Tanuchan

Ooopsie... sorry... done

You are in the level below the Gates that open to Dimril Dale. At some point ahead of you, there is the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. On the other side of the rift described, Orcs are amassing. Feel free to RP whatever you feel that fits, and don't worry about following the book or the movie. You don't need actually to fight the Orcs, or have a Balrog to face. You're free also to pass the Bridge, and then follow the stairs up towards the Gate - and actually leave Moria. I'll ask you to not pass beyond a "safe distance from the Gates", though - since the lynching will happen still around Moria, at wherever you happen to be. Gyrfalcon, you're welcome to play a ghost or, if so you wish, any NPC role you want to take (in which case please PM me ) Have fun ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scorecard The Company of the Ring... Gryphon => Mattias, Elf (male) Finnius => Filkiormous Magnanimous Berrison, hobbit from the Shire Akallabeth => Turin of Dol Amroth, human, Dúnadan Giles => Baelestimah, Elf of Rivendel (male), servant of Arwen Patrick => Seothen, son of Seoras, Rohirrim Venefyxatu => Neriam Therzyn, son of Elwen Therzyn, human Panther =>Garnorn, human Ranger (male) Vahktang => Yeager Tickle-Bottom, hunter, hobbit from the Shire Ayshela => Linador, horse-master elf (male) from Rivendell Sinsor => Irvin Bartholomew Muskfoot, Hobbit of The Shire Katzaniel => Rootmaker, ent Phoenix => Megwyn, human, Ranger (female) Ozymandias => Jin, son of Jalen, dwarf ... and those who left Savage Dragon => Raus Tanathos, lost during an avalanche at Caradhras Sweetcherrie => Stoomp, taken by the Watcher of the Lake, Moria Mynx => Jagkatha, fell of a bridge in Moria, facing Orcs Gyrfalcon => Frerin, victim of a crumbling wall in Moria

Frerin and Jin looked upon the tomb of Balin, last lord of Moria. The jeweler rested a hand on the younger dwarf’s shoulder, noticing the trembling and the sweating. No words were really necessary – even the others from the Company felt the grief. ”There was another smaller door on the other side of the chamber, under the shaft. By both the doors they could now see that many bones were lying, and among them were broken swords and axe-heads, and cloven shields and helms. Some of the swords were crooked: orc-scimitars with blackened blades. There were many recesses cut in the rock of the walls, and in them were large iron-bound chests of wood. All had been broken and plundered; but beside the shattered lid of one there lay the remains of a book. It had been slashed and stabbed and partly burned, and it was so stained with black and other dark marks like old blood that little of it could be read.” J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Fellowship of the Ring”. Falmar took the book carefully, and browsed through its torn pages. Most were unreadable, but at some points there were words and paragraphs that came out. The book told indeed the story of the dwarves that had come with Balin, to reclaim the old dwelling of the dwarves upon Middle Earth. It told of the first years, and it told of the waking up of dark evils in the depths of the mines. It told of battles fought with courage and bravery, and of how the lake was formed and the Watcher of the Lake took some of his companions. Lastly, it told of incoming battle, and the drums of the orcs heard echoing through the stones. ”I fear their ending was cruel. Listen! We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there. Then... the last lines run the pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin. We cannot get out. The end comes, and then drums, drums in the deep. I wonder what that means.”. J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Fellowship of the Ring”. The Company fell in silence, the last soft words from Falmar fading in the Chamber. There they stayed for a while, each one immersed in their own thoughts. The hobbits fidgeted, and Filk and Irvin were soon looking through the other ruined chests. The others checked the chamber where the tomb was, looking for something that might be useful, or calmed the horses that were still with the party. Falmar went to one of the doors, and listened carefully. Frerin stared still at the stone tomb, when a whisper came to him. “This wall... it looks different. Can it be another secret door?” The words seemed to awake Frerin, and he turned and went through the smaller door. There, one of the Company was passing his hands over a slightly light-colored place on the wall, and nodded to Frerin. “What to do you think?” Frerin frowned, and approached the wall. There was indeed something different about that part of it, and his eyes spotted a darker stone set to his right. “It might be... this can be a key stone...” He never noticed when he was left alone, intent on finding out how to open the passage. When he finally twisted the rock and pushed, there was a shuddering on the stone, and he smiled – but the wall, instead of pivoting as he had expected, shuddered and rumbled, starting to crumble and fall over him. Frerin’s surprised shout was masked by another – coming from the entrance to the main chamber. “They are coming!” “We cannot get out!” Turin and Seothen used their weight to close the heavy door as a great noise came: a rolling Boom that seemed to come from depths far below, and to tremble in the stone at their feet. A noise that covered the lesser booming of a wall crumbling in the small side chamber. “Trapped!” cried Falmar, gathering all other quickly. “We shouldn’t have delayed so long here! Quick, let’s go through the east door... “ Another horn-call and shrill cries rang out, while the Company left hastily through the second door: it led to steep stairs that went downward, and it was fortunate that both Horse-Brother and Warud trusted their partners – for how that path could be trodden by horses, with an Ent to close the line, is still not fully believable. “Orcs. Many, many of them,” rumbled Rootmaker, his large steps threatening those ahead of him. “And some are large and evil, the black Uruks of Mordor.” Falmar just kept urging them, keeping right behind Rootmaker. “Down the stairs, go quickly... always down, and choose paths leading right!” And to himself, the Elf Lord muttered softly an elven prayer for the one who wasn’t accounted for in their retreat. “At the end of an hour they had gone a mile, or maybe a little more, and had descended many flights of stairs. (...) They peered out. Before them there was another cavernous hall. It was loftier and far longer than the one in which they had slept. They were near its eastern end; westward it ran away into darkness. Down the centre stalked a double line of towering pillars. They were carved like boles of mighty trees whose boughs upheld the roof with a branching tracery of stone. Their stems were smooth and black. Right across the floor, close to the feet of two huge pillars a great fissure had opened.” J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Fellowship of the Ring” ~~~~~ OOC: Gyrfalcon/Frerin was lost to a cunning trap... and it's now Day Phase. You have roughly 48 hours (until Thursday around 10pm EST) to vote and try to find a wolf. You're now in the Second Hall of Old Moria, a level below the Gates. At some point ahead of you, there is the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Have fun! Scorecard and more info at the OOC thread.

