The Sky-Demon Strikes

Rowan circle

Shining in from up aloft, filtering through the tops of the great tall trees that grow thick roundabout the sunlight falls upon a great mossy stone set in a low hill or knoll, swathed in grass that\'s verdant green and grown to knee-height on a man slight, tall Rowan trees stand in a perfect circle or henge about the stone, broken only in the east and west by one trees thickness at each opening the trees are tall and straight as gateposts, though the only gate thereon is their interwoven boughs their light grey bark is banded and leaves laid thick about their roots. Birds flock in their eaves, waiting on white blossom and sweet, rich fruit the trees are fair, each of the same height, without canker or deformity. Their roots are deep, their branches long and slender, the shadow of each falls like a great green hall upon the forest floor.

Water burbles out from a spring in the bank by the great stone, it trickles down to the foot of the little hill and then off into the forest stood aside the spring there\'s a vessel, a tall jug wrought out of stone that stands some five feet high, seemingly filled with water. Set on the stone there\'s an earthenware jar with a heavy lid, large enough to hold some twenty gallons the handle of a great ladle peeks out from the lip of the pitcher, a great large bowl is set beside it and smaller ones too.

Contents:

Zordain

Will O\' The Wisps

Obvious exits:

West leads to Misty Mountains of Isengard: Near the edge of Fangorn.

East leads to Fangorn Forest.

[+TIME] Middle-earth time is:

Mid Afternoon on Highday, Day 2 of September.

Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.

Real time is: 20:27:40 MDT on Sat Dec 12 2009.

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

The mid afternoon sun spreads its rays downward, seeping in through the gloomy boughs of Fangorn forest. But here, over the clearing of rowan trees, the sky is open and the light glints off the clear waters of the spring. An oddly peaceful silence pervades the scene: foreboding almost as it complements the darkness that yet lurks from the treeline surrounding the clearing.

A strong wind blows from above, and the boughs sway, creaking in the motion. If one were to glance upward, a faint dot perhaps might be seen, suspended in midair nigh the clouds.

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain wanders through the forest, searching for another rabbit perhaps, the orcish one trying to gather materials for tonight\'s supper. He sighs softly, aggravated about recent events, and thus, he never bothers to look upwards towards the light of day. His thick black cloak billows around him in a light breeze, exposing his face briefly before falling back into place. He stops once he reaches the clearing, making his way towards the large rock, sitting down upon it.

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

And the odd speck comes closer and lower, seeming to be lazily drifting through the heavens. A moment passes, as the thing above coasts toward the edge of the small bald spot amid the sea of trees. A sound comes then, sudden and shrill: animalistic and unsettling. It is the cry of a bird.

Like a boulder, the object drops from the sky, swiftly becoming more defined and larger--much larger indeed. Fanned on either side by enormous golden wings, the sky-demon is framed for a fleeting instant in the eye of the Sun: a huge Eagle with beak and claws that shimmer in Anor\'s light. The creature\'s gaze is fixated downward, upon the center of that clearing, and the great wings are folded back again. With a startling speed the raptor streaks through the air on an apparent collision course with the cloaked thing that has so calmly settled itself on the rock below. Sulgirion\'s beak opens in a second shrill screech.

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain jerks his head upward in surprise at the sound, his crimson gaze widening upon spotting the large bird flying towards him. Uttering a curse in the black tongue of the orcs, he scrambles to his feet, turning to run towards the trees. As he runs, he quickly grabs for his hammer, pulling the weapon out fron his belt and hoping by some miracle that the raptor will miss him. He braces himself for the feel of claws upon his back.

[Combat(#13388)] Zordain pulls a massive black hammer from his back

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

The surprised look that is cast upward, though brief in its regard, is enough for the keen avian eyes to catch sight of the dark features that characterize orcish countenances. The eagle\'s own hazel gaze narrows, both in visible hatred as well as concentration as he falls into a skim over the high branches of the forest. The rate of descent is frightening, and as the Orc scrambles for the haven of the surrounding rowans, Sulgirion reaches the open air of the clearing. Another vicious call then, and the great bird lowers the blackened talons, stretching them outward toward the retreating figure\'s cloaked back. He swoops.

