Trepunti is one of Quelmar's many reclaimed populations of creatures, monsters, and beasts.
Everything on this page was invented by the attendees of 3 Dots' Tuesdays on the Terrace, who visited the gaming table and world-built on a shared story using the rules of The Deep Forest.
About
Trepunti was a small start-up village claimed by a number of animals who attempted to make it their own territory, not realizing that they too were intruders on the native land of even older monsters. Villains becomes protagonists and protagonists become villains as the constant switch-up of colonizer and de-colonizer is challenged in this short, fast paced village builder.
Residents
The Rat People
The founders of Trepunti, the Rat people were trapped underground after trying to build a religious utopia for themselves. After the cave trapped them in, they worked in secret under the humans of Trepunti, rising in intellegect and organization until the fateful day that they could be released in the the world.
Shortly after the humans were driven out of Trepunti, the old town marketplace collapsed, and the underground crusading rat cult was freed to take the surface world. However, their plans for domination quickly were interrupted as they (as a joke) went to the lake to visit the disguisting leeches living there. However, the joke was short lived, as the two colonies of creatures: Rats and Leeches, immediately fell in love and began to make plans on how to enrich and grow the surrounding area of Trepunti into a new home for their people.
The Leech Army
The natives of Lake Trio, the Leech army existed in Trepunti when the humans still lived in the area, though they were stuck living underwater and hiding from the humans. These leeches were the size of chihuahuas, and were happy to resurface once the humans left. Squirming along the grass and stone, they encountered the Rat People who also lived in secret under the humans, and it was love at first sight.
They are ruled by the Leech Queen, and have a hive-mind, so in theory ALL of the leeches are really just an extension of the Leech Queen's will.
The Ogress
THE OGRESS IS HUNGRY FOR FOOD AND LOVE. OGRESS CAME TO TREPUNTI BECAUSE SHE HEARD CUTE RATS LIVE HERE. RATS NO LIKE OGRESS. OGRESS WILL SMASH RATS AND LEECHES. OGRESS SMASH FOUNTAIN. OGRESS WILL WIN THE HEARTS OF THE RATS BY FORCE.
Ogress might sound like a bad ogre, but to the surprise of everyone in Trepunti, a grave was unearthed on the outskirts of the village revealing the the Ogress's ancestors, the original cyclops that roamed this vale, were buried here in the village, a fact that means....the Ogress is in fact the true native monster of Trepunti, and the animals that moved in (the Rats, the Leeches, and the Magpies) were in fact colonizing land that should have belonged to her and her people.
As these tensions grew, the Ogress did everything she could to take down the others. She suggested snarkily that she would bring the humans BACK to Trepunti, hoping they would wipe out the other monsters. This was a threat she followed through with, and humans soon arrived to begin smashing the projects of the citizens. Neither the fountain nor the spaceships that were being built could be completed as the Ogress began her crusade.
The Ogress tried to make a pact with the neutral Magpies in the town, but ruined their working relationship after she falsely believed that the space-ships that the Magpies were working on were ACTUALLY trying to abduct the Magpies. Proudly thinking she saved their birdie lives, she presented the smashed ruins of the spaceship, only to learn that the Magpies had just had their escape plans destroyed.
It is unknown if the Ogress was able to reclaim the land after the humans returned.
The Astral Magpies
The Magpies who moved into the area built and inhabited a number of crop circles around Trepunti. They were big fans of "The shinies" and often foraged around the ruins to claim any shiny pebbles, coins, or goodies to present to their co-founders, the Leeches and the Rats. They even went out of their way to invite others into the village "if they have shiny", including one particular Ogress. However, their friendly dynamic dramatically shifted when the Leeches and the Rats became romantically involved.
Always lurking, always watching from a distance, the Magpies did not get very involved in the strange love triangle that emerged among the other monsters. There was a hint of jelaousy in their non-involvement. But they fueled that spite into working on their secret side project: the construction of a SPACE SHIP and the winning of the SPACE RACE. The Magpies were especially worried that the Ogress was becoming so aggressive, and hastened the development of the spaceship....only to watch the Ogress invite humans back into the village.....humans would would sabotage and destroy the space ship that was so very near completion. Unable to fly to space on their secret ship, the Magpies fell back on Plan A, and used the crop circles that they had been building around the village to summon a magic ritual that gave them the ability to fly to outer space, granting them supernatural powers and finally letting them escape the love-stricken madness of Trepunti. They looked back on the town and watched as the humans returned and the Ogress raged on, but never saw how the story ended.
