A World of Danger: Part One

[Lief Erikson]

Steward frowned. "Shelina. Wasn't that the name of that wounded woman found on the street last night? Yes, I think it was. Well now, perhaps she wasn't the innocent duckling she appeared to be if she's already got people after her."

"That attack probably really was an assassination attempt, then," Dain said in a low voice.

"Probably. And now they're going to try and finish the job."

"Kill her," the mad elf mumbled. "Kill her when you find her, give no mercy. She deserves no better, the sly tongued creature. She has venomous fangs, beware of her. I nearly succeeded in killing her last night, nearly, oh so close. But not, I suppose. Forgive me, El'nela!"






"I know something of him," Shelina said, raising her head slightly and glancing down at the sword blade resting against her slender neck. "And I hunt him." She looked again at the sword blade and sighed. "Very well, I have been commanded by a . . . a person to collect him and take him by force to a certain grove in the forest." She lowered her head slightly in the shame of having been forced to give away information. "Whom do you serve? I have laid bare my mission and goals before you. I'm afraid that I'm not very brave, not like some."

[Selwythe]

Arcon sat down again and resumed sharpening his sword.

"You speak not well enough, lady, who is this person?" he inquired sharply with a sinister smile.

His smile became even more threatening as he mocked the voice of Shelina, "I have been commanded by a . . . a person to collect him and take him by force to a certain grove in the forest."

He got up and paced around her, staring her down.

"That is my mission, and I lay it bare to you. Yet it is also my mission that I find Shelina."

He stopped suddenly and stared coldly at Shelina.

"Why would my employer want you? Could it be he desires you? Or could it be," he retrieved the sword and leant close, "that you work for a rival lord... Speak his name!"

--------------

Glamdin gave a loud cry in the glade, such that those in the forest might be drawn toward the noise. And this noise the messenger who hired Arcon followed, for it was unmistakably the sound of a drake.

[Lief Erikson]

"I have told you everything I can!" she said, trying to squeeze backwards in the chair.

"No," Arcon said, his smile widening slightly he reached up to touch her neck. "You have already revealed that you have not told everything."

She shuddered at his touch. "There is no rival lord! Orpholin is the only one I can think of who might want me, but never like this!"

"Who do you work for?" he asked, closing his hand gently around her throat. His grip hardened as he pulled her forward. "Whom do you work for?"

"A man named . . . Vardor!" she gasped.






Glamdin glanced to the side as a dark robed figure seemed to materialize out of the darkness. The figure's cowl covered his face, but it was easy to see he was not the messenger from earlier today.

The man glanced at Glamdin briefly, the shadows hiding his expression. He then turned his gaze on the fire, and from there to the hut.

He stood at the entrance of the hut, watching for a moment in perfect silence as Arcon questioned Shelina, smiling in amusement.

[Mathron]

OOC: When did Steward get into Tal and Dain's room, anyway?


Tal narrowed his eyes. "I don't know why they are after the girl. But she obviously has some connection to this one, who seems to know of my sister." He prods the mad elf forward, then glances to Irid. "If you can, take me to where this one led you, and quickly. I should be able to track him easily, and would know what this relates to my quest. We still have some time, if we move now!"

Looking at Steward and Dain, he cries out, "Rouse the others, and head after us, prepared to leave!" Then, he is following Irid out the door, and they fly out into the bright morning light, and into the woods.

[Mouth of Sauron]

*Ok obviously I've been gone far too long. Someone please tell me where my character is, who's he with, and what the heck is going on? Oh, and if I disappear again for a long time Lief can play my character if it comes down to that.*

[Lief Erikson]

Steward and Dain soon collected An'tiar and Angar, grabbed the mad elf along for the ride as well *And who am I forgetting?* and moved immediately off in pursuit of Tal and Iridal. They moved quickly, and it appeared that the couple had purposely left an easy trail behind them.