You attack Zordain with your Eagle Claws...

Your attack against Zordain badly wounds him!

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain hits the dirt hard, his flesh tearing with a searing heat against those sharpened talons. He curses, the thick blood spurting out and running down his back as he lays face down against the rocks. A hand comes out from underneath, bracing the orcish figure as he attempts to lift himself up. Every moment is critical, he mustn\'t leave himself vulnerable to another blind attack from the eagle. The orc is outmached though, his talent is with ranged attacks though he\'s good with a war hammer, he\'s no match for an eagle, that\'s for sure. He bites down on his lip, trying to force the agony coming from his wounds down as he turns himself over, staring back at the eagle\'s cold eyes. A curse rises above the trees, a loud swear in the black tongue directed at the large avian.

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

The momentum of the strike carries Sulgirion past his target now, and the mighty wings are tilted swiftly to bear him away from the looming wall of tree trunks and hanging boughs. The eagle turns in the air, and performs a half-loop around the scene, ere he alights upon the large middle stone. A sharp grating heralds his landing as stone connects with the talons - now adorned with black blood.

Sulgirion stands perched there, and the gold-crowned head turns sideways to regard the Uruk with a piercing stare, stormy and unblinking. The feathered brows would seem to furrow slightly at the curse. But the winged monster says naught, for now watching silently as though he were himself carven of the very rock upon which he looms.

You forego your chance to attack.

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain pants softly from the adrenaline coursing through his black blood, which even now begins to drip into the grass below him. He shakes his fist at the large bird, wondering as to why he has stayed his attack for the moment. He props himself up on his elbows, deciding for a moment as to whether he should even attempt to attack the bird. He pauses a moment, carefully easing his bow out of the grass beside him and using it to help prop him up, he staggers to his knees, shaking from the effort and looks hatefully at the eagle. \"Cursed winged filth,\" he mutters in Westron, a tongue he\'s sure the large bird will understand. He pauses for a moment, looking down at the arrows that have spilled into the grass from his quiver, frowning a bit and reaching down to carefully pick one up...

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

\"Filth?\" the bird says, the harsh lilt of his avian kind gracing the words that somehow flow from the hard, stiff beak.\"Pray tell, what does that make you, who so vulgarly sends foul words to add to Fangorn\'s darkness?\" The eagle remains standing on his rough perch, and the sharp gaze flickers but a minute to take notice of the darts which Zordain reaches for. Curiously, though, the avian does not seem bothered by this movement in the slightlest the stern looks stays unreadable, aside from the obvious dislike it shares for the creature in front of him.

You forego your chance to attack.

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain smirks a bit at the retaliation, curling his first around the shaft of the arrow he\'s managed to claim and pulls it towards him. He\'s not going down without a fight at least and he looks down his nose at the bird. Without even acknowledging the insult directed at him he pushes down against the bow and grunts, carefully rising to his feet. \"Fangorn is dark because it belongs to us, not the filth of your kind.\"

ARB: Zordain has \"passed\" on his turn to attack.

An eerie darkness envelops the ancient wood of Fangorn as the sun makes its final descent. Watchful eyes seeming to follow your every step.

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

As the standoff between orc and bird continues, the sun dips lower in the horizon already the piece of sky that dwells above darkens as night descends.

A few feathers ruffle on the eagle\'s head as the distastful label of \'filth\' is uttered once more, and there is a scrape as the large claws clench tighter over the stone but it is the only sign of annoyance that Sulgirion exhibits. \"And by what right do you lay claim upon this place? There are others, ancient in their age, who called Fangorn home long before your ilk set foot on its soil.\" The staring eyes flicker then. \"This wooded realm does not below to you, nor is it left unguarded by those of whom I speak. Begone from here, vermin! For if I do not smite you, the Watchers of this forest shall do so in my stead.\" The threat in the voice is clear, emphasized by the cruel hooked beak which clacks open and close. Of course, it doesn\'t help that the raptor is double in height compared to that of his orcish foe.

