The Path Splits, The Prodigal Returns

Osiris

Having successfully killed all the Wargs (Ceri and Osiris had to go off and track the final one) the party decide to press on. They are immediately faced with a dilemma howvever as the weather changes and snow begins to fall. The war horses will not survive in the snow. Athmund explains that his father's stead is only a half day to the east but Osiris reports that they may not have the extra time as the snow will make tracking the Angmar group impossible if they lose more time. As it stands it is only because the troll is trailing the group that they (Baran) can follow the scent at all.

In the end Osiris leaves with Baran, tracking the troll and arranges to meet the rest of the group further up the trail. The remainder then head off to Athelstead where they are warmly met by Athel, Athmund's father, or as it turns out Step-father, as Athmund it seems is an orphan with an illustrious heritage! After some discussions the group has a good night's sleep and leaves the next morning properly equiped for the weather, taking good time in reindeer-pulled sleds.

They meet Osiris on the trail where it parts around Tir Na Madoch the posioned hills. To the west lies Clearwater, the poisoned marshes (Mercury Oxide if we knew such things), to the east a clear path that the ponies can safely take. The problem - the group have split - the troll and a couple of others one way, the rest the other.

A fairly heated debate follows during which it becomes clear to all that there is some unhappiness about the leadership of the group. Braggi accuses Osiris of "always talking over everyone else" and Owain that he "never listens". Osiris tells them to be quiet and that they should follow the eastern route. Athmund does a good job of mediating and before long the group is, in fact, taking the eastern route so they can safely stay with their steeds.

Fearing ambush the group goes carefully before it is ambushed! A short fights ensues during which Athmund is hit by a poisoned arrow and weakened. The three
Easterlings are captured and questioned and reveal that the party are on the right trail. They also reveal they were told to shoot the 'leader' of the group with the poison. This poison turns out to be Ethain - mortal to elves. Obviously someone knew who we were and planned for Osiris to be killed first.

Collecting themselves and healing their wounds (a light fight this time) they press on to an abandoned tower where they smell woodsmoke and, sure enough, find the remnants of a camp not a few hours old.

As the group scan the horizon from the tower for any sight of their quarry they hear the sound of running feet and, looking down, see an army of goblins rushing up the hill towards them....

Tir Elenath

Narrator

The watchtower where we ended the session is at the top of a steep escarpment rising about ahundred meters from the moor, it is three stories high and topped by the green dome of an observatory. It towers over a path cut into the escarpment that ends at the base, and commands an excellent view of the area all around as well as commanding access to the path (were is occupied). Despite being delapidated it is still intact, and the party took some time cautiously approaching once within bow range.

There are two entrances to the tower, a main (double) door which has be smashed down at some point and a sally port on the level below. Once the rangers have briefly scouted the area, they report back woodsmoke from within but nothing else nearby. Next the thieves move up to the sally port and gain entry to the basement of the tower. Moving up tot he ground floor they discover an alarm bell attached to the inside of the main door and make the assumption that if their prey is within then they may be asleep.

The remainder of the party move into the tower through the sally port and close and bar it behind them. They cautiously move upstairs, again preceeded by the scouts and after a cautious ten minutes discover that the tower is empty but that a large fire is burning in the grate at the top level, and in the estimation of the rangers possibly made deliberately smoky with the addition of green wood.

At this point the great bow Amelon, begins to softly thrum, alerting Osiris to the approach of a large body of Goblins from the North side of the tower. If you are quick you may be able to get down tot he front doors before them.

One other point of note, the second floor of the tower is an archery level and there are buckets of old but still serviceable arrows in there. Ceri has already stocked up

Big Dog Fight

Owain

Osiris and Ceri confiscate the firestarter from Owain. He reluctantly hands it over, and tries (but fails) to get something in exchange. He sulks for a bit, but soon loses up when he climbs up on an enormous warhorse and tries riding it around (to Athmund's dismay).

We pursue the people who have the Palantir. It then seems that they are being followed by a troll too. We don't know why. They are slowed by the Palantir, and we are gaining. When within a day of them, the eagle of the Ranger (Harald) who is helping us is ambushed by about 40 ravens. We save the eagle and drive them off. Osiris, has a little stature of a dragon that breathes fire over many of them.

Harald says that our task is now harder, as they know we are after them, and declines to accompany us further. Owain, who has been bivouaking with the Harald (who seems best equipped to deal with the cold) struggles to hold back a stream of tears. Ceri is keen to see the back of the hillsman who he has never trusted. Harald's parting words are, "Keep an eye on the little one, there's more to him than meets the eye". The party move off without searching Owain for hidden magic items.

