Into Dol Guldur

[GandalfOfBorg]

"What are you doing? Tie it on your waist and get in there!" Said Grimbeorn.  "Two tugs and I'll pull you out!"

[Eclecticon]

The first look Arbogast sends Grimbeorn's way says "you wade into the haunted swamp if you seek a restless death so keenly" more eloquently than mere words could.  Yet the son of Beorn is right - alone of all the fellowship still retaining their senses, he is mighty enough to pull more than one clear of the mire. 

Arbogast nods and descends the slope, axe drawn and rope about his waist.  His bellow of "ESGALWEN!  OROPHIN!  ANSWER IF YOU HEAR ME!" is like a battle cry, focusing his courage and setting his trepidation aflight. 

[Telcontar]

Ooc. Wow. Let me get a post up for our brown friend.

[disench4nted]

Rorin awoke to his hobbit friend shaking him by the shoulders and yelling frantically. He felt as though he had slumbered for a week and he had no recollection of where he was, or why. As his will slowly became his own again he began to unravel the frantic scene before him; The hobbit was pointing at Grimbeorn at the edge of the bridge, and Grimbeorn was barking orders and bracing himself while holding a rope, and somewhere....below? Rorin heard what must be Arbogast yelling to the ranger and the elf.

"Bandy! Help the wizard with whatever he should need! I must lend my hand to Grimbeorn."

With that he charged to where the commotion was happening, stood behind Grimbeorn, and took up the slack rope that lay behind him. When Rorin glanced over the edge he saw the faces in the water, and for a moment they looked enticing, like old friends waiting to welcome him home. But he shook his head and saw them for the horrific evil that they were, Rorin braced his feet and tightened his grip on the rope and his determination was redoubled.

"I know not the plan friend, but say pull and that is what I will do." Rorin grunted to Grimbeorn.

[Bandobras]

The compulsion to do something, anything, sends Bandy scurring to the Wizard's side. But what is he supposed to do? Too small to help Grimbeorn and Rorin, he feels helpless and useless. He draws his sword not knowing what else to do. "Radagast!" he yells at the wizard who stands an arm's length away. "Do something! You are the only one who can save them from this sorcery!"

Bandy moves as close to the edge as he dare and brandishes the sword at the hideous, twisted face below. Words tumble out of his mouth that he little understands, although he has a faint memory of hearing them from Orophin. "In the name of Elbereth release my companions!" he commands.

  A shot in the dark, but I'll roll Song to try and break the grip on our companions. Can it be buttressed with my Rhymes fo Lore in any way?

Rolled 1d12 : 4, total 4

Rolled 2d6 : 4, 6, total 10

[Telcontar]

Grimbeorn looked at the brown wizard and dismissed him as unhelpful and providing no assistance. The wizard however had not been idle. While he stood upon the causeway he murmured low unintelligible words. His staff was held above his head lengthwise towards the foggy sky above. While he murmured song birds began to land upon the staff and as each one landed the song of the birds grew louder. No one had seen any of these birds on the travels in the swamp and how far or from where they had come from no one knew. The song of the birds had the subtle effect of filtering out and decreasing the call of the creatures in the water. Unfortunately it had not provided a strong enough aid to all the members of the party.

Things then transpired rapidly. The wizard called to Esgalwen scattering the birds and then watched in horror as Arbogast prepared to jump into the water and the words of the hobbit assaulted him.

Recovered from the shock Radagast rushed forward in a speed that bellied his apparent age and knocked the woodman to the ground. "DO NOT TOUCH THE WATER!"

The wizard stepped off of the causeway and struck the water with his staff.  Instantaneously a blinding flash, magnified by the fog, caused all the members of the party to cringe at the intensity of its light. The fog, like a solid object was cast away from the wizard and he stood in a ball of clean air. The marsh water where his staff had struck had turned to icy glass. The wizard stood seemingly on a thin layer of ice that should not have supported his weight.

Then his other hand smashed into the ice sending shards of ice and dark water into the air like a geyser. The silence was broken by a mournful howl as soon as his hand made contact. Reaching in the wizard grabbed the Dunedan women and pulled her from somewhere in the water. The party could see incorporeal hands and arms attached to her body, choking her throat, with nails digging into the veins and joints of her limbs. Her skin and appearance resembled grapes that had been left too long on the vine. The juices and life dried out creating a shriveled and drained appearance.

In two long strides the wizard had her in his arm and was back on the causeway.  Where the two then crumpled to the ground.

For a moment stunned silence ruled the causeway and the dark twilight of the swamp returned. Then, a ripple emanating from the tower of Dol Guldur rolled through the fog. The greenish light returned and began to intensify. From behind them they heard a single bell toll somewhere from the High Keep and the howl and screech of unknown creatures.

The little candles that had previously seemed to hover over the water moved. In a fluid motion they rose out of the water revealing long slender arms. In a moment the wraith like bodies of creatures seemed to rise from the waters. Some dressed in flowing robes of silk, others geared as if for war, in ancient and forgotten styles and appearances. Each of the figures turned to stare at the companions on the causeway. The fog showed only the phantoms closest to the companions, but more lights could be seen around them hidden in the fog.

[Eclecticon]

Reverently, Arbogast lifts Radaghast from where he has fallen.  The Brown Wizard is ancient beyond the reckoning of the Woodmen, and his body is like a bird's: bony and deceptively light beneath his voluminous robes.  As gently as he can, he hands him to Grimbeorn.  "Bear him well," he says. 