Post when you can, 'shela And yeah, we're in night phase, which I'll be ending in about ... 6-8 hours.

Sorry for the delay... Vahktang and Mynx tied with two votes. Random numbers doomed the temperamental elf ranger... Mynx, I hope the lynching wasn't too far from what you had suggested. Please feel free to PM me if you want/need anything to be modified. You'll be a welcome ghost The setting of this phase is the Chamber of Marzabul, described in the chapters 4 (A Journey in the Dark) and 5 (The Bridge of Khazad-dûm) of "The Fellowship of the King - Book II". If anyone wants to mention the book that Gandalf originally finds, and reads from, feel free to

"Great shadows sprang up and fled, and for a second they saw a vast roof far above their heads upheld by many mighty pillars hewn of stone. Before them and on either side stretched a huge empty hall; its black walls, polished and smooth as glass, flashed and glittered. Three other entrances they saw, dark black arches: one straight before them eastwards, and one on either side." J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Fellowship of the Ring” Falmar had just come from examining all three entrances, and spoke softly. “The eastward arch is probably the one that we must take. We have walked far today, and upwards... I think that we are above and to the north of the Dimrill Gates. This high, there should be high windows in the mountainside, with shafts leading out to the light. We cannot see them because it’s night again outside, but by morning they would help to guide us. So, let us stay here until morning, and get the rest we can.” “Should we not then take the East archway while we are sure there is nothing else in pursuit of us?” Falmar shook his head, and answered Baelestimah. “We don’t know what is ahead of us, and it would be disastrous for us to lose the way now. We know what can come upon us from behind, and we can guard against it. Let’s stop here. For we battled, and there might be more coming ere tomorrow dawns.” The company didn’t argue, the darkness of Moria hanging heavily on them. They draw the watch, and Jagkatha and Yeager stood side by side, looking at the way they had come. The watch was near an end when a soft noise reached the elf’s keen ears. Jagkatha glanced around her and saw Yeager shaking Turin and Filk gently, waking them for their watch stint. Tired of the looks she had been getting since Stoomp’s fall in the lake, she decided to investigate by herself. She left with soft paces, and it took a couple minutes before Yeager, Turin, and Filk noticed that she was gone. All they saw was the flickering light the burning torch gave while she walked down the path they’d come. “Jagk!” Turin’s voice was an angry whisper, low but enough to wake Falmar and Neriam. Both looked up from the place they’d set their beds, and Falmar was quick to spring to his feet and follow Jagkatha without making any questions. Neriam followed, and Seothen joined them when they passed beside him. Filk woke up suddenly, certain that he had head some scuffling not quite far away. He turned slowly, almost fearfully, towards the sound – and could make the trembling light of a torch coming up. Whispered angry voices were muted when those who had followed Jagkatha entered the vast Hall, and Falmar went to the place where Megwyn slept. “Megwyn...” The ranger woke up at once, hands flying towards her knife. But what she saw in Falmar’s eyes made her gasp. “No... what happened? Jagk... something about her, isn’t it?” “She heard something... goblins or orcs coming from behind us. She went alone... an arrow caught her. We killed the party, but... I’m sorry, Megwyn. Jagk fell down the last bridge we crossed on our way here.” Morning came, and with it the confirmation of what Falmar had guessed: high up above the eastern archway through a shaft near the roof came a long pale gleam; and across the hall through the northern arch there was also a light that glimmered faintly. After a quick breakfast, the Company gathered around Falmar. “I am now almost sure that it is the Eastward archway we need to take. However, I wish to check the north room, where that light comes from. If there is a window, it might help us. Who would come with me?” “We should all go,” said Garnorn quietly. “If something happens, it’ll be better that we are not separated.” Other voices agreed with the ranger, and they entered the room. "Their feet disturbed a deep dust upon the floor, and stumbled among things lying in the doorway whose shapes they could not at first make out. The chamber was lit by a wide shaft high in the further eastern wall; it slanted upwards and, far above, a small square patch of blue sky could be seen. The light of the shaft fell directly on a table in the middle of the room: a single oblong block, about two feet high, upon which was laid a great slab of white stone. ‘It looks like a tomb...’ On the slab runes were deeply graven: " J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Fellowship of the Ring” ~~~~ OOC: Jagkatha/Mynx is gone, taken by the enemy's arrow. It's now Night Phase. Specials, please send me your targets within 24 hours. You're now in the Chamber of Marzabul (Chamber of Records), where Balin, last lord of Moria, rests. Feel free to explore and talk. Please, stay in the Chamber, though - since day phase will take you down to the gates, and the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. More info at the OOC thread.

You can go wherever you want, I will take care of lynching and killings... Aka just helped me because by nature I'm unable to write battles, and he asked if he could take everybody to the Chamber in the 21st Hall. I haven't had the time to read what he wrote, so sorry if I inadvertently caused some confusion. So, just to clarify - if there is some point I don't want you to go beyond, I'll state it clearly in the OOC post paired to the change of phases Meanwhile, please - do feel free to write anything that looks fun for you! Edit: heh... yeah, you were fighting goblins... and Aka wrote Orcs... never mind *what* you were attacking right now, I'm sure Aka will edit for coherence when he drops by... anyway, feel free to post.

Well, writing battles is out of question for me... soooo... unless you want a simple "the battle was quick once Rootmaker decided to have fun", please someone write down ideas... And sorry, I won't be able to close day phase right now in spite of the number of votes being above minimum... lots of stuff work-related to be done. I'll end the phase in six hours, give or take.

Well, it seems Katz was a bit confused herself... hehe... But Rootmaker is male - Katz didn't want to have to justify all the Entwives' story...

I'll be *so* glad if NightFae does join us in the games!! She'll have a great time, I'm quite sure of it! I'm not sure I understood completely your musings here, but... I don't mind the abstentions in a game this big, and this early - and I know that as the game goes on, people will start voting. That's the reason why I ask for at least 9 stated votes or abstentions; the bad side being that it is perfectly possible to end up dead with just one vote... if there are, for example, 7 abstentions and 2 different votes. So... if you (players) don't want a person dying on one vote, I advise you to vote ("you" being a generic you, and not Ayshela specifically) Vahk - nice idea for a battle! Have fun! Day phase goes on for another 10-15 hours most probably.

