Arbolidores: Greed's Nature

Arbolidores

Greed's Nature

Backstory

The legends of La Florida carried far and wide amongst Conquistadores, with the fabled treasure bestowed by the Fountain of Youth being that of only a mere dream for all save one conquistador whose greed knew no bounds - Selos Avidezma. Selos journeyed to the rumored home of the Fountain of Youth, a cursed swamp where no man has ever returned from the same. Selos feared not for the safety of his crew nor did he heed the warning of the Shaman - caretaker of this cursed swamp, of the dangers that awaited on the path to the Fountain of Youth. Selos alongside his men were lost to time, but those who wander off the beaten path have describe mysterious plant-human like figures roaming the swamps.

Environment 

The scare zone will lean into its existing heavy foliage and cramped feeling with the installation of additional fake hollowed out cypress trees and twisted mangrove trees allowing for scare actors to twist around the trunks and roots respectively at night blending in with the nature. Some of these installed cypress trees have roots that subtly look like a humans torso jutting out with the roots fusing into legs into the ground. Hanging from the branches of the real trees is an artificial Spanish Moss that's intertwined with fiber optic lighting that makes the area glow an eerie light green at night while providing an ethereal feeling. The combination of black light worked into the branches of the fake trees and fog machines provides a disorientating cover for scare actors to roam During HHN howling wind, frogs croaking, crickets chirping, trees creaking, and ominous groans can be heard as ominous noise filling the air adding into the eerie environment that hinges off a tight and naturalistic area.

Character Moments

The Shaman

The Shaman is a cloaked figure wearing a necklace of dried lilies fastened by Spanish moss, propping themselves with a large curved stick pulled from the cursed swamp with rattlers attached made from Catalpa Seed Pods. The Shaman is encountered at the Hollywood entrance/exit of the Scare Zone as they warn guests of the curse that befalls those who quest and are foolish enough to drink from the Fountain of Youth. There is a small show area where The Shaman climbs up sod brick stairs to a lookout tower made of sod bricks, ivy, and moss covered wooden framing. The Shaman hear shakes their staff and speaks of the curse.

"You seek the Fountain of Youth, yes? I warned them all like I warn you, the waters here are cursed with an ancient magic. Those that drink become rooted in their own greed, splintering themselves from their own humanity. The swamp takes back for the gift it gives is not without price, it takes over the very soul."

The shaman shakes their staff as the moss glows downward and activates a glowing light effect throughout the Spanish moss in the scarezone.

Scare Actors

Arbolidores 

The name Arbolidores combines the spanish word for tree and conquistadores. Comparable to that of a traditional zombie these are conquistadors undergoing the transformation that befalls those that drink from the Fountain of Youth - eternal life as part of the cursed swap in the form of being a tree. The Arbolidores will have human faces allowing them to speak and scream with guests, but various features show their changes - this includes unnatural green eyes, wooden cheeks, arms that have turned into twisted knotted branches, and various types of leaves growing through rips in their conquistador armor. Utilizing the blacklights in the area guests will be able to see veins of sap encircling their bodies as they begin to process into turning into the other scare actors seen in this scare zone.

Selos Avidezma

Selos Avidezma is dressed in Conquistador attire that has rips and green stains that glow in the dark. His beard is no longer human hair but but just like what has been seen throughout the scarezone, Spanish Moss. Branches have cracked through his helmet creating horns on either side, with thorns scarring his face growing down from his helmet. He balances between human and and the transformation into being one with the swamp.

Roots 

Large lumbering costumed scareactors that stand still but give chase to the unsuspecting passersby as they move past with arms dressed as limbs reaching down to the floor. Some roots will be stilt walkers with long creeping vines growing up their legs and long curtains of Spanish moss draping down allowing for them to blend into the scenery and catch guests off guard as the trees attack.

Bark Scares 

Twisted into the roots and trunks of the artificial mangroves are bark scares utilizing camouflage these humans turned plants attempt to warn those who seek the Fountain of Youth, but they can only reach out for the curse has taken root in them.​