Wasteful Wanderings 6: In which Gryfflet's completionist tendencies suffer a setback
13Gryfflet has been keeping an eye on the Black Gate while awaiting our return so he is more than ready to proceed to the camp of Lang Rhuven to create some trouble for Sauron's armies. His initial attempts to be sneaky prove less than successful so he is willing to divert to Fushaum Gund, a new camp, where he has more luck. He is excited when he discovers the entrance to Carchost, one of the Towers of the Teeth, but decides to defer exploration until he has cleaned up outside. He is dismayed to discover that Lang Rhuven is an area designated for groups, usually six-strong, but manages until he is attacked by a foe that refuses to approach within range and defeats him, forcing a retreat halfway across the map. He sneaks back in and tries to engage with his target but is rebuffed, so he decides to ignore that quest and proceed with the rest which he accomplishes almost seamlessly…when he discovers that he is supposed to escort some horses out of the camp, his history with such quests prompts him to defer until he has conferred with the quest-givers. Thurindol and Candúr are impressed with his initial progress and give him more to do, sending him to the dungeons underneath the Towers of the Teeth. He therefore returns to Fushaum Gund and enters Carchost where he is tasked with slaughtering crawlers and burning tents so he sets to with a will. At first it goes moderately well but although he finds the tunnel through to Narchost, which is packed with crawlers, he is unable to find a way through to Skoironk, the dungeon beneath. Surrounded by foes he succumbs and is sent across the map again, so he tries again. This time he finds the remaining tents to burn, narrowly avoiding another defeat, but still cannot find the way through to the other dungeon. Frustrated he returns to camp and travels overland to the vicinity of Narchost where he discovers a tunnel that seems to be the entrance he was supposed to use. There is time to enter and find out what he is expected to do, then burn some tents and collect some bones, but then the session ends so we leave him in the company of some giant slugs until next time.
"Good thing nobody notices that!"
"OK, that guy is the most oblivious Mordor Raider ever!"
"I will follow the narrative of the quest and not be impatient!"
"How do I fight him? Can I get up there? You're kidding me!"
"Holy inconvenient rez circle!"
"As a completionist I disapprove of that!"
"What? Is there anyone here? I don't know what you're talking about!"
"I really do like their commitment to concept here!"
"I have no quarrel with the bats, just the crawlers for some reason!"
"Hey, why is this tent not flammable?"
"Well, I think that's lame!"
"No wonder I didn't notice it, because it doesn't exist!"
"Is there a reason that my three-foot-high self can't pass beneath this twelve-foot arch?"
Lore discussed this week included the focus of "The Silmarillion", or lack thereof, and how the term "MacGuffin" is sometimes misused; we also discussed the situation facing the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep.