040 - We're not in Kansas anymore.

Session 14 - Frost Wedging part 2 of 3. 

A chip from the Imenstone

The company is exploring here the possibility to cross into the shadow world in order to advance their quest for the Palantirs. 

Act 39 - Lossoth Tales...
Act 40 - We're not in Kansas anymore
Act 41 - Five wraiths in Mulkan 

Gwirith 29th, Midday 

Act 40, Scene 1 - Going up...

The air was thick like pea soup, a heavy sleet was washing the ice bank. Reitu pointed at the cliff where the fjord meets the bay. "It is easy to find, good luck, Southrons". The fact that their guide flatly refused to follow wasn't enough of a warning of things to come. The company crossed the icy kilometer to the foot of the cliff. The ambient light started to shift from white to blue. A rhythmic wind ebbed from the heights. The trek up the cliff would take 10 minutes. From the chiseled rocks overhead, the skeleton of a giant walrus peeked forward, but then recoiled at the sight of the warding totems. Finbert cued the company to two other tall skeletal figures lurking in the gray backdrop. Halin, Galdor and Kasper kept the totems high as the company resumed their hike upward. The demons kept on recoiling, kicking stones that tumbled down to the company's feet. At one point, one of the bone terror slipped downhill beyond sight. The light faded to a deep purple. The flight of countless bats could be heard, making circles above their heads. 

When they reached the edge of the cliff, the rhythmic breathing had gotten intense and seemed to originate from a circle of standing stones. The snowy ground was a vast boneyard, thousands of bats were grasping at any rough surface available. The only sound to be heard was the low breathing from the Imenstone shrine. The bone terrors could approach closer due to the lower light, but the totems still kept them at bay.   

Act 40, Scene 2 - The shrine of the Imenstone

The bats were roused from the arrival of the company and made the sky swirl around. The company, now huddled into a tight  circle within the protective ward of the totems, teetered through bones to the shrine. A circle of 20m diameter was made with tightly erected stones. Arnadil and Finbert climbed the wall and dropped ropes on either side. At the center of it stood a spire of obsidian, some 3m tall. The ground around was littered with bones, almost knee deep. The waves of bats around the Imenstone mingled with wraith bats. The wraith bats were making tight circles around, passing through the spire while making bright green streaks. The company crossed into the shrine by climbing over the wall and found their footing inside. Kasper lost no time to drop to his knees and look for shards on the ground among the bones. Finbert followed suit. The wraith bats got more agitated and widened their circles to swoop through the company. The character fell them passing through like tears on their souls, their knees started to weaken. Soon, their entire attention deferred to dodging wraith bats for survival. Galdor poked the Imenstone with his totem, Thannolf threw a knife at it. This stirred the wraith even more. Many of the company members were on the brink of collapse, unable to face a hasty climb back over the wall. 

Act 40, Scene 3 - Kissing that toad

Halin put his totem against the wall and took a strong swing against the Imenstone. A green flash engulfed the shrine and further shredded life force from the company members. On the brink of collapse, Arnadil fell to his knees and located a shard chipped away by the hammer blow. With seconds to live, Kasper, Arnadil and Finbert nodded at each other and put a hand on a shard. Their clothes fell to the ground in a puff of air. Galdor could see over an empty suit of armor Kasper's green outline, still wearing the amulet. Galdor yelled over the shrieks of the bats and the breathing from the stone. Finbert reappeared beside him, naked and confused. Thannolf, dodging one last wraith bat, walked up to the Imenstone and layed his hand on it. His clothes fell to the ground as it peeled from his outline. He flashed right back (in his birthday suit) to the world of the living and ordered all to grab a shard from the ground. He instructed Araliniel to pull off the ninth orb, which was snatched by Kasper's wraith. Out of option, Halin smashed his hammer on the Imenstone two more times while the blinded company inched on their knees to find shards. Finbert, Thannolf, Araliniel vanished from sight. Irina was torn, her Took's itch got the best of her and she put her hand down in a chip of obsidian. 

Sir Galdor and Halin remained in the shrine. Their mind was made: they would not touch the Imenstone at any cost. The shapes of their friends flew upward, taking with them Astor (Arnadil's gondolin sword) and their amulets. It was now high time to run: the dwarf and the knight took to their feet and stumbled as fast they could over the shrine's wall. The chaos somewhat subsided when they made it out. Galdor pointed into the sky at the shapes of the other company members, the bone terrors started to crowd them again. 

The other company members departed due south along the edge of the cliff, leaving them behind. Behind but not alone.