Land of Darkness Discussion Thread

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

I'm back baby!

Good luck with the cleanup, Fordim. I have been following the news reports and was aghast to hear that officials had even asked people not to drain their basements yet because the flooding is so extensive and may threaten the water supply. I hope at least none of your books were stored in the basement. At least I gather your computer was not!

My basement is indeed drained, although we have not yet been able to get a crew out here to clean it up, so the house is beginning to smell a bit, shall we say, ripe. . . Sad to say that I did have a rather large store of books in the basement, most of which are now lost (I only managed to salvage two boxes).

This is all right, as I have too many books anyway. At least my well loved, dog eared copy of LotR is up here in my office, safe and sound.

At any event -- the game!

This is to let you all know that at some point tomorrow morning (EDT), SHE will make her formal entrance. So if you have any last posts/thoughts on the attack in the tunnel, get them up now!

BTW - I love the ingenious ideas you've all come up with to fight off the beasties. I will warn you now, however, that a few rocks and some foul smoke ain't going to do nothing to Shelob but make her even more angry!!

[Novnarwen]

I've just posted.

Rhând might want to steal some of that yellow surverah, to use when he has had enough of the other prisoners.

Let me know if my latests posts needs editing. (I filled my save, last post oage 2, yesterday..)

Cheers,
Nova

(PS! I'm sorry about your basement, Fordim. Hope it'll be alright! Glad you are back though. )

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

She's here! She's here!!

OK, so now you all get to fight Shelob. Feel free to post about the battle however you wish -- get involved in fighting her, try to get away, cower against the all in terror, whatever.

There are, however, certain things that we should all take note of:

First, there is nowhere to hide in this chamber. It is her trap and she's crafted ti well -- all tunnels are blocked by webs that cannot be broken through, all crannies are too small to protect you.

Second, please remember the description of Shelob given us by Tolkien and do her full justice. She's not just a big spider, but one of the primary evil beings of M-E. Her hide is impenetrable by any kind of weapon we have, so hack away but it won't do any good. Sulphur will make her mad, but hey -- give it a shot! Fire is not her favourite thing, but our little torches will only hurt and annoy.

She has but two vulnerable points: her eyes and the wound given her by Sam. Please do not be too free with these, however, as she will be very careful to protect both. She has a lot of eyes, anyway, so even if we take out a few she'll still be able to see. If (and it's a big if) someone can get close enough to her belly to exploit the wound there, we might be able to do some damage, but it won't be enough to kill her (at least, not right off the bat).

So fight fight fight, but there's no way in Mordor we're going to be able to kill her quite yet. . .

(But don't worry, we're going to get out of here. . .somehow )

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Nice post Bethberry. This more properly belongs in a PM, but I've noticed this cropping up in a few posts so far, so please Bb don't feel as though I'm singling you out. . . (although even if I did, I'm sure you could stick up for yourself mightily ).

Nova has thrown us all a bit of a curve ball since her character Rhand is going by the name Aldor -- so please, all, refer to him as Aldor and think of him as a Gondorian.

I'm sure he'll show his true colours eventually, though. . .(?)

[Bêthberry]

Eeks, yes, it was midnight when I wrote and I wondered who the heck was Aldor. Anyhow, I have as per instructions from our mighty G.O. changed the name and called him a Gondorian. Hmmm. Maybe I will make that the arrogant Gondorian?

[Amanaduial the archer]

Fordim, O Mighty Cap'n G.O. - Just a reminder of what I told you before the game opened: as of Friday, I will be absent for a week and a day, and very probably unable to post. Sorry 'bout that, cap'n ()

EDIT: *evil laughter*

[Novnarwen]

I've filled my save.

I'll be away for a week from tomorrow morning. I will have computer access the last part of the week. It will still be very limited, so I'm not sure wheter I'll be able to post much.

Cheers,
Nova

[Himaran]

Sarin: Dwali came to your aid, but is now stuck up in a nitch... thirty feet from the ground. Perhaps, if you wish to continue the battle, Shelob could sort of clamber up there... She's still got Zuromor on her back, but wants to go after the dwarf, as he presents an accessible target.

Himaran


EDIT: sorry about the double post - didn't realize that no one had posted. Doesn't anyone have anything interesting to say??

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

All right -- on to the next stage of the story!

I apologise for the long post, but something as dramatic as the passing of Shelob, I felt, deserved a bit of a full treatment.

At any rate, looking onward.

The company is now on a ledge high up the inside walls of Mordor. We're not far from Cirith Ungol but it's out of sight. For those of you with good maps of Mordor, we're just about directly above the bridge that the road to Minas Morgul uses to cross the Morgai.

It's my hope that we might be able to slow things down bit now (in terms of the action, not the posting!) and have a bit of a 'rest'. It's been roughly 24 hours since the prisoners escaped so I think they're due for some food and water (if any survived the encounter with Shelob that is! ), as well as rest. There's also a lot for the company to discuss. In addition to all the interesting plot threads that have begun already (and please please please pursue these!) we need to figure out:

1) where to go and what to do next?

2) what do do about the unconscious Bror.

3) what to do with Dorim's body.

If anyone wants to scout around a bit, you will find that the ledge to the north peters out and ends at a very long drop down. To the south it goes down and becomes kind of a path that seems to lead toward the Morgul Road. . .

One last thing -- if anyone wants to get in a last post with Shelob, just PM it to me and I will paste it into the beginning of my post.

[Aylwen Dreamsong]

Hey everyone,

I had a couple things to mention here, and one is that my save just before Shelob's end has been filled. The other I have already PMed Fordim about, and that is vacation time. I will be unable to post basically from tomorrow, Tuesday July 27 until Tuesday August 3.

