Tol-in-Gaurhoth CXIV – The Evil Breath of Morgoth in Dor-lómin, game thread

[Boromir88]

Yes, thank you.

Will Boro be found innocent in the eyes of Brinn?
Will our heroes be saved from Morgoth’s Black Plague?
Will the Innocent survive?

Tune in next time, same Wight-time. Same Wight-channel

[Loslote]

Well, if the wolf decides to accept his fate and go for me out of spite, it's been a really, really fun game.

[Nogrod]

After thinking over everything through and through for several times, Húrin knew what to do. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was what he had to do. He called the survivors under the oak and addressed them.

“My dear friends and kinsmen. It is time I share with you my knowledge and my decision”.

There was a keen silence and all the eyes were fixed on him.

“Morgoth has spoiled some of us and they have been franticly searching for someone who was in turn aided by the forces of light. It only became clear to me little by little, that I was the one. Remember when I was convinced old Sador had fallen under the spell: it felt wrong to me as his lord and friend of so many years, but somehow I knew it. Now I know another and will come clear with it, whatever it might mean to me.”

People were confused, especially about the last sentence.

“Now that I’m in the open, the last one will come to me, and he has the power of Morgoth in him, which I’m afraid is too much for me to fight against. I mean how were these ordinary people able to overpower Huor? He’s a strong warrior and he was armed, but still they beat him.”

People glanced at each other starting to realize the sacrifice Húrin was making. But Húrin turned lovingly to his wife and child.

“It may be I could have had something to do in the wars to come, but here and now as your lord, I’m responsible to you: to my family, my friends, my kinsmen. I couldn’t live if I didn’t do this now, and would then have lost any more of you my friends.”

Morwen bit her lip and took her husband by the hand.

“So…” Húrin broke the uneasy silence. “Algund and Gethron, take Forweg. He’s the second last Infector.”

With that the big man turned and came yelling wildly towards Húrin, but Algund and Gethron were on him already. Forweg struggled but finally, with the help of both Aerin and Húrin himself, he was tied down and dragged to the Great Hall.

“I may not wake up healthy tomorrow, but I trust you can find out the last one – as I know, it is either good old blind Ragnir or sweet Aerin. Others of you I know are not infected by this monstrosity."

"But we will defend you, everyone, we all!" Morwen said determinatedly. "Aren't we?"

The others agreed in unison. Only one of them was not sincere.


~*~


Dead, yes dead

Nogrod – “The Badger”, the Mod (dead on Night1)
Urwen – Glóredhel, healthy person (withered away in grief during Day2)


Quarantined

Galadriel55 – Andróg, the Cobbler (voted into QT on Day1)
Rikae – Haldir, formerly healthy person (infected by the shady Infectors on Night2)
Huinesoron – Hareth, an Infector (voted into QT on Day2)
Kitanna – Huor, the Ranger (infected in the woods by the Infectors on Night3)
Sally – Túrin, the Hunter (voted into QT on Day3)
Macalaure – Grithnir, healthy person (dragged into the QT by the Hunter on Day3)
Legate of Amon Lanc – Asgon, healthy person (infected sneakily on Night4)
Lhunardawen – Sador, an Infector (voted into QT on Day4)
Lalaith – Rían, healthy person (overrun and infected by the Infectors on Night5)
Inziladun – Halmir, healthy person (voted into QT on Day5)
Pitchwife – Turin’s Nurse, healthy person (infected by the Infectors on Night6)
THE Ka – Indor, an Infector (voted into QT on Day6)
Shastanis Althreduin – Brandir, healthy little child (outrageously infected on Night7)
Kath – Forweg, an Infector (unanimously quarantined on Day7)


Hanging around

Thinlómien
Loslote
A Little Green
Boromir88
Brinniel
Eönwë
Rune Son of Bjarne



It’s now Night 8


... and it is dark.

[Nogrod]

As the night fell the villagers gathered around a great fire under the village oak. Húrin and Morwen sat side by side beside the great old tree. Next to them on one side sat Algund and on the other Gethron, both soldiers looking grave but alert, their eyes intensely on the two people on the opposite side of the fire. Blind Ragnir seemed to look at nowhere like he did, and Aerin looked anguished.

Three years old Lalaith didn’t stand the silence and grimness of the situation she didn’t quite understand. She was not content to sit on her mother’s or father’s lap but wanted to go on running around, or sitting in either Ragnir’s or Aerin’s lap like she had used to. Her parents allowed her to climb in the tree for a while but even that fun didn’t last long. Finally, after a few hours of shared inconvenience for everyone – as there was nothing else to do or say for anyone around the fire but to follow her frustration and childish energy only slowly wearing out – she fell asleep in Morwen’s lap.

There was an awkward silence.

Suddenly Algund turned his head towards the gate. “Did you hear that?”, he whispered as the others tried to see into the darkness. “There is movement there”, Gethron said softly reaching silently for his bow.

