Investigation #4 – Sand Snatcher

Investigation #4 - Sand Snatcher

Leaving your precious belongings on ocean coast is bound to summon the Paratheo the Hoarder to snatch it into the sea.

Investigative Summary

In the depths of the ocean surrounding Poppy Valley resides a crafty, aquatic beast with an insatiable appetite for stealing precious belongings.

After Zayshawn and Sadie hear about the story of “Paratheo the Soul Hoarder”, the two decide to go on a fishing expedition to catch a glimpse of the beast.

Item of Interest

4.1 Miserable Education

After rigorous studying and endless energy drinks, the time for finals had finally arrived. Each member the C&C Club tested in their respective schools and, for the most part, passed with flying colors. The only exception was Miranda, who intentionally ignored her “Physical Education” classes and flunked that portion of exam.

While the rest of the group was able to enjoy their summer vacation freely, Miranda would be stuck back in summer school 4 times a week to learn about the benefits of exercise and how to count calories.

4.2 Summer Fun

While Miranda was busy sulking in summer school, the Valerian boys Zayshawn and Anya were invited to spend a 3-day vacation at a private beach. With dozens of mixed students from Valerian and Morning Glory (+Jimsonweed students that snuck onto the island), the collective of teens experienced three days of non-stop summer fun.

As a storyteller, one of Zayshawn’s favorite events were telling scary stories around the campfire. Although many of Zayshawn’s story were obvious imaginative tales, Anya asked if he was familiar with the real legend that could be tied to the area; Paratheo the Soul Hoarder. Zayshawn perked up as he traced his brain for the juiciest bits of the Paratheo lore to share with the group.

Paratheo, as explained by Zayshawn, is a aquatic beast that rests outside the shores of the wealthy and steals items that mean a lot to the owners. The worst documented incident was when Paratheo grabbed the beloved sailing ship navy men and pulled it into the depths of the ocean with all 16 crew members still onboard.

4.3 Reel It In

Realizing that the group currently partied on a somewhat wealthy resort, Zayshawn thought it would be the perfect time to look for Paratheo himself and see if the story was true. Sadie Periwinkle, a reserved Morning Glory student, found interest in the story during the campfire retelling and offered to join Zayshawn on his expedition.

With fishing rods, snacks, and their favorite items loaded up, the two adventurers stepped aboard a dinghy and headed into the water.

4.4 Hook, Line, and Sinker

For hours, Zayshawn and Sadie patiently waited for Paratheo to show itself. What most people would consider to be a boring stakeout had the two captivated the entire time with shimmers in their eyes.

To update their friends on how things were going, Zayshawn took out his phone to snap a photo of their efforts. And that’s when it happened; the split second of Zayshawn looking away is when Sadie’s fishing rod was yanked from the foggy distance.

Although Sadie could have let go of the rod, curiosity got the best of her as she tightened her grip and called for Zayshawn before plunging into the water. Zayshawn spun around with no clue what happened but instinctively dove into the water without missing a beat, phone still in hand.

4.5 Life Preserver

Zayshawn had fully been submerged in the water, waiting for his eyes to adjust as he searched for Sadie among the many schools of fish. It was then he heard a reverberated thud to his right. The source was an unconscious Sadie who had slammed into a nearby boulder, causing her to let go of the rod that was being yanked. Although Zayshawn couldn’t see what was pulling the rod, the force had disappeared as the rod floated to the side of a gargantuan shadowy figure.

As the underwater silhouette of the figure expanded and moved closer to the duo, all Zayshawn could do was position Sadie directly behind him and stare down the figure, preparing to tank any incoming attacks to protect his new friend. Seconds felt like hours as he held as much of a powerful stance as he could while free-floating underwater. It was to his surprise when the figure halted it’s approach. Zayshawn watched as the mass removed itself from the encounter, changing course and head farther out into the ocean.

While still in a state of confusion, Zayshawn cautiously swam back up to the boat with Sadie in his arms. He could not contact for help as he dove into the water with his phone and it became unusable. Sadie fortunately began coughing up the water she inhaled, steadying her breathing yet remaining unconscious. Zayshawn was forced to rush her back to the lodge and inform everyone of what happened and how their mission ended in failure.

Read other Investigations

Previous Investigation - #3 Veggie Trail

When a specific book is place in the right bookcase of Valerian, a secret tunnel to the unknown appears.

relevent pages

Paratheo

Anomaly

Sadie Periwinkle

Investigator

Zayshawn Jackson

Investigator

THE ASANTE ARCHIVE

A digital scrapbook of my encounters with the mysterious and unknown.

