Middle Earth FA63 D&D Game. Fourth Adventure. Journey to Rivendell

Ghân will stay with the horses and guard them and any spellcasters who require it.
Then he’ll heal any injured afterwards. :slight_smile:

“My lady,” Thoroncir asks the lissome Gilraen, “is Kali sure-footed enough to charge across such terrain? If so, I intend to charge with my lance, and wield my sword if necessary afterwards.”

Deor will stay back with the horses and try to ensure that none panic. He’s got Magic Missile ready if we need it, but he expects to not need to cast it.

Gilraen to Thoroncir, “Aim Kali in the general direction but let her have her head. She will pick the swiftest course across the distance. If you feel up muscles suddenly tense, hang on tight, she will be leaping. I forgot, you can just tell her what warg you want to aim for and she’ll confer with you. It helps that you can speak to her. I wish you could teach that trick to me.”

“Thank you, my lady,” says Thoroncir, smiling. “I’m sure Kali will be up to the task before us. And I’d be glad to help you learn to speak Horse, when we have more time.” He hefts his lance, to which he has tied the white scarf she gave him as a token of her favor some months ago, and looks forward to the battle yet to come.

I think I will sneak to within sling range but out of the way to allow me a chance to take out any Wargs who survive the charge.

Thoroncir will be attempting to ride a warg down from the back of Kali. Miron reported in as going on foot to intercept. Gil-Gandel will go in with a Hobbit behind him on Cúran. It looks like Mulligan will be the Hobbit who gets to ride in close to help out. There is no chance of sneaking to within sling range without a ride as this is a clear case of run and shoot on an intercept. Most of the party will be protecting the horses and spell-casters. The party is the fallback location of course.

Everything appears to be working to plan. Swiftwing keeps a sharp eye until the wargs come into a reasonable range for Folca and then Swiftwing heads further out to widen the search. The wargs come through the likely deer path in single file at a fast lope and Thoroncir comes hurtling down the slope at them, as soon as he sees them notice him, he exclaims, “Elendil!”
Gil-Gandel is already making his way around the back of the wargs and Cúran is moving swiftly and surefooted. Mulligan is hanging on tightly. Miron is making his way to good bow range of about 60 yards.

All four wargs charge at Thoroncir. This actually makes life simpler for Miron. Gil-Gandel angles in sharply and gets Mulligan to 100 yards where she is helped off and can assist with her sling. Gil-Gandel begins firing methodically as he closes in to his short range.

Gil-Gandel’s first arrow hits for only 5 but his second is a critical hit for 18 more and the warg stumbles badly.
Miron’s first shot is a miss but his second and third both hit for 26 and drops the closest warg.
Mulligan’s first normal sling bullet hits for 14.
Thoroncir’s lance hits for 20 and knocks the warg off its paws. Kali then tramples the warg to complete the charge.
Gil-Gandel’s final arrow misses but Mulligan’s second bullet hits her injured one for 9 more just after the warg misses Kali who was too swift in her Dwarven chain barding.


Gil-Gandel’s injured warg gets to its feet in time for Gil-Gandel to hit it and kill it. Thoroncir instructs Kali to swing around for another charge but Miron’s arrow finishes off the one Mulligan had seriously injured. The wargs are dead!

So everything did go to plan. Thoroncir does realize his lance work is now lagging far behind his melee and bow work. He will eventually need to find a better lance. It was amazingly easier from Kali then Seafoam however. Seafoam might be great at charging across beaches and fields but this terrain would have prevented a full charge on Seafoam.

Looks good to me.

Hopefully, we can head onwards without interruption now.

I think Gil-Gandel will want to camp up on the slope away from the dead wargs. He wanted a short day. I will wait for confirmation.

Clean and clear. Well fought, everyone!

Deor votes for trying to make a little more progress before dark. Whatever the case, let’s make sure to set a good watch before we go to sleep tonight, just in case.

Sir Thoroncir is also pleased by how well things went. “Let us check the warg carcasses (who knows what magical arrowheads or the like we might find?),” he says, “and then be on our way.” He will return Kali to Gilraen if she wishes and saddle up on Seafoam again, or remain on the wonderful borrowed horse to day’s end.

Ghân will cast Detect Magic on the Wargs.

Gilraen checks Kali over and ensures she is fine. Nothing is found on the warg carcasses.

