SCENE 2 – Pursuit into Ruin

[tomcat]

Days 110-112 January 19-21, Barad Eldanar and under the shadow of Cargash

They rode hard through the night but weariness began to enter their limbs and muscles and sap out their ability to continue. Durgil was the first to falter and he slumped forward almost sliding from his saddle. If it were not for the strong arm of Fengel to grab him and hold him up, the Dúnadan would have toppled to the icy ground below. Dirnhael observed the assist by the Éothraim and reined in his horse bringing all of the riders to a halt. They had only traveled for a few hours and covered only ten miles but they were exhausted. They had been going for the past two days, through combat and wounds, to now racing north towards an unknown goal.

"We must stop and gather our strength, my friends," Dirnhael said. "Though haste is needed, we will do no good for our companions if we face the Angmarim unprepared. We will make camp and set out at first light."

Durgil knew his friend was referring to him specifically, as for the last few hours his progress had been slow -- too slow to do them any good. This lowered his spirits even further than before. Fortunately, the others stayed away as he did not want to be near them in his mood.

With the break of day, Dirnhael went against his better judgment to make up the lost time by traveling under the sun. The riders mounted up and pushed on. They rode parallel to the road which was easily seen stretching north through rough prairie grasses and coarse rock. All was covered in snow and ice and looked very stark and bleak. Only the rich blue of the sky offset the grays and browns of the terrain around them, as the land rolled up and down. They were coming closer to a stretch of mountains that formed the lower border of Angmar. These high peaks could be seen on the distant eastern horizon.

They rode as stealthily as possible keeping an eye on the road to their left and the horizon before them, Edrahil's eyes straining to miss nothing. It was a difficult task with the roll of the land for Dirnhael did not wish to have his Company crest any of the high ground so as not to give away their presence. Instead they wove around the bases of the small hills that were becoming ever more present.

The Company halted for a moment and Edrahil spoke as he stared north, "I am concerned Dirnhael - the eyes of the Enemy are many and though I have yet to see another person before us or behind, I can see large blackbirds flocking to our north... no doubt, these are Crebain."

OOC: I will need everyone to make the same tests as before -

Stamina Test TN 22
Survival Test TN 15
Need a Stealth Roll

*Remember to check your status for any modifiers.

Edrahil
Stamina Test TN 22 - +7 +5 from Horse
Roll(2d6)+12: 5,5,+12 Total:22 SUCCESS

Survival Test TN 15 - +0
Roll(2d6)+0: 2,1,+0 Total:3 FAILED

Stealth - +9
Roll(2d6)+9: 1,4,+9 Total:14

Fengel
Stamina Test TN 22 - +7 +5 from Horse
Roll(2d6)+12: 3,2,+12 Total:17 FAILED (Winded -1)

Survival Test TN 15 - +5
Roll(2d6)+5: 2,6,+5 Total:13 FAILED

Stealth - +5
Roll(2d6)+5: 1,2,+5 Total:8 +3 (Courage) = 11

[GandalfOfBorg]

Inspire - (4+4)+4=12
Stamina - (6+5)+3 +5 (for horse) =19 (-1 Winded)
Stealth - (4+2)+3-1+3 Courage =11

Durgil only does marginally better this day, but his mood gets no worse.

[sdrotar]

Stamina Test (TN 22)
Stamina +3, Tireless +4, Horse +5 = +12
Roll(2d6)+12:4,4,+12 Total:20 (-1 Winded)

Survival Test (TN 15)
Survival (Field) +7 -1
Roll(2d6)+6:5,3,+6 Total:14 - OOC: Hey, I finally made a roll!

Stealth Test (TN ?)
Stealth -1 -1
Roll(2d6)+-2:4,3,+-2 Total:5

***

The day's travel was long, and Dirnhael tired at the end of it, but at least they were able to set a pleasant camp this night.

