Bree (Some years before the War of the Ring)

[Armiel]

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Posts: 6</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
I've myy own defenses, thank you.

Armiel snickered at Ferny's fearfuless and looked at Galenwen.

&quot;You act as if you know me not, old friend,&quot; she said. &quot;You should know me well enough to know I would never abandon an adventure, especially one that has such people in it.&quot;

She too had defenses other than mere weapons and knew all too well that mortal weapons were no match for the dead. She had spoken with Talondin earlier that morning and had given him the stone that Galenwen had given her. She felt the mortal could use it more than she.

&quot;What do I do with this?&quot; Talondin had asked of her gift. But she told him only that he would know when to use it when the time came.

Armiel now looked towards the rest of the company and wondered if they would all return from this journey.

She shook her head to rid the thoughts and continued to walk.


</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000002>RKittle</A>&nbsp; <IMG SRC=http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/oneringicon.gif BORDER=0 WIDTH=10 HEIGHT=10> at: 4/21/01 9:17:17 pm

[Zoe]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shade of Carn Dûm
Posts: 339</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Andy feels bored

Back at the camp, Andy was starting to experience the pangs of boredom and loneliness. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't he search for treasure too?

In the warm sunlight, the Downs didn't seem so scary. Just a bunch of hills, nothing more. Had he come all the way from Bree just to watch the animals?

Barely noticing what he was doing, Andy tied the reigns of the horses to a nearby tree, hid the other supplies under some bushes in case of (very unlikely, he thought) robbers, and then started to make his way to the Downs.



</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000002>RKittle</A>&nbsp; <IMG SRC=http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/oneringicon.gif BORDER=0 WIDTH=10 HEIGHT=10> at: 4/22/01 9:25:38 am

[Lord Aragorn]

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Posts: 21</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
The Stone

Talondin had one hand upon the hilt of his sword, and one in his pocket, groping at the stone. He had wondered what the stone's purpose was all the time. Now he was still behind the elves, but he did not notice them.

Talondin was in deep thought about the Wights amongst these barrows, and the stone which he had, and many other things. From time to time he would look up and be sure he was still with the group, but he was not very concerned either way at the moment.

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 4/22/01 1:02:28 pm

[Zoe]

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Posts: 340</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Andy catches up with the others

Talondin turned. Behind him stood Andy.

&quot;What are you doing here?&quot; he asked.

Andy looked at his feet.

&quot;We said you could come, but only if you stayed behind at this part. What are you doing here then?&quot;

Andy said nothing.

&quot;Speak to me, boy!&quot;

&quot;I, um, got bored...&quot;

</p>

[Beregond]

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&quot;Where did Talondin go?&quot;

The fog was now thick in front of them, as Beregond walked along, thinking of the wights, and whether or not he would ever come out of this place. He glanced back, and saw that the fog was now all around them. Suddenly he noticed something was wrong.

&quot;Where did Talondin go?,&quot; he said.

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000114>Beregond </A> at: 4/25/01 12:13:23 pm

[The X Phial]

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This fog is too thick.

At the front of the group the elves turned as one to Beregond's question. The fog, which had slowly been getting thicker as they walked toward the middle of the meadow, was now so dense that even the gifted eyes of the first born could barely discern the Gondorian and the Bree-lander who followed behind them. Valdavar was not to be seen, nor could Talodin be spotted.

&quot;The trickery of the wights has begun,&quot; stated Calimir into the churning mist that refused to reveal their companions. &quot;We must make a better effort to stay together now. We are more vulnerable alone.&quot;

The pack horse they had brought with them whinnied in what sounded like distress, and the fog continued to pour in.

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000095>The X Phial</A> at: 4/27/01 10:05:52 pm

[The Barrow-Wight]

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Pea soup

The shape of the Calimir faded into the fog in front of Tom Ferny, leaving only the man Beregond and the hobbit lad Andy still visible to Tom Ferny. The tendrils of mist were now low enough to weave their way among the travelers, touching them like long fingers and soaking them through their clothes.

Tom had not said a word since the boy arrived but he was obviously not happy that he was there.

