Gollum-chasing and Hell-raising

Dol Guldur

OOC NOTE: This is the same session as Karja logged, only from a diferent point of view. These converge at one point, then splits when the Ashjaki go after Gollum, and, well, the others go for liquor and stuff :)

Azashchakka pads across the campsite, looking over at Prakhmog as he leads the Uruks towards the mountainside. His lingering gaze bares no hostility, rather it is an icy stare. There is no superfluous motion and he soon whips his head back and disapears into a tent near the center of the camp.

Prakhmog moves his shield to his back and stands up, pushing his body straight with his arms, knuckles buried in the ground. Nodding back at Karja, he starts walking away from the fire and through the camp, heading for the path that connects it to the entrance to the fortress above.

Karja follows after Prakhmog as quickly as his old feet can take him, which in truth is actually faster than one would suspect, and much quieter. His black oaken staff prods the ground with every step, the crow feathers blowing in the wind as he goes.

Prakhmog walks slowly through the camp, taking his time to kick and shove away any snaga on his way, ocasionally taking his hands to the ground like an ape. This movement is repeated again, several times, as he starts moving up the stepper area up the road.

Karja begins to almost crawl up the slope as it gets steeper, his large hands carrying the staff along with him as he does. Yet he still moves silently, and unless one was confident that he was there, someone ahead of him might not be able to tell he was present.

Ashjaki Command Tent

This fairly large tent has a large table set in the middle, with chairs around it. These chairs are clearly of human making, and some of them seem rather rickety from having to support the weight and abuse of Uruk-Hais. A few candles are set into the once-polished tabletop that now is scratched and marred. Over by one wall is a ruffled matress obviously used by the Ashjaki leader for sleeping.

Azashchakka has arrived.

Feagwath stands up and walks to the wagon, kicks some small rocks and yawns.

Ghazhgund sits at his desk, a scroll in front of him. He seems to be reading it, contemplating the text on it. As Azashchakka comes in , he looks up.

Azashchakka steps into the tent stooping his head, both to enter and to bow. "Master..." He begins, careing little to indulge in formalities.

Ghazhgund nods curtly, "Yes, Dratul. What is it ?", he says without any further ado, waiting for the report of the Dratul.

Azashchakka rasps, "That slimey creature has escaped... throttled his gaurd and made his way off into the prison... I know he has not escaped as not even he could evade the orcs of the upper levels...

>From inside Ashjaki Command Tent, Ghazhgund +shouts, ""WHAT !!??""

Azashchakka says, "But it is an inconvenience untill we can catch him and throw him into a proper cell... I fear we underestimated his climbing ability when we threw him into that pit."

Ghazhgund lowers his voice after the outburst, narrowing his eyes as he looks over the Dratul, "How could the guards of the pit let that little rat disappear ??"

Ghazhgund hmms, "Who else know about this ?"

Azashchakka shakes his head, "I do not know... seems there was only one... Ragdut... he was strangled from behind."

Azashchakka says, "To my knowledge none... but he may have been spoted sneaking about the lower levels."

Ghazhgund grits his teeth, "Damn ! Take a platoon of Ashjaki and rout out that little cretin. I don't want any outsiders to know this. That the Ashjaki can't keep one prisoner locked up. I want him found before sundown. He cannot have escaped the dungeons. He will never pass the Watchers, so he has to be down there. Now go !"

Azashchakka bows, "At once master."

Azashchakka turns around quickly and heads out.

We are now down in DG, where Karja, Prakhmog and Ugbuz hangs around, plotting to drink the liquor of the Ashjaki whilst the tribe are off chasing Gollumses (as seen in Karja's log of this same session)

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.

Azashchakka walks down quickly....

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 heads down the stairs after Azashchakka, leaving the other non-Ashjaki behind.

Snoker comes loping down the stairs, his hair flowing behind him. He sniffs as he runs and almost bumps into Aza and his crew. Then he stands silent in front of Azaschaakka, "Master. What do you want me to do ?"

