Chronicle - Abyss

Lore and Legends

We were back in the Gnomish halls, safe for the time being, and took some time to heal, train and consolidate our lore understanding. One thing that I was keen to stress was that we should NOT use the shards, no matter how tempting Milai found it. The two occasions we knew of in history that shards had been used by good had both led to the death of the user, and I now believed Gelmir's poem in Zundar to be a warning against using the shards. Milai was not convinced, although Lanzi was and argued on my side.

We all agreed that balance was important, and that Bavarik's sword and the Sarnim Stone were the two key artefacts that brought unbalance. The stone was inherently evil, whilst the sword was a powerful artefact for good. The one was here to balance the other, but both belonged elsewhere and not on the Prime. It was likely that the stone was put on the Prime by the Gods after Bavarik won his holy avenger from the Gods. We also discussed the fact that Sutur may have been more important than we realised; we did not know what was in the tower, we hadn't talked to Orodruin's folk whilst there, it was in the shadow of the volcano Malek and there was an ancient prophecy that if Sutur fell then the Prime would fall to evil.

Lanzi had studied Lastar's Claw and discovered that he could use it to safely hold parts of the stone, much as Lastar had in the 1st Age. After some discussion with Milai she agreed to surrender her shard to Lanzi so long as he could hold it safely with the claw. I gladly agreed to do the same, removing any temptation to use the damned artefact. The shards were held floating above the claw with some dweomer I did not care to understand.

The enemy were likely to consider the sword in the same way as the shards, unwilling to destroy them but wanting to keep them to deny the opposition the chance to use them. If they were to destroy a part of Bavarik's sword it would almost certainly mean that Ragnarak would be inevitable to restore balance. This was unlikely, but a dangerous possibility.

We suspected that Iki Moko covets the advice of Inwe and Cillian due to their Intelligence and Wisdom, which complimented his strength. Unfortunately this meant that he recognised that he needed the help of others to succeed; a dangerously wise point of view. It was almost certain that he understood the need for the Efreet Hearth, which led us to think that we should take possession of it before it fell into the wrong hands.

We spent some time considering the wheel we saw in Olga - with the book (Codicil) in the centre, the hub of the wheel. The next level of symbols were arranged within the wheel, with Odin's eye at the top, Yggdrasil, the world tree, on the left, the hearth (which we now believed to be the Efreet Hearth) below, and the sun or star to the right. Outside the wheel were arranged the four elements and the symbol of Olga, which represented the Astral Plane. Importantly, the wheel was in motion and the position of the elements changed over time; however, the relative position of the elements remained constant, so if you knew the position of one you could predict the position of the others. Also important was that the pentagrams we saw were showing the positions in the present, not in the past, and changed whenever the wheel turned. We also speculated that the position at the top of the pentagram marked the element that was in ascendency. It should be possible to predict the motion of the wheel if this were the case. The ages were marked by a reversal within the wheel rather than a turn of the outside, and it was Yggdrasil and the Sun that reversed; from this we proposed the following meaning for the symbols: the eye of Odin represented divinity, which did not change, and the hearth represented mortal desires, which also did not change, the tree represented life and the sun death (marking the resting place of the soul), and these two reversed depending on whether positive or negative influences were dominant.

Inwe we saw as the evil's Lastar, as she sought a champion to wield Swords as she used the stone - still in balance but with evil triumphing over good. This made us doubt that we were ready to take her on in her fortress. The talk of balance also made us consider the prominent evil characters, Orcus, Inwe and Iki Moko all represented different aspects of evil, and themselves were in balance. Dragons were also an important balancing factor, and as Rantor had been called onto the Prime a new dragon of radiance had been born to balance him. This worked both ways, though, and our actions in killing Tung Mi Lung had unbalanced the Inner Planes, weakening the Plane of Air. We asked the Gnomes about Blaven's pool, as this is where we suspected the dragon of radiance had been born, and they informed us that he was of Orodruin's folk, a descendant of Enrodir and linked to the House of Dor. It was clear that we needed to seek the help of the dragon of radiance, and also restore some balance to the Inner Planes by working for Air.

