Thief Hunt::Series II

[Moriel]

DING DING DING!

The thief has been caught!! @Dwim has successfully apprehended that slippery thief Sil in her hiding place in Dhâd Bûrz, where she had made off with One George. Dwim, you are now a Minion First Rank Hunter! Nothing special happens.

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 Three, commence!

[Dwim]

VICTORY!! Akrag had previously lost his position of First Rank Hunter due to poor performance. But finally, in this new series, he had been promoted again and regained his position. The orc owed a great big thank you to Sil for being so bad at covering her tracks. But she wasn't the only one. There were people all over Mordor forgetting to cover their tracks, and he was currently investigating a suspicious new set that he'd found in The Shadows. He'd referenced his book of foot prints and couldn't quite match any of the sketches with these tracks. But there was someone whose prints weren't in his books. They were DEATH's. There was a strange, thin track in the dirt which ran alongside his footprints, which Akrag assumed could only have belonged to a stolen Lava Snake.

[Winddancer]

Oh man this was getting embarassing. Not only had Winddancer not found the thief, but a hoppit had! Like what!? She wanted to just go hide Beneath a rock, but what good would that do? To be honest, setbacks only made Winddancer more determined to succeed, not less and she would find one of these thieves if it was the last thing she did! Therefore she jumped back onto Ketchup's back and went to find out what had been taken this time.
Írimë’s Wine Stash? Wow someone wanted to die, painfully.. Winddancer shook her head when she saw the notice. "Fools.."

[The Good Hunter]

"You are lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry, Clementine." Sil had been the the one apparently behind the whole thing. How strange was that? Not that strange, the lost Frost mused over it. She must still be mad at him because of the noodle incident with his old Lava Snake before he left. She sure knew how to hold a grudge. But that just made her a fantastic minion, he couldn't be mad at her for that. She nearly succeeded too. If Dwim hadn't managed to catch her before she planted the evidence, he'd be lost and dreadful sorry. Maybe it was time to make up with Thali, she was basically a minion already and he didn't need another person with a grudge coming after him. A few dozen Elf Bloods from On the Rocks and they could at least try to smooth things over.

[KingODuckingham]

Ducky went home and put the bottle down. The lack of drink (since he had not found Írimë’s Wine Stash) before sleep washed over him allowed him to dream. He dreamed of Dwim. Dwim appeared to be floating on a cloud, but the cloud was made of rocks. So you could say he was On the Rocks. Whether Ducky would say so we will never know, because even if he talked in his sleep there was nobody in the room to hear. Whether Ducky was himself in the dream wasn't clear yet, but perhaps time would bring clarity on that front. For now, the river Lethe carried Ducky's mind onward, drifting slowly into oblivion...

[Moriel]

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

@Dwim within The Shadows you have stumbled upon the Covered Pit of Stakes. You fall and are impaled!! You may not hunt again until after the current thief is found. You are however free to RP your untimely demise, and continue RPing as a ghost until the thief is found.

[The Good Hunter]

"Drove she ducklings to the water, every morning just at nine..." Frost was early the next morning to On the Rocks. His need to bury the hatchet with Thalionwen had kept him up all night. Was this a wise thing to be doing? Was it going to end up with him getting roasted in the oven and served as the meal of the day? Frost's mind went to the cannibal place far too much. He really should talk to someone about that. He dozed at his favorite table, one further in the back that had a good vantage point on the door. It also happened to be the only table there not covered a dozen different mystery stains. While dozed, the empty bottles of Írimë’s Wine Stash danced a nice chorus line over his head. This was going to be a long day.

[Lirimaer]

Lirimaer, back in her old stomping grounds, was busy lamenting the closure of the old event pub when who should pass her by as she walked on the rocks of death, but the ghost of a lava snake, skittering along the ground noisily - and how? Even the wisest cannot tell, but she suspected Narv was up to something. He was always up to something. She needed Roh to keep him in check, and where was her purple friend? Probably off with that bean called Sean she had so loved. It was a travesty really, passing up friendship for beans.