Investigations, Nat-13, Stories

Investigation #2 – Happy Pappy

Investigations, Nat-13, Stories / Mocap

Investigation #2 - Happy Pappy

There are rumors of the Doting Dan Huggable Bear at Happy Pappy Emporium housing organs instead of stuffing.

Previous Investigation

Next Investigation

Investigative Summary

There’s a number of children in Poppy Valley who have hugged Happy Pappy Emporium’s “Doting Dan” Teddy Bear and claimed to feel the pulse of a living creature.

During a school field trip to the Emporium that goes wrong, Zaire would be one of the unfortunate people to see what happens when the rumored Teddy Bear housing flesh makes his move.

Item of Interest

2.1 Wacky Wonderland

Although Jimsonweed Alternative High School is known for it’s poor treatment of students and terrible learning conditions, it is still obligated to uphold the bare minimum to remain in the school system. One of these obligations is at least one school field trip for the students a year. This year’s field trip selected random students to participate in a visit to the famous Happy Pappy Toy Emporium in Northern Poppy Valley.

Zaire Jackson was one of the chosen to go against their own volition.

2.2 Doting Dan

With the trip coming to an end, many of the Jimsonweed staff escorted and loaded the students back onto the school bus. However, many of the delinquent students did not get the message, as the bus left without them and the Emporium closed for the night. The students were abandoned and left to wander until the doors reopened in the morning.

Zaire took it upon herself to destroy a lot of the emporium’s inventory to relieve some anger. It was near the Doting Dan huggable stuffed bear that she found the most satisfying things to destroy, as many of the dolls had annoying voice lines and silencing them was very enjoyable to her.

After destroying all dolls in sight, she could still faintly hear one repeating the phrase “Love Me”, which was not a typical voice line added to the dolls.

2.3 Bear Hug

With the sudden sound of quickened stomps, the live-sized huggable Doting Dan leaps onto Zaire. Though it was once filled with soft stuffing, sharpened teeth and claws now protruded out of the body, ripping apart it’s own woven exterior. The bear’s distorted soundboard repeated the phrase “Love Me” endlessly while progressively getting more aggressive.

The bear continuously attempted to wrap itself around Zaire, clawing through her skin while adjusting it’s grip for a better hug. The more Zaire resisted the hug, the more the cuddly bear increased the sharpness of its teeth and speed of its movement.

2.4 Burning Passion

With Doting Dan’s strength increasing the more she resisted his hug, Zaire decided to cave in and hug the bear back. Though she was being shredded and crushed by the hug itself, the aggressive nature of Doting Dan seemed to die down as long as she held her arms around his body.

Although the problem was temporally solved, the position irritated her and she knew she wouldn’t be capable of holding it all night. She scanned the room and was able to spot a cabinet of Happy Pappy branded hairspray. While still holding on to Doting Dan, Zaire walked him over to the cabinet and used his head to smash through the case, taking that brief moment of separation to grab an aerosol can though the glass and combine it with a spare lighter to set Dan ablaze.

The flame engulfed Dan, exposing his fleshy interior and oversized heart as he struggled to move. With the last of his strength, the bear removed a hand-shaped neckless from its unburned pocket and lifted it towards Zaire. The bear’s final voice-line played “Thank you” as the rest of its body was charred.

Using the hand-shaped necklace and the additional ones found by other stranded students, the group was able to make it out of the building with 0 casualties.

Read other Investigations

Previous Investigation - #1 Gorenament

Various heart-shaped parasites are hidden throughout Poppy Valley and drag it’s host as far west as it can reach.

Next Investigation - #3 Veggie Trail

When a specific book is place in the right bookcase of Valerian, a secret tunnel to the unknown appears.

relevent pages

Doting Dan

Anomaly

Happy Pappy Emporium

Location

Zaire Jackson

Investigator

THE ASANTE ARCHIVE

A digital scrapbook of my encounters with the mysterious and unknown.

Investigations, Nat-13, Stories

Investigation #1 – Gorenament

Investigations, Nat-13, Stories / Mocap

Investigation #1 - Gorenament

Various heart-shaped parasites are hidden throughout Poppy Valley and drag it’s host as far west as it can reach.

Next Investigation

Investigative Summary

Hidden within the many cracks and crevasses of Poppy Valley are rumored to be the parasitic Cardicore, an elusive mimic said to take over living organisms and transport them west.

After Zayshawn is handed a Cardicore perceived to be a Christmas ornament, he mistakenly gives it to Miranda and it proceeds to wreak havoc inside of her Morning Glory dorm.