The next four days are peaceful and the party makes good progress. July 31[sup]st[/sup] to August 3[sup]rd [/sup].
The terrain covered is everything from verdant moors to mixed forest with stretches of tall grasses with unexpected meres and brooks and strange rocky scrub lands. The land is rough but beautiful at this time of year and the wildlife is in abundance. If Ghân does not object, venison could easily fill out the meals for the day or even wild boar with a bit more work and danger. At this time of year, Morbo, the Hobbits, Miron and Ghân are constantly find wild plants that are edible.

The weather is hot but not oppressively so. It is very humid and the bugs would be fierce is not for a foul smelling but very effective concoction that Morbo makes and offers around. After the first day, Gilraen improves it with Deor’s assistance with some sweet smelling Mir-Melellen flowers. Morbo is the only one that does not prefer the new version. Though Gwaelur is iffy as he thinks it makes him smell like an Elf. The party now knows what that distinctive smell of Gorbo was that Lord Ianthír mistook for poor hygiene.

The herbologists find many medicinal herbs in this land to supplement their supplies. The big find is **Eledena buds ** that may be ingested for 1 hour of hasted actions but then suffer extreme dizziness for 5 minutes. A save vs. poison is required however and failure will lead to 1-40= unconsciousness for Con x2 rounds +2d20 rounds, 41-70= -1 Dex for 4 to 6 months, 71 to 90 -1 Dex & Con for 4 to 6 months or 91+ -1 Dex permanently. There are 7 buds and they will be good for 3-5 weeks if stored well. In Gilraen’s or Ghân’s pouch that would be x10. This is one of the few haste/speeds that work on Elves too. Deor believes he might actually be able to make a more stable potions out of them with a good lab.

Additionally some Kargijak berries are found that take better to the Goodberry spell. The party can collect up to 100 if they wish. When the Goodberry spell is cast on them it produces a d4+5(max of 8) berries and when Ghân and Gilraen work together it will produce d4+6 (max of 8 berries).

On August 4[sup]th[/sup] there are bad Thunderstorms that will be travelling North. With the heads up from Ghân, Gorbo leads the party to the shelter of an old hill fort. A short travel day should be fine, Gorbo actually made up for the lost time of July 30[sup]th[/sup] and the wargs and got us ahead of schedule. We should still reach the Last Bridge on the evening of August 8[sup]th[/sup].

I will post a rough layout of the ruins and hill tonight.

Thoroncir will walk through the ruins with Gil-Gandel and Gwaelur, with an eye towards finding the best defensive position and, if possible, keeping the party and its horses under cover during the thunderstorm. From what era does the hill fort date? Does Gorbo know?

August 4[sup]th[/sup] - - It is just before noon.

The Ancient Hill Fortwas probably rebuilt sometime in the last 500 years but must date to several thousand years ago.

The fort was probably in the possession of some humans as recently as 300 years ago. The walls are crumbling and the towers are in terrible shape except for the central tower that actually shows some signs of recent repairs. The tower looks old but basically sound. The same is not true of the others. There is one good size house of stone left. It appears well made but worn. The roof appears to be intact and very old. No signs of repair recent repair work.

Ghân has no problem with the party eating venison or boar. He doesn’t care for hunting just to kill, but hunting to eat is fine.

Ghân is happy to keep some Eledena buds in his Magic Pouch for Deor, and will certainly take all the Kargijak berries for his Goodberry spell.

As it appears that Radagast will be unlikely to help Gorbo, Ghân will try to let Gorbo down gently. He explains that Radagast is kept busy and that it will be a long trip and that Gorbo is well-regarded in these parts.
In compensation Ghân will share his herbal knowledge with Gorbo. :slight_smile:

I assume that the central tower is a more defensible position than the good-sized house of stone, and that both could keep the party (if not all of its horses) dry in the thunderstorm?

Sheltering in an old abandoned stone hill fort during a thunderstorm.

What could possibly go wrong with that :stuck_out_tongue:

Let’s make sure to send our treasure-hunters in first, just to make sure that there are no nasty traps or other surprises waiting. But there likewise might be some excellent treasure!

Gorbo to Mulligan, “I’m sorry I don’t have a better place nearby to shelter from a bad thunderstorm. I’m not promising that we won’t have to either clear something out first or negotiate with them. My next best choice is a large grove of trees but they are likely to be hit often by lightning. The tower or the house will protect even the horses.”