Chapter 2: The Sinews of War

[Pulpatoon]

Deet, Hans, Wikerus, and Horton all light torches. In the dust-choked air, the flames pop and flicker and create eerie dancing shadows.

Above you, in the light of the torches, the ceiling fairly erupts in a blaze of reflected light. A rich, golden light shimmers down. This ceiling is a rotunda decorated with celestial putti, like the one you encountered before,but instead of painting, this one is sculptural. Golden cherubs fly through an aureate sky. The dancing shadows of the torchlight makes them appear to swoop and twirl through the clouds.

Brick, Kurt, Hans, Shaggy, Mouse, and Jake hang back by the door. Have you brought the cart with you through the door?

Deet and Langston investigate the figure. It is painted and decorated much like the wooden soldiers, except for a collection of chintz ribbons and costume jewelery fixed on its chest in an approximation of a cluster of medals. It is covered in a blanket of dust. There is a gentle, rhythmic rumbling from deep inside the figure's wooden chest—it is snoring.

There are paper-wrapped packages at the figure's feet. You can easily identify the one's delivered earlier this week: they are barely touched with dust. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other packages are also piled around, some so old and dust-covered that they are little more than soft lumps in the dust.

Wikerus and Schroff poke through the mound to the east. It turns out to be a mouldering pile of clothes—actual cloth versions of the painted uniforms of the wooden soldiers. Most are thoroughly rotten, but the occasional item is found intact. Among the clothes are the equally-rotted remains of what you would broadly categorize as soldier's personal effects: books, letters home, cheaply-printed playing cards, musical instruments, etc. All the items of comfort that were entirely missing from life in the Wooden Army's bivouac.

Splinters and Horton head to the stairs. The second their feet touch the bottom step, the giant nutcracker's head swings around. The great-toothed mouth opens and bellows, "NONE MAY PASS WITHOUT THE WIZARD'S LEAVE!"

The massive shoulders swing around to match its gaze, and, in a roil of disturbed dust, the nutcracker is in motion, making great strides towards the stairs. It will be upon Splinters and Horton in seconds.

Actions!
Next action-post: Wednesday, around 10am EST, 2pm GMT.

[kensanata]

Splinter jumps back and pulls a string dangling from his backpack. A faint click and some whirring fills the air. And suddenly, there's two wooden messenger boys, tumbling away from the stairs and trying to dodge the nutcracker's arms. Both of them start shouting, The wizard said we should save the princess! That's what we are here for! We therefore have his leave! Stand down, nutcracker! Stop! You are making a mistake!

[GreyWolfVT]

Kurt "Guardian might we speak with the wizard?" the man shouts from over by the door at the nutcracker.

Hans flinches as his master speaks "Oh dear lord why." he says in a low tone as he slowly steps away from Kurt.

[mb.]

Deet flinches and jumps back when the nutcracker begins to move, fumbling his musket up to his shoulder, but mumbles "yup yup yup" when he hears Splinters' shout, and doesn't fire. Yet.

Schroff runs wide circles around the nutcracker's feet, barking loudly.

[ChubbyPixie]

If Wikerus is in the path of the giant, he scampers like crazy to get out of the way. "Get... get off the stairs!" he cries.

[Urson]

Jake had gone to investigate the piles of stuff to the east, also. He frowns, poking at the piles with the haft of his maul. Creepy...

How far is Jake away from the Giant? If he's close enough, he'll charge, planning to trip the big wooden doofus.

[coil23]

Dearly wanting to climb higher instead, Horton follows his peer's instructions instead and comes back down the stairs, looking for any spot with cover from the giant.

[Pulpatoon]

How far is Jake away from the Giant? If he's close enough, he'll charge, planning to trip the big wooden doofus.

The mouldering pie is on the opposite side of the tower from the stairs, so it's about 140' from the westernmost part of the pile to the easternmost edge of the bottom stair. It'll take awhile to cross that distance.

[Pulpatoon]

If Wikerus is in the path of the giant, he scampers like crazy to get out of the way. "Get... get off the stairs!" he cries.

Splinters steps back off the steps immediately as the nutcracker's wide strides quickly close the distance from the middle of the room. Horton hesitates a second, but then follows the wooden boy's example. The moment his feet leave the stairs, the nutcracker comes to a halt.