We learnt that Orodruin's folk were a distinct race, like Half-Elves but a mix of Dwarf and Gnome. They were comfortable with planar travel, like the gnomes, but also skilled craftsmen, like the dwarves, which is why they had been able to assist with making items that were connected with the artefacts on the hearth.

Colours were also important, and we had already surmised that deep purple colours were a sign of evil, whilst bright blues were a sign of good and Odin. We had seen the colours of the crowns, but the shards were less obvious, as their colours only became apparent when they were used. We had seen Frastor use the Gem of Law, which gave off a blue light, and we had seen the gnome Destrin use a gem that the gnomes identified as the Gem of Natural Wonder and it gave off a grey light (grey is likely associated with neutrality).

Turning to visions, we learnt that Methras was the brother of Inwe. Pakluk was a good dwarf from the house of Dor, but was being swayed by evil. His (possible) father was Kagrul who was a senior dwarf for good, but was likely to fall to the corruption of his son if nobody intervened, so there was an urgency to our mission to find the lost souls of the north.

Dordraug and Grazgul had met in Amorsland.

Hersht, an Efreeti, was summoned by Orodruin and asked about how to shape the metal they found in Malek (Adamantite). The pentagram was green, inscribed with tourmaline on white. Orodruin was wearing a blue cloak, which was at least a good sign. The hearth was the answer, with heat and anvil. The hearth was made for Urdlin the Dark of the Abyss, and could be found in Orcus' realm. Orodruin stole it from Orcus, which is what brought him to the Prime.

We also learnt that Daudrag was going to lead Inwe's forces in the attack against Caladhon, taking the place of Merc as her champion. It also seemed that Gwendolyn had travelled to Zundar, something our enemies did not seem to be concerned about, even hoping that she would interfere with the gate there. The other, more worrying, news was that Daudrag was specifically tasked to hunt us down!

I spent most of my time, when not discussing lore with my colleagues, helping the gnomes in whatever way I could. I was not just a capable healer, but could help prepare troops for battle, intervene directly to sway the course of a battle, or even raise champions from the dead if the worse were to come to pass. For my efforts, and those of the party, the gnomes were generous in replacing items lost, giving healing potions and information as we requested it in preparation for our next journey. They also prepared scrolls of introduction from Ichshoos to the Halflings and Orodruin's folk (who they knew were in Minas Morgul), should we ever meet them. On a more practical note, the skin of the great demon we had felled was made into shields for Milai and me; the skin being able to reflect lightning and some rays of dweomer.

We discussed the future of the rings of power, and the gnomes expressed their dismay that the gems had been taken from the elves, to whom they were gifted in good faith, and bound to the dwarven rings. They were all powers from the Prime, unlike the major artefacts, but we agreed that they should eventually be divided and returned to those that were intended to hold them.

One other event of note, to me at least, was that Milai had asked for the eye of Odin to be imprinted onto her hand. She was grateful for my Lord's intervention when she had lost her limb, and through me as his vessel on the Prime the limb had been regrown. Whether she was truely turning into a convert of Odin remained to be seen, but she at least recognised the power of Odin to intervene for good when it mattered.

Finally, once we had all satisfied ourselves that we were ready to continue, we agreed on a course of action. We would first travel to Caladhon to warn Perion, expose the traitor and get his army moving in order to fight for good alongside our allies. Then we would travel to Minas Morgul to seek an audience with Orodruin's folk and discuss the location of the Efreet Hearth. Then, if possible, we would seek to retrieve the hearth and return to the Prime, hopefully in time to support Perion in any military action.

