An Audience With The King RPG

[VanimaEdhel]

*****Rhûn Nation*****

As they started out, Lovek spotted Ratislav ahead of them. As they drew to the horse, he remained standing, waiting for them.

"Stop!" Lovek commanded Ulwyte, as he had been forced to share the horse for a time again.

Ulwyte stopped and Lovek hopped off, quickly mounting Ratislav and galloping after the company, which had not stopped.

They travelled for a few hours in silence, not finding any more trouble during the day. They travelled at a fast speed, and Lovek did not much look at the scenery. He was occupied thinking about he and Ulwyte's little disagreement. That boy was going to be trouble for Lovek. The scenery further passed by, and Lovek sighed, not seeing it, for it was all the same to him now.

Suddenly, the troop stopped. Ratislav stopped quickly, almost bumping into the horse in front of him.

"Why have we stopped?" Lovek called ahead, sounding a little more gruff than he should have sounded...

[ October 14, 2002: Message edited by: VanimaEdhel ]

[Cuthalion]

^^^^^^Erebor/Lonely Mountain^^^^^^

Durgan found himself fascinated by the trees surrounding them as he assisted with the re-packing and shifting of Frain's goods. He had never been among such wonders and he was irritated by the attitude of some of his fellows.

He did have concerns however. These leafy giants could conceal much and there were times he had broken out in a cold sweat at every strange sound. He had sensed Stonehelm's loneliness as they had sat at their ease singing songs of old and it saddened him, not ever having seen this side of him before.

Cursing under his breath as his thumb was smashed when a chest shifted off-balance, he grimly hoisted it to the other end of the cart and stalked away in silence, the darkness swallowing him. Some of the Elves raised an eyebrow but offered no comment.

[ October 15, 2002: Message edited by: Cuthalion ]

[Amanaduial the archer]

****SHIRE****

Brando flopped gratefully down with his back to a tree as Hardo and Theron called for a halt. He was bored- Mikhelm was talking too, well, was being talked to by Odo, and Orlo was talking with Serin, while the other two talked- well they walked together at any rate. Brando was on his own. He hoped the elves, whom they were meant to be travelling with much to his excitment, would be a little less stiff.

His boundless energy was not so high this morning, as they had woken up and started walking this morning far too early for his liking- and being constantly told of by an ever grumpy Hardo.

Straining his ears he used his eavesdropping talent to hear what the two Elders were saying.
"...I wonder what the elves will be like?"
"Hmmm...well, it will certainly be interesting tavelling with them." Therons voice gave away that he thought it would be more than just interesting.
"Indeed...well, less than a days walk now from here."

Brando tried to keep himself from cheering aloud. In a days time, he would be seeing elves!
With this cheering thought, he turned his mind to more important things....like whether there were mushrooms anywhere near here...

[Ransom]

==Rivendell==

"Elrohir? What are you two doing up at this hour? You can't sleep either?"

Elrohir placed his hand upon the hilt of his saber and twisted his neck far enough backwards to see the speaker. Only Fanelen. He silently cursed himself. After all, this was Rivendell, not the streets of Bree or the halls of the dwarfs. “No, lady. We are simply standing here and watching the moon. Would you care to join us?”

Without waiting for an answer, Elrohir moved slightly closer to his brother to allow for Fanelen to stand beside him. Grateful for the company, he turned his attention back to the moon and the future.

[Aylwen Dreamsong]

^^^^^^Erebor/Lonely Mount^^^^^^

Trouble and misfortune indeed. Thought Frain. He didn't like how the young engineer Gain was portraying the good-hearted Dwarves.

Gain, do not speak rudely, I know and understand why you speak such words, yet it is unkind in the presence of such....kind accompaniment. Frain whispered to the auburn-haired youth.

I understand. I apologize, Sir Frain... Gain spoke now, with some resentment in his voice.

Gain was making sense though, and Frain understood his feelings. What kind of Dwarf would desire to go so close to woods?

Yet the Elves! Yes, the Elves! In Frain's mind, at least before they left their home, they were merely annoying pains. Now though, Frain was beginning to see someting he had not seen before. The Elves were joyful spirits, blessing the Earth with forgotten happiness.

But the woods still didn't sit well with Frain.

[ October 15, 2002: Message edited by: Aylwen Dreamsong ]

[GreatWarg]

*****Rhûn Nation*****

Ulwyte frowned. The silence of the ride had given him time to think. Lovek's steed had turned up, which lightened his mood a bit. That meant he wouldn't have Lovek bellowing orders into his ear about his riding skill. The horse, too, seemed much more light-hearted, and its pace was quick and smooth. Once in a while, however, when it caught a whiff of the captain's scent, it would pull its ears back tight against his head, drawing his lips back while his muscles tensed. Lovek often found it amusing to kick to steed if it lagged slightly. It wasn't exactly its fault if Lovek happened to have thick armour, thank you very much.

A sudden stop made Ulwyte nearly crash into Lovek's beloved horse. He was quite sure if he had the captain's face would go purple and he would once again be bellowing with rancid breath at him. Having a battle-scarred brute yelling in your face is not exactly pleasurable, much less so if the veins in his neck are standing out and his eyes are going red.

'WHY HAVE WE STOPPED?!' Lovek demanded. It had, no doubt, intended to be a simple inquire, but it turned out to sound like a donkey braying loudly full of indignance.

[Alkanoonion]

**** Harad/Umbar ****
Any ship will hold copious amounts of rope. It was a matter of pride for any seasoned sailer to have a good supply of it on board, rope being a primary tool on a ship. Rope is so important to sailers that if you were to strike up a conversation with one about rope, he would rant about the stuff. He would describe all the benefits attributed towards rope and would most probably demonstrate all the various holds and knots made with a rope (those who have found themselves in such a situation would know how boring the company of a sailer really is. This explains why sailers are encouraged to drink. A drunken sailer is a more interesting person then a sober one).

With such a large source of rope available on board the ship, it was not difficult to find a solution to the dilemma Fuinur found himself in. Especially now that Urken had been able to prevent the impending assault of the villages. All he needed to do to release his ship from the sand bar was to combine all the spare rope with that which was responsible for the whole situation, The Oluphaunts.

