Long Lost Leaves - part II

[Acalewia]

Aelfwine nodded.
"Very well. As for the torches, we could perhaps fit some into the back of our belts until needed, to keep them out of the way," She turned to Borin. "How well is your nightsight, Master Dwarf?"

[Willow Oran]

"Not Holy..." Haldis chose her words carefully, "But information necessary to find something... yes, I suppose the Entwives could be described as Holy. To find them would bring great joy to the forests and that is a worthy goal.
But the tunnels... knowledge of those tunnels and fear of what may linger there plagues my people still. If by entering them and seeing for myself that they are empty of foes or if they are not to see those foes slain I may bring back knowledge to sooth my people's fears, then I must. I suspect our mortal companions, at least, do not indulge their own worries by avoiding the tunnels for similar reasons."

She stopped, wondering if her words would have any effect at all this time. Haldis was still disappointed, not by his failure to aid in cleaning the dishes, by this point she would have been surprised if he had not refused such a task, but by his participation in such a conflict as last night's.

Ellysa's account of it had angered her for she had expected the elves, and one of his age especially, to better control their tempers and now she said as much, "To leave such fears unaddressed is intolerable to us, even as leaving a supposed insult unavenged seems to be intolerable to you, though walking away from both might be counted the wiser course."

[orithil]

"Master Dwarf, would it be alright if I accompanied you, Quickleaf and Aelfwine down into the depths" he walked over to the entrance and peered into the blackness "yes...it tis quite dark down there" he smirked "wouldn't want something to jump out and get ya!" he laughed.

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl said nothing as Abasi discussed the matter with Haldis. Under normal circumstances she would have objected to the fact that he presumed to speak for her, but this situation was anything but normal. Besides, he had guessed at her feelings with a surprising degree of accuracy, and expressed them perhaps better than she could have.

'If you have such little trust in your companions,' she said at last, 'then you should not remain with them. Or at least you should not travel with them to places of such danger. You are not m'had'i, not a warrior to put yourself at risk.'

Not that Tabrîl was about to put herself at risk in this particular venture, either. The more she heard about this place, the more adamant she became that she was not going near it. Mysteries, and the Holy? These were not for her to look upon.

'He is right,' she told Haldis then. 'I cannot possibly go into such a place, it would mean-' she shook her head, not wanting to think of it. 'I cannot,' she repeated. 'It is not for me to look upon Mysteries, even yours. I will wait and keep watch outside, but I can go no further.'

[Willow Oran]

Haldis could not but accept Tabrîl's decision, though it was less than ideal. She had just opened her mouth to say that she would take the risk of going with the others, or alone if need be when the voice of the only other Beorning in the company interrupted her, "I'll come along with you, Mistress," Trour said gruffly, joining them, "You'll be better off with one of your own down there anyhow."

This was entirely unexpected. Haldis had given little thought to Trour since the company had set out. Though acquaintances, they were hardly close. He was solitary, even for a skinchanger and made for a scrawny skinchanger at that. His human form resembled an underfed dwarf clad in armor improvised from cooking pans using an inferior forge, though his shield belied such a rascally appearance and the few glimpses she had caught of his bear form (in which he had been keeping pace with the company, especially since the influx of elves) had given the impression of a smallish black bear, fur unkempt. Hardly inspiring.

Yet this offer was made sincerely and he had never showed discourtesy to a galdorwyf or failed to return from dangerous wanderings. Haldis nodded in agreement and shouldered her pack, "Very well. It is good to see you human again, Master Trour. I had assumed the elves had scared you off into the wild, but it seems not. Come, all who will go underground today are preparing to leave. Abasi and Tabrîl will stay above and guard the entrance."

[feawen]

Torch in one hand and a share torch in her belt Nami looked around as people discussed who was going with who.
Nami sighed and looked up to Ellysa, "Looks like its just me and you Ellysa, i guess no one wants to be stuck with two girls!"
Nami begain following the others to Dol Gladur.