Return to Caladhon

After saying our farewells, we were taken by Sacarin (our gnome guide) through secret ways that involved a little planar travel to the lowest entrance to Caladhon, deep within the mountains. We emerged into empty dwarven halls with a spiral staircase. In talking during our journey we had learnt that Caladhon was built by the men of Gorgoroth with the help of Orodruin's folk, amongst others. Escape routes had never been used, as Caladhon had never fallen, and the entries were likely to be guarded only lightly. There were, apparently, barriers along the routes to prevent those travelling on foot from surprising the defenders, which is why we had travelled through some of the planes. Sacarin informed us that she would wait for up to a week for our return, taking the time from the Prime as all her folk did, and wished us well.

Lanzi was wearing a new wardrobe again, having worried that the black and white contrast was a little too much like Hel's colours. He now wore gold and silver, and was carrying a new staff that he had created with the help of the gnomes. I was not wearing my crown, as I was worried that Daudrag might show up with the controlling crown in an ambush. Otherwise we were in our normal travelling order. We began the long climb up the stairs to Caladhon above.

We passed through several dusty rooms before emerging at the top of the stairs into a medium sized room. Two Norse guards were on guard beside a large door at one end of the room, although they were relaxed and seemed to have just cooked a meal, their equipment stood nearby. From the look of their makeshift campsite they had been here for some time. Although armed with halberds and on foot, they were still dressed as horsemen. There were more weapons nearby that could be used to arm other defenders if they were needed.

Milai stepped forward and demanded and audience with Perion. The guards seemed surprised, but one stepped to the door, opening it without question; they were sloppy guards considering the threat we thought imminent from below. A straight staircase ascended beyond the door, lit by torchlight. The guard led the way, with Milai following closely. Occasionally he would pause to touch various points on the stonework, presumably disabling traps while we passed and reactivating them afterwards, and there seemed to be five areas that were so protected. Eventually we reached the base of Perion's tower, entering a map room. The room was large, with a vaulted, pillared ceiling. Archers manned slots in the walls as Perion studied maps spread on a large table in the centre of the room. He was otherwise alone, and unarmoured, wearing a blue cloak and with an eye of Odin hanging around his neck.

Milai hailed him and proffered her hand, the one now bearing the eye of Odin, to be kissed. He started slightly, having been disturbed whilst deep in thought; it was clear that we had caught him unawares. If we had been assassins he would not have stood a chance. He recovered quickly and offered us food and drink. Milai deferred to Lanzi, who asked to meet with his most trusted council to discuss important matters. Perion suggested that we meet on the roof and sent a runner to fetch the others. We realised it was morning as we climbed out into the open; having been so long underground we had no idea of the time. Perion explained that they had managed to gather some 10,000 men at Caladhon, and Milai expressed concern that the number was so small. He also said that a demon serving Orcus held Gos for evil.

Lanzi was acting as if his scarred leg was giving him more trouble than usual, but refused any aid and stayed back as the rest of us surveyed the impressive fortifications that Perion's forces occupied. A table was also produced, with food and drink, for which I was thankful. Milai shared wine with us, her usual mark of respect to important allies. Perion asked her for news on Morgrad, but she avoided the question as the first of the lieutenants started to arrive. Milai was introduced to each individual as they gathered in a semi-circle to one side of the table, and there were five lieutenants gathered along with Perion himself. Lanzi stepped forward and spoke of an important council to decide our next action against evil. He was still playing on his wound, and Milai fetched him a stool to rest his leg.

Perion spoke next, seeking our council on the fight beyond this world. He understood that he was a target, but hoped that by making a stand at Caladhon he would relieve some of the pressure on the other good people fighting for our cause. He was absolute in his belief that he was brought to this place by the Gods, and would otherwise be fighting in Gorgoroth, as some of his lieutenants would council. Milai raised Agan in a salute to Odin, which was joined by all present. This, however, was a distraction to allow Lanzi (now overlooked on his stool to one side) to use his dweomer to discover who the traitor was, disguised as he was. The man known as Tauson was the one, although at this stage only Lanzi knew the truth.

