The Gates of Mirkwood: RPG

[Aewionen]

Haleth re-entered the inn, having left to talk to someone in the stables. When he saw the state of the previously drunkard filled room, he raised an eyebrow. What the... He saw a group of people, one of which looked injured but was currently being healed. Amoung them he saw a small hobbit with the frying pan he was sure she had used, at which he couldn't help but allow a small smile to play across his lips. It was of course soon removed from his face as he approached the group.

"Pardon me for my abruptness," he began casually, "But, by Valar, what happened here?" He again glanced aroud the room, tables and chairs overturned, mugs laying about, along with... were those orc bodies?!

[Gulio, Strength of Many]

Thick smoke wafted aimlessly around Rorin's weathered face. His green eyes scanned the worn map on the table in front of him. He muttered softly to himself, planning how best to make his way to his next destination.

Rorin sat bolt upright when he heard a commotion in the tavern below his room. He first dismissed it as another drunken brawl, but he thought he heard Orcish battle cried. He set his pipe down, hastily grabbed his axe, and ran down the stairs.

When he got to the Tavern, the skirmish was over. Rorin grunted in satisfaction when he saw he was not mistaken in his identification of the Orcs. But wait... Rorin stopped short when he fully realized what that fact implied. What are Orcs doing this far north? he wondered.

Rorin scanned the bodies, and found a surprising number of Orcs had attacked. He didn't get the chance to ponder this, for it was then he noticed a small group of people - the ones who had destroyed the Orcs, Rorin guessed.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

OOC: Just edited this so the RP makes sense.

[Tessar]

Standing slowly, and gently holding the dead girl, Harn shut his eyes and tried to shut out the babbling voices all around him.

“SILENCE!” He finally roared, his eyes snapping open and his face set in a frown.

“Kalin, go. Track them down, the rest of you get to work cleaning this mess, I’m going to go search the upper rooms,” Harn’s voice was as cold as steel, and the set of his face made it clear that any disobedience would be punished in some way or other.

Moving up the stairs, Harn tried to shake away the fog of surprise that seemed to hang around his mind. Orcs? Inside the city? How did they get in, and how did they know to come for Eaol?

Stepping through the destroyed doorway of Eaol’s former room, Harn gently laid the girl Sarah down on a bed, lightly running his hand across her face to close her unseeing eyes. He had liked the girl—she’d had a high spirit for all her immature ways, and would’ve made a good wife for some boy her age eventually… but not now.

Painfully turning his mind away from the poor girl, Harn looked around the room. Except for the broken door, the room was actually tidy. Eaol, as a Master of Scouts, had learned not to leave anything out in the open… but there was one thing, now.

Harn moved across the room to Eaol’s desk and picked up a letter, surprised to see it simply lying where anyone could see it. Opening it revealed why though—it was written in code. Harn didn’t recognize it, but he carefully stowed the letter in his jerkin pocket anyways. Eaol might want or need it later.

“Valar guide me,” Harn whispered, sitting down on the desk’s chair and putting his head in his hands. He needed to think, but he knew there was no time.

~*~*~*~*~
Slipping out into the night like a wraith, Kalin moved silently and unseen through the streets of the town, his keen elvish hearing and eyesight strained to their limits for any sign of the orcs. They seemed to have disappeared though.

“This is strange…” Kalin whispered to himself, “it seems some witchcraft hides them and slows me even now, but I cannot tell for sure.”

Relying on his instincts, Kalin headed not for the gates, but for the wall around the city. If they had come in through the gates the whole city would’ve been in an uproar, and it would’ve taken a long time for that many orcs to come in anyways… how had so many of them even made it from Mordor to here without being seen?

When Kalin reached the wall his suspicions were confirmed. Several rope ladders hung limply from the wall, the wooden foot-steps snapped in half… but cleanly, and all exactly through the middle. How could that be? Unless…

“You’ve meddled in my affairs for the last time, elf.”

