A World of Danger: Part One

[Irid al'Menie]

I think you must be about burned to death right now. Unless you escaped, but didn't find us in time before we moved. Our company is now moving to the place El'nela is being held. for details, ask Lief

[Mouth of Sauron]

*Maybe I can show up badly burned but still perfectly able to annoy... what about my wolf? Did she survive?*

[Mathron]

Feel free to jump back in! Angar is still keeping right along with the rest, even if a bit silent. I even included him in a recent post, helping to carry Tal's stretcher, and I am sure your wolf is still with you.
So, join back in!
Anyway, the current situation:
Tal and friend found the Slavers, and took them out. The head of the mercanaries, Sandor/Grim Wolf, is having his own troubles, and found that his employers (Melkor and Co.) have turned on him, so is running around a bit hectic. He also earned the emnity of Sauron, along with a friend of his, Malagar, who just was helped to escape the dungeons beneath Angband.
The party is now heading towards another stronghold, where Tal's sister is held, along with other slaves. They plan to attack and free her.

[Irid al'Menie]

cool, then there are now 3 wolves in the company.

short wolf storie: i asked two packs of wolves to help me attack the slavers, then i feel another pack of wolves, but not ordinary ones, but extraordinary big once. one of them has come with me, and allows me on it's back when we have to move fast. All the wolves escaped from the fire because i let them know in time to run. so i guess yours survived too

[Tessar]

Um Mathron,

As the starter of this RPG I think YOU need to make the next post and get us going again

[Mathron]

Sandor crept through the trees, keeping out of the heavy sun above in the sky. He didn't know where he was going, nor why he was still running, but he had no other options. Darkness filled his thoughts, and even the anger he briefly felt could not penetrate the dark cloud of despair hanging over him. He felt hunted, in a way he never had before, and saw dark omens everywhere he looked....


----


shiiiink

Tal drew his blade from his sheathe, sliding it out in one smooth, vicious motion. His eyes flashed red as he stared forward, at the dark shape rising in the distance, and swung his sword out to point at it. His voice, rough and hoarse and determined, rang out hard and clear.

"Is that it?"

Erenfor, beside him, nodded somberly. The sight of the dark castle ahead was a dismal sight, and chilled all their souls - and surely, for one tortured in its dark and hidden pits, it must truly echo with ancient pain.

Tal's sword flashed brightly in the sunlight, and he twirled it through the air, before slamming it into the ground. His grip on the sword handle tightened, his knuckles turning white, as he said coldly, "Then we do this. We go in, and find my sister, if she remains. And I will show our foes the vengeance of the Sindar!"

He turned his gaze on Erenfor, and a light danced in his eyes, dangerously close to madness. "Do you know a way in?"

[Tessar]

Oh very nice, thank you.

but dang it! now we need to weght for erenfor to respond!

oh well.

[Lief Erikson]

"None but the insane would try," Erenfor said with a laugh. "There is a lower entrance, less guarded but heavily locked which affords a higher likelihood of success to an invasion attempt. Only about two to one against us. I got out over the wall, and I doubt we could get in the same way I got out."

"We'll try it," Tal said, glancing around at the others.

Steward looked uncomfortable. "I doubt there'll be much chance of me being any help out there . . ."

"Any who wants to come, step forward," Tal said.

"I'll wait here," Steward stated. "Whoever stays with me, if anyone, can help me cover your retreat in case they try to circle around."

Erenfor simply started sharpening his sword, his eyes focused darkly on the castle. "This will be the end. The end of ends," he whispered. "At last, you'll be gone, Vardor. One of us will. Either way, I'll be free of you."






El'nela crouched at the door to her prison. It would begin very shortly. There last act before death found them all. Finally a stand, and a release. She could almost feel the hope behind the bars of the other prisons, in all directions. Prisoners about to spring forth and fight to the end.

She would never give up hope. Many elves out in Beleriand were losing hope, falling into a grimness which was completely different from the peaceful, joyful nature of elves. She herself certainly had reason to fall into that frame of mind, yet with so many around her suffering, it seemed that it simply drew out the compassionate side in her as well, protecting her from the gnawing hate that filled so many others. She was not brave, otherwise she wouldn't be down here, and what she and these others were about to do was not an act of bravery. Perhaps what they were going to do now would do some harm to their enemies, though.

Crouching, she listened intently, her keen elven ears detecting the thud of boots on the stone steps above. It was almost time.

[Irid al'Menie]

Irid took a step forward.

"I will go along, but Flyer and Runner will stay here with Steward, they won't be of much use in the castle, and i doubt that they would want to go in..."