Angar led the way however, so that when difficult parts came he could guide them easily through. Steward didn't need Angar's deciphering of the tracks, however. He had not lied about his past in tracking and archery. He sighed slightly at the memories. Memories were always painful to him. There were so many, and he was afraid that in the future there were more still to come.

Angar drew his sword as they got closer. There could be trouble up ahead, although Irid had come a long way. No, they still had quite a ways to go. And even after they got there, he could be little help. He was unarmed, and not a warrior. Not that he truly had to be a warrior. No, he'd decided to go with these people for his own reasons. They were good people, he surmised. Certainly not friendly with Morgoth, and holding them up as a barrier between himself and the shadow of Angband would help him live for that much longer.

"Why do I want to live?" he asked himself silently, and grimaced when the insane elf glanced at him with a slight smile, as if he'd found a kindred spirit. "If I stay alive though, at least I'll not go as mad as you," he whispered fiercely. "Who are you, poor fellow?"

"My name is Erenfor," the mad elf answered. "Not the best of names, but neither is yours. Vardor will never release any of us. He'll hunt us till we are dead. You must know that. Where do we go now?"

"Hunting."

"Orcs?"

"Perhaps."

"My hands will choke their life away. I hope we see them when we arrive," the elf who called himself Erenfor answered.

They ran on in silence for some distance further before the mad elf spoke again. "Angar, give me a sword. I want to slay those who run with evil."

Angar blinked. This was the first time the mad elf had called him by his name. "I cannot give you a sword, we don't have spares."

"I need a weapon."

[Selwythe]

Arcon's hand shot back quickly as he pondered over the logic of that past statement. It had set him thinking. If Vardor was capable of sending someone to harm his own servant, it put him in danger too. His mind flickered to the messenger and he wondered whence he would arrive.

Looking at Shelina, he decided that he had questioned her enough and desired a moment of peace. He set a plate of half-cooked meat in front of her mouth and went outside.

In the background, he had seen Glamdin as expected, hearing his humongous din. He was more interested in this man who stood between them, for his visit was unexpected, being not the same man as the messenger that had talked to him earlier.

[Mathron]

Mouth of Sauron: You actually did not miss much. Tal met up with some others in the evening and they agreed to go with him on the quest. In the night, a kidnapping occured. The one kidnapped escaped, and it was discovered she had been taken by mistake - and the true target, one who seems connected to Tal's history, has been taken. Tal and the rest left in search of them, and you are now with the group, I think.

IC:

Tal darted through the woods after Irid, brushing aside loose branches as he went. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw light grey forms flitting through the woods beside them, and smiled grimly at realizing Irid's companions.

Suddenly, the clustered trees spread out, and the two burst into a clearing. Three figures are within, and Tal recognizes one as the girl they came to find. Irid snarls at one of the men, who is looking upset at their arrival, and his situation, while the other man, a cloaked, hooded figure, simply lightly smiles as the two appear.

A harsh cry brings Tal's attention to the side, where a small drake croaches. Tal's heart grows cold, for though the wyrmling is small compared to the greater of its kind, it is still a deadly, dangerous foe. His blade swings back and forth as he glances between the drake, and the other people, and he hopes the others shall arrive quickly.

Pointing his sword at the one Irid snarled at, Tal said calmly, "You have made a grave mistake today, villain."

[Selwythe]

*OOC, Shelina's in the house all tied up, not outside :P

Arcon stared steelly at the newcomers, even more so at the female, for she it was that escaped his clutches hours ago, yet his memory was not dimmed at all for the passing of time.

"Villian thou deemst me, and just it is, for I deem thee villian for trespassing in my land. Begone and leave this vile maiden here if it suits thy will, for I have some unfinished matters with her," he hissed coldly, unsheathing his sword.

He held his sword firm before him and gave a deep cry, whereupon Glamdin came next to him, ready at his call to attack or be mounted.

"But if you want my hostage," he continued coldly without the pleasantries, "you have my steed and me between you, and hopefully, this traveller whom I have only just met. And you, Irid," he spat, "you'd do well not to call upon your foul creatures again unless they be immune to the dire effects of fire and poison."