Switching immediately from pell mell to stock still, the nutcracker calmly swivels his blocky head around to take in the adventurers in their various spots, including the suddenly-multiplied Splinter. A long plume of disturbed dust continues to rise from his trail, its swirling motion in stark contrast with the nutcracker's sudden stillness.

The wizard said we should save the princess! That's what we are here for! We therefore have his leave! Stand down, nutcracker! Stop! You are making a mistake!

"THIS IS TOWER OF WIZARD DROSSELMAYER. NONE MAY PASS WITHOUT WIZARD'S SAY. WIZARD HAS NOT SAID YOU CAN PASS."

The nutcracker appears to reflect while the echoes of his booming voice recede. He takes a few steps to position himself at the foot of the stairs. Then, he adds, "THIS IS WIZARD'S TOWER. WIZARD SAYS PRINCESS TAKEN BY RATS. WIZARD SAYS SOLDIERS FIGHT RATS TO SAVE PRINCESS. WHY LOOK FOR PRINCESS IN WIZARD'S TOWER?"

Kurt "Guardian might we speak with the wizard?" the man shouts from over by the door at the nutcracker.

"YOU MAY LEAVE CALLING CARD WITH REASON FOR VISIT. MAXIMUS DELIVER WHEN WIZARD COME AND COLLECT MESSAGES." The nutcracker swings a log-like arm to indicate the dusty piles of paper-wrapped packages.

Actions!
Everyone seems to be posting in about a 24-hour window. Shall we try a zippier turn-around rate? Next action-post around 2:00pm EST (6pm GMT).

[kensanata]

The two Splinters say cheerfully, Hah! This is ideal! Now all we need to do is flank the rats and save the princess! Then the two look at each other and say, Sorry man, but I'm the real one and you're the copy. Then they both reach for the little string hanging from their backpack and pull it. One copy breaks into a thousand mirror shards and gently floats to the floor like some weird pixie dust. Splinter sighs and says, Phew! I always fear the day when I find myself to be the copy and not the original. And with that he turns to the moldering pile of clothes as if attracted by a magnetic field. His eyes stare at the uniforms, boots, letters, instruments. A wooden man's face shows few movements. A wooden eye does not produce any tears. A wooden lung does not hold its breath. So Splinter just stands there, staring at the junk.

[Pulpatoon]

Splinter:

Looking at the pile is disturbing. Having conceived the notion that perhaps these relate to an earlier, fleshier life, it is hard to untangle memory from wish. Some of the objects seems entirely foreign, but others spark reverie. This old psaltery with the strings rotted off—you can picture it held in an old man's hands, but is that an invention of imagination? Did a plain girl with lively eyes once fold this handkerchief? This broken piece of crockery causes the idea of pickled cabbage rolls to spring to mind—did you just make that up, or is that an actual foodstuff for the flesh folk?

You are left with a terrible ambivalence. You can point at nothing in the pile with definite recognition, but the longer you look, the more more acutely you yearn to find that missing something.

On a more pedestrian note, you find a silver fork. It could be valuable.

[GreyWolfVT]

Kurt goes to locate a paper to write on and something to write with leaving a note for the wizard

We wish to speak with you all mighty wizard about the princess we wish to help free her.

[Urson]

Seeing that the Giant is no longer attacking, Jake slows his pace, but keeps moving toward the piles of paper-wrapped packages. He sneezes a few times as the dust cloud gets the better of him. Is the Giant still watching us, or has he gone back into 'wait' mode?

[mb.]

Deet slowly lowers his musket, and uncertainly raises his hand, "um, Mister... Maximus, sir? There are many many... many cards there.. sir. When was the last time the Wizard... Drosselmayer came to collect them?" He scratches the back of his head with the end of his musket, gesturing with his free hand back and forth between the dusty pile of packets and the giant nutcracker. "Maybe, um... is it possible maybe that... the Wizard Drosselmayer is not coming back, Mister Maximus?"

Schroff stops his running and barking, standing guard in front of his master and keeping a wary eye on the big wood man, "grrrrrrrrrrrr..."

[Pulpatoon]

Splinters ruminates over the giant pie of debris. Kurt digs through the party's mapping supplies for a scrap of paper and writes a note. Jake sneezes.