[Lief Erikson]

Shelina glanced out again from her hiding place at where the company were. She had continued her pursuit of them this far only because she had stayed quite a ways behind them as they traveled, almost out of eyeshot. They were probably making some sort of decision, but she didn't know what. It was not one of their normal breaks, anyway, she could tell that both because of its length. She crouched lower in the undergrowth, hiding herself completely. She would just have to wait this out and keep undercover, she knew quite well how good those elven eyes were.

[Tessar]

"I'll go too!" The elf boy said.
"I really don’t think..." Dain started to say but Tessar cut him off
"I'm going!"

Tal sighed, This was one thing he hade been afraid of, Tessar insisting to go.

"Very well" Tal said after a few tense moments of the elf boy staring at Dain and Dain staring back.
"But if you are hurt we will not slow down for you!"

The boy grinned "Ok! no problem seeing how I don’t plan to get hurt!"
the grin changed to a grimaced one of the wolves nosed him in the shoulder where he had been stabbed.

Erinfor raised a skeptic eye brow at the look of pain on the boys face "You still think you can go?"

This time Tessar didn't look so sure, but trying to grin again he said "yes, I'll go"

Steward rolled his eyes but said nothing, merely sitting down.


Then the boy turned on steward with a mischievous grin, "Since your not going in do you have a bow or something I could borrow? I just need something with a slightly longer reach than the dagger."

Slightly taken aback by the odd grin on the boys face Stewart didn’t know what to say for a moment.

[Mathron]

Dain spoke up. "I don't think Steward has any extra bows, but doubt you'll need one. We'll be fighting close and dirty, in corridors, or so I'd think. What is your opinion, eh, Erenfor?"

[Aragorn]

*Hey, I know you got a ton of characters, but room for two more? My characters are Aragorn(no, not Aragorn from LotR, Aragorn's son), and Duriel, both men, and both warriors, though Duriel is wise also. The only problem is I started reading this, and got up to page ten, but it was so long I decided to skip to this page, and have no idead where you are now. If you could fill me in, it'd be cool, I'll find a way to sneak my characters in. But, if you don't want anyone else joining I don't mind. *

[Lief Erikson]

"There are two chambers and two locked doors, very lightly guarded. But it'll take noise to break through them, and by the time you do, there'll be plenty of reinforcements coming in for us to deal with. Beyond that there are corridors, certainly." Erenfor fingered the hilt of his weapon, apparently thinking, and Steward shook his head slightly in wonderment at the elf. Was he mad, or not? It hardly seemed so now. Ever since they'd left the hair raising forest fight, he'd seemed to be growing keener, losing the edge of insanity in his excitement.

Steward sat down on a log nearby. "Then I'll sit here and wait. Good luck."

[Tessar]

"well as for the doors" Tessar said "I think I might know a unlocking spell that might work, unless......." he paused for a moment considering

"Unless what?" Irid asked

"Unless they are doors that can't be opened with magic. that or they have a sealing spell on them, which considering the kind of place this looks like I wouldn't doubt that they might even have BOTH" Tessar replied

"We will weight and see" Tal said. "Now let us go! we have tarried to long already! Come with me now or stay!"

[Mathron]

Tal crept along the ground, a pale shadow in the deepening dusk. He glanced behind him, his gaze flickering over the rest of the party, each in turn. Dain had remained behind with Steward, ready to defend their retreat. The dwarf knew that, though quiet on his own, he could not compare to the elves' silence and stealth as they moved towards the castle.

Even Tal had trouble making out Angar, right behind him, appearing as no more than a slightly deeper shadow upon the ground. His wolf, despite its color, easily faded into dusk beside him, and the others followed just as easily, unseen and unheard.

Tal turned back forward, and looked to the one ahead of him. Erenfor kept his own counsel, but seemed to know exactly where he was heading, and Tal waited, almost eagerly, as they approached their goal.

[Lief Erikson]

"They do have a sealing spell," Tessar muttered as he checked out the doors. "I can bypass it, I think, but it could be noisy . . ."

The doors suddenly were torn from their hinges with a Bang and collapsed inwards, the shards collapsing to the floor and the hinges ringing as they bounced and rolled along the stone floor within.

Orcish voices roared from within and there was the sound from inside of swords being drawn. Erenfor drew his sword and leapt into the snarling darkness, shouting out battle cries.

Tal was inside a second later, and the three elvish shadows dealt out quick death to the guardians. "The next door now," Erenfor ordered Tessar, "And hurry, we haven't much time. Guards are already collecting on the other end."

