Bree to Moria RPG

[Handmaiden of Yavanna]

Lara brushed her black hair from her face irritably. Would her horse go any faster? She sighed and gave her horse, Sarn, another jab in the ribs with her heel gently. Her horse replied with a snort and managed to get into a canter along the long dusty road, littered with rocks. It had been four days since she had passed the great ancient watchtower at Weathertop and she had just exited Midgewater, for which she was very thankful was over. In the distance she could see the dark roofs of Bree looming before the horizon. The golden air of late afternoon was lurid with hints of the coming night. She would arrive by evening.

She reached the gates by the estimated time, her mind heavy with the duty set before her. She arrived at a quaint little inn in the middle of the town, called the Prancing Pony. She immediately went to the stables, and dismounted, giving Sarn to the stable boy, then went inside. The air of the inn was smoky with the scent of many pipes, and the atmosphere of the room was warm and homey. She walked up to the man that seemed like the innkeeper. His bright green eyes were smiling along with his mouth. Obviously he was not one to take advantage of someone, he looked too stupid for that.

"Yes? Can I help you?" He asked with a cheerful voice.

Lara smiled back at him, "Yes, I seek lodgings for the evening. And I was wondering if you had some food around here, for I am very hungry from riding."

"Oh yes lass, you are a lass, I suspect, for the way you dress caught me off guard when I saw you enter the inn."

Lara grinned back good-naturedly. She was used to such comments as these, for she dressed as a man would in a white shirt, green tunic, and brown trousers, with a blue cloak draped across her shoulders gracefully. Only her long black hair and feminine features gave away her true gender, "Yes, you suspected right, now where might I find a room?"

The innkeeper smiled, "Follow me," He said leading her up some stairs.

He showed her to a room, told her that if she needed anything all she needed to do was go down stairs and call for it at the front counter.

After the innkeeper had left, Lara went right to a small desk in the corner and from a concealed pocket in her coat, drew a scroll from it and spread it across the top. Tracing her finger down the letters she found that she only had one week in Bree to accomplish her mission. One of every race, her commander had said, to witness the retaking of Moria.

[aZnLiTTleD]

OOC: Sorry if it sucks, well here goes...

He was in his room thinking when he heard the sound of hooves coming nearer to the inn. As he sat in his chair with his feet resting on the desk he used his fingers to slightly push back the curtains. He stared and saw a figure riding down the path towards the inn, from the darkness of the evening he was not able to clearly make out the figure.

He moved his hand away as the curtains fell and closed leaving a small gap where a stream of the moon’s light shone through and fell on his sword that was resting on the desk. He moved his feet off the desk and as he placed them on the floor the wooden boards creaked. He stood up and picked his sword up as he carefully slid it onto his side. He had forgotten about the time while thinking about his travels and his home. His stomach grumbled and he stood there until it stopped after a few seconds. He went to the door and pulled it open as the loud clamor of people were heard below. He left the candle that lit the room and went downstairs to get his dinner.

As he made his way down he saw the innkeeper leading an attractive lady upstairs. He move aside to let them through. He thought a moment about the awkwardness of the lady’s clothes and ceased to think about it when again his stomach grumbled.

He walked up to the front counter and asked a worker to fix him supper as he walked over to a small table in the corner and seated himself. As he waited, he thought more. He had traveled awhile before he had made it here. He was still young and it was difficult for him to make it through but the experience has made his mind and body strengthen.

A hobbit finally brought him his supper and he stopped thinking as he slowly ate.

When he had finish, he took a last drink out of his mug as he placed it down and walked out to get a breath of fresh air and to see Flik. He walked over to the stables on the side of the inn. A hobbit was caring for the horses as he approached Flik and brushed his hand down the horse’s mane. There was a cool breeze this night and Dai's hair flew back and his cloak fluttered in the wind. After staying with Flik for awhile, he felt tired and after telling the hobbit to watch Flik, he retreated to his room. He walked over to the desk as his armor clanked; he placed his sword to rest on it again. He sat down in the chair, blew out the candle, and sat thinking about the lady he had seen arrive at the inn until he fell asleep. Fatigue had taken him and tommorow was going to be a new day.

