Exploring The Piesces Oven
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Last updated
On March 22, 2022, the Ovens of Pieland went cold. Without working Ovens, the maintenance and health of the Octopies were in serious trouble. A representative from each of the nine Slices formed the Fellowship of the Octopies (FOTO) to fix all the Ovens. The Fellowship first inspected the Piesons, the Pieborgs, Doughbots, Pielanders, and Pierates Ovens. Their next stop - the Piesces Oven.
The Fellowship reached the shoreline of Pieland and looked around confused. There was no sign of an Oven. The Piesces member explained that their Oven was unique because it sat at the bottom of the ocean. The Octopies were all welcome to swim down to visit the Piesces Oven. But, the nautical journey was not without some serious risks with sea monsters lurking at those depths. The Piesces offered the Octopies the option to stay on shore and borrow surfboards to enjoy the waves.
The Fellowship was stunned as they watched the Piesces immediately dive into the ocean. Some started to hesitate. What if the Kraken was down there waiting for an unsuspecting Octopie? What if they forgot how to swim? The Doughbot representative paid no attention to fears and began to walk confidently into the waters to follow the Piesces.
The rest of the Fellowship quickly followed. The Doughbots were notoriously water-adverse and terrible swimmers. The rest of the group reasoned if the Doughbots could do it, so could they. After a few minutes of swimming together in a line down towards the ocean floor, the waters turned dark and murky. A massive group of schooling fish were swimming in an erratic pattern and moved away to reveal a grand structure sitting on the seabed - the Piesces Oven.
The Piesces member led the group to the entrance of the Oven. Just as the Octopie touched the sandy floor, another Piesces, with Jaws-inspired teeth and blood-red facial tattoos, abruptly swam over to block the entrance. This intimidating-looking Octopie was known as The Shark and feared by many among the Piesces. For good reason. The Shark waved a sharp sawfish-shaped club at the Piesces representative. “What do you think you’re doing bringing all these foreigners here to our Oven? You know it’s cold, and our fellow Piesces grow weaker every day without a working Oven!” The Shark said. “Do I need to prove my point?”
The Fellowship member looked nervously at the weapon and the angry face staring back. The Piesces took a deep breath and explained the adventures of the Fellowship thus far and the importance of searching their Oven for clues. “Hmmm, I suppose you may continue with your investigation, but the King will need to hear of your plans,” The Shark said. The protective Octopie deftly swam away as the Fellowship quickly scurried into the Oven.
The inactivity of this kiln made the Fellowship uneasy. The Piesces Oven was nearly pitch dark and much colder than the previous ones that they visited. Fish and other obscure marine life that lived at the bottom of the ocean scattered about when a flashlight beamed into the different rooms. Some rooms had signs of rust and kelp growing from cracks in the baseboard. The search turned up no clues. There was also no sign that other Piesces had checked on the Oven since it went cold. It was clear the Piesces had not taken the same level of response to investigate their Oven as other Slices had.
As the Fellowship headed down a dark corridor to leave, a shadowy figure blocked the exit. Fearing it was the Shark again, the group approached slowly. As they got closer, a glint of gold shined through. It was Pieseidon, the King of the Piesces. The Fellowship bowed their heads to the Piesces leader.
“Greetings, curious Octopies!” said Pieseidon. “My dear friend The Shark told me all about your adventures. What wonderful news it is to hear all you have achieved so far on your quest!” The Fellowship were skeptical that the king, who appeared warm and kind, was good friends with The Shark. “Now, I am happy to hear you are learning about the history of each Oven. I want to share with you our history, but alas! It is not as exciting as the others. You see, when we requested a flame from the Grandoven, the Pieous did not ask us for anything in return.”
Not one thing? Again, the FOTO was skeptical. They scratched their heads and frowned. “Surprised, are you? Do not fear, curious Octopies,” said Pieseidon with a smile. “You see, we are a mighty Slice. The mightiest, perhaps. The Pieous know this, and that’s why they did not dare force us to give them something in return. In fact, they gave us gifts. The surfboards you see us using? Rewards from the Pieous. They encouraged us to explore the coasts, to spend time away from the depths of the ocean, and to enjoy relaxing on the beach.”
“You see, the Pieous had nothing to do with our Oven going cold, despite what you think. It was an honor to host you all. Have a safe trip to the surface. I hope you make it out alive!” The Pieseidon then rode a gold-plated surfboard swiftly into the abyss.
The Octopies were confused by this revelation. The Doughbot snorted and whirred at this declaration of nonsense. Why would the Piesces’ relationship with the Pieous be remarkably different from the rest? Something smelled fishy. The Fellowship decided to head to the Undercooked Lands in search of any remaining clues.