Milai was continuing the distraction, pledging to defend Caladhon with Perion. She asked if we could return to the war room to discuss strategy, a request quickly agreed by those present. As we began to make our way down, Lanzi asked Hintzu and me to aid him, and we took our time in following the others. He identified the traitor to us quietly before we reached the war room. Milai was giving Perion a hard time about the lightly defended path we had taken, and he admitted being unaware that some of the entrances below the keep might be known to the enemy. Lanzi started to quiz the lieutenants on their suggested strategy, poking at them with his new staff as he did so. They were all in favour of fighting the battles they knew how to win, out on the plains on horseback, but were also willing to follow the guidance of Odin. Discussions went on for some time, and we kept up the pretence that we were here to stay and defend the position, but eventually we asked to retire to rooms to rest, and I advised Perion to consult with his priests for further guidance from Odin.

Perion agreed to meet me with his trusted priests, and I revealed to him in their presence that we knew who the traitor was. Although he refused to believe it at first, when I told him that we suspected that Tauson was dead and that another had taken his place in disguise he began to doubt. Reluctantly he agreed to allow an interrogation, and my agreement to have his senior priest present to look for any misconduct eased his mind somewhat. Still, he was angry and wrong-footed, and insisted that if Tauson proved to be innocent then we would all have to leave and never return. Again, I agreed, knowing that Lanzi would not lightly identify someone as a traitor.

However, as he walked back through the courtyard he let out an anguished cry; he had been stabbed! As I ran towards him, Melai appeared at the other end of the courtyard, her movements obviously hasted with dweomer, and she quickly set about attacking the unseen assailant, connecting with at least one swing. Leaving Melai to it, I concentrated on aiding Perion, only to find that he disappeared as I got there! Melai had hoped to protect him by making him invisible, but it did not seem to be working. Hintzu appeared, swinging with furious speed, and between him and Melai they were landing more blows successfully. Where was everyone coming from?! Lanzi, I later found out, was above us on the keep, but could not see the threat and decided to dispel the magic that shielded him. This worked, revealing both the assassin and Perion, although a few valuable potions were destroyed in the process. Unfortunately it revealed the assassin sinking blades into Perion's neck.

The assassin still seemed blurred in shadow and I called on Odin to give me true sight so that I might target the foe. Hintzu and Melai continued to engage him, scoring some hits but without dealing a mortal blow. I tried to assess Perion's wounds, but the slits in his neck were slender and the amount of blood did not seem enough to disable him completely; I was at a loss. Lanzi started using dweomer against the assassin, but without obvious effect. I was hit badly by the assassin as I shielded Perion's body, as was Melai, but Hintzu was able to get behind him and delivered a killing blow. There was a flash of black and the thing was gone. Perion was still not moving.

Melai immediately attempted to heal Perion but, although his wounds were knitted, his soul did not seem to return. This confused us somewhat, and we started debating what we might be able to do to help him, mindful that a growing crowd of his soldiers were gathering and all looking at us expectantly. I attempted to raise him from the dead, but again his body was whole but his soul was absent. Worried now that the assassin's weapons might have sapped his life essence in the same way that some powerful undead could, I agreed to try to restore his soul. This was no simple task, and the channelling of Odin's power through his body and into Hel's domain affected my body, and Perion's as if we had both aged several years. The attempt, thankfully, was successful and Perion breathed again! He was very weak and vulnerable, though, and would be for some time.

Melai drew Tyrus, one of the most vocal advocates for fighting on the plains of Gorgoroth from the assembled Lieutenants, to one side and started to offer him guidance. It was her intention to name him as Perion's successor, for him to lead the army from this place and re-engage the enemy in their natural element. Perion was understandably despondant, but agreed that there was no way he could lead the army into battle in his condition; instead he and the highest of his priests, Horsfen, would act as advisors to Tyrus in undertaking his sacred duty. When all were prepared, Melai publically recognised Tyrus as Lord of Gorgoroth, presenting him with a valuable necklace as a badge of office, and used her crown to influence the acceptance of those gathered.