Camp is made, but the party is woken by the noise of worgs some miles off. A decision is made to transit to a camp that our quarry had used the night before. It was supposedly more defensible. We lit a fire in the firepit. It turned out that it hand been booby trapped, and Braggi (despite his hardiness) suffered from the inhalation of oxious fumes.

A big fight broke out. A defensive line was formed by Braggi, Osiris and Baron (Osiris's now ennormous dog). Athelden, mounted waited on the flank, but quickly charged in. The line held, and blows were exchanged. Ceri held back, and peppered the wolves with arrow fire. Owain was no where to be seen. Braggi fought defensively, holding of two wolves at one point, but inflicting no damage. As one worg went down, Braggi manouvered for a flank attack. But one worg broke through, and assaulted Ceri with some success.

Braggi Move to intercept,, happy when facing one enemy to strike, trying to hamstring the wolf with a crippling well aimed strike. One good hit, but then the worg turned on him. Braggi contunied the attack, alll the time yelling "Khazardum". But a series of unfortunate missess meant he started to wilt, with the worg gaining the upper hand. Eventually it was too much, and he passed out from multiple wounds. Athelden, having seen how worgs act before, yelled "Man down", to his rescue. All rushed to Braggi to prevent the defenceless dwarf having his neck ripped out. Osiris risking life and limb to get in a position standing over Braggi's body, and Owain seemingly tossed by a giant to land in the midst of the fight, plungining a visciously sharp dwarven shortsword in the Worg's ribs. Between the assmbled fellows, this worg was overcome, and the others fled....

Revenge

Osiris

Braggi, Owain, Ceri and Osiris, having recovered from their ambush by the trolls are sitting in the Trolls Head (ho ho) one evening when a woman approaches them. She introduces herself as Fiorla and tells the tale of her twin sister, Fiorna who was companion to Theoren and captured by the same trolls that ambushed the party.

Osiris explains that it is the groups intention to return to the trolls to remedy the situation and that if they free the sister they will of course return with her if she is still alive. Fiorla also tells the group that the
'wiseman' that the group have been talking to about the magic items taken from the temple of Morgoth is probabaly trustworthy but ultimately "his Lord's man".

They then notice an unlikely looking fellow at a nearby table staring wildly at them. Dressed in newly skinned but uncured deerskin he looks like a wildman, with rageddy hair and malnourished frame.

After initial suspicion it turns out that this poor fellow had been a captive of the Olog Hai for about a year and had just escaped. Athmund confirms
there was a woman captive at the troll caves and also that people are asking questions about our little group. Reparing to their room the party talk more with Athmund during which they catch a 'servant' outside the door eavesdropping. Osiris and Braggi give chase and corner the spy outside. At first he seems smug and unwilling to cooperate but a few growls from Baran, Osiris' hound and he comes to his senses and explains there are those willing to pay for kowldge of what we've been doing with regards to the Trollshaws and the temple. Braggi then follows the spy on his release and learns that he seems to be working for the Governor or someone associated with him but we're
unlcear as to their motivations.

In any case the group leaves the next day, pausing briefly to bury the evil Palantir outside town and travels through the woods to the location of the Olog Hai hideout. Athmund proves to be an erratic but ultimately reliable guide and the small groups finds itself within spitting distance of two cave systems on either side of a river.

On the journey, Athmund has explained that there are two brothers who control the beasts, each mages of some ability. One has power over the mind and has been controlling the Olog Hai therough an amulet stolen from Athmund as well as two other human slaves and the second mage a fire specialist.

Owain and Osiris approach stealthily hoping to get to a position where they can bring the others up and rush in to surprise the trolls but spring a trap and narrowly avoid a spiky end. The trap also lets out a loud 'crack'! that the party are sure has warned the the trolls and their masters.

Sure enough on the hillsdie opposite a big troll appears and seems to start beating the bushes as if trying to flush out anyone hiding. At this point Owain decides to use the ring and declares that the troll on the hillside is an 'illusion' and that Osiris should act as bait, running back to the others to give Ownain a chance at the mage hiding in the shadow realm. No sooner has Osiris started running than his chainmail suddenyl blazes red hot and he's forced to pull in from hiself and jump in the river. Luckily at this point Owain manages to catch the mage unawares and he is dispatched in a few short rounds, erupting in flame as he expires.