Fuinur had his men rig the Oluphaunts into sturdy harnesses so that they could be lowered over the side of the ship. With this done, they were herded to shore, the men in small open boats and the beasts swimming.

Secretly Fuinur hoped the horrible beasts would drown. They did not. They instead, seemed to enjoy the swim. Seeing this, Fuinur fled the deck towards the gully, to hunt down some mouldy bread and cheese.
“I wonder how a Oluphaunt would taste as a sausage”

Meanwhile, the Oluphaunts had the rope tide to their harnesses and were slowly dragging the ship away from the sandbank.

With the ship freed, and with all the crew safely back on board, including the Oluphaunts, the ships made good time travelling down the river. The town’s men, from the ruins of the town watched as the ships moved off down the river. A small ragged child was observed throwing a rotten tomato after the two vessels.

With all the excitement of the day over Fuinur decided to spend the rest of the day alone in the ships hold with his pet Oluphaunt.
‘ I’m sorry my Zohra for being mad at you this morning. Daddy is under a lot of stress’ He whispered to the Oluphaunt while hugging its long trunk.

The Next day the sun dawned bright and clear. Fuinur loved the mornings. They always seemed so full of promises. Fuinur was happy; the ships had made good time during the night and would shortly be reaching the river Poros. Feeling refreshed and ready for the new day Fuinur headed up to the deck for a feed, a stale biscuit washed down with some ale.
After a quiet talk with Herumir, quiet only out of pity for Herumir who was not feeling so well this morning due to a hard night drinking with the crew, Fuinur moved on to check with the lookout to see if the Corsair ship had been sighted.

A crewmember brought Fuinur the news that the Corsair ship had been sighted to the right side of the ship. Fuinur ordered that a message be sent to Urken to let him know of the ships presence. The Corsair ship would not have sighted the ships as the sun was rising behind them and for the moment masked their presence.

[piosenniel]

***** DALE - Girion *****

The last night in Eryn Lasgalen passed uneventfully. Durgan had set the watch, and the sleep of the remaining members of the company remained undisturbed by any fell creatures, real or imagined. The fresh breezes from the river brought gentle dreams, and the companions awoke refreshed.

Girion was up early, his leg now well on its way to healing from the ministrations and powerful unguents provided by Hringa. It was still a little stiff, but still more easy in his use of it than yesterday.

He brought a cup of hot, Dwarf-style coffee to Frain, to ward off the chill of early morn. Girion took up the watch from him, and sent the Dwarf back to his blankets for a brief rest. Sipping on his own mug of steaming brew, his glance took in the sparkling inch of river as it picked up the mornig sun.

Orodan had joined him, and looked toward the water, also. 'So beautiful!' he said. He cocked his ear and listened to the voices of the river as it flowed over rock and log, round tree roots and small islands of brush and debris. A smile came to his face, and he softly answered with a song of greeting.

Girion waited 'til his friend had finished, then motioned toward the still sleeping company. 'If we wake them now,' he laughed, 'we can be to the river by early evening. Orodan smiled, his eyes glinting.

They went near the cooking fire and picked up pots and metal spoons. Then starting from opposite ends of the camp, they wove among the sleeping companions with a loud drumming, their deep voices joined in a rousing drinking song of innumerable verses.

[piosenniel]

***** DALE - Jarl *****

The sun was high in the sky. Jarl had adjusted his headgear to shade his face and urged his mount on. Looking over at Gramil, he saw the man staring at a number of birds circling in the sky to the north and east of their position.

They had halted their mounts. Jarl's hand now shaded his eyes, and he could just barely make out four or five large birds flying lazily in the sky to the northeast. Riding the thermals of the Shadow Mountains, they dipped down low as if at some target, then rose once again to continue their watch.

'What is that?' he asked Gramil. Ethar answered him, instead. 'They are carrion birds. They follow something in hopes that it might soon be dead, or near enough to dead, that they might pick at it for a meal.'

Garlin had drawn up near Ethar, and now caught his friend's eye. He motioned with his head in the direction of the birds, and an impish smile creased the corners of his lips. Ethar nodded imperceptibly, and they began to draw slowly away from the older men, who had now dismounted for a break and stood speaking with each other.

It was too late to stop them, when they looked up. Their eyes stung from the clouds of dust created by the fast ambling mounts of Garlin and Ethar, and looks of irritation passed between them.

[Bêthberry]

^ ^ ^ ^ Erebor/ Lonely Mountain ^ ^ ^ ^

With a crash and a ringing clang, Girion and Orodan ran between the dwarves.

Great Mahal... shouted Stonehelm and Frain, of almost one breath. Khazak... they started to yell and then realized what war was being prepared for. With a further yell, they ran pell mell into the elf and man of Dale. A good, hearty, friendly rumble was just the way to start the trip down river.

[Aylwen Dreamsong]

^^^^^^Erebor/Lonely Mt.^^^^^^

Great Mahal..... Breathed Frain, as Orodan and Girion ran through the company, banging stick and pots to wake them up.

Frain sleepily got up, just as Stonehelm joined him. They looked at each other a moment, and a smile crept over Frain's lips. They ran and tackled the two who had so noisely woken them up.

With a leap Girion was down on the ground, with Stonehelm protecting his beard as the man tried to pull it.

[img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
Heh....go ahead and try... thought Frain as he lept into the hair and tackled Orodan. A loud noise of an elf and dwarf hitting the ground raced through the camp. Clinging and clanging rang in the air as pots and pans hit the ground.

Burin, of course, could not resist. Soon, it was a three-way brawl between Frain, Orodan, and Burin.

[ October 16, 2002: Message edited by: Aylwen Dreamsong ]

[Mithadan]

***NOTE TO ALL PLAYERS***

I will delete this post when appropriate. Please review my post in the Audience Discussion Thread as soon as possible. Please post your feedback there.

[Guildo]

<<<<Eryen Lasgalen>>>>

Orodan & Nefros


DING, DING, DING, CRANG, CONG, DING, DING!

Orodan Jumped around the dwarves Newly awaken and grumpy faced, as he glanced toward Nefros to glimpse the first smile since the little battle with the spiders.

"Time to wake up, and cheer up young elf, we hit the river and the real adventure begins"

Nefros shruged away his smile, and jumped up as if he was never asleep at all.

"I have a feeling things are well with Isilya" said Nefros bringing his smile back

"I too" Said Orodan, as he jumped off to wake the others.

