From: cdwilde@knuth.uwaterloo.ca (Chris Wilde)
Subject: *Winner*
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 16:05:36 GMT


Nado looked down at the grey liquid in the small glass container.  Was four
enough?  Sure, he had the protection scrolls, but they were too unreliable.
He'd seen the Balrog twice before in short information gathering forays, and
the Monster had shortened the distance between them by resorting to magic
once.  The scrolls probably wouldn't stop that; he needed the potions.
	His mind made up, Nado approached the stairs.  A deep breath, and he
began the trek down.  Perhaps this WAS suicide.  Either way, he won.  With
death, all his problems were solved.  With the Balrog to his credit, maybe,
just maybe, he could survive the inevitable encounter with Aragorn.
	Immediately Nado realized he was in the right place.  This area
was much quieter than it should have been, as though there was very little
surviving here.  "I suppose living with a Balrog shortens life-spans," he
chuckled.  Nado stopped abruptly, realizing what he'd said.
	Nado threw up some light to get his bearings.  He was in a small
room.  One exit.  This was far too confining for his tastes.  He quickly
headed for the portal to begin his search.
	A huge weight fell on his shoulders as he saw the Balrog waiting for
him.  A clumsy hand fumbled for the potion, and fortunately, oh so fortunately
the cork came free and the liquid slid down his throat.  Then the Balrog was
on him, buffeting him left and right, blasting at him, Nado ran back to the
room, getting space wherever he could find it.
	A few seconds later, Nado had gotten some magic out of his staves,
when the Balrog did likewise "Damn you!", he screamed as he threw all his
wands and staves at the walls.  Nado had stopped payting attention to what
the Balrog was doing, and soon found a large shape in bandages behind him.
	But with the preliminaries over, Nado dragged the fine weapon from
the East from its scabbard at his waist and laid into the beast.  Pausing
only to swallow another of the grey potions, Nado laid into the beast like
a madman.  Nothing would stop him.  Not even the gaunt wraith that appeared
beside the Monster.
	"I can't kill it!", Nado cried. "All this, and still it comes!"  The
Balrog, sensing his fear, leapt forward yet again, hoping for a quick kill
while fear consumed Nado.  But Nado did not retreat into himself, as the
beast hoped.  Instead he retreated into the best hope he had, his magic.
A white liquid in a clay jar appeared and disappeared into Nado's mouth.
	As the Balrog approached the shivering man, a ball of flame streaked
into the face of the creature, destroying the gaunt wraith as the Balrog
screamed.  Another ripped into the beast's hide as the small man gained back
his lost confidence, coming forward with the Easterling sword again.
	Nado sensed victory.  He had stood to the worst of the beast's
assaults.  Flesh ripped away under his sword.  The Balrog strained, and spoke.
	Nado was stunned.  His vision closed up like a black tunnel.  "No,
this won't kill me, Dwarf's Bane.  I won't stop because of a trick, a petty
magic!  I can still HEAR YOU!" screamed Nado as he flew forward in a suicidal
assault on the last Evil in Middle-Earth.  He had little luck while his
vision was skewed, but he tried, and eventually the spell broke, sending Nado
into a killing frenzy.
	He didn't even notice that his own blood mixed with the black tar
that spilled from the sides of the Balrog.  Not until it was almost too late.
THe Balrog had smiled, and then Nado knew.  The last of the vials passed his
lips, and the battle continued.  Nado was being smarter now.  The Balrog had
not been able to kill him while his magic barrier had fallen, so it must be
almost dead.  Nado ripped into open wounds, searching for a major organ, or
a large vein.  He found none.
	And the potion wore off.
	There was little Nado could do but pull one of the tied scrolls from
it's place on left leg, and read it off.  These were his last protection.
	And the Balrog might just as simply ignore the spell.  It was untried.
But if it failed, there was always the scroll that exploded like the sun.  It
would send the Balrog away, and Nado could recover, but he was so close.
	The circle formed on the ground beneath his feet.  The Balrog ran at
him ... and was deflected to the side!  Nado reached in, and another chunk of
the worst of the Evil One's creations fell to the floor, again it tried, and
again Nado was unharmed.  And now Nado saw it -- the opening.  Two ribs were
showing on the creatures left side.  One stroke between them, and maybe ...

The sword ripped forward ...

through the space in the ribs ...

and into the heart, the center, of the beast.

Nado leapt off the monster, sword in hand, back into the circle.  The beast
danced the dance of the dead.  Fire ripped from its mouth, searing the walls.
the floor creaked as the beast leapt again and again.

