Quest 2 AAR - Cursed Isle of Morwen

Here is the 2nd part of Dwarf Quest, wherein our heroes are looking to acquire magical relics to combat the coming of Morgoth.

The wizard Heironymous and his companions appear in a bright flash and find themselves teleported to a misty swamp.
The wizard puts the Tele-Port-Key back into his pocket.

The White Dwarf:  Hmm... what is this huge skull marker doing here?  Dont worry little Hobbit, I will protect you.

Samwise Gamgee:  (to the Wizard Hieronymous)  That Tele-Port-Key only has 1 charge left?

Hieronymous:  Yes.

Samwise Gamgee:  And you are the only one who can power it?

Hieronymous:  Yes.

Samwise Gamgee:  So... if you die, we are all stranded here?

Hieronymous:  Yes.

Samwise Gamgee:   (to the White Dwarf)  Protect the wizard...

Legend has it that the isle of Tol Morwen (Isle of Morwen) has a stone monolith called the Stone of the Hapless.

Three skull markers are to be seen.
One in the south west, in the middle of the swamps.
The second in the north, at the bottom of a hill.
The third in the east, in the middle of a pool.

Upon the hill where the monolith is supposed to be, it seems that a chapel has been built over it.
Seeing such a structure in the middle of this misty depressing island brings a peculiar oddity to the scenery.

This building is from Ziterdes.
What strange things are occuring inside this place?
Soft chanting might be heard if one were brave enough to listen in...

Ph'nglui Mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

The heroes make their way out of the swamp and towards the high ground... and the strange chapel.

The two Slaan and a redshirt Goldshield Dwarf stay at the bottom of the hill where another skull marker is inscribed into the ground.

The doors of the Chapel are magically locked.

The wizard reads the inscriptions upon the archway.

Hieronymous:  It is magical formulae for raising the dead...

King Alrik:  We dont want to do that, do we?

Hieronymous:  Beyond these doors lies the cursed one...  Turin Turambar!  Wielder of the Black Sword - Gurthang!  It is prophesied that he will slay Morgoth and end the curse upon the Children of Hurin.

Samwise:  Wonderful!  Just the kind of ally we need!  How do we raise him?

Hieronymous:  Blood ritual.  We need the blood of an innocent and good hearted person...  (everyone looks at the Hobbit)

Samwise:  (rolls up his sleeve) Not all my blood, I hope...  and I expect some Rocky Road ice cream for this donation, thank you very much...

The spell requires blood to power up and the wizard begins the spell.

Once powered, there are 3 objectives (the skull markers) that need to be taken while the spell takes effect.
Whoever holds the 3 objectives at the end of the game controls Turin's destiny.
Variable end turns begin after Turn 6.

It looks like the Undead have been here waiting to take Turin's soul.
But without blood they could not use the ritual.
The heroes have unwittingly done it for them!

A Wraith on his dark horse leads a band of skeletons towards a pool where an objective lies.

For the Wraith's stats, I did not use the Cairn Wraith, but a Wight King with Wight Blade and Killing Blow.
Its a character killer for sure, roll a 6 to wound, and then it auto kills the target no matter how many wounds they have and also negates any armor save.
Which seems a better fit for a Morghul blade!

The Slaan Kremlo and Breedo, and a Goldshield Dwarf head to the pond.
Slaan, being reptillians would probably (with luck) fight better in the watery element there (water isnt considered difficult terrain to them).
With 1st Edition rules, they can also submerge in water (counts as Hidden more than 6" away) and can use poison blowpipes!
But DM rules that poison wont affect the Undead... (Boo...)

Both of the Slaan have minor hero stats:  2 attacks, 3 wounds each.
The nameless Goldshield dwarf is an Ironbreaker with Gromril Armor.

Hieronymous stays up on the high ground to weave his spellwork.
And King Alrik is at the bottom of the hill to cover the wizard and the objective there.

Sam, The White Dwarf, and the 2nd Goldshield head back into the swamp to take the 1st objective they saw at the start.
They are promptly ambushed by a band of skeletons!

The White Dwarf is a mighty hero:  4 attack, 4 wounds, Unbreakable, and plenty of magical weapons.
His helm auto rallies fleeing friends in 12"
His armor has 1+ save with 4+ Ward
His cloak has Magic Resist (3)
His axe has +2 Str and re-rolls failed To-Hit and To-Wound rolls!