And, as I mentioned to Fordim, you may do as you wish with Jeren, so long as he lives and keeps at least one leg.

-Aylwen

[Kransha]

Ok, my save, she is filled.

Bror has come to terms, some terms, with Dorim's sad demise, pondered it a bit, and talked (or is talking) with Morgoroth. CaptainOfDespair, tell me if I need to edit my edit and I will gladly oblige. Bror is still the same hard, pessimistic Dwarf he was, but softened now by some friendship. Unfortunately, Dorim's death has desensitized him even more and, despite the spider poison in his veins, he's out for blood, or will be whenever a hapless orc comes along.

P.S. Fearless Leader Fordim: Bror has settled the matter of Dorim. The dwarf will be left where he lies, some Dwarven prayers only to protect him. Otherwise, we can only hope that he stays where he is...not that he has anywhere to go.

[The Perky Ent]

He kicked the bucket! Very sad. Good post BTW, Kransha. One can only hope those dwarven prayers can protect my body...although after the ring is destoryed and lava goes everywhere, I can't make any promisses. Dorim has been put to rest, and as such, so have I in this RPG. Though the body is gone, the spirit remains...wait, there's the lava again It was a pleasure writing with y'all, even if it was very short. Thank you very much for your time

- Perky

PS: As a matter of fact, Kransha, Dorim has a haircut next thursday, so he does have somewhere to go See all y'all around the downs!

[Himaran]

Bror has come to terms, some terms, with Dorim's sad demise, pondered it a bit, and talked (or is talking) with Morgoroth. CaptainOfDespair, tell me if I need to edit my edit and I will gladly oblige. Bror is still the same hard, pessimistic Dwarf he was, but softened now by some friendship. Unfortunately, Dorim's death has desensitized him even more and, despite the spider poison in his veins, he's out for blood, or will be whenever a hapless orc comes along.

Captain of Despair - my post is similar to this. Dwali was thoroughly broken by Dorim's death, and realizes that Morgoroth acted selflessly and bravely in the tunnels. Although still frustrated, confused and rage-filled, he sees it time to end this little fued. Let me know if I portrayed your character incorrectly!

Himaran

[Kransha]

O.K. (I wonder what that stands for), I have a post up.

Generalissimo Fordim, I 'sort of' covered the first point, or at least made it clear that Grash wants to do that, and that he has some support. This can be continued. Tell me, Fordim, if anything in the post needs to be edited, as it well might be. Same with anyone. I used a lot of people...kind of...I just indicated them, I suppose, but I might have gotten something wrong.

So, Bror's really, really disgruntled, and making himself a lot of enemies, (he's inadvertantly insulted Zurumor, Raeis, Grash, Lyshka, Darash, and Jeren). He wants to keep going on the Morgul Road, but Grash thinks it's better not to (right, Fordim?). Now, he's sulking...very sulkily...in a sulky fashion...yes...

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Your post, Peon Kransha, needs no editing from my point of view -- in fact, you've done such a good job with Grash that I might just be able to retire from the thread altogether and let you take it over (my dead body).

Also, very nicely done CoD, I genuinely love how Morgoroth is able to reflect on the group in that objetive way without objectifying them or remaining emotionally aloof.

A reminder to other posters -- please keep moving us through the remaining points in my list. So long as no-one actually gets us to the Morgul Road (until I do at the end of the week) we can keep talking and interacting on the long path down. . .

[Aylwen Dreamsong]

Hey everyone!

I've returned, sunburned, to my good old home. I'm working on a post and should have it up sometime tomorrow.

-Aylwen

[Kransha]

At last, my post, she is up!

It's very long, and took a bit, but crucial. Just because I love lists so much, I;m going to list every new developement my post entailed.

1. The Orc Army, or roughly 50-100 of the thousands of orcs in the horde, are currently engaged in an all-out battle for no real reason. It was set off by Bror, and is now completely out of control. It's only in one area, though, not the whole army's span. Only some orcs and folks will be affected. It does have the attention of the Ringwraith, though.

2. Zurumor, Raeis, and Bror are about to be made into elf-man-dwarf kabobs by an angry Nazgul. In other words: They need help.

3. Anyone can intervene, step in, whatever, as long as something happens. Remember what I said about kabobs?

[Amanaduial the archer]

Captain Fordim and the most disreputable players of LoD,

I will be without internet access until Sunday afternoon (possibly I will have a snippet on Saturday, late evening, but it is unlikely), and I leave in about an hour - I will be traipsing around various universities with my sister in an attempt to find one she likes...*sigh*

Farewell!

[Durelin]

Vacation time is over, much to my relief, and so I will be back posting. As you might have noticed, while on vacation, I had less access to a computer than expected. Thank you for dragging Jordo along for me in my neglect of him...

Forgive me, it was not of my intent!

-Durelin

[Himaran]

Hey! My computer is finally purged of viruses and reformatted, so i once again have internet access. I will try to fill in both remaining saves today, and then post regularly. I have a lot of reading to do.

Himaran

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Welcome back Himaran. I well know the agony of a virusy computer

And welcome back also to Durelin. I hope you enjoyed your vacation despite the shocking lack of computer access.

See you in about a week Aman *sob* Mayphap you will post a few lines on the game thread before aband. . .erm. . .absenting yourself for a while?

*gentle nudge*

That was for everyone else. Shelob's here, large as life and twice as nasty. Don't be afraid to get in there and mix things up a bit with her.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Twice as nasty as life? Dear me, now that is nasty...

Ah, you are a hard taskmaster, Fordim - I posted but three days ago! Slavemaster! Joking, joking - I intended to post again before I went, if possible. Is there any particular way in which you want us to go about it?