A9S1a-Following Belemir

[We skipped section 8 due to the fellowship’s actions. Such actions that changed the campaign trail.]

Aug 2^nd Alatopel: Their uneventful return to Alatopel atop the great eagles was bolstered by sunshine and a mild breeze. Even the woods seem brighter, drier and friendly all the way back to Alatopel where the villagers erupted with shouts of joy at the sight of the eagles. As the fellowship passed through the gates, Deoch and others of the court gathered with the common folk to welcome them back. With saddened hearts, they soon learned Lord Arnulf passed away during the siege and that his eldest son Malbeth now ruled.

Thus, after formal greetings and blessings upon the new lord, Khalin laid claim to the tower of Amon Galenloth “In the name of those dwarves forced to labor its construction! We will be your allies to the north.” With Lord Malbeth’s blessings, Khalin sent forth a thrush (bird) messenger to the Lonely Mountains to recruit dwarves. Alatopel’s dwarven blacksmith Borin Garberend was the first to volunteer. The rescued dwarven merchants (father Vig, his twin sons Narvig & Narvi, and Vig’s brother Vogar) also stepped forward.

When Kyan revealed their plan to stop in Rivendell to show the amulet (taken from the Bree merchant Falcor) to the elves, Khalin asked a favor. As for Khalin’s brother Glom: as much as the dwarf cursed the idea, Khalin admitted his brother needed the healing power (physical and mental) of the elves in Rivendell.

During the night, Theo had a troubling dream:

Part 1: You stand within the circular crypt that reeks of mold and mildew. Your head aches from the cries of fear and injury from somewhere within the crypt causing you to cup your ears to block the frightful noise. You wake up.

Aug 3^rd, morning: The townfolk turned out for the fellowship’s departure. Deoch gave them blessings. The gate guard Iwar stepped forward to shake their hands as he held the reins to the horse his son sat on, “You have many miles ahead of you and obstacles to overcome. He may be young, only 13, but I think now is the time for my son Loegir to take up his first journey into manhood. He proved himself strong in the defense of Alatopel and his visions proved true as to the direction of the enemy’s assault. May his visions aid you.” With Kyan’s approval, Iwar adjusted his son’s heirloom armor before watching the group ride off. As they rode, Loegir asked Thran, “I saw it in a vision…why do you elves wear hoods? Are you ashamed of your long ears?”

Two days out, along the Great East Road, at the Ford of Bruinen, they were ambushed by 2 squads (18) of rangers on horseback, with hoods pulled over their heads. Tense minutes until the rangers lowered their hoods to reveal elven ears, “Rivendell? An Orc army surrounds the city and even found access into the city. Are you part of the rescue group Belemir was sent to find?” Thran was looked upon with displeasure when he failed to address the city by its elven name, Imladris. Kyan made matters worse when he called Belemir a traitor. Theo became the spokesperson. [Persuade: bonuses from use of their pipes and a Scholar’s Gift die while also showing their Gondorian medallions, but stiff penalty for implying Belemir was a traitor] Kyan cursed in dwarven when bags were placed over their heads as they were led for 2 hours along winding paths before they came upon the bridge spanning the gorge before Imladris.

Imladris: With bags removed, they crossed the bridge but also noticed elven archers hidden amongst the trees as if expecting more Orc incursions. It was near dusk when they finally gained audience with the sons of Elrond (Elladan and Elrohir), who now ruled the city of dwindling elves. After traditions and pleasantries, the brothers explained how Orcs penetrated their defenses via a secret tunnel known only to a few ranking elves. “We managed to defeat the intruders only after seeing many of our own fall in battle. Imladris is now cutoff, ringed by a great Orc army. We elves are few; and even those remaining wish to answer the westward call to Valinor (our ancestral home across the seas). We fear our great library may fall into evil hands.  We have sent rangers west seeking the king and his soldiers. We even asked Belemir to head south to Minas Tirith to seek help.”

With great diplomacy, the fellowship revealed how Belemir was a traitor. They showed Calanlas’ Diary: his last days and hours hidden in the secret vault of Fornost where he watched Belemir overpowered and bewitched with an amulet. Kyan displayed the iron coffer that held the amulet they removed from the Bree merchant Falcor. Elladan remembered seeing such amulet about Belemir’s neck. The elven scholar Erestor came forward to take the amulet for further study. When Theo mentioned them fighting the Dark Queen who rode a Fell-Beast, the rangers spoke up, “My Lords, we saw such beast 10-days ago flying westward. But there were two riders.”

It was a long day and thus they retired for the night, finally in comfortable beds. During the night, Theo had another troubling dream:

Part 2: Beyond the pedestal holding a circular sphere, a skeleton dressed in once fine robes (now tattered from age) and lordly armor (now rusted) sits upon a stone throne. You watch as a hobbit climbs the throne, stepping on the skeletal bones as he reaches for a large tapestry hung on the wall behind the throne. He looks over his shoulder at you to command, “Don’t just stand there, help me retrieve what is rightfully mine.” Frightening how his male voice suddenly changed to that of a beguiling woman. You wake up.