&quot;Andy&quot; he said, &quot;since you are determined to get a beating at home when I report your journey to your father, you should at least keep close to me so that my report will be accurate. I don't want you out of my sight, understood.&quot;

The small hobbits looked up with fear in his eyes.

&quot;Yes, sir&quot; he said in a small whisper, though he crowded closer to the Gondorian than to Tom.

&quot;Good&quot; continued Tom, &quot;this fog is not natural and is the work of the spirits of the mounds. We'll have our gold soon.&quot;

He stood up tall and tried to put on a brave face, but the terror of the mound was clearly on the Bree-lander. His conversation with the boy had been more to boost his own confidence than that of Andy.

&quot;Where are the rest of you?&quot; he shouted. &quot;Calamir, m'lady, could you slow down a bit please. Everyone! We need to gather together again.&quot;

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000002>RKittle</A>&nbsp; <IMG SRC=http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/oneringicon.gif BORDER=0> at: 4/28/01 8:50:49 am

[Suldaledhel]

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Re: Pea soup

Menel marched along a litle to the left of Calimir, shaking his head with doubt as the fog rolled in. He still clutched the spear in his hands, and used it to feel the ground in front of him, lest the elf trip in a gully. Menel stopped at Ferny's request, and now caught a glimpse of the hobbit that was tagging along.

&quot;Well,&quot;the elf spoke glancing around, trying to peer through the wall of fog,&quot;Dont we make a strange company, marching up and over the Barrow Downs, actually *looking* for a wight. But I do wonder what has become of Valdavar?&quot;

</p>

[Sharkû]

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Posts: 871</TD><TD><img src=http://www.tolkiens-legacy.de/skogtroll[1].jpg WIDTH=60 HEIGHT=60></TD></TR></TABLE>
That fog...

Valdavar was shocked when he looked up from his thoughts again, and around him. Just for a quick moment let he drift his mind away, back to his homelands, when a weariness of travel seemed to have overcome him, and now he was lost without one of his comrades in sight or within a shout's range.

The man fell the hairs on his neck and arms rising, and Valdavar became uneasy. His instincts told him that this was no natural fog, but maybe even one of the earlier mentioned witch-crafts of the Wights.
He took the hilt of his throwing axe, and thought that if there was an enemy here which could withstand its free blade, then he could not prepare better otherwise anyway...

He seemed to have lost orientation, too, and even though he tried his best skills of an experienced traveller, who could tell the directions by the smell of the wind, and the songs of the birds, all perception in here seemed to have been devoured by the fog, which lay on the land like a ghastly shroud.

Valdavar planted his feet firmly to the ground, and shouted from the top of lungs. Who or whatever it is that may be threatening him now, he might as well stand, and face it...


</p>

[Gilthalion]

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Re: Bree (Some years before the War of the Ring)

Now Talondin had vanished from sight.

Valdevar was lost in the deep mists.

Ferny and Beregond and Andy were only just within sight of one another.

The elves drew closer to one another.

The party members called out. Andy thought he could hear the mighty voice of Valdavar, but could not guess at the direction.

Valdavar's sharp ears heard sounds all around, but nothing that sounded like a member of the party.

The mist grew so thick that none could see as far as their hands before them. A dark cloud blocked the sun so that rather than even the watery yellow it had been, now it seemed dark as twilight.

And where ever each one of them was, they each knew that they could hear one thing for certain.

As they pulled their cloaks in tight against the cold and the dew, they heard mocking laughter as if from a distance and as if not from one but from many voices...

</p>

[Lord Aragorn]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pile o' Bones
Posts: 22</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
The Stones

As Talondin looked around him he saw nothing but fog in all directions. He lifted his hand once more and noticed that the stone that was given to him by his new elven friend, was glowing slightly. As the stone's glow grew brighter, the fog moved away from him a little more.

Talondin could not yet see any of his company, but the fog was slowly receding.

</p>

[The X Phial]

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The fog begins to clear

Lost within the swirling cloud of fog, Calimir struggled to keep an eye on her companions. From all around came voices that she knew were of men long since dead. She reached into her pack to grab one of the white stones and saw that she was glowing. With this warning of twisted spirits close at hand, she turned to see that, while the fog was beginning to clear, the light of the sun was not returning. The deep dark of a barrow surrounded her and despite her radiance, she could not clearly see the others. From what seemed a long distance, she saw other slightly glowing figures. Though not afraid of the dead, Calimir could feel the doom of her fate close at hand.

