Thief Hunt::Series III

[Zôrzimril]

Another weird day in Mordor passed and Pearl found herself growing less afraid and more . . . confused? Nothing seemed to make sense down here. For example, they were on a mission to talk about cats and dogs, which seemed wholly not-evil to Pearl. Even hobbits talked about such things! "I won't hear of this nonsense about dogs being better than cats!" the woman named Uruva screamed at them when they delivered the message. Pearl harrumphed as they wandered away. She was really craving a glass of wine. "Where was it you said that wine came from, Jorgy? Minas Morgûl? Or am I getting that mixed up with the Morannon?" There were so many "Mor" words down here, it was like they wanted to be mixed up! "I sure could use some more of it, regardless." Pearl did not like what Mordor and its weirdness were doing to her drinking habits, but it was either that or get TRULY desperate, seize the One Ring, and proclaim herself the Dark Queen of . . .

AHHHH. What was Mordor doing to her?!?!

[Moriel]

The thief has NOT been found!
The item has NOT been found!
The hiding place has NOT been found!

[The Good Hunter]

What was going on with Pearl? After they escaped Uruva and her horde of giant cats, they had clearly been tricked into delivering just the latest insult in an ongoing flyting, Pearl seemed to suddenly grow all dark and scary and… pretty? While Jorgy had never understood the concept of beauty and attractiveness, he did notice that Pearl had looked very, very different for a moment. He was going to have to ask her about that later. He was going to ask her once they were outside but before he could open his mouth, One George stepped out of the shadows. Jorgy's old lava snake instincts kicked in and he went deep into protecc mode. At least it was just one of them. Right? Right?

Oh this was bad. Oh so bad. Jorgy remembered the last time he encountered a George, a Frosty morning in Mordorian winter. It had chased him half way around the Sea of Nurnen, and it wasn't until Winddancer, the only person scarier than the Georges, appeared that he was safe. Of course, that had meant he was now in her service until she grew tired of him. He learned… things, things no snake should have to know, things that will made him wake up in a whirlwind of fear.

They were going to have to make a break for it. Cirith Ungol was up the stairs and with legs, both he and Pearl should have a good chance at out running the giant weasel…thing. That was, of course, was entirely dependent on whether or not the other Georges were somewhere about. Oh dear this was bad! “Pearl… we need to run!” He would wait until she started climbing, facing the George with his eyes narrowed and fists up in a very un-Hobbit like fashion.

[Gwai]

OOC @Moriel (I’m assuming I can hunt again!)

As long as she was here in Cirith Ungol, the Whisper decided to explore further. She could hear the occasional buzzing of hornets still, but it sounded fairly far away, down tunnels she shuddered to think what might be down there.

She still needed to find the thief, who really might be one Dimcairien or Thalionwen. If poor little Grobby was stolen, the Whisper would be quite put out.

[Zôrzimril]

The emergence of a weird weaselly creature would have terrified Pearl a few days ago, but right now it just annoyed her. Oh, how she wished she could kick it in its stupid face! But Jorgy had gone into his (very brave and probably sensible in this case) protect mode, so Pearl had no choice but to begin climbing the steps before her.

It quickly became clear that this would not be a fast journey. She looked up and saw the stairs rising to a dizzying height into the mountain. If these steps were a giant ramp instead and she had a Pink Tricycle (though really, it didn't have to be pink in color) she could have quite the ride! Too bad this was not the time for inventing rollercoasters. They were trying to escape!

"Jorgy," she called back to him. "Are we just climbing these steps or are we going to visit someone once we arrive in the pass?" Looking out over the plains, she witnessed yet another Cloud of Ash blowing across the parched earth. As the cloud morphed and undulated in the wind, she thought she saw it take the form of a dwarf like Queen Nerwen. Hmm, perhaps she was seeing things now?

[Moriel]

Sorry Gwai

The thief HAS been found!
The item HAS been found!
The hiding place HAS been found!

@Gwai and @Frostbite, within Cirith Ungol you have stumbled upon the Murder Hornets! The thief has managed to relocate a nest of enormous, deadly, ANGRY hornets from the far east into this place. You must figure out a way to escape with your life before hunting again. Frost, as a Minion Third Rank Hunter, you are immune to the trap and may redirect it to the hunter of your choice!