[Dwim]

And with that, it was all over. Akrag had become a little bit too cocky and comfortable after his victory, and forgot that you can't just go snooping around in the shadows without checking your footing closely. It seemed the foot prints and the lava snake track were simply a trap. He had foolishly taken the bait and walked straight into a disguised hole in the ground.

Down, down the orc fell, cursing all the thieves of the world as he tumbled towards an untimely end. "THUCK!!" was the noise his body made as it hit the bottom, impaled on a huge spike. His lights went out, spinal column severed, with a nice pool of blood filling up around him.

[Gwai]

Her early skill in catching thieves notwithstanding, Gwai was now back to her previous abilities of a lack of thief catching. Írimë’s Wine Stash was running low, and she decided to look for Elenhir, who seemed a likely thief. That seemed like a lot of work, however, so perhaps going to On the Rocks as a starting point looking for him would be the most prudent course. Happily lying to herself, she set off toward the pub, although unsure she could handle any more beverages from here.

[KingODuckingham]

The dream shifted. A terrible Lava Snake appeared and devoured Dwim in front of Ducky's eyes (if Ducky really was there). Somehow Ducky knew that the snake had been sent by Narv as part of a long-term plan to take over Middle-earth, though how eating Dwim helped was not immediately clear in the dream. One did not question these things, one knew instinctively. The snake shed its skin On the Rocks and slithered away, looking shiny and scary. Ducky was glad it could not see him.

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Zarâm scowled when she realised that once again someone else had caught the thief. Perhaps this time she would finally get the eternal glory of finding the horrid thief. She just knew that Moriel was the thief this time. She was too good at catching thieves to not be one. Zarâm hunted around On the Rocks searching for the thief who was surely sipping on some of Írimë’s Wine Stash and probably enjoying it a bit too much. This time the thief would be caught by her and the thief would wish they had never stolen anything in the Black Land.

[Moriel]

DING DING DING!

The thief has been caught!! @Bïfrøst has successfully apprehended that drunken thief Thalionwen in her (really pretty obvious) hiding place in On the Rocks, where she was attempting to make off with Írimë's Wine Stash. Frost, you are now a Minion First Rank Hunter! Nothing special happens.

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 Four, commence! When will we see a second rank hunter?!?!

@Dwim, you may now hunt again!

[Dwim]

Back from the dead! Akrag was back in the hunt. He would never quite get over the trauma of being impaled by a five foot long stake, but at least he was alive. Or was he? How could he have survived such a horrible disaster? He had woken out in the open with a big hole in the middle of his stomach, yet there was no blood coming from it and it did not hurt to stick his hand through it. Was he alive? Or is this what death was? Could you be a ghost without knowing it? This was a troubling and confusing circumstance for Akrag, but he decided the only way to figure this out was to talk to someone. If they could hear him, surely it meant he was still alive?

Perhaps the best person to talk to was the reaper himself. He decided he needed to find DEATH and have a word with him. Surely he could tell him if he was alive or dead, and whether his soul still belonged to him. He figured DEATH had a hand in every death and would surely have the answer. Where would he find him though? Perhaps Minas Morgûl would be a good place to look, for it did seem like a pretty deathly fortress. And if nothing else came of the visit, at least he could have a search for the Hauberk of Angmar while he was there. A piece of armour like that would certainly prevent such terrible injuries in the future. The orc began his march, wondering occasionally why he couldn't feel anything anymore.

[Gwai]

Another thief captured, and again, not by yours truly. What did she need to become a more successful thief hunter? Gwai didn't know, and instead focused on the next thief, as there were always plenty lurking about. The Ringwraith Review was a likely spot to find a bunch of thieves all in one place. She started that direction, and immediately word on the street was One Rotting Leg O’ Las was missing. Gwai paused. Important questions immediately rose to mind. Who would want to steal that? Did she even want to find it? Was it lunch time? These questions and more ran through her mind as she continued toward the Review.