</p>

[Zoe]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shade of Carn Dûm
Posts: 352</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
An opening

&quot;What's happening?&quot; asked Andy.

&quot;Don't ask questions!&quot; snapped Tom, nervously kicking at a tuft of grass near his foot.

The fog was starting to lift, revealing what seemed to be an entrance into the hillside.

&quot;Andy,&quot; murmered Tom, slyly, &quot;You want adventure, don't you? Why don't you go and look at that? Be a scout for us?&quot;

&quot;N-No thanks, Mr Ferny, sir,&quot; replied Andy. &quot;All this fog and then a hole in the hill - it's not canny to me.&quot;

He looked to Beregond for support.

But Beregond was gone. He looked back at Tom Ferny.

Tom Ferny was gone.

&quot;Where are you all?&quot; Andy cried.

The hair on the nape of his neck and on the top of his feet stood straight out as he heard a chill voice from the depths of the gaping hole answer, &quot;Here!&quot;


</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/5/01 4:56:14 pm

[KM Tinuviel]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pile o' Bones
Posts: 20</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Bree (Some years before the War of the Ring)

Galenwen paused to get her bearings. She thought she had heard footsteps padding along a few paces behind her for quite some time now, but to be sure she needed to separate herself from the other two Elves. The fog was still thick, and muffled all sound in a strange way that made it difficult to tell where any particular noise was coming from. She drew out her Elf-stone. No glow from it at all...that was a comfort. But who was following them? She stopped altogether, and waited. She heard the footsteps coming closer and closer. She thought she heard someone breathing. Well, she thought, she'd never heard tell of a Wight that still breathed! She pulled out her long knife, and then she stood up and reached out with both arms at full length.

&quot;Eeeyaaah!&quot; a small voice screamed. &quot;P-p-please, don't hurt me, I'm nobody, I'm just a hobbit, I don't want your gold, I promise, I'll leave the way I came (whichever way that is), I will never, never, never come here again, oh please, Mr. Barrow-Wight, I--&quot;

&quot;Ssh, quiet, my brave lad,&quot; Galenwen smiled to herself. &quot;It's Galenwen. Stay close to me, Andy. Hold on to the hem of my cloak, and don't let go.&quot; Galenwen didn't want to frighten Andy, so she didn't tell him that the Elf-stone had begun to glow brightly in the ever-deepening fog. It had grown dark, though it should have been bright day still, and a cold wind blew from just ahead. She feared they had wandered into a Barrow.


</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/5/01 4:58:32 pm

[Beregond]

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Posts: 132</TD><TD><img src=http://members.attcanada.ca/~kind1/beregond.jpg WIDTH=60 HEIGHT=60></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Bree (Some years before the War of the Ring)

Beregond looked around him. The fog was gone, but where was the sun? He couldn't see anyone or anything, it was so dark. All he could feel was a cold unearthly wind. He shivered.

He tried to remember what had happened to him, but his memory was faint. After awhile, it started to come back to him; the fog starting to clear, the entranceway in the hill. He strained his memory. &quot;Of course!&quot; He remembered hearing Andy's frightened voice, though he couldn't hear what it said, and he could hear cruel laughter and voices in ancient tongues which he did not recognize. Then Andy had started to fade away, and... That was all he remembered.

He figured he was in a barrow, though how he got there he didn't know, and (he thought), didn't want to know. He shivered to think what the barrow-wights would do to him, if they caught him. He had better get out of there!

He could not see anyway out, and he did not know which way he had come in.

He was really thirsty. It felt like all the water had been sucked out of him. He felt for his pack. &quot;Yes!&quot;, it was still there. He looked in it for his water skin, but he saw a white stone! He pulled it out, and saw that it was shining. &quot;How came this to my pack?&quot;, he wondered. He clasped it in his hand, and the shining subsided. Nevertheless, he felt better.

&quot;Where has everyone else gone?&quot;, he wondered.

