Editing Chronicle - Abyss (section)

== Minas Morgul ==

Our plan now was to travel to [[Minas Morgul]] to seek out [[Orodruin]]'s folk in the hope that they could assist with the location and use of the [[Efreet Hearth]].  We first made our way back down the stairs to meet with our guide from [[Ishtur]]. We warned her of the impending attack by [[Guerin|Daudrag]] in collaboration with [[Inwe]]. She wished to warn King [[Ichshoos]] as soon as possible, and suggested that they might find refuge on the planes, perhaps in Limbo, to avoid attack. We also told her of the plans to meet with the army of men at Rodrus. She left with our thanks, but was unable to provide any faster way to journey to [[Minas Morgul]], so we would have to travel by carpet as we were now used to.

When rested and prepared, and happy now that Tyrus would lead the army away from the trap at Caladhon, we met for the final time to discuss strategy before we left. Tyrus had consulted with his Lieutenants and presented a plan to travel south through the marshes to join with [[Elerienne]]'s forces that were striking towards Gos, desperate for reinforcement from the men of the plains. [[Orcus]]' forces were falling back in the face of this new threat, and an opportunity to retake Gos from the east had presented itself. We wished them well and took our leave, heading to the roof to begin our journey.

We assumed our normal travelling arrangement, hidden from normal sight on the carpet, and set off on the four day journey to [[Minas Morgul]]. As we travelled over the mountains it was clear that [[Demogorgon]]'s forces, although still around [[Minas Morgul]], were starting to filter through to Gorgoroth using a pass to the north of the minas. We chose to stop while this pass was still in view, both to rest and to send a warning to Tyrus. [[Lanzi]] created an illusion so that it would seem to the ill informed that we were still in the map room at Caladhon, then spoke of intelligence that suggested [[Demogorgon]]'s forces were crossing the mountains into Gorgoroth. The intent here was not just to give the impression that we had stayed at Caladhon, but also to ensure that [[Orcus]] knew of the threat in order to weaken his position at Gos.

We moved on, coming within sight of [[Minas Morgul]], which no longer appeared to be aflame. A vast army was arranged in siege lines around the fortification and large war machines were being drawn up and fired at the stonework above. Not wishing to get involved with this army, or to come under fire from the siege engines, we studied the lore that we had of [[Minas Morgul]] for guidance on how else we might enter. Using a poem that spoke of 'clutching fingers' we were able to follow landmarks towards a peculiar arrangment of rock around a pit that had no visible bottom, hidden by an illusion.

We stopped outside the circle of black rock 'fingers' surrounding the hole, as there was a warning that recklessly entering could cause the fingers to close on us. [[Lanzi]] instead used dweomer to trigger the trap, trying magic missile first without effect, and then a flame arrow with more success. The fingers closed together, falling into the hole and smashing together, the pieces falling out of sight. We took a moment to light some torches before proceeding.

The shaft was very deep, and we travelled for some time. As we descended we noticed strands of web across the walls and the shaft itself, and these became more frequent as we progressed. We used our torches to clear the webs as they became thicker, making sure that we could continue unhindered. As we were doing so, we only just noticed in time that we were being attacked! Creatures detached from the walls around us and jumped onto the carpet, over and around us; they had thick web strands spun from their bodies and were clearly trying to ensnare us. I reacted quickly, sprinkling a dust that enveloped us all in an attempt to poison the creatures (we were all able to withstand such an attack), but it appeared that the creatures were also immune! [[Lanzi]] put up his mirror images hastily, offering him some protection. [[Melai]] and [[Hintzu]], meanwhile, entered melee in an attempt to get them off the carpet. The creatures had the same idea, jumping onto them both in an attempt to force them over the edge; fortunately they kept their footing.

[[Lanzi]] lost a couple of images in short order, and he retaliated with magic missiles. I tried to swing at the nearest creature, but it jumped away too quickly. Sounds could be heard below us, and it was likely that these creatures had alerted more to our presence. [[Melai]] decided to delay them, and dropped an ice sheet down the shaft below us. [[Hintzu]] abandoned his weapon and instead performed a punching attack that left one of the creatures paralysed and prone on the carpet next to him. Not to be outdone, [[Melai]] killed one with Agan and created a storm of ice below us to buy us yet more time. I managed to land a solid blow, but it was not enough to fell the thing. [[Lanzi]] had lost most of his images now, but created a cage of dweomer around the carpet, both to keep creatures out and to protect us from falling. This was perfect timing as one of the creatures caught [[Hintzu]] below his waist, lifting his leg and tipping him over the edge of the carpet. Thanks to [[Lanzi]], he only fell a few feet before coming to rest on the dweomer cage. He immediately jumped back on the carpet and paralysed the creature that had attacked him with another well placed punch. [[Melai]] put another one to the sword, and the only remaining creatures inside the force cage were already paralysed.