[KingODuckingham]

Ducky decided to write a book on philosophy. He had been doing a lot of philosophizing lately, as his plans failed one by one and he spiraled into a mental pit of meaninglessness and unfulfilled desires and ambitions. So why not try to make a buck off of that by putting his thoughts into words. On paper. In the Morannon. Maybe he could get Nerwen to co-write it with him, or at least help him publish it. First, he needed a title. Ducky licked the tip of his feather quill thoughtfully, dipped it in the ink, then wrote:

"When life gives you lemons.."

No, no, no, he thought. That's what they'll be expecting. You need to grab your readers' attention, wizard! Put a twist on it!

"When life gives you One Huge Barrel Full of Hobbits..."

Much better.

[The Good Hunter]

"Hit her foot against a splinter, fell into the foaming brine..." That did not go as planned. Frost had not meant for Thali to get caught stealing. Yet as soon as she arrived she had been set up on by Narv and dragged off to only the ringwraiths knew where. She supposedly had been caught stealing the wine from the pub but Frost knew that could not be the case. There was something more at play here. Who was behind the frame job? He needed to get out of the pub that was for sure, it seemed like it was cursed. Where to go though, that was a good question. He always thought best when at the Newbie Spawning Pool, perhaps he could go there and clear his mind well enough to think of a plan. As he arrived, his plan began to work. A idea involving his old Lava Snake began to take shape in his mind.

[Lirimaer]

She'd been so close, physically at least, to the thief. Perhaps she needed to pay a little more attention if she was going to find this next one. Stumbling along through a cloud of ash, she found herself faced with a wall of shadow and flame. It could only be that valaraukar Elenhir trying to hide his crimes by causing more damage and destruction so no one would notice. To be fair, it would work. Nobody was going to challenge a balrog regarding its suspicious loitering. But what would such a creature steal? What could it want? It was either a nice cup of tea or a new whip, and something told her it was a cat o' nine tails which had gone missing.

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Once again the thief had been caught by someone other than yours truely. Would she ever have the honour of catching a thief? Zarâm scowled, a feature that was quickly becoming permanent, once again as she tramped towards The Morannon. Surely she would find the thief Winddancer there. She was certain to be hiding with the One Huge Barrel Full of Hobbits. Come to think of it, such an item would make for a tasty, but a bit noisy, of a snack. Zarâm smacked her lips, hoping she'd find it in time to enjoy a morsal.

[Moriel]

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

@Lirimaer with in the Cloud of Ash you have found the 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! You may not guess until the next turn.

[Dwim]

Akrag still did not know if he was dead or alive. And DEATH was not at Minas Morgul. While the Thief Hunt went on around him, Akrag still continued to waste time trying to come to terms with his own mortality. He had an idea though. Surely DEATH would be found at the place where people most often died? He'd never be too far away from there, right? Where was that, though? Perhaps the Black Pits, or the Towers of No Return. He'd have to check them one by one. Rumour had it that the One Ring was lost again, and other hunters were looking for the thief. But Akrag could not focus on the hunt until he knew for certain that he was more than just a ghost.

[KingODuckingham]

Ducky had story-boarded the tale out through chapter six and sent it off to Nerwen for approval. It would take a while for the draft to travel all the way to Cirith Ungol, though. In the meantime, he could probably begin to write the first chapter. It was the least controversial as far as plot and premise. Whether his publisher would agree with the direction the story took after its unassuming beginning was another matter.

Or so he thought.

When he received the draft back, Nerwen had struck down the idea of the very opening itself, claiming it was ridiculous to open on a huge barrel full of hobbits. She suggested starting with a reference to some historically mighty item, like Grond, instead. That was a fair suggestion. Ducky went back and began to edit. He hoped he had enough ink.

[Lirimaer]

Stumbling around in the cloud of ash, Lirimaer didn't find the thief or the stolen item(s); she did find an unnecessary disgusterment of snakes, however, and that was enough to freak her senses into overdrive. Trying to get away from them in an enclosed space, while choking on ash, eyes streaming and body panicking was not an ideal situation.