[The Good Hunter]

What was the buzzing? It sounded like a buzz saw (wait, a what?). It was coming closer whatever it was. Jorgy and Pearl had escaped the One George, were they about to run into another? Oh this was bad. Oh this was so bad. They hadn't even begun their rescue mission and they are about to be the ones in need of rescuing. What was that sound?! Oh. Oh! Oh no! Murder hornets! Jorgy thought all of those died out. Someone must have reopened the apiary in the Black Market. The fool! How could this be allowed to happen? Jorgy had something though, something that would help against the murder hornets: praying mantises! One might wonder what exactly praying mantises might do against a swarm of demon hornets or what Jorgy was doing with praying mantises on his person but really, One ought to just accept some things are just… Jorgian.

“Better stay Frosty Pearl, we're in a big scary place. Remember what that elf told us at lunch? Dimcairien? That this place was all spidery or something? I remember something about it from when I was… reading about it. Stay close Pearl.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her close. He was still in protect mode.

Ugh! Why had they decided to go through this place? They should never have asked Landy for help. These clothes were definitely not worth it. They stank like something had fallen asleep in a Cloud of Ash.


<re-direct the trap to Tara. Jorgy loves Pearl, but I want to win>

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl and Jorgy were now creeping about the pass of Cirith Ungol, trying to avoid further Georges or other such creatures. Her heart rate was finally starting to level off after the climb into the gloomy mountains when, with a furious buzzing, several hideous and huge insects swarmed out of nowhere toward Pearl. For reasons she did not fully understand, they avoided Jorgy completely. They would have words about this later.

Anyway. So much for not being as scared by stuff in Mordor anymore! Pearl knew (through some strange, otherworldly instinct) that these things could kill her. Squeaking with fright, she raised her arms over her head and ran for the nearest crevice into which she could squeeze, dragging a small boulder behind her with newfound superhobbit strength to shut herself into the hopefully-empty mini-cave. With any luck, the boulder would block the entrance and keep out the hornets. (Yes this is a terrible strategy but she's a hobbit in Mordor so eh.)

Unbeknownst to Pearl as she cowered in the cave, Jorgy sicced a pack of praying mantises on the hornets, which dispatched with them quickly with swift decapitation. As the buzzing noises outside subsided, Pearl pushed the rock forward and peered out from the shadows. She spied a mantis consuming a murder hornet's head. Whoa. She pushed the rock forward again and stepped out to find Jorgy safely standing there, looking oddly pleased with himself. "How on earth did you avoid those things, Jorgy?!" Pearl asked, sidestepping another mantis that was also eating a hornet head. These bugs were ruthless. "And why did they come for ME?!"

[Gwai]

@Moriel (I was already in Cirith Ungol and fought off the murder hornets, do I need to do it again?)

[Moriel]

@Gwai Yep, you chose Cirith Ungol again, which means you hit the trap again! Muahahaha...

[Gwai]

She had to get out of here. Just when she thought she was getting used to the darkness, there came that incessant buzzing once more. The Whisper was over them at this point. Where was a giant spider when you needed her?

Drawing her dagger, she went on the offensive. She gave her best impression of a battle yell, as she charged down the tunnel toward the murder hornets. Fortunately there weren't quite as many this time, and she hacked wildly at the stragglers with her dagger. It was a satisfying feeling as she soon had a small pile of murder hornet carcasses piled around, but decided best not to push her luck, and hurried down a tunnel to get out of this place, now fervently hoping not to run into the afore-wished giant spider.

(OOC--I'm still confused lol. When we all went to the Cloud of Ash round before last, we hit the tar pit trap and then were fine re-picking it, and it was actually the hiding place. Is it because it's murder hornets and not the tar pit trap?)

[Moriel]

@Gwai and anyone else who may be confused-

If you pick a location that has a trap, you spring the trap! If you pick it again, you spring it again! However, if that location is also the correct location and you happen to guess the right combination of person, place, and thing- then the round is over as usual, because you guessed right! This is what happened last round.

from the OP:

IMPORTANT: With the exception of the Pit of Stakes, just because a location has a trap, does NOT mean it is not the correct location. You might just have to try more than once to get the right combination...

