🤒Returning To A Cold Home
Leaving the swamp behind, the surviving Octopies and the Fellowship of the Octopies ventured out of the heart of the forest. They returned to the tribe of The Baked, who had supplied many volunteer soldiers in the deadly battle against the legendary Truffalo.
The Fellowship sat down with The Baked and explained what had happened. How they found a decaying shelter next to the swamp, and had grabbed books, research documents, and more. However, before long, the Truffalo appeared and some of the militia were forced to engage in a bloody brawl with the beast.The Octopies shared some of the fungi and hide they had carved from the Truffalo's colossal form, as a token of their gratitude. The leaders of The Baked received it with solemn nods, acknowledging the sacrifices that had been made in the heart of the swamp. Finally, the Fellowship announced they’d take their leave from the Haunted Forest to return to the Pieson homeland where they’d begin to read through the books and decipher the research documents they discovered in the Swamp.
Guided by members of The Baked, the Octopies began their journey out of the Haunted Forest. With the local experts' guidance, the forest was no longer a winding, living, maze. In fact, as they left, the misty embrace of the forest opened wide for them, allowing them safe passage. Some of The Baked joined the Octopies, curious to see the wider world of Pieland for the first time in years.
The Octopies made their journey back to the Piesons Oven. After a treacherous, yet victorious battle in the Forest, hope filled their hearts. Whether it was the books they had looted, or the remaining fungi from the Truffalo, the Octopies felt that they had finally begun to make progress on their journey to saving Pieland. While they knew sharing the news of the fallen Octopies would be a heavy blow for each respective Slice, they were elated to be reuniting with their families and friends.
However… Upon approaching the Pieson Oven, their joy turned to despair. Famine and disease had ravaged the lands during their absence. Crops had failed to yield much food. Illnesses that were typically treated within a few days in The Oven had instead rendered Octopies incapacitated.
Almost all of the Piesons were suffering in some way. Many had either fallen ill or lacked sufficient nutrition, and now required care and attention. With so many Octopies pulled into the Fellowship’s militia, there had not been enough able-bodied Octpoies left at the home slices. Those who had stayed and were still in good health had to work around the clock to care for the rest of the Slice, but even that was not enough. Already, some Octopies were destined to go to the Oven In The Sky.
The Fellowship was taken aback by what they saw. They realised that if this was the case for the Piesons, it would likely be the same for every Slice. Quickly, the Fellowship huddled together, away from the awestruck militia.
The Fellowship agreed, unanimously, on their next steps. The militia would be disbanded, and sent back to their respective homes, with the mission to focus on caring and helping their kin. Resources and medicine would be freely traded and shared among the Slices, regardless of past issues. They would focus on the most vulnerable first, with the intention to save as many Octopies as they could. All the Slices working in unison for the betterment of Pieland. Meanwhile, the Fellowship of the Octopies would set up a research camp in the Pieson’s lands, to uncover the secrets of the journals they had acquired. The forest had given them not only challenges, but also wisdom, and they were ready to put it to use.
The Octopies knew that their journey was far from over. They had faced the horrors of the swamp, witnessed the sacrifices made for the sake of unity, and were now applying the knowledge they had gained to heal their communities.
As they looked through the journals and research they had, they found one that seemed to be the earliest journal entry. The book was well worn down, its pages were filled with cryptic symbols, and many pages had diagrams of bizarre creatures.
It became apparent that the journal contained knowledge of Pieland that none of the other Octopies had ever seen. The Fellowship assigned half of their members to embark on the daunting task of deciphering its enigmatic contents, hoping it would provide some sort of insight or help, while the rest would oversee the management and restoration of their home Slices.
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