Morning of Aug 6^th: When Theo revealed his dream, Kyan began to think maybe Loegir was a hex. Thran thought worse: a bewitched traitor?! Loegir protested when they accosted him in search of another amulet; which he did not possess. Associating Theo’s dream with Harslan’s tomb, Kyan began to suspect somehow the Dark Queen was in Theo’s head. MOST concerning since only Kyan and Theo saw the true image woven within the tapestry that revealed the Hobbits hiding their shard within the Old Forest!

Erestor’s Library: And that’s when Erestor appeared to tell them what he learned about the amulet. And casually mentioned how Belemir was given access to his library archives! “He wanted to research such subjects as the Blue-Robes, the Brown-Robe, and the Dark Crystal.” They rushed to the library with caution, “Don’t forget the bookworm trap he left for us in Grey Haven!” It wasn’t long before they found an open book that detailed the true anagram of the shard dispersion:

While in Grey Haven, Belemir found misleading records that he misinterpreted:

S - ? Shire (hobbits); need to employ a hobbit for that one.

A - Anfalas (man); hah! The shard the fools found near Minas Tirith.

U - UnderHill (dwarf); the shard the orcs found ’under’ the Misty Mountains in Moria.

R - ? Rohan or Ruatani? (man); They are a weak people already, easy to control.

O - Onodrim (ent); "Seek not the place but the herders." (Elven name for the Ents). Fangorn Forest.

N - ? Nenuial… Lake Evendim? Or Norbury in Fornost? (?); Wasn’t I already there?

 Erestor’s records told the truth:

M - Mithlond (elf); The Grey Havens under the protection of Cirdan, until Belemir stole it!

E - Eastfarthing (hobbit); the easternmost of the four Farthings of the Shire. The Old Forest?

L - Lossarnach (man); A flowery vale near Minas Tirith. Found by the adventurers.

K - Khazad-dum (dwarf); The Mansions of Durin and his Kin. Found by the orc, stolen by Belemir.

O - Onodrim (ent); "Seek not the place but the herders." (Elven name for the Ents). Fangorn Forest?

R - Ruatani (man); "Seek not the place but the people." (ancient name for Druedain). The Woses?

But also in their digging, they found a disturbed map that revealed the secret passage used by the Orc. They could only conclude Belemir relayed the information to the Orcs via Crebain. The brothers (Elladan and Elrohir) fully grasped Belemir’s treachery, “There is no help coming from Gondor!” But Theo had his own matters to deal with as he suffered a frightful daydream:

Part 3: You gaze upon the tapestry that details the history of Hobbits arriving in the Shire. But metallic threads within the woven artwork glow to reveal a band of hobbits carrying an iron coffer that they soon bury under an ancient tree within the Old Forest. And that’s when the lordly skeleton arises from his throne, with haunting eyes that fix upon you and erupts with an evil female laughter (you recognize from Amon Garzak), “So nice of you to show me another shard’s resting place.” You wake up.

The fellowship was befuddled with indecision: continue eastward in pursuit of the throne somewhere in Rhun? Call the eagles to fly them back to Bree and the Old Forest? Kyan worried, “It’s another 2-week ride back to Bree. She already has a 10-day head-start and probably already has the shard in her possession. We are too late. We should try to warn the Woses!” Loegir didn’t help with his cryptic vision, “Why do I see children running and shooting arrows into the sky at a dark cloud that passes overhead? Why does the dark cloud envelope that common building dug into the hillside?”

They finally made plans: [Pony Express] the elves would send carrier-pigeon messages to other elven groups spread out westward along the Great East Road to pre-position horses to refresh the fellowship’s ride. Extra horses to start with; Thran with extra potions of Reedmace (to stay awake 3-days at a stretch before exhaustion), Latha and Kingsfoil (to remove exhaustion). With luck, they could cut the travel time in half (7 days).

That night, Theo suffered another frightful nightdream:

Part 4: You stare in disbelief as the tree is toppled into a river so the shard can be extracted from under its roots. But a cry from the raging river alerts you to the peril of a mother being swept downstream towards the tree and waterfall beyond. Kyan crawls along the toppled tree to gain a perch to snare the mother and child and their would-be hobbit rescuer who keeps them afloat in the raging rapids. At the last moment, as Kyan reaches for the drowning party, the mother yanks the dwarf off the tree as she climbs out of the water to watch the dwarf, hobbit, and child helplessly swept over the falls to sure death below. As the company of strangers (troll-like in size and appearance with fat noses and faces) on the far shore look with horror upon their faces, the mother turns to you with a smile, “So these are the Woses, next on my shopping list.” You wake up.