Maximus the Nutcracker continues to stand still at the foot of the stairs. He watches the movements of the party without betraying any deep interest.

Deet slowly lowers his musket, and uncertainly raises his hand, "um, Mister... Maximus, sir? There are many many... many cards there.. sir. When was the last time the Wizard... Drosselmayer came to collect them?"

Maximus, having never stopped to consider the passage of time before, takes a moment to decide how it might be measured: "LITTLE SOLDIER-BROTHERS BRING ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED TWELVE DELIVERIES OF PACKAGES SINCE WIZARD LAST COLLECTED HIS MESSAGES. YOU BRING ONE MESSAGE." Swiveling his head towards Kurt, he says, "PLACE CARD ON LAST DELIVERED PACKAGES. WIZARD WILL RESPOND TO MESSAGES IN ORDER. EXPECT DELAYS DUE TO HIGH VOLUME."

"Maybe, um... is it possible maybe that... the Wizard Drosselmayer is not coming back, Mister Maximus?"

Maximus: "THAT IS WIZARD'S CONCERN. MAXIMUS' CONCERN IS COLLECT MESSAGES AND GUARD TOWER. YOUR CONCERN IS NOT GO UP STAIRS OR MAXIMUS MUST SMASH."

Actions!
Next action-post: Saturday, around 10am EST (2pm GMT)

[kensanata]

Splinter bends down and picks up a shiny memento from the pile of refuse, maybe fork or something, and puts it in his backpack. He takes a look at Kurt and gives him an encouraging nod, then he walks over to the pile of papers, grabs them all, or as many as he can carry and takes them over to the pile of refuse. No problem. You are guarding the stairs, Maximus. And the papers are processed in order. But you don't guard the stack of papers. I'm going to put these here on the pile of garbage and then the note Kurt is writing will be the only one. and with that he dumps all the old notes onto the garbage heap.

[GreyWolfVT]

Kurt "uh ok." he sets down the note on the pile trying to move it closer to the front of the stack.

[mb.]

Listening and nodding, Deet sighs and rubs his eyes.

Leaning on his musket, he waves Kurt and others nearer, and whispers, "many many many messages, and silly wood men fighting a very very very long time," with exaggeratedly wide arms he makes his point. Deet drops his voice even lower, "maybe the wizard started all of this, but he's not here any more. He's gone. Or dead. But for sure gone." He glances surreptitiously at the nutcracker, "fighting would be bad bad bad. But maybe a rope, with four of us on each end, and foul up his legs then run up the stairs?" He gesticulates his plan, making it clearer with waggling eyebrows and a goofy smile. "Yup yup?"

[kensanata]

Splinter listens to what Deet has to say and nods. It's true. The wizard is never going to pick up the messages so it won't matter whether we're first or last in that pile. We must slow down Maximus. He reaches for his backpack and takes out a mallet, puts it back in, rummages some more and comes up with a fistful of marbles. We can place these between Maximus and the foot of the stairs? Or I could be the last one up the stairs and drop them if he does follow us up the stairs? But what will we do if there is a locked door at the top of the stairs? He looks over at the cart. Perhaps he can't climb the cart and if we just leave it at the foot of the stair, Maximus will be unable to follow? Or we could dismantle the wagon and cover the stairs with planks. He might not be able to follow? Splinter starts jumping from one foot to the other and says, Or, or! Or Maximus might be unable to see in the dark? We could prepare everything, extinguish the torches and run up the stairs? We might just ask him? Should I ask Maximus whether he can see in the dark?

[ChubbyPixie]

Seeing that the giant has stopped, Wikerus will resume examining the pile of discarded trinkets, hatbands, buttons, curios, shaving kits, whetstones, lapel pins, discarded string, sock garters, beaver hats and secret valuable objects.

Lists are fun... Emphasis on secret valuable objects...(wiiiiink!) Random Searching Roll (if needed): [1d20] = 16

After a moment, an idea occurs to him. "Goodness sakes! Maximus, sir, you could make short work of the rat menace all by your massive lonesome. There's a pitched battle in progress right this very minute. They could use you out there, Maximus! Think of it! The princess could be saved in two shakes of a lamb's tail! I believe it is up to you, sir!"