The Battle Of Redhorn Pass (Caradhras) Part 2

When last we left you...

The Fellowship made some friends from south of the border. Further than that. Much, much further...

Its pretty hot, like tropical in the elemental heat sense. Azers from the Elemental Plane of Fire are now allies with the Fellowship and are staving off attacks from Ogres, Crypt Terrors, and an onslaught of Chainrasps. So thats one side of the board under control. 

On the other board half...

Poppy: Now you hold still Mr Kipper, sir. First, a splash of fermented Elderberry Juice - sans a 2nd taunting. Then a poultice made of Kelpie strands. And finally, a wrap of Willowbottom Banana Leaf... and voila good as new!

Kipper the Squire: Good enough to battle? Well, I smell good enough to eat... dont tell the Ogres that though. Thanks Poppy you're a lifesaver! Now to head back to Anais...

Poppy: Oh... uhh. Dont look now, Mr Squire. But I got a feeling we are being watched...

Kipper the Squire: If we turn around slowly, we wont get scared... *turns around slowly*

Chainrasps: Booooooo....weee willll eeeeeaattt yourrrrr soulllllll....

Poppy: I dont think the slow thing worked... *shrill scream*

Nearby... another battle scene.

Lady Elerina: Begone foul spirits! The power of Tinuviel compels you! The power of Tinuviel compels you!

Haystacks: Why are you all alone Mi'lady? Where is your bodyguard? Where are the Rohirrim?

Lady Elerina: Everyone is fighting somewhere... just not here. The Paladin was here with me, but she has gone to help the Azers!

Haystacks: Well Im here. And I will make sure that no harm befalls you.

And indeed the Paladin Cosette came to the Azers' aid right on time.

Cosette: Oh no! one of your friends has died!

Azer Chief: Azers never die, we are merely banished from this dimension for a set number of months as mandated by the Dimensional Port Authority.

Banished Azer:  Hasta la vista... if you need me I'll be in the Plane of Elemental Fire! Come with me if you want to live... somewhere tropical! *He gives a thumbs up as he is slowly engulfed in lava from the other dimension*

Azer Chief: Oh and Bob! Tell my wife I wont be home for a bit. There's a fair spot of work to be done on this side.

Bob the Banished Azer: *faintly from the other dimension* I will, buddy... Adios... amigos!

With her banner fluttering above the din of battle, Cosette sings a little ditty to bolster the spirits of the remaining Azers...

There is a castle on a cloud, 

I like to go there in my sleep, 

Aren't any floors for me to sweep, 

Not in my castle on a cloud

And even with the Ogre gone, the waves of undead still keep coming...

Mortimer the Brown: Hold the line! The best we can do is keep the enemy at bay and buy Tuddle more time to get the job done.

Kipper the Squire: Aye. Once more into the breach!

Anais: For Imladris! For the Lady of Rivendell!

Meanwhile, a new terror approaches the other team. And this new terror is actually an old one... in a new form. How far you have fallen... Murkillor. Once an important Wraith General during the 3rd Age, he has been constantly changing form every time he fails in his duty to the Dark Powers. See this post to refresh your memory: http://mars-miniatures.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-4th-weekend-part-3-army-of-darkness.html Now he has been reduced to a Grimghast Reaper. Yet his spirit is undaunted and with him, another Ogre charges into battle with Shrub Beard.

Murkillor: I live.... again.....

The chase is on... Tuddle finds the Clue! He and Poppy make a run for it with the Baron leading the way.  But Shrub Beard remains behind to fend off or slow down the enemy.

Poppy: We cant leave Mister Shrub behind! He is all by himself!

Baron Orson: C'mon Hobbits, we are leaving! Hurry up, Poppy... or you're going to end up a permanent resident!

Poppy: Typical...

But Hobbit legs can only go so fast. And Poppy does fall behind... and as Shrub Beard backs up, he is unaware that Poppy is right there...

And the Ogre thumps her once on the head with his club and thats all it takes to knock her out!

Shrub Beard blames himself for Poppy's death and he lets out a deep roar in Entish anguish. Battle is joined anew between beastly monster and plant-ish fury!

No one hurts his friends. No one! So consumed with vengeance is the Ent that he fails to realize that Murkillor is missing.... Where could he have gone off to?

 And of course, like any smart villain, Murkillor goes after the Victory Conditions. He must take the Hobbit and that Book! And Murkillor succeeds in wounding the Hobbit. Tuddle is near death. Will anyone be able to save him?

Baron Orson: Faster. Must. Save. Myself. The Fellowship is done...

Tuddle: Noooo... must go on... Get up Tuddle. Get up... Now!

Tuddle makes his LD test and escapes base to base contact and runs for it. No thanks to Baron Orson!

Meanwhile... the combined efforts of Cosette and the Azers bring down the Crypt Horror, with thoughts of a heroic death, the Flesh-Eater dies again. But is death ever a permanent death for Sir Selmy the Crypt Horror?

Azer Chief: Human lady fights well! And sings! Come visit our homeworld and have a pina colada with us!

Cosette: That sounds wonderful, but right now my friends need our help. This way, friend Azers...

With Tuddle out of the way. Azers jump on Murkillor and Lady Elerina comes from behind to help.

Lady Elerina: Your name is known to me, Murkillor. We have heard of you at whiles. You troubled Middle Earth during the War of the Ring and we thought you were destroyed. May you rest again in peace and trouble us no more for another Age.

