Gryfflet has been awaiting our return very patiently given the pouring rain which matches the mood in the aftermath of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. We have various folks to seek out, not all of whom are alive, and a final Orc Captain to slay: the latter proves considerably less distressing since we knew many of the former. We console ourselves by looking forward to visiting Ithilien once we are done here and by considering a Lore Question while we roam about. Consolation is of no avail when we discover Forlong the Fat in the very hour of his death, although we are able to reunite him with his hero Thorongil for one final parting. When we return to Aragorn's Pavilion, Éomer has an errand for us and Aragorn summons us to a Council. Pursuant to the former, Elfhelm wants to talk to us within the city: he needs us to retrieve the sword which Éowyn used to kill the Witch-king, which turns out to have belonged to Théodred before his untimely death. Gryfflet is overjoyed to discover that Snowmane's tomb has already been erected, and the Professor is overjoyed to discover that it has been inscribed in runes and Tengwar with the memorial poem from the book in Sindarin and Old English. Éomer is happy to receive the sword-hilt and sends us out to help Elfhelm some more: he has found some Haradrim to harass but sensibly balks at invading Cair Andros with his small force. We anticipate taking care of that situation at a later date but first there are some residual enemies to clear up around the Pelennor, including a stray rat. It is now time for us to attend Aragorn's Council at which plans are laid to march to the Black Gate. Gryfflet is sent out to locate Heralds around and in the city to spread the word and summon soldiers to Aragorn's side, but first he has more folks to interview about the aftermath of the battle. Angbor wants him to mine some ore for the nearby forge, and Éomer has some missing Rohirrim for him to track down, all but one of whom are beyond his help. He rides round the city, checking the approaches while we discuss some more Lore, and then goes mining. We are able to borrow enough time to find all the bodies and the lone survivor, and handing them in causes Gryfflet to level up, at which point we are finally ready to attend the funeral for the fallen…which we will leave to the next session.
"Oh, dear, I see you're dead!"
"Tell Beriadir I said 'hi'!"
"Oh my goodness, Forlong is still alive!"
"The Lord of the Rings isn't a product of his love of world-building, it's the cause!"
"So it'll make sense later? We can hope!"
"Oh my gosh, you see what that means?"
"I can buy that at an affordable rate!"
"Is he standing under this tree cheerfully? No, no, he's not!"
"Take that, vermin!"
"Time to do some mining, apparently!"
"Gnawing on my ankles while I'm trying to have a conversation!"
Lore discussed this week included the fate of the Witch-king and JRRT's world-building as it compared to his story-telling. We also discussed the heritage of the Beornings, how it is presented in the game and how this contrasts with the books, and the weaponry of the Dwarves.