[Katt_knome_hobbit]

Katirina stared up at the sign above the inn. Why had she come here? She had left the Shire before because of a strange feeling, but usually it led her to a river were some tree was being cut down or some animal needed rescuing. Katirina Rose Romere was not a normal hobbit. She had never really been at home in the Shire. Something drew her to water from wherever she was. She assumed she was a hobbit. She had wandered into the Shire one day and was found dipping her feet in the Brandywine. Everyone had been so nice to her. And yet, all of them knew that she didn't belong. She didn't age the normal way. After ten years, her hair had started to change color. But instead of gray, it was turning a golden red instead of her usual brown. She never knew what color her eyes were because everyone gave her a diffrent report. When she looked at her eyes all she could see was black. Because of her diffrences she spent most of her time away. But why here in Bree. There were men here. But she had to follow her spirits. They had always guided her well before. Katirina went in and decided not to get a room. She will sleep outside. She sat in a corner in the inn not deciding what to do yet. "I will get a sign" she decided. She watched as a soldier marched in. "Wait, what is wrong with that soldier?" she asked herself. Then she realized that the soldier was female. This struck her as odd and she decided to take a better look at everyone. There was at least one of every race and some of them had the same feeling of waiting in their soles. "We are all here for the same purpose" she realized and she was happy. Finally she was to go on a quest. Maybe he origions would finally be revealed.

[Eäráng]

A rider clothed in dark appeared at the inn, and he knew she was here. The rider had never been here before, but at once, he felt as if he knew this place better than everyone here. He shrugged the feeling off, and after brushing some hair out of his eyes, went inside.

As he went in, he saw her. She was sitting at a table, with a good mug of ale, and she was drinking it slowly. He blended in with the darkness, and everyone who saw him tended to slink away from him, as he seemed to be a criminal. He asked for a pint of ale, and he drained it almost the second he received it, for he was very thirsty.

Lara saw him and she thought he looked very familiar, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. She saw him drain the ale, and she thought she caught a glimpse of his face. She thought, "Eventually he will have to take his hood off, right?" As she thought that, he took off his hood and he almost revealed to everyone he wasn't human. He had black hair, sea gray eyes, and he had an air about him that was noble, not like a dark person. He brushed his long hair back again as she looked at him, and he took notice of her. Lara just looked away, but she also noticed that he was coming toward her.

[aZnLiTTleD]

OOC: I'm confused, I thought Lara was in her room????

[Eäráng]

OOC: Next day...

[Laredith]

A dark haired stranger approached the inn. She had eyes as green as poison, and her skin was pale. She was dressed in all black, and she was horseless. She also kept a concealed dagger in her coat.

She opened the door. There, she saw the dark rider, who was approaching some other girl. She decided to intervene. She walked over.

"I arrest people like you...and get very good money for it too. So, you had better watch your back!" she hissed at him.

"I mean no harm to befall this place," he answered her. She simply scowled and turned to the counter.

"Water, please!" She asked. The person at the counter gave it to her. She sipped slowly, for she was very interested in how this dark rider and the girl were associated. They must be crimimals she thought, perhaps they are working for the enemy.

[Handmaiden of Yavanna]

The stranger sat across from her. Lara looked up. Her assumption had been correct. He was not human. This puzzled her greatly. What would an elf be doing in Bree of all places? And why did he look so familiar?

"Good evening Friend," She said smiling at the elf, interest in the stranger's idenity eating away at her mind like a fever.

"Good evening," He answered.

"Will you not join me in a drink for it seems you have traveled far," Lara asked...