Hope that helps If you ever pick a location that was a trap, then pick it again and I don't tell you you sprang it again and you also didn't win the round- that would only be because I failed to notice and you got lucky

[Moriel]

The thief HAS been found!
The item HAS been found!
The hiding place has NOT been found!

[The Good Hunter]

Jorgy found himself flummoxed, a state he found himself in often, but this particular moment was most troublesome. When he released the praying mantises to counteract the murder hornets (that was a phrase one does not get to utter very often) he had somehow directed all of them in Pearl direction. He felt awful. He was a worm! A wretched lava snake! Pearl seemed to have been able to hide but even still, he felt responsible for putting her in danger. “Pearl! I’m so sorry! I had no idea they would go for you! That’s not supposed to happen with praying mantises. They’re supposed to eat the hornet. Oh Pearl! I’m so sorry! Let’s get out of this place. I don’t like it one bit. Cirith Ungol sucks. I’ll make it up to you by having the most wonderful feast when we go back home. I’ll do all the cooking and the cleaning.”

As they climbed back down the stairs, confident that not a One George was still down there waiting to eat them (surely there were easier meals within sight of the gates of Minas Morgul after all), Jorgy decided to recount all the hobbit meals he had learned about, not the meals of the day of course those were old hat by now (breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, no wait elevensies then lunch, tea, supper, dinner, or was it the other way around?). He did this of course because he wanted to help distract Pearl from the rough journey downward and to keep her spirits up. He really did feel awful about the praying mantises.

A thin layer of Frost coated the ground when they finally made it down. Well it was less frost and more snow. Was this a bad time for a snowball fight? It probably was. Pearl was already upset with him, he didn’t want to make it worse by tossing snow at her when she didn’t expect it. All these musing were, however, moot (ha! moot musings) when Dimcairien appeared out of nowhere and pelted them with a snowball in the face each. What the heck?! What in all the empty beer kegs was going on? (give me a break, I'm just the narrator)

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl could tell that her outburst about the hornets and the mantises had distressed Jorgy, so she patted him consolingly on the shoulder. "It's okay," she said simply. "I'm just glad the mantises ate the murder hornets instead of the murder hornets eating me." She smiled when he offered to cook them a feast AND do the cleaning - what a generous offer! She didn't know many hobbit lads who offered to do both the cooking and the washing up. Hmmm. "Sounds like a plan," she said.

It was high time they left Cirith Ungol. Jorgy chattered on and on about different foods as they descended the stairs. This constant enumeration of foods made Pearl desperately hungry. She wasn't sure when they would be able to eat next, despite the promise of a huge meal back in the Shire. Oh, what she wouldn't do for One George to kill and roast and eat! (Desperate times indeed.)

"I had no idea that Mordor had snow," Pearl said when they reached the now snow-dusted plains. She always enjoyed the coziness of winter, especially those mornings when she bundled herself in a big sweater with a cup of hot cocoa and gazed out the window at the falling snow. This was hardly as cozy. She was just about to suggest to Jorgy that they try sledding in the Shire sometime when she was hit in the face with a snowball. Spluttering, she wiped her eyes and saw Dimcairien standing there with a wicked grin on her elvish face. What an odd turn of events!

[Moriel]

DING DING DING!

The thief has been caught!! @Frostbite has successfully apprehended that wily thief... Frost in his hiding place in Cirith Ungol, where he had made off with One George. Somehow, without being torn to pieces.

Frost, you are now a Minion Fourth Rank Hunter! You may choose another specialization and post two Thieves, Places, or Items, according to which specialization you choose, in addition to the 3rd Rank abilities.

As always in Mordor, thievery is rife, and it's time to set out after one again... a new culprit is abroad, the traps have been reset, Thief Hunt Round Seven, commence! Will anyone manage to snipe a win out from under Frost before he succeeds again?!