Azashchakka walks through the hallway to a temple.

Around and down you go....

Snoker comes loping out from the mines. his head is all the way doen to the floor, sniffing around. He walks towards Aza in a strange gait, then looks up at the larger Uruk, "What am I fmelling for, Mafter ?"m he says sullenly, "I can't fmell properly if I don't know what to fmell for..:"

Azashchakka snorts at the Orc, "You'll know it when you smell it... something strange... something that is not supposed to be here... perhaps some fear... but mostly a rotting smell.

Snoker nods quickly, then starts moving around the room with his nose down to the floor, muttering to himself, "Rotten,. huh? WHat doef not fmell rotten doen here ? I hate thefe ftinking hallf and dungeonf... Meffef up my nose, it does !"

Loadsa messing around in DG, in various rooms, looking for GOllum who ain't anywhere..

Snoker walks into the room, moving his nose up from the floor, looking about with distaste as sparks fly around him.

Snoker shakes his head as he enters the room again, muttering something about everything smelling rotten down here.

Snoker lopes to all the different exits from the room, bending all the way down to the floor, sniffing noises emerging constantly. He does them all in sequence, trying to determine one that smells more 'right' than another. Suddenly he sneezes violently, causing dust to fly. "Damn !", he sputters.

Snoker returns to the center of the room, shaking his head disgustedly, "I don't find anything fmelling 'ftrange', Master. I fmell lotf of rotten ftuff, but nothing unufual."

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 tumbling 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.

Gollum walks down quickly....

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

Azashchakka comes from the upper level....

Snoker comes charging down the stairs, almost slipping and tumbling as he jumps over one of the soldiers on its way up. He lands agile on his feet, however, and scans the room quickly, spotting the stringy figure of Gollum quickly and setting after it, wheezing as he runs.

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.

Prakhmog comes from the upper level....

Azashchakka calls down the steps, "Give up the chase little rabbit, we have you now... useless to attempt escape... you will only earn our greater displeasure!"

Karja comes from the upper level....

Ugbuz comes from the upper level....

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.

Snoker storms into the mines, his leather armour creaking as he runs in the strange, loping gait used by snufflers, enabling them to hold their heads low while running speedily ahead. He bares his fangs as he looks around for Gollum.

Gollum races down the dark corridors as if he'd been studying them the past few days he has been loose, ducking behind outcroppings, leaping over holes, dodging carts and rocks. He moves with amazing speed and agility, whipping around corners, his large head leading the way, his tongue lolling, and a bright gleam in his eyes. "We musst hide, Precious. Hides down in dark miness, yes yes, my sweet one. If we had it we could escape, yes. But now we musst run," the creature pants, slipping under the swinging pickaxe of a particularly huge orc.

Snoker follows much of the same route as GOllum, but stumbles at one point as he's not familiar with these tunnels. As he stumbles he bumps into a mining cart, setting it rolling down the tracks in the direction where Gollum went. The cart picks up speed.

Snoker runs down the mine, suddenly stopping. "Where that thing go ?",h emutters as he lost sight of Gollum as he stumbled. He bends his head to the ground again and starts sniffing, making his way slowly into the tunnel, trying to get Gollum's scent. "I have his fent, I have", he mutters. "I'll find him."

Gollum reaches out with his grasping fingers, catching the creature expertly around the neck as it looks to the ground sniffing. "Foul snuffer! We'll gives you something to sniff, my love: dirt. Yes yes," he cackles as he choaks. "We'll smell the flowers on your grave, we will, Precious."

Snoker is moving slowly ahead, sniffing cautiously. Just as he picks up the scent he was looking for he feels the long fingers wrap around his neck. Slightly startled, he is saved by the reflexes honed in countless wrestling matches over the years, and leaps ahead with great speed, hoping Gollum will hold his grip, and drag the creature along with him as he rolls forward on the ground, thus shaking him off.