Returning to the map room, we spoke of the actions that Tyrus must take, asking him to ride south towards Gos, skirting Morgul but not engaging, and to prepare for an assault when we returned. Lanzi, for his part, presented him with fine furs and a circlet to further enoble him in his people's eyes. We then asked to be taken to Tauson's room so that we could search for any ill influence or artefacts left there. Sure enough, we found amongst the normal warrior attire a small, innocuous silver mirror. When tested, this proved to have dweomer and an evil presence about it.

With some time on our side, I was able to make preparations to divine how it was last used without touching it. I had a bowl of clear water brought and Odin blessed us by showing in it Eolire's communication with an unseen and unheard other party. He spoke into the mirror, saying "My Lady, all of them are here - I need to strike now. Where is your champion?" There was a pause and then he spoke again, "So you are not ready; what do you wish me to do?" Again he waited before replying "It will be done." Clearly this was the order for Perion's execution, probably given by Inwe herself.

Rashly, Melai smashed the mirror to avoid it being used again. As she did so, she saw echoes of its use in her mind, which she described to us.

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 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 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.

The Abyss

Odin is not a patient God, and we immediately found ourselves plucked from the Prime and into the Ethereal with thoughts placed in our minds on the direction we should move. Instinctively, we all flew towards the same point, towards a silvery pool of light. As soon as we approached we had the sensation that we were being sucked along, entering a twisting tube with a background of flailing stars. I had a strange sensation that my body was being affected by the journey, but Odin protected us from any harm that might have befallen us. The journey stopped abruptly, and we found ourselves stood in a searing hot desert dotted with pits about a hundred yards across. Fortunately we had sound footing, and had all come to rest within a few feet of each other. A couple of miles away, or so it seemed, was an enormous city shimmering in the heat with a purple-blue sky giving everything a coloured hue. Between the city and ourselves was a great barge with at least a hundred Tanar'i upon it.

We had just a moment to take in the scene before being dragged forward and down into one of the huge pits, entering another tube as we shifted between planes again. We travelled rapidly within the tube, passing through pools that smelt acrid but that did not affect us in any way, and eventually felt as if we were dropped a short distance onto the ground of another plane. This time the air was icy cold, and the scene was dreary to look at, simply being shades of grey. Even the sky was a drab grey, and the rolling scenery just consisted of tundra mosses and ice, again in grey. Every few hundred yards were what looked like burial sites, adding to the sombre appearance of the landscape.

Away in the distance we could see a hideous mockery of a temple, with a spire fashioned in the shape of the Wand of Orcus. A low, groaning chant carried on the wind from the edifice, sending a shudder down my spine. To our right was a great palace, and we found ourselves drawn inexorably in that direction. We approached the battlements of iron and stone, all arranged in ugly, spiky disarray, and as we approached the wall we passed through the streets of some kind of necropolis beyond. We passed many tombs and several undead shambling between them, but our passage was not interrupted. We were drawn straight through the walls, reaching a vast construct within that bore many symbols of Orcus. We blurred straight through the walls of this building as well, emerging into a vast hall. The hall was encased in a bone arch, and the impression was as if we were inside the marrow of some great bone.

A throne of bone sat in the centre at one end of the hall, although it was empty and unguarded as far as we could see. A great hearth was set in the centre of the hall, and it was clearly active; it was wreathed in smoke and heat with an anvil sat next to it and bellows at the other end. Melai advanced on it at once, conjuring a cone of ice that she hurled at the hearth to cool it down. An eruption of steam resulted, making visibility even worse. Despite there being no obvious exits, skeletons appeared at the edges of the room. They were at least six foot tall, but bore no obvious weapons. Meanwhile, the steam erupting from the cooling hearth began to take shape into some evil spirit bent on retribution for the violence Melai's actions had caused, and a strong wind seemed to suck the steam into its body as it increased in size. Hideous laughter filled the room, thankfully with no ill effect, and the foes began to advance on us at some speed.