"I say Girion it almost apears as these Dwarves enjoyed sleeping under the stars."

"Humph" Grunted Stonehelm helm as he shifted his belt at released a smirk at Orodan.

[ October 16, 2002: Message edited by: Guildo ]

[Ringwraith Number Two]

******The Shire******

Orlo felt his insides churning with nervousness. Soon, very soon, they would be at Rivendell. They had crossed the Ford earlier. Everyone seemed rather uptight, and weren't speaking much. In their earlier talk, Serin had been interested in meeting the Elves: by the look on Mikhelm's face, it was apparent he did not share this interest.

The pony trotted at a steady pace, and Orlo gave it an encouraging pat on the head to make it go faster. Suddenly, they halted, and Orlo craned his neck to see what had caused this.

Hardo turned around, and addressed his fellow hobbits in his usual brusque manner. "Rivendell. Down this valley here," he remarked.

Brando urged the pony on as they rounded the corner.

A fantastic sight met Orlo's eyes. Down in the valley, were some beautiful Elven architecture, dotted with greenery. The word beautiful didn't do justice to them, Orlo thought. They were subtle, delicate, fine, so..perfect. And amongst this valley of perfection, were dotted beings who glided gracefully. They could only be Elves.

The party descended into the valley by means of the winding path, and everything grew clearer. Now, Orlo could see the fine details in the carvings as they rode into the Elven paradise. All seemed quiet, but then, he heard the musical voices of what could only be the Elves. He turned to see a group of the graceful people standing to welcome them.

[ October 16, 2002: Message edited by: Ringwraith Number Two ]

[*Varda*]

****Blue Mountains/Shire****

Serin felt amazed as he gazed down into the valley of Rivendell. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined what the place really looked like. He gazed at the exquisite carvings, the trees, and the beauty everywhere. No doubt the Elves were equal to the dwarves in terms of making things, yet most dwarves refused to acknowledge this. He repeated his sentiments out loud, and was echoed by the hobbits.

Mikhelm, however, stood there expressionless. Upon hearing Serin, his face changed into an expression of disgust, and he strode further down the hill, paying no heed to his surroundings.

He paused however, when the Elves appeared, coming up to meet them. The younger hobbits jaws dropped, seeing the elves so much taller, so beautiful and yet so old.

The hobbits, Serin and Theron moved forward to meet them.

[ October 16, 2002: Message edited by: *Varda* ]

[Amanaduial the archer]

"Rivendell. Down this valley here." Hardo said, almost non commitally.
Brando squirmed on his pony, his mouth dry with anticipation. Soon he was to meet the beautiful graceful beings that Uncle Pip had been so in awe of, immortal and wise...

The others around the little hobbit gasped in wonder, as they could see over the ridge before him. Sitting high in his saddle, he soon saw also what they had seen. His eyes widened and he gasped at the beautiful, delicate architecture, fine and perfect. Further down there were elves reading, walking, or practising fencing together. A group looked up and pointed and soon some were walking towards the group. They seemed somewhat surprised- to put it mildly- to see the dwarves, but were courtious as the bowed slightly. The small group was headed a regal, older looking elf, and behind him were two younger male elves and two females.

"Greeting...friends." The older elf said, his voice almost musical, although he paused slightly, looking at the dwarves slightly doubtfully. "I am Lord Elrond. Welcome to Rivendells valley. No doubt you are tired from your journey, but we have plans to make and aynhow, we must leave tomorrow at latest; after all, it wouldnt do to keep the king waiting. These are the elves who will be travelling with you- Meneciriel, Elrohir, Elladan and Thule."

The elves nodded respectfully, although they too seemed slightly troubled by the dwarves. Therons lot too didnt seem entirely happy about the arrangement- Brando noted with slight amusement that Mikhelm was wearing his polite face, so polite it seemed to be practically cracking...like the atmosphere, which was just about reaching breaking point. Like Hardo had said, this was certainly going to be an 'interesting' trip.

As the group was escorted down to the delicately architectured main building, Branod continued to look around in amazement. One of the elves, the one introduced as Meneciriel caught his gaze. The sunlight shone behind her and droplets from the waterfall nearby occasionally flew into the air nearby as she smiled kindly at him- he stared for a moment- One of the elves had noticed him...and smiled!He caught himself, the heat flooding to his face and smiled shyly back at her. Using the formal tone his family liked him to adopy while addressing visitors, he nodded respectfully.
"Good day Meneciriel. I hope you are well, and am glad I will travelling with you." He said stiffly, concentrating very hard on an upper class accent, the words sounding as if he was reading them.

Ciri laughed, delighted at the quaint hobbit. "Thankyou, Brando. Please, call me Ciri."

Brando flushed with pleasure and smiled bashfully.

[Cuthalion]

^^^^^^Erebor/Lonely Mountain^^^^^^


Durin's beard! If this is what traveling with Elves is like... Durgan grumbled to himself as he recovered his dignity. He had leapt up from his slumber fully awake, with mace in hand. Upon finding it was only the Elves, he had thrown the weapon down in disgust. He looked at Stonehelm, who to his surprise was actually taking part in this folly. He bristled, scrubbing his face with his hands. This was going to be a long trip.

[Shadow_Staar]

//:\\Blue Mountains//:\\
Theron sat with Serin and Mikhelm outside.
"My king, why do we have to travel with this lowly kind? All they want is our good, and gold! We do not need them!" Mikhelm angerly argued.
"Calm down Mikhelm! The elves are not that bad!" Serin argued back.
Mikhelm looked down right angry when he heard those words come from Serin's mouth. "Not that bad? NOT THAT BAD? Theron did you hear that?!"
"Yes, Mikhelm I did, and he is right, the elves are not evil, and we don't need to worry about them."
"I can't believe this! The evles are BAD..." As Mikhelm continued to argue to Serin and Theron, or so he thought, the other two drawves left him alone, and walked back to meet with the hobbits.

[*Varda*]

****Blue Mountains***

Serin sighed grumpily, as he and Theron walked back over to the hobbits. Why had Theron decided to bring Mikhelm, of all dwarves, on this journey? He was hardly going to make a good impression in Minas Anor. Serin voiced his opinion to Theron.

