Pumpkin Jay

### Source Text

*Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook*, 5th Ed. and *Central Casting: Heroes of Legend*, 1st Ed.

### Pronouns

He/Him

Pumpkin Jay was introduced in “All My Spooky Children: Pumpkin Jay.” He was created using @BlakeRyanBatman’s prompt, Chad Butternut once left a pumpkin out- lightning hit it- came to life- it wanted to learn magic."

## Personal History

Born from lightening and planar unrest, Pumpkin Jay was a reject pumpkin, gown by Chad Butternut for the yearly pumpkin contest that determines the mayor in Purithra Guild. As a reject pumpkin, he was carved into a jack-o-lantern by Chad Butternut and Madam Mysteria and left outside with the intention to be given to the children of Purithra Guild.

Once lightning struck, Pumpkin Jay was born. He immediately found modesty and clothing in the form of shoes and gloves, and runs into the city, hiding in the shadows and alleyways. He eventually comes across the Mysteria house and sees magic for the first time, awakening inside of him the deep desire of "I want that" - everyone in Purithra Guild uses magic and Pumpkin Jay recognizes what he is missing to be part of society. He tries on his own to learn magic by mimicking hand motions he sees others do but is unsuccessful.

Because his appearance around town was frightening the citizens of Purithra Guild, Samuel Gourd "took care" of Pumpkin Jay - in reality sending his cronies to round up pumpkins and publicly smashing the largest one, declaring the problem solved. But Samuel Gourd actually had already found Pumpkin Jay, captured him, and began to train him as a weapon and assassin to take out his enemies, and outfitting him with steel armor to look like a spider-like pumpkin bot.

Once Pumpkin Jay is captured by Samuel Gourd and trained to be his personal assassin, Pumpkin Jay uses the opportunity of being close to Samuel Gourd to learn more about how magic works. Eventually, the Gourd team of scientists recognize his latent magical energy and perform experiments on him until he becomes a full-fledged, bolt-casting, magic-user, which causes great internal conflict within Pumpkin Jay.

Hating that he has been forced into a life of killing for Samuel Gourd, Pumpkin Jay breaks free and goes to join Chad Butternut, eventually being the one to kill Samuel Gourd in the middle of the night. Because he was made for the children, this life of murder haunts him, even as he kills Samuel Gourd he is not freed - this is just another murder on his list, this vengeance is hollow.

In the battle of Butternut Manner, as Madam Mysteria comes up against Pumpkin Jay, she remembers carving him as a jack-o-lantern with Chad Butternut several years ago and spares his life. Pumpkin Jay owes his life to Madam Mysteria several times over and considers her to be his hero.

Pumpkin Jay watched the Battle of Madam Mysteria and Liminy Locust from far away, seeing Madam Mysteria become 600 feet tall as he leaves Purithra Guild and decides that he has to go and do something great, just like Madam Mysteria In his travels he hears of a place where demi-humans are welcome and travels to Iron Hill.

Pumpkin Jay becomes a mercenary wizard as he wanders around, trying to find Iron Hill where beastmen are welcome. As he travels, Pumpkin Jay becomes more civilized, and learns the capacity for good and not just how to be powerful and murderous with his magic.

Eventually Pumpkin Jay makes it to Iron Hill and Big Jeremy deems him worthy of entry and he becomes one of The Bestial Knights.

## Looks and Personality

Pumpkin Jay is a quadrupedal, giant pumpkin, whose legs grow out of his stem, spider-like, and extend down and around his body. He wears two shoes, adorned with buckles, and gardening gloves. One of the hands has a shoe on it and one of the feet has a glove on it. As he becomes more civilized later, he wears his shoes on his feet and his gloves on his hands.

Pumpkin Jay, because he was carved as a jack-o-lantern, has a constant jack-o-lantern smile.

When he cries, he cries pumpkin seeds, which is horrifying.

Pumpkin Jay wants to be free and forge his own but knows he cannot just go out into the wilds because he does not know enough magic to survive, which is why he stays in Purithra Guild as long as he does.

Pumpkin Jay likes to scare young children, in a playful way. He was made with the intention to be given to the children and playing with them is the one way that he feels redeemed from what he has been made into. He also cannot mentally wash away the stench of what he has been made to do and with that, is physically accompanied by the smell of rotting meat everywhere he goes, often announcing his presence before he is noticed visually because of how dark his magical presence is.

## Powers and Abilities

Pumpkin Jay cannot talk, he communicates with basic noises.

Pumpkin Jay cannot use weapons, his arms are like twigs, but he can use magic after being experimented on by the scientists employed by Samuel Gourd.

Pumpkin Jay is a mercenary and a pickpocket, and a powerful magical caster.

## See Also

Chad Butternut

Samuel Gourd

Madam Mysteria

Big Jeremy

The Bestial Knights