[samwise of the shire]

OOC:Later that evening.
The young hobbit stood on the edge of the Barrowdowns and smiled as he saw the lights on Bree hill twinkle invitingly as if to say"Come and abide for awhile weary travellar". And that was one thing Alaird was willing to do. He sighed and hoisting his pack higher onto his shoulders walked on. He was glad to have the Barrows behind him. He needn't have feared any danger from Wights. They had been destroyed years ago with the Evil that had sent them to haunt the old resting paces of ancient kings, but the tales that his Grandfathers told him of their one day imprisonment in a Barrow was enough to make him thankful he had left before night fall.
He had passed through the Old Forest, passed Old Man Willow and had made it safely to the House of Tom Bombadil where he was welcomed by the Master and His wife the fair Goldberry. His coming had not been a suprise to them as they knew about his coming and his desire to follow the road that his Grandfathers took to Gondor and Mordor. He had left that day and passed through the Barrows and was now ready to rest a day or so at the Inn and take up whoever "looked foul and seemed fair".
"One more step Alaird m'lad an' you'll be eatin' tarts cheese an' bread of the finest. Not to mention ale and a pipe into the bargain. Just one more step lad." He thought to himself as he fished an apple out of his pack and began chewing on it.
He walked up to the door and knocked. A fat hobbit answered the door " 'ello master 'ow may I 'elp you?" "Well you might let me in the door first. It's gettin' dark an' there'll be a storm soon so please let me in." Alaird smiled a brilliant smile at the Hobbit"I suppose you're Nob?" he asked as he stepped over the threshold and removed his cloak. "Nay master. I'm 'is son, Rob. I work 'ere." "As I can see well enough. Do you have rooms free. Seems the common room is awful full."
"Well alot of these people are just 'ere for a pint, a good argument an' a pipe in the bargain. But alot of outlandish folks 'ave come through 'ere too. A Young man came through 'ere day afore yesterday. Says 'is name's Dai but you cant trust folk like him. Then there's a lovely young lady who cam 'ere yesterday aside a young hobbit lass form the Shire. A dark rider 'oo seems to know the young lady and a shirrif 'oo threatens to aresst the dark rider. SHE came in yesterday. Beware of 'er she 'as eyes bright as a snakes and twice as green as a cats. Watch out for 'er." The hobbit finished and opened a door to a nice parlour.
A large fireplace and a nice hobbit sized table with a few chairs. He picked up the bell on the table and rung it. Rob came up huffing and puffing"Yes master." "Rob I'll just move meself to the common room if it isn't to much of a bother for you. Les of a trek an' all." He winked and smiled as he passed through the door and went to the Common Room. There in the corner was a young woman with black hair and a man in a dark cloak who was talking lowly and earnestly with her.
Then in a corner table there was a pale girl dressed in black and with eyes that spewed venom towards the man and woman in the corner opposite. Then in a table in the light of the fire there was a hobbit girl who was staring out the window to the dark night. "If I'm to sit with anyone it'll be her as she's a hobbit an' all" he thought. Then there was a boy of what Alaird thought to be twelve or so near the fire.
Sam

[Menelvagor]

In the shadows at the back boothes of the common room Maew watched the strangers arrive. Since the Greenway had been opened again with the return of the King, the Pony had seen much more business. It had also seen refugees of the dark northern wastes hastening to refuge in the cruel lands to the south and east of Gondor; there was work for the Rangers, by all acounts. Now the black-cloaked elf was speaking with the soldier. An interesting company. he thought. Neither of them felt evil, though the elf certainly looked it. I wonder why he would seek to give that impression? Maew signalled to the innkeeper with his tankard, and as the man served him he inquired about the outlanders.

'Oh, them? Well, lesse, the young lady arrived abo' evnin' hour yesterday, and the gentelman there just now got in, as you probably saw. I reckon they know'd eachother before they came here, 'cause he went right over there ta' talk to her soon as he got here. Other than that I don't rightly know.'

'What about those two?' Maew indicated two hobbits sitting at a table by one of the circular ground floor windows.