[Lief Erikson]

Vardor glanced over the intruders for a moment. They were barely worth thinking about, simply an interruption. "Leave now while you can," he told them coldly. "Stay, and not one of you will be spared. You know not with whom, with what you meddle. Flee now, if you deem your hides worth saving from the fire."

His voice was not arrogant, simply casual confidence.

A semi circle of fire burst up out of the ground around the travelers, blocking them off from their opponents. Glamdin bared his teeth and stepped closer, and Tal began to realize that the odds were certainly not in their favor. But he was not about to turn back yet.

"Leave us, hated Istari!" he snarled at Vardor, who he deemed to be the worker of magic.

"You've only felt the taste of what I can do. Leave now and you will avoid agonized death. You know not what we do, nor why. Mercenary, watch the hut. They may have others creeping around from behind."

Still Tal hesitated, and whisps of fire curled up from Vardor's fingers, twisting into a mechanism of some sort. Then Vardor raised it in his hand and threw it at them. The same why someone else might crush a fly or ant underfoot.

They leapt back, dodging away into the forest. The wolves scrambled, but the semi circle of fire impeded progress. The firey mechanims struck ground and exploded into an inferno. The wolves inside were killed mercifully instantaniously, but the ones further off were not so lucky.

They ran away yelping, their fur all aflame as Irid wept bitter tears for them, trying to shut their pain out of her mind.





Vardor laughed quietly for a moment before turning back to the hut. "That is not the last we'll see of them though, I expect," he told Arcon as he entered the hut.

Shelina's eyes widened at the sight of him, and she cringed against the ropes. "Spare me. I have tried to do as you said, please believe me! Orpholin will be found!"

"Arcon, you misunderstood me, or perhaps my messenger spoke wrong," Vardor said, turning his head to him. "I simply wanted to speak with her. If this is what it took to get her to listen, I am pleased that you did. But if you'd simply told her to meet me here, she would have obeyed." He put his hand on her head, and Shelina winced at his grip.

Arcon's eyes widened with surprise. "Your messenger certainly didn't clarify that."

"But on your hunt for Orpholin," Vardor continued smoothly. "If he causes any trouble, you may resort to any methods necessary to bring him before me alive."

"Then . . ." Shelina looked up at him fearfully. "Will you release me?"

"Perhaps," Vardor said, putting a finger to his chin and looking down at her mockingly. "Perhaps, after you have told me what has kept you so long from reporting. You were not at the meeting place in the grove, last time my messenger was there to hear your report."

"I was wounded," Shelina explained miserably.

"You were wounded yesterday," Vardor asked thoughtfully. "There is a way to be sure. Your wounds wouldn't have gone away overnight."

Reaching down, he unbuttoned her shirt and scanned over the bandages briefly. "Very well," he said, stepping aside. "You were wounded. Now you must tell me, who dared to wound one of my servants? Was it Orpholin?"

"No," she said with a shudder. "He'd never do that to me. Never. It was an elf I met some time ago. His name is Erenfor."

"And he bears a grudge against you. Because of the One Again movement?"

"It has to be."

"You may release her, Arcon."

Arcon stepped forward and unbound her ropes, and she hastened to button her shirt up again. Vardor tossed her her dagger, which she proceeded to return to its sheath.

"You will both be working together now," he told them. "To seek out Orpholin. Shelina knows where the grove is which you must bring him to. Arcon, I believe that you have not received any payment yet, yet you have achieved one of your mission objectives with great dispatch. Here," he said, passing a small pouch of coins to him. "You can expect far more upon the success of your second mission."

[Mathron]

Tal stumbled out of the clearing, dragging Irid behind him. Behind him, he could hear the flames crackling. Breathing harshly, he glanced at Irid, who was moaning at the pain of the wolves' death. Shaking his head, he struggled back.