Hoping that they are not caught in the open the group then charges into the nearest cave and finds a sleeping troll. Without hesitation Owain and Osiris strike the evil creature, which jumps up beloowing in rage and backs off to the entrance to the cave calling for it's fellows. In a slightly desperate but quick struggle the group try to bring the beast down as quickly as possible but are hampered by the poor space and some bad luck. Osiris is fianlly able to bring his greatsword to bear however and skewers the beast through the neck, only to see the lumbering hulk of a huge troll, the bigest so far approaching the cave entrance.

Woodland Engagement

Narrator

So, the six Olog Hai turned out to be a slight exageration on he part of Osiris, it turns out there were four, one of whom as only interested in baiting the group rather than attacking, and then later froze (panicked?) and later still vanished fled?).

The ground for the engagement was leaf strewn open forest with fallen logs offering significant cover, the party had scattered into cover of various qualities before contact. Two came at the group from the West, pantomiming the signal "we just don't know where you are.. were coming.. here are you.." whilst two others snuck up from the South. The archers in the party were confident of their shooting ability and thought that the cover they had gave them the edge. How wrong - it turns out that the troll archers were very competent and began shooting them to pieces. The answering shots were finding the mark but the trolls had a thick hide.

Eventually Thon - with no missile weapon screamed "fuck this.. Kazaad Dum.." and charged down two of them. He reached them and they stepped back in unision and shot him down - six hits point blank with one x3 critical.

Following this, after a few rounds to screw their courage, Ceri and Braggi charged the other two, ignoring the perculiarly unmoving troll and focussing on the by now peppered second of the western trolls. The shots continued piling in and in a couple of rounds Theoren took three hits in a round the final mortal shot taking him just below the jawline. Meanwhile Ceri and Braggi routed their target and turned back to the two southern trolls which Osiris and Owain had just engaged, having snuck up on them as they finished off Theoren. Owain landed a good backstab and Osiris a significant greatsword blow, the arrival of the other two largely unscathed reinforcements was enough to offset Osiris being decked by a great club and the two remaining trolls fled.

In the aftermath, Owain tracked the trolls and when he later caught up with the party - Braggi and Ceri sweating along under the burden of Osiris - told them that there was a fourth party - a human in bright green robes who berated the trolls for not keeping range and using the bows, and then told them to get ready two finish off the party as they slept.

A week later and the party is licking its wounds in the nearby town and considering going back again.

One Door Closes and Another Opens

Theoren

Yup. If you recall the main fight was pretty much over, but the last of the cultists had turned invisible and a couple of us were chasing him through the rooms off the main chamber. Thon ap Thun ran (pretty much literally) into an incorporeal creature (all fire, smoke and glowing coal-like eyes) that was waiting for any pursuers in a small chamber hewn from the living rock (that featured another lidless eye mosaic). He battled it in a mighty rearguard action, suffering many wounds from the creature's savage claws and emerged (smoking and with his mail glowing in places) into the antechamber where the rest of the group were waiting in ambush. The creature (or demon or whatever) was set upon from all sides and after a wild fight finally struck down by Osiris who calling upon the names of his ancestors hewed it from pate to pelvis in a single ferocious blow (critical hit with a zweihander using a maximum power attack - forty-something hit points damage).

Meanwhile Thon, having gone done the 'down, cover and roll' with some of the ornate hangings (just before the demon/balrogette/whatever appeared and set everything on fire) had gone in search of a font or similar to quench the cherry-glowing gauntlet on his right fist (he'd been reduced to pugilism at the last once his various other weapons got too hot to handle). As he emerged into the main temple chamber he observed a blood trail leading from a previously unsuspected secret door behind the alter to the fallen body of the chief hierophant, whose dead arm suddenly lifted from the ground - with a nasty 'crack' his hand detached from its arm, floated in midair for an instant and then disappeared from view. Losing not a moment, Thon launched his dwarven throwing hammer at the vacant space above the body. There was wet, meaty 'thud' and the corpse of the last cultist was revealed in mid-step as he fell, lifeless, to the floor.

The rest was detail work really. We did a major first-aid session with the healing blade, inventoried the corpses of the cultists and the various chambers and scriptoria. Theoren was delighted to find 'Nargrath', his oathblade and returned the longsword he had borrowed, plus there was the Heirophant's ring (a mannish design, functional rather than decorative - after the experience with the Morgul blade nobody was keen to put it on), his hand (a prosthetic, made of iron - one virtue was that it unlocked a couple of the doors that had previously resisted all our attempts), sundry valuables and the various scrolls and books from the scriptorium.

Plus, of course, the crystal orb.

