In this journal, I plan to keep track of the interesting things and places I find in The Fields on my travels through this new land. I will warn you, however there may be some spoilers of people, places or things that may appear in the first or future Fertile Fields books.
It turns out we were extremely luckily that we made it out of The Forgetful Forest. Chris has suggested that maybe it was because it had just formed and did not have the power it has now. We are guessing its power is possibly due to its size. It has at least doubled since we first journeyed through it. Luckily it is now limited by the river on one side and the mountains on the other. It can't grow any larger unless it learns to swim.
Only two members of the expedition that was charged with mapping of the forest ever returned. That is how we know the forest is so much more powerful now. One of the two survivors had forgotten who they were and the other claimed that some of the trees actually rearranged themselves...that they could actually move. He said they moved out of the corner of our eye when they thought you were not looking. And just to confuse you. This has not been confirmed as we have not let anyone go back into it. We have posted a mechanical knight to guard the bridge leading to it much like John was when we first found him. We tried simply tearing down the bridge first but, even though it looks like it is falling in, it is apparently indestructible.
We still do not know who originally created the forest but we believe it was an effort from stopping us originally getting to the Impossible Castle.
If you are visiting The Fields, please avoid it until further notice. If, goodness forbid, you materialize in The Forgetful Forest, follow the sounds of water to the river and follow the river to the bridge as quickly as possible.
The Impossible Castle is, of course, under new management. The new management has...coaxed the castle into having less hallways and rooms and to change them less frequently. As with the Forgetful Forest, it was modified to trap us, and, with The Fields calming down, it was much easier to make a thing then than it is to unmake it now. I have suggested that they allow the castle to have certain days where it can act as an escape room for adventurous Fielders. I believe the castle liked the idea because it warmed in the room I was in when I suggested it...and no place in that castle is usually warm. Whether the new management will implement, only time will tell. We are still missing a few people that were last seen in the dungeons.
But for now, if you are looking to visit the castle, all the main rooms from the original castle are locked in place when the castle is open to visitors. Maps are available just inside the entrance. You will have to contact an outpost to see where the castle is scheduled to be the day you would like to visit. It still acts as part of the surveying fleet of The Fields.
The temporary governing council has decided to name the amusement park "King's Fields", for obvious reasons. Most of the rides were created intact, by Ronald, so they work great. We just have to repair the damage done when the mechanical dinosaurs came to life and tried to eat us...as well as began tearing things up just for the fun of it.
As for the mechanical dinosaurs themselves, the research department tells us many of them are no longer mechanical. Apparently some or now flesh and blood. Still others are a combination of both flesh and blood and robotics...cyborgs? Pretty wild to think about. The ones that Ronnie can talk to have been helpful to us but many of them are too wild or too unreal to control. Luckily many of the wild ones have wondered away from King's Fields so it should be safe to open to everyone, which will hopefully be soon. Of course we will have the remaining ones continue to chase guests. I mean, that's a part of the experience, right?
Just a note to The Fields visitors and residents: As we continue to try to stabilize the climate, please prepare yourself for extreme weather. Huge changes in temperature and weather will continue to happen, especially beyond the great bubble, as the climate stabilizers originate from New Utopia outwards. More are being installed daily. If you need extreme weather equipment--which we suggest everyone visiting the fields has--please visit an outpost. They will provide you with many of the things you will need. If the weather ever becomes too extreme, please head for Subtarinia, the unfortunate name given to the cave system below The Fields. The temperature remains the same there no matter what the temperature in the fields...just like back home.
From my research, I believe I now have a grasp of the citizens of The Fields. They fall into one of three categories. Either they are adults or children pulled from our world, someone created to exist in The Fields--either on accident or on purpose--and, now, ones developing on their own in the--more or less--natural evolution of The Fields (this would include mostly animals). Most are perfectly harmless, though you should respect animal life here as you would at home--with a few exceptions.
One of the exceptions is The Horde. The Horde live mostly in the Reality Bubble but have been seen in The Fields itself on occasion. They have elongated mouths, teeth, ears, arms and fingers. Avoid these creatures at all cost.
Another exception is the Faceless Ones. Their faces are a blurry nothingness. They have actually helped un on occasion but we still do not know their intentions. They are best avoided as well.
My personal favorite citizens by far are those pop culture icons that have been created and now live life as a real being in The Fields, like Captain Crunch and Smokey the Bear. Yes, they are actual people here. I also met Bigfoot the other day. Though he says he doesn't like being called Bigfoot. It makes him self-conscience. He doesn't actually have another name so I told him he should come up with one and let us know.
Additional: We originally assumed all of the kids from the fields were pulled over from our time--as The Fields and our world run concurrently somehow--but I am starting to hear rumors that this is not the case. Apparently some have said they are from the future...? This is as of yet a rumor but it wouldn't surprise me if it turned out to be true.
Mapping The Fields continues to be a priority. New areas of The Fields are being located and explored fairly often. And new things continue to pop up out of nowhere, seemingly of their own accord. Exploring, mapping and classifying things continues to be more work than we have people to do. Many of the original exploring expeditions dispatched from Utopia are still roaming and reporting in regularly. New areas almost always bring the unexpected.
Just today an expedition reported a new place they want to name The Hidden Gem. It is literally a farm with fields full of gem-based plants growing out of the ground. Apparently a kid who loved gem-matching and farming based video games created it. I am told if you put three of the same gem together after you pick them, they explode. I am not sure what the point is, but to each their own.
More continuing work is converting Utopia to New Utopia. If you have been there recently, you know we have our work cut out for us. More to come on that as we get a scope of the work involved.
Opening the amusement park, as I mentioned before, is on the horizon. The work there is going smoothly so far.
It has been brought to my attention that while we have a lot of opportunities in The Fields for adventure, there are very few places to eat. It anyone could get creative and will a few good eateries into existence, it would be much appreciated. Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory was an awesome addition but sometimes you need to eat real food.
One of the largest sections of the underground caverns dead ends into a perfect replica of my middle school, buried completely underground.
There is a room inside the tallest pilon in Utopia that is actually a giant microwave...we have no idea why.
...more to come