After pausing for a moment to cut himself free of the rope, he turns to Esgalwen.  His heart lurches as he beholds what the malign spirits of the swamp have wrought on the Ranger's body, and he doubts that much can be done for her before they have fled the swamp, but he must try.  "Bandy," he calls, "have you a little wine to bring strength back to her limbs?" 

Without waiting for a reply, he crushes some strong-smelling herbs between his palms and rubs the resulting paste under her nose and inside her cheeks.  Then he sets himself to trying to rub some warmth back into her skin.  He looks up after a few breaths, hoping to see some trace of Orophin emerging from the fog.  Instead, he sees the spirits and ghost-lights beginning to emerge from the mire.  "By the light of the Lamp, you shall not have her!" 



Let's try my luck at Healing.  I have no idea what the TN is likely to be for first aid against ghostly-sucked-life-force, but it's worth a try. 

 

Rolled 1d12 : 1, total 1
Rolled 3d6 : 6, 2, 3, total 11

[Eclecticon]

Hmm, uninspiring.  I'll spend a point of Hope (for a final total of 18) if that will make it a success. 

[Telcontar]

The companions felt the sudden weight of the marshes upon them. In all their travels to date they had known the land to be oppressive and dismal. In the wake of the wizards actions they now knew they had felt only a fraction of that malice and hate. While the wizard was distracted the full weight of the land settled upon each of their shoulders, but the land alone was no longer the only thing against them.

A dark presence was aware of them. Each companion in his own mind felt as though they stood naked and alone upon the causeway. The dark petty thoughts they felt earlier were nothing compared to the despair in their souls they felt now.

"He knows..." The words escaped from the wizards lips and his eyes fluttered open.
The wizard sprang to his feet.

" I have revealed myself and He knows that I am here. Come, we must redefine the meaning of haste or be caught here in his realm and destroyed. I pray I have not doomed Greenwood to the shadow in my rashness. Through the outer gate quickly, lest we be overpowered in the swamp. Or we find the Fenbridge held against us." We the wizard active and alert again the weight of the land seemed to lessen upon the companions, but the new feeling of nakedness only continued to intensify.

The woodman looked at the woman, to his eyes she appeared neither living nor dead.

[Eclecticon]

"Rorin," he cries, "help me carry her!  Bandy, Grimbeorn, run!  Run!  Alas for Orophin, but we must flee or perish!" 

[GandalfOfBorg]

"Move!  I will follow behind!" says Grimbeorn.  He quickly gathered up himself, hefted his axe, and set off trailing the group, giving a silent missive to his lost friend.

[Eclecticon]

Goheno nin, Orophin.  Posto vae. 

[tomcat]

great posts, guys! That was really fun to read.

[Posterboy]

  I take it Esgalwen is out for the moment?

[tomcat]

In her mind, the nightmare continued.

She was underwater and there were things around her. No - not things, people. The maligned spirits of folk that had once lived and died here, or were forsaken in this place. They floated around her, clawing and gnashing with teeth that were bared of any flesh. The hungry eyes desiring her life energy, even as they stole that of Orophin. The Elf! The thought of her Silvan friend came once more to her mind and she saw him - he was laying on the bottom of the moat, the weeds and water plants wrapped around his arms and legs, like hands clutching his body to the ground. He was drowning...or maybe he had drowned, for he did not struggle. The lights of the undead surrounded Orophin, making him glow softly, even as they drew from him every ounce of his life energy, consuming it for themselves.

Esgalwen wanted to scream. What had she thought she could do? Why had she jumped? Her feet were snagged of a sudden by the vine-like plants of the moat and she was being dragged down. The Dúnadan woman screamed then. Her mouth filled with the putrid waters and she wanted to wretch, but her body could not. It heaved on its own, trying to breath as her lungs filled with water. She knew she was dying. The lights were now all about her, and in them were faces of the damned. They closed in and began to consume her.

Of a sudden, a sweet taste entered her mouth and she gave out a croaking breath, and then a terrible cough. The ghosts faded and the friendly, concerned faces of Arbogast and Bandy took their places. The Woodman was horrified at her appearance - drawn and aged, as if he held a woman of seventy-plus years. With her breath, and then the fluttering open of her eyes, Arbogast called for Rorin to aid him in carrying her. The tortured look within her face made the Woodman pause, fearing that she might be lost after all. But then she began to breath more normally and her body began to slowly transform back, as if the stolen life force was returning.

Scooping her up, he and Rorin ran with Bandy and Grimbeorn close behind - the wizard leading the way.

Esgalwen looked back over the shoulders of the two friends who carried her, at the horrible bridge. The vision that she saw caused her to once more give a scream, which caused the hair on Bandy's neck to stand up. "NO! BY THE VALA, NO! HE WAS NOT YOURS!" she cried to nothing there, but in her mind he stood on the bridge. A sentinel now to this place, to watch for, and draw in victims of his own. He wore the armor of his kin of old, but Esgalwen knew him and he would haunt her for the rest of her days.




Ayrn - I know you mentioned something about a new PC - is that your wish? Are you not enjoying Esgalwen? No matter what, unless slain, she will stay in our story, but if you want to try a different character type, Tom and I are cool with that. If you decide to do something new, I will take Esgalwen as an NPC. The story is invested in her back story, so she will continue on.

She is not out completely, but rather horrified, for the moment.

Esgalwen may remove all temporary Shadow and replace it for 1 permanent Shadow point, for her experience.