Editing Chronicle - Malek (section)

== Limbo Visit ==

[[Lanzi]] asked our companions where the pentagram of the Minas could be found, but they could only direct him to the Lord of the Minas, Lord [[Marin]]. He also demanded some sandwiches and ice, which put them in a foul mood; [[Lanzi]] does have a habit of treating everyone like servants at times! The idea of walking through the dwarven halls with the hearth on show worried us, though, and it was agreed that we should hide it from most eyes. We would try a ruse, hiding the hearth (which was still a fraction of its normal size) under a cloak and pretending that it was the body of [[Merc]], who was lost to us. We would, though, be honest with Lord [[Marin]] when we reached him. As we travelled through the halls, I would use the influence of my crown to 'encourage' dwarves to avoid getting too close to us, so as to assist with the deception.

We set off, with one of [[Orodruin]]'s folk, [[Jolt]], shadowing us as we went. All the dwarves we saw were dressed for war or were wounded, except for the few women and children. Despite our best efforts, we did attract a few followers who were curious about our adventure. Eventually we climbed a spiral stair into a room that seemed to mark the base of the Minas; stairs lead up in each wall and dwarves fired crossbows out of the slits around us.

A council of war was being held, with an armoured dwarf that wore a circlet of adamantite commanding those present. This was clearly Lord [[Marin]], and [[Milai]] addressed him directly, seeking a private council. Despite the obvious need to co-ordinate his defence, he at once asked his council to leave and the room slowly emptied. [[Milai]] thanked him for his time and handed the bag containing the hearth to [[Lanzi]]. I politely addressed the crowd behind us, dismissing them and gaining some privacy, after which [[Milai]] was completely honest with Lord [[Marin]] and explained all that had happened. [[Milai]] recognised the danger that the hearth brought upon [[Minas Morgul]], and wished to move on for all our safety.

Lord [[Marin]] agreed, and not wishing to take any chances asked to see our letter of introduction from [[Ichshoos]].  It was at once produced by [[Lanzi]], and the dwarven Lord studied it for a moment before returning it. In his hands it had turned into a map showing [[Lanzi]] the route he should take through the planes to reach [[Ichshoos]] in Limbo; what is more, it now fitted into his Codicil. Lord [[Marin]] also agreed that [[Hintzu]]'s rings should ultimately have the gems removed and the bands only returned to the remaining dwarven Lords.

[[Lanzi]] then asked Jolt whether he would accompany us in order to operate the hearth, confiding in him that the intention was to unite [[Hintzu]]'s rings in the short term. He asked whether he could look at the rings, and [[Hintzu]] passed them to him (yet another good sign that he remains unaffected by their power). He tried one on, and it shrank to fit his finger before returning to normal size when he removed it. He agreed that it could be done, although there would be a cost involved.

[[Lanzi]] started negotiating again, which worried us all, asking what the cost might involve. Jolt said that his people wanted a claim on a land in the Prime so that they too had a homeland. [[Milai]] agreed that [[Orodruin]]'s folk had a claim on [[Malek]]. I agreed, with care, that any of [[Orodruin]]'s folk that were willing to live in peace with their neighbours would be welcome in [[Malek]] by the people of [[Sutur]].

Lord [[Marin]] took [[Milai]] aside and warning her to be cautious with Jolt around, as he was not as sincere as he seemed. Meanwhile, Jolt was telling [[Lanzi]] that he wanted more than platitudes, and expected action to be taken at [[Sutur]] to free [[Malek]]. We offered direct assistance, but could not commit to a time. He seemed somewhat satisfied with this.

[[Milai]] and [[Lanzi]] wished to take council separately, so I gave what assistance I could to the healers of [[Minas Morgul]] whilst [[Hintzu]] assisted with archery, gaining a few replacement arrows in the process. Lord [[Marin]], though, interrupted [[Milai]] to ask for her personal intervention with the Sylvan people; without their attacks from the south it was inevitable that [[Minas Morgul]] would fall to the forces pressing against them; if only the enemy could be forced to split their attention then there might be hope.

[[Marin]] also wanted a rallying point for good that he might take his forces when [[Minas Morgul]] fell. [[Milai]], though, felt that the time was not right to show our hand so readily, though Lord [[Marin]] feared that time was running out. [[Milai]] instead advised him to head south to [[Minas Maedus]] and link up with the hard pressed forces there.

Travelling to Limbo required us to leave the palantir behind as a timer of some sort, so [[Lanzi]] presented it to Lord [[Marin]] as a gift along with a scroll with the spell that allowed its use to be hidden from the enemy. He then made the preparations for our journey and we gathered quickly to depart.