[Coffeehouse]

Remembering Ellysa and Nami, Quickleaf turned around and approached them.
"Looks like Aelfwine, Borin, Hedrim and I are going into the undergrounds now. Do you wish to come with us? We need eyes and torches and keen minds" Quickleaf said smiling to them.

Ellysa seemed calm enough, although he thought he sensed some nerves in her face. Quickleaf could not put a finger on it, but there was something.. something bothering her.

And looking at Nami, Quickleaf's face glowed up. "It's good that you brought an extra torch" But although she seemed alright, Quickleaf saw fear in her eyes. He knew well why, with her dark past, but there was nothing Quickleaf could say that would dampen her fears. She would overcome them he thought, once they were down there and things got serious. He hoped.
Quickleaf's eyes met Nami's and his face signalled one large question, was she alright?

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

"Why yes Hedrim. You may go with us." he turned to Alfwine. "We dwarves have unbeatable night-sight m'lady. I will be more then capible of handeling my sight without a torch." He smirked. "Even in my old age."

[Acalewia]

Aelfwine smiled.
"That is good. The torches won't interfere, will they?" She had decided to ignore Hedrim's comment; she wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was right. Hearing Quickleaf asking Ellysa and Nami to join them.
"The more eyes we have the better," she said.

[orithil]

"Excellent, much obliged" he walked over and stood next to Borin and Quickleaf.

[feawen]

"Well the more the merrier! Do don't expect Ellysa and i to say above ground while you lot have all the fun do you!" Nami turned to give Ellysa an encourageing smile. Nami caught the look Quickleaf gave her, it didn't matter how much she smiled, the look he gave her reminded her that people still did not know how she would react once she as in the dark.
I am not going to be alone and it was a long time again, come on Nami your a lot older than you where than get over it.

Never mind the bright smiles, Nami avoided looking at Quickleaf she didn't want to answer the question his face asked.

"If we're going, lets get going already!"

[Earniel]

"Yes," Radagast said. "Let us go. It is already noon." Taking a lighted torch with him, the wizard went ahead to the entrance of Dol Guldur, the others followed.

[Acalewia]

Aelfwine took a deep breath and followed the wizard she looked over her shoulder at Quickleaf, Borin, Hedrim, Nami and Ellysa.
"The sooner we start, the sooner we can return to the daylight," She gave a smile. "You coming?"

[Mari]

Ellysa readily followed Aelfwine and Radagast. She muttered a thank you to Abasi and Tabril guarding the entrance before going in as well.
She turned back to wait for Nami and stretched out a hand towards her in case she wanted to take it. She could pretend it was to make sure she wouldn't fall.

[Midge]

Aerin's stomach growled loudly in the silent dark. Looking down at her stomach, she slowed her pace and sat down against a wall to open her pack and fish out a wafer of lembas. The faintly sweet scent of bread drifted up toward her nose and her mouth watered at the thought of eating. With the first small bite in her hand, she leaned her head against the wall.. .. ..

Shaking herself awake, she looked at the bit of sweetbread in her hand. She realized that her hunger was the only thing keeping her awake at the moment and found she didn't feel safe sleeping in this corridor which seemed to stretch on forever. With her stomach growling and her mouth yawning simultaneously, she put the carefully wrapped lembas away, stood up and prepared for another trek down a long hallway.

[Willow Oran]

Haldis and Truor entered the tunnels behind the larger group, lighting their torches with daylight at their backs. The passage dropped steeply only a few steps in forcing the explorers to pick their ways down crude carven stairs till the only light was that of the torches and they stood in a high ceilinged chamber.

The walls were mosaiced with scenes from elven history, defaced by orcish scrawl. The tiles of the floor were chipped and soiled and three archways on the far side of the chamber led into the tunnels proper. The two Beornings had fallen behind on the stairs and could see only the torchlight as their companions disappeared down two of the passages. Clearly this was where to split, and at a nod from Haldis, Truor led the way down the still dark eastwards tunnel.