She vaguely remembered something about fires and dropping down to the ground and rolling to avoid the rising smoke, but she didn't want to do that with some many snakes around. Not even living trumped staying away from snakes. She sort-of crouched-slash-hobbled away, covering her face with her hands until-

"Aaaaarrghhh! Son-of-a-Gondorian!" she swore loudly.

There was a keen snake, fangs still embedded in her forearm, who had obviously got a real fang-on for anyone disturbing its peace. She tried chaking it off, but its malevolent green eyes gleamed exultantly as she failed.

"Oh, I am going to throw up," Lirimaer gulped, even as she drew her knife. With a slash, the rest of the snake hit the floor in a mass of writhing bodies, and she fled, still with snakehead attachment, southwards.

[Nerwen Nuke-queen]

Nerwen had gone for a bit of shopping at the base of Barad-dur but was suddenly she became aware that people were watching her. Looking at her. Some of them even seemed to be sniffing in her general direction. Did she need to visit the Khazad-dum Spa? Was the Mordorian smog wearing off on her? She moved on to another shop, and a group of people who were definitely trying to be subtle but failing, seemed to move with her. Her suspicions increasing, the dwarfette went through a series of random movements, up and down the street. They all followed her. Surely she was not a suspect? Nerwen mused for a moment, well if she was she would definitely have made off with the Mouth of Sauron's toothbrush, a most coveted item indeed!

[Gwai]

Gwai stumbled as she was on her way back from the Review, most likely due to lack of ale over the last few minutes. Looking back, she thought it was Nerwen she had tripped over. "My apologies," Gwai muttered. A thought struck her. Could Nerwen be the thief? Did she deliberately trip her because Gwai was hot on the trail? But what could she have stolen? Whatever it was had to be small. The One Ring perhaps? Gwai headed to Barad Dur to investigate further, possibly with a small stop at the pub on the way to restock on provisions.

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Zarâm growled as she quickly discovered that The Morannon was not the place where the thief was hiding out. Well, crud, where else would Winddancer be hiding? And what was the stolen item this time? Her thief catching sense was not cooperating at the moment. Perhaps the sly thief had had the guts to make off with Grond. That would be quite the achievement if it was so. But where would the thief hide such a theft? The clambered up the steps to Barad-dûr hoping to catch the sneaky thief.

[The Good Hunter]

"Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Clementine..." The Newbie Spawning Pool had not been quite as effective as he hoped. Indeed an idea had formed, but Frost was not altogether confident that it was a good one. Hang it! What bad ideas in Mordor are genius ideas everywhere else. This plan involved convincing Narv that he had been tricked into arresting Thali. It wouldn't be hard to wrap the cave troll's mind in knots, it would be difficult, however, to then convince him that someone else had been the culprit all along. He found the cave troll doing what he did best, beating the ever loving hell out of... something at the Towers of No Return with a club that Frost could have sworn was Grond. Wait a second. Was it Grond? If it was, then his plan was going to have to change from gaslighting to black mail, all in a day's work for Frost though.

[Moriel]

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

@Bïfrøst, within the Towers of No Return you have stumbled upon the Fell Beast's Lair! The thief has been clever enough to abduct a fellbeast and you waste a great deal of time running from the hungry, angry creature.
You must RP your way out of the situation and may not guess until the next turn.

@Lirimaer, you may now hunt again!

[The Good Hunter]

Suddenly the urge to sing was gone. Even when he had been accused of stealing a pink tricycle he had found it in him to sing. Now, face to face with a fell beast, the sound died in his throat. If it hadn't, there was a very good chance that that would not have been the only thing dying in his throat. Somehow he been given the slip by his quarry and he managed to stumble on a nest of the nastiest thing in all of Mordor. As soon as he heard the vicious, noxious cry, he froze. He was hidden well enough in the shadows that the thing didn't spot him right away, thank the powers for small mercies. He remained frozen there for hours, it seemed like days. The damned thing wouldn't move on, it simply nested and cried out and rummaged it's nest. It stank so bad. Frost had continuous tell himself to hold it together, not to give himself away by gagging on the smell. Finally, the thing flew away and he was able to escape. He was going home now, he needed a shower and stiff drink.

