Exploring the Piesons Oven

All the Ovens of Pieland went cold at the same time on March 22, 2022. Octopies from each of the nine Slices gathered on the mainland of Pieland, where the Piesons live, to resolve the dilemma. First stop - the Piesons Oven.

A band of Octopies known as the Fellowship of the Octopies (FOTO) made their way to the base of the looming Piesons Oven where a small flock of Sheepie were grazing. Lush tule and shiny, dark Piegrass surrounded the eerily quiet Oven. The only sound came from the steady rush of water churning through the watermill, which harnesses power from a river that cuts through the Piesons village. Next to the watermill is a steep staircase of steps that leads to the top of the Piesons Oven.

The Piesons Oven

The Fellowship, which had a representative from each of the Slices, were blocked by influential Piesons from heading up the stairs to their sacred Oven. The Piesons felt uneasy about having the Zompies, Pierates, and Doughbots poking their pie holes around their hallowed grounds. Plus, there were already too many cooks in the kitchen. A smaller group was selected while the rest waited. Things started bubbling up like hot pie crust among the remaining Fellowship, as the Vampiers delegate accused the Pierates one of stealing its wooden stake and using it as a tentacle stump. There were some hissing and tentacle-wagging gestures, but things settled down after the Piesons exploration group returned many hours later.

The dejected team did not find any clues. There was no sign of damage nor evidence that the Piesons Oven had been tampered with. As fear started to sink in among the Fellowship, the accusations started flying. The water-friendly Piesces insisted the Pieborgs led a cyborg-based thermal processing attack that turned the Ovens cold. The Doughbots said the Pielanders smelled fishy and that was reason enough to blame them. The Pierates were convinced the Zompies ate some crucial oven parts.

Then Frodough spoke. The question was simple. Who had the ability to turn off all nine Ovens at the same time without leaving a trace? Clearly, no single Slice was responsible for that. All the Octopies gathered there turned quiet as they pondered this important question.

A voice spoke. “Fellow Octopies, I am The Mayor of the Piesons,” said The Mayor. “You are not.” The Mayor - holding court with a bounty of apples, gold coins, and ham - was an imposing presence. The Mayor began to share the history of the Piesons Oven with the Octopies that few knew.

Many ages ago, the Piesons were small in number. Wanting to become the most populous Slice in Pieland, the Piesons traveled to the Grandoven and spoke with the Pieous. They asked the Pieous to grow the population of the Piesons. The Pieous agreed, and offered them a unique flame from the Grandoven to create a powerful new way to bake Octopies with the Piesons Oven. The Piesons were tasked with crafting special lanterns to safely carry the Grandoven flame. In return for this gift, the Piesons agreed to allow their lands to serve as the outpost for centralized trading for all the Slices. The Piesons would apply a tax to Slices to trade and barter goods, and the commission was to be passed on to the Pieous.

The Mayor of the Piesons

The Mayor paused. He fidgeted with his monocle before he continued. “It has come to my attention that sometimes, on occasion, perhaps some of these fees were withheld from the Pieous,” The Mayor said.

The Expieriments and Doughbots delegates started throwing apples, ham, and insults at The Mayor. They couldn’t believe all the Octopies were being punished because of some greedy Piesons. The Piesons defended their mayor, arguing they had long paid their debts to the Pieous. The Pieborgs and Vampiers suggested that there had to be more to this story. Surely the Pieous would not turn off all the Ovens just because of some foolish Piesons?

The next step was to move on to the next Oven to find what other clues were out there..