Main Story Thread

T'was the Week Before Christmas ...

... and in the North Pole,
Santa's Village was quiet,
snow falling and cold.

The sleeping village was not prepared for what was about to happen ...

For those who don't know, the North Pole isn't just a geographical location on Earth, it's also another universe (or at least part of another universe), named so by some because one entrance into the universe is by a portal that happens to be located at Earth's north pole. The North Pole is but one of many names that has been used for this place over the course of history, but they all refer to the same place: for now let's call it the Fae Realm, a universe (or multiverse?) with all the lands and worlds of fairy tales, myths and legends ...

After the clouds cleared, the night sky sparkled magically over the freshly snow-covered Village as the inhabitants slept, happily exhausted in the midst of the build-up to Christmas.

Suddenly without warning, the peaceful night was interrupted by an EXPLOSION! Flames and smoke began to rise from Santa's Workshop as alarms and sirens woke the town in a panic. Santa's emergency fire crew managed to put out the fire impressively quickly allowing Santa and his highest ranking council members to enter and inspect the damage.

Presents and packages were in pieces and scattered everywhere. A massive hole had been blasted through one of the outer walls with tracks leading out of town, off into the Wilds of the Fae Realm. Worst of all, Santa's secret vault had been cracked open, the contents ... gone.

Santa turns to his chief elf and said, "Send out word for brave volunteers. We need a team of heroes who can save Christmas and in doing so, the entire multiverse!"

It was encouraging to see how many volunteers had traveled so quickly to Santa's Village to answer the call. By noon of that same day, Santa's Village hosted The Council of Christmas to discuss the problem.

Mrs. Claus, the head of Santa's executive council, explained that Santa's Magical Sack of Holding had been stolen from his vault and that it was absolutely critical to get it back before Christmas Eve.

One of the attendants spoke up from the crowd, "But why is this artifact so important? Surely all will not be lost if a few children don't get presents from Santa this year."

Mrs. Claus looked deadly serious, she spoke almost in a whisper, but loud enough for all to hear, "You don't understand ... Santa's Sack of Holding isn't really for presents, that's just a cover ... Santa's real mission is to collect the energy created by holiday cheer. It's that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you've been kind or generous to someone. Holiday cheer peaks at this time of year and Santa rushes around the multiverse to collect it all. Santa's Sack of Holding is able to absorb and store all that energy. Upon his return, Santa channels it into the 'Pole.'" She gestures towards the massive obelisk of ice in the center of the village. "Encased in that ice is a magical pillar-shaped beacon that projects a force field to seal off a dimension of pure evil. The energy from one holiday season is enough to maintain the seal for one year. Without that barrier, the multiverse would be overrun! So, if we don't get Santa's Sack back before Christmas Eve, the multiverse is doomed!"

Exclamations of horror can be heard over the murmurs of surprise that spread through the crowd.

"Order! Order!" Mrs. Claus shouted to quiet the chatter before looking out over the faces with hope and asking, "Are there any brave enough to set out on this quest to save Christmas and the Multiverse?"

Brave heroes began stepping forward to pledge their intent to help save Christmas. Among them were:

Candycorn, son of Candythorn, a northern ranger of the Fae Wilds. "If by my life or death, I can retreive the Sack, I will. You have my S-word," he was referring to the word "Snow". Candycorn possessed magic powered by various words meaning snow, including the word "snow" itself. He had to be careful uttering them casually else he could accidentally set off powerful magical effects, hence the term S-word. He probably should have just said "You have my magic" to avoid all this confusion, but he didn't for meta-reasons that were out of his control.

Lego-Lass, a roguish elf made completely out of Lego. She worked with Santa's secret services agency (colloquially know as "The Shelf"). "And you have my bow," she held a gift package with a beautifully knotted ribbon. She pulled a single strand and the bow untied in an instant, the package springing open, showing off her impressive sleight-of-hand and dexterity for opening "things."