</p>

[Sharkû]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hungry Ghoul
Posts: 879</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Bree (Some years before the War of the Ring)

For a while Valdavar stood like this, and he had no idea how much time had been passing. Without him noticing it at first, an unnatural darkness quickly fell, and the fog surrounding him withdrew some feet away. Above himself he could already see the stars, although it should not be so at the time of that day he thought it to be. Valdavar perceived that he was in a small valley amidst the hills. A pale light seemed to illuminate the shrouds of mist around him on the ridges, and before Valdavar's eyes the fog swirled, and moved slowly back and forth, hither and thither, like a pulsating, living entity.

Bewildered, the Beorning gazed at this for a moment, when from behind the fog voices began to rise. Hollow and ghastly they sounded, a whispered cacophony of chants which no living mouth could ever utter. Valdavar recognised no words from it, and whenever he thought he could catch a piece of an ancient tongue, the voices rose chaotically.

The peril sent shivers down his spine, and Valdavar's hair hung wet and ice-cold on his neck. In a brief moment, in which it seemed as if a light came from behind and lifted his mind, the Beorning found his courage again, and he believed that he was able to overcome the paralysis the evil spells and his own superstition had laid upon him. As quickly as this enlightment came, it passed, as if the darkness was strong enough to swallow all signs of hope here as soon as they arose. However, left behind was one thought in Valdavar's mind, which was as clear as never anything had been present in him.

Now calm and stern, he took the small pack, which he had not wanted to deposit on a pony, from around his shoulder, and revealed a package wrapped in brightly coloured linnen. Valadavar removed the fabric, and brought forth a richly adorned horn. With his fingers he caressed its black form, and ran over the intricate ornaments of birds and other beasts of prey on it, and the mouth-piece which was wrought of amber.

Valdavar put the horn to his mouth, took a deep breath and blew the horn nine times loud and clear in the night, the hills ringing of its tone.
With the certain knowledge that his doom had drawn upon him, he spoke to himself, &quot;Let this then be my final hour.&quot;


</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/6/01 4:42:21 pm

[Zoe]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shade of Carn Dûm
Posts: 356</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Bree (Some years before the War of the Ring)

Andy clung to Galenwen's cloak.

&quot;It's only you! Phew!&quot; he said, relieved at not being alone any longer. &quot;For a second I thought you were - I thought you were...&quot;

&quot;A wight? But hush now, I am not a wight, and I'm not going to eat you for supper, Andy. Although I think that if we hang around for too long in this one place, danger will probably find us - if not the cold.&quot;

&quot;Brr, yes, I am cold. All this fog! For a while, I thought it'd clear up.&quot;

&quot;So come! Let us find a way out of here.&quot;

Galenwen hoped Andy wouldn't detect the layers of fear and uncertainty in her voice, and they started to walk, trying to work out where they were, and using the elf-stone for light.

</p>

[Suldaledhel]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Eru's Gift
Posts: 336</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Bree (Some years before the War of the Ring)

Menel, the scout from Rivendell, stood some paces ahead of Galenwen and turned to look back, his keen elven eyes barely able to make out her pale silhouette against the gery mists of the fog. The elf stood fast in his position, not wanting to wander further into the peril that had befallen the party until everyone was accounted for, at least by his sharp eyes. Menel sighed deeply, taking in the thick sultry air of the place before hearing a horn being sounded in the distance.

The elf's ears pricked up upon hearing this, and he turned, straining his eyes trying to clear a path through the fog and see who needed help, or is the cause to need aid. Pausing briefly to consider the wisest path, Menel gripped tight his spear and then gazed back in the direction of the sounding horn, storming off with great determination.

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/9/01 10:18:26 am

[Armiel]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Newly Deceased
Posts: 7</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Frustration

Armiel had been wandering about in the fog for some time now, she had somehow gotten separated from the entire group. Frustrated with herself for being so incapable of finding her way she began to think of the others...she was an experienced traveler and an elf besides, and yet she had managed to get engulfed in the fog, she worried about how the others were faring.