King Alrik is another mighty stuntie!  6 attacks and 5 wounds.
He can declare Grudges (re-roll misses)
And his axe has a Breaking Rune (a hit on enemy destroys a magical weapon)

Kremlo and Breedo are set upon by the Dark Rider and his minions!

Meanwhile, the White Dwarf is surrounded by the Undead.

The Goldshield with him has been slain!
More skeletons arrive and take the objective. 
And Sam runs off into the swamp.

Samwise peeks around looking to avoid conflict.
Once the coast is clear perhaps he can try to use stealth to take the objective.
Sneaky fat Hobbit!

King Alrik is mighty indeed!
He shows what Dwarf Kings mettle is made of!

The other Goldshield with the Slaan perishes in the pond.

Kremlo shatters bone with every swing of his axe.
And the Dark Rider charges his companion, Breedo!

With 3 attacks, the Wraith rolls a 6 to wound on one of them and Killing Blow lands on the poor Slaan.
Farewell Breedo, we hardly knew ye!

The Wraith swings around and takes the objective, which means the forces of evil have 2 objectives under their control.
And its now turn 6, variable end turns begin.
The roll is made... one more turn!  

Suddenly, a figure materializes in front of the Chapel.
It is Turin Turambar!
Unless the heroes take the objectives soon, it looks like Turin will be joining the Dark Side!


This figure is Citadel coded C01 Fighter, but has "Elric" on his tab.
Looking online, it seems his name as C01 is "Weirdling Warrior Lord", also "Elric Sharp Sword"
Obviously he is an alternate sculpt of the Eternal Champions line.
But whatever, on this blog he is Turin Turambar!

Hieronymous:   I can feel the good in you, Turin.  Let go of your hate!

Turin:  It is too late for me.  Morgoth will show you the true nature of the Force.  He is your master now.

King Alrik has slain all the skellies at the bottom of the hill and hurries towards Kremlo at the pool.

The White Dwarf fights on!
More skeletons pile in!

Another Turn is rolled and the game continues!
Before the Wraith can land another Killing Blow...
Alrik arrives and his axe's Rune of Breaking shatters the Morghul blade!

Totally forgotten... Sam sneaks unto the empty last objective and turns this victory into a decisive victory!

And as the Final Turn ends...  it is Kremlo who lands the last blow and fells the Wraith.
The rest of the skeletons across the board rout and flee.
Breedo is avenged!
The 2 Goldshield Dwarves are avenged.

 [Turin joins the party]

 So who is this Turin Turambar?

He is the child of Hurin and Morwen.
His entire family was cursed by Morgoth.
Everyone in his life comes to some tragic end.
Hurin's brother is Huor - grandfather of Earendil, so Turin and Earendil are distant cousins (Earendil is Elrond's dad!)
Turin slew the dragon Glaurung (or drake, he was a big wingless dragon.  maybe he was a basilisk?).
Turin also has a black sword Gurthang (it speaks, its probably cursed.  yeah, its Elric before Elric. Edit: hmm no, both Turin and Elric were inspired by the ancient epic of Kullervo).
It is said, he will be the slayer of Morgoth by plunging Gurthang into Morgoths heart and ending the curse on the Children of Hurin.

Kremlo:  (to King Alric) You are a Norse King.  I grew up the foster son of a Viking Chieftain.

King Alrik:  Aye!  I knew your father and of how you are conflicted, being the son of dual natures.  The Legend of Kremlo the Slaan is known to me.  (see 1st Citadel Compendium for details)


Kremlo:  I set out to avenge him and poison the spawning pools of the Blue Spine Slaan tribe.  But at the last, I stayed my hand.  Because of this I became a traitor to both the Norse and the Slaan.  As I roamed in exile, I heard that my Viking family were put to the sword by the sorcerer Thulsa Doom, and this was how Conan the Cimmerian and I came to be friends.