Sprungli, a Dwarf from the Fabled Chocolate Mines in the Hills beyond Santa's Village. "And my pick-axe!" The dwarf emphasized this by licking the remnants of chocolate off the tip.

Once all the heroes had stepped forward, Mrs. Claus raised her arms out wide and exclaimed, "You shall be named the Fellowship of Holiday Cheer! Now go forth and recover Santa's Sack of Holding before Christmas Eve!"

The fellowship gathered at the site of the explosion and prepared to set off into the Fae Wilds following the tracks before they were covered by more snow. One of the heroes who had volunteered, a giant human named Buddy who had been adopted by one of Santa's elves as a child, scoured the floor for clues.

As he searched, Buddy got distracted by all the broken toys that were scattered around. He couldn't resist playing with at least a few of them to make them feel better. Eventually he noticed a foot print he had never seen before with crushed candy stuck to parts of it. Buddy didn't know what it meant, but he picked up a few of the candy crumbs in case someone else might know. "Hey everyone! Look what I found!" But when Buddy looked up, he discovered he had been playing on the ground for too long and the rest of the fellowship had left without him! "Hey! Wait up!"Meanwhile, Candycorn was at the front of the expedition deep into the snowy forest, trying his best to follow the tracks. He decided to try some of his snow-magic to stop the snow from covering the tracks. "Arrête la Neige!" he shouted towards the gathering storm as he made gestures with his hands over the tracks.

Candycorn could feel feedback energy as he cast the spell. He could sense the strength of the storm ahead. It was a Blizzard! He immediately knew his spell would not be strong enough. Turning to his fellow heroes who were following behind he yelled, "We must hurry! A blizzard is forming, it will cover the tracks!"Rangifer, the Chief Reindeer Handler in Santa's Village, recognized this part of the woods. It was the home of a herd of Reindeer that she knew. Upon hearing Candycorn's call, she wondered if she could summon the herd and ask them if they would carry the fellowship quickly through the forest before the storm hits. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out into the forest using a special vocalization, the Song of the Reindeer.

Example Place Holder Post ...Note: If I was going to actually post, I'd edit this post with my contribution within the 30 mins time limit. The 15 mins is just an estimate, so if someone's waiting they'll know when to come back to check. If someone misses their own estimated deadline though, don't butt-in until the 30 min hard limit. If the placeholder hasn't submitted their post after 30 mins, then the next player can go.

As the Call went out, the sound seemed to be swallowed up by the blizzard to no effect. For a few drawn out moments, the fellowship waited a few heart-pounding minutes and listened for some response.
Just when it seemed no answer would come, a low rumbling sounded from the near white-out conditions. The first thing to be seen was a red light glowing through the howling wind and snow. From the snow around the fellowship burst the skeletal forms of three reindeer as the glowing light came closer, revealing a floating ghostly canine figure.

But the Song of the Reindeer did work! Out of the woods strides
a muscular figure with a chiseled jaw, glowing nose, and shiny antlers. This is RuDolph Lundgren, leader of the reindeer herd. With a wave to Rangifer, RuDolph moves to protect the heroes from the skeletal creatures.

RuDolph Lundgren strode between the hero's and the approaching Skeletal Reindeer - And his Nose shone so bright, The Red light brightened the snowy landscape and even pushed back the howling winds of the blizzard for a moment. The Skeletal Reindeer checked their advance at the sight of the light of The Nose. Before they could decide to run, the light over took them, causing a round of explosions. The Skeletal Reindeer were suddenly clouds of glowing snow flakes, rushed away by the returning winds of the Blizzard. The Canine creature, retreated in the confusion, leaving the hero's alone with RuDolph.

"Come my Friends, let's move you to a sheltered grove and see if we can find some friendlier Reindeer to help with your quest."

The group follow Rudolph to a thick grove, one where the blizzard was less intense. However, there were not the first ones there. Two sock puppets were cackling to each other as they sat inside a red RC sports car.