That evening, Dirnhael sat alone by the fire and began to worry. He had hoped they would have made better time - he wanted to be on his way back to Barad Eldanar soon. Every day they were away from the keep, his heart filled with dread - not for himself and his riders, but for Lunduf, Nain and the Soldiers of Arnor. They may hold a mighty keep, but Dirnhael feared that his friends were in more danger there than he was in the frozen wastes of these wild hills...

[Wiseman]

Roll(2d6)+2: 4,4,+2+5 Total:15 (FAILED) -2 Tired

Stealth:
Roll(2d6)+6: 3,3,+6 Total:12 (-2 Winded, +2 Specialty)

Survival:
Roll(2d6)+4: 4,6,+4 Total:14

Daelhun was glad they had made it this far without incident, especially as they were in enemy territory.  He knew it was a matter of time but kept ever vigilent.

[tomcat]

OOC: The italic sections are placement of character posts...

The day's travel was long, and Dirnhael tired by the end of it, but at least they were able to set a pleasant camp this night. As the evening set in, Dirnhael sat alone by the fire and began to worry. He had hoped they would have made better time - he wanted to be on his way back to Barad Eldanar soon. Every day they were away from the keep, his heart filled with dread - not for himself and his riders, but for Lûnduf, Nain and the Soldiers of Arnor. They may hold a mighty keep, but Dirnhael feared that his friends were in more danger there than he was in the frozen wastes of these wild hills... the terror gripped his heart. Like a blur in the sky, the winged shape flew over them heading north. The Company froze with fear, some dropping to the ground and covering their heads, others reaching for their weapon hilts. Even Edrahil showed signs of fear as the shape flew by, but then it was gone. The companions all looked at one another but none made a guess at what it might have been.

No more than five miles to their north and west sat the two towers that were called Cargash on the map that they had taken from Eldanar. Edrahil's long sight had espied them and Dirnhael decided it best to circumvent the fortifications. The Company had ridden off their parallel course of the road and started a wide circle to the east.

As the sun was hanging low in the western sky, the five riders came upon a large swath of scrub that grew from one to five feet in height. The plant was a thick and hardy one that was suited for the clime - it also had barb like thorns that grew throughout. Edrahil knew the plant and called it Thistletyne. The briar stretched north for miles although there were broken paths through it that the riders followed until they found their discreet encampment. The one good thing was that the Thistletyne made for good fire wood.

Now Dirnhael, the fear subsiding in him, looked about and thought about tomorrow's travel. They should bypass the castles and hopefully be caught up with the wain that drew Camentir north. It was Durgil's first watch so Dirnhael laid back and closed his eyes. His comrades followed suit taking the advantage to get as much rest as they could.

The moon was rising in the cold winter sky over the lowlands of Angmar. The warg brought its snout up out of the trodden snow. The smell was different. It smelled the horses, and it also smelled Men-folk... but there was a strange scent of someone other. The large vulpine creature gave a growl to its fellows and loped forward. The coarse briars were scattered all over this land but that was okay, the beast knew well the way through the thorny maze.

[GandalfOfBorg]

Stealth -  (6+4)+3-2=11
Observe (Spot) - (6+5)+3+2-2=14
Observe (Hear) - (2+1)+3+2-2=6

Durgil takes a position in some rock and brambles where he could have some cover while also retaining the ability to keep an eye on the surrounding area.  The night was clear with stars and some moonlight, but the wind over the land blew in such gusts that he couldn't hear much beyond the campsite.

[tomcat]

Dirnhael's eyes opened to see the shadowy form of Durgil over him, his finger to his lips.

"Shhhh...." was the only sound that Durgil made as he went to rouse the others.

Once all were awake, Durgil motioned to Dirnhael and the five companions quietly padded over to a low growth of Thistletyne. From their vantage point and with the light of the moon above, they looked out upon a semi-clear plain of Angmar and the road that they had been traveling on far off in the distance. Movement could be seen; movement of what looked to a be a great host marching south. From this distance it was not discernible as to who they were, but by the hour of night it could be assumed that it was a large group of orcs.