“Orcs. This is no coincidence…” Húrin muttered between his teeth. He turned to Morwen. “Take Lalaith out from here”, he hissed, “But not to the Guesthouse or anyway far… Sador’s hut… that’s just around the corner, it has a sturdy door which can be bolted from inside”

Morwen looked startled, but still managed to look at her husband stoutly in the eyes, holding sleeping little Lalaith tighter to her bosom. She nodded.

“Go now, But go quietly” he leaned lightly towards her and kissed her shortly on the forehead. Morwen started backing away slowly and quietly.

“Whatever happens, you two, don’t leave my sight”, he said then to Ragnir and Aerin, quietly but clearly. “Fight for your life, but don’t try anything. Algund, Gethron or I myself will put killing either of you in front of any orc-bussiness, if one of you tries to sneak away.” With that he glanced at the two warriors. They nodded back to their lord.

Húrin threw his knife to Aerin. “I know you don’t carry a weapon, but it’s your right to fight for your life.”

Then the orcs were upon them.


~*~

An orc raiding-party, deserters from war, a few self-nominated brigands… whatever they were, it was clear to Húrin, Morgoth had his fingers in this. Of all the nights they broke into their village this night.

It was hard to say how many they were, but Húrin didn’t care of their numbers. He was ready to kill a hundred if it needed be so.

“Four on the left!” Gethron yelled while releasing his first arrow.

“At least six straight ahead!” called Algund drawing his blade.

“Fall back”, Húrin said sternly to Ragnir and Aerin. “You don’t want to receive the first blow”. Before rushing forwards with his sword he glanced the two one more time. “You watch each other as tightly as you watch these vile creatures! Defend, but don’t try to run away! I’ll be watching you. Even save you if I can.”

Gethron managed a second arrow before he had to draw his axe.

Algund was clearly shorthanded against several orcs – and Húrin flew to aid him.
Suddenly, as the battle had just begun, the orcs seemed to vanish in thin air. A black whirlwind blew through them and also Ragnir and Aerin were both gone.

Just as Húrin yelled his warriors to hurry back, there was a real enough orc-club hitting him in the back. He heard Algund roaring “My lord!” and then everything went black.


~*~

Morwen rushed towards Sador’s hut when she heard the fight start. Her blood ran cold but she forced herself to continue running even if she felt she was tripping in her dress with every step she made. Tears in her eyes she tried to reach the hut as fast as possible. Open the door. Bolt it behind you. Get into cover inside. Defend your sunshine. Defend the light of men. Fight like a shewolf.

Lalaith had woken up. She was wriggling in her arms trying to get free from her grip. “No Lalaith, not now! We need to make it to the hut!”

All of a sudden, just a few yards away from the hut, something or someone grasped her legs and she fell face on to the ground, partly stumbling to her own feet.
“Lalaith!” she cried as she fell down and felt her grip loosen form her child.

The last thing she was conscious of, before she was hit in the back with a knife, was Lalaith screaming, sounding more confused than afraid.


~*~

There weren’t that many orcs after all. Maybe a half a dozen. When the phantoms of Morgoth disappeared, Algund and Gethron had only two real ones to deal with. Rushing back they ran into blind Ragnir standing alone with his small blade in the darkness shaking all over. Húrin was down but seemed alive. Gethron stayed with their lord with Ragnir while Algund rushed towards Sador’s hut.

There he found Morwen lying on the ground face down and bleeding heavily from a wound on her back.

“Where is the Laughter?”, he yelled so loud Morwen came to her senses.

“Lalaith!” she cried out. “Someone took her…”, she added murmured, trying to force herself up. With the help of the old soldier, Morwen managed to get up to her feet and they limped slowly towards the Great Hall. Gethron and Ragnir had dragged Húrin there as well.

The door of the Great Hall opened slowly. Aerin stepped to the doorway holding Lalaith in her arms.

“You won this fight. But Morgoth took your hope of a future with his failure.”
With that she closed the door – it was all over.



Left healthy and alive in the end

Brinniel – Húrin
Thinlómien – Morwen
A Little Green - Algund
Eönwë - Gethron
Rune Son of Bjarne – Blind Ragnir


The Quarantined

Galadriel55 – Andróg, the Cobbler (voted into QT on Day1)
Rikae – Haldir, formerly healthy person (infected by the shady Infectors on Night2)
Huinesoron – Hareth, an Infector (voted into QT on Day2)
Kitanna – Huor, the Ranger (infected in the woods by the Infectors on Night3)
Sally – Túrin, the Hunter (voted into QT on Day3)
Macalaure – Grithnir, healthy person (dragged into the QT by the Hunter on Day3)
Legate of Amon Lanc – Asgon, healthy person (infected sneakily on Night4)
Lhunardawen – Sador, an Infector (voted into QT on Day4)
Lalaith – Rían, healthy person (overrun and infected by the Infectors on Night5)
Inziladun – Halmir, healthy person (voted into QT on Day5)
Pitchwife – Turin’s Nurse, healthy person (infected by the Infectors on Night6)
THE Ka – Indor, an Infector (voted into QT on Day6)
Shastanis Althreduin – Brandir, healthy little child (outrageously infected on Night7)
Kath – Forweg, an Infector (unanimously quarantined on Day7)
Loslote – Lalaith, a totally innocent and healthy villager (kidnapped by the last Infector on Night8)
Boromir88 – Aerin, an Infector (self-surrendered in the end of Night8)


~*~


THE GAME IS OVER


VILLAGE WIN!