As Tessar turned with a frown to the next door, concentrating harder than last time, Erenfor tapped his foot anxiously. The three elves already could hear the voices of orcs collecting on the other side, and worse surely to come if Tessar didn't finish soon.

[Tessar]

Tessar could hear the orcs coming Faster! he thought to himself, straining to smash the doors down with his spell.

[Mathron]

Tal gripped his blade in both hands, ready to strike, when Tessar cried out in dismay.

"This one is locked too strong - I don't know if I can open it with my magic!" His voice quivered, but he shook himself and tried casting it again, to no effect.

From within, the voices rose, and Tal's ears could make out an orcish voice saying loudly in rough common, "Theres but few o' dem, we can get em!"

The voices seemed to rise, and Tal dodged back as the doors swung open to reveal a dozen orcs charging into their mist - and a large stone troll lumbering behind them, looming over the warriors like a massive boulder.

Tal jumped back, swinging his blade and eviscerating the orc reaching for him. However, he had to keep retreating from the other orcs spilling through, and the rest of the party seemed similarly set upon...

[Lief Erikson]

A form leaping out of the trees in a blur startled Steward from his watchful silence as he stared after the company. Before he had had a chance to move it had collided with the two wolves Irid had left behind and tumbled with them into the tall grasses.

Steward stood, but the prick of a knife's tip on his back arrested his movement. "I wouldn't complete the thought," Shelina's voice spoke from behind him. The tone was menacing but . . . was it excited, distressed or agitated? Or a mixture of all three? It hardly mattered.

"So you've accomplished your goal at last, Shelina," he said, lowering his hands back down to his waist with a sigh. "I wondered when one of you would catch up to me."

"I have my duty."

"A duty brought upon you by fear," Steward said, not daring to turn or move a muscle, but feeling her tense up behind him. It was true, then. "You weren't always like this. Before they caught you . . ."

"I was a gullible child. But they did catch me, and they taught me . . . things. Just as they can teach you things, and they will teach you things. You will serve Morgoth, Steward, just as your brother does and your father did. However old you become, you will never find your destiny till you come to him."

"His destiny is one without rest, without peace. He can bring you to darkness and I have been tempted for years to take up the dark powers that come with my heritage. They have been with all my family."

"Until you. You may turn."

He turned around to face her, staring down at her youthful face. He felt a pang of sadness for her, for what had been done to her and what they'd made her into. "Don't you remember what they put you through? The torment, the agony? Must you follow those who did this to you? You live in fear, when you could live in peace!" He tried to ignore the snarling, tearing noises and grunts, the sound of clashing and combat coming from behind him, in the direction of the wolves and Nrake.

"You caused me to go through all of it!" Shelina spat at him fiercely. "You abandoned me to them! To misery! But there is no escape for one who has been part of them. None at all. Taking you to them also is the least I can do."

"We played together when you were a child and I was a young man. You can't forget the memories. They are what our relationship should be. Words can't describe the agony I felt when I lost you to them. I sought you for days, weeks. But when I heard you'd been taken to . . . Well, no one can be rescued from that place. And much to my shame, I gave up. It might be too late for us both, Shelina, but at least hear this now. I'm sorry."

A scream of pain came from behind him, and then the howl of a wolf, a yelp and yammering. A snarl and then a tumbling and thrusting back and forth of bushes.

A look of pain and cracking emotion appeared on Shelina's face. "I'm sorry too, Orpholin," she whispered. A moment later though, her face hardened. "I have horses for us in the glade yonder. Come," she ordered, motioning quickly with the dagger. He moved off in that direction, grieved in heart and soul.






The scent of the horses isn't old.

Flyer sniffed the air. Runner was probably right, even if he did have the Nrake's blood all over his snout to divert him. It had been a hard fight, the thing had attacked like a wild animal, but they were wilder and in the end, stronger. Runner had always had the keener nose, but it was Flyer who had the speed. Even with his injuries he could run as fast as any horse. Unfortunately, it appeared that every ounce of speed he could muster would have to be used if he was to complete a rescue operation for the scraggly old human.

We have an obligation to him . . .

I know, I know! The company don't have time for this, they're hard put to it as is. I'll run up, reach and delay them if I can. You follow up. But they must not reach the Nightrider. Our brothers in the deepest forest tells me it is one of those foulest of creatures, demons of the night which waits to take the old human. Apparently he is important. In any case, I must fly.

Flyer leapt forward and was gone amongst the trees, Runner close behind.