Narrator:  But that is a story for another time!  (cue Conan drums & music)


~~~


Now we know how tough Dwarf Kings are, they are not to be sneezed at!
King Alrik is a beast.
I was hoping to character build Breedo the Slaan but alas... (I was going for Greedo and the Star Wars thing... but misspelled it and Breedo just stuck on.)

Ok, thats the 2nd quest down.
One more to go...  and its a doozy!

And lets try to summarize the lineages thing again, because I get confused too:

Lets use Earendil the half elf as a starting point.
Earendil the Mariner was married to Elwin, a descendant of Beren and Luthien and had a Silmaril and it was they who pleaded with the Valar to help overthrow Morgoth and end the War of Wrath.
Earendil was also the guy who had a flying airship called Vingilot. (Damn you GW and your Age of Sigmar... Arkanaut Ironclad you are justified to be purchased!)

Anyways, he had two sons: Elrond and Elros.
Elros chose to embrace his human half and his descendants became the Numenoreans which means Aragorn is his descendant.
Whereas, Elrond married Celebrian, the daughter of Galadriel, which means Arwen and Aragorn are distantly related.
Now Earendil's father was Tuor who married an elf princess.
And Tuor's brother is Hurin who was cursed by Morgoth.
And Turin Turambar is the son of Hurin, the promised One who will slay Morgoth in the Last Battle known as Dagor Dagorath.
Well... as long as he rolls some good dice when the time comes!


Next post:  Mysterious Isle of Mirdorog-Naht

Quest 1 AAR - Dark Isle of Tol Fuin

Off the coasts of Forlindon are several islands, they are all that remains of the ancient lands of Beleriand.
Great cities of Men and Elves here sank 'neath the waves at the end of the War of Wrath.
And now only the highest mountains of that realm remain as islands.
Magical relics and treasures of a bygone age are there to be found, but no one has been foolish enough to disturb the creatures that dwell there... until now!

The heroes see a Weirwood tree ahead and further north a henge of large standing crystals.
Looking around they see a hill to the west, ruins to the east and several woods scattered around.
There are no enemies to be seen, and the only sounds to be heard are the unsettling creaking of tree branches in the wind.
Gimli says if relics are to be found in this place then its the ruins or the crystal henge that are the most likely places.
Nindalf says to avoid the trees even the Weirwood.
There is something unnatural about these forests...
Gimli says to split up and check both places.
Frodo asks if its smart to split the party?
Of course, no one hears the halfing...

Legolas heads the troop setting out for the ruins.
Frodo, Uther, and Foreman Brisket follow behind.

Gimli leads the others setting out for the crystal henge.
Nindalf, Maggie, and Kimril follow him.

There is something here, but they dont know what or how to find it.
But a palpable static energy crawls over their skins and frizzles their hair.

Kimril:  I think maybe its the chemistry between us, Maggie!

Maggie:  (rolls eyes) #MeToo

The other team find nothing but crumbling ruins.

Brisket:  I feel like we are being watched!

Uther:  Not to worry, I am a Dwarf Lord of Legend, I can sense things even behind me, as if I had eyes on the back of my head.  I was once trapped in a tunnel with 100 Skaven gutter runners when my torch blew out and...

Frodo:  Wow, I must be tired, those trees look like they are moving...

Frodo:  Ummm guys...?  Is it just me, or did that forest behind you just get closer?

The sound of roots tearing up the ground gets closer as the copse of trees close in on our heroes.

The other team hears it too and moves to unify the party.

Nindalf:  Enemy spells are being cast!  Someone or something is Tree-Singing!

Then another section of woods begins moving towards Nindalf and company.
They only see the woods and no enemies.
Remember, you can only see 2" into a wood.

Gimli:  Everyone brace for impact!  Prepare for combat!

As the forest nearest to the ruins bumps up against the walls, Dryads jump out of the woods!

Dryads have 2 attacks, Forest Walker, are Immune to Psych, and cause Fear!

Frodo:  I think Im feeling something...  it might be fear, but maybe its just indigestion...

Dryad:  Peek-A-Boo!

Frodo:  Nope.  Its fear! (begins hyperventilating)

Nindalf has 2 spells:  Steed of Shadows (a flight spell), and Creeping Death (a ranged attack).

The leader of the Dryads is a Branchwych that has Tree-Singing (moves trees) and Ariels Blessing (a Regeneration spell).
She also has a baby Purple Worm on her shoulder which counts as a Murder of Spites (extra poisonous attacks)

Legolas:  Hail, tree spirits!  I am an Elf of Mirkwood Forest and we wish you no harm!

Branchwych:  (sees Gimli and his axe)  AXE!!!!!

Gimli:  Oh.... uh... no.  no no no.  Its not for what you think...