And so, with Murkillor banished, all the other forces of evil retreated.

A new alliance was formed with Men, Elves, and Azers!

But what of the Hobbits?

Kipper the Squire learns of Poppy's fall and searches frantically for her.

Tuddle: What was this all for, Mortimer?  This lousy clue isnt worth the loss of Poppy.

Mortimer: Maybe not. But even so, what does the clue say?

Tuddle: ---

Squire Kipper takes some of Poppy's remaining herbs and puts them into her mouth. Then he grabs her jaw and makes her chew them down. And...

Poppy: Woah, did you just resurrect me with my own herbs?

Kipper: Yeah, I guess I did. Maybe Im going to learn herbology now...

Cosette: Physician, heal thyself... Glad your back, Hobbit.

Anais: I should have been guarding my Lady. Ive been remiss!

Lady Elerina: Nonsense! You did the important thing and held the frontline for the Fellowship. Anyway, I had help from Sir Haystacks. Rivendell owes you a blood debt.

Haystacks:  I am no "Sir" mi'lady. I am not a knight, just a fighting man of my country.

Lady Elerina: You do your country great honor...

She nods and then commands Haystacks to kneel before her.

Lady Elerina: I might be half-elven... but I am also half-human. And by the Conventions of the Great Alliance, I have the right to bestow honor to whomsoever I choose in Middle Earth. In the name of Sigmar, Asuryan, and all the hosts of the Valar, I give you the right to bear arms and the power to mete justice! Be brave, be just, and defend the innocent.

Haystacks: I pledge all that I still own. Muscle, bone, blood... and the heart that pumps it.

Lady Elerina: Arise, Sir Haystacks of Ringlo Vale, a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

 Mortimer the Brown and Lady Elerina: Hail, Azer from the Fiery Dimensions!

Azer Chief: Greetings, Wizard and Lady... *bows low*

Lady Elerina: Pardon me, Lord Azer, but do you know what has become of the Dwarves of Moria? Do any still live under the mountains?

Azer Chief: We do know that many Dwarf Kings and brave warriors went willingly into exile into the Void with Balin and Thorin at the end of the 3rd Age. And that they left a Dwarven presence here. But what became of that colony? No one has heard from them for many a year. And our own Teleport/Gate powers will not reach under mountain or into the Void. They did pre-pay us in full to watch over the Dwarven Tombs here in Redhorn Pass, but even so... we would also like to know what became of them. Afterall, we are distant relatives of the Duardin of Middle Earth. Even if we are from another dimension.

 Lady Elerina: If you wish, you may join us in our quest to enter Moria and seek any signs of the colony there. Perhaps in some rooms and tunnels there may yet be survivors in Khazad-Dum. We seek to find your kin, if they yet live. Will you help us? *the Azer nods affirmatively* Good and splendid! And Mortimer... what was the business with the Statue?

Mortimer the Brown: So the Clue that was found at the Statue was a post-it note that reads "Gooble, gobble, one of us."

Lady Elerina: I wonder what it means

Mortimer the Brown: Not sure, but I believe its from a black and white movie before my time. And I dont have Turner Movie Channel at home. But it is the password to enter Moria! Now all we have to do... is wait for night to fall and find the doors that glow in starlight and moonlight..."

And finally we have a pic of the warmaster general who commanded the outstanding victory for the Forces of Good and Order. He knows the answer to "what is good in life?" And just like the new pass to enter Moria, the same goes to Mr Joe P. "Gooble, gobble, one of us, one of us..." Mr Joe P is officially in the Moria Reclamation Blog now... by order of the Grand Poobah of The Barazinbar Lodge, Dimril Stair Chapter 777 *waves hands with masonic Crip/Blood/Triad handsigns*

And the dice gods were mostly there for him this game. I thought this scenario was going to be a Total Party Kill, but only one Azer fell and he didnt really die - just got deported . And Poppy, but she didnt die either. At the end of the game, I let him roll a d6 and on a 4+, Poppy wasnt dead just knocked unconscious. So.. this was a Total Party Victory!  How many of those do we see on this blog. Especially on this blog, where doom resides around every corner... no, thats not it. I forgot the leitmotif of my own blog. Oh its: Certain Doom And Most Probable Woe. Might have to change that with the way things are shaping up around here. Maybe its Certain Dum (as in Khazad-Dum) and Most Probable Whoa...

But this victory wasnt all about luck and good die rolls... It was good old fashioned strategy and paying attention to the clues. Joe didnt fall for the temptation of looting the mausoleums. And there were some tasty magic items to be looted! One was a Runefang weapon that negates enemy Saves. And the other was a Scepter of Inferno Wall that could lay down a wall of fire that lasts for a game. Ah, but the friendship of new allies is worth more than mere treasure. 

And while Haystacks was knighted by Lady Elerina. I cant help but feel Kipper the Squire needed a promotion too. 

So what happens next? Well before we enter Moria, there are even more new figures to showcase. 

Next post will have some sculpts from Paul Hicks and Boris Woloszyn.

Cheers,

Mar

PS... What songs were played during this game session?  Mostly some fine instrumental tunes from The Dungeon Synth Archive on Youtubes. But when battle action picked up, I switched the jukebox over to some modern prog with... Scale The Summit & Animals as Leaders. After the game, some "Faith Healer" from the Sensational Alex Harvey Band was played in honor of Poppy.