🤝Meeting The Elders

The Fellowship Of The Octopies awoke the next day to the sound of music outside their hut. They gathered up their things and made their way outside, unsure what awaited them. As they stepped outside the hut, they saw a bustling, busy tribe. Octopies of all different origin Slices living and moving in unison. They saw a Baked-Pieson, tinkering with a defunct Robunny. A Baked-Zompie sharing a Hookah with a Baked-Pieson. A Baked-Pierate gathering mushrooms into a basket slung over its shoulder. The Fellowship stood, awed into silence, simply taking it all in. It was a utopia of unity. A peaceful paradise. Outside of the Haunted Forest, these Slices had decades of distrust and uncertainty toward one another. The Fellowship had always felt special for being able to put up with one another. To survive together. Yet, here they saw hundreds of Octopies from different Slices thriving together. They’d never imagined anything like it.

Here was one of the Baked-Pieborgs, with it's trust Robunny Compienion.

As the Fellowship stood, looking around in disbelief, they heard a soft chuckle. The group turned to see who it was. “Well… Hello… there. You… must be… our… guests.” The group turned to see where the voice was coming from, but at first there was no one. “Up… here… I am”. The group looked up to see an Octopie hanging from the tree. As they saw the Octopie, it made a slow and considered descent to the ground. “I… am… The Sloth.” The Sloth stood in front of them, covered in greenery and shrubbery.

The Sloth. One of the Leaders of The Baked.

This unique Octopie began to explain it's origins, and how it ended up in the Haunted Forest with The Baked. As The Sloth started to talk, during one of the long pauses between words, a strange, animal-like sound interrupted. “GRRRR. UGH. Me talk now.” spoke another Octopie, barging infront of The Sloth as it did so. “Me born in Forest. Grrr. Raised by trees, animals, wind. Forest my home. GRRRRR. Me belong to Mushroom. Speak language of leaves, of animals. Me no trust you.” The Fellowship looked upon this other Octopie, who looked almost half-beast. Yet, despite the strange appearance and unfriendly introduction from the Octopie, they weren’t afraid. Perhaps because the Octopie was clutching a decaying teddy in one tentacle, or perhaps because the Forest brought a layer of peace to everything. The environment was busy, but calm. It was unusual, but friendly. It was both new and familiar at the same time. This was the way of The Baked, and the Fellowship was beginning to understand that.

The Feral.

“Please,” spoke the Pielander of the Fellowship, “We do not wish harm on you. I too did not trust this group when I first met them. But now, I trust them with my life. They are my friends. My family. We only wish to learn more about you.” The Feral Octopie let out a grunt, then turned away and ran off. The Sloth chuckled once again. Other members of The Baked had begun to gather around the group, intrigued by the outsiders being in their home. The Sloth decided to move on from it's own story to share more with the Fellowship Of The Octopies about The Baked and it’s founding history.

The Fellowship learned that The Healer was the one who first set up the tribe, after finding The Feral Octopie abandoned and alone in The Haunted Forest. The Healer set up a small campsite and began to offer refuge to other Octopies that wandered into the Forest. These Octopies were often weary, afraid, and sometimes injured. The Healer would use the natural fruits and vegetation that was found in the Forest to help these Octopies. Sometimes, it was simply to calm their nerves and reassure them that they were safe. Other times, it was to help their bodies recover, and for their fillings to be strong again. Not every Octopie accepted this help, but those that did… never left. They became part of The Baked—part of the new Slice forever. The magic of the Haunted Forest was so strong that the vegetation and food within it had mind and body altering effects. An Octopie that consumed Mushrooms from the Forest would undoubtedly find a new mindset. A new outlook on life. However, that outlook would also be influenced by what they chose to pursue. There were the Tree Dwellers, who looked up to the Sloth as their Elder. This group would spend many days and evenings hanging from trees, contemplating the most important questions in life. Why were they here? What was the point of all of this dough? Was there another filling after death? Was there be a big Oven in the sky waiting for them? The Tree Dwellers were also great craftsmen, building many of the huts The Baked lived in. There was also the Tranquil Octopies. These Octopies believed in peace and harmony amongst all Octopies. They are often the thought leaders of The Baked. Settling disagreements, helping manage the food supplies, and planning for the future. The Tranquil Octopies were followers of The Healer, believing The Healer to be the most righteous Octopie to have ever lived. Then, there was the Way Too Pie group. These Octopies were high energy and over active members of The Baked. They would spend time foraging and exploring The Forest. They would often collect feathers and flowers of all sorts of bright colors to decorate their clothes and Masks. Sometimes, they were unpredictable, driven by their somewhat erratic energy and ease to boredom. Yet they were always helpful and friendly. Even though the Feral, their Elder, seemed cold, The Sloth assured the Fellowship this was not the case. The Feral just took time to get used to pieple, and they would eventually see that The Feral has a big personality. By the time The Sloth had explained all of this to The Fellowship, with many pauses and slow conversations, the day was over. They had food delivered to them from other members of The Baked, headed back to their tend, and eagerly awaited to learn more in the coming days.