Again we travelled through the twisting roots of Yggdrasil, arriving in a small safe pocket of the plane of Limbo. The place was in chaos, with random bits of various elements represented all around us, falling meteors and all! [[Lanzi]] was able to exert his will on the landscape after a short and nervous period of it shifting around us, creating a stable place to stand together. [[Ichshoos]] had anticpated our arrival, and he stood a short distance (or it seemed so) away, looking amused at our predicament. There was a palantir floating in front of him, which he plucked from the air and concealed about his person.

He welcomed us and beckoned for us to follow him into his halls. We approached and saw that there were stairs behind him leading underground, which we followed him down. We entered a maze of passages that he directed us through, and then he stopped by a small hole in the side of the wall. He explained that we would have to slide down a tube for the last part of the journey, and then jumped down into the hole.

We followed, sliding down a twisting chute and eventually arriving in a rich pasture; it was a fun ride! The pasture was surrounded by forests and a sea to one side, making a very pleasant area for the many gnomes there to enjoy themselves. Children were playing in the sea and on the meadow, and everyone was dressed casually as if perfectly safe.

[[Ichshoos]] took us into a large tent and assured us that we could talk safely. We discussed the hearth and how we had retrieved it, and he confirmed that it could not be destroyed, only used. He warned, though, that nothing good ever came from it. An ominous warning! On the other hand, food and drink in abundance were available so our spirits were high. We discussed using the hearth to unite the two rings held by [[Hintzu]], and he agreed that such a thing might be possible without benefiting good or evil.

Of more concern, though, was the long term location of the hearth so that it did not fall into the wrong hands. Retrieving the hearth from the Abyss had seemed a little simple, and we wondered whether [[Orcus]] had allowed us to take it so that [[Inwe]] would be frustrated; they were not allies! [[Lanzi]] also asked about reforging [[Lastar]]'s staff, but apparently this would not be possible without all the pieces, and we were still missing the pommel.

Also of concern was the mental state of [[Morwath]], as he had been left with the heartstone, and [[Lanzi]] even considered summoning him. I advised that [[Morwath]] might not be best pleased with a summons, even if he did hold on to his own mind!

We talked candidly with [[Ichshoos]] about the gnomes' long term goals. They wished to return to the surface of Evrinstar without the interference of the Elves. He knew that the Sylvan lands were very active, but was not surprised to hear that the dwarves knew nothing of their activity. Before we retired, [[Hintzu]] handed over the rings to be worked on.

The next time I saw them was quite impressive; the gnomes had summoned a small volcano to heat the hearth and were working carefully on the rings, occasionally slapping each other in mild disagreements, and changing the flow of the volcano just using their minds. Eventually, though, they had bound them into a ring that sat naturally on [[Hintzu]]'s finger. A scribe had also noted down the command words that appeared when on the hearth, although this was in Gnomish! Eventually a translation was produced that would allow him to use the extra powers that had been uncovered, although [[Ichshoos]] looked it over first with great interest.

[[Lanzi]] was also quite excited, and showed it by summoning a steed and riding it around in circles whooping. Typically bizarre. He also, later on, tried to summon [[Morwath]], despite my caution, but [[Morwath]] refused to answer the summons. I, meanwhile, had time to commune with [[Odin]] and reflect on our success in our blessed quest to the Abyss.

[[Lanzi]], though, had been busy on something else; he had created a trinket and imbued it with magic to assist [[Hintzu]] to resist the effects of unnatural fear that we sometimes encountered. He dubbed it a 'badge of bravery', but [[Hintzu]] strung it around his neck and insisted on calling it an amulet. This was not done lightly, as [[Lanzi]] was visibly weaker after fashioning it.

When we were finished on our own projects, we gathered again to speak to [[Ichshoos]] about returning to the Prime. Our intention was still to rescue the Radiant Dragon from [[Blaven]]'s Pool, which we suspected was in the area of [[Malek]]. The only reliable way back was to contact [[Marin]] again as he had the palantir we left as a timer.

We were able to get in touch easily enough, but were concerned to discover that 6 months had passed on the Prime while only a few weeks had passed here. [[Minas Morgul]] still stood, but was close to falling and would be evacuated soon. Using the connection to the palantir we travelled at once to Morgul, not wishing to waste any more time. We arrived safely and, having explained our need for urgency, immediately mounted our flying carpet, became invisible and set off in the cold weather.