Zone Designation: CANDY GROVE

Code: ZN-CG-02
Zone Type: Semi-Sentient Confection Terrain
Status: Uncontained / Monitored
Threat Class: Memetic / Environmental Influence
Classification: SOFT HOSTILITY

Zone Overview

Candy Grove appears, at first glance, to be a whimsical biome composed of soft colors, sugary terrain, and ambient childlike music. The air is thick with a synthetic vanilla-syrup scent. Terrain includes crystallized sugar dunes, taffy marshes, and gumdrop flora with sap that causes mild disorientation upon contact.

Initial surveys reported “playful feelings” and “a sense of deep nostalgia.” Subsequent teams reported hallucinations, compulsive consumption, and attempted bonding with native organisms. All attempts to establish a research outpost have failed due to personnel refusing to evacuate.

Primary Characteristics

Biome is semi-sentient. Patterns in growth suggest emotional responsiveness to intruders.

• Lickroot Trees: produce vibrating harmonic tones when approached
• Cottonvines: appear harmless but constrict tightly around limbs after 8 minutes of contact
• Toffle Spores: induce euphoric flashbacks in small doses; extreme doses may create feedback loops in memory

Known Bala Origins

Bala classified under Cute and Anomaly logic types are native to or heavily influenced by Candy Grove.

Memetic Hazards

• Audio drift (looping carnival music) causes minor memory bleed
• Persistent urge to “stay a little longer” begins within 5–7 minutes of exposure
• Bright colors stimulate the “sugar child” response in 82% of adult agents

Containment Directives

• Class IV Visual Dampeners required
• Max exposure: 11 minutes without psychological shielding
• Retrieval teams must be rotated every 90 seconds when working in bonded clusters
• Do not accept gifts from Grove entities. They remember.

Additional Notes (Declassified)

• Grove terrain shifts slightly in rhythm with laughter recorded in Field Log CG-17
• Several field notes reference a “Mother Lickroot,” though no such entity has been documented
• One log ends mid-sentence:
  “...and I do think I belong here, now. I miss how I felt when I was pretend...”

Settlements

1. Syrinth Hollow

Population: ~300
Known For: Taffybrick housing, floral fermentation, stickyfruit trade
Notes: Built around a naturally occurring toffle-spore vent. Harvesting requires specialized boots and extreme patience. Their festival, The Blooming, marks the one day a year the Grove sings.

2. Pollenrot Post

Population: ~90
Known For: Medicinal lolliroot paste, honeyglass distillation
Notes: Residents wear petal-filter masks and often speak in song-patterns. Temporary lodging for Grove runners and Bureau couriers.

3. Mallow’s Edge

Population: ~60
Known For: Syrup filtration pools, “dream logs” (hallucinatory story bark)
Notes: Built against a dense sugarcrystal forest. Most buildings melt slightly in summer.

4. Gumble Strand

Population: ~45
Known For: Marshroot vinegar, flotsam salvage from neighboring Zones
Notes: Terrain is mostly sticky marsh. All residents barefoot by cultural rule.

> “They only get sweeter the longer you stay.”