Gollum wails at the unexpected move and is tossed off, flying into a mine wall with a soft thud. He hisses in anger and leaps at the orc again, crying, "Snifflesss has some fight in him, Precious." He licks his pale lips with his thin tongue and a green gleam comes into his dark eyes, advancing again on the orc. "We'll enjoy eating him, Precious. Gnaw on his bones we will..."

Snoker snorts in anger as he rolls around after flipping Gollum off. he gets quickly up on his feet, the wiry body of the Uruk apparently agile enough. He then spits, "Fneaking in from behind, huh ? I'll teach you yo fneak !" He lashes out with a powerful kick at Gollum, who's jumping at him.

Azashchakka steps into the mines... it is clear from the way he moves that this is the place he is the most comfortable in. He listens to the sounds of the mine and moves from cavern to cavern... it is clear he knows this place like the back of his hand.

The kick catches Gollum in the stomach and he tumbles backwards, caught off guard. He stumbles backwards--right into an open hole! He wails, "Preciousss!" as he vanishes down the hole, seemingly falling down into darkness.

Many Uruks move about here... apart from the miners who are now ocupied with looking for something there are about 20 soldiers moving through here.

Azashchakka strides calmly through the milling uruks, his ears twitching, listening for sounds of struggle. He stops every once in a while and continues onwards, sometimes down a differant path.

Azashchakka waves to several other uruks. They follow without question as Azashchakka winds through countless tunnels and low ceilinged holes. Suddenly he emerges... behind Gollum... sword drawn with ten uruks at his back. At almost the same time ten more uruks appear on the other side of the tunnel.

After a few moments, pale fingers can be seen gripping the edge of the hole, then the large head of the creature pokes up, its eyes blinking at the near fatal fall. "Cruel orcses," he says, baring his teeth as he sees the hole is surrounded.

Azashchakka +shouts "We can kill you my little rabbit... or... you can give up... I never made the mistake of thinking you less than intelligent... I think you will chose correctly."

Snoker cries out as he sees his prey fall down the hole, and runs over to it just as Gollum comes creeping out again. he reaches out a hairy paw and grabs hold of one of Gollum's hands and pulls hard to get him out of the hole and into view.

Gollum climbs up on his hands and knees, crawling before Azashchakka. "Spare us! Don't hurt uss, strong one! We are poor and wretched, yes, very wretched. Clever orcses have us again. We were only looking for food, we were, gollum gollum," he creature grovels. "So hungry."

Snoker takes up a position behind Gollum as he grovels before the Dratul, grinning proudly as he regards what he thinks of as 'his' catch.

Azashchakka holds his scimitar point downward at Gollum's neck, his lip snarls disgustedly "Tell me why I shouldnt kill you right now."

Snoker nods along with his Master as he talks to the wretched creature, a wide grin plastered upon his face. He fingers a dagger in his belt eagerly, as if wanting to shove it into the creature.

Gollum whines and wails, "You are strong, master, and we are weak. Tired and lonely, oh so lonely. We'll be very very nice, yesss. Help the mighty orcses kill men and elves, yes, friends to the nice orcses. We are beneath your anger. Nothing but dusst are we. Losst and dust." He prostrates himself before the orc.

Azashchakka growls from the back of his throat, he kicks Gollum in the stomach, "You miserable wretch! that is not enough... you are dead as we speak." He lifts the blade as if to bring it down across the creatures neck, but he hesitates... not bringing it down. Something changes about the orcs hatefull face and he brings the sword down to his waist. He looks uncomfortable for the briefest moment before he speaks, "Still there is much you might know... much you are not telling..."

Snoker lights up, and says to Azashchakka, "Maybe the Queftioner could make him fpeak, Mafter ?", the huge grins till on his face, but evilness shining behind the eyes of this foul orc.

Gollum paws at the orc's boot. "Yes, much can I show you, mighty one. Very helpful, we can be, yes. We'll tell you everything, we will," he fawns. He glances at the snuffer and bares his teeth with a loud sss before weeping before the large orc.

