Chapter 7: Into the Storm

A strange dark cloud seems to be looming above Bree, as Haldor approaches the town. Thunder and lightning strike the town, as Haldor gets greeted by an army of air elementals slaughtering the population. Cries of help everywhere... Haldor needs to hurry, or the town will be destroyed. For this fight, he needs to rely on his mana and fire spells, as his opponents are completely immune to lightning...

It takes Haldor a while, but the air elementals are finally dispatched.

"Did you kill them all? Are we safe now?" asks a hobbit, while getting out of a cellar.

"Seems so." replies Haldor. "Do you know where they came from and what they wanted?"

"I have heard rumours of a hidden town somewhere in the Blue Mountains inhabited by wise and powerful men. Maybe they will be able to help remove that cloud... if they exist."

Could these men be mages? Haldor wants to find out, and so leaves Bree for the mountains in the south west. Arriving near the bay of Lhun, not far from the Gray Havens, Haldor meets a novice mage.

"What is a novice mage doing in the wilderness?" asks Haldor.

"As you see me", replies the novice mage, "I want to be accepted by the elves of Angolwen and learn the secrets of the arcane."

"The elves of Angolwen? Who are they? Mages I presume?" asks Haldor.

"Powerful mages." agrees the novice mage. "They keep their magic talents secret in their town of Angolwen. Whoever wants to be taught has to pass a test and bring to the city a powerful magic artifact."

The hidden town of Angolwen. Mages. They should be able to fix the little problem set in Bree.

"I found this staff." says Haldor, showing Angmar's Fall. "Maybe it should be enough to pass your test."

"Let me see it... Indeed it is a powerful magic artifact. It should be enough to complete my quest."

"Then let's make a deal! I'll give you this staff, and in exchange you'll lead me to the town of Angolwen. You see, I also have a quest... A magical cloud has enveloped the town of Bree in the east, and I promised the people of that town to find a way to lift that spell. And I'm sure the elves of Angolwen could help me."

"This sounds fair." replies the novice mage. "Now follow me..."

The novice mage leads Haldor through the Blue Mountains. Finally, they arrive at the entrance of Angolwen. What an amazing town! A jewellery store, a potion shop, a scroll shop... and a store selling magical staves! Haldor even finds a yew staff of power in the shop to replace Angmar's Fall. Outside of the shops, a board tells the mages present this day that a practical lesson about the travel school of magic will be held soon. Haldor decides to attend that lesson and improves his teleporting abilities: controlled teleportation over small distances, teleportation of other people over small distances, teleportation over large distances... and even a spell to teleport back to the town of Angolwen from anywhere in the world!

After this helpful lesson, Haldor enquires a mage about how he could dispel a powerful spell.

"Dispel magic? You should ask the Circle of the Wise. They know the mightiest spells."

Haldor leaves the mage and goes to the west of the town. He finds a tall elven woman radiating incredible power through her white robe.

"Welcome to Angolwen, Archmage. I am Anliwen Noromiel, head of the Circle of the Wise. What may I do for you?"

"I require all the help I can get for the town of Bree." replies Haldor.

"We are aware of this problem. We have sent mages to dispel the magic cloud over that city, but they were unable to fulfil their task. The spell is too powerful. In order to remove it, you'll have to get rid of the source of the problem. And the source of the problem is named Urkis, the Tempest Mage. Urkis once was a mage of Angolwen, but he left a few years ago to specialize in the studies of the storms. No he lives on top of a tall peak in the Misty Mountains. If you are ready, we can send you there, but be careful... he is a very powerful mage."

"I am ready. I will not let the people of Bree down."

And in the blink of an eye, Haldor is magically transported on top of the highest peak he has ever seen, with storms raging above his head. Looking carefully, he finds the entrance of a cave.

The cave below the high peak is filled with lightning based creatures. Storm giants, storm drakes, air elementals... and Urkis, the High Tempest. Urkis proves to be a valiant opponent, immune to lightning as most of his minions, and surrounded by a stormy aura dealing constant damage around him. Flame attacks, mana attacks, and a bit of controlled teleportation, and Haldor manages to vanquish the Tempest Mage.

A voice suddenly resonates in Haldor's mind. "Congratulations, Archmage!" says the voice of Anliwen Noromiel. "Now Bree is freed from the looming spell."

From Urkis' remains, Haldor finds a strange rod. It appears to be a Rod of Recall, which allows the user to exit any dungeon in the world and rejoin the surface almost instantly. Haldor uses his newly learned spell and teleports back to Angolwen.