Path to Hrimbarg
The long day we spent in climbing the High Northern pass was finally over, as we had reached Vindurhal, an Elven outpost hidden from sight of the valley that laid beneath.
We spent a few nights in this outpost, feeding our horses with what we could spare; the road to this place was quite exhausting both for us and our stout animals.
In the morning, sun was barely visible. Incessant snowing and strong winds were an enemy to us all, but we were ready to accept that challenge, and we climbed our horses as the dwarves and Elves of Vindurhal wished us luck on our descent to Hrimbarg. The peaks in the distance were a guide to our fellowsihp, but they were barely visible in this weather. We did not despair, for we knew that Hrimbarg lies to the south-east.
After a few hours of this dangerous ride, or a slide as some would call it, we managed to reach lower ground, and finally see the trees in the valley that laid before us. It was quite a magnificent view, the wildlife was abundant, but we never felt ease in this place, for we knew the Wargs were lurking in the shadows of the pines and large rocks around us. It was a careful passage, and our hunters proved to be excellent trackers once again; there, in short distance to the south of where we stood, a mighty entrance to the fort of Hrimbarg stood. Its walls were impregnable, the structure was ancient and not inviting on first sight. Still, we felt warmth and joy in our hearts, as we increased our pace in hope to reach it within an hour.
We found no surprise in the welcome we had received from Afwald, one of the dwarves in this outpost. His comrade, Thorgest, was in great need of medicine, as he was wounded on one of his ventures outside this magnificent fort. Fortunately, we were able to offer help, but we had little time to spend; our preparations for the next day were already on its way. All of the fellowship was sharpening their daggers and swords, while some of us were resting in the later hours. We needed as much strength as we could get.
One thing that gave us hope is that one of our own, Arronfaroth, had left a note in this dwarven outpost not so long ago. Being an Elf hunter, his skill in tracking the Enemy and wildlife was advanced, and he was sent to the Mountains months ago in order to find the best way to approach the Goblins and their foul caves. His note mentioned the approach on the north-eastern side of the mountain peak that laid straight across this enormous valley in front of us. We all decided to go and scout the approach to the 'Black Crack' as he named it. And so we were on our way as the new dawn broke.
To the Black Crack
We gathered in front of Hrimbarg, mounted our horses, prepared our weapons and started our slow ride to the north-east. The day was much clearer than the day before, and we had enjoyed the scenery as much as we could; we did not feel ease on this occasion either, but the odds looked much better in our favor than it was before.
Our path lead us through a patch of forest, not so dense as it looked from afar, but it was quite an astonishing view to see deers walking freely, showing no fear from the Wargs; we knew the Wargs were here for we were listening to their eerie howling throughout the night we spent in Hrimbarg and Vindurhal.
After an hour of this ride, we had finally reached the path that was marked by someone, quite possibly by Arronfaroth, for he did mention 'signatures at the foot of the Mountain' in his note. As we climbed up, the severity of our old enemy, the freezing wind of the Misty Mountains was increasing. We knew the climb would be a similar one we had two days ago in the High pass, but we did not hesitate or tremble upon its sharp breath. We left our horses in the small concealed area between two giant rocks, and we decided to proceed on foot. We had to reach this 'Black Crack' soon, for we did not want to be caught by darkness and all the perils it brings.
After some time, these 'signatures' Arronfaroth was talking about were not visible anymore, and I was guessing that it was the fault of this wind; I am sure Arronfaroth was thorough in his mission, and it would be impossible that he gave up in the middle of his quest.
Then again, we had some quite brave and experienced hunters on our side, most notably sir Leofan who was well-travelled and wise. Our whole fellowship was comprised of such men and women; Candruth, a brave and stout warden of the Dale lands was guarding our back together with Haelin, a sturdy dwarf guardian who belonged to these mountains and knew all of the dangers and tricks it could cast upon us. Then there was Kaderyn, an Elf champion of unmatched skill in dual-sword wielding, and lady Fimbrethiel of the Elves. Her skills with bow were on par with Arronfaroth's and a huntress of the Eldar indeed was a precious addition to this journey. We all knew this fellowship would accomplish the quest with swiftness and honor.
It was not long before we had reached the 'Black Crack'... And a huge crack it was; a massive cavern entrance that was not inviting at all. However, we knew our mission and our goal, the threat of the Goblins in this area must be put to a halt, and we entered this cave without having a single second thought.
The Caverns Old
To our surprise, the cave system proved to be complex and vast. We never expected such a settlement could be constructed by Goblins. These vile creatures were good in one thing - their stubborn and unstoppable lust for digging and bringing fire where it should not be brought.
We moved with stealth and avoided any unnecessary action for we did not want to disturb this giant base of Goblins. It would have been impossible and suicidal to storm such an impressive settlement with this small force; yet, we had no fear in our hearts, as our desire to explore and scout this area was even greater than before.
Passing into the lower caves proved to be easy enough, as these corridors weren't watched and guarded by a great number of Goblins. However, once we reached their main hall, it was quite clear that we have discovered their main base of operations. It was a horrible sight, hundreds and hundreds of Goblins walking across their improvised bridges, crawling through their dug out tunnels and holes. Our hearts filled with dread but we never went back; quite the opposite, we stormed one of the small groups that was closer to us, and further from the main group that was guarding the goblin slaves who were busy with digging and suffering the whips of their masters.
We brought this small group to the mossy cavern rock in less than a minute, and they had no time to scream for reinforcements, which would have been rather unpleasant for our group.
The next hall was a horror of its own; we were 'welcomed' by a foul and irritant smell that was coming from beneath. It was the smell of rotting corpses and the smell of death. It was the smell of prison cells. But it was not only the smell that caused our anger, it were the screams of the prisoners. A mere thought of our brethren being tortured and slaughtered in such a disgusting place made our hands grip the hilts of our swords and rush down into this pit of pain.
We did not stop until the very last Goblin in this hall was slain. It was a massacre of unbelievable proportions. There, in the cells, we found two Elf prisoners. They looked horrible, and we did our best to rescue them. However, I was wounded. A poisoned arrow shot by one of the Goblins on the terrace that stood above us proved to be enough to bring me down on my knees. I was able to walk, although barely, but we managed to escape with the prisoners and find our path back to Hrimbarg right before the sunset.
There I was treated by my friends and kinsmen, in the safety of Hrimbarg's walls. The day was over, and our adventure brought to us a new plan; the plan of finding the one who is keeping these foul Goblins organized and efficient, the one who is giving them orders and directing their efforts against the Free Peoples. We knew it the moment we saw and heard the horrors of the prison pits deep in the caves beneath the Mountains. We knew that our next mission would take us even deeper into the darkness of the Goblin town.
((to be continued))