[Gwai]

Vowing to stay far away from spiders as well as bees for quite some time, the Whisper decided it was time to go back to On the Rocks and regroup, regrouping meaning a few more drinks, of course. It was a relatively quick trip, and she poured out her troubles to the bartender Frost. Lack of work, bees, spiderwebs, lack of integrity amongst smugglers, there was quite the list.

He helpfully suggested asking Sil for advice, as there was a rumor going around the Hauberk of Angmar was missing, and they would have likely heard about it. The Whisper was intrigued. That sounded important, and therefore likely to have a large reward attached to it.

[The Good Hunter]

One might think of snowball fight before the gates of Minas Morgul was a bad idea and, for the most part, one would be right. Snowball fights though, had a wonderfully therapeutic way of releasing all the nervous energy one could accumulate escaping from giant spiders, murder hornets, and oversized weasels. Jorgy and Pearl needed such a release and, along with their new randomly acquired friend, felt much better after a vicious battle of slinging ice and snow. However, there was still the “rescue the woman from Dhâd Bûrz” thing they had to do. But fear not! Three are better than two! (Jorgy had actually taken to the math lessons Pearl gave him much faster than the language and reading lessons).

Dimcairien, the instigator of the snowball battle, had an idea of how to sneak in (she assured the hobbits that elves could, in fact, be sneaky). They would need to find a person by the name of Sil (like a windowsil? Or a silverware?) who often frequented a bar near Mount Doom. Mount Doom! No thank you! Jorgy had had too many bad experiences over there (that was were he had… become a hobbit) and he did not relish revisiting the site any time soon.

“What do you think Pearl? I think this Sil person could be helpful but we don’t want to get too close to the volcano, it’s very hot over there, and dusty, grimy, and lava-y. I hear there are nests of nasty Lava Snakes over there too and they like to bite people.”

[Zôrzimril]

That snowball fight had CLEARLY been orchestrated as a distraction. But from what? Well, there was lots to fear and thereby to be distracted from in Mordor, so Pearl had to thank Jorgy for it, really. Now, if only they could emerge from The Shadows of the mountains, maybe Pearl could warm up a bit.

Apparently they were still on the same mission despite all the weirdness that had just transpired. "I won't ElenHIR of missing out on Mount Doom!" Pearl said when Jorgy asked her about approaching someone named Sil close to the volcano. She could not leave Mordor without catching a glimpse of the One Ring's birthplace. "Besides, it'll be nice to warm up a bit after all this unseasonable snow."

And so the pair of hobbits left Cirith Ungol behind and set off across the plain, one brimming with excitement about seeing a Mordorian landmark and the other seemingly less than eager to revisit the site of his strange transformation.

[Moriel]

The thief has NOT been found!
The item has NOT been found!
The hiding place HAS been found!

@Tarawen, within Cirith Ungol you have stumbled upon a Variety of Snakes! Here the thief has left a variety of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes to attack whoever enters. You are bitten and must RP your way out of the situation before hunting again!

[The Good Hunter]

Alright fine! Pearl overruled Jorgy and the trio were on their way to On the Rocks, right at the bar of a massive, unstable volcano with lava snakes, orcs, and all sorts of other nasty things. Despite his serious misgivings, he could not say no to Pearl (She probably knew this by now). The latest side mission away from Dhâd Bûrz was underway. He did admonish her to be as quiet and careful as she could. It was one of those things that doesn’t need to be said but always was. She would be, right? She wasn’t going to trip and fall into a trap filled with snakes, right?

Ahhh! Oh no! As soon as Jorgy finished saying be careful, Pearl walker right into a patch of grass (why there was a patch of grass in Mordor is anyone's guess) and snakes attacked her! Jorgy was very thankful that none of them were lava snakes, but he had to act quickly. He pulled her aside as quickly as he could screamed at them at the top of his lungs, doing his best to scare away the nope ropes. Jorgy, though, was not Grobby and he could not breathe fire at the enemy danger noodles.

He needed to think. Oh Jorgy think quickly! What would Narv do? Probably smush them to death with his giant troll form. Jorgy… heck with it! Jorgy jumped in the middle of the snakes and started stomping as hard and fast as he could. Dim, probably the best thinker of the group, shouted for Moriel. Moriel!? Moriel was here? Oh that was bad, she was probably still mad at the hobbits for stealing her wine, which she had stolen from Írimë in the first place. Snakes or Moriel. Who was Jorgy more afraid of?

