"Someone help Anglomir!" William hollered, leaving the Wight that Talin had been tangling with, seeing that Gorlim and Annphor were now dealing with it. He runs to grab his sword, and then moves to give aid to Anglomir. He leaps up and tries to chop off the Wight's hand.
(Is it COMPLETELY covered in armor? No open spaces? No easy was to cut off limbs?)
A cliff on the Downs? Nope, and even your Elven eyes can see not much. Talin did HURT his one with that axe blow, y'know. It just isn't as dead as most things would be.
It is full plate armour, William. Hard to hack off anything without mighty blows.
Gorlim and Annphor will indeed take on that one. You can ALL concentrate on the other. The Wight struggles as William leaps upon it and Anglomir is freed...
Neat, though Gorlim and Annphor are on that one.
Still, time is a passin' rapidy, and Anglomir, the last man in danger, has been freed. Nearby, you hear another great shriek as Gorlim runs his Wight through, directly.
The remaining Wight spins again and again as it sees all of you around it. It speds back. and there is a blinding flash of lightning- and it is gone.
-
Ok folks, you have survived the encounter with the Barrow Wights! That is impressive in of itself. Sadly you were not able to personally defeat any, which was wort a bonus.
It was possible- at the story's conclusion, as ever, I shall list ways in which it could be done.
But don;t feel too down because this was decidedly NOT an easy encoutner- you were surprised, seperated, and very much under pressure. Still, this won't be the only fight that you are not exactly ready for. Lacking a Jedi danger sense, this is the kind of fight you will have to bear in mind.
-
The horses are found first- Emoras before all of them- the Wights having left them. Six men are found dead near the camp. Another dozen never return, vanished in the fog.
"We killed it, Annphor! We killed it!" Gorlim is saying triumphantly.
"We did, Gorlim, we did!" They seem quite happy., Gorlim is a better fighter than you might have thought. He IS a Dunadan Lord, after all. Nice sword he has, too... something for you guys to work towards!
"Now, what exactly WAS all that? And why are they wearing Cardolani armour?" asks Gorlim.
Aiwendil- you can explain, because now ou know. The very ground is under attack. It is your connetion with the Land that made you feel so ill- you shatred in the curse.
These Downs have been possessed by evil. Evil the like of which you had never imagined- a cold evil, from the north, in the mountains.
"What, ALL the Downs?" asks Gorlim. "But... there are several thousand dead buried in them!"
Everyone looks at each other.
five minutes later
"OUT! OUT THE DOWNS!" comes the cry. You are all pelting it east as soon as possible- guided by Palanfirith- to get out of this cursed land before it kills you...
Vardalain told you what they were, Talin- they were used in ancient times to ward off the dead.
It seems, for sure, that Melbeth was no phony.
"Well, Seer or not we were glad for them," says Gorlim.
As you ride on, the fog is thinning as day breaks.
"There!" says Gorlim. "There is the road!" Greatefylly, you ride out of the Fog on the Downs, and back into what appears a more real world.
"Of course," sas Gorlim, "we are rather back to where we startd now... Dunlending riaders around here... but I would rather face a hundred Dunlendings then any of them again!"
You all need sleep- your night's rest was interrupted.
"I think we should rest until after midday," says Gorlim, "and then make a straight line to Baronar as soon as possible!
Byt the way... thankyou to you all for standing and fighting. You all did yourselves credit. Our wounded can recover at Baronar, I am sure."
Nah, you are right, Candy...
"Spoken like a gentleman, sir," says Gorlim, offering his hand.
Thankgfully, you sleep well. Your rest is only ddisturbed by one incident- when a rider approaches, causing momentart panic in the camp.
"It's an Elf," remarks a surprised sentry- as Itarilde comes across the camp.
This is good fortue, Itarilde. A happy, and not unattractive man dressed well, comes to greet you.
"Why, good morrow, Mistress Elf!" he says. "I am Lord Gorlim from the Court of King Arvedui; what brings you to this land?"
A Dunadan Lord no less, Itarilde- worth your attention, unlike many humans.