Moments later, the others came in sight, stopping to stare at the pair in shock. Tal gasped out an explanation, "Some dark sorcerer of Morgoth! I fear the girl is lost to us - his power is far too great for us to deal with!"

The others darted forward, inspecting the two's wounds, but found no real injuries. Dain frowned, and asked, "What did this sorcerer be looking like? I didn't know of any in these parts, and don't like to hear of such business. It bodes ill, indeed."

Tal shook his head. "He was a dark, cloaked figure, and I could make out little of him, nor did I catch a name. I know not who this foe was, but it was surely one beyond our power. I fear we should make way from here as soon as we can, lest he come after us, or cause trouble in these parts."

---


Some miles distant, a figure slipped through the woods with ease. He wore a dark and leathery cloak of some strange material upon his shoulders, and frowned as he passed over the hills. He had sensed another's presence the night before, and felt the eyes upon him today. Someone was tracking him, someone good.

He pulled his cloak tight about his shoulders, his hand resting gently on the sword beneath it as he slowed his pace. Perhaps he should try and lure his stalker out into the open.

Sandor, called the Grim Wolf, did not like to be followed.

[Irid al'Menie]

Tal had let go of Irid, and as he was talking to the others, Irid concentrated on the wolves. The ones still alive came to her, their fur now no longer in fire. She sat down, the wolves all around her, and she tried to comfort them a little, but moaning herself for the death of her friends. In time, the wounds of the wolves would heal, but it was always hard to accept dead, for all wolves. 9 were killed in the fire. Among them was Twofighter, leader of the pack, and her best friend.

"That man will pay for what he did!"

She didn't see how the others looked strange at her.

[Selwythe]

Arcon pocketed the bag of coins, with a parting shot.

"You hire servants who are but servants of words, Vardor. I had no orientation from your messenger on how to go about this quest. But goodbye O mighty one, and fare ye back swiftly to wherever you need to go and whatever you need to do. I am confident we will fare out of this place before they muster a force, for with the number of intruders here today, my abode is no longer safe."

The door slammed shut as Arcon sent Vardor out the door. He turned around and stared suspiciously at Shelina.

"Your master surprises me in his choice of defenceless fair maidens," he sneered. "But I suppose we are allies now. Tell me who this Orpholin is, and the Once Again movement, lest Glamdin my pyromaniac friend be hungry. Speak swift, and gather thy belongings while you do, for I want to leave before the first light of dawn, and pray ye that Glamdin does not find you too much of a nuisance when we do."

[Lief Erikson]

"Stop saying that," she snapped. "The One Again movement took place long ago. It was a planned revolt involving hundreds of slaves. Their leaders were captured and punished, and there's an end to it." She leaned over and began to put her scattered belongings back into the pack where they'd started.

"Orpholin," she continued, "Was born on Mount Dolmed many years ago. I'm not sure how old he is. He grew up in a small village along the outskirts, and acted there as a tracker and hunter. Orcs attacked when he was somewhere in his twenties, and he fled the village. They pursued . . . him for some time, but he escaped and became unknown to them. Since then he has learned a good deal about the art of fortune telling, and has used that to earn money, travelling from town to town attracting incomers with his knowledge of the future.

"Now I'm ready to go," she said, slinging the pack over her shoulder. "Are you?"

[Selwythe]

*OOC, oh. so HE is Orpholin, hoho. When I first started, I planned for Orpholin to be Arcon but now, I'll play along.*

"Am I ready?" Arcon asked in disbelief. "Long was I ready, we shall leave now!"

He brought her out to the glade where Glamdin was waiting. He spoke in hushed tones to the wyvern and turned to Shelina with a strange smile.

"No rider Glamdin has borne but for me, and only once. You are welcome to risk falling a league from the skies or a dogfight with the Eagles, or you can walk out through the forest and get captured or starved to death."

"Why can you not lead me through the forest?" Shelina replied, annoyed.

