The Drum

The Drum was a legendary method of deploying Moranth munitions invented by Fiddler and Hedge.^[1]

The Drum used cussers in a way that mimicked real-world land mines. Holes were first dug in a chosen pattern, depending on the area. The main trigger cusser was then shaved down on one side until the clay was paper thin. A sharp stone was then placed on the thin area and the cusser was buried. The remaining cussers were then buried in the desired formation, but were not shaved as thin as the first. When the enemy approached, their footfalls resonated through the ground causing the stone to puncture the clay and detonate the trigger cusser. This cusser was placed ahead of the others so that when it was triggered enemy troops would already be standing on top of the others when they went off in a chain reaction^[2]

In Reaper's Gale

During the Bonehunters' invasion of the Letherii Empire, Fiddler set up the Drum to ambush a mounted troop of pursuing Tiste Edur and Letherii. When Gesler heard of Fiddler's intentions, he was excited to see the legend come to life.^[3] Cuttle assisted Fiddler with digging holes for the Drum, but refused to move to safety when the dangerous work begin. Despite being scared out of his wits, he simply had to watch his hero completing the legendary feat.^[4]

Fiddler's ambush successfully caught the mounted soldiers as well as two Kenryll'ah demon princes in its blast. The thunderous detonations could be heard and felt a quarter of a league away and smoke could be seen billowing in the distance. Having seen the Drum in action, Cuttle claimed he could die happy.^[5]

In The Crippled God

The Drum inspired the Alchemist Bavedict to invent a new type of cusser.^[6]

Notes and references