The Kinstrife
Part
34
In
which Zimrakhil takes his leave, after revealing the
whereabouts of the 4th part of the Key; Misternil
guides us to the Tears of Niennor; we have a vigorous
scrap with many automata but find the front door is merely an elaborate trap.
Continuing
our trek by camel, we meet another group of camel-riders with whom Zimrakhil enters in to an avid conversation, emerging after
a few minutes with an expression of some irritation.
It seems a
tribal incident calls him away; an inter-familial dispute demanding his
attention and the intervention of his guards. It would be several days out of
our way and Zimrakhil fears it would demand a further
detour as he expects to be called to give an account of the Great Council in
Umbar.
Rather than
drag all of us with him, he suggests his cousin, Misternil
(the name probably means ‘grey prince’ though ‘only friend of the grey one’
might be another connotation), serve as our guide to Celebrindor’s
construction site.
Aerin,
Brand, Ilviren, Pimm and I
discuss our options: I originally envisgaged touring
the Haradwaith in some depth but Zimrakhil seems to
think this might be dangerous and I feel an urgent need to talk further with
Neithan, in which case we need to visit Celebrindor’s
construction site and return quickly to Umbar.
To my mind,
the main sticking point is the Key to the Well of Fuinur.
We have three parts of it, Celebrindor has a fourth.
If the Well is to be opened, either we give him our parts or he gives us his.
Obviously, if he departs on the morrow, we need to settle this before. There’s
no way around this but we must ask him, and as I’m the one with charm and
etiquette, it must be me who asks.
I raise the
subject of the Key as tactfully as possible over dinner round the camp fire
that evening. Zimrakhil cheerfully replies that he’s
already given it to Neithan! In fact he was instructed to do so, along with the
news of Neithan’s heritage. I confess myself
surprised, though I shouldn’t be.
Well that
just makes it more urgent that I talk with Neithan soon.
July 7th & 8th
1441
Zimrakhil
departs with his guards leaving Misternil to lead Aerin, Brand, Ilviren, Pimm, Al-Han and I.
Misternil has a swarthy complexion but less dark
than most Haradrim. His chin bears a trimly pointed
beard and he wears long, black plaits run close onto his lower scalp in a
distinctive tribal look though these are usually tucked away under his
helmet. However his piercing grey eyes betray a degree of Numenorean
heritage; perhaps they gave him his name?
His
dress is Haradaic loose black or deep red desert
robes over bronzed lamellar with scale parts at the shoulders. He
wears a red tunic under these with gold or bronze thread embroidery. The
war helm he wears is similarly bronze over steel and kept hung from his
saddle when traversing the desert. In battle he wields a slightly curved,
damasked, heavy cutting blade and round metalled shield with embossing.
Misternil keeps to himself by day but when feasting
in his cousin’s tent with his hair down he seemed more gregarious; perhaps he’s
just shy.
The journey
is unremarkable and we reach the oasis, which Misternil
advises is called ‘the Tears of Niennor’. I get the
feeling that Misternil is shocked to find the large
black edifice on the crags above the oasis, it wasn’t there last time.
It’s not
pretty; an edifice in Numenorean Gothic of black stone with crenulations,
defensible but with too many windows to be termed a ‘castle’. A ramp rises from
the desert floor to a massive doorway, big enough for several men to enter on
horseback. There’s no sign of habitation, no movement from the battlements or
behind the windows. The thing is about the size of a large town house in
Pelargir.
No one challenges
us or shoots as we approach. I knock politely and the door swings open silently
to reveal a hall stretching perhaps half way across the width of the building
to a door at the far end. Five suits of armour ‘decorate’ each side of the hall
– all of us (save Misternil) recall the automata
encountered in Celebrindor’s house in Umbar and
prepare for the worst, though for the moment they don’t move.
Ilviren
offers to scale the wall and seek a way in from the roof. She finds the climb
straightforward enough but the only trapdoor is firmly locked and cannot be
forced so she rejoins us on the ground.
Quickly we
review our options. These machines have swords rather than axes and I can see
they are fixed in their hands permanently so disarming isn’t an option.
Thinking hitting power is more pertinent than speed or precision, I opt for my
heavier blade.
