Chapter 5: Nameless Things

[Scott308]

Glasik Ironfoot

Get out of her you dead, green, bastard! Glasik shouts as he swings the flat of his axe at Gilwennen.

Battle Axe (16): [1d20] = 5; Damage: [1d8+4] = 6+4 = 10

[Rex]

Rumil of Mirkwood

Rumil attempts to cast Bless on the Naruthirdor/Houseless possessing him.

Loud enough for everyone to hear, "I think Bless may work against them, its what Naruthirdor was trying to do when he was possessed!"

Spell slot struck.

[OGRE MAGE]

Folco sheaths his blade again, worried for his possessed friends, but also by the fact that there may now be orcs nearby.

He moves closer to the doorway, but keeps his eye out behind them in case of a sneak attack.

He listens down the western hallway to try to hear if anything else is coming for them.

[wolfpack]

Spirits we come here on a quest. We are at war with the forces of the dark one, you must leave the bodies of our companions so we may recover a item of the elven king.

[Starbeard]

Vindo quickly grabs up his cudgel and tries to knock Therone unconscious with a well-placed blow to the head.

Club (THAC0 20): [1d20] = 19, Damage: [1d6] = 4 vs Small / [1d3] = 3 vs Large

[ravenn4544]

Elbenarin echos his brothers words to perhaps spark a memory in the ancient undead. He holds forth his elvish blade to reinforce the claim of their words.

[hedgeknight]

Gilda Ironfoot

Gasping aloud when the spirits enter the bodies of her companions, Gilly stumbles back, swiping the torch back and forth in front of her. "Wh-whatta we do? Them spirits sucked their souls right out of 'em!"

Gilly is terrified.

[Inferno]

The Lost Halls of the First ElvenKing, The Mountains of Mirkwood, Rhovanion, Middle Earth
March 23, Year One of the Fourth Age
Day Five. Morning. Cloudy, damp, cold



The semblance of Gilwennen laughs in a cold voice that lacks all her grace and mercy. In an elvish ruin of the ancient world, ghosts of dead elves possess members of the Company!

"What do we do???" cries Gilly the dwarf with terror.

The Dunedain brothers entreat with the Houseless in Elvish, trying to sway them to return to their former disembodied state, wandering Middle Earth forlorn and empty until the breaking of the world, for the good of the Company's quest.

"Never," says the likeness of Naruthirdor. "Too long have we suffered, bereft and forsaken."

"Release them? That they might stand against the Dark Lord? 'Tis folly!" scoffs the facsimile of Gilwennen.

"What chance do you think you have against Him?" mocks the image of Tinuwen.

"Better these lives be given to us than needlessly wasted, sacrificed to Sauron," reasons the replica of Therone.

Having heard enough, Glasik takes the flat of his ax blade to Gilwennen's shape, but she deftly avoids the attack! The four possessed members of the Company draw their weapons!

And then Rumil of Mirkwood completes the ancient elvish spell that Naruthirdor could not, warding the Company against possession!

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" shriek Gilwennen, Naruthirdor, Therone and Tinuwen! Suddenly their cries die in their throats as the spectral apparitions are thrown from their bodies!



Bitter and resentful, the Houseless are driven out, back to the age-old tombs! Gilwennen, Naruthirdor, Therone and Tinuwen are themselves once more!

Vindo the Wildman lunges from the shadows at Therone, but stays his hand just in time!

Folco the hobbit hears nothing from the western shadows, but he sees torchlight blossoming in the elf halls to the south!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 20 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.


Behind the DM Screen:

My last DM post covered the actions of the Houseless, Folco and Vindo.
This post covers the rest of the actions in that round; those of Rumil, the dwarfs and the rangers.
Then comes the next round and the new actions for Folco and Vindo.

