Marching Towards Annuminas: The Secrets of Tham Ornen

25/11/23 – The Secrets of Tham Ornen:

At dawn, the party assembled before the Bridge of Tinnudir. Stood before them was Lord Thandanar, Master of Sages, his black and blue surcoat catching the morning breeze. He stated the task to the party, his belief that a spear forged in Númenor, Ainacala, resided in the ruined Arnorian estate of Tham Ornen. Ainacala was said to be wielded by a Knight in the service of Elendil’s household, and brought over with the Faithful during the Second Age. This Knight, known only as Quildadur, the “quiet servant”, in some very obscure Arnorian scriptures, was slain in Mordor during the Last Alliance, with his spear somehow returning to Arnor following his death. Thandanar suggested that, although the spear may not hold the same importance as the longsword Narsil, its Númenorian craftsmanship should be something within the Order’s safekeeping and kept away from the Hands of the Enemy.

He noted how Angmarim had previously been sighted in the area by Ranger scouts, saying that they were running out of time to recover Ainacala before Angmar. The party rode hard for two hours before finally seeing the ruined estate overlooking the chiff. Its white walls dulled by age and reduced to rubble. As they ascended the cliffside path, silence descended… before being broken by a single word; “Now!” Angmarim, clad in red and black, donning maille and metal helmets emerged from the cliff and rained a volley of crossbow bolts down upon the party. Shields were raised and horses sent fleeing. As the party advanced on foot, a line of Angmarim men-at-arms, clad in blackened maille, faceplate helms adorned with spiked iron crowns marched to meet them, spears lowered and shields, painted yellow and charged with the Iron Crown and an unusual green circle, raised.
Fighting ensued. Much to the shock of the Order’s party, these Angmarim were exceptionally trained, and gave no ground… it was only when the mercenary-minstrel Lujiana was underestimated by the Angmarim’s Captain, who wore a golden spiked crown upon his helmet, which sealed his fate, did the line start to break and his soldiers began to fall, the crossbowmen retreating from the cliff. The party pressed on. They breached a break in the wall, slaying two watching Angmarim guards before coming face to face with the Warband’s leader. He was an Uruk-Hai, towering over the tallest men, clad in blackened plate armour and maille, a large poleaxe gripped tightly in his gauntleted hands. Upon his head was a helmet, painted with the snarling visage of a Balrog of Morgoth, its flames matching the Uruk’s temper. He was flanked by two orc bodyguards, with maces and shields. Beside them were the remaining Angmarim crossbowmen and the sole surviving Black Númenorian spearman. The Warlord, named Aulfbek the Black, bellowed to the party. Though his voice sounded harsh, he was well-spoken, unusual of others like him. He told the party to flee or face the wrath of Angmar. He spoke of how Mordirith and Amarthiel’s squabbling had made Angmar weak and that Angmar has risen again under the High-Priestess Ásachal. Many among the party, though primarily Gelilthor the Elf, through insults back at the Warlord. He swung his poleaxe high above his head in a circular motion and the two lines advcnced into each other. The fighting dragged on before the elf Menelamdir severed the Uruk’s head from his shoulders. As the last of his troops fell, Tham Ornen returned to silence. 

Many ancient chests and troves were found within the camp. It was the mercenary Pluton who found the tarnished remains of the spearhead of Ainacala, its edge still gleaming like the day it was forged. However, it was not along within that chest, for a large shard of deep green stone accompanied the spearhead. Thandanar examined it, noting it being smooth and slightly rounded on one side, as if it had been broken off something larger. Reylthor noted the green circle upon the Angmarim’s shields, to which Thandanar drew the conclusion that the shard came from one of the seven Vandassari "Oath-stones" that came to Middle-Earth from Númenor. Both relics were wrapped in cloth and gently placed within two separate chests before the party began the return ride to Tinnudir.