Before Kalin had time to locate the voice, a massive thunderclap sounded, and from the clear night sky lightning ripped down and struck the ground where Kalin stood. Kalin was too fast though, and the lightning missed him, although not completely.

Nursing a burn on his right arm, Kalin rolled swiftly behind some cover and drew a short dagger, flipping it around to be held by the blade. If the sorcerer was stupid enough to talk again, he wouldn’t escape unscathed.

“Damn you elves, you’re all- ugh!” Kalin’s blade found it’s mark, or at least nearly so.

“Your aim has always been worse than mine, Seppicor,” Kalin yelled out, moving swiftly to more cover and readying another knife. He knew who it was now, and why he hadn’t been able to track the orcs except by instinct.

Alexander Seppicor was one of the old servants of Mordor, similar to the Nine, but perhaps less powerful. Which meant he was still more than dangerous enough.

It seemed Seppicor wasn’t going to be stupid enough to answer again, and so Kalin slipped back off through the streets and headed towards the Inn. So Seppicor was involved? That made every thing at least ten times more complicated… and difficult.

[Haradrim]

Drut was very confused. So far he had come into a bar. Sat down at a table of elves and rangers. Bought a beer, sorry meade, then fought in a skirmish with what seemed to be an uncountable number of orcs. He had been shot twice. Then the orcs left with some man. A girl had been kiolled trying to save him. Now a new ranger had come in and one of the party had left to go spying and this Harn charcater was now upstairs doing heaven knows what.

"Wait a second," Drut boomed out, "What in Eru's name is going on here? I have been wounded as well as several others. We are all tired and there is orc blood every where in this room. I want to know whats going on. Somethings up as we can all plainly see. I want someone to sit down and explain it because to be honest I am most confused."

[Tessar]

OOC: Hradrim bro, please don't make my character move the plot forward . When Harn is ready to tell you all, he will. Now what you could do is have your character demand that Harn tell him, but don't have Harn say he's ready to tell you .

[Haradrim]

OOC: will edit that but I have demanded it like 3 times now and nuthing is happening. The plot isnt moving forward and it needs to. I mean this rpg didnt do anything for over a month. Soooo.... I weil change it. Oh and THANK YOU FOR RESTARTING THIS AS I REALLY LIKED WHERE THIS WAS GOING! THANK YOU!!!!

[Earniel]

Before Kalin made it back to the Inn, he saw Beryn's massive figure coming out of another small street and heading back the same way. Guessing where she had been, he waited until she caught up with him.

"Have you sniffed out their trail outside Bree?" he asked. It was a peculiar choice of words but Beryn understood.

"Yes," she answered , "but I haven't followed them far. Just far enough to have the general direction of where they're going and to be able to pick up the trail again if it should rain tonight. Of course, orcs aren't particulary stealthy so that shouldn't be too hard anyway. But another group of orcs had been waiting for them so they have quite a significant number now. I take it such a number of orcs is unusual in this area. The man they carried off is certainly still alive, I doubt they would have gone through so much trouble for a corpse."

Together they entered the Inn. All those that had partaken in the fight, and those had come in afterwards, were still where they had been when Kalin and Beryn had left on their seperate ways a while ago. The Inn was cleared of the orc-corpses and the bloodstains had been removed, even the knocked over furniture was restored to its previous state. But none of the occupants in the hall seemed to know just what was going on and were uncertain what to do next so they simply remained where they were until somebody offered them an much-needed explanation. Harn was nowhere to be seen and probably was still upstairs.

Beryn's gaze swept over the Inn-hall and it's occupants. Then she put her hand on Kalin's shoulder and bent over, bringing her voice low enough to be only heard by the Elf. "I know your friend needs time to mourn the poor lass but we don't have much time, it seems, if he doesn't want to mourn the old man as well. And we owe these valiant people at least some explanation too, some might even aid us; for I have the feeling the orc-situation has somewhat grown too much for the three of us to handle. But that'd better come from Harn than from me. Go talk to your friend, Kalin."