"I am leaving by air. You are welcome to join me," and saying that, Arcon leaped and climbed on top of the drake. Shelina came hesitantly, and Arcon reluctantly pulled her up. On feeling her weight, Glamdin gave a huge roar which seemed to shake the trees from their roots. Then he flew into the air, leaving Shelina screaming in fright. Arcon did not look unfazed, but deep in his hood, one could see that his face had turned unusually white.

Then Glamdin spun around and looked at the direction of the hut. He opened his mouth and unleashed a ball of fire, which burned the woods around the hut. A few minutes more and it would cease to exist. Then the drake rose higher into the air and became a small speck in the sky.

[Lief Erikson]

"How long?" Shelina asked, glancing down nervously at the enormous drop. She clutched the dragon's scales tighter, but it didn't seem to either notice or mind.

"A half hour to clear out of the forest. After that we can land again."

"How do you intend to go about searching for Orpholin? The last I heard of him, he was reported to have gone to Edlyn. We could be moving away from our only lead. Then again, some of the most powerful warriors they have are going out on a quest. Orpholin might join with them, seeking their protection. Which area will you cover?"

[Mathron]

Tal looks around, and sighs angrily.

"It looks as though we must start upon our path. Perhaps more will be revealed of who that foe was, but for now, we must try and find the orcish camp. They are a small band, right now, but still dangerous and more plentiful than us. If we start now, and they remain where they are, we should come upon them tommorow evening. If, as is likely, they have already set out, we shall hopefully reach them the night after that. And then... well, we shall see what we can do when that time comes."

He trails off, and then, eyes flashing, looks back to the group, his mouth set in a grim line. "Let us be off!"

[Tessar]

so ummmmm where is there a good place for a 12 year old elf to join the party? I want to join but id reallllly like it if some one could help me by giving me an intro (if you dont know who i am you can look me up on the carectros post im the elf tessar twelveblade) can some one do that for me pleasssss?

[Elbreth of Carhouth]

**Sorry to dissappear like that all the time. I was back, but didn't get a chance on the net before going on holidays for a week. Now I'm back for a few days, then off to school where (hopefully) I'll get back on every week. Mathron, I want you to keep An' tiar running for me when its needed and I can't get here... ok? And here's your intro Tesserract... love your name by the way**

An'tiar wasn't quite sure of the company she kept, but wasn't that usually the case? She did know, for some reason, that she could trust Dain. Strange little man that he was, she'd learned to trust her instincts.
Sigh, An'tiar leaned heavily against a tree, just a short distance from the rest of the group. What ever is to be done? And wherefore have I gone and messed myself up in such as this?
She sat up suddenly as she heard someone behind her, ducking her head causiously around the tree, she came face to face with a small... well... face. Pointed ears, fair hair, wide eyes, just a young'un after all. Their mutual startled expressions both melted to laughter as each realized the other meant no harm.

**Now, may I ask, where are we going and what is this quest? It would seem Dain has recruited An'tiar for something. She doesn't mind, I would just like to know the general gist of the plot.**

[Tessar]

(thanks for the intro)

"Hellow my name is Tessar Twelveblade can you help me? Im on the run from a band of orks they killed my parents but I got away." sudenly an ork jumped out of the bushes behined the elf

"ahhhh there you are littil one now i have got you!" the ork sayed, then, notesing the girl behined the boy he turned to run because he was a coward at hart but loved to buly those he thought were weker than him self. but he was to slow! the elf seeing there was only one and that the ork wasent paying any attintion to him started twerling his staff and then yelled "eliment of fire come to my aid!" there was a loud booming sound and a fire ball apeared in the elfs hand where the staff had been before
the elf boy threw the fire ball at the ork but missed, the ork got away the boy sighed and mutered sompthing about improving his aim. the fire ball dissapered and the staff re apered in the boys hand. "well that was one of them but there will be more" he sighed "may i stay with you for the night? I have been running from these orks for two days and havent sleppt in three".

(is that ok? I have never been in an rpg before so that was my first atempt)