Al-Han will
tend the camels at the foot of the ramp. Everyone but me has a bow. I will
advance two paces within the hall and then kneel, allowing the others to shoot
overhead. I will throw my daggers at closer range. Once the automata have
closed, Misternil, Iviren
and Pimm will join me in a line before the door while
Aerin and Brand continue to shoot automata to the
rear.
The plan
works flawlessly, though unfortunately the arrows seem to have little effect on
the machines and my one thrown knife flies wide. As the first pair of automata
close, I rise and take up a position on the right of the line. Pimm stands beside me, looking like one of the automata
himself in his full harness, then Ilviren is third
and Misternil stands at the far left. Aerin and Brand continue to shoot over our heads.
My first
thrust misses but I foil it’s riposte with a parry.
Again I miss but its clumsy swing is no match for deft footwork and this time I
strike it hard in the mid-torso and it falls backward.
They move
slowly. Taking advantage of the space given by its fall, I throw my second
knife at one behind. It strikes true in the visor and my target starts making a
grinding noise though it continues to advance ponderously but I have the time
to plan my strike and I put it down with my sword.
Meanwhile Misternil has also dropped two. With the slow advance of
the third pair, I have time to put my boot on the fallen machine’s head and
pull my knife free from its visor. I hurl it in to the body of my next
assailant. It strikes true but there’s no appreciable effect. I trade misses
for a few seconds and then I shatter it with a most savage blow and it falls in
pieces on the ground; most gratifying.
Out of
throwing knives, I help Pimm while Misternil downs his third – that’s six! And almost
immediately Misternil smashes another for seven.
Then Ilviren gets in the swing of things and drops an eighth.
Since I felled my third I can’t seem to get a good hit but Ilviren
knocks over another and we all surround the last. I get in one good hit and Misternil finishes it off.
We survey
the wreckage. I find a loose vambrace and strap it to
my right arm, every swordsman’s weak spot. Then we move to the only door.
It opens
easily enough to reveal a short corridor leading to a similar door. Once we are
all over the threshold, the door behind closes and that in front opens – ah-ah,
a trap!
We see a
somewhat narrower corridor leading to a small chamber in which stand two more
automata like those lying in pieces in the hall behind flanking a much larger
machine, clearly superior and with four arms, each with a sword! Behind them a
lever rises from the floor and I spot several tiles in that room and I wonder
whether the lever might drop unsuspecting intruders in to hidden shafts.
In no mood
to engage these new machines on their terms, the archers let loose a storm of
arrows. Unmoving, the two flanking automata quickly fall but that in the centre
seems much tougher. Luckily it neither moves nor shoots back but our arrow
supply is nearly all used up when finally it topples back.
With the
danger apparently disposed of, I warily tread along the short corridor and
enter the room, taking care to avoid the movable tiles. Alas, it seems I had
not seen them all and I feel the tile move beneath my foot, but I am not
dropped in to a pit, instead a volley of crossbow bolts flies past. One clanging off my shield.
As my
second step triggers another volley, I elect to throw myself forward in a roll,
collecting a bruised shoulder but diving under the bolts. Reaching the lever, I
pull it and the closed door to the original hall reopens. Misternil
advises crawling back and I do just this, with bolts flying over my head.
Once
returned, Brand uses his spear to trigger volley after volley of bolts from
safety until bolts cease to fly and only vacant clicking betrays the empty
mechanisms in the walls. Then the archers enter in safety to retrieve their
arrows, which we will need if there’s more like that four-armed machine about.
There are
no other doors. A small window high up in the far wall implies we’ve crossed
the width of the building but there should be two floors above and two wings to
either side, if only we can find ways to get them. This entry is evidently a
false one, intended as a complex trap.
To do list:
Continue
searching Celebrindor’s construction site in Near Harad – scavange for more armour?
Inquire
after Perhaladin – might be a cult for Ragnor
Discuss
with Neithan his intentions vis-à-vis the ‘3rd Candidate’ and the
Umbar portion of the Key of Fuinur’s Well
Advise
Father that coins used to pay Khoradôr may have come
from The Straight Man and that Neithan may be the ‘3rd Candidate’
Ask Granny Serni why she gave me the jewel?
Who was Tevildo from the
Benish Armon tomb in the Ethir Anduin?