When the fellowship’s mission to help the lost fisherfolk children brings them to the lair of The Defiler of the Abyss will they be able to escape with their lives?

Session Log

Following the trail of the kidnapped Fisherfolk children, the fellowship forges on into the wilds tracking them. Accompanied only by the sound of Nob’s complaints about his sore feet the fellowship eventually comes upon darkly armored warriors approaching a cave. Not wanting to give up the element of surprise Tarandis and Griff sneak close enough to hear what the warriors are saying and find that they are speaking Haradrim—just like the Black Númenórean warriors who accompanied Cirzor at The White Towers. With the warriors about to enter the cave Griff makes noise to distract them, but only fools a couple who pursue him back to where Nob and Boron were waiting to attempt an ambush. The forest (somehow) can’t offer a dwarf and a man cover enough to spring an ambush, so the battle is joined.

Nob takes a vicious blow leading Boron to attempt to preemptively avenge him. As the battle rages the ground trembles. The masked leader of the soldiers turns out to be Lug, Lord of the Lash, an orc. He is no match for the skill of Tarandis, who slays him in single combat. Griff also takes a grievous wound. When all appears dark Tarandis wins the day and the last solider surrenders.

Nob’s attempt to interrogate the captive is hindered by their language barrier, leaving no choice but to explore the cave. Hearing the children ahead Griff sings to calm them and eventually finds them at the bottom of a pit where the boy fell and broke his leg. As Nob descends Boron’s dwarves eyes finally make out the source of this strange cavern: it’s the ruins of Gwaegonath, an ancient Númenórean city. But worse still, Boron recalls what dwells here now: The Defiler of the Abyss, an ancient thing that refused Sauron and was imprisoned in Dol Goldur for a time before gaining its freedom and claiming the ruins as its realm.

The clinking sounds of the Defiler’s chains give the rescue operation a sense of urgency. Griff calms the children with a song while Tarandis finds the best path out of the pit. Moving as quickly as the children can, but with the beast still gaining, Boron sings a dwarven mining song to soothe the beast. As the terror sets in Griff turns the escape into a game of pretend for the children—”It’s like in the great stories, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end…” With a last push the fellowship finally reaches daylight and birdsong, and the Defiler turns back to its dark home.

The children share the things they found in the ruins while trying to escape as thanks for their rescue:

• For Nob, a fine silky rope (Athletics)
• For Griff, a ring carved with Númenórean runes (Awareness)

On the journey back the children explain that they had spotted a strange ship in the harbor and that the Black Númenóreans tried to capture them to keep the ship’s location secret. With the ship long gone the fellowship has nothing more to do but inform Gandalf.

Returning to safety, the fellowship learns of the uses of their new items, and meets with Gandalf to share the news of the ship.