She gave the Elf a little nudge in the direction of the staircase. Then she walked over to the deserted bar, and poured herself a jug of mead. The fight and the tracking had made her thirsty, she downed it in one go.

[Tessar]

Taking Beryn’s advice, Kalin moved swiftly up the stairs and glanced from side to side, quickly locating the room Harn had entered. The door was splintered, and through the jagged doorway Kalin could see Harn standing by a desk, holding a letter in his hand and frowning at it in a puzzled manner.

Although Kalin made little sound as he moved, Harn heard him and looked up, nodding and running a hand through his short hair—a gesture he only made when frustrated and unsure of what to do. Harn was a natural leader, and to not know what to do next was never easy for him.

In a slightly shaking voice, Harn voiced his worries to the elf, “Kalin, we’ve got to get Eaol back. You understand that, don’t you? He’s a scoutmaster… if they manage to pry half the information out of him that he knows, the Dark Lord will have a massive advantage over us. This is… catastrophic…” unable to continue, Harn ran a hand through his hair again and rubbed his eyes. His indecisiveness lasted only a moment or two more before he spoke again.

“We’re going after them. Just you, Beryn, and myself. We can get Eaol back, I think, although it won’t be easy. We just nee-“

“It won’t work, Harn,” Kalin interrupted, showing Harn the burn mark on his arm, “Seppicor is involved. It’s going to take more than just the three of us to get Eaol back, and even then we still have only the smallest of chances,”

As if someone had punched him in the stomach, Harn grunted and a sour twist came to his face. “Seppicor?” He spat, “It makes sense though… and you’re right… But what can we do?”

“There are other warriors here, some apparently with a great deal of skill,” Kalin reminded Harn.

“Oh no… Ohhhh no, Kalin. Not them,” Harn leaned back as if repulsed at the idea of recruiting warriors he didn’t know.

~*~
“I’ve called you all together to request a favor. It’s a dangerous request, and I can’t think that any of you would be game for it,” Harn spoke as if the words were being dragged out of him, and if the thought of not having any help for the mission worried him, he certainly wasn’t showing it.

“There’s very little time for me to explain—you’ll all have to be ready to leave now if you choose to come. A wizard named Seppicor Achknill has taken a man of… of great importance. For the safety of all Middle Earth, Seppicor must not be allowed to get this man back to Mordor. Yes,” Harn said quickly, seeing a few looks of surprise, “Seppicor is a servant of Mordor; a powerful one at that. Make your choice: Will you come and help me retake their captive, or will you stay?”

The explanation was as blunt as Harn’s sense of tact, but he felt it told everything important. Now would they stay, or would they go?

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

"I will come", said Anfal grimly.

[Earniel]

Beryn hid a little smile, she could see it took Harn much effort to ask these people for help, apparently Kalin knew how to convince his distrusting friend. But an enemy wizard... She frowned slightly at the thought. This went far beyond the orc-bashing the Elf had promised her. Wizards were usually not so stupid and armed with more tricky weapons than orc-blades.

Beryn decided she'd question Kalin a little more thoroughly about this Seppicor during the journey. The Elf obviously knew this wizardfellow- she could tell by the slightly scorched smell that had hung around Kalin when they had returned to the Inn - and Beryn's curiousity had been aroused and would not be quenched so easily.

But Anfal's quick answer brought her back to the issue at hand.

"There is of course," she rumbled, "no chance whatsoever that I'm staying behind. I'm coming too, if you didn't know that already."

[Haradrim]

"Seppicor huh?" asked Dirk. "Well I wouldnt be able to consider myself a warrior if I didnt help out. You can count be in. Might be nice to fight something other than orc for awhile."

[Tessar]

Looking faintly disappointed at the amount of enthusiasm, and the many offers to help he got, Harn grunted and was about to say something when Kalin smoothly cut in, shooting Harn a meaningful look.

“Thank you all for agreeing to come,” Kalin nodded to each of them in turn, meeting their eye for a moment before moving on. “As Harn said, Seppicor is a servant of Mordor, and not something to be taken lightly,” here he glanced at Drut, but not in an unkindly manner, “if we are to catch him we must move swiftly. Go, and pack everything you’ll need—but be sure to pack light, since orcs move swiftly and with much less baggage than we require, and they have Seppicor to drive them on.”