[[Melai]] anticipated more trouble and continued to drop ice below us, using her dweomer to create it outside of our cage. I took the opportunity to heal some of [[Hintzu]]'s wounds, and [[Lanzi]] raised more mirror images to protect him from further attacks. [[Melai]] then turned her attention to the two stunned creatures, executing them with Agan. Whether as a response to this or some unspoken command, the creatures that remained on the walls scurried away out of sight. [[Lanzi]] protected [[Hintzu]] further with stoneskin and then decided to drop the cage protecting us in order to continue our descent.

The carpet sank at [[Lanzi]]'s command, and we continued down for a good ten minutes without further incident. Suddenly, without warning, two rocky humanoids, seemingly made from the same stone as the walls, emerged into the shaft from either side of us. A loud rumbling sound filled the air as they did so, and they attacked by reaching out, still connected to the walls behind them. I reacted first, landing a solid blow on the nearest creature, but received an equally solid blow in response. [[Melai]] sent a cone of cold dweomer at the other one, following up with quick strikes by Agan. [[Hintzu]] joined her, and between them they were able to kill it, bits of rock falling down the shaft as it disintegrated. [[Melai]] and [[Lanzi]] both sent magic missiles into the creature I was fighting, and [[Hintzu]] joined in with his bow. Before long it had been destroyed as well, and we were able to continue.

As we went further we noticed that the tube was starting to widen, but as it did so the density of webs increased and increasingly blocked our progress. There was evidence of refuse and what looked like bodies being stuck in the webs, as well as those clearly wrapped by spiders for later consumption. By weaving between the thicker webs and clearing a path carefully we were able to come within sight of the floor below. There was a relatively clear area around one wall, where a cocooned shell was secured. We doused our torches before proceeding, as there was a real risk of causing a major conflagration if the webs were to catch. I used my crown to provide the light some of us needed to see.

[[Lanzi]] informed us that there was a hidden door behind the cocoon, and by the words of the poem we suspected that within the cocoon was the secret to opening the door. With the cloak of Arachnida, I was best placed to make my way through the webs to investigate, and the others lowered me carefully down to the floor. If not for the cloak I would probably have been suspended above it, such was the thickness of the webs here, but I slid down and carefully crossed over to the cocoon without event. Splitting the casing, I delved down into the shape; within I found the skeleton of what appeared to be a bard. There was a lyre amongst the poor unfortunate's belongings, which I retrieved.

Meanwhile [[Melai]] had been contemplating how to make the area safe for lighting our torches. She summoned a water elemental, first pouring water onto the floor to act as a gate to the plane of water, and it emerged from the pool in a fountain that moved of its own volition. [[Melai]] commanded it to move around the area, clearing the webs away and dampening the surfaces to reduce the risk of any sparks catching. The rest of the party was then able to dismount, reduce the carpet in size, and approach me safely. While they were doing this, I finished searching the body and unearthed a small song book to accompany the lyre. [[Lanzi]] used his dweomer to give [[Melai]] the ability (temporarily at least) to perform as well as an accomplished bard.

I handed over the lyre and song book, and [[Hintzu]] prepared for the next stage of our journey. We still expected to need torches, so he readied them as [[Melai]] strummed the lyre in a surprisingly melodic pattern. It seemed that the lyre would not be enough, as the song she identified called for a percussion accompaniment. I picked up a femur from the body and bashed on the wall as directed in rough time with the music. After a bit of practice we were able to play a passable tune together. There was a crack as the door's edges appeared and the door swung slowly open.

An enormous spider could be seen at the edge of our light in the large room beyond, it was easily the largest we had ever seen and was mottled black and brown in colour. Its legs were bony and razor sharp, easily able to slice through flesh. It had leapt forward at the sound of the door opening, but sprang back at the sight of us, backing to the very edge of the light. It appeared to be afraid of the flames we carried (I had called flame into my hand with [[Odin]]'s blessing. More cocoons could be seen to our left, suggesting that not everyone was prepared for this foe. As we stepped into the room we became aware of a multitude of other eyes peering at us from the shadows; there were many more spiders in the room, although not as large as the one in front of us.

We had started a chant as we entered, guided by the poem, of "Morgul, Morgul, Morgul..." and the large cavern echoed it loudly around us so that it filled the air in a chant worthy of a full choir. We continued forwards through the cavern, which was proving larger than we suspected. Thankfully the spiders did not approach within the light even as we moved forward, although they kept pace with us. As we finally reached the other side, the big bugger started to back up the wall above us, making us even more nervous. There was a door in front of us, though, that looked to be Dwarven; it was part stone and part metal and bore the symbol of [[Minas Morgul]].