"Oh Ricardo baaaaby, we're going to be getting us that sweet, sweet coal tonight! We're going to be richer than that Rockefellow!"

One was dressed like the mafia, with an expensive suit and hat adorning his felt body. In his hand, he held a tiny paintgun, designed to look like a machine gun. A stick of Smarties stuck out of his mouth like a cigar, which he pretended to smoke as he sat in the passenger seat of the RC sports car.

"Yeah, let's get that socking ice, Shorty! Shoes and stitches, here we come!"

The other was dressed like a street gangster, wearing toy sunglasses, and an array of stickers adorning his felt like tattoos. A cross necklace hung around his neck, and a bandana was wrapped around his head. He sat in the driver seat, holding the controller for the RC sports car.

Shorty, the mafia sock puppet speaks.

"Alright Ricardo, let's go over the plan one more time. So we're going do crime. Loads of crime. So much crime that Santa's going to give us a truckload of coal in our stockings. Since we're socks, we'll be the stockings. And when we're stuffed full of coal, we'll sorta clench and squeeze ourselves until the coal turn into diamonds. Badabing, badaboom, we're rich. Flawless plan."

The street gangster Ricardo nods.

"Perfecto. Now what do we do with the witnesses, capo?"

Ricardo points at the group. Shorty yelps, the Smarties almost falling out of his mouth.

"Crap, it's the fuzz. Hit it Ricardo!"

On cue, Ricardo pushes the lever on the RC car controller, making engine noises with his mouth as the car spins its plastic tires in the snow.

The remote controlled car zooms off into the forest in a different direction to the rest of the tracks before any of the fellowship can grab them.

Constable Nick Frost, a snowman and officer in the SVPD (Santa's Village Police Department), moves to the front of the group and says, "I know those two scoundrels ... no way they have enough marbles between their two knitted skulls to have stolen Santa's Sack. BUT they might have seen who came past here. I'll go catch them before they can cause any trouble and see if I can get any answers from them. The rest of you can continue following the tracks before they get completely covered."

"Could use a partner, anyone want to be my back up?" he asks as his bottom snowball starts spinning like a spherical wheel initially skidding in place until it catches some crunchier snow and he zooms off in the directions of the sock puppets.

Zero watched the events in the grove with interested, what a fun game they seemed to be playing. He noticed two people followed after the Snowman and that little car. It seemed obvious from they way they were moving, they would catch them in no time.

Returning his gaze to the larger group, they seemed fixated on some tracks in the snow. Zero wondered if he should help follow them, that might be fun. As he started to move forward, he noticed another figure, a large creature was sliding through the trees and seemed to be intent on joining the mass of people starting off towards the tracks. My indeed, what an interesting game...

"Noooo," Candycorn exclaims in frustration, even with the extra light that RuDolph's nose is providing the tracks have vanished under the snow.

Suddenly a scream is heard. Looking back he discovers that Sprungli the dwarf has fainted at the sight of a ghosthound running among the fellowship. Some begin taking evasive action before, Rangifer shouts, "No wait, I think he's helping, I think he can smell the tracks." Zeros bright nose is glowing through the powdered snow, his whole head almost buried as his sniffs along the trail.

"That's right! Which way? What do you smell?" Rangifer encourages as Zero races off through the woods.

"Go on ahead, I'll make sure this one is okay," Winter Willow, the Village healer, says with a kind smile as she sits next to Sprungli in the snow and begins brewing a warm hot chocolate for the dwarf.

Up ahead, Zero circles a spot in the snow, the fellowship looking on confused and impatient. What's the dog doing? The tracks must keep going, right? Zero begins digging into the snow, Rangifer and RuDolph, helping to clear the spot as well, until finally a clump a matted green hair is revealed.

Everyone turns and looks at The Grinch.

"What? Well, it's not mine! I gave up trying to ruin Christmas ages ago, I'm on your side now."