“Serin, I know Mikhelm appears grumpy, and has no love for elves. Do you not think this journey may help him? Besides that, we must represent our kind in the Blue Mountains. There are many dwarves who feel like Mikhelm on this issue. To fairly represent us, we were obliged to bring him along.” Theron responded calmly.

Serin was forced to acknowledge that this did make sense to some extent, as they met with the hobbits. The hobbits were having their second breakfast under a delicately carved archway, and were chattering away about the wonder that was Rivendell.

The hobbits greeted the dwarves warmly. From being shy and cautious at Bree, the had come to see the dwarves as companions and friends.

After the hobbits had eaten, they were all called in to see Elladan, Elrohir, Ciri, and Thule.

“Welcome,” Ciri smiled as they entered the room. “We asked you to come here so we could further decide our route to Minas Anor. We are of two minds, to take the Gap of Rohan, or journey through Lothlorien on the way.”

Serin was delighted at the opportunity to talk further with the elves, and was soon deep in conversation with Elladan, while Elrohir and Theron discussed the best route for the journey.

[Nevtalathiel]

*****DALE - Girion*****
"Wake up!" Girion called grinning, despite the grumbles of the dwarves.

He didn't allow his sudden joy to be crushed by the gruff words of the dwarves. He felt free now from the stiffling forest, even though they had not yet emerged from under it's boughs. There was a beauty about it, it was true, but it was a stagnant, almost suffocating beauty and Girion's admiration for the forest was tainted by his fear of it. He could not help but remember the supernatural chill of the nights and a spasm shuddered through his leg.

[Child of the 7th Age]

*****Harad/Umbar*****
It was the morning of their fourth day of sailing. In two and a half days, they hoped to be in Minas Anor. But this would hold true only if all went well. The biggest obstacle in their path was the ship sailing just ahead of them on the Anduin. It lay on the starboard side.

Their own course had taken them about seventy miles north up the river. There was another 120 miles to go until they reached Pelargir. Now, they must decide where and when to challenge the vessel.

Herumir and Fuinur sat at the captain's table with Urken. It was the first time they'd come aboard without an elaborate retinue protecting them. Urken hoped it was an indication there was a little more trust between them.

But now their attention was rivetted on the issue at hand. They had a decision to make. They could incease the speed of the ship and run an encounter with the vessel just a short ways up the river. But was that the best idea? Urken had doubts.

For one thing, they'd be attacking during daylight hours. That meant no protective cover of darkness. They would lose any element of surprise which was an important advantage.

The other alternative was to let the pirate rig sail on undisturbed, and to slow down their own vessels so as to avoid raising any suspicions. Then, they'd wait till nightfall when it was easier to attack.

Urken studied the map intently. By nightfall the ship would be just south of Pelargir, the main port city of Gondor. The priest thought the pirates would probably attempt another raid tonight. They'd certainly not be fool enough to attack the central harbor. Too many armed men would be there. No, this was not a mission of glory or even military conquest, just a quick raid on a relatively defenseless spot along the river.

Urken finally concluded that the pirate's main target had to be one of the communities south of Pelargir. This certainly made military sense. The distance and the sailing speed were also right.

And then it hit Urken! What a fool he'd been. What a chance to win favor for the delegation from Harad. How good they'd look if they carefully came sailing up the river at the last instant to stop the raid of the pirates right on the doorstep of Pelagir. The city would welcome them. The news of their exploits might even reach the king. Good for trade, and more importantly for Urken, good for getting a private audience with the king.

Instead of being the enemy of Gondor, they would temporarily turn into its rescuer. The scene had definite possibilities.

Quickly he outlined the plan to the two kings. For once, they were in full agreement. They would wait till the nightime to attack. Meanwhile, Urken had something else hidden up his sleeve, and he'd work on that as well.

[ October 17, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Elenna]

Ciri took a deep breath and smiled pleasantly at the hobbits and dwarves. "Surely you are hungry and thirsty after your long journey." She gestured to the side and a young elf-maiden rushed up. "If you wish anything to refresh you, please, speak!"

The hobbits and dwarves were all a little in awe of the elves, and did not speak. "A light lunch it is!" laughed Ciri, and the younger maiden rushed off.

"Now, friends, we should probably look over our route." The elf-woman gestured to the map lying on a nearby table.

[Celebmornie]

***Rivendell***
Thule found a book titled Races of middle earth!She laughed. "This shuld be interesting!" She curles up in her chair and starts to read. By the time she is done it is almost morning. "Better at least try to sleep." She mutters to herself. She puts her book back and starts walking to her room. She stops to look at a picture and realizes that she left her dagger on the table. She went back and got it. When she got to her room she was dead tired and fell asleep instantly.

[*Varda*]

***Blue Mountains/Shire/Rivendell***

Theron and Elrohir pondered over which route to take.

“If we took the route through Lorien, Master Dwarf, we could rest awhile and refresh the travellers” Elrohir argued.

“But we might tarry too long” Theron argued. “And I cannot deny that there is one in my group that would not be best pleased at the thought of stopping in Lorien. Particularly after Gimli son of Gloin never returned to the North, but remained with the Elves and Men. I would argue that we go by the Gap of Rohan.”

“We would need to take greater supplies, in that case.” Ciri commented. “If we went by Lothlorien, we could get more supplies.”

Elladan asked the hobbits which way seemed better suited to them. The unanimous answer was to travel through Lorien, and Serin seemed to be enthusiastic about this idea. Mikhelm had left the room and gone to bed by this point, and Theron reluctantly agreed to the plan. He would have to speak to Mikhelm the next morning, and show him that it was the best plan. Mikhelm would also have to learn to accept the Elves, if they were to journey with them to Minas Anor.

"Very well," said Elrohir. "We must leave soon if we wish to make good time. We shall leave the at dawn the day after tomorrow, to allow ourselves time to prepare our supplies. Goodnight!"

The group departed to their beds, Theron with the prospect of talking to Mikhelm tomorrow. He was not best pleased with the way things had turned out that evening.

[ October 16, 2002: Message edited by: *Varda* ]

[VanimaEdhel]

*****Rhûn Nation*****

Lovek saw Kasteni turn, with a questioning look in his eye.

"I apologize," Lovek said, just loudly enough so that he knew that they would here them, "I was merely startled. Why did we stop?"