*grins* I'm glad you're having fun, and that's my best reward for modding But being practical, as this is a game... if I don't have votes at the end of the 48 hours... well... I've seen games where wolves lost a kill for not PMing the mod, but so far I've never seen a game where villagers have lost a lynching for not voting...

Hehe... full moons are lovely Well, as I see that people seem to be busy around this weekend... I'm extending the current day phase for about 48 hours or until I get 9 stated votes/abstentions - whichever comes first. Vahk has nicely posted that the Company is now traveling through Moria - so have fun on your journey!

Yay! Happy Birthday, Ozy!! *tacklehugs* (sorry for the lack of RP but... right now I'm too tired for thinking of anything.. )

Oopsie... I didn't know he had a pack horse... I'll leave the decision in your hands! I don't know if Ferret and Hawk were on his horse or the pack horse... and being an elf, Baelestimah might have had the skill to lead the pack horse while keeping contact with Horse-Brother. Who knows?

You are now in Moria, the ancient home of the dwarves. Feel free to RP the jouney in there, with any details you want to include. You may explore the rooms, and stop for either eating or sleeping. Just keep in mind that you'll be going down for a while, and then upwards, through a labyrinthine series of stairs, corridors, and rooms. Below is a sketch of Moria, and a link for more info. The horses here might be assumed to have followed their owners, as it would be cruel to separate Warud and Horse-Brother from Seothen and Baelestimah. But *all* pack mules ran away at the first sign of the Watcher in the Lake (the tentacled monster). Sweet, you are free to RP Stoomp as a ghost, following the Company if you so wish (and I hope you do ). Moria, from The Atlas of Tolkien's Middle Earth Information on Moria: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moria_(Middle-earth) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scorecard The Company of the Ring... Gryphon => Mattias, Elf (male) Finnius => Filkiormous Magnanimous Berrison, hobbit from the Shire Mynx => Jagkatha, Elf (female) Akallabeth => Turin of Dol Amroth, human, Dúnadan Giles => Baelestimah, Elf of Rivendel (male), servant of Arwen Patrick => Seothen, son of Seoras, Rohirrim Venefyxatu => Neriam Therzyn, son of Elwen Therzyn, human Panther =>Garnorn, human Ranger (male) Vahktang => Yeager Tickle-Bottom, hunter, hobbit from the Shire Ayshela => Linador, horse-master elf (male) from Rivendell Gyrfalcon => Frerin, dwarf from the Kingdom under the Mountain (male) Sinsor => Irvin Bartholomew Muskfoot, Hobbit of The Shire Katzaniel => Rootmaker, ent(wife) Phoenix => Megwyn, human, Ranger (female) Ozymandias => Jin, son of Jalen, dwarf ... and those who left Savage Dragon => Raus Tanathos, lost during an avalanche at Caradhras Sweetcherrie => Stoomp, taken by the Watcher of the Lake, Moria