Theo was exhausted from his dreams that his honey-break would not clear. Even Latha and Kingsfoil would not remove his exhaustion. It took Thran’s healing hands to remove this exhaustion. But during that time of healing, the scholar Erestor realized the source of his dreams, “You said the Dark Queen dominated you during your battle at Amon Garzak. She would have had time to probe your mind and learn tidbits of your memories. Only now is your mind starting to recover from the amnesia of that traumatic invasion. You are remembering what she learned.” NOW Kyan fearfully realized the Dark Queen read Theo's mind to see the true tapestry design!

Morning of Aug 7^th: before their departure, the twin rulers presented gifts:

·         Elven cloak and clasp (for each): add +3 to stealth.

 

·         Sindarin bedroll (Theo in case he suffers more dreams): A grey, quilted, goose-down bedroll. Anyone sleeping in this bedroll will remain warm, up to a +/- 30° ambient temperature difference, and dry, regardless of rain, snow, or other conditions. A night in this sleeping bag removes all conditions and doubles the rate of healing.

·         Culok [Bow of Bending] (Thran): A stout Sindarin shortbow, wrought of various laminated woods (the finest yew and ash) and is inlaid with mithril. It is +4 in both attack and damage.

o   Quiver of 2 dozen Bane arrows (versus evil: +4 damage). Thran and Loegir divide the arrows.

·         Spider Bane (Kyan): This broadsword, forged by the dwarf Malith of the Grey Mountains. Taking many months and much concentration, he finally imbued the Bane spell (taught to him by the elves) into this blade he dubbed “Spider Bane.”

o   Dwarf-forged: +1 (attack & damage).

o   Bane: +1 (attack) and +5 (damage) versus Spiders of Mirkwood.

With 4 extra horses, the elven rangers guided them out of the Imladris valley and to the Great East Road where they began their gallop westward to Bree atop fine elven horses bred for endurance:

Day 1: Kyan’s and Loegir’s horses tired early and were released as they mounted 2 of the spare horses.

Day 2: [failed Animal Handle] Theo did not recognize the signs early enough: [fumble] Kyan’s and Loegir’s horses died suddenly from exhaustion, throwing their riders who suffered injuries. And took Shadow points for letting their horses die. They mounted the last 2 extra horses and continued galloping westward.

Day 3: [Animal Handle] Thran recognized the signs early and called a halt to rest the horses. He used his Hands of Healer to refresh the horses, but they lost a day of travel in the process. Thran passed out the potions to stave off their own exhaustion, especially that incurred by the end-effects of the Reedmace.

Day 4: They reached the first waystation of elven horses at the Last Bridge and swapped out their mounts while gaining 5 extra horses.

Day 5: They had to swap out 3 of their mounts that tired. 2 extra horses remained.

Day 6: Thran’s and Loegir’s horses tired and had to be replaced. [fumble] Kyan’s horse tripped in a rut and died of a broken leg. Kyan suffered injuries in the fall and also took a Shadow point for letting his horse die. With no extra horses, Kyan rode double with Loegir.

Day 7: They reached the Lonesome Inn where more horses awaited. But no extra horses. A brief stop to consume the last of their potions gave them time to learn of the trapper Lar’s sighting, “I was outside taking a piss almost 2 weeks ago when a dark shadow flew overhead. It was a dragon!”

Day8 (Aug 15^th): They arrive in Bree!

Noon, Aug 15^th in Bree: It had been just over a month (July 11^th) when they left Bree. Kyan couldn’t wait to belly up to the bar in the Prancing Pony Inn and wet his beard with ale! Loegir protested when Aine brought him milk, “Whose kid?” It was a reunion as the fellowship sighted:

• The Prancing Pony Inn proprietor, Rymen & son Oatden Butterburr, and the cook Aine Sandheaver,
• The Hobbits (Weldon & grandson Dusty Underhill),
• The reformed bandit Urian bused the tables,
• Even the bandit leader Brandel was helping at the inn, serving food,
• The merchant Falcor was there picking up (and paying for) food to deliver to the homeless.
• A young lass, Belinda, served and was also the housemaid,
• Margo was there; short stop before she led her Green Company of Hobbit archers onward to the Shire to report to Thain (Faramir Took I.

They sought privacy to relay their findings to Margo as they listened to her tale of exploration of Fornost and that area. How her company vanquished the last Wights of Fornost and rid the land of remaining Orcs. How they saw more wagon trails and even Orcs tracks heading northeast into the lands of Angmar. “We met up with rangers who picked up the trail and will report back. As for my company, we received news from Hobbiton via carrier-pigeon that they were attacked by a dragon weeks ago. Sounds more like the Dark Queen and her Fell-Beast. Weldon can tell you more. Good to see you, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to march my company onward to the Shire to get instructions from Thain Faramir.”

NEXT SESSION: A9S2-Bree Reunion