You forego your chance to attack.

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain points his bow at the bird, aiming for his feathery chest and smiles wickedly. \"Even if you were to smite me down here and now, you would not be able to crush us. You know nothing of the great power or the uruk-hai.\" He laughs cruely, a little blood dribbling down his lip as with a cough, he draws the fluid up from his lungs, damaged in his earlier fall. He looses an arrow, hoping to get at least one arrow in before the bird has him on the ground fighting again.

[Combat(#13388)] Zordain wields Longbow.

Zordain launches an arrow...

Ow! You\'ve been injured for 3 hp\'s by the bowshot.

ARB: Please RP this injury accordingly.

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

And the black arrow strikes true, earning a new cry from the form of the eagle. The great black-tipped beak dips to remove the source of the pinprick that now protrudes from bronze breast. The arrow is cast unceremoniously to the side.

Sulgirion frowns at the reply. \"You mention a great power?\" he says, tilting his gold head. \"It cannot be very potent if your kind creeps in the shadow and scamper away in the face of danger.\" A blast of dirt and grass is sprayed into the air as the mighty wings unfurl and flap with the force of a gale. A single beat of the feathered arms, and the avian bears down upon Zordain again, the nasty talons aimed for one of his shoulders.

\"Your numbers may be great, yet I will see that one less comprises them after this eve.\"

You attack Zordain with your Eagle Claws...

Zordain dodges your attack.

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain dives to the side, wincing as he lands with force upon an old battle wound on his abodmen. He clutches said bow and rolls over to his back, pointing up at the larger beast and aiming again at his back as he glides over him. He lets loose another arrow with a snarl the battle is on now, and the uruk fights for his life against the bird. He hisses in uruk another select few curses as his arrow seeks its target.

Zordain launches an arrow...

Ow! You\'ve been injured for 2 hp\'s by the bowshot.

ARB: Please RP this injury accordingly.

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

The claws fail to find their victim, and instead slice naught but thin air. With a deft veer to the left, Sulgirion moves to circle around once more the gnarled branches are buffeted as he passes. But the turn is not quick enough, for a second accursed shaft from the longbow connects, sinking into the soft layers of feathers before nicking the flesh beneath. The massive avian wheels around low in the sky, and a new strategy is taken. The talons do not lower this time as Sulgirion overtakes the cloaked form he shifts sideways, trying to come between Zordain and the thick eaves of the forest behind the Orc. There the eagle hovers in midair, the wings sending blasts to hurl the other creature away and closer to where the land is bare of trees.

You forego your chance to attack.

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain growls as his arrow finds its mark but only manages to annoy the avian further. As those jets of air come off the massive wings he rolls over in the dirt, trying to keep himself protected from the debris that follows. He rolls a few times, to try and get out of the path of the bird, trying to make it towards the trees on the other side of the beast and scowls to himself. There\'s little chance of an arrow getting through that gale, so he doesn\'t bother to try and attack this time, merely trying to keep himself out of harm\'s way.

ARB: Zordain has \"passed\" on his turn to attack.

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

A brown brow would appear to cock as Sulgirion looks downward to spot the Uruk-hai in the process of performing some sort of odd roll-looking dance. Though the beak is incapable of further expression, his opponent might catch sight of a brief look of amusement that crosses avian features at the strange spectacle. \"You have yet to show me this power which you mentioned prior,\" says the bird, and a rasping sound rises then--a birdish laughter it would seem. \"Crawling about in the mud will not serve to convince me.\" Sulgirion becomes silent once more, as he skims low to take advantage of Zordain\'s grounded location. It is the beak this time that pecks downward for the weapon-wielding arm.

You attack Zordain with your Eagle Claws...

Your attack against Zordain mildly wounds him!