PC Status:

• Elbenarin: Male Dunedain Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 25/30
  Elbenwin: Male Dunedain Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 25/30, Lantern
  Folco Boffin: Male Hobbit Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 11/21
  Gilda 'Gilly' Ironfoot: Female Dwarvish Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 26/41, Torch
  Glasik Ironfoot: Male Dwarvish Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 20/34
  Gilwennen: Female Elvish Fighter/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 9", AC: -1, HP: 13/13, Spells: 0/1 1st lvl
  Naruthirdor Nowe: Male Elvish Magic-User 2: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 7/8, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl
  Rumil: Male Elvish Fighter/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 11/12, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl
  Therone: Female Elvish Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: -1, HP: 16/31
  Tinuwen: Female Elvish Fighter/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 9", AC: -1, HP: 12/12, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl
  Vindoboduoc: Male Man Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 19/19
  Red: Guard Dog: Move: 12", AC: 6, HD: 2+2, HP: 9/11, AT: 1, D: 1-4, THAC0: 16

PC Magic:

• Bless (Rumil): Target: The Company. Duration: 1 round.

Player Resources:

• In Darkness and In Doubt (the story so far)
  Before The Fall (realms and maps of Middle Earth)
  The Fear and The Shadow (the story so far in images)
  History Became Legend. Legend Became Myth (clues and player notes)

[Starbeard]

Vindoboduoc

"The uruks are coming! We must flee further within. Let them fall prey to these mad apparitions."

[Rex]

Rumil of Mirkwood

"Yes, move quickly. I fear I just drove off what has kept the Uraks out of here."

[wolfpack]

Elbenwin agrees and leads the way

We will make haste

[hedgeknight]

Gilda Ironfoot

Gilly feels the cold grip on her heart give way when the apparitions flee.
She gives Rumil a stare of disbelief and then just shakes her head in amazement.

Upon hearing the Uruks are coming, Gilly grits her teeth and then grins. "At least its something we can stick a blade or spike into! I'll take the back watch with Red. If they charge in, I'll let ya know!"

[Scott308]

Glasik Ironfoot

If it ain't one thing, it's another... As he begins moving deeper into the unknown, he asks, Is everyone alright?

[ChubbyPixie]

Gilwennen glances in the direction of the fleeing apparitions, the last few moments forming a bleak emptyness in her mind. She chooses not to contemplate what may have been and runs after the others.

[rredmond]

Shaking his head back to clear it, Naruthirdor murmurs towards the tomb, "I believe not needlessly wasted. The 'folly' is in accepting Sauron's evil instead of fighting against it," then to the others, "well done Rumil, I thank you! These spirits are dangerous, but ultimately to be pitied. Do we think that the Uruks have followed us in? How could they know so quickly you drove off the spirits? If it is them, then something is perhaps driving them past their fears of this ancient place." He will move further in with the party.

[OGRE MAGE]

Folco moves across the passage and hides around the inside corner of the massive hall, opposite the doors.

He waits there, peering ever so slightly around the corner, very low to the ground, trying to get a glimpse at who is following them before quietly padding off after the others.

[ravenn4544]

Elbenarin follows his brothers lead - he'll take up the rear guard for now knowing that a threat looms from behind...

[Urson]

Therone
Therone is shaken- not just from the posession, but from realizing how foolish she was in her assumptions about the Houseless.
She fights this down immediately, and readies her bow, carrying it with an arrow nocked. She falls in with the rear guard as they retreat.

[SocraticLawyer]

Tinuwen also takes her place in the rear, bow ready. Her experience with the Houseless, however brief, is not one she cares to repeat, or to discuss.

She shudders at the memory.

[Inferno]

Actually, quick question that I think I know the answer to, did we get any sense of any knowledge or help we could have garnered from being controlled by them? I'm guessing just malevolent spirits, hating the living (etc) or that we had no sense of ourselves, but figured I'd push the DM's envelope and see if they left any memories.

I cite the Arretans in "Return to Tomorrow" as evidence. Though possessed, Kirk, Spock and Dr. Mulhall all remembered their time, and got something of the history of the Arretan race! Of course the Arretans were significantly expositional as well, so maybe not...

Haven't forgotten this. Answer to follow...