IC Story Thread: Ch.1, Ad.3 - Black Hand

Astalor bellows a final deep, droning chant - sustaining the discordant note for several seconds - and a cold wind rises around him and the platform, billowing his robes out like dark wings threatening to bear him aloft!

He shouts out in the Black Speech, and while you may not be able to understand all of it, you do catch the ancient evil name "...Morgoth! ..."

And then he thrusts his blackened left hand out like an open palmed punch, and there's a deafening crash of thunder, and blinding flash of light as lightning strikes a rocky outcropping to the south and west! Sending shrapnel raining out from the spot above people's heads in wild arcs...

A couple people from the encampment fall to their knees, and raise their hands aloft, "Bangdu Caun!!", they shout!

Others are just so stunned that they have little reaction at all other than just staring in wonderment.

Astalor then turns to the north and east, and again begins the deep, droning bellow, while cycling his arms, seemingly working up the energy for another strike..

Duinhir sees that the robed figure beneath Astalor, roughly in line with where the lightning struck, seems to be in pain as he grips his forearm, and the blood that was once flowing wet upon it is now sizzling dry.

As Cirion peers across the ruined courtyard, rain begins to fall lightly and lightning flashes in the clouds overhead (nothing striking the ground, this time), but it illuminates something atop the rocky outcropping across the way. Perhaps a... skull he thinks - such a ghastly silhouette is impossible to mistake. But it also has other things piled around it, rocks, or sticks, or more bones?