Dol Guldur, Liquor, Gollum, and Grudges

Azashchakka has arrived.

Karja drops his jaw as he hears someone shouting above, reaching for something in his leather shirt. "I saw it.", he growls, removeing a dagger for personal security.

At the sound of the voice, Prakhmog looks up, sighs, and loosens his grip on the scimitar, grunting low, a whisper to Karja, "Just that fool Azashchakka. Wonder what he wants now."

Azashchakka walks at the head of two collumns ten uruks long. He moves at a quick pace spiraling into the shadows below.

Snoker comes from the upper level.

Snoker has arrived.

Azashchakka sneers at Prakhmog as he passes by, he looks back at one of the uruks behind him, "That one didnt have what it takes to stay in the Ashjaki, no matter, we have no place for weaklings."

Azashchakka continues down.

Karja leans against the wall as the line of uruks pass by, giveing some of them dirty looks. He clutches his knife close by, now a bit stirred up by the strange events in this strange place.

Snoker comes down from above, his small feet scurrying along. All the while his nostrils flare and snmiffing sounds comes from him. he spots Azashchakka and makes his way over to him, groveling in front of him, "Da mAster fent me down here. Sayf I'd talk to you."

Prakhmog 's ears perk up at Azashchakka's comment and sends a thick spray of spit down to the stairs below, so it drips down in a thin line on the stairs. He growls as the troops walk away, "Fool...I'll have him one day in the dungeons. He won't be talking so loud then, I tell you."

Karja gives Snoker a strange look of questioning as he sees the uruk run after the Ashjaki Lata-Durb, licking his dry lips as yet another uruk passes by into the darkness.

Karja looks down the stairs into the pits below, nodding. "I would have him killed for startleing me like that, if it weren't that he was stupid enough to give us ore for less than its worth."

Prakhmog slowly shakes his head, and turns to Karja, a frown weighing upon his brow, "No use going down there now...the stores are crawling with Ashjaki, and they ain't giving their drink away like that.", he rubs his chin with a thick finger and leans his hunched back against the wall.

Snoker walks down quickly....

Karja twitches his nose, leaning back against the wall as well to make sure nothing bumps him off the stairs. "Who runs the storage room? How well is it guarded?"

Something scurries along, behind the orcs a ways, listening to their talk, unseen still. Goblins walk within inches of the shadow without seeing the pale thing hidden inside, its round eyes dark with malice.

Prakhmog points a finger down the stairs to the stone arch leading into the gathering halls. The sound of orc laugher, shouting, and fighting can be heard from the inside. Turning to Karja, he raises his hands, "There are stored some of the drinks...and now it must be full of Ashjaki, and all awake after that fool ran down making all the noise.", he pauses here, now scratching his chin with the same finger, "I got some more drinks below...stashed in the dungeons."

Karja grumbles to himself. "If there were only a few I'm sure we could cut their throats. Where's the dungeon?", he looks to Prakhmog with half hopeful eyes.

Prakhmog 's lips snap open in a display of yellow fangs, and a thick red tongue draws a line along his thin black lips, "We could kill them, yes...", he shakes his head, "...but that would be no good. Not with all the Ashjaki down there. We go to the dungeons...", again he pauses, letting out a short chuckle, "...below. Near the Nazgul, there are the dungeons."

Karja looks down the pits, sniffing the air. "Nazgul? Have you seen them down there? I've heard they live in Dushgob too... surely they aren't every where at once."

Prakhmog raises an eyebrow at Karja and stretches his neck towards him, furthering the stoopness of his position. In a low voice he asks, "You never seen one of them?"

Shadow slinks deeping into the shadows. An orc passing by grabs his fellow and grunts, "<Uruk> Did you see that?" The other orc shrugs and strikes the orc. "<Uruk> No! Get your hands off me, fool!" The creature in the shadows moves on, getting closer to the main group of orcs.

Karja looks up towards the two rambleing uruks above as he opens his jaw about to speak, then looks back to Prakhmog to do so. His posture raises as if defending his worth, "I've seen members of the Nine many times in my day. Probably not as much as you will if you live to my age, but I have none the less. Just not here."