Dirnhael could not get a count of the horde, but by his eye he estimated their number to be at least two hundred... two hundred against the forty-eight that defended the walls of Eldanar. The Dunadan made another estimate, this one of time and figured that they would reach the keep in two to three days.

"Hisssthh," issued through Edrahil's clenched teeth and he grabbed Fengel's arm to get his attention, but all the Company members heard him. The elf pointed to the south and west as a hulking shadow, low to the ground, issued out of an opening in the bramble. The creature lowered its snout to the ground and sniffed at the ground. It was less than thirty meters from their encampment.

Behind the Company, a horse gave a nervous, quiet whicker as it caught the Warg's scent.

OOC: I will organize any upcoming combat tonight and get you more details. That is, of course, if you want to fight the oncoming pack - you could also try to evade.

Let me know by your posts.

PS - I also need to look back through the old chapters to determine how many men rode with Linwen a month past and of those that rode north, how many survived and are with Eradin. So, the number of defenders mentioned above may change for the good or for the bad...  

EDIT: Nope, the number of soldiers looks good. Linwen had led 137 men north to the disaster just south of Eldanar... 44 survived... maybe  :wink:

[sdrotar]

Dirnhael quickly surmised that the possibility of evading the Warg was slim - the horses could be easily heard or smelled by the foul beast, and the creatures had the advantage of darkness and terrain. He glanced up at the moon, thankful that it's pale light was bright and clear, and then quickly pulled his bow and nocked an arrow. As his fingers smoothed the fletching, he signaled to the others to do the same.
At least the Warg had not spotted them yet...

[GandalfOfBorg]

As he readied himself, Durgil spoke softly so the others could hear.  "These creatures also fear fire... maybe we could set the brambles in the area aflame.  It could keep them at bay, while giving us a chance to slip away.  The only problem is that the enemy in the distance may see it and send some to investigate at the least, or, at the worst, send a message to Angmar."

Initiative (if needed) - (5+4)+2=11

[sdrotar]

As he readied himself, Durgil spoke softly so the others could hear.  "These creatures also fear fire... maybe we could set the brambles in the area aflame.  It could keep them at bay, while giving us a chance to slip away.  The only problem is that the enemy in the distance may see it and send some to investigate at the least, or, at the worst, send a message to Angmar."

"That is a large band of Orcs across the plain. I would rather they not know we are here," Dirnhael whispered.

He smiled a quick smile at Durgil. The young man was talented and resourceful, but Dirnhael had learned by experience that sometimes men need to simply stand their ground and face a lesser enemy directly rather than risk being discovered by a larger one... his mind flashed back to Angbor for a minute, but then the snuffling of the Warg jarred him back to stark reality.

[tomcat]

Daelhun and Fengel also readied bows while Edrahil began to ponder if there was any magical aid that he could offer. Meanwhile, the Warg was joined by another of its kin and it snapped at it causing it to slink down and return to a position behind the alpha. The lead beast turned its gaze towards the hidden Company and the moonlight glowed a pale yellow in its eyes. It snuffed the air in the Men and Elf's direction and began to take a few steps towards them, but then a crying wail pierced the night sky.

"AAARRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The Company and the Wargs all looked to the north in the direction of the cry and the Wargs seemed to be startled. Nervously, the lead beast looked about, then turned and led its pack the way it had come, apparently abandoning their hunt of the riders.

"That was close," breathed Fengel.

"Nay friend... peril has not left us yet. I believe it has become worse!" whispered Edrahil as he pointed to the northern briars. Moving within the Thistletyne was a group of man-shaped creatures that slunk and snuffed at the ground. They had once been men but could no longer be mistaken for them...

OOC: The guant man-like forms are a hunting pack of Mewlips (ghouls) searching to sate their hunger for flesh. There are 8 of them scurrying towards you as they catch your scent...

Mewlips can be found in HOF Issue 8, but I have tweaked mine a bit!  :twisted:

Initiative Roll(2d6)+2: 3,5,+2 Total:10

I will be starting a combat thread as we normally do with setting, modifiers, etc.