Now she thought of one thing only..finding the others. She had yelled earlier but had heard nothing, the thought now crossed her mind that music may cut through the mists... &quot;Elven song has solved harder problems then this,&quot; she said aloud to herself &quot;And so I confront this mist with mine&quot;

Armiel took a deep breath and began to sing, a tale of elven travellers from long ago, her voice was loud and clear...and she couldn't be certain but it seemed she heard voices, but she would not stop her song...



</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/9/01 10:51:51 am

[KM Tinuviel]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pile o' Bones
Posts: 22</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Starry, starry night

Galenwen heard the faint echo of a horn blowing somewhere in the pitch darkness ahead. She counted nine blasts, then there was silence. What in Arda could that be? she wondered. She heard a faint hissing directly to their left.

&quot;Stay with me, Andy,&quot; she said as she entered a downward-sloping tunnel. There was noise of dripping water, and the hissing noise grew louder. She reached out with both hands, and found that the tunnel was no more than five feet wide and made of stone, sloping steadily downwards. She saw a faint light ahead, and made for it. She could no longer feel any walls, but she looked up and saw stars overhead.

&quot;How long have we been in here?&quot; Andy whispered. &quot;Is it night already?&quot;

&quot;No, Andy,&quot; Galenwen answered. &quot;These are no stars that I have ever seen. This is some spell of the Barrow-wight.&quot; She turned, thinking to go back the way they had come, but the tunnel was nowhere in sight. The dark plain they stood on stretched unbroken to the horizon under the eerie stars. There were ruins here and there of ancient stoneworks.

&quot;It's no use wandering around in this,&quot; she said as she took out her lyre. &quot;Sit down with me, Andy.&quot;

Andy and the elf-maid sat down together on the cold, hard ground. Galenwen strummed her lyre and began to sing.

&quot;A! Elbereth Gilthoniel...&quot;



</p>

[The X Phial]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight
Posts: 166</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Starry, starry night

Calimir wandered through what appeared to be an endless maze. She knew that she had been pulled, somehow, into a barrow, but that knowledge was superceded by the need to find the blower of the horn. From the moment the first blast had sounded, Calimir had felt the call of the horn.

Somehow she sensed that she was close to her target. Guided by only the small light of her stone, the elf could see an answering glow ahead of her. She crept around the corner slowly and found the Beorning prone on the floor, hand clutching the horn she had been compelled by earlier.

Calimir noticed that he did not move and that his feet seemed to be wrapped in a green-glowing fabric. Before her eyes, the fabric continued to wrap itself around the large man's legs. With a ferocity that would have startled any onlooker, the smith of Lorien grabbed her dagger and tore the fabric from Valdavar. She uttered the name of the Star Kindler and the green light fled from the cavern.

Wishing that she had been apprenticed as a healer as well as as a smith, Calimir took her water from her pack and bathed the face of the Beorning in it to the slowly fading light of the Calimiri. Once again, she began an incantation to Elbereth and was startled to see the prone figure begin to stir.

Valdavar groaned, and Calimir began to hear from afar the song of Galenwen. As the Beorning lay cold before her, Calimir turned toward the song, and herself began to sing.



</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/11/01 10:13:16 am

[Zoe]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shade of Carn Dûm
Posts: 363</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Starry, starry night

As Galenwen started to sing, the air seemed to clear a little. Although his mind told him he was in terrible danger, Andy's heart was becoming braver.

&quot;Come on! We've got to keep on moving!&quot; cried Andy.

&quot;No, no, running around will bring nothing but fatigue.&quot;

&quot;Oh, why must we be so careful?! Can't we just get going? The Wight can't be that bad. And besides, your singing is so beautiful you'd probably scare it away, Ma'am; meaning no offense.&quot;

Galenwen laughed. &quot;You are brave, but the time is not yet come. Here, have a look over there. In the distance.&quot;

&quot;It's brighter over there? What is it?&quot;

&quot;Stand still. It comes.&quot;

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/10/01 8:46:14 pm

[Gilthalion]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hobbitus Emeritus
Posts: 395</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
The First Wight

Valdavar struggled to conciousness as Calimir sang over him.

His eyes opened suddenly as if startled from sleep. He looked about him as if seeing something else, other people or things in another place. It was as if he dreamed with eyes wide open.

