Nicarrionette takes the time to absorb his new perspective on the surroundings.
There are a wide variety of small tools that would work as makeshift weapons, the sharpest of which are chisels, wood awls, files, drill bits and the like. There are also some hammers small enough to wield.
There is too much to take it all in at a glance, but Nicarrionette does notice a book lying open on the table. It's pages flutter slightly as if stirred by a breeze.
Luc-is is already equipped with a hammer. He tests the weight in his hand before he begins to explore. He goes over to the the two shelves by the fireplace. Beginning with the one just tot he left of the fireplace.
"Probably best if we stay in teams at least. It's a long way across the room given our bodies if we need help." He pulls on Boote when he says this.
(A2 on Reference map.)
The display case Luc-ie approaches holds five shelves. The bottom shelf holds a child's bouncy ball, a wooden ram toy with wheels and a pull string, and a neatly stacked pyramid of glass marbles. The second shelf up holds beautifully carved animal figurines and a rather ominous looking winged dragon with horribly aware looking eyes, even though it does not move. The third shelf holds a larger bear figure and a child's game of jacks. The higher shelves are harder to see but look to hold yet more toys still, hand-puppets and more dolls, possibly.
Donovan the puppet laments that has no eyebrow to raise when Luc points out the toys.
He starts looking for a sack to put the marbles in.
The marbles and jacks can be useful...tripping hazard if necessary and they hurt when stepped on. "Anyone see and type of small pouch or cloth to put some stuff in?'
(A1-Display Case)
The bottom shelf of this unit holds a wooden horse on wheels, more balls and a tin soldier. The next shelf up holds a stick acrobat puppet, a ceramic doll, a few boxes of wooden blocks and a beautifully painted music box. The shelf above that holds a wooden sword, darts and an elfin looking doll. The top shelf is again hard to see from your perspective, but there does look to be a large box with hook latch and a floppy rag-doll.
Rannveig, still almost entirely silent, finds herself a hooked little carving tool nonetheless, the thing looking much like a sickle in her tiny deformed hand. She shambles along behind the others, nearly as lifeless as the puppet she appears to be, although her painted eyes do flick listlessly about the room, lingering on the gigantic fireplace a moment.
Luc-ie pulls the pouch with marbles, then a second one with the jacks and small rubber balls. He then moves on to A1. "Here's a sword." tossing it down to Donovanchio.
Nicarrionette finds a small leather punch that suits his stature. "The lifeless dolls in this shop make me nervous, they could be eyes and ears for the puppet master. Should we throw them all into the fire before more evil can be wrought on them?"
"But whatif they are toys like us...er, what I mean is...well, what if they were or are people.?"
"Let them join our puppet revolt or be burned!"
"Let them join our puppet revolt or be burned!"
The threat hangs in the air like a line drawn in the sand. Although no movement is discernible, the posture of the toys surrounding you all seems more aggressive. As if they now lean forward eagerly awaiting what happens next.
"Your comments are rash, let them be. Of course, if one would like to join us to pursue their freedom, they'd be welcomed." Luc-ie the toy dwarf tries to diffuse the situation.
"Of course they'll join! Who in the nine hells wants a puppet master pulling their strings? Join us, lads and lasses, join us and enjoy freedom." Nicarrionette doesn't shout or yell, he simply states the logical offer and lets it hang in the air of the shoppe, waiting for the puppet army to assemble and form neat, even rows.
Donovan shakes his head. "Nico, if they used to be people, they need our help. If they didn't, and aren't trying to steal people's bodies, then we have no reason to want to harm them. They might be able to help us."
Looking around at the other toys, he spoke up in his squeeky voice. "How many of you can move? How many can speak?"
Nicarrionette considers his little wooden limbs that could easily be snapped by a child. "I suppose you have a point about the gopher revolt", he squeaks, "Sticking together sounds like a good plan, lets get at it before the puppet master does arrive."
The many toys around the shop remain motionless through the discussion, but Luc-ie cannot shake the sense that they are simply in a holding pattern, waiting for something...
As Artegallio strays near the front of the building, toward the front door and windows, a hoop and stick rolls forth from a corner as if manipulated by a invisible hand. The stick strikes the hoop, rolling it forward, faster and faster, making a bee-line for Artegallio. He steps back out of it's way and it merely zips harmlessly past him and stops on the other side of the room, leaning against another wall, becoming still again.
There are a wide variety of small tools that would work as makeshift weapons, the sharpest of which are chisels, wood awls, files, drill bits and the like. There are also some hammers small enough to wield.
There is too much to take it all in at a glance, but Nicarrionette does notice a book lying open on the table. It's pages flutter slightly as if stirred by a breeze.
With effort, Nicarrionnette climbs up to the book and reads the horrible truths within it's pages. "NO, My friends, we've been betrayed! This magic is as foul as any plane can muster! Read this, for I cannot speak it's evil!" then betraying his very sentiment, Nicarrionette does exactly that, "We must be needle bearers, it is the only way! We must stab ourselves!" Collapsing in utter despair, Nicarrionette weeps tears of sawdust.