Item of Interest

1.1 eNTER THE C&C CLUB

Enter Zayshawn Jackson, a sophomore student at Valerian Preparatory Institute who’s in love with the art of Tabletop RPGs and roleplaying. It is today that he announces the start of his Castles & Cryptids Club. The only problem is that it’s mandatory to have 3 active members to establish a club at school. And so, his quest for acquiring founding members begins!

1.2 loud roommate

Sharing a dorm with the very loud and charismatic Zayshawn is the studious Valerian junior, Anya Asante. While they aren’t bothered by the occasional noise from Zayshawn’s roleplaying, the idea of an entire club being hosted inside the dorm doesn’t sound appealing to them.

Zayshawn reassures Anya that once he secures two more club members and becomes an official club, he will be issued a complimentary club room he can host from. Anya is relieved.

Anya declined Zayshawn’s invitation to join the Castles & Cryptids club, suggesting that he should focus on inviting people he’s more familiar with first.

1.3 Little Help Here?

As if timed perfectly, Zayshawn’s childhood best friend Miranda Onyx tweeted out that she needs assistance setting up a Christmas Tree for the holidays. Zayshawn sees this as the perfect opportunity to help her and simultaneously ask her to join the Castles and Cryptids club.

Miranda is a student of the artistic boarding school Morning Glory Academy, which is quite a distance from Valerian Prep. Luckily, Anya has their own van and was willing to to give Zayshawn a ride if it meant getting him out of the dorm quicker.

1.4 Small Victories

After everyone met up at the Morning Glory dorms, the trio was able to set up the mini Christmas tree with ease. Although it looked good, Miranda thought it needed one final touch to be considered perfect.

When Zayshawn finally asked her about joining the Castle and Cryptids Club, Miranda promised she’d join under the condition Zayshawn finds her a pretty Christmas topper to put on her tree. With that said, Zayshawn bolted to the shopping district (driven by Anya).

1.5 Heart Shopping

Many of the shopping district stores only kept expensive accessories since Christmas was right around the corner. Sadly, Zayshawn allowance money only goes so far.

It was at his last stop, RaveTown Party Goods, where he was approached by an employee with an interesting offer. Jeremy Kohler offered Zayshawn a free heart-shaped tree topper from the backrooms. With no other options available, Zayshawn accepted it and passed it along to Miranda who was ecstatic with the design.

1.6 Merry Christmas

A late-night selfie confirmed that Miranda loved the new ornament and she’d be happy to join Zayshawn’s Castle and Cryptids Club. And so, on the night of a strong yet comforting blizzard, Zayshawn took a nice nap knowing that there was only one more member to acquire before the club can officially be formed.

The night became less comforting when Zayshawn was woken up by several spam calls from Miranda. After picking up his phone, he could only the sounds of Miranda being flung around by an unknown source. Without missing a beat, Zayshawn ran out of his Valerian Dorm and headed towards Morning Glory Academy in the middle of the blizzard.

Anya was woken up by Zayshawn’s stomping. After picking up Zayshawn’s disregarded phone and seeing where he was heading, Anya got into their van and drove into the blizzard to find Zayshawn and escort him to Morning Glory more efficiently.

1.7 Heart Attack

After arriving to Miranda’s dorm, the two were immediately dragged into the room by enlarged, animated roots. The miniature Christmas tree Miranda purchased had become a sentient beast sprouting layers upon layers of ever-expanding wood from it’s undersized pot. The tree topper that sat atop the plant had distorted and developed humanoid-like characteristics, spewing more of it’s neon pink life essence the throughout the room. The various ornaments and accessories that decorated the tree also animated and showcased more of their nastier tendencies the more they became coated in the pink liquid.

Anya used Zayshawn’s phone to send an SOS tweet to all Morning Glory students. Anya had realized that the creature Zayshawn unknowingly gave Miranda was a Cardicore, a mimic-style parasite that utilizes the visual appeal of its dormant state to deceive living organisms into donning them.

Anya called out to the other two that the best way to disable the parasite was to knock it off of the host. Without a good reach, Zayshawn began grabbing anything he could to throw at the core of the creature. With a spare frisbee prepped, Zayshawn readied an attack but was halted by the roots surrounding his left forearm twisting and snapping the bone. This affected his aim and Zayshawn instead hit Miranda in the nose. Luckily for the group, Miranda is an avid frisbee player and was able to quickly recovery and land a direct his on the core, knocking it loose and stopping the animated tree in its tracks.

Those awake at Morning Glory rushed to the dorm to see an exhausted trio in pain; Zayshawn with a broken forearm, Anya with a cracked rib, and Miranda bleeding profusely from her nose. The three were rushed to the Poppy Valley Hospital for emergency care.