Landmarks
Trepunti Town Square
The original town square of the humans who once lived in Trepunti, it functioned as a market and place of trade. Once the humans left and stopped keeping up the infrastructure, Trepunti experienced the great market crash, in which a sinkhole opened up under the market, revealing the monstrous cult of rats and their rat king that lived underneath Trepunti this whole time.
The humans were very aggressive in their market, and perhaps it was too many merchants in this temple of trade that were the original cause of the humans to leave.
Lake Trio
Some believed it was called Lake Trio because it was shaped like a tree. Others thing it was named Trio after the "Tre" in "Trepunti. In any case, the lake was relatively safe and useful source of water for the village's many projects. Lake Trio was home to the leech hivemind.
Poncho Beatchu
Later renamed "Munchu Eatchu" by the monsters of the village, the Ponchu Beatchu temple was a massive mayan-esque ziggurat that towered over Lake Trio. It was believed that the original humans who lived here used to do human sacrifices, throwing their own kind from the temple into the leech-infested waters. After the humans fled and the monsters and animals took over, they believed that the human sacrifices were still important. Any humans who stumbled back into Trepunti were likely thrown to the leeches as part of this "Religion + Restaurant" service.
The Mysterious Tri-Crop Circle
Built by the Magpies (see above), the mysterious Tri-Crop Circle was created in Trepunti immediately following the evacuation of the humans. It existed silently in the backdrop of the story up until the very end, where it was revealed that the circle was actually a ritual circle used by the magpies to enchant themselves with astral-faring abilities, creating Quelmar's first space-faring magpies.
The Beautiful Magic fountain of Trepunti
Hoping to bridge the mounting tensions of the village, one last ditch effort was made by the rats, to build a beautiful fountain in the town that all could admire and drink from. This massive project would require the work of all creatures of Trepunti, but unfortunately this dream was shattered when the Ogress, unimpressed and still broken hearted, smashed the fountain to bits.
The Cyclops Graveyard
Unearthed late in Trepunti's history, the graveyard revealed that Trepunti was originally inhabited by a number of Cyclops creatures who were in fact the ancestors of the Ogress (see above). Their graves here meant that the land belonged to the Ogress, and the other monsters were trespassing.
Stories
The Story of Trepunti (by James)
One of the most gripping narratives to unfold in Trepunti revolved around a romantic entanglement between the Rats, the Leeches, and the Ogress. It all began with an ill-advised visit to the leeches by the rats, intending it as a jest. However, in a strange twist of fate, the Rats and Leeches fell deeply in love. The announcement of their union didn’t sit well with the Ogress, who had her own affectionate feelings for the Rats. Her feelings transformed into envy and anger, causing a rift in the Trepunti community.
The Rats and Leeches' joint effort to build a fountain of unity was met with disdain by the Ogress, who destroyed the fountain in a fit of rage. This act further amplified the tension, straining relationships and creating a wider divide between the residents.
While the love triangle created havoc in Trepunti, the Astral Magpies were secretly embarking on a quest to win the space race. Uninterested in the trivialities of terrestrial life, the Magpies channelled their energy into building a spaceship. They hoped to claim the cosmos for themselves, away from the romantic tension and the rising animosity in Trepunti.
Their plan was foiled by the Ogress, who, suspecting foul play, brought humans back to the village. The humans, scared by the presence of an alien spaceship, destroyed the project. Forced to improvise, the Magpies used their mystical Tri-Crop Circle to perform a ritual that gave them the power to fly to outer space. This marked the exodus of the Magpies from Trepunti, leaving the village in chaos.
In the midst of these narratives, a surprise twist occurred. The discovery of a cyclops graveyard in the outskirts of Trepunti revealed the Ogress as the true native of the land. This revelation left the residents dumbfounded. The Ogress, using this newfound leverage, asserted her authority over the village and threatened the existing power structure.
The reveal also helped explain the Ogress's antagonism towards the other residents, as she saw them as colonizers occupying her ancestral land. With her threats to bring humans back into Trepunti becoming reality, the future of the village remained uncertain, teetering on the brink of dissolution.
The destiny of Trepunti remained unclear. With the Astral Magpies fled to outer space, the Rats and Leeches entwined in their love, the Ogress wrestling control, and the humans back in town, the village faced an uncertain future. Would the Ogress reclaim her ancestral home? Would the Rats and Leeches withstand the onslaught? Or would the humans reclaim Trepunti and wipe out the monstrous residents?