[Zôrzimril]

They were on their way! On their way to Mount Doom! (Or some nearby location from which the view of the lava would surely be something to write home about.) Pearl skipped happily through the dusty land, surprising even herself with this lightheartedness.

And as she skipped, she tripped. And as she stumbled, she tumbled. And as she fell, she yelled. For there were suddenly SNAKES EVERYWHERE. Pearl screamed and flailed wildly as they snagged her clothing and scratched her skin with their fangs, until finally she curled herself into a little protective ball, though her screaming didn't stop.

Fortunately for Pearl, one of her traveling companions was the fearless (or foolish) Jorgy! He leapt to the rescue, stomping on and yelling at the snakes. The two small hobbit voices rose in a weird harmony of shrieks accompanied by the percussive tssss and hissssing of the serpents.

When she realized what was happening, Pearl uncurled herself and got up to join Jorgy in the snake stomping. It felt quite good, actually, to vent her feelings - EVERY TIME she started to feel better about this place, something bad happened to her. "Get! Away! From! Me! You! Disgusting! Creatures!" she said, punctuating each word with a kick.

[Gwai]

There was a lot to be said for the advice of a bartender. Thanking him, The Whisper paid her tab, and left, taking the last suggestion of looking for Tarawen around One Huge Barrel of Hobbits with the proverbial grain of salt. Hobbits, in a barrel? It must be some sort of inside joke. Mordor humor took a bit of getting used to.

The Whisper meandered toward the Towers of No Return, trying to think like a thief to get into their mindset. It wasn't particularly difficult, a she was not entirely inexperienced in thievery. Professional, of course, not recreational, petty theft such as this went against her personal code of ethics, which, granted, was a bit hazy.

[Taethowen]

Elale groaned as she ducked into The Shadows, glad to have found the bit of shade along the streets. High noon in Umbar in the middle of summer was a miserable temperature. DEATH would be more welcome than the blazing sun, and she silently cursed her father's insistence that she go acquire One Rotting Leg O' Las for... well... he hadn't exactly said what for, and she shuddered as she pondered what the reason might be.

[Moriel]

The thief HAS been found!
The item has NOT been found!
The hiding place HAS been found!

@Tarawen, you my now hunt again!

[The Good Hunter]

Escaping the snakes, Jorgy and Pearl now found themselves in the clutches of Moriel. Jorgy wasn’t sure what to do now. She was an elf, but she was a very nice elf. She was an elf with angry eyes. When he was a snake he had seen a few elves with angry eyes in Mordor, and where they went, DEATH followed quickly after. Was she still mad at them for stealing the wine? Where had Dimcairien gone? Was there some way out of this mess?

As a matter of fact, there was a way out of this mess. Moriel herself was headed to On the Rocks to have a long conversation with Írimë. Jorgy wasn’t sure why, but he imagined that conversation was going to be one sided no matter who spoke. Possibly like the conversation he had witnessed between Tarawen and Pearl. Moriel's demand was that Jorgy and Pearl steal a bottle of Screaming Nazgûl while the two were having their conversations. Jorgy wasn't sure what a screaming nazgûl was but it didn’t sound very pleasant, or quiet. Was she really sure that was what she wanted? Yes. Yes it was apparently. She was not going to budge on this. She did say that they got the screaming bottle they would be free to go, and she’d even introduce them to Sil who could get them into Dhâd Bûrz and rescue Taeth. All in all, maybe this wasn’t a bad thing.

Jorgy took that thought back as soon as they entered the pub. Wow was it creepy in here. The barmistress was berating someone with a Cat-O'-Nine-Tails because they went behind the bar to grab themselves a drink while the bartender was busy talking really closely to a some woman with lots of earrings in one ear. What was that? Jorgy looked at Pearl with a confused expression. Maybe some Big People had bad hearing so they had to talk really close? This was their chance though. Time to steal a bottle of Nazgûl Screaming.

