Holiday in the Sun RPG - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

piosenniel · 02-04-2003, 11:13 AM

First post by Deorlin

The sun beat down on the white sand, turning each minute grain into a shimmering, dancing jewel. The beach would have been as unbearably hot as an oven, but the breeze coming off the water blew fresh and cool. It carried the tang of sea salt, and a hint of exotic places lying far across the waves. Gulls wheeled in the azure sky, calling out in raucous chorus to the two girls who walked, arm in arm, through the shallow waves that gamboled up as far as the tide line. They were both barefoot, trying to hold up the hems of their gowns to keep them dry. But every so often, a rogue wave would break away from the mainstream and rush up to them, catching them off guard. Then the air would fill with their laughter, and high pitched exclamations, as they tried to outrun, usually unsuccessfully, the boisterous water, which grabbed and foamed at their ankles.

After several such encounters, their gowns were soaked to the knees. Making their way a few yards further in towards the low dunes that ran inland, they collapsed in a giggling heap on the hot, dry sand. Spreading the bottoms of their skirts in attempt to dry them, the two relaxed, the elder one sinking back onto her elbows, the younger raising her hand as a visor over her eyes and gazing out to the horizon.

"Mother won't be pleased at all, you know. All our other gowns have been packed already. We'll have to travel in these - and what a wrinkled mess yours is! Tch, tch!" Elvira shook her head in mock dismay at her younger sister, who blatantly ignored her and continued staring out to sea.

"Mine a mess! That's a good one - yours is soaked almost to the waist! And dirty too, to boot! Phaw! Don't you worry about me. You're the one who promised mother that we would be careful and that you would make sure I didn't get mussed." Gillan snorted, and smiled at the thought of her elder sister's soon to be chastisement by their mother.

"Well, whose idea was it in the first place that we should go wading this one last time?"

"Who suggested we come for a last walk on the beach? What fun would a walk be if we couldn't dip our toes?" After a slight pause, Gil suggested, "Maybe we could tell mother we . . . fell in?"

Elvira looked in scorn at her sister. Ever one for telling the truth, no matter what, she raised herself back into a sitting position, wrapping her arms about her knees. "Gillan, I'm surprised at you! Besides, Momma would never believe such a tale anyway. You and your stories!" Gil, the youngest child in the family, was prone to making up fantastic tales to amuse herself. Sometimes, she got a little carried away and told them to others, as if they had really happened. "What are you staring at all this time anyway?" Elvira demanded.

"A pirate ship. See, there . . . over to the south." Gil pointed with her free hand to a sail, just barely visible above the tops of the green waves.

"The south!" Elvira cried impatiently. "You don't even know the difference between left and right! Pirates!" She scoffed. "It's most likely just a ship belonging to a family on a holiday, like us. Leave pirates to our 'heroic' brother, please - you're too old for fairy tales. Come now, little sister, or we'll be late for the departure, and father will be even angrier with us." he shuddered at the image . . .

Reluctantly, the two rose and shook the sand from their skirts as best they could, Gil giving one last, longing look out to sea. Then they turned and made their way back through the dunes, to the castle of Dol Amroth.

************************************************** *****

"Should be a fine day for traveling, my lord.
Not a cloud in the sky, and a fine fresh breeze blowing in from the west." The old servant held tight to the reins of the nervous bay stallion, as the Gondorian noble prepared to mount. The courtyard of the castle here at Dol Amroth was never empty, except for the wee small hours of the night. Even in those lonely watches of the night, rarely a quarter of an hour passed without some member of the Prince's household, or court, or military hurrying through on some important errand. At this time of the day though, midmorning, the courtyard was full and bustling, with servants, courtiers, messengers, nobles, farmers, traders, travelers, even a good number of foreigners, going to and fro about their business.

The nobleman nodded somewhat absentmindedly at the old retainer, his mind elsewhere. Turning to his wife, who was just preparing to scold a maid for the ill-packed parcel of silk that was just starting to peep through its wrappings, he asked curtly, "Any word of them yet?"

His good wife, without even glancing at him, replied mildly, "No, of course not dear. I would have told you if they had returned, now wouldn't I?" Equally as calmly, she proceeded to tell the maid precisely how the material should be packed and unwrapped the bindings herself, to see that it was redone, and properly this time too.

Grunting with both frustration and the effort of lifting himself up into the saddle, the noble mounted the skittish horse with little difficulty, his expertise as a rider readily apparent. "Well, there's nothing for it then. I' guess I'll have to ride out and see where they've got to!" He cursed soundly as a baker's assistant with a basket of oranges on his head whisked by, right under the stallion's nose, sending him sidestepping like a ballet dancer. Bringing the horse back under control, the noble repeated, "Did you hear me,my love, I said . . . "

"Of course I heard you, dear. And I've already told you twice. I know precisely where they are – at the beach. You know, the one where we all had that delightful picnic with the Prince and his lovely family. You just look for them there. Now run along, there's a good man, and stop pestering me. I've important things to see to if we're ever to leave here by noon. And we absolutely must be back in Minas Tirith in time for the King's anniversary"

Swearing once more to cover the ignominy of his wife's dismissal, the noble clucked to the stallion and made his way through the castle gate, into the streets of Dol Amroth, turning the horse's head toward the beach road.

********************************************

I will remove this comment once the game is in progress.

It is a rule on the Barrow Downs that you must:

REMOVE YOUR SIGNATURE FROM EVERY POST ON THE GAME THREAD.

