Trading Card Tuesday: The Central Appalachian Woodbooger

The Supernaturalist’s Notebook: Chapter 1

Welcome to Cryptid Keep, formally known as the Appalachian Sanctuary for Parabiological Phenomena!

Adjacent to the Ridgeview Academy in Pearl Valley, Virginia, Cryptid Keep’s forerunner was the Central Appalachian Woodbooger Sanctuary.

Founded in 1929 by pioneering parabiologist Dr. Amarra Chang, the Central Appalachian Woodbooger Sanctuary first served as a refuge for bipedal creatures of the Sasquatch genus drawn to the mysterious energies released by the appearance of the “Pearl of the Valley” on February 16, 1927.

The “Pearl of the Valley” site in 1939. Art by Joseph Ioseliani.

Within weeks of its appearance, the mystical and cosmic energies emitted by the Pearl of the Valley began drawing other supernatural creatures to the region. Many of these parabiological beings were injured or somehow ostracized from their typical group hierarchies.

The Defender quietly purchased the land on which Cryptid Keep was built in 1940 and expanded the footprint of the sanctuary throughout the decade.

In 1946, the Defender prevented a giant ice-laden asteroid from destroying Earth. He diverted the asteroid into a valley adjacent to Cryptid Keep where the thawing ice formed Dragon’s Tear Lake. Soon, parabiological beings typically found in the world’s oceans were sighted in the salt water lake.

Following an infestation of North American Lake Monsters in nearby Big Cherry Lake in 1951, the Defender built an artificial freshwater body, Lake Wyrmwood. With the completion of Lake Wyrmwood, the Defender unveiled the Appalachian Sanctuary for Parabiologoical Phenomena to the world. On May 13, 1957, Cryptid Keep opened to the public as the first supernatural preserve.

Each month, we’ll feature a different cryptid that resides within the Appalachian Sanctuary for Parabiological Phenomena. And this month, we kick off our celebration with the creature that started it all: the Central Appalachian Woodbooger!

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At the Appalachian Sanctuary for Parabiological Phenomena, Aegis Field generators allow your family close proximity to the cryptids in our care, while also protecting you and our supernatural guests using impenetrable force field technology. Art by MJ Hiblen.

This project is dedicated to my nephew, Dashiell. I love you, bud!

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Thank you all for joining us this month for the first entry in our second volume of trading cards! I’m SO excited to share this corner of the Omniverse with you on the third Tuesday of every month!

And I’m just tickled pink to be collaborating with some exceptionally talented artists on this project. This month, you got a taste of the treats coming your way with art by MJ Hiblen, Joseph Ioseliani, and the color artist who reliably makes my work shine, Rafael Grimaldi! Stay tuned for some next-level art from these folks and many more!

To say I’ve been obsessed with cryptids my entire life is no exaggeration. And honey, I’m bringing the receipts:

I found this bigfoot fan fiction at my parents’ house recently. It’s dated 1987, so I would have been 5. I feel like my prose style is remarkably unchanged. That was also the year the CLASSIC of American cinema, Harry and the Hendersons, was released in theaters. My grandpa took me to rent that movie so many times that the woman who owned the video store just WENT AND GOT IT from the shelf when she saw us come in. No joke.

I also wrote a series of letters to the kids’ nature magazine Ranger Rick about a bigfoot statue in the Pacific Northwest that they featured. I haven’t been able to turn up those letters, but let’s just say I was bringing strong Millennial cryptid ally energy as a five-year-old.

Flash forward: in high school, the intrepid Grace Bradshaw took a group of my classmates to Portland, Oregon for a speech and debate competition. During a break from the tournament, Grace drove us to visit Mount Saint Helens and on the way, what should we come across in Kid Valley, Washington? That’s right, gentle reader, the giant bigfoot statue from that Ranger Rick article. Please enjoy this blurry pic of 18-year-old me feeling the fantasy:

So look, I’m not some Johnny-come-lately cryptid enthusiast. This obsession is baked in. Still not convinced?

I’m committed. Or maybe I should BE committed? Too close to call, right now.

I look forward to delving into the parabiological phenomena of the Omniverse with y’all!

And for all of our paid subscribers, keep scrolling for a special treat featuring some exclusive art and a preview of things to come!