Through the foul haze of the cookfire smoke, you catch a glimpse of a pale figure climbing on some crates stacked against the wall. It is slowly creeping up the filthy boxes, headed towards the top of the dirty chamber.

Prakhmog ignores the bickering orcs, and pulls his head back from Karja, glancing about the shadows, finally shrugging, and continues, "I don't know if they can be two places at once. But they are powerful, yes, and I tell you some of them live...if they live at all...down by them dungeons. Not good being in the dungeons, no, I tell you.", he smiles softly.

Ugbuz wanders in from the upper levels.

Karja shoots his glance upward again towards Ugbuz, greatly startled. He sighs as he sees it's the Lata-Durb to the Ujaks, and looks back to Prakhmog. "No, I suppose not. Is it worth the liquor?" He grins, occasionally looking back up towards the shadow in paranoia.

Ugbuz nods in greeting to the other two -Hai. Turning, he glances about cautiously, trying to find what is occupying their attention.

Prakhmog again shrugs, pointing a finger to Karja's stomach, and grinning, his voice half mocking, "If you got the stomach for it, it's worth it."

Karja grins slightly, pointing his staff downwards the pits. "Let's see it then." He looks to Ugbuz. "You joining us, Rakarg?"

Ugbuz scratches his head a moment, "Where youz going?"

Karja smirks as he looks towards Prakhmog, "As far as I'm concerned, liberateing some of the good liquor from the Ashjaki rats."

Prakhmog points a thumb to the depths further down the stairs and grunts, the corners of his lips curled up in a grin, "Get some drinks, down in the dungeons. But if it's too much for you...the Nazgul down there and all..."

Ugbuz grunts, "I'z come."

Prakhmog nods, takes a good look around, scratches his nose, and resumes his path down the stairs, his boots sounding loud agains the stone, as loud as the shield hanging from his back and rattling against the wall.

Something skampers down the steps, slipping unnoticed behind the orcs.

Snoker comes up the stairs from below, his nose all the way down to the floor.

Sniffing sounds emerge from him as he makes his way ahead.

Azashchakka stands with his arms crossed over his chest leaning against the wall of the starway, a scowl over his face. A group of 5 or so uruks run about franticaly leading down the stairway untill they are lost in the darkness.

Karja follows Prakhmog in quick steps, his staff carried horizontally at his side so he makes little noise, and a sharp double edged knife is kept close to him in his right hand.

Ugbuz is following the other two -hai but he stops for a moment on the stairwell, nodding to Azashchakka as he spies him.

Prakhmog paces down the stairs, loud and slow, one hand gripping the belt from wich his scimitar hangs. He stops, frowning, his gaze going to Azashchakka, the orcs running about, and the snaga with the nose glued to the floor. Taking another step forward, he turns to Azashchakka and grunts, raising an eyebrow, "What is going on here?"

Azashchakka nods to Ugbuz, and then fixes Prakhmog with a venomous gaze, "Ashjaki bussines. Were you Ashjaki I would tell you."

Something creeps to one of the massive doorways, the shadow from the torches hiding him. A small hiss sounds as the sniffers come up the steps. The small thing backs further into the corner.

Snoker stops suddenly, his nostrils widening considerably. Then he puts his nose down to the floor and starts crisscrossing the floor, snorting and smelling down there. He seems rather agitated. Finally he looks up and scurries over to Azashchakka, the words tuiumbling out of him. "Fomething. There'f fomething over there. I think, Oh, yef. Very ftraneg and... fmelling of fish !"

Snoker then moves away from Aza again and starts sniffing from the place he just was. Something apparently tingles his nose, and he follows a trail, unseen to the eye, but one he can seemingly follow over to the massive doors. He does not look up as he sniffs his way there.

Azashchakka turns from Prakhmog and looks down the steps shouting, "Up here ! Fly! The last gets my wrath!"

Prakhmog raises his right arm, and looks down its long and powerful length to the finger that points at Azashchakka's chest, opening his mouth in a saliva dripping snarl, "I find one of your snaga in the dungeons, and he's dead, Dratul."