Big thanks to Finnius, who wrote Filk's parts ~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the second time in recent memory, Filk was somehow up a moving tree. This time, the tree was stomping, squishing, and kicking Wargs, and Filk might've even enjoyed the sight if he hadn't had his eyes squeezed shut. "Aaaaaaagh! Lemmedown, lemmedown, lemmedown! Ooooh I'm going to be sick..." The hobbit kept a tight hold around a branch-like arm, swinging up and down as Rootmaker took the attack to the Wargs, hoping fervently that he didn't come dislodged. And then, nearly as suddenly as it had started, it was all over, and Filk managed to open his eyes and grin thankfully at the ent, who picked him by the back of his shirt and gently placed him on the cleared ground. There was a last howl from a great wolf-chieftain - a howl that ended up in a gurgling as Mattias' arrow pierced its throat. The others fled. Slowly, the first light of dawn came dimly in the sky, and the Company warily tried to get what rest they could. "When the full light of the morning came no signs of the wolves were to be found, and they looked in vain for the bodies of the dead. No trace of the fight remained but the arrows lying on the hilltop. All were undamaged save one of which only the point was left." J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of the Ring" Falmar looked around after recovering his share of arrows. Linador joined him, and after a moment whispered, "So, Falmar... if we are taking the dark path you talked about yesterday, the others should be warned." Garnorn also joined the elves, having also recovered arrows and heard their soft whisper. "There is only one dark path that leads through the Misty Mountains other than the Pass. You're talking about the Mines of Moria." "Khazad-dûm!" Frerin exclaimed, quick to pick the name of the ancestral home of the dwarves. There was fire in his eyes as he added, "My heart trembles to hear that name, and longs to tread its paths and look upon the halls of Durin!" Jin, who was next to Frerin, rounded his eyes at the name, and a shiver ran down his spine. He muttered something quite inaudible, and his fingers caressed absent-mindedly the lamp he always carried. He didn't make any comment, but nodded slowly in agreement to Frerin. Turin frowned. "That is a name of ill omen. What is the need to go there? Let us journey southwards, until we come to the Gap of Rohan, where the men are friendly to us. Thus we can talk to my people in Dol Amroth, and Seothen can certainly ask for the aid of the Horse Lords." "We shall not go through paths that take us near Orthanc and Saruman the White." Falmar's voice admitted no disagreement. "Were you not at the Council, Turin of Dol Amorth, and heard Gandalf the Grey? Our way through the Gap is barred while Saruman holds Isengard." Filk and Irvin looked at each other - they had both heard vague tales of Moria and an ancient evil that dwelt on its depths. Filk sighed, feeling all of a sudden very homesick. "Y'know, the place where giant wolves don't try to eat your face... " he muttered, to no one in special. Neriam, checking his clothes and his freedom of movement, talked softly. "No choice, from what I understand. We cannot go through the Pass of Caradhas, we cannot go through the Gap of Rohan, we cannot afford the time of a travel across Langstrand and Lebennin to come to Gondor from the sea side. Is that not so, Falmar?" The Elf Lord nodded. "It is so. I have been through the Dimrill Gate once, and it is not willingly that I go back there." There was a shadow in his voice that filled some with uneasiness, but he continued before anyone could interrupt. "We cannot tarry here. Those wolves were not ordinary creatures hunting for food. We must reach the doors before sunset, or I fear we shall not reach them at all. It is not far, but our path will be a winding one." Mattias and Baelestimah were silent, but both looked South-eastwards. Elves knew of Moria, and of the evil it harbored. And more so those who had been in Elrond's household. They were not wiling to enter, but they knew their hearts wouldn't let them abandon their companions and their quest. Falmar knew it, and also looking in the same direction, pointed away. "There it lies." At the distance, it was possible to see where the mountains' sides fell sheer into the shadows at their feet, and it coud be dimly seen a line of bare cliffs, and in their midst, taller than the rest, one great grey wall. "The morning was passing towards noon, and still the Company wandered and scrambled in a barren country of red stones. Nowhere could they see any gleam of water or hear any sound of it. All was bleak and dry. Suddenly, [below them they saw] a deep and narrow channel. It was empty and silent, and hardly a trickle of water flowed among the brown and red-stained stones of its bed. 