THE INFECTORS CLAIM THE CONSOLATION PRIZE.



What a game this was!

And it earned a decent finish instead of withering away slowly. Thanks to Boro for wishing to make it thus.



I suggest we should have the discussion in the “Discussion Thread”, but whatever and where-ever. Let’s try to keep it in one Thread anyway. That means Tol-in-Gaurhoth CXIV – The Evil Breath of Morgoth in Dor-lómin, discussion thread



PS. Well, it was not exactly “all over”. The people in the quarantine were just ill – or some even healthy. One can recover from illness and one can get infected if hanging with people who are already ill, and surely, some people die from illness while others don’t.

I did the “behind the scenes” epidemiological survey to find out what happened to everyone.

Coming in a moment...

[Nogrod]

What happened to everyone who were put on the quarantine?

Well, here's what happened.


Andróg (G55) might have his leanings, but he was healthy when he got into the QT and stayed so until D4 when he got ill by Hareth (Huinesoron). Somehow he fell really deep into the sickness, getting deeper into it, like triple-infection, both on N&D5. He never recovered from that and was banished from the village – to make a career as an outlaw.

The first actually infected person to enter the QT was Haldir (Rikae) for 9 consecutive Days/Nights before she gor better. He didn’t infect anyone, but there were questions asked afterwards, whether he should have fought more valiantly in the Nirnaeth….

Hareth (Huinesoron) did infect Asgon (Legate), but otherwise was unsuccessful in her attempts to spread the virus. In the end she recovered only just and just to see her sons flourish and then wither away.

Huor (Kitanna) got infected a double infection immediately on arrival, and more on D4 and N8. He was also sadly responsible for infecting old Halmir who later died into his illness and never saw the battlefield again. Huor did miraculously survive seeing Aerin and Lalaith coming in and gathered all his spiritual energy to save the little Lalaith from infection. After the recovery he was only a shell of his former self and died in a less glorified manner in Nirnaeth.

Túrin (Sally) stayed well from the very first Night he was put into the Quarantine and never felt any symptoms of the disease. Unfathomable are the ways of Valar.

Grithnir (Macalaure) got infected one Night and one Day after he was quarantined against anyone’s will on Day3 by Túrin. He was well built and strong though, and even if he didn’t exactly get well during the time of our story, he did incidentally recover from the illness – to pay it back by helping Túrin in his adventures.

Asgon (Legate) was infected by Night but as a steadfast warrior got over it in relatively short time. So he was able to help Túrin later on, like the original legendarium tells us.

Poor old Sador (Lhuna) showed some decent resistance against Morgoth’s spells and did actually get fine in a few days. With Túrin and Huor he was one of those who were locked in the QT for the longest being heatlhy.

Rían (Lalaith) did indeed fight for her life, being very ill all the time believing her husband would die. She did survive in the end upon hearing Haldir had gotten better against all odds. She committed a suicide after news from Nirnaeth and Haldir’s final death spread to Brethil Woods.

Old Halmir (Inziladun) entered the QT healthy, but got the infection from Huor. It was a sad business indeed. Like Morgoth himself had planned it. Being too old and weak, Halmir never entered a battlefield again after this episode. Sadly his son and heir wasn’t able to fill his place in Nirnaeth and the results were that much worse.

Túrin’s Nurse (Pitchwife) was a healthy young woman and fought the illness over in a couple of days coming out fresh and clean, ready to take care of the children once again.

Indor (THE Ka) was too old and weak to resist Morgoth’s spell and even if everyone tried their best he did in the end die on it. A little prematurely maybe, but not long before it would have been his time anyway.

Brandir (Shasta) was a little child, and his body just pushed the virus away, like a child forgets a bad thing when seeing ice-cream (like meeting healthy Túrin inside to play with).

Forweg (Kath) had been under Morgoth’s spell for a long time, but he was a stout man and did away with it quite easily. Some people still think that his later destinies were tied into this little incident. Otherwise he might have been counted among the heroes of men, instead of being remembered just as a decent outlaw.

Lalaith (Lottie) went into the QT forced by Aerin, but she laughed all the way – and rejoiced even more meeting her brother there – and Brandir – and if there was a sign of an infection in her by Aerin, she did recover from it astonishingly fast and without notice.

Aerin (Boro) had a strong will and recovered in the end – even if it took time. She was thus able to help Morwen in the future and was an instrumental part of the story of the Children of Húrin.