They came to the next branching point almost immediately. Two ways. Haldis hesitated, then chose the left. Truor marked the way they had come and they moved on, not speaking still, for the tunnels bred silence.

At the third branching they came to Haldis would have taken the middle of the five passages. But Truor stopped her, "That one smells foul," he said, "The air down the right-most tunnel smells fresher, if somewhat dusty."
Haldis was not about to argue with a skinchanger's nose. They took the right-hand way, again marking the way back.

They took a middle tunnel at the next point, for Truor was certain the scent of old parchment was down that way.

The fifth pause came just as Haldis was beginning to feel a bit funny, from the closness of the air, she thought, for she didn't think they had come too far yet, and at it they found only a door at the end of their tunnel and through the rotting wood shadows of scrolls could be glimpsed.
"I don't smell anything dangerous in there," Truor offered.
Haldis listened closely to the room beyond the door and had to agree, "It seems safe enough," she said, "Will you go before?"
"Aye."
The door was opened. Truor stepped across the threshold, and Haldis saw beyond him walls lined by pigeonholed manuscripts. Surely here they would find something useful.
She stepped after him, torch held high -

- and found herself in yet another crossroads chamber. Turning slowly she felt a shiver of frustration and a little fear run down her spine. Truor was nowhere to be seen. Nor were any of the arches marked. Nor had they ever encounter a place with seven branches. She was alone. And at the moment, utterly lost.

Ah well. The binding spell was surely to blame for this.

Trusting to knife and torch and spell, Haldis picked a tunnel at random and started walking.

[Midge]

About an hour or so after she had not eaten, Aerin was stumbling around the tunnel, so sleepy she hazily thought she could have gone ahead and eaten if she wanted. It didn't seem like it made much difference now.

Looking up, she saw a tiny bobbing light twinkling in the darkness ahead of her.

"Oh, great," she thought. "Now I am seeing things!" Then, "Oh, NO!" she cried out, surprised. Her concentration on walking (albeit crookedly and rather drunkenly) broken by the light, she stumbled over a break in the tunnel floor. Her pack bounced off her shoulders and came to rest a foot or two away from her. She was fast asleep by the time the ends of her long hair first brushed against the tunnel's rocky floor.

[orithil]

Hedrim raised his eye brows and hefted his back back, "right, well away we go" and with that he walked down into the dark tunnels.

[Willow Oran]

Haldis froze as a cry and a soft thud broke the silence of the tunnels. She had been walking for she knew not how long, save that her second torch was now half burned, nor how far and the spell had interfered with her direction twice more since she had first lost Truor.
However, she was not yet beginning to tire physically and she had packed enough food for the time being. Mind free from worry on that count, she was at liberty to jump at shadows and fret over each small, half imagined sound.

Sound. Yes. There was precious little of it here and that had not sounded imagined. Cautiously coutinuing she approached the source. One, two, three, four... another four... eight paces, still nothing, Haldis kept on moving, counting, twelve forward, there! Her torch illumened a prone person. Hair hid the face. Visible breathing. Haldis looked closer. Another elf and not one of the company. How strange. Placing her torch in a rusted sconce she crouched by, waiting for the stranger to awake.

[Earniel]

Having reached another point where two passages run in different directions, Radagast consulted his map briefly. They had come to the unexplored territory. "We'll take this way, you take the other." he said to the others.

With a short goodbye the wizard and Branwyn, the Gondorean scholar that accompanied him, turned left, their torches dimming from sight as they walked on into the dusty and dark corridor.

Radagast ponded the directions of the document that had been found the day before. While he had a clearer idea of where to look now, there was one thing on the document that still puzzled him.

One room had been marked as 'prison', but what should be incarcerated among the papers and documents within the library? Clearly the dungeons on the other side of the underground complex would have been more suitable for locking people up. He wondered that perhaps he had translated in error, the mixture of languages the document had been written in was difficult enough to make out. But still...

He shook his head. It did not matter much, they were looking for letters and papers, not misplaced prisons.

"Come on, Branwyn," he said and went on.