'Ah! Here it is as last! This is where the stream ran: Sirannon, the Gate-stream, they used to call it. But what has happened to the water, I cannot guess: it used to be swift and noisy. Come! We must hurry on. We are late.'" The Company followed the path of the dried Sirannon, and at length came upon a fearful view: a dark still lake stretched before them, in stark contrast to the glimmering gold sunset sky. Neither sky nor sunset was reflected on the sullen surface of the dammed Sirannon, and the waters filled all the valley. Beyond the ominous lake were reared vast cliffs. No sign of gate or entrance, nor a fissure or crack. "There are the Walls of Moria." Falmar pointed across the water. "And there the Gate stood open once upon a time, the Elven Door at the end of the road from Hollin by which we have come. Let's find a way round the northern edge." It took them some time to reach the base of the cliffs and the Walls, and it took both Baelestimah's and Linador's skills with animals to calm the horses and pack mules enough for them to walk around the dark lake. Everybody instinctively avoided the unwholesome-looking waters, and more than one men shuddered just at looking at it. At last Falmar stopped between two trees, gazing at the blank wall of the cliff. "Well, all is good so far, but where are those Gates everybody spoke of?" Mattias smiled at Yeager's words, and looked at Falmar. The Elf Lord passed his hand over and over the spot he had been staring at, murmuring soft words in the Elven tongue. The moon shone brightly, and suddenly faint lines appeared, like slender veins of silver running in the stone. Steadily they grew broader and clearer, until their design could be guessed - an arch of interlacing letterin in an Elvish character at the top, and below it the outline of an anvil and a hammer surmounted by a crown with seven stars. Beneath these again were two trees, each bearing crescent moons, and in the middle of the door shone a single star with many rays. "The emblems of Durin!" cried Frerin softly, almost in awe. "And the Tree of the High Elves", added Jagkatha in a whisper. "And the star of the House of Fëanor," completed Falmar. "Wrought of ithildin that mirrors only starlight and moonlight, and sleeps until it is touched by one who speaks words now long-forgotten in Middle Earth.' The far howling of wolves reached them at that moment, and the horses started. Those who were near sprang to hold them, and somewhere someone cursed angrily. Falmar acted quickly and, standing before the rock he said in a clear, ringing voice, "Mellon! The star shone out briefly and faded again. Then silently a great doorway was outlined, though not a crack or joint had been visible before. Slowly it divided in the middle and swung outwards inch by inch, until both doors lay back against the wall. Through the opening a shadowy stair could be seen climbing, but beyond the lower steps the darkness was deepr than the night. Everybody stared in wonder. "I advise taking the packs from the mules," said Falmar ruefully. We should have left them far behind, while there was still free land for them to roam and find safety, but it is too late now. They won't enter Moria of their own will. Let's get ready to enter, we have waited too much in the outside yet." Seothen rested his hand on Warud'd nose, speaking softly. "Warud will willingly go where I go." Baelestimah just looked at Falmar - he knew the Elf Lord's words didn't apply to his Horse-Brother. The Company hastily picked some most needed items from packs on the mules, and no one noticed a small splashing sound coming from the lake or saw Stoomp staring at it some moments later, with an open smile on his rather chubby face. "Shiny!" Grinning, Stoomp walked towards the waters, and let them lap softly at his feet. His eyes shone, following something that glimmered on the surface of the lake before sinking slowly. "Awww..." He reached his hands out, disappointment on his face, but looked doubtfully at the dark waters. A soft voice came from behind, "You should look closer... shinies are all over the bottom of the lake..." Stoomp didn't have the time to react - he found himself slipping into the lake rather fast. "Cooooold...." he whined, splashing and gurgling, and only then calling the attention of the Company. "Stoomp!!" He sank in the waters, and before anyone could react a dark tentacle came out in search of prey. It was pale-green and luminous and wet. Soon the surface of the lake was seething, as if a host of snakes were swimming up from the southern end. A fingered end lashed out and seized Irvin by the ankle, dragging him into the lake. Megwyn reached for her knife and slashed at the tentacle, which let go of Irvin. Twenty other arms came rippling out, and the dark water boiled. There was a hideous stench. "'Into the gateway! Up the stairs! Quick!' Rousing them from the horror that seemed to have routed all to the ground where they stood, he drove them forward. They were just in time. The groping tentacles writhed across the narrow shore and fingered the cliff-wall and the doors. One came wriggling over the threshold, glistening in the starlight. Many coiling arms seized the doors on either side, and with horrible strength, swung them round. With a shattering echo they slammed, and all light was lost. A noise of rending and crashing came dully through the ponderous stone." J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of the Ring" ~~~~~~~~ OOC: Stoomp/Sweetcherrie was a victim of the Enemy. It's now Day Phase, and you have roughly 48 hours (until Saturday around 10pm EST) to try and find the agents of the Shadows. Good hunting! You are now in Moria, the ancient home of the Dwarves. There will be more info on the setting, and the scorecard, at the OOC thread.