"I heard a strange noise," one of the guards replied to Lovek, quietly.

"Well," Lovek said, sounding annoyed, "Next time you decide to stop because you hear a noise, warn the rest of us."

"I-I told..." the guard began, trailing off.

"He did tell me," Kasteni said shortly, "And it would please me, Lovek, if you would be a little more accepting of the other men here. You are not the only one on this mission, and, most likely, not the only one who does not approve of the council in the West."

"Yes, Advisor," Lovek said shortly. He took a deep breath, then turned to the guard and said, forcing himself to speak in a civil voice, "What was it, praytell, that you heard?"

"I do not know," the guard said, swallowing a bit hard.

"I do not know what the Advisor thinks that we should do, but I suggest that we be cautious, just in case," Lovek said.

"I agree," Kasteni said, "We do not need casualties."

Lovek looked down, then looked on the horizon.

"Look!" Lovek exclaimed, surprised that even he was startled at what he saw.

There was a fairly large group coming towards them. Who the soldiers in the group were, Lovek could not see. All he could see was that they were coming towards the group of men quickly. Lovek turned Rastani to face the oncoming group and the other men did so as well. Lovek drew his sword and squinted, trying to see the men.

"Let us wait for them to come," Lovek suggested, "We can then see whether they mean us harm or not, for we could not outrun them. They are moving far too quickly."

The company stood, facing the soldiers as they advanced...

[Isilya]

******MIRKWOOD CONTINGENT*******

"What's this? I wonder . . . Thoron, come here."
Two men stood in a clearing, leaning over a mass of cloth.
"I wonder what it could be? Turn it over."
Thoron obeyed his master's command, and though he was surprised by what saw, he felt that, in a way, he knew what was coming.
"Sire, it's a body . . . an elf maiden's body. She seems to be alive, but unconcious. Should we bring her along, or would she be a burden?"
"Yes, I think that would be best to bring her. We can help her recover, if she is able to. There is rumor of a large gathering of Middle-Earth in Minas Anor. I'd say that she's one of the travelling parties, but which one, I cannot say."
"If she is, sire, then the rest of the party will surely be glad to see her alive."

Though Isilya's body was still, her mind was alive, thoughts ran through her mind. She was trying to piece together what had happened in the last day, had it been a day?, but the only thing she was sure of was a distant melody. It sounded so familiar, like home, yet it was so faint. The music was becoming softer and softer, and light began to creep it's way into her eyes. She looked around, she had not seen this terrain before, and she did not recognize the man in the horse in front of her, and there was something uncomfortable about whatever was surrounding her.
"Ah, you're awake at last!" A voice came from behind her. She attempted to turn her head, but the muscles were stiff, and she could only look forward.
"Sire, we should stop. The maiden has come around." The man in front turned his horse and headed towards Isilya.
"My lady, how good of you to awaken. Thoron, get out the food."
The man in front of her had now dismounted and was lending his arm to her as she descended, rather clumsily, from the horse. He led her to a small clearing in the woods, and she sat as Thoron prepared a small meal. He leaned forward to hand her the food, the music came back, and all was dark again.

[piosenniel]

***** DALE - Jarl *****

Jarl and Gramil let their tired mounts graze freely while they ate some dried fruit and shared the last skin of water. When they had done, they drove the oliphaunts toward the River Harnen and let them cool themselves off. Gramil walked upstream and refilled their skins with fresh water.

Jarl looked up, at the position of the sun. It had been about two hours since Garlin and Ethar had gone on ahead to investigate the birds. He sighed, and rubbed his tail bone. 'I'm getting too old for travel by oliphaunt.' he muttered to himself.

Gramil heard him and laughed out loud. 'Careful, Jarl! You'll be wanting to retire soon!'

Jarl gave him a considering look. 'Not a bad idea, actually, my friend. You know, we have two able bodied, and young, assistants. I have been thinking - with our pooled contacts and store of knowledge between us, we should consider forming a trading company of our own. We could have quite a formidable north/south consortium were we to do this. Our Kings would be happy - their coffers would increase greatly from income from the increased trade. And once we got the framework for it up and running smoothly, we would be free to pursue other interests at our leisure.'

Gramil looked at the Daleman appraisingly. 'That is something to consider.' he said. He grinned then and clapped Jarl on the back. 'Of course, as heads of the company there would be no call for us to be traipsing about on oliphaunts, would there?'

Jarl chuckled, brushing the dust of the trip from his shirt. 'No, my friend. We would be obliged to travel in style and comfort. Oliphaunts would be strictly for the assistants!' He looked northward. 'Speaking of them, perhaps we should mount up and see if we can find them.'

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

Five further days of travel brought them to the vale where the River Poros flowed through on its way down from the Shadow Mountains. The two younger men had continued their way north and were always about a day ahead of Gramil and Jarl. The two older men easily followed the trail of the other two oliphaunts, and at their camps which they came to, there was always a stick or rock to the north of the cooking fire site marked with the runes for 'E' and 'G', and the rune indicating 'North'.

It was at the last camp, near the Poros, where the rock message was marked with the rune for 'East', that Jarl noted Gramil had begun to look worried. 'They have turned toward Nurn.' he said. 'They should have waited for me. They do not know the customs of that new country, and the penalties for infractions can be rather harsh.'

'Harsh?' asked Jarl, now becoming increasingly concerned. Gramil pushed his beast onward. 'That was the nice word for it.' he called over his shoulder. 'In other regions they might be called "fatal".'

[ October 17, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

**** Harad/Umbar - in Nurn ***

They waited in the brush, resting until a thin sliver of moon rose in the east behind them, revealing their path. It cast the mountain pass into faint shadows, just light enough to see. Though hopefully not enough to be seen. Somewhere close there had to be a guardhouse, as this was the only way over the southwest Ephel Duath. Al-Gareth and his armsman adjusted the straps on their packs and with a glance at eachother, stepped onto the path.