[Dwim]

DEATH was a hard one to find. I mean, you never really wanted to find DEATH, because when you did, it meant your own death was imminent. But for someone who already thought they were dead, it didn't really matter. The thief hunt headquarters had been a waste of time. No one was there at all. Which meant everyone was out busy hunting for the latest thief. Akrag realised he should perhaps focus his attention on that too. The One Ring was still missing, and if there was anything that would gain an orc true glory, it would be finding that and returning it to the Dark Lord. Looking around, he began to wonder if anyone had check That Dark Corner yet...

[KingODuckingham]

After revision, Ducky felt that his opening chapter was much stronger. Having Grond crush a giant barrel of hobbits into lemonade was both familiar, but somehow also a surprising twist. Drink what life gives you, though, right? Ducky sighed, thinking that his own non-thief-catching life was much like being crushed into hobbit-lemonade by an oversized battering ram. He wished he could just hide Beneath a Rock and let all his responsibilities pass him by. Let them try to find him there!

Ah, but Nerwen was expecting a draft from him in the next 12 hours. Time to get to work. But there would need to be a trip soon, to go buy more booze to fuel the creative writing process.

[Gwai]

Gwai was still not convinced Nerwen was not the thief. The One Ring was easy to hide, and she began imagining the fame and glory if she recovered an object of that value. Or fame and glory if she kept it for herself. Gwai shook her head. Her time here was making her have thoughts she wouldn't usually! Of course she would give the ring back! At least at some point. With that in mind, Gwai made her way to the Dark Corner, still contemplating life with a Ring of Power.

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Zarâm was still convinced that Winddancer was the thief. The Grond was rather large to hide, but hiding something of great stature wasn't beyond the minion's abilities. But where would the thief be? Her earlier hunches as to location had not played out so far, but perhaps the next place she looked would provide better luck. With a groan, Zarâm plodded off towards the Dark Corner. Hiding in the dark would be very fitting for a thief who did not wish to be found.

[Lirimaer]

Fleeing southwards, Lirimaer came across a trader who eyed her snakehead attachment with avarice. She allowed him to barter for it, and ended up with a few silver coins, a scarf made of reptile skin and some information. Twas heard, apparently, from his cousin's sister's lover's dungeon-cleaner that the One Ring had been seen again, in the hands of the likeliest creature imaginable, Winddancer of the Perilous Realm.

"And have you heard where she might be?" she asked.

"Have you got any more snake heads?" he countered.

Since she didn't, he would speak no more, and thus she went on pure guesswork. Where would she be - why, Dhâd Bûrz of course!

[Moriel]

DING DING DING!

The thief has been caught!! @Dwim has successfully apprehended that shouty thief DEATH in his hiding place in That Dark Corner, where he was attempting to make off with the One Ring. Dwim, you are now a Minion Second Rank Hunter! At this point, you may choose to specialize in Thieves, Places, or Items, and will be able to guess two possible Thieves, Places, or Items, according to which specialization you choose, in each post. You will declare your specialization by choosing two options in your next post, and must stick to that specialization in every post following, until you reach the next rank!

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 Five, commence!

[The Good Hunter]

“Have you ever killed a man before? Did you see his begging eyes, did you feel the gore?” It was time for a new song, a new song for a new mindset. He had been far too lax recently not only had he allowed a friend to be wrongly convicted of a crime, he had gotten himself trapped in The Towers of No Return by a fell beast. It was embarrassing. When he finally made it out of the dungeon, Uruva decided to follow him around and mock him with limericks and haikus until he made his way back the the bar. It took all of his will power not to chase her down with a Cat-O’-Nine-Tails. Instead, he deliberately poured her a nice tall glass of Elf Blood with nothing else in the glass.