I read the entry as well, but come to a different conclusion
"No," I say quietly. "That will not be enough. For what is to prevent us from becoming victims again? I don't believe it can be as simple as that. We must find a way to end the curse that makes all of this possible in the fisrt place, at least that is how I feel, that is what I must do. I will not live the rest of my life knowing this can happen to someone else, I will not allow this fear to continue."
The ring of truth seems to resonate in both Nicu's and Artegal's words. To regain their bodies, they would have to commit the same act that robbed them of form in the first place... but as long as the Carrionettes exist, every living person in Piazza is vulnerable. The task seems nearly impossible, trapped in these wooden bodies, locked away in the toyshop. The realization that their own hands that once caressed their loved ones might now be engaged in unimaginably nefarious activities chills them all.
The toys about the room still loom menacingly, though they remain still as long as none of the party approach the exits to the room. The toyshop is loaded with many materials and the toys show no reaction from sorting through the inventory.
partially finished projects on this shelf. To the
right of the shelf is a hooded cloak hung on a
wooden peg. To the right of that is the back door,
leading to the alley.
On the shelves are piles of fine cuts of various
woods, jars of paint, sheets of lizard skin (used as
sandpaper), scraps of cloth, one jar of tar (sticky
and flammable), bars of soap, lumps of clay,
pieces of chalk, balls of string, strips of wire, and
laces of leather. There are also many toy pieces,
such as wheels, gears, puppet arms, painted
boxes (empty), etc.
pins, needles, thread, glue, paint brushes, nails,
screws, wooden pegs, tar paper (very sticky),
glass vial of acid, ball of string, whetstone. On the
bottom shelf there is a mouse trap, baited with
stale cheese.
by 4'A feet and stands 3 feet tall. Scraps of
material, wood chips, and snippets of thread litter
the scarred, paint-splattered surface. Underneath
the bench are several wooden crates containing
scraps of metal, wood, and cloth.
There is a partially built marionette lying here.
The body has been assembled, but it has not
been painted or dressed.
Next to the doll is an open book that contains
Giuseppe's notes on carrionette creation as well
as his personal ramblings.
living quarters. Each step is about 8 inches high
and 1 foot wide.
under stairs, this one is used for storage. Bolts of
cloth and paper, small barrels (water, oil, and
grease), and a pile of rags are the principle
features of this one.
With great difficulty Luc-ie climbs up on the table to see what the excitement is about. He spends several minutes reading then re-reading the passages. "Figlio and his friends need to meet Mr. Fire." He then nods, "We should give the silver needle in the neck a try. Heck, I'd volunteer." Peering at his small wooden hands, "Can't be worse than this." He flexes his stubby fingers.
Dimitrio finishes reading the journal and comes to the same conclusion. "Dimitrio is in agreement and it seems that fire be bad for puppets, eh?"
The rogue tries to find a slashing/stabbing weapon of his size but also considers the tar, "Maybe there is some way to carry this stuff around and throw it at the puppets, eh? A fire that sticks to them sounds like a good way to kill these creatures."
The rogue tries to tap dance but falls miserably on the floor. His beard being no more than a dark smudge on his wooden face, the rogue sighs, "And Dimitrio wants his real body back."
"There enough stuff under these stairs to burn this shoppe to the ground if we decide that's an option. Let's hide that book real good like, so that no one can use it easily." "That mousetrap might go well on the stairs if we need to keep any big people from descending on us." Grabbing the glue, thread, leather laces, metal bits, wood chips, screws, wooden pegs, and strips of wire, Nicarrionette sets to crafting simple armor for his companions. "Quickly, little wooden boys and girls, let's do all we can to overcome this injustice."
The Ravencourts were monster hunters. They'd been doing it a long time and trained their children well. Each generation learned the tricks of the last.
Donovan had learned well.
When he was a child, he'd be brought into a room of the tower. The kitchens, or the stables or the tannery. He'd be told a kind of monster and given two minutes to throw together a weapon to use against it, and another do defend himself with.
The test rewarded cleverness. Donovan got very good at it.
Looking over the various tools and toy parts, he began thinking. It was hard. He felt like his brain was packed in cotton. Heck, that might be the truth.
The spool of wire, and a tube. A spring and a small lever made for a jumping jack. Needles. A long, springy dowel.
He went to work.
Dimitrio experiments with a few ideas with the tar, getting his wooden fingers a bit sticky in the process. Finally he concludes that a piece of scrap cloth covered on one side with tar and bundled together would make a suitable throwing weapon that would likely splatter open and stick to it's target on a successful hit.
Donovan finds a three foot long dowel of suitable weight and flexibility that he believes will make a workable pike if he tips it either by sharpening the wood or attaching a drill bit or nail.