The Grinch looks a little offended as he walks closer to the new evidence. "But, I do know what this is." He picks up the fur, presenting it to the rest of the fellowship, "This is from an Evergreen Warg. Very nasty beasts. I doubt they would have pulled off the heist, they aren't very sapient, but I wonder ... perhaps it points to where the criminals are based. I know of a den, up in the Icing Ridge Mountains. It's a days journey. If we rush! Follow me!"

---

Constable Frost and Lego-Lass stand over a snowbank, out of which sticks the wheel of an RC car, and two sock puppet heads, dazed and confused.

"Alright, you two, now tell us, what did you see go through that grove back there earlier tonight?"

Shorty adjusts his hat, and aims his paint gun at their pursuers.

"Sock it to ya!"

He pulls the trigger, letting loose a barrage of colorful projectiles. Shorty laughs, for he knows that paint splatters are difficult to clean.

Ricardo helps by making machine gun noises with his mouth as he attempts to pull the RC car out of the snowbank.

Shorty and Ricardo's best hope would have been to have never begun this escapade, but alas here they were. Shorty began a spray of paint balls and Ricardo, desperate to escape, started spinning the wheels. Unfortunately for both, Ricardo managed to catch a little traction. One tire bit into a bit of rock and flipped the car out of the snow bank and the two were dumped hem over head right in front of Lego-Lass and Constable Frost.

Constable Frost reached down and with a shake, dumped the two from the RC Car. "Alright boys, Who put you up to this hair brained scheme and who did you see passing through that Grove earlier today? "

Ricardo, more full of himself than snow, sneered. "I know you Frost, you haven't got the spine to make us talk. I want my lawyer :P "

Lego-Lass looked cautiously at Frost. It was true, as members of Santa's trusted, the violence needed to recover answers quickly was beyond them both. Suddenly a "SNAP" sounded off to the side. Lego-Lass brought up her bow to face the new comer.

"Perhaps I can help", a smallish creature, big of nose, wearing a Fedora and carrying a whip came over the hill into view.

Constable Frost looked surprised, "Indiana Gnome, what are you doing here and, more importantly, how can you help with these two half-wits"

"Well Constable, the gnome began, I heard there was an ancient treasure that had fallen into the wrong hands, kinda my thing." The Indiana Gnome smiled in his roguish way and continued, "As to the other part, I presumed time would be of the essence, so I brought and old 'Friend' .... Toht"

Stepping up beside Indiana, another gnome appeared. This one dressed all in back, strange medals adoring his jacket. His accent thick with unpleasantness, "Ah, Sock Puppets, I look forward to getting my hands on their minds"

Shorty, still full of the bravado that is a Mafia Puppet shouts "Ha, you'll get no such pleasure from us, right Ricardo?

Toht strides forcefully down the snow bank, an impressively bizarre site considering his stature. A coarse chuckle escapes his lips, "Little sock puppet, be assured, ve haf vays of making you talk. But since it is almost Christmas, will you give me a gift? Please,
Resist.

Shorty and Ricardo look at Toht, and then each other. They burst out in laughter. Ricardo jeers at Toht.

"Haha, we ain't afraid of no damp midget."

Toht smiles as he takes his boot off, revealing a sock so dirty, Constable Frost considered arresting him for public indecency. One could only imagine what kind of horrible things that sock has fused into its fabric. It was colors not made for viewing, dipped in a crusted syrup of goo made of the various substances which Toht had encountered during his journeys, a cocktail of nitty, gritty crimes of nature. Toht peels the sock off of his foot, and twists it, causing the unnaturally chunky sock stew to seep out from within the decaying fibers, dripping into the snow waiting beneath like a baby bird being fed by its mother.

Shorty and Ricardo recoil in horror. Shorty holds back a gag as he spits out an answer.

"A-alright, w-we'll talk! Just put the boot back on! And buy some new socks, you deviant!"

Toht shrugs as he puts the boot back on, clearly disappointed that they gave up so easily. Shorty clears his throat.

"First of all, the 'hair-brained scheme' is our original creation, 100% Shorty and Ricardo genius at work."

