OOC Chat
If you think you are ready my friend, I'd be only too happy to have you rejoin. As for summarizing the situation, I suppose the important thing is, what is the last part that you remember? I know you were still with us when when the group entered the Long Marshes, and believe it or not we are still there. I do believe we are almost done with that part of the adventure as the group is now combating the Mewlips themselves at last. What remains to be seen is who will survive the encounter. I honestly am not certain at this point, but I can tell you that Thrir is still in it and fighting the good fight.
The majority of the party encountered the gorcrows, the only living thing left upon this island besides weeds and mould, and riddled with their chieftain AHAUK, a wily old crow who secretly was helping the group by giving them clues in his riddles. Aware that he would be watched the cunning bird managed to give the group hints of how to defeat the masters of the island, but at a price. His flock eventually realized he was betraying the Mewlips and attacked him. Kronin felt for the noble sacrifice the crow chieftain was making and thus the party defended him, but though they fought valiantly and many crows were slain, in the end Ahauk was mobbed by his fellows and pecked to death. He died happily though, knowing he would finally be free of the miserable place.
Shortly after this battle Thrir, Ymir and Óli arrived, after escaping the village, and gave the group the news that the King's Iron Guard/Stone Guard were hunting them, led by Captain Vrain and Lady Lis the Queen's advisor and Rune-caster (who has a history with Óli).
Thrir managed to convince Noin to show him his maul, and Thrir found a rune carved into its base, a rune by which Noin blamed Óli for, but Thrir rightly guessed was placed there by Lady Lis (when Noin visited the Queen) to track the group.
Oli at this point started a fight when he told the group he thought Dwain had betrayed them and split up so the King's justice would fall upon them instead of himself. Noin understandably took offense to this and challenged Oli to prove his words or defend himself in combat. This sad situation was broken up by the Mewlips themselves, who spoke mockingly to the group by animating all the dead crows around them. They challenged the group to come and partake of their hospitality, and were exceptionally interested in meeting the Raft elf, Nendiel.
Noin and Óli forestalled their feud until they'd settled account with the Mewlips and the group continued forwards, with THRIR and Nendiel scouting on ahead. They found the ruin of a motte and bailey castle at the center of the island and went back to retrieve the rest of the group.
At the castle the crew encountered both a spell at the gate (a symbol of despair). Ymir succumbed to the spell and had horrific visions of some of the last days of the Sauronic army besieged by the Wood elves here. An old rotting drawbridge proved treacherous, nearly dropping one of the group into the moat below. Getting across this they found the gate locked, and a pair of Spouter Gargoyles high above who guarded them. These statues awoke when the group assailed the gate and attacked by spitting acid and then animating to fight them.
Finishing off the gargoyles the group takes out what remains of the palisade gates and enters to find a ghost haunted courtyard and ruined old buildings. Realizing the ghosts weren't going to attack them they mostly ignored them as they made their way to the far gate, choosing not to investigate the remains of the buildings.
At the far end of the enclosed courtyard the group entered an old guardhouse by the rear gate, after Thrir checked for any traps. Inside they found skeletons of the guards who had apparently died attacking one another and then they found a chest with an old journal of the guards, a small stash of elvish gemstones, and some sort of viscous liquid in a waterskin. Under the rubble they found a gleaming mithril and steel axe which was given to Kronin.
Thrir discovered that the door out of the gatehouse (onwards toward the castle) had another evil rune trap on it, but the password to unlock it was within the journal, though it forced Evia to speak in the black speech and say she served the Dark Lord :P Upon uttering this the skeletons upon the floor shrieked and collapsed into dust. Evia had also discovered that the bat statue she acquired way back in Erebor was cursed and still with her. She's tried to rid herself of it since then.
Kronin made a poem for the fallen warriors and Bofri, finally healed up enough by Nendiel and Flana to rejoin the group, returned to cross the second bridge that lead up to the Bailey itself (castle). Evia spots a trap on the stairs leading up to the castle and Thrir examines it and discovers the catch stone that locks the stairs to keep them from collapsing.
At the gate to the castle, Kronin battered the door with is axe, which caused a bell to toll and the flagstones to turn into quicksand, a final trap! Several of the party were not dextrous enough to avoid this and started sinking into the quicksand! While everyone worked to help those who were trapped, there was not enough time to save all and Noin was sucked into the muck and lost :(
The dogs, at this point, were too afraid to continue, so Kronin and Thrir let them wait and guard the outer door while the group mourned Noin and vowed to avenge him. They entered the castle and found the remains of a great hall with smashed tables and benches and many bones scattered around. Kronin went to examine some horse stalls and kennels.