[Gwai]

It did seem right that the Towers of No Return were figuratively bursting with thieves. The Whisper saw DEATH as well as Tarawen within just a few minutes of being there, and the level of suspicion of both seemed extremely high.

However, suspicion was not enough. She needed to catch them red handed, with theft in hand. Or, at least, enough circumstantial evidence to get paid. Grond was in the neighborhood, but was so big it was hard to pin it down on anyone in particular, as a cave troll was dragging it, and The Whisper doubted the cave troll had the brains to pull off a heist on it's own.

[Zôrzimril]

This was turning into a very complicated journey. Pearl had not bargained on being attacked so often, but that was probably her fault for underestimating the evil of Mordor. Apparently now they were heading toward a place called On the Rocks with the same elf from whom Jorgy had stolen some wine (which itself had been taken from Írimë’s Wine Stash) earlier in their travels. As they traversed the dusty land of shadow, Pearl reflected that it was weird how things come full-circle like that sometimes.

Pearl soon learned that On the Rocks was a pub. This intrigued her; as an employee of a pub back in the Shire, she wondered what one of those would be like in Mordor. (Probably full of more things to attack her, if recent experience was any indication.) It turned out that there were, of course, lots of big people about, some much bigger than others. The man standing at the bar in particular made Pearl nervous. And they had agreed to steal some Nazgûl Essence from this place! Pearl shook her head regretfully. Perhaps they could manage to be good thieves by the simple fact of being so small and unobtrusive, as Bilbo had done.

Jorgy looked ready to sneak behind the bar when in walked two people, one right after the other. One of them was Tarawen! Pearl was quite glad to see the ranger had not been horribly maimed or anything on her mission. The other was a woman wearing all black silk. So many big people, Pearl thought, would surely make for trouble. She hoped none of them would prevent the pair of hobbits from reaching Dhâd Bûrz. In her preoccupation with the two women, Pearl failed to notice that a rather muscular lava snake had slithered into the pub after them.

[Taethowen]

"What in Arda are you doing, father?" Elale muttered she checked her list again, hoisting the long, leather bag onto her shoulder as she exited the Slaughter House. Someone named Thalionwen--an odd name for a person in Umbar--had taken over the hospital, and was peddling body parts. Elale was grateful that she hadn't needed to hunt through the parts herself, though.

But next on the list was... a Cat O' Nine Tails. With the criteria that it had been used on someone in Dhâd Bûrz. "Why?!"

With a huff, Elale scowled and returned to the streets. This was ridiculous, and she hoped it wouldn't be the DEATH of her.

[Moriel]

The thief HAS been found!
The item has NOT been found!
The hiding place has NOT been found!

[The Good Hunter]

It was getting crowded in the pub. Jorgy hadn’t expected so many people to appear but then again he didn’t really understand the nature of pubs. Half a dozen people entered the pub after Jorgy and Pearl, one of them was Tarawen! She had survived the Ranger ordeal at the Dark Tower and now she was here! Jorgy felt much better now that she was here. It was always good to have friends in strange places. Moriel and Írimë were arguing with each other but Jorgy couldn’t tell which of them was winning. Another woman entered, this one dressed all in black silk (That must be uncomfortable in the heat of Mordor) and she went straight to the bartender who… oh my shire! Jorgy knew him! It was Frost! The man that once owned him when he was a racing lava snake. His eyes narrowed and, in previously un-Jorgy-like display of anger went up and punched the man in his kneecap. “That's for making me race without having a full meal!”

The man howled in surprise and pain, but before Jorgy could give the man what for, a giant crow thing swooped in and cawed so loud everyone stopped what they were doing and covered their ears. The crow said something creepy about “the coming pestilence” then disappeared into The Shadows. Jorgy recovered faster than Frost, punched him in the other kneecap then ducked underneath the bar before Frost could react properly. Behind Tarawen he noticed a huge lava snake just entering On the Rocks. No! Jorgy beamed and laughed. It was Blinky! “Blinky you old rascal! It’s been ages. You probably don't recognize me. It’s Jormungandr! You’ve gotten bigger! I daresay you’re bigger than I was before I retired.”