Hey Pillow - nice seeing you around!! If you want to play a random NPC here and there, PM me - I might have something in mind

Katz wiped out the wargs - though actually, I wasn't expecting that... It'll merge nicely in my post, but meanwhile if someone wants to post still fighting, please go ahead I'll be ending the night phase in about an hour.

*facepalms, then falls over giggling*

Well, maybe a Dwarf posts here and accepts your challenge! Or PM one of them - probably Gyr, since I don't know if Ozy/Jin would be doing all that fighting. Somehow I don't see Stoomp counting deaths... and if I do, it's in some very funny way

Warg purée! Well, Katz... if you're posting, then do it within 7 hours, please... when I'll be closing Night Phase. You'll be out of wargs to kill otherwise Edit: and to clarify, you aren't actually asked to justify a vote OOC... the IC reasoning, if any, is all that's needed (and even so, sometimes a character is really unable to accuse anyone - look at Stoomp...). I ask just the OOC statement of the vote, to make it easier for me to tally.

Savage, PM me - I might have some ideas for you

The voting had Raus/Savage and Garnorn/Panther tied - random numbers declared a winner and a loser. No roles will be revealed until the end of the game. I'll post a scorecard after the Night Phase. It's Night Phase, so please send me your targets. Ringbearer, you have to choose whether you'll use the One Ring or not - every Night Phase, this is the choice you have to PM me when I ask for the specials' choices/targets. RP-wise, you're now facing a pack of Wargs. Good luck! Savage Dragon, you are free to keep RPing - and I hope you do so! You can decide what has happened when the avalanche hit - whether you escaped or not, and how. If you escaped, you're free to roam the land and even to follow the Company - but no interacting with them, please. If dead, you can RP a ghost. Keep the nice RPing - I'm really enjoying reading it (though I *hate* dealing with ties) Edit: I was reminded that not everybody knows what Wargs are... I've asked Aka to find more info, it is below

