Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! Off to Moria Darbur goes

There have been moments in Darbur's adventures when he can't help but sit around a fire and think about this experience we call Life. How do we get true fulfillment? What makes us happy? When will we see our families again? How can we reign victorious over the unachievable? These quiet ponderings turn into precious moments of reflection for Darbur. More often than not, his mind is filled with the great tales of Moria. His ambitions feed off of every dwarf's dream of reclaiming and becoming a champion of Khazad-dum. One day, he thinks, Moria will return to its inherent glory.

His journeyings eventually lead him to Eregion, where the great rings of power were forged. On Eregion's doorstep he finds the Walls of Moria, within which lies a hidden doorway leading under the mountain. En route, Darbur encounters some old friends! He and Dewitt toast to their friendship. He can't wait to see them again on another leg of his journey.

Yes, it's in a snowy area. Again.

In the meantime, Darbur helps some locals fend off half-orcs, wargs, crebain, and many other pests. He settles a score with a few captains of the witch-king of Angmar. Once Eriador is safe from the Threat From The North, he knows it's time to move on.

It's off to Moria.

There is some initial trepidation. What will he find down there? Will he be able to meet up with his distant cousins? What if something bad happened to them? (Why else has there been no word from the Lords of Moria?) Will he be able to overcome the dangers that lurk in the darkness? With no other method to answer his questions but to go inside, he ventures to the doorway. He encounters the Watcher in the Water, but he whacks at its tentacles and scurries inside.

Finally, finally, the smells of ore and deposits enter his system, and he feels a renewed energy. Finally, his eyes set sights on gorgeous statues, vast caverns, and hallowed halls. The air is cold yet full of anticipation. He realizes he is being given privileges most dwarves can only dream of. Grateful, he proceeds.

Darbur is an explorer through and through. He could spend weeks, months, years in Moria and still be amazed at how each hall connects with another, how each wall can be a mural, how each stair is endless yet still too short. As soon as he enters Moria, one of his favorite spots is none other than the well at the Chamber of the Crossroads.

What a beaut.

 He steps up to the well...

It's a long way down. No sight of the bottom.

 Leap of faith on 3. 1....2.....

3!!
All of a sudden he's falling through the large cavern that is the Water-works.
(I love the commentary the game gives. "That was a deep well." No kidding.
For the full effect of all the pictures, click on the first one and use arrow keys to cycle through the next ones in succession.)

There's no image of him crashing into the water, but he does. He instantly meets with misadventure and is incapacitated.

Worth it. Two thumbs up.

Entered Moria level: 57.

Guinoriel versus Gollum, Round 1

One day, while Guinoriel is traversing the dense flora that is Echad Candelleth in The Trollshaws, she comes across a fellow elf who asks a small deed of her. This elf had apparently felled a white hart in days past, yet it was dark, and he lost his hunt. So he asks Guinoriel to go to where he shot it down, and retrieve his arrows. (Why he couldn't do it himself, who would know exactly where to find it, is beyond me.) Guinoriel doesn't really want to, but she needs to get into good graces with elf-kind, so she goes about on the hunt for the elf's arrows.

She finds the white beast, all right. Except it's not very white anymore. In fact, it's been quite...taken apart... by some unknown creature. Disgusted yet curious, Guinoriel follows tracks of the offender, which leads her past remains of fishes that have been picked to the bone. The trail eventually takes her to a little cottage inhabited by a small family. They confide that at night, they get tormented by some beast/creature, who takes their food and nearly snatches their young one! They enlist Guinoriel's help to set up a trap for the creature, after which they can finally capture it and dispose of it however they see fit. So, she gathers a bundle of fish and lays it below a window of the house, and waits for the cover of nightfall. The moment finally arrives when...

The creature sneaks to the house...

It takes the bait...

So Guinoriel runs after him to capture him! But he's too fast and too sneaky, and he eludes her grasp by climbing up a cliff face.

The menace gets away, but Guinoriel gets the sense that the battle isn't quite over. He now knows she exists, and she refuses to let a fight go unfinished. For good or for evil, Gollum now plays a part in Guinoriel's story. Only time will tell when these foes will reunite. One question lurks in Guinoriel's mind: was she the hunter, or was she the hunted? She will continue on to Rivendell. Hopefully, there she can get the answer she seeks.

Current level: 45

Cynfleda goes incognito

Let us first establish that Cynfleda is from Rohan. The land of the horse-lords. The land given to Eorl the Young. The land whose residents are hardy, stubborn, and unrelenting, yet full of heart and strong of will. Cynfleda takes pride in her heritage and that of her people. She does what she judges to be right. Yes, she makes mistakes, but never with evil intentions. She's seen perils of war and sorrows of victims.

Her journeys lead her to Dunland. What she experiences there is a test of her heart and determination. She meets many small, warring clans there. Many of them are nice people, for the most part. They must first get over their distrust for outsiders, but Cynfleda proves herself as a worthy boon wherever she goes.

There is just one problem:

They hate the people of Rohan.

They believe the land of Rohan is rightfully theirs, and Eorl's people stole it from them. A good number of them agree to the idea of siding with the wizard Saruman, just so they can be on whatever side Rohan isn't. They are eager to fight.

Prideful though she is, Cynfleda has to conceal her true self, hopeful that the Dunlendings can see her as a person and not an enemy. She feels conflicted with many of the tasks they have her do. They go against her core beliefs and morals. Yet do them she must if she is to gain repute. She does not want to make enemies, though she is far from calling them friends. They cannot know who she really is.

Fortunately for her, there are some Dunlendings who don't trust Saruman, and want nothing to do with him. Cynfleda finds more favor with those people, even if they may seem few and far between.

Sometimes, finding an ally among the enemy is all that can be done.

Current level: 75.