Next to enter was a nervous looking, lime green goblin with little glass bottles half filled with a red liquid. He giggled and looked at Pearl appraisingly. Well that was not going to do! “Excuse me Blinky, I need to punch a goblin in the face.” With that, Jorgy was off and, with a good running start, punched the goblin so hard that he flew back several feet. He landed with his mouth open and his teeth all wonky. It looked to Jorgy like the goblin had stolen The Mouth of Sauron’s Toothbrush and used it without sitting it in boiling water for an hour. Gross! At least he wasn’t looking at Pearl like he was going to eat her, or worse, anymore.

[Taethowen]

Elale never liked visiting Dhâd Bûrz, but today in particular--perhaps because of how bright and hot it was outside--it had seemed... cold, dark, and dank. The kind of seeping chill that sank into your bones and threatened to suck out all the marrow. She'd found what her father wanted, and finally dashed out of The Shadows and away from Nearly Certain DEATH, and welcomed the hot, beating sun for a change.

Squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light of day again, Elale tucked the whip in beside the... dismembered leg, then pulled out her father's list again. And shuddered. "What, by all that is unholy, does he need the Mouth of Sauron's Toothbrush for?!"

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl stepped away from the gathering crowd and into The Shadows, her back to a wall so she could observe the scene. She waved shyly when Tarawen said "Oh, fancy seeing you two hobbits here!" on her way to the bar, then stared at a very large serpent that slithered past her to sniff at Jorgy's heels. "Ssssss," Blinky muttered (tr: "This tiny person smells . . . familiar"). Pearl was just about to shout a warning at Jorgy when the lava snake reared up with delight as Jorgy greeted it, nodding and hissing back (mostly snaky small talk).

Jorgy seemed to know many here well enough, which didn't surprise Pearl in the slightest. What did surprise her was the fact that, within moments, he had punched two of them and talked to a snake without batting an eye. She always thought of him as a good-natured (if odd) person; perhaps he simply had to be tougher in Mordor to survive. She ducked, squeaking with fright, when a large bird dove out of the rafters at the crowd. Straightening up, Pearl glanced at the bartender. He looked quite strong and menacing with all his dark hair; Pearl guessed he could rip Jorgy in half with no effort at all! What was Jorgy thinking, punching him in the knees?! And what was this about racing? Jorgy had never been a very good runner in all the time she had known him.

"Hello, darling," the woman clothed in black said to the man Jorgy had just punched. "How're you holding up? I'll have an Orquilla Sunset, On the Rocks." Pearl was intrigued by the confidence of this one - she walked around like she wasn't afraid of any of the various beings gathered here. Or if she was, she certainly did not show it.

Just then, the door banged open and a huge hairy orc rode in on a Pink Tricycle. "Where's Blinky?!" he yelled, shaking with rage. "I saw that little blighter slither in here, I swear it!" There was a commotion as the orc tried to navigate the mess of tables and chairs in pursuit of the snake, which slithered behind the bar, near where Moriel and Írimë were still arguing.

Pearl blinked rapidly. Most of this was beyond her comprehension, and she was overwhelmed when she saw the skeletal figure of DEATH lurking in a corner. "Jorgy!" she called. "Help!!!"

[Gwai]

She wasn’t getting far where she was at. Instead, she decided to return to the bar On the Rocks, and the incredibly helpful bartender. That he was a bit of eye candy didn’t hurt either.

She sat next to Tarawen at the bar who, while she didn’t think was quite the type to steal a Pink Tricycle. DEATH, now, would seem to be more the type, although she wouldn’t say that to their face.

[Moriel]

The thief HAS been found!
The item has NOT been found!
The hiding place HAS been found!

[Taethowen]

Elale shuddered as she sneaked out of the manor, tucking the disgusting toothbrush--seriously, the Mouth of Sauron needed to visit a dentist as soon as possible--into her sack alongside the other items. Once she was back out on the streets, she pulled her father's list back out, and paled.

"This really is going to be the DEATH of me," she muttered, and headed to On the Rocks, despite sorely being tempted to just drop the bag and run away from home. The final item on the list was One George and she knew they liked to lurk in The Shadows along the pub's rafters.