Azashchakka's hand grips the handle of his scimitar tightly. He turns his head to Snoker with a look that would rot meat. "Do not talk to me about the questioner, he is a fool who will die shortly if he continues in his ways. Remember that. The Questioner is an enemy of the Ashjaki." He then backhands Snoker with his free hand. "And do not interupt the bussines of your superiors." Hitting the smaller orc seems to aleviate his tension, but he looks down at Gollum as if looking for an excuse to kill this strange creature.

Snoker reels back from the force of the blow, the grin suddenly wiped from his face. He glowers at Azashchakka, then lowers his head and mumbles, "Yef, Mafter.", keeping his mouth shut after that.

Gollum whimpers and fawns before the orc, "Yes, very clever massster. Gollum gollum. We'll help clever master. Peek and sneak for the master. Watch the clever clever orc's enemies we will." He puts his forhead on the ground, whining.

Azashchakka shakes with rage, his fingers tightening and releaseing on the handle of his blade. He speaks very susinctly, "Stop your whimpering. Do you not realize who you speak to? I am a commander in one of the tribes of Mordor. The world is tributary to The all seeing eye. What do you possibly have that the glory of the eye can not give me. I say you have earned your death on this day, you miserable wretch."

Snoker draws back from Azashchakka and Gollum, saying in subdued tones, anger smoldering somewhere inside him, but well hidden as he don't want the wrath of Azashchakka upon him, "I'll report to the Mafter we caught thif fneak. He faid return when the tafk waf done."

Azashchakka stands completely still, his gaze fixed across the back of the cowering creature before him.

Silence lays heavily across the orcs within the cavern.

Only the sound of sobs coming from Gollum's gobbling throat can be heard, echoing off the tunnels and mine shafts. "Wretched are we! It's losst and we can't find it! Losst! And all is dusst!" The creature writhes on the ground as if in pain. "I am tired. It is lost. My birthday present! All gone, stolen. Thief! Filthy thief!" He weeps openly at the foot of the orc.

Snoker swallows, waiting for any form of acknowledgment from Azahchakka. His eyes wander down to the creature on the floor, and a strange look passes over his face.

Azashchakka shouts to the roof of the cavern, "Chains! Fetch me chains! We will bind this creature in cold steel! He can hiss and sputter, but he will crawl on his belly like a worm in the Ashjaki's care." he says to no one in particular, "We are prison keepers who will not fail..."

>From somewhere among the back ranks of the twenty Ashjaki roaming DG to capture Gollum there can be heard a heavy jingling, and an Uruk comes running to Azashchakka with some lengths of heavy chain.

Another Uruk sprints out of the mines and soon after a burly Ashjaki miner comes along with a small sledgehammer and shackles. The proceed to put Gollum's spindly legs in shackles and chains.

Gollum cries out, "Chains! Chains! O we shall be bound like dogs, we shall. Poor Smeagol, he is losst without his Precious. Losst!" The creature looks old and frail as the chains are clamped on him.

Azashchakka says, "You two!" He points to two dirty Ashjaki miners, "Bring this swine up to the Hildo barracks and then fetch Ghazhgund. He is sure to have words for him," He looks at Gollum, sure to make eye contact, "Harsher than my own!"

Azashchakka claps and shouts "Disperse," to the surrounding uruks as he begins to walk to the exit, not looking back to see if his orders are being carried out.

Snoker stands watching the chaining of Gollum, but slowly he slinks towards the exit of the mines, his face slightly frowned, as if thinking hard. He then disappears from view and moves away.

The two dirty Ashjaki miners lift Gollum up by a length of chain running down his back and lug him onward through the mines following Azashchakka.

From here, Snoker changes to Ghazhgund. Gollum is dragged to the barracks in chains and the Teguk of DG goes to have a lil' chat with him.... In the next episode.. :)