Ricardo shakes his head in disappointment, clearly lamenting the lack of appreciation. Shorty solemnly shakes his head in agreement, and continues.

"About that other thing, uhh, I think the best way to describe what we saw in that grove was a...Santapede? Sort of like if you took twenty Santas, and put them all in a conga line, head in butt. Heh. Anyways, that's probably the tracks you goody two shoes bozos are trying to follow."

Shorty hops back in the remote control car, which Ricardo had pulled out the bank when the others weren't looking.

"Anyways, sock off losers! Ricardo, activate the secret weapon, and let's skedaddle!"

Ricardo flips a switch on the remote, which opens up the hood of the remote control car, revealing a spinning disco ball. Funky dance music plays as the RC car starts revving, aided by Ricardo's engine noises. The lights on the disco ball start shooting in all directions, in an extremely blinding fashion, masking their escape.

The Funky Christmas music fades into the distance as the sock puppets escape.

"We need to catch-up to the others before they walk unprepared into the dangers ahead," Lego-Lass says with an involuntary shiver at the thought of the Santa-pede.

"Have no fear, I have my trusty Indiana Gnome's Map with me. It allows us to cross great distances in relatively short periods of narrative time."

Unrolling the map from his pack, Indiana Gnome shows it to the camera as thematic music begins to swell. The important landmarks of the Fae Wilds surrounding the North Pole are marked and a line marked Indy begins extending from The Snowbank towards The Grove. It then changes directions and continues until it merges with another line marked Sprungli, Winter Willow and Buddy, at which point it turns again and extends towards the Icing Ridge Mountains ...

---

Before Buddy rendezvoused with Sprungli and Willow Winter, he had gotten lost in the forests of the North Pole. Tired and freezing he had found himself wandering through a frozen swamp beginning to lose hope until he saw a fire through the icy mists. Upon his approach he discovered the fire was warming a giant cauldron with three old ladies fussing around it. Their skin was grey like frozen tundra and their hair shockingly white, frosted with icicles. They sang strange words as they danced around the pot, occasionally tossing ingredients inside.

"Excuse me, may I warm-up by your fire for a bit?" Buddy asked politely.

The figures turned in surprise and then cackled, "Ha ha ha ha ha, we are the Witches of the North and you can only join us if you have an ingredient we can add to our brew, ha ha ha ha ha."

Buddy pulled out the strange candy crumbs that he had found in the footprint on the floor of Santa's Workshop. "How about this?"

One of the witches takes the crystals from him, tastes them and then throws them into the pot, laughing maniacally.

The warmth of the fire increases significantly allowing Buddy to finally relax and recover.

The witches then spoke, "These crystals were from the 5th level of the Candy Cane Forests ... we know who used to live there ... ha ha ha ha ha ... a strange and evil warlock who likes to experiment on creatures of all sorts ... his favorite experiment was fusing creatures together to make chimeras or worse ... ha ha ha ha."

The fumes from the brew induced a vision in Buddy's mind. He could see the warlock they described but he was holding Santa's Sack, greedily looking inside and laughing.

Snapping out of it, he jumped up, warmed and refreshed and with new knowledge of the dangers ahead. He thanked the witches and ran off into the night looking for his fellow heroes yet again, the sounds of wicked laughter fading behind.

---

Meanwhile, the rest of the fellowship had made it into the mountains. The Grinch and Candycorn were crouching behind a snow covered boulder, peering around the side.

"That's the Warg's Den," the Grinch said pointing towards a cave opening ahead. Among the paw prints going in and out, there were dozens of boot prints as well, almost as if squads of 12 men had been marching in and out of the cave. The entrance was dark and quiet at the moment.

RuDolph and Zero volunteered to lead the way, their noses glowing bright. As they cautiously lead the fellowship towards the den, it was not clear whether they could see the Magical Avalanche Trap that had been laid by the Warlock at the entrance to the cave ...