As they moved along the curve of the rutted trail, the sound of water grew. It was not the Poros river but a tributary, somewhere in the ravine on their left hand, hidden by silvered leaves below. They moved in silence, Al-Gareth's liegeman several paces ahead, scouting for guards. He held up his hand suddenly and Al-Gareth froze. He slunk back to Al-Gareth. There was no need to question what he had found. Clearly there was no way around the guardhouse. They hadn't expected there would be, only hoped. After a pause for decision, Al-Gareth nodded to the ravine below, and together they clambered down slippery rock, chancing the noise of their passage would be covered by the water. It was too dark to see their footing well, but they had little choice at this time. Wet leaves whipped their faces, hearts in their throats at every rustling branch, they slid, clinging to mossy rocks. The sound of the rushing stream filled their ears, hiding all sound of pursuit, but also hopefully hiding their own. Al-Gareth bit back a curse as both his boots stepped into water. They had found the bottom of the ravine.

The light was better here, there was a slight break in the canopy, and the river made a natural trail. Branches caught on their packs, but otherwise they moved swifty, if cautiously. They had no thought but to clear this part of their escape as quickly as possible. Fortunate it was late in the year, and the river was low, leaving a rocky bank to either side. Although it kept them closer to the guards above, they dared not cross the stream but kept it to their left. They could not risk being trapped between the stream and the great Poros river that ran from the sea of Nurn to the Crossings of Poros, where it met the great Harad road and formed the border of South Ithilien.

It was the wind that first let them know they were approaching the Poros. The stream began to widen, and the tree canopy suddenly gave way. The moon hovered in the western sky, near setting. They had little travel time left, but this, the most dangerous part of their escape had gone well. They turned west to rejoin the trail.

The armsman glanced back and his sudden hiss of breath made Al-Gareth turn in alarm. Less than a quarter mile behind them, between the stream and the Poros, a yellow light flashed high up in the trees. Across from where they'd left the treeline. A signal. With any luck it nothing to do with them, but Al-Gareth didn't trust his luck. They could not see an answering signal from their vantage. With the water to carry sound they didn't risk a whisper, but dove under tree cover, hoofing it to the rocks. Al-Gareth cringed. Their tracks... they should have walked in the stream, but it was too late now. Thank the gods it's too dark for arrows, he thought. He forced himself to keep to a loping walk, blood pounding.

An hour later there was still no sign of pursuit. They'd been moving since before dawn, but pushed on till the pitch dark of moon-set, which forced them to stop. Better to hide than risk a broken ankle. They took a cue from their enemies and climbed two fir trees, throwing a lash about the bole keep from falling in their sleep. It was well they were off the ground. Not two hours into a fitful doze, Al-Gareth woke to torchlight and voices.

" 'E found a friend, then. I tell you, they be no peasants. Swords they had!"

"You're dreamin'. Let's go home. More like you saw hunters, no more, no less."

"Yeah, you fell asleep up there."

"I never sleep!"

"There's y'problem." Laughter. Al-Gareth could see at least six men, maybe more, walking below.

Another voice spoke. "Hells, even if is him, he's hightailing it out, as far as may be and good riddance. Let the brigands have him." A deeper voice answered.

"Not 'him.' Them. If there's more than one, we have an uprising on our hands. You want that again? You want to hang like fruit on a tree? We find them. Tonight."

"Yeah. If he wants to be king, we'll crown him, for sure."

[ October 17, 2002: Message edited by: Marileangorifurnimaluim ]

[Kettle of fish]

***** Dale-Rubin *****

Rubin stared at Girion doing his mad dance with the pots and pans, and shook his head in disbelief. However unorthodox his methods of establishing relations, they did seem to be working. At least one dwarf had joined in the scrabble or arms and legs.

Girion's head was just appearing from a headlock with Orodan. In perfect range of a well lobbed bread loaf.

[Bêthberry]

^ ^ ^ ^ Erebor/ Lonely Mountain^ ^ ^ ^

Stonehelm listened somberly to the elf's suggestion. He recognized Orodon's wish to continue the alliance which Thorin and Thranduil had undertaken in years past. Combining the vast resources of their two countries would be mutually beneficial. Still, he found it hard to think of coming back into the forest, at least on a regular basis.

Grooming the forest, you say. Ring our axes on the felled wood. It is not a bad proposition; I can see the benefit of clear foresting areas without wholesale slaughter of the trees. But Orodon, what would compel we dwarves to enter into the Forest again? Would you rid it of the spiders first? Can you promise us fresh air, free of the fetid taste of mulch and fern and decay?

Stonehelm saw Orodon's face fall. Well, come now, let's think on it some more. Bring Frain into our discussion. He would want some means to recover the losses of his goods we were forced to leave behind. The plan could well be of interest to him. Hringa, where is Frain? Do you think he would be willing to enter the forest again, or engage in commerce with the elves who would for us? Durgan, would you be willing to enter the forest again, regularly?

Stonehelm turned to his dwarves for their opinion. But he also looked upon the river and saw new challenges.

Where are these traders who are the friends of Dale? What manner of ship will we be needing? Durgan, seek out for us Girion's acquaintance and see what our accommodation will be like.

[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

**** Harad/Umbar - Gramil ****

Gramil scattered the stones marking Ethar and Garlin's direction east, a precaution he hadn't bothered with elsewhere. His thoughts centered on his last visit to Nurn, and at last shook the dark vision out of his head. That was during the war. There were no orcs in Nurn now, he thought. Surely conditions were better. But since his last expedition and retirement there had been no word. That alone gave him pause.

"Fatal?" Jarl asked softly, his face serious. "Perhaps you should tell me what you know."

"Let's not borrow trouble," Gramil flashed his quick smile. "It might be nothing."

For a moment Jarl thought Gramil wasn't going to answer, but as they mounted their oliphaunts and lumbered east, Gramil began a sing-song chant. Jarl realized after a moment that it was a story, the history of Nurn. It told of the fall of Sauron in the second age, and of prospectors from Rhun daring that accursed land in their search for Sauron's gold. Mines were built and abandoned. A shadow lay on the land, and gold was left open in the sluice. But the settlers in the rich vales of the Sea of Nurn persisted, locking their doors at night and warding off the curse of that land with what simple charms they knew. And they prospered, though no council or kingdom lasted for long where the Dark Lord once held sway.

[ October 19, 2002: Message edited by: Marileangorifurnimaluim ]

[Rose Cotton]

^^^^^^Lonely Moutain^^^^^^^

Hringa tapped the king on the shoulder and spoke softly to him. "Er...I know it sounds strange but I wouldn't mind coming back here Sir. I think I'd like to visit the elves. I could come on your behalf. As long as it could help you of course. The servant blushed to be making such a suggestion. Though he really did wish to return to the forest. It wasn't the trees that intrigued him but the prospect of seeing more of the elves.