[[Hintzu]] hurried to unlock the door as we kept watch on the massive spider above us. As he opened it we quickly stepped through into a spiral staircase framed by archways as it turned up and away from us. Dwarven figures were carved into each of the arches. We climbed the stairs, glad to be away from the spiders below, and eventually emerged into a small room at the top. An almighty scene covered the room, studded with precious metals and gems. It was a battle scene, and to the East wargs were jumping into battle, to the South [[Odin]] was looking into the room with flames rising behind him, to the North a vast army of good stood with [[Lastar]], [[Hamar]], [[Balem]] and [[Maedus]].  We recognised this as the army that defeated [[Dispater]] in the first age. To the West an elf ([[Gillire]]) was carrying a body ([[Gelmir]]) away from a mountain range behind him. We were confused by this imagery, as the Gods were not aligned with the elements as we would expect. As we began to suspect that things were not quite as they seemed, it became clear that the real walls were shielded by an illusion.

With some concentration we could perceive the reality behind the illusion, although the event they marked was not changed the Gods and elements were shifted so that they aligned correctly. The one door in the room was under the eye of [[Odin]], and [[Hintzu]] checked and opened it so that we could progress. [[Melai]] took the lead and started up the stairs that were revealed beyond. We emerged into another room, with a carving of [[Ichshoos]] on our left, although clearly some time ago, with another gnome (shown with a symbol like an S with two dots above it); the way that they were carved looked as if they were breaking through the wall, with [[Odin]]'s symbol above them. Next to that was shown [[Yenoghu]] with his forces running from pursuing gnomes, looking over his shoulder. Opposite the first wall was shown a river with ancient elven cargo ships on the Ishurias. Behind us was shown [[Guerin|Daudrag]] looking out from the wall.

[[Melai]] suggested touching a flame to the image of [[Yenoghu]], and as I still had [[Odin]]'s flame in my hand, I obliged. As the flames touched the image, the figure appeared to complete its turn and run through the room, straight through the wall opposite. As it ran into the distance a passage opened behind it, and we were able to follow its path until we reached a door on the left. We progressed onwards and followed a further passage that turned to the left before ending in another door. [[Hintzu]] checked and opened the door, but allowed [[Melai]] to step through first. Beyond was a large room with a large double door to our right as we entered; a great bar had been dropped in front of the doors from above, preventing the doors from opening. A fissure split the left hand wall apart, and from the dust in the room we surmised that it had only recently been opened. Daylight streamed through the fissure, illuminating the thick dust hanging in the air. Distant, massed war cries could be heard from outside, although they were still some way off. It was likely that the enemy army was advancing to take advantage of the breach they had created. On the far wall was an image of [[Daudrag]] negotiating the passageways that we had just come through, facing the same obstacles and emerging unscathed, it also showed him taking the seventh piece of the crown and a shard of the [[Sarnim Stone]].

As we advanced into the room, some of us could just make out the raised voices of dwarves coming from behind the double doors, sounding as if they were issuing hurried orders. The room shook as another siege engine landed a hit on the wall outside, and more dust fell to join the cloud below. We tried shouting through the door, hoping that dwarven words would be heeded, but there was no response. We tried pounding on it, and various other means without any success. In the end we were left with no choice but to use dweomer to bypass the obstacle, although we were well aware that doing so might cause alarm in the defenders beyond. [[Melai]] opened a passage through the wall beside the door, and I stepped into the gap calling out in dwarven. A flurry of bolts shot out at first, but as I used my crown to reinforce my suggestion not to fire at us the volley stopped. I told them that we were friends and that, even though they might not know me they would recognise [[Melai]], Queen of the Sea Elves, and that the gap in the wall would be plugged behind us.

The room beyond had exits in each wall and was filled with dwarves ready for battle. Fortunately the massed ranks had stopped firing, although they were otherwise prepared to defy any attack through the main doors we had bypassed. At [[Melai]]'s name they had paused, and as she stepped into view behind me some of the dwarves visibly lowered their crossbows and relaxed slightly. [[Melai]] stepped forward and we all followed her into the room before she sealed the wall back together behind us. A dwarf stepped forward, introducing himself as [[Durendar]], son of [[Gnosh]] and brother of [[Hillick]]. A few quick questions established that [[Gemon]] was Lord of Morgul and [[Marin]] was Lord of Ishtur. [[Durendar]] was quite clear that he would like to help us but had more pressing concerns with the advance of the enemy and the siege engines having found the range of this entrance. We offered our assistance at once, agreeing to sally forth to destroy the siege engines and buy the defenders more time. We would take council when we returned.