They went on. But before long the snow was falling fast, filling all the air. While they were halted, the wind died down, and the snow slackened until it almost ceased. They tramped on again. But they had not gone more than a furlong when the storm returned with fresh fury. The wind whistled and the snow became a blinding blizzard.J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of the Ring" The snowstorm blew with fury, the cold wind finding its way through layers of clothing until everybody felt almost frozen to the bones. The smaller folk found it more and more difficult to find their footing, and more than one hobbit or dwarf slipped and was saved by their companions. Loose stones started to fall from the mountainside, and even Seothen and Turin shuddered at the laughing voices that seemed to come with the wind. Finally, Garnorn shook his head. "We cannot go on anymore. Look at them." He pointed at Filk and Irvin, who had both stopped more than a few steps behind and were trying to catch their breathing. "Falmar, there are dark things going on. There shouldn't be a storm this heavy this far south unless we were far higher on the mountain." Falmar nodded. "Caradhras was called Cruel, and had an ill name. Even Dwarves know of it. But we have no choice but to stay here or go back. There is no shelter from beyond that curve ahead, for then we'll be treading a narrow path with the cliff to one side and the mountain wall on the other." "So, here we stay." Jagkatha looked at Megwyn, who nodded her agreement and added, "There is no going back while the storm holds. And we have passed no other place that offered more shelter on our way up than this cliff-wall we are under now." "Shelter?" Yeager mumbled, looking around. "If this is shelter..." A soft cry of warning had Falmar rushing down to the end of the line, and he found Linador stooping over Jin and Stoomp. The latter was shivering, babbling something about a hot bed, while Jin tried to soothe him even being almost blue with cold himself. Frerin was trying to raise Stoomp, who had laid down and refused to get up no matter what the other two dwarves said. "We need fire, Falmar. There's no use for secrecy if that kills us." Raus and Baelestinah were quick to gather the wood everybody was carrying. Rootmaker looked down at them, rumbling something entish about fire, and his branches shuddered stronger than they had against the wind and snow when he saw the fire. Baelestinah's ferret-brother hid between the packs on his horse, and the elf could sense wolf-brother's wariness and unhappiness. All around them the snow and wind hissed, but the wood burned merrily and warmed the hearts of all around the small fires that had been lit. Falmar passed round a leather flask - miruvor, the cordial of Rivendell. Just a mouthful for each of them, but it warmed blood and body, and gave them new strength of heart. The night went on, slowly. Then suddenly, as sleep was beginning to creep over [him]again, he was aware that the wind had indeed fallen, and the flakes were becoming larger and fewer. Very slowly a dim light began to grow. At last the snow stopped altogether. As the light grew stronger it showed a silent shrouded world. Below their refuge were white humps and domes and shapeless deeps beneath which the path that they had trodden was altogether lost; but the heights above were hidden in great clouds still heavy with the threat of snow. Only a few paces from the ashes of their fire the snow lay many feet deep, higher than the heads of the hobbits; in places it had been scooped and piled by the wind into great drifts against the cliff. J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of the Ring Baelestinah shook his head. From Hawk-Brother, he had caught what lay ahead of them - it was clear that there was no way for the Company to reach the Pass now. He reported that to Falmar and those who were gathered at their improvised camp, while waiting for Garnorn, Seothen, Turin, and Raus to come back - the men, being sturdier and heavier in built than the elves, had offered to go and plow their way below, opening a path for the smaller folk. Mattias had gone with them, and now he came back with a smile. As an elf, his light feet ran swiftly