/disasteplague has collapsed the regional city, and deurbanisation takes affect and the population pressure threatens the natural world. A solution needs to be found one way or another.
129. A war has bred too many scavenger species such as ghouls and other foul macroplagues. A collaboration between the local circles and a church seems a way out, if not for the politics.
130. An industrial city that failed and everyone left. How to retake and naturalize something so synthetic?

More Druid Stuff

Druids

• Druids: Branches, Orders and The Shadow Circle - Lots of worldbuilding and hierarchical information
• Places of Power - The Druid's Grove - Detailed discussion of druid groves

Druids Conclave Series

This is a detailed series of druid "professions" that allow you to create rich NPCs and give your PCs more flavor to work with. NPCs and plot hooks are included

• Adviser
• Avenger
• Beastfriend
• Guardian
• Grey
• Hivemaster
• Lost
• Pacifist
• Shepherd
• Urban
• Wanderer

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