Nicu considers where they might stash Giuseppe's journal and settles on sliding it to the back of the Cabinet and pulls the mousetrap out, being careful not to spring it in the process. As he approaches the stairs, the hoop and stick stirs again, but just a quick step backwards seems enough to still the toy once again.
Luc-ie begins to explore below the stairs. when he locates the oil and grease he'll start to put that material in smaller toy like containers. "I've found some grease which could help us prepare an area for battle and there's oil to burn the enemy." He rips small sections of the cloth to create a fuse of sorts to like the oil.
Quietly, to his companions, "Careful, friends, the soft purr of a kitty sounds from upstairs."
"Wretched animal could splinter our wooden limbs."
Luc-ie looks over the group, "I ain't got no way to make weapons udder than these oil missles, never been my calling but those of you that can do so fer all of us." His gruff voice occasionally breaks to a higher pitch. Embarrassing th't is no dwarf's voice deserves that.
"Those of us not capable of making gear, let's search this room, take the pages from that book we need and hide the remaining parts behind that shelf that Nic found."
He stops to look around and sighs, "Lets be ready to git up those stairs within the hour."
[b]"Nic do you feel confident enough to scout those stairs and that beast that lies beyond?[b]
"I can certainly try, but let's be sure we're all armed and armored before we risk rousing the beast." Nicu does his best to craft both javelins and spears from wooden dowels, twine, and sharp metal clippings.
Nicu feels the javelins are not his best work and will not fly very far, but the spears are of good quality.
Luc-ie makes sure everyone is equipped with the oil and rags for fuses.
"We need flint and steel to spark a flame."
Fireplace tools (including a poker, broom, shovel, and tongs) lean in the corner to the right and there is a flint and steel striker on the mantle.
Luc-ie will trot on over to the fireplace for the flint and steel bringing it back to the small pots of oil. "How's everyone doin' on getting gear together?' He inquires.
"My javelins are twigs and about as useless, but these spears are decent." Nicu passes out any extras he may have. "Make sure you have a needle ready my friends, it's an unkind favor we must revisit, but the ends will justify the means."
Dimitrio tests the spear given to him with few thrusts in the air. "I guess these will do but I will feel more comfortable with some sort of blade in my hands."
The rogue looks upstairs, "What are we going to do about pussy cat up there?" He looks about trying to set up some sort of ambush.
"Flaming puddy kat."
Nicu studies the pages on Carrionette creation, looking carefully for the most crucial notes that hold the key of how a simple old man with a bard's skill with magic could have created such an insidious and powerful threat. He finds no scribbled incantation or a description of any sort of ritual that would mark out a spell being used. But there is a sketch of a small jeweler's hammer and a description of how the diamond is set into the wood. The hammer is described as being silver and looks to be covered in fine scroll-work, obviously of masterwork quality. There is no hammer matching the sketch here among the tools.
The forlorn monkey puppet housing Rannveig's spirit suddenly lifts its head with a snap and sawed from side to side, as if trying to look for something. The puppet's whole body animated as it had not before, the eyes moving with something close to life. Getting to its feet, the puppet moved from its slumped position over to where the others had gathered, showing real interest in the proceedings for the first time.
If she still lives...then so must I.
Donovan had been working hard while the others talked and brainstormed. He finished quicker than he expected.
He test fired a needle, a thin wire trailing behind it. Then he pulled the lever that released the little clockwork spring inside the mechanism and reeled it back in.
"Does anything in that book talk about how to actually put our minds back into our bodies once we get a good needle stick?"
The box of silver needles from the cabinet originally held 36 needles but several are missing from the box. There are twenty-one silver needles at your disposal and they are easy to carry by simply pinning through your clothing or fur.
The book does not provide instructions per se, but Donovan doesn't remember any magic word activation being used along with the needle. Perhaps the intention to take possession of the body is enough.
Luc will pin 2 or 3 needles into his body for use. He paces back and forth clearly agitated and ready to move on. "Everyone ready to move?"
Climbing the stairs to the next level seems like a simple enough task to a mind accustomed to life-size thinking, but as they approach the landing and the height of the staircase seems to loom stories above their little wooden foot-high heads, they all realize that this is easier said than done. Each stair step stands 8 inches tall and 3 feet wide and 1 foot deep. Twelve steps in all to reach the second story.
But as the party nears the stairs, several toys from the nearby shelf launch themselves to block their passage. Two rollerskates charge forth, making a bee-line toward Dimitrio and Luc. Three whirling tops follow after and zip to block access to the bottom step. Finally a smaller marionette dressed like a cowboy strides out, tiny spurs clinking as he whirls his strings like a lasso. "Git back there, now! Hee-yaw!"
Initiative Order
>Dimitrio<
>Luc<
>Nicu<
TOYS
Artegal
Donovan
Rannveig
"List'n 'ere, do you want to be toy forever? If you don't want to join us fine but th't's no reason to try t'stop us."