I called on Odin to turn back the skeletons, but my efforts had no effect; they were not normal skeletons. Lanzi called on his dweomer, but again with no obvious effect. Melai, faced with the creature she had apparently brought into being, attacked viciously with Agan. The sword did not seem to be as effective in this hellish place, but it did enough to banish the creature before it could finish building itself fully. I tried a lightning bolt against the skeleton creatures, but again with no effect, so instead planted my mace into the nearest one, which did have some effect! Hintzu was struck by one of the creatures, and to our consternation fell to the floor paralysed! Lanzi responded quickly, throwing up mirror images to protect himself from a similar fate. The skeletons were now on top of us and we were forced to fend for ourselves.

Melai was hit, and Lanzi threw magic missiles at them in a quick strike, but again they seemed resistant to dweomer. I tried to reach Hintzu's side, but received a hefty blow for my efforts. Melai conjured an ice sheet to drop on them, but again it didn't seem to affect them. Instead she fronted up to them with Agan, and with carefully placed blows was able to fell two of them in quick succession. Lanzi used a blast of sound in an attempt to crush one, but still saw no effect. Both Melai and Lanzi were hit, although the mirror images protected Lanzi from immediate harm. I tried switching weapons, suspecting that these were not undead but some kind of magical construct. Swinging my rod of striking, I was able to kill the one I hit earlier with a single blow. Melai continued her rampage, cutting another down with Agan, and I was finally able to reach Hintzu and remove his paralysis.

Lanzi lost another image and took a hit; he was fast becoming vulnerable. I turned away from Hintzu as he started to move again, using my rod to attack another foe; I caught it unawares and with a release of energy from the rod it was utterly obliterated. Hintzu jumped up, joining me in attacking another of the foes, although his weapon was not as effective as it would normally be. Melai killed the last one that had attacked her, despite having sustained several wounds. Lanzi prudently used his mental powers to blink away to safety rather than risk being hit again, leaving Hintzu and me to fight side-by-side with the rest of them. We landed several blows between us, but could not bring one down easily. Hintzu was hit, but turned away from the blow and escaped the worst of it. Lanzi, from his new position of safety, conjured a giant hand that began crushing one of the skeletons attacking Hintzu, whilst Melai came to my aid and killed one of the foes from behind.

Hintzu abandoned his weapon, seeing that it was not as effective as it should be, and started attacking with his bare hands. He landed a crushing blow with his fist, ripping out the spine of one of the foes as he withdrew his hand, and the creature collapsed as its head rolled away from its body. I swung around behind me with the rod, catching another of the foe and destroying it in another blast of dweomer, but there were three still standing. Melai and Hintzu worked together on one of them, landing alternate blows but struggling to bring it down; the thing landed hits on Hintzu before it was finally finished by Melai, but his stoneskin protected him. In turn, he fell on the one gripped by Lanzi's dweomer hand, punching several holes in it until it finally lay in unmoving pieces. Melai and me faced off the last one, dodging most blows and landing a few, but Hintzu had time to focus on it without being attacked, and he unleashed a focussed strike that didn't actually touch the creature, but somehow blasted straight through it! Shards of bone settled on the floor and for a moment we were alone.

Melai immediately turned her attention to the still hot hearth, using more dweomer-conjured ice to cool it. Meanwhile, I turned my attention to Melai, healing some of her worst wounds. We were suddenly engulfed by a great snow storm, and for a moment feared a further unexpected attack, but then realised that Lanzi had overdone it on the dweomer again and this was his contribution to cooling the hearth. More steam was given off with each of these actions, but I was able to focus on Melai's wounds unmolested. This was too good to last for long, and sure enough a couple of demons emerged from the floor at the far end of the hall behind us, flying straight in to attack us, with one breathing fire.

