[Huinesoron]

Well, it's been so long that I can't even remember what happened to Elwing, but fortunately I have her log file saved. Looks like she ran into Gorlim, Betrayer of Barahir on Dungeon Level 45, and he woke up and killed her in a single turn. Whoops!

Lavender I

I've got a new character on the quest to kill Morgoth now: Lavender, a Hobbit Ranger. I actually considered which race and class would go together well for once: Hobbits are great at stealth and shooting, so a Ranger seemed a natural fit. Lavender's plan was to stand waaaay back and just shoot everything before it could reach her.

... then, on DL 17, she killed Smeagol, who for some reason was carting around Aiglos, the Spear of Gil-Galad. Which is a stunningly good weapon. I haven't found anything else that can do even half its damage - and Lavender is down on DL 63 now! The spear is branded with Cold, so anything which doesn't resist cold gets increased damage. It's also got a powerful charm against the undead, and will currently average 530 damage per round against them, at a time when the strongest enemies I'm seeing have less than 2000 health total.

Lavender's also racked up her speed to +29, combining a pair of Leather Boots of Elvenkind (+9), a Ring of Speed (+10), and the Ranger spell Haste Self (+10, and I'm recasting it every time it runs out). She moves as fast as Morgoth himself! She's also carrying 3 rods of Slow Monster, which she uses with impunity; there are very few enemies she doesn't end up getting 2 or even 3 turns in a row against before they can respond. Plus she has a Decoy spell, which places a Decoy which monsters will preferentially attack... a couple of levels back she killed both Saruman and Shelob without either landing a hit.

Things are getting more dangerous though, as Lavender approaches the level where Irime II died (my deepest run to date). Not long ago she nearly died to a swarm of 9-headed hydras; even with her resistance to poison, one poison breath did nearly 200 damage, and she only has 650 health. She teleported away and snuck back to take them out one by one, but the next time she saw a hydra pit she stayed far away.

More recently, she discovered that a Hobbit's native Hold Life (prevents experience drain) does nothing against Time Hounds. She was able to scrounge up a Scroll of Banishment and just delete all Hounds from the level, but otherwise she would have just avoided the whole region.

Can Lavender reach DL 100 and kill Morgoth? We'll have to see. I'm optimistic at present, but pride goeth before the >> It breathes >> You die.

EDIT: The Mouth of Sauron was hanging out on DL 63. With his 7000 health (Lavender has a Rod of Probing which tells her exactly what an enemy has), he took a looong time to whittle down. He dropped both a Nether Bolt and a Mana Storm which each knocked her from near-full health to almost dead, and his attacks have drained most of her wands and weakened her stuff; but by downing Healing and *Healing* potions like they were water, Lavender has slain the Mouth and avenged Irime II.

EDIT2: hahaha she ran into a Werewolf of Sauron on the very same level and it killed her stone dead.

hS