Seeming to get over his sour mood, Harn nodded briskly at Kalin and made a sweeping gesture with his arm, showing that the meeting was over. Turning towards Kalin, Harn met the elf’s eye and began making hand-gestures; communicating in a sign language with Kalin.

Are you all right? Seppicor didn’t harm you?

Kalin shook his head.

I am fine. He nearly got me, but was too slow.

Harn frowned.

Why send Seppicor?

Kalin shrugged and seemed to ponder for a moment, noticing that several people were watching them, and glad that Harn had chosen to communicate in this fashion, so that no one could overhead them.

Because they knew you would be Seppicor’s guard, and Seppicor has fought you before.

Harn nodded, and then turned and swiftly moved up the stairs, Kalin right behind him. Both were packed already—Harn because he always had to be ready to move, and Kalin because he had just arrived.

“If they don’t hurry,” Harn growled as he entered his room and slung his pack over his shoulder, “we’re leaving without them.”

Kalin shook his head and reached out, touching Harn’s shoulder and forcing the man around to face him.

“What is this anger? You are a blunt man, but never like this my friend. Is it the girl?”

Harn’s anger seemed to leave him, and he slowly nodded. “She was so young,” he muttered, “it can’t have been her time to die. What a waste. And for what? Because she had the courage to do what a man in these weak western lands would never have done!” tears burned in Harn’s eyes, and only strength of will held them back.

Kalin nodded his head slowly and sadly. The girl had been brave, and he knew as well as Harn did that the child’s spirit would receive the honor she deserved. Harn had spoken truly though, in a fashion.

“This is no time for foolish anger, Harn,” Kalin warned softly, his eyes still solemn, “and no time for weeping. We must avenge the girl and get this man back—more than just one life hangs in the balance; hundreds do, and you know that.”

Nodding, Harn turned away again and ran a hand across his face quickly before turning back. His anger was gone, and his sorrow he began turning into a fuel, forming hard determination.

“We can wait a few minutes, but you know how precious time is. Tell them to meet me outside, I’ll be getting the horses ready,” Harn said firmly, moving out the door with a quick stride.

“Be strong my friend,” Kalin murmured as he heard Harn going down the stairs, “you and I alone know what it is we face in Seppicor.”

Shaking his head a last time, Kalin moved on to encourage the others to pack quickly. Time was of the essence, and they had none of it to waste.

[Earniel]

Having had no time to unpack anything and thus having no need to pack anything again, Beryn simply brought her pack and cloak down from her room and went to find the innkeeper. Since she obviously wouldn't be using the room tonight, she had little desire to pay for it as well.

But passing by the kitchen, the smell of food reminded her that their little expedition would also require food on the journey. "Especially since we're having a Hobbit among us," murmured Beryn who had heard many tales about the gluttonous halflings. "I wonder where they keep putting all that food, considering their tiny frames...."

After some haggling with the inkeeper (who had more problems with letting Beryn's room go unpaid for than providing her with the necesary supplies) Beryn had gathered enough food to go on for a handful of days. After that they would have to fend for their own.

When she placed the supplies in the Inn-hall, Kalin looked over the store of food approvingly. "No unnecesary jars of mead in there, Beryn?" he asked with a teasing smile.

"No. And I let you know that mead is never unnecesary." huffed Beryn.

[Haradrim]

"Hmmm... Finally we are getting somewhere," Drut thought. "We've been in the dark for too long. But strangly I feel as though there is something else we are missing." Not being a man of many brains he dismissed the thought as nonscense just like he had done when we could've sworn he saw Kalin and Harn using some kind of sign language. "But what would they need a sign language for?"