[ February 04, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

02-04-2003, 11:13 AM	#1
piosenniel Desultory Dwimmerlaik Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Pickin' flowers with Bill the Cat..... Posts: 7,779	Holiday in the Sun RPG First post by Deorlin The sun beat down on the white sand, turning each minute grain into a shimmering, dancing jewel. The beach would have been as unbearably hot as an oven, but the breeze coming off the water blew fresh and cool. It carried the tang of sea salt, and a hint of exotic places lying far across the waves. Gulls wheeled in the azure sky, calling out in raucous chorus to the two girls who walked, arm in arm, through the shallow waves that gamboled up as far as the tide line. They were both barefoot, trying to hold up the hems of their gowns to keep them dry. But every so often, a rogue wave would break away from the mainstream and rush up to them, catching them off guard. Then the air would fill with their laughter, and high pitched exclamations, as they tried to outrun, usually unsuccessfully, the boisterous water, which grabbed and foamed at their ankles. After several such encounters, their gowns were soaked to the knees. Making their way a few yards further in towards the low dunes that ran inland, they collapsed in a giggling heap on the hot, dry sand. Spreading the bottoms of their skirts in attempt to dry them, the two relaxed, the elder one sinking back onto her elbows, the younger raising her hand as a visor over her eyes and gazing out to the horizon. "Mother won't be pleased at all, you know. All our other gowns have been packed already. We'll have to travel in these - and what a wrinkled mess yours is! Tch, tch!" Elvira shook her head in mock dismay at her younger sister, who blatantly ignored her and continued staring out to sea. "Mine a mess! That's a good one - yours is soaked almost to the waist! And dirty too, to boot! Phaw! Don't you worry about me. You're the one who promised mother that we would be careful and that you would make sure I didn't get mussed." Gillan snorted, and smiled at the thought of her elder sister's soon to be chastisement by their mother. "Well, whose idea was it in the first place that we should go wading this one last time?" "Who suggested we come for a last walk on the beach? What fun would a walk be if we couldn't dip our toes?" After a slight pause, Gil suggested, "Maybe we could tell mother we . . . fell in?" Elvira looked in scorn at her sister. Ever one for telling the truth, no matter what, she raised herself back into a sitting position, wrapping her arms about her knees. "Gillan, I'm surprised at you! Besides, Momma would never believe such a tale anyway. You and your stories!" Gil, the youngest child in the family, was prone to making up fantastic tales to amuse herself. Sometimes, she got a little carried away and told them to others, as if they had really happened. "What are you staring at all this time anyway?" Elvira demanded. "A pirate ship. See, there . . . over to the south." Gil pointed with her free hand to a sail, just barely visible above the tops of the green waves. "The south!" Elvira cried impatiently. "You don't even know the difference between left and right! Pirates!" She scoffed. "It's most likely just a ship belonging to a family on a holiday, like us. Leave pirates to our 'heroic' brother, please - you're too old for fairy tales. Come now, little sister, or we'll be late for the departure, and father will be even angrier with us." he shuddered at the image . . . Reluctantly, the two rose and shook the sand from their skirts as best they could, Gil giving one last, longing look out to sea. Then they turned and made their way back through the dunes, to the castle of Dol Amroth. ************************************************ * "Should be a fine day for traveling, my lord. Not a cloud in the sky, and a fine fresh breeze blowing in from the west." The old servant held tight to the reins of the nervous bay stallion, as the Gondorian noble prepared to mount. The courtyard of the castle here at Dol Amroth was never empty, except for the wee small hours of the night. Even in those lonely watches of the night, rarely a quarter of an hour passed without some member of the Prince's household, or court, or military hurrying through on some important errand. At this time of the day though, midmorning, the courtyard was full and bustling, with servants, courtiers, messengers, nobles, farmers, traders, travelers, even a good number of foreigners, going to and fro about their business. The nobleman nodded somewhat absentmindedly at the old retainer, his mind elsewhere. Turning to his wife, who was just preparing to scold a maid for the ill-packed parcel of silk that was just starting to peep through its wrappings, he asked curtly, "Any word of them yet?" His good wife, without even glancing at him, replied mildly, "No, of course not dear. I would have told you if they had returned, now wouldn't I?" Equally as calmly, she proceeded to tell the maid precisely how the material should be packed and unwrapped the bindings herself, to see that it was redone, and properly this time too. Grunting with both frustration and the effort of lifting himself up into the saddle, the noble mounted the skittish horse with little difficulty, his expertise as a rider readily apparent. "Well, there's nothing for it then. I' guess I'll have to ride out and see where they've got to!" He cursed soundly as a baker's assistant with a basket of oranges on his head whisked by, right under the stallion's nose, sending him sidestepping like a ballet dancer. Bringing the horse back under control, the noble repeated, "Did you hear me,my love, I said . . . " "Of course I heard you, dear. And I've already told you twice. I know precisely where they are – at the beach. You know, the one where we all had that delightful picnic with the Prince and his lovely family. You just look for them there. Now run along, there's a good man, and stop pestering me. I've important things to see to if we're ever to leave here by noon. And we absolutely must be back in Minas Tirith in time for the King's anniversary" Swearing once more to cover the ignominy of his wife's dismissal, the noble clucked to the stallion and made his way through the castle gate, into the streets of Dol Amroth, turning the horse's head toward the beach road. **************************************** I will remove this comment once the game is in progress. It is a rule on the Barrow Downs that you must: REMOVE YOUR SIGNATURE FROM EVERY POST ON THE GAME THREAD.** [ February 04, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ] __________________ Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.