Dryads:  (crying out in unison)  Tree Killers! Leaf Murderers! Root Nibblers!

Branchwych:  SLAY THEM ALL!

And right away, Frodo and Foreman Brisket run for their lives from failed Ld rolls.
Which leaves Legolas and Uther to hold the line.

The other team spreads out to protect Nindalf with his spells.

Kimril the Slayer fights 2 Dryads!
Since he is immune to Fear, he doesnt run, but most importantly he has no penalty To-Hit mods.

But the Branchwych casts her Regen spell which gives the Dryads another 4+ Save, making them some very resilient plants!

Gimli:  If I can get past this one quick, I can get to the Wych and stop these Regen spells!

Gimli does beat the Dryad facing him, but the one facing Maggie KO's her and charges into Gimli from behind!

Nindalf:  Gimli, I got it!  My Steed of Shadows spell!  I can use it on you and charge you out of combat and into a new one... versus the Branchwych!

As he finishes his spell, the free Dryad attacks the Dwarven wizard as revenge!

Gimli changes dance partners.

Branchwych:  Worm!  Om nom nom the stuntie!

Meanwhile at the ruins, Uther succumbs to his wounds and Legolas is cornered by 3 Dryads.
Uther did slay one Dryad though.
Frodo and Brisket recover from fear and head back, but will they be able to help Legolas in time?

Kimril slays his adversaries and helps out Nindalf.

But in the distance, the battle is decided... Gimli has the best dice rolls in his life and fells (timber!) the Branchwych.

But just when the game is won... a Shambling Mound appears!

The heroes groan, this is one monster they will not be able to defeat especially with all their wounds and losses already...
BUT
as it turns out, the Shambling Mound is friendly!

And he heals the wounds of both sides as blinky magical stardust healing spores surround everyone.

Gimli:  I give you my oath that my axe will never be used against a tree or living green thing, cept Orc and Goblin heads...

Branchwych:  Perhaps I was too hasty.  I name thee, Plant-Friends.  We are the guardians of the Highlands of Dorthonion, whats left of it. The body of the great Elven King Fingolfin lies here under these crystals.

Legolas:  A legendary Elven King of Old!  He wounded Morgoth in single combat before being slain!

Branchwych:  Yes, and afterwards, the Great Eagle Thorondor took his body and carried him hither.  We buried him with his sword Ringil a mighty weapon that glittered like ice, and his blue shield laced with magic crystals.

Gimli:  Middle Earth is in great need again, O Lady of the Branches!  We need those weapons to fight Morgoth who is returning!  Though it does seem disrespectful to desecrate the grave of so great a warrior...

Legolas:  ...

Branchwych:  You are indeed good hearted heroes, I see that now...  But fear not!  We need not disturb the honored dead, for I know the secret of the crystals and can transfer the power of the weapons to you by distilling their essence into runes. Touch your weapons to the main crystal...

Gimli:  Hmm... good thing I got some spare sockets on my weapon!  (anyone remember Wow?)

So Gimli gets the power of Fingolfin's Sword socketed into his axe: a Master Rune of Smiting (instead of 1 normal wound per attack, bearer causes d6 wounds), a Rune of Fury (+1 Attack) and a Rune of Cleaving (+1 Str)

Legolas gets the power of Fingolfin's shield, so decides to touch his Elven Cloak to the crystal:  and gets these powers on it - Railarian Mantle (4+ Ward Save), Amber Pendant (Enemies in melee with him will always strike last)

Kimril:  Glad to see you back from the dead, Maggie!

Maggie:  (hugs the surprised Slayer)  We should go for a drink at Bugmans Brewery sometime!

Kimril:  Hmm.... are you sure you are ok?  That Shambling Mound!  He must have put some extra fairy dust in your Resurrect Spell or something...

Maggie:  No, Im just happy to be alive!

Frodo:  (to the Dryad) Must be lonely for you Dryads on this island, eh?

Dryad: We get alot of sun here and the soil is fertilized from the dead of countless battles of yore.

Frodo:  Ok... (under his breath) still creepy even when friendly...


~~~


Well, there's the first away team, successful and alive.
So at least we know where Fingolfin is buried.
And Treebeard might want to know there are Dryads (are they Entwives?) still here on this forested island.
Actually, Treebeard did used to visit Dorthonion before Beleriand was deluged, so perhaps he knows who these Dryads are?

As I was perusing my copy of the Silmarilion, I re-discovered something I forgot, that the Valar Aule created the Dwarves before Elves and Men.
And when his wife, the Valar Yavanna found out, she then created the Ents to protect the forests from the axes of the Dwarves.

Next up is Sam Gamgee's team (King Alrik, White Dwarf, Kremlo the Slaan).
Lets see if they are just as lucky in their quest for magical goodies.

Cheers,
Mar


Next post:  The Cursed Isle of Tol Morwen