The orb was rather larger than two fists clubbed together and had a lidless eye set into the clear glass or crystal (like the coloured part of a marble). It was originally set as a centrepiece to the alter, but the dwarves set to removing it with a will. There then followed an extensive debate concerning the thing (and by extension all the other treasure - especially the books, which were written in an uncanny script that none could fathom). Eventually our fearless leader ordered the orb smashed there and then to forestall further argument (or temptation) and Braggi wound up a mighty blow with his war-maul - only for the orb to resist the smashing force of the iron-shod club completely (there was a small coin-sized area of smashed tilework on the floor under the orb, but not a scratch on the device itself). This pretty much decided the matter - we'd load everything onto mules, push on to the town of [whatever it was called - Darnish or something] and then organise an expedition to Rivendell to put the matter to Elrond's Council.

So it was and so it went, save that a day or two after we set off Theoren approached Ceri and shared a tale of woe. It seems that shortly before he had been taken by the orc raiders and hauled off to the cultists he had been acting as a guide for a couple of young kinsmen who had taken it into their heads to explore 'Maes Fao' a site of some dark renown amongst the clansmen of the hills hereabouts but also reputedly a hiding place of an ancient treasure and therefore a challenge that young bravos periodically essayed to prove their courage and (who knows?) return with great booty and renown. Things had gone well at first, but then the party had been set upon by Trolls in the gloaming and had become split up in the confusion. Theoren feared the worst and asking a boon of the group, that they accompany him to the dread gorge to seek news of his kinfolk and, if necessary, take vengeance upon their red-handed murderers. Everyone was sore affected by this sorry saga and made heartfelt oaths that they would aid their newfound companion in this task, for all knew that ties of blood and honour could not permit that they do anything else and still bear themselves as true men (or elves or dwarves) of the Arthedain. Thus and so, our heroes instructed the dwarven navvies to continue on with their booty and wait upon the group's return for a se'night. Meanwhile they struck off the trail into the haunted hills of the northern Trollshaws.

Two days travel brought them up hard by the dread valley in late afternoon. Rather than push forward into an enemy lair with night drawing on, the group decided to cover their trail and await the dawn. A quiet night passed in a secure lair, although upon rising Theoren discovered a single sandalled footprint a short distance away but no other sign or trail. The group pressed on but Osiris trailed the main body of the party in an effort to surprise our mysterious hunter - taking advantage of his woodland skills to press on through the country at speed in order to keep up with the rest of the group after each lay up. Unfortunately whilst our hunter-turned-prey didn't make an appearance a raiding party of Olog-Hai certainly did - Osiris was forced to break cover and run for his life, closely pursued by the trolls and well feathered by their fearsome Trollbows. Leaving a heinously clear trail he burst in upon the group, with his pursuers in close attendance.

We barely had time to scatter of the trail into hasty ambush positions before two trolls came up the path, casting about to follow the trail in a pantomimic and amateurish manner. Sure enough our suspicious were confirmed; Ceri, closeted in a good hide in the low bole of an oak observed two more of the fell creatures approaching on one flank, stalking well and silently. It is to be supposed that another pair are approaching from the other flank equally silently.....

And there we left it.

Genesis

Captain Sereth, Master of Spies to the Governer Elasander

My lord Elasander has begun the process of investing the twenty-thousand sovereign fortification grant. He has appointed a cheif of engineers, some Dwarf named Stonin leads them, and they are to survey the construction of a cart-worthy road from Carandor to Dispar. This should allow for easy passage between the two forts at Daenos and Elnost, reinforcing the line and purely coincidentally enhancing trade and tarrif revenue.

The engineers are to commence their survey at the beginning of next week, travelling from Carandor in an easterly direction. In the meantime, my lord has commissioned some bounty hunters to travel in the opposite direction, leaving immediately from Dispar and heading west. He has offered a twenty sovereign purse and of course the usual bounty is offered for troll's heads, furthermore they have rights over any booty that they find.

The bounty hunters are lead by a noble elf named Osiris Bircham and they have with them a sylvan from mirkwood named Cerilaragloras (Ceri), and a hobbit named Owain Proudfoot. Of the elves nothing is known, but Mirkwood has sent spies this far on a regular basis and I have no reason to suspect that he is not another one. The Sindar, though unknown to me appears to be too poorly provisioned to be an agent, and I have never heard of spies of their kin in these parts. The hobbit is known however, he has been flogged once for street theft in Swiftwater and the sherrif has already warned him off.

I will watch their progress with keen attention, and alert agents in Carandor to mark their arival.