Calimir did not discover what afflicted the Beorning, for at that moment, Armiel came singing into the barrow and joined her in her song.

Then, gradually the Beorning became aware of himself and his surroundings as the elves sang.

Suddenly, they felt an unnatural chill from the inside out, starting deep and working fear into the fiber of their beings.

Calimir looked up in horror...

Armiel's singing faltered...

Valdavar finally learned the meaning of fear...

Before their eyes, a ghastly corpse light began to glow, taking hideous form as much in the mind as in the eye. Putrescent as rot and yet dry as bone it seemed, both corrupted and desicated at once. It's voice issued from a mouth of foul decay and it's eyes burned with a freezing fire that pierced the soul with blinding cold.

His withered hand held aloft a sword both straight and long. It stepped toward the prone and petrified Beorning and the quavering elf maiden. She did not fear the spirits of dead men. She now learned that this Wight was the spirit of no man.

It was the faded remnant of an ancient Elf Lord, gone over to the service of Morgoth ages ago. A thing of lingering power, strengthened by the horrors of ages of dark contemplations and wicked desire for the end of all things in a blackness of utter evil.

The Wight began to chant, and his whispering voice came clearly to everyone in the Downs. It was uttered in words of an ancient tongue, and yet it's meaning carried clear and cold to their minds. Armiel stood her ground over the fallen Beorning and sang in reply.


The Wight:

Dark as nothing in the Night,
Black as deadly shade of fright,
Sightless force of Melkor's spell,
To blind thine eyes in lightless hell!

Armiel:

Colder still was Helcaraxe,
And deeper than the bite of axe,
Was wind that blew before the Sun,
Thy spell of blindness is undone.

The Wight:

Colder yet is void of space
Where greatest of the greatest Race
Waits in Darkness for the Day
When Light shall fail and pass away.

Armiel:

Greater still is He who made
Arda, where, although we fade,
We live here free in Truth and Light
And fear no Evil in the Night.

The Wight:

Listen to the cry of Doom
And harken to thy calling tomb.
Now nears end of thy long wait;
Come to me and meet thy Fate.

Armiel:

I'll come to thee with Elvish steel
Thy deathless heart its touch will feel.
Mortal Men die once they say,
But thou shalt die again this day!

And with that, the shambling Wight brought down his great blade with a strength beyond the strength of men. Armiel barely parried and attempted a riposte, which was whisked away with the lightning speed of an elven warrior in his prime.

He swung again, nicking her arm as she whirled lightly aside.

Calimir tried to pull and drag the petrified man to safety.

Valdavar struggled to regain his courage. It would not be meet for these maidens to meet death while he did nothing! His fear was soon swallowed by his wrath, as Armiel stayed only a breath beyond the great blade of the hideous wight. A growl rumbled deep in his throat, as the Beorning felt the familiar rage building, pouring a rush of fury in his heart and a mighty power into his limbs...

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/11/01 10:17:33 am

[Lord Aragorn]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pile o' Bones
Posts: 23</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
The Wight

Talondin heard or sensed the chanting of the wight and the singing of the elf somewhere ahead of him. He drew his sword. Step by step, his limbs slow and cold, he strove to master his fear and head for the source of the horrifying feeling of terror somewhere before him.

The stone which he held in his other hand began to glow more and more.

The light gave him some hope, and he felt as if Calimir suddenly perceived him through the stone.

He struggled on...

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/11/01 6:27:19 pm

[Armiel]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Newly Deceased
Posts: 8</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: The Wight

As the rotting figure swung the great blade, he sang a song of slaying and of death, learned long ages ago, when still living, he fought in the service of Morgoth.

Calimir perceived through the Calimiri that the others were in trouble as well. Then she cried out, seeing that Armiel was now bleeding from several wounds, and beggining to slow down.

Armiel lunged and her stroke might have hewed the blade from his dead hand, had it not moved so swiftly to parry. She perceived the spirit of the wight and found that she did not fear it. Rather, she feared the unnatural strength of its wasted limbs and the hideous speed of the massive blade. She whirled aside from another attack from the wight, a smashing stroke that would have likely been her end.