Karja eyes Azaschakka rather suspicously, stopping behind Prakhmog and waiting for Ugbuz to stand beside him as he lowers his staff end to the ground, now letting it stand vertically to support him.

A group of orcs, about 20 in number begin raceing up the steps.

Snoker shouts out as he corsses over to the doors, "Fomething juft went dif way, Mafter. It fmellf awful, I fay" his nose wrinkles.-

Ugbuz frowns and looks around curiously. He moves to the side of the stairwell, getting a bit closer to his fellow tribesman.

Azashchakka whips his head back to Prakhmog, "Orcs die... that is the way of things." His gaze lingers on Prakhmog for a long moment.

Gollum snarls at being detected and springs from the shadows, skittering arcorss the floor towards the stairwell, startling the orcs. The creature uses its hands as it runs, padding quickly across the stone. "Sss! Filthy goblinss with their smellersss. Curse them! We hates them!" it says as it darks towards the stairs leading down deeper into the dungeons.

Snoker lets out a whoop of delight, pointing to the scrwany creature that suddenly emerged, "There, Mafter ! That'f the fmelly thing !" He starts loping after Gollum, sometimes using his hands to support him as he runs.

Azashchakka +shouts "There it is! Get it! Move you miserable slugs!"

Karja shoots his gaze towards the leaping figure, letting out a startled yelp as he gets back against the wall, his knife held out in an instinctive and yet efficient defensive position.

Ugbuz whips his head around, startled. His hand goes instinctively to the hilt of his scimitar but he leaves the weapon half-sheathed as the other uruk scramble to follow it.

Azashchakka +shouts "And I want that thing ALIVE!"

Karja exclaims to himself, muttering while the chaos begins to spread. "Skai!

I've never seen something like THAT around Pulgorburz."

The Uruks that are coming up the steps also spot Gollum, and some of them point at it whilst other draw their scimitars.

Gollum ducks and dodges around the orcs arriving at the top of the stairs, sliding between one's legs and practically slides down the stairs. "Nassty nassty orcses. They won't catch us again, my Precious. O no, we won't let them we will."

Snoker runs as fast as he can towards Gollum, who disappears down the steps. Yelling something incoherently he slams into one of the soldiers coming up, not mananging the same trick as GOllum. Both Snuffler and Soldier go over in a heap of arms and legs and cursing.

Prakhmog jumps back from the running creature, standing startled for a couple of of moments. Then he darts after it down the stairs, shoving Azashchakka's orcs out of the way and shouting, "Remember, Dratul, the dungeons are MINE!

That thing is MY prisoner.", one hand reaches down for the hilt of the weapon in his belt, slowly sliding the scimitar back out.

Azashchakka follows at a distance of five feet behind the mass of uruk persueing the elusive creature.

Azashchakka's brows furrow as he sees the creature hop about with supernatural agility. Never the less he aims a kick at its head as it passes.

Ugbuz turns to Karja, barely noticing the comment. He turns his gaze back to where he last saw the retreating form and squints his eyes to mere slits as they scan the darkness.

Gollum trips some of the orcs as he tumbles down the steps and they fall with roars, their curved blades swinging wildly, striking stone walls and occasionally each other.

Snoker kicks the soldier away from him cursing loudly and sets after Gollum again.

Karja groans to himself, looking back to Ugbuz. "I hope it doesn't take all the liquor." he mumbles, his fingers getting a better grip around his knife hilt as he begins to sweat a little in the surprise of the moment.

Azashchakka stands idly by as the other uruks move quickly after the creature, he mumbles to himself, "He wont get out that way," and begins to walk downwards at a steady pace.

Ugbuz grins and looks back to Karja. "Wez better go make sure dey not spill any liquor."

Karja smirks and nods quickly in reassurance, turning to look down the stairs as he picks up his staff and minds each step as he quietly hurries down.

Gollum leaps down the steps like a running dog, orcs hot in persuit. He looks over his shoulder and hisses through his sharp teeth, 'Foul thingss they are, yes. You won't let them get us, Precious. We'll hides in deep holes, yes. Dark holesss where nassty orcs do not go."