And it lay stilled on the floor.  Cautiously Nado approached.  He placed the
sword of the east back in its scabbard, forgetting to clean it, and drew the
sword of is people, the sword out of ancient Numenor.  And with it he cut
off the main horn of the Balrog.

And finally, he said, 
"Aragorn, King of Gondor, I, Nadothar, of the house Prae have slain the
Last Evil in Middle Earth.  I come to you soon.  My family betrayed yours
once, and you swore to destroy us. One escaped, and I am his ancestor.  If
this is not appropraite recompense, then I swear now, by the evil I have
destroyed, that you and yours shall die by my sword.  As yours has, my
family has hidden in the brush, and run from their past.  As you have, I
will run no longer.  Let the meeting between us come soon, for I am
impatient."

And Nado read the scroll that returned him to the surface.  And his journey
to Minas Tirith began. 
	




 Name        : Coll Nado da Prae       Age          :     19   STR : 18/100
 Race        : Human                   Height       :     71   INT : 18/100
 Sex         : Male                    Weight       :    189   WIS : 18/100
 Class       : Ranger                  Social Class :     94   DEX : 18/100
 Title       : **KING**                                        CON : 18/100
                                                               CHR :  18/97

 + To Hit    :     16        Level      :     77    Max Hit Points :    424
 + To Damage :     20        Experience : 6205684    Cur Hit Points :    424
 + To AC     :     27        Max Exp    : 6205684    Max Mana       :    141
   Total AC  :     62        Exp to Adv :  91751    Cur Mana       :     71
                             Gold       : 546894

(Miscellaneous Abilities)

 Fighting    : Superb       Stealth     : Very Good    Perception  : Superb
 Bows/Throw  : Superb       Disarming   : Superb       Searching   : Very Good
 Saving Throw: Superb       Magic Device: Superb       Infra-Vision: 0 feet

Character Background
 You are one of several children of a Royal Blood Line.  You
 are a credit to the family.  You have dark brown eyes,
 straight brown hair, and a fair complexion.
 

  [Character's Equipment List]

  a) You are wielding   : a Two-Handed Sword (No-Dachi) (HA) (4d4)
				 (+10,+14) [+1] (+1 to STR).
  b) Worn on head       : a Jewel-Encrusted Crown of the Magi [0,+6] (+2).
  c) Worn around neck   : an Amulet of the Magi [+3] (+15).
  d) Worn on body       : Ribbed Plate Armor (-3) [28,+5].
  e) Worn on shield arm : a Small Leather Shield (RC) [2,+1].
  f) Worn on hands      : a Set of Leather Gloves [1,+3].
  g) Right ring finger  : a Ring of Sustain Dexterity.
  h) Left  ring finger  : a Ring of Speed (+1).
  i) Worn on feet       : a Pair of Hard Leather Boots of Slow Descent [3,+1].
  j) Worn about body    : a Cloak of Stealth [1,+2] (+2).
  k) Light source is    : a Brass Lantern with 1644 turns of light.
  l) Secondary weapon   : a Broadsword (DF) (2d5) (+8,+7) [+9] (+3 to stealth).


  [General Inventory List]

a) 7 Books of Magic Spells [Beginners-Magik].
b) 7 Books of Magic Spells [Magik I].
c) 6 Books of Magic Spells [Magik II].
d) 6 Books of Magic Spells [The Mages Guide to Power].
e) 15 Rations of Food.
f) 4 Mushrooms of Restoring.
g) a Mushroom of Hallucination.
h) 18 Flasks of oil.
i) 3 Potions of Restore Mana.
j) 2 Potions of Restore Life Levels.
k) 3 Scrolls of Word-of-Recall.
l) 5 Scrolls of *Destruction*.
m) 8 Scrolls of Protection from Evil.
n) 2 Scrolls of Rune of Protection.
o) a Wand of Fire Balls (23 charges).
p) a Wand of Drain Life (5 charges).
q) a Wand of Clone Monster (11 charges).
r) a Wand of Acid Balls (21 charges).
s) a Staff of Speed (18 charges).



Using a total of 4 Invulnerability and 1 Rune of Protection.  Two Staves of
Speed were destroyed in the battle, and one Wand of Fire Balls, the rest
except the Hallucination, were standard equipment.

In his travels, Nado also found a War Hammer (HA), a Halbard (HA), and a
(3D4) (DF) (can't remember type, but plusses were low so I tossed it).  He
found 3 (FT)'s, 5 (FB)'s, and 1 (SE), though most of these were found after
his current (HA).

cdwilde@sunee.uwaterloo.ca