It took a minute for the near-sighted innman to focus on the pair in question, but squinting he answered quick enough. 'Eh? Well the lad is out 'o the Shire, lass too by her talk, though this is the firs' time I recall seein' her abo' Bree, but anyway, the lad comes by here every now an' agin, Tookish blood in him, y'know.' He waited, Maew gave no sign, he was gazing intently at the young hobbit. ' Y'know that lad's grandpa on his father's side was none other than Master Peregrin Took himself, that my own father once served with ale in this very room? An' on his mother's side he is direc'ly decended from Samwise Gardener, Mayor of Hobbiton?' When Maew remained silent, he appended, 'Well I 'spec you do, you being a ranger an' all-' But now Maew stirred, the present innkeep, like his forebearer, seemed capable of an endless stream of talk if duely encouraged, 'No, no indeed, you have been very helpful, my friend. I wonder if you could spare me a room for tonight?' 'Why, surely sir, you know the rangers are alwa's welcome here, I'll get Rob to round up a room for ye.'

The other woman who had entered had now captured his attention, she was known to him, though he had never met her personally. She had taken as her duty to rid the North of all remaining evil, but she had a reputation of somewhat callous overzealousness.

'This bears watching,' he breathed into his ale, stretched his legs out beneath his table, and prepared to witness whatever was about to happen.

[aZnLiTTleD]

He sat gazing into the crackling fire when a knock came on the door. The innkeeper answered it and a young hobbit was at the door and the two started talking but Dai couldn’t hear a word so he lost his interest in them and went back to thinking. What could that lady be here for? He thought as he stared in the fire. And who is that man that seems to know her and why do they seem as if they know one secret?

He reached to his drink and emptied it. The innkeeper threw a log into the fire sending up embers and a blaze of fire as the fire then settled down again and the ashes floated and fell on the floor. Dai stood up and grabbed his mug as he walked over to the counter and asked for more. He received his mug back filled to the brim, he turned and leaned on the counter taking a sip as he watched the new arrival study each person staying at the inn. He turned back around to place his drink on the counter and caught a glance of the lady that had arrived earlier at a table. He had almost forgotten her. She was queer. He thought as he looked at from the corner of his eye. Why was she so concerned about the dark man? Do the three have something to do with one another?

He began to become bored, it was his personality, Dai looked out the window and saw it was dark. He had stayed at the inn for awhile, he should leave soon, unless some business came up. He walked outside to see Flik for he thought he would be leaving Bree soon and he needed to ready his steed.

[Eäráng]

The elf was talking to Lara now, and they were in hushed conversation.

"So, what is your name?" the elf asked. Lara was stunned. Her name? She replied, "My name is Lara. What's yours?" The elf looked at her, those sea gray eyes gazing into hers, and he said, "My name is not known to you, or to anyone here, although you have seen me before. I shall not speak aloud my name here, for there are those who would want us destroyed. If we were to go to your room, I might reveal myself there."

Lara thought this over in her mind. Why does he want to talk to me in my room? It's crazy for him to think that he would talk to me in there. Then again, she didn't have any choice. She wouldn't know his name unless the requirements were met. "Oh all right, we'll go to my room." The two left the table and went upstairs to her room. Then finally the elf said what she wanted to hear.

"My name is Eäráng Anondir, although you will not know me by that name. You will instead know me by my other name, which is Falinaur. We fought together at the final battle, the battle which overthrew the dark land of Mordor. I am an elf of Valinor, and I know of your quest to Moria. I would be honored to join you on your quest." Lara was astonished. She had fought with Falinaur, and she knew he was very valiant. But how he hid the fact that he was an elf she was more astonished.

[Menelvagor]

The human woman, Lara, was that her name?, and the elven man were getting up. Through the hum of conversations and clinking glasses, the ranger's sharp ears had picked up somewhat of their talk, something had been said about going to her room. What could be so secret that he couldn't whisper it here? A flood of new questions rushed through his mind. So they didn't know eachother beforehand, but then why did he go straight to her? Or is he merely unsure of her identity? What is his name? He rose and paid his night's tab, making a pretense of going to his room. He followed them out the door.

When Maew got to the base of the stairs he could just hear their footsteps on the floor above. He acended with all the skill of a trained hunter, not one stair creaking under his foot, and was just in time to hear the lock click in a door down the hall.

