You Might Not Pass!

The journey through Moria has been a fraught one for the Fellowship in our Quest of the Ringbearer campaign, as they've had to fight their way through a seemingly endless horde of goblins and trolls (even if the actual scenario rules didn't require this).

Exhausted and with their resources depleted, they just need to cross the Bridge of Khazad Dum to get to the East Gate and be free of the grasping dark.

However, the goblins will not let them go without another fight and there is something else in hot pursuit.

This is the Bridge of Khazad-Dum scenario and to win the Fellowship, who are incredibly low on Might, Will and Fate, need to destroy the bridge (only Gandalf can do this) and escape Moria.

However, there are a whole host of Goblins in the way and at some point in the first six turns the Balrog will arrive to hunt them down.

Hopefully the Fellowship can get a good head start before it arrives...

Turn One

...oh bum!

The Fellowship makes haste directly for the bridge whilst the goblins close in from either side. Gandalf surrounds the group with a blinding light to protect them from arrow fire whilst Legolas dawdles in order to fire back at the encroaching horde, dropping one of them.

However, with a terrifying roar, a huge eruption of flames and a dice roll of a one, the Balrog bursts into the seem and immediately begins whipping it's fiery lash out at the lagging Legolas.

Turn Two

The Fellowship push on and take the opportunity to plough into the nearest goblins. With Gimli and Boromir slaying all who stand in their way.

Legolas doesn't stop to fire again as to do so would allows the Balrog, which lumbers forward, again flicking its whip towards the Fellowship with deadly intent.

Turn Three

The forces of Moria gain the initiative and move to lock the Fellowship in place, allowing the Balrog to get dangerously close.

In a desperate bid to break free, the Fellowship hack and slash at the goblins, with Boromir and Gimli doing most of the heavy lifting, as for some reason Aragon was struggling to work out which end of the sword to hit people with.

Turn Four

The Balrogs towering form finally catches up with Legolas and it's great flaming sword slashes out but somehow doesn't cut the elf down.

The rest of the Fellowship continue to battle through the goblins, trying to cut their way clear of their impending doom in the great shape of shadow and flame.

Realising that the tall man with the shield had strayed too far from the protection of the hateful light, the goblin archers turn their fire on him as their comrades back off.

Boromir falls as he's apparently quite vulnerable to concentrated archery.

Who knew?

Turn Five

In a desperately brave move to give his friends a chance to flee, Merry moves to block the Balrog's path.

The plucky little hobbit is swatted aside into the shadows, but the Fellowship manages to cut a way through more of the goblins thanks to the sacrifice of Merry.

Turn Six

The Balrog thunders forwards again but the Fellowship manage to keep the goblins between them and the fallen Maiar.

Gimli continued to be the only member of the party who can reliably kill goblins, but Aragorn still contributes by using his free point of might each turn to keep the Fellowship moving.

Turn Seven 

With the bridge in sight, hope is kindled and then snuffed out as the Balrog, still unable to get to grips with the Fellowship, moved to block the bridge.

Its whip coils out and wraps around Gandalf, dragging to the feet of the creature and the wise old wizard disappears amongst the burning darkness.

All hope of a heroic victory is lost.

Turns Eight to Ten

Although the heroes could no longer win the game, the battle would only end when one side met it's victory conditions. This meant either two more members of the Fellowship would need to fall or... 

...the Ringbearer...

Heroically trying to protect the Ringbearer, the Fellowship prepare to sell their lives dearly. Legolas falls beneath a squirming heap of goblins but somehow Gimli and the stalwart Samwise stand firm against the flaming terror not once...

...but twice!

However, with their numbers dwindling the Fellowship's ultimate defeat is imminent.

Inspired by the heroics of Gimli and Sam, Pippin charges forward to meet the beast.

This was pure heroism and not anything to do with protecting the more valuable members of the Fellowship for later in the campaign.

The rest of the Fellowship backing off was also definitely heroic.

Pippin falls and the battle is lost.

Aftermath

The battle was lost but the campaign was not done, there was the need to see what state the Fellowship would be in as the quest continued.

Gimli was hands down the bravest Companion, having killed eight Goblins and stood toe to toe with the Balrog for two rounds of combat. Sam perhaps ran him close with some crucial uses of his Might points and standing shoulder to shoulder at the end.

The Fool of a Took was Aragorn. Despite continuously contributing Might to the fight, he was unable to make his blade count and continually failed to come to his comrades' aid with abortive heroic combats. Although others contributed less, more was expected of Isildur's heir.

Despite losing the game, the Fellowship actually finished in better shape than when they started (apart from one notable exception). Nobody died in the recovery rolls and a decent amount of Wounds, Might and Fate were restored leaving the Fellowship considerably more likely to reach the next rest point of Lothlorien.

Alas, Gandalf the Grey was fated to fall here and will play no further role in the Quest of the Ringbearer campaign until he's rebooted as Gandalf the White in War in Rohan.

His one final duty was to help me come up with a spurious explanation for how the Fellowship get out of this mess.

The great black flaming shape loomed over the remaining members of the Fellowship. Aragorn prepared to sell his life dearly, Sam clutched his blade of Westernesse with two hands and Frodo felt to pull of the Ring at the back of his mind.

"Come on then!" yelled Gimli, the stout dwarf brandishing his notched axe, "I have a gift for ye from my cousin Balin!"

As the Balrog reared up to strike a sudden blinding gleam illuminated the entire chamber and the goblins ran screaming from the hateful light.

The battered and bowed figure of Gandalf leaned on his staff in the middle of the bridge, shining luminescence beaming from him momentarily stunning the Balrog and a brief opening was cleared to the bridge.

"Follow me, quickly," snapped Aragorn, a pain on his face indicating that somehow he thought all this to be his fault.

The group leapt for the gap, the ranger stooping as he ran to scoop up the crumpled form of Pippin, whilst Gimli ran to help the injured Legolas to his feet, Frodo and Sam scurrying behind.

From the depths of the chamber the limping form of Boromir emerged carrying a limp bundle that could only be Merry and joined the rush to bridge.

As they each passed Gandalf he gave them an exhausted an rueful smile, saving his broadest grin for Frodo.

"Now fly, you fools! And by that I don't mean ride on eagles, that's a silly idea spouted by people who don't understand the first thing about Gwahir, the defenses in Mordor, the distances involved or the effect the Ring would have on the eagles themselves. I'm clearly using a metaphor intended to encourage you all to leg it!"

With a chuckle Gandalf turned to face the approaching Balrog alone...