She sang a song of the great tumults of the Valar against Morgoth, and the walls of the barrow trembled and dust and debris fell from the ceiling. The attention of the wight was momentarily diverted.

But Armiel was also startled, for she suddenly heard behind her the engraged roar of some tremendous beast filling the enclosed barrow. The sound was a blast of animal fury as clear to her mind as had been the blasts of Valdavar's horn.

The others momentarily forgotten, Calimir looked upon the scene and in the sureal speed of thought and association that comes in the heat of action, found herself wondering if even Galenwen could sing a song for what she saw...







</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/11/01 7:08:54 pm

[Gilthalion]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hobbitus Emeritus
Posts: 398</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Whatever Happened to Tom Ferny?

Tom Ferny called out.

&quot;Halloooooo! Hallooooooo!&quot;

There was no answer. He struck his sixth match (from a box he had &quot;borrowed&quot; from the Prancing Pony. It illuminated a corridor of rough stone. He thought he caught a gleam in the darkness at the end of the long way.

As frightened as he was, he had to check it out. He hurried along, shielding the match until it burnt his fingers. Two matches later, he found the end of his journey.

&quot;Gold!&quot; All fear was now forgotten. Even the chant of the wight and the song of the elf was barely felt. Ferny evaluated what it meant. Calimir had called, but that had been ignored. This too, meant something to the greedy man. Perhaps some little part of him regretted his decision, but he wasted no time with it and his shrewd mind was calculating what was in it for himself.

&quot;They're all busy! And all of this is mine!&quot; Tom's only thought was of how much of the riches he could gather, carry, and take away while the others met their doom. Not the tremor that followed, nor the roar of some great beast after that, made any impression upon him.

His tenth match burned out as he looked upon the hoard of gleaming jewels, fine blades and other items that would fetch a fine price from some of his new connections. He ripped a long strip of rag from a skeletal figure on the slab before him. He borrowed a shin bone and wrapped the rag around one end. His eleventh match broke, and so did the twelveth, as he tried to light the ancient cloth. Tom finally lit it with his thirteenth and final match. Not much of a torch, but it would do.

He clad himself with belts and scabbards, and was soon weighted down with swords and axes and daggers and jewels, and whatever else of value he thought he could carry.

&quot;Pardon me, Yer Majesty,&quot; he said, and made another torch from another shin bone and more scraps of what once was a very fine dress.

Just in time, he lit it from the waning fires of his first grisly torch. As he congratulated himself on his ingenuity, a cold wind blew out his torch. His chest was tight with a stabbing pain and sudden dread.

He turned into the freezing wind, and felt its bitter bite clear down to his own bones. He looked up and then froze in horror seeing a form moving slowly toward him that was so dark that it was blacker and deeper than the darkness of the grave he was robbing. Its eyes were fixed upon him with a freezing promise of lifeless damnation.

He screamed in wild and utter terror, completely unmanned and out of his wits as the black spirit of the wight came for him from the Darkness beyond...

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/11/01 7:32:37 pm

[Gilthalion]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hobbitus Emeritus
Posts: 400</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
INTERMISSION

Calimir/X-Phial may write an entry in the chamber with the First Wight. This might tie in scenes with the Calimiri, or set up the wight v bearserker battle, or both.

Beregond may write a completely different entry, off on his own.

<center> OTHERWISE, TIME TO STOP UNTIL SHARKU &amp; THE FIRST WIGHT CAN FIGHT IT OUT</center>

This duel shall be conducted in the BREE DISCUSSION thread in the RULES &amp; ROLEPLAYING forum. We will require Barrow-Wight to officiate. The duel will be played out there, and in a chat. The results will be posted here.

LET'S GET IT ON!

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000006>Gilthali on</A> at: 5/11/01 7:51:29 pm

[The X Phial]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight
Posts: 169</TD><TD><img src=http://www.jamestbaker.com/cec/X-Files-01.gif WIDTH=60 HEIGHT=60></TD></TR></TABLE>
Threads combine

From her vantage point on the floor, Calimir saw Talodin approaching from behind the wight. She could sense his fear through the stone he carried, but also his steely resolve.

&quot;Throw me a sword,&quot; she called to the warrior.