OOC: Lyrics for new round come from “What is a Killer Like You Gonna Do Here?” by Zeal & Ardor

[Dwim]

Akrag was alive! The hole in his chest was slowly beginning to heal, and his fellow minions had celebhated his success in finding the thief and bringing the One Ring back to the Dark Lord. Both of these facts convinced him that he was not a ghost after all, and was very much alive and kicking. Kicking slowly, mind you. Having a big ol' hole in your chest didn't make it easy to skulk around Mordor in search of thieves. But the orc's hunger for glory and renown was enough to push those pains to the side for now.

His current journey took him back to Minas Morgûl. The news was that Grond had been returned to the fortress for repairs and upgrades. Two skilled minions had been tasked with installing these upgrades. They were two of the Dark Lord's most trusted servants: Winddancer and Moriel. Akrag was headed there to offer his assistance.

[Gwai]

She had been so close! Gwai had been in the right spot, but suspicious of the wrong suspicious person. That was the problem around these parts, there was no shortage of suspects, leading to much wandering in circles. No matter, there were plenty of more thieves to catch, and at least she was getting her steps in. With that in mind, she headed to Barad Dur, the most likely place to catch a thief, she reasoned, and Dwim seemed a highly suspicious character. Was it possible a Lava Snake had gone missing? They were sneaky creatures, after all, although Gwai was not entirely convinced anyone would want to catch one.

[KingODuckingham]

Ducky decided to visit the library. He began to peruse the shelves, idly wondering how a library had been preserved here in the Towers of No Return. He also wondered how he was going to return home afterward. He was looking for a particular book, about a tuna and a Vala. Heard of it? It had been written at length by Tzu, a sort of autobiographical thing, he was given to understand. She had been a bit of a lava snake, so the writing was supposed to be hot, spicy, and extra vindictive. Since that was Ducky's current mood, he thought this book would be an easy read.

[Lirimaer]

It was time for some good hard thinking. The place to think was undoubtedly beneath a rock, but trying to get the others out so she could be alone was the Dark Lord's own job. Since the Dark Lord was a pal, he'd confided that once again someone'd made off with his One Ring and there was a pretty reward for the slave trusted servant that brought it back. Hot on the trail of a cave troll, she discovered Narv in a cave, being exceedingly trollish. Indeed, forsooth, he loved to troll the masses.

"Have you got it?" she asked, "'cause the Dark Lord's in a snit about it."

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Once again that Dwim had caught the thief! Wasn't he supposed to be dead? Leaving in a huff, Zarâm spat on the ground as she headed towards On the Rocks. She could use a very strong drink (and perhaps a bit of a fight) before trying to find the wretched thief Winddancer. And of course the minion had had the guts to make off with the One Ring. That was a sure way to risk the wrath of Sauron, if not the entirety of Mordor. If she was to hunt down a thief of that caliber, alcohol was a necessity.

[Moriel]

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


@Dimcairien Luiniel within On the Rocks 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! You may not guess until the next turn.

@Dwim within Minas Morgul you have stumbled upon the Fell Beast's Lair! The thief has been clever enough to abduct a fellbeast and you waste a great deal of time running from the hungry, angry creature.
You must RP your way out of the situation and may not guess until the next turn.

[The Good Hunter]

“'Cause you're just like a tease you're getting with it ease, aren't ya boy? And you didn't even hesitate when the man dropped” Frost left the bar and the unconscious Uruva (making sure to lock up all the alcohol of course) and headed back in the direction of The Towers of No Return. The more he thought about it, and the more he drank, he knew there was something going on over there, something he felt was his duty to uncover. He had no idea what he was walking into though. The towers were infamously dangerous places to visit alone, which says a lot since it was Mordor after all. Who could he trust though? Was there really anyone worthy of that around here? No, of course not. But that did not disqualify the need for backup. Perhaps Almarëa could be of some help here. She was handy with a blade and it wasn’t going to cost him a Rotting-Leg-O’-Las to get her to help him. How does one bribe a vaguely honorable Elf? Trees? Bread? A poem? He’d write all the poems he could if it meant having backup.