Snoker rushes across the floor, trying to gain on Gollum, cursing as he runs, "Nafty fmelly thing. I got your fent now. you ain't getting away, no !"

Prakhmog runs down the stairs, the blade of his scimitar almost entirely out of his belt. Stopping by Azashchakka, he grunts, "You go no further...one step down and you die, Dratul.", shifting his gaze between the uruk and the creature that runs down to the shadows.

Karja makes his way carefully yet quickly down the steps, looking at the floor before setting down a foot. His staff is again carried horizontally to prevent too much noise or delay of movement, keeping his knife at the ready as well.

Azashchakka's voice is slightly mocking and tinged with evil intent as he continues to shout, "You cant run forever, and you are trapped now. Give it up and we will go easy on you."

Ugbuz moves quickly down the stairs, his hand still on the hilt of his weapon.

He peers down below him, trying to see what is happening amidst the confusion.

Gollum makes straight for the large entrance to the sprawling mines, startling some orc miners carrying sacks of ore. "Deep dark holess there are, yes." He stops an instant to spit at the orcs' words. "We're not going back to the pitss, O no, we won't, we mustn't."

Prakhmog moves one foot one step down, releasing the scimitar from his belt and holding it before him, point turned up at Azashchakka's chin. Casting a glance behind him, to where the creature disappeared, he smiles, "Seems your troops let him run away...into your mines. Now, if you don't catch him...it's your fault, isn't it?"

Snoker leaps across the floor, bounding after Gollum. His nostrils flare as he runs after the thin-legged creature into the mines. He does not look back at the other uruks that came down the stairs after him, having forgotten everything else in the excitement of the hunt and the anger directed at the creature forcing him to sniff the dusty floors of DG.

Prakhmog lowers his scimitar, resting the tip on the ground with a loud ringing sound. He steps back, resting against the wall, and grunts, eyes gleaming red, aimed at Azashchakka's face, "I wait for you to catch the creature. And I wait for you to bring it here, to me, so the creature is taken down to the dungeons."

Azashchakka looks at Prakhmog mockingly, "The holds of Dol Guldur are my provedence before they are yours, prison keeper. Do not test me, or I will have you trussed up in your own dungeons."

Karja steps forward, pointing his staff down the mines. "Then I am telling you, find that creature and bring it to me." His face is overlapped by a new seriousness, perhaps anger.

Azashchakka says, "Now git you little rat, or you will wish you hadnt been born."

Prakhmog steps forward again, dragging the scimitar behind him on the stone with a rattling sound, and raises an eyebrow, eyes burning with fury, "You shut up, Dratul. You are the second in command of the Ashjaki, not of this fortress. You do not command me...you are Dratul, I am Rakarg, I can have your skin for this."

Karja grins, waveing his dagger towards Prakhmog, "And I his." He barks at Azaschakka. "If you can not keep a prisoner in line then you can not run a fortress. Prove to me you are a worthy ally."

Azashchakka looks away from Prakhmog, not careing to be bothered by other Orc, "Not in the pits, you have earned yourself a nice jail cell untill we decide what to do with you." Azashchakka grins at Prakhmog showing his yellowed fangs, "It was your prison he escaped from. That mistake will not be made again. He will be taken into the Ashjaki's care. If you care to take issue with that you can face me... with the whole Ashjaki behind me you pitiful slug.

Azashchakka looks at Prakhmog with disgust on his face, "Now git.... or you'll regret it." He then shoves the other roughly away and continues downwards.

Karja's eyes follow Azaschakka downwards, glareing harshly. He grunts, muttering to Prakhmog. "That buub is a dead snaga when he is no longer of use to me."

Prakhmog clutches his hands into fists in anger, raising the scimitar off the ground, and narrows his eyes at Azashchakka with red hatred, he mutters softly under his breath, "We shall see about that...", he slides the scimitar back into his belt and, nodding at Karja, storms off towards the dungeons below.

Karja grumbles, watching the stairs downwards and the mine shafts for a few moments, he begins to make his way back in the opposite direction, up towards the surface.