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain hisses as that great beak tears through the skin on his arm, nearly tearing the longbow from his grasp. He reaches up and pushes that great beast back, trying desperately to make his way towards the cover of the trees, where the eagle cannot follow. He gasps and pants, the thick orcish blood staining the ground beneath him, as he vainly reaches down with his noninjured hand to try and grasp his hammer. He reaches up, swinging wildly at the source of his pain, that large hooked beak...

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

A fresh squawk erupts from bird-lungs as the Orc attempts to force Sulgirion back, but the eagle\'s size and weight would be found too great for such an attempt. And then the war hammer surfaces, and the avian twists overhead to avoid to new threat as it lashes out--but too late. The previous strike brought him too close toward his enemy, and thus it is that the orcish mallet thuds against hard beak, turning that curved mouth away to the side. Then the mighty wings beat anew, and the form of the eagle ascends high into the air above for a moment the dreadful silhouette is enveloped in the pale stare of the moon.

Then the talons are opened, and hastily aimed directly downward toward the earth below. \"The wrath of the sky is come upon you,\" says Sulgirion, as the hazel eyes glare toward the lying figure of the Uruk-hai underneath him. \"I shall pin you to the earth!\" Like a streak of lightening the feathered beast speeds for Zordain, and the claws are extended in a straight line aiming for the orc\'s shoulders.

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain braces himself as with a great thud, he\'s pinned to the ground. He stares up hatefully at the beast above him, the dirt filling the wounds on his back and his thick blood oozing from his maimed arm. He struggles against the huge bird, trying to free himself from the grip of those talons. Finding himself pinned, he does the next best thing and leans up to spit in the face of the great avian foe.

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

The reply is a low hissing screech from Sulgirion\'s throat as the vile mouthful hits his upper head, and the raptor\'s crushing grip loosens as he moves to clear the stuff from his eyes. The talon is still stuck into the soil, though now that the clench has wavered, Zordain\'s arm might be able to escape if he reacts fast enough. Towering above, the large bird is blinded for the moment, and the head is shook from side to side in effort to regain sight.

[Zordain(#27179)]

Zordain pulls himself free, tearing loose from those claws and pushing himself towards the line of trees in a mad dash to escape certain death. The adrenaline coursing through his veins is enough to get him to his feet and running, albeit unsteadily towards the forest where he finally makes it to safety. He pants softly, hiding between a thick grove of trees, trying to catch his breath and hoping that the eagle hasn\'t seen where he\'s gone, or at the least that he\'s unable to follow. As he assesses the damage done, his back is torn up like ground beef, his arm his mangled from that huge curved beak, the tendons and ligaments exposed to the cool night air. Looking back at the clearing, there is a large smear of orcish blood across the green grass, noting where he\'d been struggling with the beast.

[Sulgirion(#16643)]

The golden head is cast sideways to rub against one of his enormous feathered shoulders then but by the time the spit has been removed, the Uruk-hai is gone. Sulgirion\'s beak clacks in wrath, and the flickering gaze is tilted this way and that, searching for any sign of where the other creature has vanished. But the clearing is now empty, save for the dark smear of the Orc\'s lifeblood that adorns the spot where the talon yet grasps. The blackened claw closes tightly, angrily, and as it is yanked free the earth is ripped into the air in its wake.

There is only one place to where Zordain could have fled, and it is toward that dark fence of trees that the eagle launches himself suddenly, dirt and grass sent skyward from the strength of his take off. But the twisted trunks and clinging boughs are too narrowly spaced to grant the sky-demon passage, and Sulgirion pauses beyond their shadowy line. With another powerful downbeat, the feathered arms sweep him up into the air, and the raptor turns to skirt over the very tips of the rowans. The wind-storm of his passing violently sways the branches back and forth, and he sends an ear-splitting cry to echo over the silence that pervades from Fangorn.

\"Shadow-skulker and mud-crawler!\" the avian cries, ire lacing each word. \"Your quaking feet may carry you beyond my reach, but my kin shall continue to hunt your ilk. Flee for now--flee the light! But if you value your life, do not return hither if I find you here again, there shall be more than foul blood to lie over this barren knoll.\" Then, with a final call of warning, the bird soars for the clouds, and his form melts into the night.