[Dwim]

Drats! Akrag thought the Nazgul were out. He had no clue they were at home in Minas Morgul having a good old sleep. Which meant he had no clue that his usual short cut (through the Fell Beasts' Lair) was now fraught with danger. The Fell Beasts were home too, and they were not napping. They were feeding. And he was the biggest thing (i.e. the biggest snack) stupid enough to stumble into their lair. Eyes wide with horror, the orc suddenly realised his mistake.

His only instinct was to run, of course. But his legs were frozen. The fear in his mind was stopping his muscles from functioning properly. But those beasts were staring at him, stinky teeth bared, pure evil in their dark eyes. Luckily enough, he was holding the Rotting Leg O' Las when he came upon the lair. If his leg's couldn't move, he would need to cause a distraction. He hurled the elf leg towards the beasts, hoping they would just choose to fight over this bait rather than himself. And it seemed to work, for their attention darted to the leg flying towards them, while Akrag's own legs suddenly started working again. He turned on the spot and sprinted away, diving behind the first crop of rocks he came upon.

[Gwai]

Of all the things Gwai had learned about thief hunting, the most important was that it was thirsty work. She was running low on the wine she had, er, appropriated, and apparently the pub was the last place to be right now, something about snakes. To be avoided, most definitely. A Cloud of Ash seemed a reasonable alternative for a thief to be hiding. While she was there, she would investigate Turin, who seemed just the type to make off with the Hauberk of Angmar. It seemed a risky endeavor, particularly if the pub was out of commission. Were they serving to go drinks, at least?

[Lirimaer]

Going back, beneath a rock, she had a rethink. Reikon came to mind, for he was surely a thief of the highest order, and what might he have stolen? - well truly , that was a guess ... but he was the sort that might even steal the Mouth of Sauron’s Toothbrush. What one might do with such an item was anybody's guess, but it was pretty clear that he didn't actually use it, so you could probably use it yourself with no worries.

[KingODuckingham]

Ducky perused the Towers of No Return closely, trying to find the book he was looking for. It was devilishly difficult. Whoever had designed the reference system for the Mordor library was an absolute monster. The code was nearly impossible to decipher, and besides that, the handwriting was horrendous. And what language was it written in? Maybe multiple languages? Maybe the reason nobody ever returned was because they could never leave, spending the rest of their lives trying to find that one book by Turin about the Hauberk of Angmar?

Grumbling, Ducky shoved the last book on the shelf back and went down to the next row. Tedious, tedious.

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Before Zarâm could get her drink, she suddenly found herself surrounded by snakes. "I HATE SNAKES!" she shouted, trying to get around the pile of venomous vipers before any could bite her. But alas, one of them managed to snag her ankle. She kicked it off her foot with her other foot, but the bite still did it's damage. She was in no fit state to continue thief hunting for the present moment. Her brain was all wonky and couldn't think straight. Not to mention that her ankle definitely looked unusual. She stumbled away from the pile of snakes and collapsed on the steps of the pub, hopefully far enough away from the snakes to recover for a bit before continuing on the journey of thief hunting.

[Moriel]

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

@Dwim and @Dimcairien Luiniel you may now hunt again!

[KingODuckingham]

After spending so many hours in the Towers of No Return, Ducky was starting to feel a bit light-headed. He had caught himself wondering if the towers had earned their name not from the idea that nobody ever left, but that nobody ever returned the books which they had borrowed. That would explain why he could not find the book he was looking for, though he had been assured by none other than Landy herself that the research he needed on One Huge Barrel Full of Hobbits could be found here. She had been nice enough not to question why exactly he needed a book like that, and in return he did not question her advice. But now it was beginning to look as though maybe he should have...