He pressed his ear to the door. Falinaur... Falinaur... the name rang faintly out of memory, a good fighter, but and elf come over the sea from Tol Eressea to the aid of Middle-Earth? Why? And why in such guise as a human?[/i] He wondered if he should doubt the story, and if this black-clad traveller might be a trap sent to some evil purpose from the last vestiges of the Darkness. Many years of toil and fighting had made him sceptical and slow to put his faith in chance meeting on the road. Yet the stranger was an elf, he smelled of elvish things, and an elf would have little reason to tell such a lie. Still, history reminded him, orcs were twisted out of elves imprisoned by Morgoth, could it be possible that somewhere this evil process had been disrupted, resulting in and evil being with still a fair contanence? That would be a black evil! Or even yet, Sauron had taken fair form and so disposed Numenor. Nonsense, nonsense. he chided himself, these are follies born from years of peace and an idle mind; when there are no enemies to fight, we create them out of nothing. But still, doubt grew in the back of his mind. Why at least can not he openly speak his name? that bodes ill for some misdoing on his part.

Which such thoughts to plague his dreams, Maew left the door to find Rob, who could lead him to his own room for a night of uneasy sleep.

[Katt_knome_hobbit]

OOC: Sorry, I'm a little lost. We're all at the inn correct? Lara is talking to an elf? I am not very proficient in all your goodly speach.

[Tar-Elendil]

ooc: havent been able to post for a couple days..ill put in mine later this evening

[Handmaiden of Yavanna]

After Lara recovered from the shock of seeing Falinaur again, she smiled.


"Dear friend," She answered, "I would be more than happy to have you accompany me. But pray, how did you know my purpose for being here?"

"That, my dear Lara, shall be revealed in good time, but for now I believe that we should be looking for more companions upon this quest. I suppose you noticed that dark looking cloaked figure in the cornor upon my entering," The elf said walking over to the fireplace and throwing another log upon the flames. The tounges of fire spat at him in protest.

Lara sat silent for a moment, she had to admit she had not noticed the figure, "No," She answered, "No, I fear I did not."

"That was Maew, a ranger of sorts. Very silent and serious sort of mortal," Now it seemed that the elf was talking to himself more than to her, "He might do," the elf turned to Lara for her opinion on the matter.

The dark stranger's name did sound fimiliar to Lara, from the dark war. But before she could answer his question about the ranger coming along, she would have to know more of this Maew, "I remember the man vaugely," She replied, "But I'll need to know more about him,"

[Eäráng]

Eäráng said, "You may be able to get to know one another very shortly, for, if I know him, he will be outside the door listening in on our very conversation right now."

Maew heard this and he decided the best course of action would be to get out of the area fast, but he heard the door open and Eäráng grabbed his cloak and pulled him in. "It's not nice to be listening in on another's conversation, you know. Well, Lara, meet Maew, Maew, meet Lara." The two shook hands and sat down.

Maew said, "Well, Falinaur, we meet again. Begging your pardon, but why would an elf of Valinor be here helping Middle-earth? The Valar would not meddle in the affairs of mortals." But Eäráng just laughed. "Why, poor Maew, you are quite mistaken. Even though you do not live in Valinor, you are still the Children of Iluvatar. The Valar watch you even now, and they have sent me to help Lara," he acknowledged her, "with her quest, which I have taken to be mine own."

Lara finally stood up and said, "Okay, hold on! How did they know of my quest?" Eäráng replied, "The Lord of the Waters still roams the seas, and he has traveled up the Anduin and has heard of your quest. That is how the mighty Valar know of it."

[Menelvagor]

'And is it thus your place, Falinaur Earang, to chose her companions for her? Tell me, if you would have me for your company, what is the importance of her quest, that Ulmo would take such interest in it?'

[Eäráng]

Eäráng said, "It is not in my power to tell you now, because there is evil afoot. I can only tell you this: This quest is very important to the survival of Middle-earth."

[Tar-Elendil]

ooc: when the rpg is near to moria i will introduce my charcter, ecthelion