over the snow, and he nodded at Falmar. "There is the greatest wind-drift of all just beyond the turn, seemingly a wall barring the way. But it's not as wide as it seems, and the men are digging their way through it. On the other side, the snow grows less and, further down, it's no more than a white coverlet to cool a hobbit's toes." His words brought a cheer from the hobbits, tired and cold as they were, and after a while the whole Company was picking their way down carefully, following the path that the men had dug out. Hobbits and dwarves were helped out, for the snow was as deep as a man's waist, and some were carried on the shoulders of Seothen and Turin. When they had passed through the snow-wall that Mattias had referred to, and gathered once again, there was a deep rumble coming from high and behind. Falmar cursed. "Go, fast - no shouts, just run as fast as you can!" He pulled some and pushed at others, and no sooner than they had passed another curve on their path, the snow avalanche hit past them. Horses and pack mules neighed, brayed, and danced, and at least one more mule was lost to them. Then Falmar looked around, and whispered in fear. "Raus... where is he?" His whisper was lost amid another cry, from both Filk and Frerin. "The birds again!" The sky to the North and West showed patches of dark, moving slowly towards them. There was no need of more warning to put the Company on the move again, as hastily and silently as they could. "There is no choice now but the one I dreaded... " Falmar's comment and his darkened face made Linador look at him. "What do you mean, Falmar?" "The only way past the Misty Mountains besides the Gap of Rohan. The only one fast enough for us, and unexpected enough that we'll have a chance." Linador paled, for he suspected what way that was. But respecting the wisdom of the Elf Lord, he nodded once and also fell silent. Thoughts strayed to the missing companion, but it wasn't until they stopped for resting that they had the time to fully consider what had happened. It was evening, and the grey light was again waning fast, when they halted for the night. They were very weary. The mountains were veiled in deepening dusk, and the wind was cold. They heard the wind hissing among the rocks and trees, and there was a howling and wailing round them in the empty spaces of the night. 'How the wind howls!" he cried. 'It is howling with wolf-voices. The Wargs have come west of the Mountains!' 'It is as I said. The hunt is up! Even if we live to see the dawn, who now will wish to journey south by night with the wild wolves on his trail? There was a door south-west of Caradhras, some fifteen miles as the crow flies, and maybe twenty as the wolf runs.' For their defense in the night the Company climbed to the top of the small hill under which they had been sheltering. It was crowned with a knot of old and twisted trees, about which lay a broken circle of boulder-stones. In the midst of this they lit a fire, for there was no hope that darkness and silence would keep their trail from discovery by the hunting packs. Round the fire they sat, and those that were not on guard dozed uneasily. The howling of the wolves was now all round them, sometimes nearer and sometimes further off. In the dead of night many shining eyes were seen peering over the brow of the hill. Some advanced almost to the ring of stones. At a gap in the circle a great dark wolf-shape could be seen halted, gazing at them. A shuddering howl broke from him, as if he were a captain summoning his pack to the assault."J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of the Ring" ~~~~~ OOC: Raus Thanatos/Savage Dragon is gone, stranded from his companions by the avalanche Caradhas the Cruel sent on them. It's now Night Phase. Specials, please send me your choices within the next 24 hours (roughly 10pm, EST). The Company is now facing a pack of Wargs, as described in the paragraph quoted from Chapter 4 of "The Fellowship of the Ring - Book II", A Journey in the Dark. Have fun RPing the encounter/fight! Further comments at the OOC thread. Edit: typos

Hmmmm.... *ponders* Hehehehe ... huh ... What? No, you haven't seen me around! *thanks Ayshela for the deer and leaves in the opposite direction*