We were escorted up several flights of stairs to an exit in the roof, hidden by illusion, and ensured that we were invisible before emerging into daylight above. We used dweomer to enable us all to fly, so we eschewed the carpet this time. We launched into the air and climbed for height, seeking out the siege engines that we needed to target. There were other flying creatures around, so we would have to be careful, but we spotted our target quickly; the sight of giants loading and powering large trebuchets was easy enough to pick out in the mass of creatures. A large orc seemed to be directing their fire, and several trolls kept supplies coming so that the giants could work.

Horrible screeches started up, coming from some of the flying creatures around us, who sported pincers for hands. They had seen us and were alerting their companions. We were already flying towards the siege engines, and [[Melai]] used her dweomer to fend off one of them with a giant hand of force. [[Lanzi]] threw up his mirror images for defence and I called on [[Odin]] to protect me from evil. [[Hintzu]] opened fire with arrows as soon as they were close enough, killing one before it could close with us. I remained calm, though, safe from harm for the moment.

Some of the creatures caught up with us from behind, and [[Lanzi]]'s images started to drop as they attacked. [[Lanzi]] used his mental powers to move an incredible distance in an instant, leaving the creatures swinging at air behind him. [[Melai]] and I sprinted forward in an attempt to catch up with him again, although [[Hintzu]] found the pace quite comfortable. Arrows were now starting to fly up from below, but none were seriously threatening us at this height. [[Hintzu]] picked off another flying creature as it approached, helping to clear us a path, and [[Lanzi]] used more dweomer to repulse the creatures closest to him.

[[Hintzu]] was the first to close with the siege engines, loosing a fireball from his ring that set a trebuchet alight, ropes snapping as they burnt through, and scattering the crew. [[Melai]] killed another creature that got too close, while [[Lanzi]] fired off two fireballs in quick succession, burning two more of the engines below. The arrows started to get thicker as we drew attention to ourselves, and [[Melai]] was hit by a lucky shot. [[Hintzu]], sensing the growing threat, used the fires below to create a great pyrotechnics display that distracted the archers and gave us more freedom to move. [[Lanzi]] ignored the threat completely, focusing admirably on the target; he first disintegrated part of one engine and then fireballed the last undamaged trebuchet. [[Melai]] followed up on the damaged, but unburning, trebuchet with another fireball; meanwhile, [[Hintu]] stuck a few arrows into the giant that was tending to it.

Although there was no particular need to attack what was left of the siege engines, I could feel the eagerness of the mace humming in my hand; it wanted to unleash a storm of destruction on the army below, and it certainly wouldn't hurt the defenders' chances to thin the enemy ranks somewhat. I let the mace have a free rein, and four missiles streaked into the earth, forming a diamond around the siege battery. As they impacted the whole area exploded into flames, destroyed what was left of the engines and leaving most of the crews dead or badly wounded.

With the job done, we turned back toward the Minas. [[Hintzu]] and [[Melai]] killed the creatures that had closed with us, and we began to hasten towards the tower. With few creatures left in the air, we were not seriously in danger. They seemed to realise this, having seen what had happened to their companions, as well as the strength of the dweomer we wielded, and kept their distance. We returned through the exit in the tower roof, and reported our success.

Our request to speak with [[Orodruin]]'s folk was quickly granted, and we were treated with new respect. Not wishing to stand on ceremony, we immediately took up the offer of a meeting and pressed them on the matter of the [[Efreet Hearth]]. The two we spoke to, Hastrin and Jolk, told us that [[Orodruin]] had traded with the Efreeti in the past in order to take the hearth from [[Orcus]], using it to work the metals found in the volcanic regions, but bringing [[Orcus]]' attention to the Prime.

[[Lanzi]] then explained that he and [[Hintzu]] had some history with the Efreeti, and they were not very popular! Jolk continued, explaining that [[Orodruin]] made the dwarven rings, but then [[Lastar]] had blackmailed him, forcing him to create the rings of power with the Elven gems. [[Orodruin]] had made his home at Morgul, but his kindred moved to [[Malek]], where the fires of the volcano aided their craft. They had assisted in the creation of [[Zundar]], and then crafted the crown of light, followed by the other crowns. The swords were forged in the 3rd Age. The Northern dwarves of Keffendir imprisoned [[Orodruin]]'s folk in their land, forcing them to fashion the keys of [[Kagrash]]. [[Daudrag]] killed many of their folk in the 4th Age and seized the hearth from them. [[Daudrag]] then passed the hearth to [[Marilliath]], who in turn returned it to [[Orcus]], hence it was likely to have returned to the Abyss.