Drut looked around. It seemed everyone had gone to get their stuff. Most seemed like they would be already ready. This seemed like a capable enough group to Drut but he still thought that Harn could be a little more appreciative for their help. Drut remembered Kalin. he seemed nice enough. He at least seemed willing to try and please the group. Then Drut remembered the girl. Now he realized what Harn must've been going through. "It seemed like they knew each other or were at least aquaitances. It must be hard," he thought.

Drut set off to the Prancing Pony where he was staying for the time. When he got there he nodded at Butterbur. "Great Guy," Drut thought, "Great Beer." He worked his way up to his room and sat down. He tenderly felt his wounds and realized that for some reason they had healed completely. "Odd," he thought, "Must've been some kind of Ranger magic." he thought.

He strode over to his sack and opened it up. He placed two tunics and two sets of breeches inside. He slipped his chain mail on underneath his clothes. He put on his bracers and grabbed his worn cloak. Then he finally took out the brooch he always had with him and clipped it onto his cloak. It always seemed to bring him good luck and Drut was a very superstitious man. He slung his sword onto his back and grabbed another full compliment of arrows. He grabbed his kindling set and also put inside a few pieces of parchment. Finally, Drut strode downstairs and asked Butterbur to fill his tankard with his best brew. When Butterbur returned he threw him some gold coins for the night and the beer and left.

He briskly walked over to the inn and sat down at a table. Only 1 or two were already there.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

One of them was Anfal. He had only recently arrived and being a Ranger travelled as lightly as possibly so had no need for packing. He briefly acknowledged Drut's arrival and waited for the others to arrive.

[Tessar]

Kalin moved to the table where the men were sitting and nodded to them in greeting, his manner encouraging and confident. The burn on his arm was bothering him slightly, but he tried to ignore it as best as he could. This was no time to show any weakness, and no time to concern anyone else with a minor wound, however irritating it might be or how much it might hurt every time it brushed against something. He could deal with it later when they stopped for a rest.

“You must all forgive Harn’s abruptness,” Kalin said lightly, “he is a man of few words, and is used to commanding. Despite his manners, he is one of the best leaders you could ever ask for, and I have trusted him with my life many times… I hope you’ll all come to trust him as I do.”

Kalin made sure they were all ready, and then murmured to Beryn to get them to the stables presently, and that he would go check on Harn.

After taking a last, cautious look around the messy inn, Kalin went to the Innkeeper and gave him coin for the damage the orcs had caused, and a little extra to say that nothing had happened; a small fight had broken out between some drunk men, but nothing more. There was no need to send the whole town into a panic, and even if the people who had seen the orcs told everyone else, so long as the innkeeper denied it, no one would ever believe it had happened.

[Haradrim]

Drut knew something was wrong. He had heard Kalins speech before from other men. He was putting on a face. he had seen him come back from some kind of encounter. Now that he thought about it thats when he had started to get this feeling. Drut didnt know where the feelings came from but they were always right. What had happened to Kalin he wondered. Drut told himself that he would ask later. Then he noticed that when Kalin was moving he saw him flinch every time his arm passed his side. Okay something was up.

Drut got up and moved towards Kalin. He watched him pay the bartender. When he started moving back he grabbed Kalin and took him to the side. "Whats wrong my friend? If you are hurt we must know now. Once we have left we might not be able to help you. What troubles you?"

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Anfal watched Drut wander up to Kalin and ask him something. So he was not the only one who had noticed Kalin's mysterious injury. He finished his drink and walked over to Kalin.
"My friend, are you injured? If this is to be as dangerous as I guess it to be then you should not leave wounded. Let me tend to it."

[Earniel]

Beryn smiled as she went upstairs to check up on the last few loiterers of the expedition that were still packing their belongings, leaving Kalin to deal with the offers of help himself.

This is a caring group, she thought satisfied, that'll give us an edge the orcs lack. And with luck we'll catch up with that murderin' bunch soon enough. She rubbed her knuckles in grim anticipation. The Beornings had little love for orcs and their wolf-companions.

Upstairs she knocked on each door, and kindly - though determinedly - reminded the volunteers to pack swiftly so they would not delay the departure overmuch.