Soon the bones in the feast hall knit together into a bizarre sort of bone golem which promptly attacked those nearby, while Kronin and Dwór were attacked by a pack of Shadow mastiffs in the kennels, the spirits of the poor hounds who were eaten by their masters. Thrir ran to help Kronin and Dwór, while the rest battled the undead bone beast. At the end Flana was slain when the collapsing skeletal creature fell upon her. Nendiel held her as she died and mourned her, crying out in Elvish and revealing to all that Flana was her half-elven daughter, though the Kryn of the Lake-men died never knowing her mother was so close.
They searched the place, but found it had been all looted long ago, except for one secret small room Evia found, behind a wall, containing one skeleton and a mouldy old sack. Thrir took the time to look at its contents and noted a mithril mirror(not magical but worth some money), a magical set of hand cuffs and a sliver of bone, also enchanted.
Thrir also examined a trap door the party had found in the floor (there was also one in the ceiling) and removed the poison spike trap upon it. They dropped a candle down into the hole and found it was over fifty feet to the bottom. The candle quickly sputtered and went out.
Ymir sent his raven down to scout the way while Kronin lead a search for another way into the dungeon below. They eventually found a bolt hole outside at the base of the motte (man made hill) that had been magically sealed by the Elves with a spelled stone cap. Thrir examined this and found no trap or danger to the group (the spell was designed specifically for Delos and his men so it posed no threat to the dwarves).
At long last, taking plenty of rush light torches and the shining elf stone, the group entered through the bolt hole with the following order
Kronin Iron clad (VANGUARD)
Dwór Light bearer
Bofri the Brave
Ymir the Crafty (with Hunginn the Clever)
Thrir the Canny
Óli the Grim
Nendiel the Minstrel
Evia the Undaunted (REAR GUARD)
The group trekked through the dark, wet tunnel and eventually found the tunnel ended in a pile of stones, possibly a cave in or deliberate attempt to plug the tunnel exit. Thrir and Bofri realized the bedrock was unstable, and the entire hill could easily collapse with little effort.
They dug through and entered cautiously. Inside they found a large chamber with gruesome torture devices, holding cells, and hanging racks and cauldrons for cooking...um large pieces of meat! There was an awful stench to the place, and some locked doors that seemed to lead to smaller chambers beyond. Three pillars held up the ceiling, Bofri noted these would be easy to take out, but would then collapse on top of the group as well as their adversaries.
At this point all torches and lights were extinguished as the Mewlips, lead by their Lord Delos entered in the darkness. Evia tried to rally folks to her, a strategy encouraged by Bofri, but the darkness hampered such efforts. Meanwhile Delos ranted about eating the dwarves, stealing their shadows and leaving the island and returning to their Lord Sauron. Of course he wanted to torture the Raft elf first, blaming all of Elf-kind for their wretched fate.
Kronin enlightened Delos that Sauron was gone, but the mad Mewlip Lord did not believe him, clinging to a faint hope of reward for all they had endured. Evia struck into the dark with her spear and the battle ensued. The Mewlips were an uncounted number of miserable misshapen creatures attacking en masse, and Kronin used his TACTICS NWP to try and gather the dwarves and give them some advantage in the complete dark. Evia tried to make the elf stone light, but it was not powerful enough to overcome the Unlight and Wall of Gloom created by the Mewlips and Delos. Enough people decided to help her though, touching the stone and chanting the elvish phrase for 'light in the shadows' that it finally burst into light!
It was then that the group perceived, not only how twisted and numerous the Mewlips were, but also that Delos was 'wearing' Noin's body! This was their plan all along, to bring the group to them so they could steal their bodies and escape. The Mewlips, however are angry because the light burns them severely and only a few dare attack the group directly and risk the light. Nendiel called out to Delos that 'day was coming' in Elvish and began to do a bardic song to increase her comrades' morale, but the Mewlips mobbed her and she fell under the horde of them and has not been seen since.
Delos attacked with shadow tentacles emanating from his cloak which did CON damage to those it touched. It hurt Dwor and Oli but Kronin has a magic ring that kept him from being entangled, though he suffered damage nonetheless. Evia and Kronin pressed the attack, their flanks guarded by Bofri, Thrir, and Ymir. Oli and Dwor were badly hurt, but have now gotten to their feet and are prepared to fight with their remaining strength. Bofri fought valiantly against a trio of Mewlips, half destroying the pillar behind him, then made his way to Evia's side.
Delos, badly wounded has retreated and called for three Shadow wards, Mewlips possesing the corpses of two of the missing Lake-men and one in wearing Flana's corpse! Bofri and Ymir are keeping the Mewlips at bay, while Thrir has unslung his bow and may try to either shoot at the Mewlips or the Shadow wards (Delos is now back in the shadows and has considerable cover). The fight now continues, with both the party and their foes having taken much damage, its still anyone's fight as they say.
Sorry for the long summary, but much has happened my friend. Questions just ask and if I've forgotten anything important, someone please add it in.
Post when you are ready, if you are ready old friend, and welcome back Thrir :)