How she would come out of this without being mauled was the question of the age.

[The Good Hunter]

Frost’s night at On the Rocks was going well. He had made off quite well on tips this evening, far better than a normal night. It was busy too. But it wasn’t until Zôr showed up that things got interesting. “Darling! It’s so good to see you. I wasn’t expecting you tonight. Perhaps we can sneak off to The Shadows to --"

Before Frost was able to finish his proposition, something small and hard slammed into his kneecaps. “Âsh's unholy eye! What the fredegar is wrong with… what?”

It was… a hobbit. And the hobbit was yelling at him about feeding him before a race…what? Was this a joke? He looked to Zôr, wincing as his knees throbbed. “Did you set this up?” before either of them could react further Illska, the nasty craban that lived outside the pub flew in and began squawking and cawing. Each of them stuffed their fingers in their ears at the horrendous sound. In that moment, the hobbit disappeared under the bar and out into the common room's main area. He glared at the crow when it landed, hoping at least One George would deal with the pest.

“I swear to the Eye, Írimë! If you dared that hobbit to punch me because you want my attention…” Frost trailed off as he watched the hobbit reappear talking to a snake then punching a goblin who had just come in. What the hell? This hobbit was clearly drunk. That had to be the answer. It’s the only thing that made any sense.

He turned to Írimë but she was too busy engaging in a screaming match with Moriel (a rare patron) while Tarawen (an even rarer patron) snuck around them into the back and emerged a moment later with a bottle and gave to yet another hobbit who began screaming at… something.

“Zôr, wanna get out of here?”

[Gwai]

On the Rocks was getting crowded. How were there this many people at a pub in the middle of a workday? The Whisper wondered to herself, settling more solidly onto her barstool and proceeding not to work herself.

Tarawen was there, making grand statements about DEATH, and The Whisper wondered exactly who or what this One George was. Worth stealing? It certainly seemed that way.

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl watched, impressed, as the woman in black downed her drink in one long gulp. (In doing so, Zôr failed to notice the commotion of Jorgy punching the man.) Once recovered from the swooping and cawing of the great craban, Zôr smiled. "Of course, love," she murmured when the bartender invited her to leave the madhouse. Despite being mid-shift, Frost walked out of On the Rocks with the woman.

Meanwhile . . . the hairy orc had dismounted the tricycle and was prowling about on his hands and knees, still searching in vain for Blinky. (The snake was curled up inside an enormous tankard behind the bar.) Reg had just begun swearing vociferously when the door banged open again and a monstrously large uruk stepped into the pub. Reg fell silent, gulping down his latest curse and retreating into The Shadows beneath the table. He was a foolhardy orc, to be sure, but he knew that he did not want to tangle with this mountainous fellow.

Meanwhile . . . at the bar, Tarawen was looking askance at yet another orc who had sat down nearby. He was intoning sadly to anyone who would listen, "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing..." Already feeling quite preoccupied with death whilst in the lands of shadow (and having talked a lot about it with The Whisper), Tara decided not to engage with this gloomy guy.

Meanwhile . . . Pearl had frozen in terror when both One George and DEATH looked directly at her at the exact same time. "Is this where DEATH gets me?" she whispered to herself. "On my feet, sev'ral feet ahead of me? I see it coming, do I run...?"

Maybe Jorgy would save the day yet again.

[Moriel]

DING DING DING!

The thief has been caught!! @Frostbite ahas successfully apprehended that sneaky thief Moriel in her hiding place in The Shadows, where she had absconded with One George.

Frost, you are now a Minion Fifth Rank Hunter! Which means you have WON THE SERIES!! Congratulations, you have won nothing but the hate of your fellow hunters for being so successful, and perhaps the admiration of a certain Zôr...! Better watch your back in the next series...

Thread will remain open for a few days for congratulations, whinging, dark mutterings, threats of revenge etc. as appropriate.

Meanwhile, Series IV is on, featuring new options and new traps! Get hunting!!

[Gwai]

Better watch your back, Frost!

[The Good Hunter]

Now for my next trick, all of Mordor now must listen to This song!

I have the power!