Hintzu was saved by his stoneskin once more, but Melai and me were caught by the flames. I returned a fireball quickly from my crown, but it did not seem to affect the creatures, and Melai's ice storm was equally ineffective. Hintzu, to our dismay, could not seem to land any blows either; we would have to find some other way of damaging these demons. Melai hasted herself (a risky use of dweomer in these chaotic realms) and charged into combat with Agan swinging, while Hintzu tried some of his ring's power - again, though, the ring had no effect. Fortunately his stoneskin was still in place and saved him from damage. I started to utter a prayer to Odin, but one of the creatures bit me badly in the shoulder; I was now seriously wounded and used my mace to heal me before I could deteriorate.

Lanzi used an icy breath weapon on the hearth, finally cooling it to the point where we began to notice the cold where before the room had been warm. Melai managed to bring down one of the demons with Agan, and immediately charged over to help defend Hintzu. Lanzi continued to try his dweomer on the creature but with no obvious effect. We were engulfed by fire once more, and when the air cleared I found that I had lost my side pouches and my girdle that had helped me with the dwarves so often. Melai, obviously enraged by the pain of the flames, leapt up and buried Agan in its chest, landing on top of it as it collapsed lifeless on the floor.

Lanzi moved to the hearth and started to shrink it with his dweomer-laced sheet, but as he did so lots of skeleton-like creatures started to emerge from the area that the demons had done a few moments ago. They were joined by Tanar'i, but Melai raised a wall of dweomer force across the hall to keep them at bay. This stopped the skeletons, but the Tanar'i flew over the barrier, and with a gesture of its hand sent the hearth flying away from Lanzi and into the far corner of the hall. At the same time all of our protective dweomer was cancelled by the creature, leaving no mirror images, stoneskin or haste to aid us. Just to make matters worse, it then gated in a variety of creatures to aid it in fighting us; there were some that resembled blobs of flesh, and some that were winged. Hintzu created a wall of fire around the new arrivals to slow them down and damage them, while I tried to reverse the actions of the Tanar'i, but with no success. Lanzi sent two fireballs into the centre of the wall of fire, killing fully half of the new arrivals to even the odds somewhat. My attempts to use the crown were unsuccessful as there was no way it could draw on positive energy here, so I just defended us from attack.

Melai created a wall of force in a hemisphere around us to keep the foe out, but they had other ways to get at us and Hintzu and I were to find out. In an instant I was turned to stone, and at the same time Hintzu started dribbling, a vacant expression on his face and with his arms hung loosely at his side, not reacting to what was around him. Just to make things worse, his vacant look was immortalised as he too was turned to stone! Lanzi, realising that the hearth was the key to our escape, created a wall of force around the hearth so that the enemy could not take it. Melai killed one of the two creatures that were trapped inside the wall of force with us, but we did not have to worry about the other as Lanzi blinked across to the hearth and secured it in his possession.

This was the trigger for divine intervention! Odin, knowing that our quest was complete, transported us immediately back to the Prime and where we had left from in Minas Morgul. We were faced with two very startled half-gnomes (Hastorin and Jolt - Orodruin's folk that we had left) who reported that in their time we had only just left! This was evidently true, as the throne that the Sultan had sat in was still warm.

Lanzi immediately started explaining the appearance of the hearth to Jolt, who was the most interested, whilst Hintzu and I were still statues! Both Hastorin and Jolt started pouring over every inch of the hearth with great interest. Thankfully, Melai did take note of our plight; she wished me back to flesh and blood, enabling me to use the power of the mace to similarly return Hintzu. We were all back alive, with the hearth - praise be to Odin!

Unfortunately, Hintzu was still a dribbling idiot! I mean that not as an insult; his mind had been affected by one of the creatures we fought in the Abyss. I called on Odin to heal him, though, and his power restored his mind as well as his body and he was back with us as normal.