Exploring The Pielanders Oven
Last updated
Last updated
All the Ovens of Pieland went cold on March 22, 2022. A representative from each of the nine Slices formed a group called the Fellowship of the Octopies (FOTO) to fix their Ovens, which created and maintained the health of Octopies. The Fellowship first inspected the Piesons, Pieborgs, and Doughbots Ovens. Their fourth stop - The Pielanders Oven.
The Doughbots and Pieborgs were noticeably uneasy as the Fellowship got closer to the coast line. The machine-based Octopies made nervous whirring noises and fussed as they put on ponchos and multiple rainboots to avoid the water. Annoyed by the nuisance, the rest of the FOTO pushed forward to the Pielanders’ homebase as the Doughbots and Pieborgs retreated to the back of the group.
The Pielanders Oven was an impressive beacon that towered in the ocean with a massive fishing rod and harpoon to catch giant fish and other sea creatures. The Oven was surrounded by shallow waters on all sides, and sat on a sandbar that the Fellowship was able to reach with relative ease. Even the rust-adverse Doughbots and Pieborgs felt comfortable enough to trek to the entrance.
Curious Pielanders, who had never seen so many other Slices at their Oven, gathered at the entrance to welcome the newcomers. Much like the land-based Piesons, the Pielanders were a naturally-friendly Slice that focused more on cooperation rather than compietition. A few Pielanders and other Fellowship members were about to enter the Oven when a Pielander bellowed at them.
“What’s going on here? What are you doing in our Oven?” said The Admiral, waving his paddle at the Fellowship. The Admiral, a renowned leader of the Pielanders, scanned the crowd with a disapproving look. As the Octopies stood dumbfounded, a brave Pielander from the Fellowship stepped forward and explained the journey they had been on so far. Afterwards, the Admiral let out a deep sigh.
“Yes, yes, the Pieous. We too took a deal in the beginning,” the Pielanders leader said, leaning against the paddle. “We were a small group when we arrived at the beaches of Pieland for the first time. We spent our days fishing and herding local sea-dwelling animals. But we were small in number and needed to expand, so we headed to the mountains of the Pieous to ask for a special flame from the Grandoven. The one thing they asked in exchange was for the Pielanders to dispose of all sea monsters - especially the Kraken.”
The Pielanders, Pierates, and Piesces shuddered and frowned when the Kraken was mentioned. Rumor among the coastal Octopies was the mere mention of the Kraken was enough to summon its formidable presence. The Admiral, with years of wisdom and seafaring experience, knew the rumors were rubbish. That didn’t stop the rest of the Pielanders from searching the horizons for the feared sea creature.
The Admiral continued. “We were blinded by our desire to grow our population. We were so naive and imprudent. We just assumed we could defeat any aggressive sea creature because we were Octopies. We were so very wrong. The Kraken has eluded all of us. I have never bested the beast. We used the strongest metals for our harpoons and released them on the Kraken - They didn’t make a dent.”
The Pierates representative nodded in agreement, having had similar experiences with this vicious beast. Said the Admiral, “The Pieous have constantly expressed their strong disappointment that we have yet to rid the Oceans of this monster. I do not know if this is why our Oven turned off. Maybe this is the Pieous’ way to punish us, like it seems it could be with these tales from other Ovens. But you must help our community. We are lucky to have a bounty of fish in these waters, but our Oven is our lifeblood. So please, enter our Oven, if you think you can uncover any clues that will help us.”
Some members of the Fellowship went in to inspect. The rest waited outside piecing together what the Admiral said. The Vampiers bragged that they could easily take down the Kraken by having the Expieriments and Zompies bite and tear at the sea monster. A Piesces chuckled and snorted.
The group soon returned empty-handed and with no new information. The Octopies started to brainstorm. Why was defeating the Kraken so important to the Pieous? Why did they care about the sea monsters? The Octopies looked around at one another as they realized they were still in the dark about what was going on. Regardless, since they were already in the waters, the next logical step was to visit another Oven that belonged to a coastal-dwelling Slice.