We discussed various ways of surviving on the Plane of Fire, in case we needed to question the Efreeti on the route to the hearth, but [[Melai]] (in particular) and I were not convinced that we had the means to protect ourselves. [[Lanzi]] described another of his hare-brained schemes to get us all killed, and the ever-loyal [[Hintzu]] agreed to follow him, but we were still not convinced enough to agree. Then [[Lanzi]] suggested an alternative; he had a way of summoning the Sultan of the Efreeti to us. Although this sounded dangerous, at least we would be on the Prime, so we agreed to stand by him as he attempted to do so.

[[Lanzi]] made due preparations and then revealed a large coin, imprinted with the name of the Sultan and apparently of great value to him. He used great dweomer, and had to attempt the feat twice, but eventually was successful. The great Efreeti Sultan emerged into the room in billowing waves of heat and flame. Fortunately for us, [[Lanzi]] had prepared for this and protected us from the worst of the heat with his dweomer, but it was still uncomfortable. [[Lanzi]] showed the Sultan the coin and invited him to sit on a specially crafted metal throne in order to discuss the price of his assistance.

As he started to negotiate, though, the coin flew from his hand into the Sultan's. Despite losing his bargaining power, [[Lanzi]] pressed on and made his proposition, asking that the Sultan show us the way to the [[Efreeti Hearth]]. The Sultan named his price; [[Yishmay]]! [[Lanzi]] would not be moved on this, though, having rescued her from the Sultan in the past, and refused outright. The Sultan considered for a minute and then offered an alternative. He wanted a warship that could sail the seas of his realm (like molten lava) and transport his forces. [[Lanzi]] was ready to agree, but [[Melai]] was outraged, making it quite clear that she feared this would imbalance the elemental planes even more and giving further advantage to fire. I agreed with [[Melai]] that it would be unwise to imbalance the planes further, especially as we had witnessed first hand the fighting on the plane of air. [[Hintzu]] stayed quiet, unsure what the best course of action would be. [[Lanzi]] went ahead and promised the Sultan what he wanted, despite our advice. The Sultan showed him how to navigate through the planes in order to reach [[Orcus]]' realm and then quickly took his leave, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.

An angry discussion immediately started, with [[Melai]] accusing [[Lanzi]] of ignoring our advice and abandoning our trust in order to seek his own glory. She refused to study under him any more, and was not sure whether she would be willing to follow him on this journey. [[Lanzi]] responded by saying that there was no other choice if we were to deny the enemy the use of the hearth, and did show some remorse when he offered to renege on the deal with the Sultan, although this was a dangerous path to follow. He agreed that we would need to balance the power in the inner planes in some way, and if we could not deliver an equally powerful item to the plane of water then he could not in good conscience carry out the Sultan's wishes. This did not settle the argument, but at least gave [[Orodruin]]'s folk some relief, as they were not sure how they were supposed to create such a thing!

The gate within Morgul, which was key to our plans, was a shimmering silver gate, suggesting that it would probably take us to the astral plane and that the inner planes could be easily reached. We, however, were supposed to be headed for the outer planes. We discussed again the reasons for going after the hearth, as we were not really of one mind on the course ahead. We all agreed that having the hearth would deny it to the enemy, and to [[Orcus]] in particular, we also understood that the enemy could bring on Ragnarak if they were to destroy certain artefacts using the hearth, so having it would take some of the immediate pressure off. What was pleasing to hear, though, was that [[Lanzi]] agreed that we would only carry it with us and would not seek to create any new artefacts. With this course of action agreed, there was a noticeably better atmosphere within the party. With the strong argument for averting Ragnarak, I agreed to speak with [[Odin]] about offering us protection from the negative influences of the planes we would have to travel through. I also pledged to fight with [[Lanzi]] against the Sultan's forces, urging him to make a pre-emptive strike before the Sultan found out that he would not honour his deal.

I communed with [[Odin]], quickly established that the enemy held two parts of [[Bavarik]]'s sword and that they could bring on Ragnarak if they chose to destroy either of them with the hearth. I also established that the enemy had used the hearth before, so they were capable of doing so if they chose to. I then proposed that we should undertake a quest in [[Odin]]'s name to retrieve the hearth in order to avert Ragnarak until we could secure the parts of the sword. [[Odin]] agreed that we could undertake the quest, and that he would protect us from the influences of the planes; he would also guide us to our destination (Everlast) by the shortest, safest route.