1.8 Sisterly Duty

Not to long after the events of the Cardicore attack, the hospital began contacting the parents of the involved students. Zayshawn’s phone was broken during the attack and he did not remember his parents number, so he instead had the hospital call his older sister Zaire Jackson that attends Jimsonweed Alternative School. She would pass the hospital message to their parents and get him a new phone.

(She would not receive this hospital message until after the events of Investigation 2 – Happy Pappy)

1.9 Rest and Recovery

After 3 months of recovering from the accident, Zayshawn and Anya were finally ready to be discharged from the hospital (Miranda’s nosebleed was handled within a day). Zaire brought Zayshawn his new Lemonline replacement phone and told him that she is being forced by their parents to monitor him closely and ensure he doesn’t get into any more mishaps.

Zayshawn uses this as leverage to say that if Zaire wants to be around him then she will need to join the Castles and Cryptids Club to be allowed into the clubroom. With no other options, Zaire reluctantly agrees to join the club, making it known that she’ll be leaving as soon as their parents say Zayshawn doesn’t need to be monitored anymore.

With this, the Castle & Cryptids Club had another members to become an official club at Valerian Prep and apply for their very own clubroom!

Read other Investigations

Next Investigation - #2 Happy Pappy

There are rumors of the Doting Dan Huggable Bear at Happy Pappy Emporium housing organs instead of stuffing.

relevent pages

Cardicore

Anomaly

Jeremy Kohler

By-stander

RaveTown Party Goods

Location

Valerian Prep

Location

Morning Glory

Location

Zayshawn Jackson

Investigator

Anya Asante

Investigator

Miranda Onyx

Investigator

THE ASANTE ARCHIVE

A digital scrapbook of my encounters with the mysterious and unknown.

Investigations, Nat-13, Stories

Investigation #3 – Veggie Trail

Investigations, Nat-13, Stories / Mocap

Investigation #3 - Veggie Trail

When a specific book is placed in the right bookcase of Valerian’s library, a secret tunnel to the unknown appears.

Previous Investigation

Next Investigation

Investigative Summary

Valerian Preparatory Institute may be perceived as the pinnacle of academic prestige, but deep within it’s pearly gates lies an web of secrecy unknown to many of it’s naive occupants.

After Zayshawn and his group fail to procure a clubroom for the Castles and Cryptids club, an unexpected stroke of luck leads them down an educational passage on fruits and veggies.

Item of Interest

3.1 Access Denied

Zayshawn convinced Miranda and Zaire to join the Castles and Cryptids Club, meaning he had enough members to officially be added to the Valerian Club Registry and get an exclusive clubroom.

Valerian Disciplinary Committee Head Avram Scotch offered Zayshawn’s group a tour around Valerian to showcase the many clubroom options they could inquire about before going to the registration office. All of the rooms were extravagantly furnished with accommodations for full customization.

While things was looking good for Zayshawn, everything took a turn for the worse once he reached the approval office. Today’s instructor managing approvals was Professor Garnaquill, a school-wide nuisance known only for making the student’s lives harder.

With no explanation given, Zayshawn’s C&C club was denied for approval, removing all possibilities to reapply until the following school year. Even with Avram confirming that all approval criteria was met, the denial was stamped and forwarded through school system.

3.2 Study Session

Although Zayshawn was extremely depressed about his club being denied, that didn’t get rid of the months of schoolwork he missed while hospitalized during Investigation 1 – Gorenament. He would need to study nonstop in order to catch up to his advancing sophmore classmates.

Seeing how bad Zayshawn was struggling, Miranda suggested a group study session to help Zayshawn get back on track. Anya used their van to pick up the Miranda and Zaire (Zaire being forced to supervise Zayshawn on their parent’s behalf) and they all met in the Valerian East-Wing Library.

3.3 Pop Quiz

Due to Zaire’s intense “teaching methods”, the group attracted the attention of Professor Tomoe for being too loud in the Library. Professor Tomoe is known for punishing rule-breaking students with pop-quizzes, and as such gave Zayshawn’s group a open-book quiz on fruits and vegetables.

The group would not be allowed to leave the library until they each completed the pop quiz with a Perfect 100 Score. If they failed, they would need to retake the quiz with an entirely new set of questions.

3.4 Shelf Improvement

After a long, agonizing session of studying produce, the group finally succeeded on passing Professor Tomoe’s pop quiz punishment. All the group had to do was return the book to its respective shelf and they could finally leave the library.

The study group eventually found the dedicated bookshelf for the fruits/vegetable book. Everyone sighed in relief as Miranda went to put the book on the shelf, but was surprised when the entire bookshelf shifted once the book was placed (Miranda falling face-first due to being off balance).