[ October 17, 2002: Message edited by: Rose Cotton ]

[ October 17, 2002: Message edited by: Rose Cotton ]

[Alkanoonion]

**** Harad/Umbar ****
It was just starting to get dark; the two ships had withdrawn further back so that they would not unduly attract the attention of the Corsair ship. Now that it was dark the two kings decided that now was time to move.

The plan was for one ship to attack the Pirate Ship under the cover of dark while sending the other ship further north to cut off the pirate’s chance of escape. To give Urken’s ship time to get ahead of the Corsair ship Fuinur would hold off his attack until midnight, then when the Pirates were less active. Then was the time for Fuinur to strike.

Fuinur was about to signal Urken’s ship that all was ready when he noticed that Urken was releasing a messenger pigeon from the boat. Very suspicious thought Fuinur, He was only just starting to trust the Priest and now this.
Fuinur was not happy “What’s his idea?” Fuinur only hoped that the priest was not playing both sides.
The timing of the attack was critical. Fuinur had not the time to investigate the matter further. He vowed to himself that when he next meet with Seth, his servant would get some harsh words, followed with a sound thrashing. He was supposed to spy and report to Funiur on the priest’s activities.

With no time to spare Fuinur gave the signal for the other ship to slowly head north to cut off the Pirates chance of escape.

While Fuinur waited for midnight he decided to go down deck and give Zohra, his pet Oluphaunt some peanuts. Zohra was pleased to see Fuinur. Or so he hoped she was pleased to see him…. and not the peanuts. Zohra loved Peanuts.
It was nice having Zohra around. Fuinur only wished that they were out on the flats enjoying a nice ride on the coffee plantation instead on inside a smelly hold.

With Zohra tended to Fuinur went back on the deck to supervise the preparations for the attack. All around the ship the solders were busy sharpening swords, stringing bows and filling buckets with water. The water was a precaution against flaming missiles. The other ship might have a catapult. Seeing the activity Fuinur walked over to Herumir who was supervising the preparations.

“Fuinur, you dog were have you been? I have had to do all the work myself”
“Just checking on Zohra” replied Fuinur
“Ha ha” laughed Herumir “ I bet if that Oluphaunt was a woman you would marry her!”
“compared to some of the women you have bedded?” was Fuinur’s replied.
Herumir’s laughed along with Fuinur, although he did not quite get the joke. All his women were fine specimens, if on the ruff side. Herumir was not a picky guy.
“If you have finished discussing my marital status I have an important question.
Were is the captain?”
“He is on the look out. Do you want me to send a man after him?”
“yes I need to ask him something”
Herumir turned away. He motioned to a soldier sitting nearby to get the captain.

Running down the deck came a short and stocky man. He looked like he had eaten a whole Olupaunt for dinner. He was puffing profusely as he came up to the kings.
“ My lord Dragon. You sent for me?” he asked Fuinur .
Giving the captain a look of contempt Fuinur replied “Yes. Has this ship any catapults for repelling the pirates?”
“Yes my king. We have two below deck”.
“Good. I want them set up and loaded for the attack. Keep them hidden and do not fire them until I tell you. They are our insurance against any surprises” replied Fuinur.

Later with all the preparations complete Herumir signalled for silence and for all lamps and touched to be dowsed. Running silent and in total dark the ship slowly approached the pirate ship.

The men held their breaths in case the sounds alerted the pirates.
No activity could be seen or heard coming from the Corsair ship. It was as if the ship was deserted.

With each minute the two ships got closer until only two-ship lengths lay between them. All of a sudden all hell broke loose.

A barrage of arrows and flaming oil barrels came flying passed, just missing Fuinur’s head. It smashed into the fat captain, setting him on fire. The force of the barrel was enough to send the captain flying into the dark water to never be seen again. If the unfortunate wretch had less fat on his frame, then he would not have made such a tempting target.
Meanwhile the pirates had started to fire a barrage of arrows around the deck of the Ship, one striking Fuinur in the thigh. He ignored the pain and rallied his men to repel the pirates.

As the Corsair ship got closer, Fuinur order that the catapults lode be set alight, ready for firing. Struggling not to slip on his own blood, which was pooling all over the deck, he gave the order to fire. The ignited pitch, which covered the catapults lode, streamed through the air like a comet. It was beautiful to behold.

Its deadly passage seemed almost surreal to Fuinur, especially as its projectory sent it strait into his own mast.

“oh expletive” said Fuinur “why me”
“get that fire out or we will loss the ship” screamed a light-headed Fuinur.
The fire was quickly put out but not before the fire had spread to the other catapult and completely gutted the machine.

[Cuthalion]

Durgan looked steadily at Stonehelm and replied gruffly,As you will . While it was true that he had been fascinated by these new surroundings, he too viewed the river not with anticipation, but with dread. Logistics at this point were quickly becoming nightmarish. All his instincts told him this route was a dangerous one, yet he was bound to follow Stonehelm's orders.

He strode away in search of the person in charge of the boats.

[ October 20, 2002: Message edited by: Cuthalion ]

[Ringwraith Number Two]

******The Shire/Blue Mountains/Rivendell******

The quiet snores of Odo and Hardo filled the room. Orlo turned, unable to sleep. He was absolutely sure they had forgotten something- ah! Rope! He got up at once and trotted to the door, meaning to ask Serin if he had packed any.

He padded outside and saw the stars twinkling above him. "Now..where's Serin's room....?" he said to himself. He spotted a familiar passage and walked down it- Serin's room appeared. He knocked quietly- it seemed completely inappropriate in Rivendell to make a noise.

The door opened. Serin was fully dressed, and looked slightly worried.

"Greetings, friend." Orlo stepped inside the room, and caught Serin's expression, which he answered with a questioning look. Serin said something indistinct but seemed to involve the word 'Mikhelm'.