He pulled a sword from the wall of the barrow, sending more shivers of fine dust onto the company, and sent it spinning across the floor. Calimir dove for it and rose to her feet with sword in one hand and dagger in the other, positioning herself between the injured Armiel and the wight, whose focus was entirely held by the enraged Beorning hurtling toward him!

The two finally met, and Calimir had time only to notice that Galenwen and Andy had arrived before the room decended into shrieks.

</p>

[Beregond]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight
Posts: 136</TD><TD><img src=http://members.attcanada.ca/~kind1/beregond.jpg WIDTH=60 HEIGHT=60></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Threads combine

Beregond was now walking down a passage in the barrow. He had found some matches in his pack, and with the light of them, he could see a little around him.

He was really hungary, and he didn't have any food left in his pack.

He was in a tunnel of some sort, and it was dark, though a strange greenish light seemed to be all around him. He had been searching for awhile now, without making any progress. In one hand he clasped the strange stone he had found in his pack, in the other hand he held aloft the match.

Suddenly he tripped over something, and fell flat on the ground. His head hit the cold earth, hard. His match went out. He lay there, unconscious.

Still in his hand, the stone began to shine brightly.

</p>

[Sharkû]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hungry Ghoul
Posts: 899</TD><TD><img src=http://www.tolkiens-legacy.de/draugen.jpg WIDTH=60 HEIGHT=60></TD></TR></TABLE>
Bjoernhethnar

All conscious thinking left him as the familiar rage of his house fell on Valdavar. His senses sharpened to unnatural efficiency, and every muscle within his body grew to superhuman power.

As he sprang up to lash out with one of his hands against the enemy, Valdavar could still perceive, even through the red curtain of his battle frenzy, a thing bringing a thought to his mind that was so surprising to him that to a watcher it would have seemed as if the Beorning's lightning-fast movement halted for the glimpse of a moment.

In the hand which he raised against the evil creature in front of him Valdavar held no weapon, and still he knew subconsciously that he could slash his enemies with his hand, for it was not his hand, but the paw of a beast, and his arm was clad with fur, and such was his body. His ancestors had lent him their powers in this hour of need!

What human sense had still remained in him at that time, it had to wait until later to ponder over this curiosity...


</p>

[Armiel]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Newly Deceased
Posts: 10</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re:Bjoernhethnar

Armiel was now collapsed on the ground. She stared in amazement at the changed Beorning, she blinked a few times and to her surprise the image didn't disappear. She attempted to get up and make her way to the others on the other side of the fight but she could not move.
She vaguely heard Calamir say to Talondin &quot;Do something, she'll die over there!&quot; then she lost consciousness, the last thing she saw was the giant bear knocking the Wight to the other side of the Barrow.



</p>

[Lord Aragorn]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Animated Skeleton
Posts: 28</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Armiel

After Talondin heard the yell to help Armiel, he took one last look at the Wight and ran to her side. Once there he picked her up and took her a good way from the battle, while stile being in sight of it.

Talondin reached into his cloak and pulled out a small vile, and poured some water in it and shook it around to mix it into a liquid.

He then bent over Armiel's face, and said quietly to her,&quot; I know that this stuff doesn't taste good, but it will heal you, and that's better than dying.&quot; After that he poured the liquid in her mouth and watched her struggle down each horrid tasting drop.

Once she had drank all of it, he sat her up so she was leaning against him, and let her drink a little water.

&quot;You're going to be fine,&quot; he said to her, with a bit of a smile.fter Talondin heard the yell to help Armiel, he took one last look at the Wight and ran to her side. Once there he picked her up and took her a good way from the battle, while stile being in sight of it.

Talondin reached into his cloak and pulled out a small vile, and poured some water in it and shook it around to mix it into a liquid.

He then bent over Armiel's face, and said quietly to her,&quot; I know that this stuff doesn't taste good, but it will heal you, and that's better than dying.&quot; After that he poured the liquid in her mouth and watched her struggle down each horrid tasting drop.

Once she had drank all of it, he sat her up so she was leaning against him, and let her drink a little water.

&quot;You're going to be fine,&quot; he said to her, with a bit of a smile.

</p>