Together they all stared at the mysterious passage to the unknown that had opened before them, unsure if they should proceed forward. With the group being tired from all the studying, they all agreed to return on the weekend after resting and grabbing the proper gear.

Once Miranda removed the book from the shelf, the bookcase door automatically closed and locked itself. The group checked the book out of the library in order to maintain their only known ticket inside.

3.5 Spinal Staircase

Fully rested, the group was now ready to venture into the unknown. With his homemade wizarding attire, a pack full of snacks, and freshly charged flashlights, Zayshawn prepares to lead everyone behind the bookshelf.

As the shelf reopens using the fruit/vegetable book key, a gentle breeze blows from the inside as the group approaches a deep, spiraling staircase that vanishes downwards towards an unseen bottom floor. The group collects themselves and plunges down into the web-filled tunnel.

3.6 Test Your Bite

At the bottom of the staircase resided a singular locked door. Though it seemed flimsy, the door would not budge no matter how much it was kicked in by the group. There was also no sign of a key or key hole, only a basketball-sized hole in the wall that protruded outward like at tube. The inside felt cavernous, with no interior surfuce that could be felt once a hand was put inside (even against the wall that was right in front of them).

The only clue to opening the door was the various scrambled numbers and letters around the room which acted as a puzzle. With the assistance of people online, the teams was able to able to unlock the door by doing the following

Combine the Sudoku Puzzles to acquire the missing numbers “6554“
Convert the Numbers “6554” into the word “Feed” by using their placements in the alphabet
Use the word “Feed” as a keyword for the Vigenère Cipher above to get “Big, Blood-Dyed City“
Referenced the Fruits and Vegetable book to associate New York City (Known as “The Big Apple”) with Red Apples.
Feed a Red Apple into the Feeding Hole.

3.7 Edible Arrangements

The group could not believe their eyes when the door opened. Not only was it a lavish 2-level room, but it was filled with Castles and Cryptids accessories. A custom 4K Touchscreen Tabletop, hundreds of handmade cyptid minis, and even the entire collection of adventurer manuals (including the banned editions). Zayshawn almost fainted.

Miranda voiced what everyone was thinking; “So this is our new clubroom, right? It’s gotta be!”. Although it seemed like the perfect opportunity for Zayshawn to defy Valerian and create a secret club, stealing someone else’s space just wouldn’t be as satisfying to him as having an actual school-recognized space.

And so, after heavy thinking, Zayshawn decided he would not be claiming the space for the C&C Club. Only after he has been granted permission from the owners will he take over.

3.8 The Archive

Anya wasn’t drawn to the obvious. While others basked in the mundane, Anya was captivated by a secluded door, its faint mechanical humming a siren song.

Within, a chilling sight unfurled: towering glass cylinders, some shattered, others holding enigmatic forms. These weren’t the fantastical beasts of the tabletop games, but something disturbingly close. Poppy Valley, seemingly ordinary, now riddled with hidden potential for discovery. Driven by this relentless curiosity, Anya founded the “Capture, Contain, Guard” Cryptid Research Group (CCG) as a sole soldier fighting a war against the unknown, but yet they still longed for allies.

In Zayshawn, Anya saw that potential. Zayshawn’s passion for the C&C game could fuel their quest by providing him with exclusive knowledge to transform his fictional campaigns into chilling echoes of reality. Similarly, Anya is defined by their insatiable curiosity; gazing far beyond the surface and being drawn to the shadows where impossible creatures may reside. An unwavering determination glimmering from their past that fuels their relentless pursuit of documenting the unexplained. A potential collaboration was forming.

3.9 ACCESS GRANTED

With a confused expression, Zaire called everyone to the top of the staircase near the apple tree. She pointed into the leaves where you would expect to see another apple, but instead there was a strange note attached to the tree. The paper was not simply tossed into the tree, its corner was protruding directly from a branch as if it was grown organically. The paper read “Enjoy the clubroom, Zayshawn. – MKB“

This was direct confirmation; The room was being given to Zayshawn as a club space. As to who it belonged to or why they’ve helped out, that would remain a mystery for another day.

Read other Investigations

Previous Investigation - #2 Happy Pappy

There are rumors of the Doting Dan Huggable Bear at Happy Pappy Emporium housing organs instead of stuffing.

Next Investigation - #4 Sand Snatcher

There are rumors of the Doting Dan Huggable Bear at Happy Pappy Emporium housing organs instead of stuffing.

Valerian Prep

Location

THE ASANTE ARCHIVE

A digital scrapbook of my encounters with the mysterious and unknown.