Mythology of Tumbleseed

There are a lot of things said in the dialogue of Tumbleseed that do not make sense, unless they are somehow connected to a longer history, or larger universe.

For instance, one fellow at one of the base camps talks about he used to be up on the peak, mentions how hot it is down here, but he likes it and will never go back; then he asks “Have you seen my floaties?” Well, can I actually find them somewhere, or it this just supposed to tie in with his explanation of how hot it is?

Then, occasionally, you will come upon a dwelling right in the middle of the Adventure, that has nobody inside to talk to, and no power-ups.

What is this all about? Are there supposed to be clues here?

UPDATE: Just fell down a random hole in the Jungle and met this witch-woman, who has a very skeptical outlook on the VineGuard, and received the WARPWEED. This is really neat (at this time, warpweed does not even appear on this wiki list), but what connection does this have with the rest of the “story”?

According to this otherwise very unhelpful wiki, the “Abandoned Witch Hut” has a small chance of spawning in the Forest. It seems I have stumbled onto this, as well as the “Witch Hole” in the Jungle. Would still be interested in learning what “The Stone Maw” and “The Vent” are all about, as well as any other secret locations.