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




The Company have completed the first part of the desperate quest charged to them by the wizard, Gandalf the White, as Middle-earth burns around them.

Glasik, Gilly, Rumil and Tinuwen are eager to test their legendary weapons' mettle against whatever deathless horrors yet lurk within the ancient elf-halls, long ago fallen to shadow. Elbenarin proposes rest.

Only Gilwennen suggests making all due haste to their urgent goal, the Lonely Mountain... and Smaug.

As the others converse, Folco the hobbit inches closer to the jet black orb. Its allure is palpable... undeniable.



Filled with curiosity, he asks, "What do you all think? Should I... touch it?"

Vindo the wildman answers yes. The elves Therone and Naruthirdor counsel against it.

Then suddenly Elbenwin the ranger lays a hand upon its flawless smooth surface!

Red embers flicker within the fathomless depths of the black stone sphere. The faint glow in its heart stirs and grows! The inside fills with fire! The sphere is spinning, or else the light within it! And Elbenwin's face begins to contort in effort and grim determination!

Only Elbenwin beholds a single eye wreathed in the revolving flames!



Sauron. The Master of Middle-earth.

The Dunedan ranger can feel the Dark Lord's terrible will. Hear his black laughter. Elbenwin's mind is under siege! (Please make an Ability Check vs Wisdom on 1d20)


Actions?!


Map:

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


Wilderland Map:

Dotted red line marks the Company's journey.




PC Status:
PC Magic:
Player Resources:

Vindoboduoc

More than a little unnerved, Vindoboduoc wastes no time in prying Elbenwen from the orb!

Rumil

Rumil throws his considerable strength into helping Vindo to pry Elbenwen from the sphere.

[1d20] = 14

Elbenwin grits his teeth and spits into the eye only he an see.

To the void with you dark one.

Therone
Muttering something foul, Therone joins in the attempt to separate the Ranger from the sphere.

Folco quickly snatches his hand back away from the orb once the others caution against touching it.

When he sees them attempting to aid the Dunedan, Folco reaches into his pocket and retrieves the first ring he took. He holds it close to his face, attempting to see if there are any markings on it, before looking through the golden circle at the orb and then at his friends.

"So we shouldn't touch it then? Got it." He mumbles to himself.

Elbenarin watches his brother with fear and concern... he remains poised to intervene further if the others can't separate him from whatever it is that has him.

What's happening? asks the elf maiden Tinuwen. She waits to see what becomes of her companion.

Glasik Ironfoot

Unsure what is happening, the dwarf is concerned for the Dunedain. If the others are not able to remove Elbenwin's hand from the orb, Glasik recently came into possession of something that can remove Elbenwin from the orb should it come to that. Well, most of Elbenwin, anyway.

Naruthirdor

"Elbereth's merciful light!", Naruthirdor exclaims between gritted teeth as he invokes a string of carefully uttered words in Sindarin. He then points a slender right index directly towards the Ranger, closing his eyes.

Naruthirdor casts Detect Magic on Elbenwin.

Moving quickly, Gilwennen will remove her cloak and throw it over the orb.

Gilda Ironfoot

Gilly finds herself gawking once again...at the "Stupid ranger! He's liable to get us all killed...or worse!" she spits, lifting one of her axes. "Mayhap we should just chop his hand off. What say ye, brother?"

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




Through the ancient seeing stone, Elbenwin struggles in a battle of wills against Sauron the Dark Lord of Middle-earth!

The ranger can see him! Hear him! Feel his dread malice!



He withstands Sauron for but a moment! "To the void with you, Dark One," he spits.

The Company can only perceive Elbenwin's harrowing struggle! He grips the orb tight enough to whiten his knuckles.



The dwarf siblings ready their axes, should it come to that! Rumil, Therone, Vindo leap to the ranger's aid and wrest the fiery orb from his grip!

In momentarily touching it, all three are struck by a brief flash of awareness of the presence of great evil!



Released, the ball of light and flame falls to the floor and rolls from them until Gilwennen throws her cloak over it and it ceases! Elbenwin's terrifying vision is broken!

Folco examines his new ring. There are design motifs of fire and moon and stars, but no elf-letters. He gazes through the ring at his friends and the globe and sees them as they were.

Naruthirdor murmurs an old elf-spell and turns his mystical vision upon the orb beneath the cloak. He discovers it is a thing of ancient magic, a seeing stone. (But he doesn't recall the lore of the Palantir)

Then he looks upon Elbenwin and finds him mercifully unchanged by the alarming tribulation. But he sees his new treasures clearly now:
The ranger's new longsword, lhûgcrist is a mighty weapon indeed, especially against dragons! (+2, Dragon Slayer)
So too is his wondrous magic ring! (Acts as Ring of Protection +1 and Ring of Fire-Resistance)

The rest of the legendary weapons of the First Age are similar. It is as Gandalf said: the Company now possess the strength to face Smaug.

Elbenwin slowly recovers from his frightful ordeal with the stone. The ranger saw Sauron on his dark throne in Mordor! He successfully resisted Sauron's wordless attempt to wrench the seeing stone to his control. But Sauron's fiery all-seeing eye beheld Elbenwin, his sword, his ring, his friends and his surroundings!

The ranger grimly shares what he saw. It is possible Sauron now knows who and where the Company are!


Actions?!


Map:

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


Wilderland Map:

Dotted red line marks the Company's journey.




PC Status:
PC Magic:
Player Resources:

Therone
Therone looks genuinely relieved that Elbenwin is free of the stone. When he tells his news, she scowls. We need to leave NOW- and go quickly! If The Dark One sees us as any kind of threat at all, he'll send troops to crush us.
She crouches, checking her gear to make sure everything is secure. She's clearly ready to move out immediately.

Rumil

"I fear you are right Therone, I had hoped to rest here a bit and regain our strength but time is against us."

Glasik Ironfoot

Great. As if this wasn't going to be difficult enough as it is, now we have that to deal with, as well. He sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if a headache were forming. I know some of you want to hurry along, but if you remember, we still have to get through a valley full of orcs and Uruk-Hai that had been hunting us. Sauron's minions may not have to worry about us if we can't even escape the orcs. Who knows, perhaps Master Folco can find a hidden exit, forgotten for millennia. A secret escape route, perhaps, to evacuate in desperate times?

Rumil

"If anyone could find such a thing, I suspect it is Master Folco. An intriguing idea."

Elbenarin attends to his kin - glaring at the harsh comments sent his way. "Are you with us, brother? Can you continue?"

Gilda Ironfoot

Gilly gives Elbenwin a glare that could melt rock before turning away, muttering to herself about touching things that don't belong to you. It gives her pause as she looks at her newly found ring. For now, she puts it in her pocket, content with her new pick.

"Fight or flight; seems ta be our motto. What'll it be this time, eh?"

"We'd be fools to fight against these odds. Wasted valor. Let us escape as we may and take our fight to Smaug," says Gilwennen.