Orlo patted his shoulder sympathetically. " Want to go for a walk? It seems as if you weren't meaning to sleep anyway-" He looked at Serin's travelling outfit. Serin nodded and followed him outside. "Packed any rope?" Orlo asked hopefully, as they rounded the corner and saw the Hall in which the famous Bilbo and Frodo Baggins had listened to the Elven music in, years ago. Serin nodded. The Hall was lit, and Orlo could barely make out a shadowy figure, which appeared to be an Elf. Squinting, he stepped forward and the figure came clearly into recognition.

[Guildo]

<<<Eryn Lasgalen>>>>

Orodan

Orodan smiled and bowed at Hringa's coment about wanting to come back to the forest, but quickly turned back to Stonehelm to reply.

"Forgive me master Stonehelm, but ridding the forest of its evils will be a task for the both of us.
Together we will return the beuty to this vast forest, and you will establish a friendship with the Forest, that no one, not even an elf can give, but only Eryn Lasgalen itself, for the forest chooses its own friends."

"Glorious will the day be when the Dwarves, Elves, Men, and the Gifts of Yavaana will all be in marvel of each other, and protect each other as brothers and sisters."

"As i suspect you will also build mansions that will amaze even the most Biased and Naive of Elves and Men. And the Dale men will build Ships that Dwarves can humbly sleep upon, and be admired by Cirdan himself."

"perhaps it is stars in the night for now, but it is a prospect that even a sad old elf as i still dream about."

[Nevtalathiel]

*****DALE - Girion*****

Girion sighed as he spotted an indignant looking dwarf approaching him, it appeared his fun for the day was over. Carefully he placed the pan he was holding on the ground. No doubt he was about to be berated about the wake up call. Fearing he had blundered and let his father down, he bowed to the dwarf.

"King Stonehelm wishes to know how long it will take to aquire boats, and who we will be aquiring them from." The dwarf said gruffly, and Girion repeated his sigh, he suddenly wished he had studied a lot more of the history of his country and its outposts when the lessons had been on offer.

"There is a small colony of Dale men who live a little up-river from here. Originally, it was merely a small military base; an outpost to help us guard our borders and warn of possible dangers to our lands. During the War of the Ring, the stronghold was overrun by orcs, and though we believe they held out for several weeks, but as far as we can tell, all the men were lost and the camp was razed to the ground.

"As soon as the threat was defeated and the world became safe again, my father's thoughts turned once again to the outposts guarding his kingdom, the majority of which had thankfully remained untouched by the forces of Sauron. He decided to rebuild this outpost, though others were abandonned. Most have become trading posts, despite the fact that there has been little time for trade to be built up since. This one is the same; a small garrison of soldiers have be posted here to help rebuild it, and there have been certain priveledges extended to those willing to populate the next towns.

"The people should be friendly, if a little removed from the rest of my people and procuring a boat should not be too hard."

[Aylwen Dreamsong]

^^^^^^Erebor/Lonely Mt^^^^^^

Orodan's offer worried Frain. What to do? So much seemed to lie on his shoulders now. He had come to like the elves, or to a point at least enjoy their presence. He didn't like having to constantly look upwards to see their faces, for that meant another sight of the trees.

Would he be able to look up into those trees so often? They took his breath away, and not in a good sense. They were so much bigger than he, which made him nervous.

So? Will you let the trees get the better of you? Frain asked himself.

No. Frain decided that recovering his goods was more important. Much would come from such an alliance. Much, much more bussiness and consumers, and clients. Trees matter not in this decision.

Frain was thinking like a bussinessman. Though he was stuck in the body of an engineer.

I accept. I would be happy to work further and more often with the Elves. Such a friendship shall never be broken again. announced Frain to the group.

This would be good.

[Isilya]

******MIRKWOOD CONTINGENT******

Isilya drifted in and out of conciousness for the next few days. The periods whn she was active were increasing, but there was a desire to hear the melody again, and when it began, she did not fight it.

She had learned that she was now travelling with Lord Lanothir and his servant, Thoron. They had business in the East, and were now returning to Minas Anor. They had found Isilya in a clearing, and from what she had told them while she was awake, they had found that what they had earlier suspected about her was true. They agreed to lead her to Minas Anor, and possibly back to her travelling group, and though Isilya insisted on walking, Lord Lanothir remained adamant, and for the next few days, she rode with Thoron.

After a week of travelling, Thoron pointed out something intriging. They had found the remains of a recent camp. Ashes from a fire and other signs led them to believe that they were getting close to Isilya's party. Lanothir estimated that they should find the group within the next few days. Isilya's heart lifted.

[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

**** Harad/Umbar - Ethar ****

It was still morning when Garlin and Ethar jumped to the ground, disturbing crows and other carrion birds at their feast in a noisy flurry of wings. The wind was still, the sun bright, in almost disrespectful contrast to the scene before them. There were not many birds for so many dead. At least not yet.

The two young men poked through the bodies, trying to understand what had happened. The wounds were fresh, which explained why the oliphaunts, so sensitive to strong scents, had been calm as they had crested the hill and found.. this.

Garlin was the first to speak.

"The armor.. see how these are armored alike?" he gestured to men wearing badges in Rhunian letters, a black 'E.' "The rest, they're a mish-mash. I think these swords are Harad trash, worse than most - sorry. Harad's not known for swords. No, here, this one's from Gondor. Nice stuff that. Rhun bows. Their armor doesn't fit either. Brigands no doubt. But do you know whose army is this? Or was, I mean?"

Ethar shook his head. He didn't recognize the black badge, and wished they had waited for Gramil. He would know.

"Who won do you think?" Garlin wondered aloud.

But Ethar had circled the north side of the battle, thinking. Suddenly, he gestured for Garlin, who quickly trotted over. The trail was obvious, something or someone was being dragged, and blood marked the leaves. It lead north.

"Soldiers would stop to bury their dead. Brigands.." Ethar noted, answering Garlin's question belatedly.

Garlin returned to the oliphaunts and clambered up, motioning for Ethar to follow. North. Ethar trailed after him warily, not sure this was such a good idea. He remembered his last battle alongside Garlin. He had long forgiven Garlin for abandoning him, it was the heat of battle after all. But he didn't forget the young Daleman was much better with a sword than he. By a lot.

He marked their backtrail for Jarl and Gramil to follow, nervously looking behind him. But all he saw were trees, standing tall and silent about what they had witnessed.

[ October 19, 2002: Message edited by: Marileangorifurnimaluim ]