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Child of the 7th Age · 07-09-2003, 11:48 PM

Elentari stood on the ledge staring up towards the upmost peak of the great mountain where only yesterday there had been a huge wreath of smoke issuing forth from the cave. This morning the sky was clear and bright, and by all indications the fire had been extinguished. Lying down on her stomach and inching forward, the Elf peered over the cliff overhang and saw where the sun had extended its golden rays over the flat plains far below.

Elentari wasn't yet certain at what point in the day she should order the company to make its way up the sloping hill and scale the massive grey rock that would lead them into the cavern. Everyone had made the necessary preparations the night before. They had cleaned and honed their weapons and rubbed the rat fur over their clothes and bodies. Perin had given them detailed instructions on the layout of the cave, the usual whereabouts of the captives, and even how the Dragon most often spent his day.

The members of the company were definitely prepared and ready to go at any minute. Still, it was probably best to wait till evening when the shadows and darkness would do much to conceal the presence of intruders. Elentari leaned back against the ledge weighing the arguments in her mind. Emotionally, she would prefer to make an immediate assault on the cave and rescue the captives as soon as possible, before any more of them could be killed. But, rationally, she had to admit that it made a lot of sense to wait for the cover of darkness.

She was just about to turn away and go about her business of feeding her horse when she felt an insistent tug on her sleeve. Elentari looked down at Perin; the Dwarf had come up beside her and raised his arm into the air pointing an index finger at the skies. "Look! Look there!" he broke out excitedly.

The Elf craned her head back and let her eyes follow in the direction that Vrain was pointing. There, perched atop the roof of the cave, the giant wrym stood poised for take-off. With a single bound, Glawr pounced into the air spreading his wings and ascending upward. He circled the mountain twice, then dipped down towards the lower slopes and disappeared in a verdant grove of great oak trees.

Perin's words tumbled out quickly, "What luck! The creature has gone out to seek wood for the fire. Probably the hardwood that Vrain told him was necessary to craft a suit of gold to wear over his chain-mail armor. We must go immediately."

The Elf's eyes opened wide as she considered the advantage of slipping into the cave while the dragon was tending to some business elsewhere. Lenwe and a few of the band could safely lead the captives down to the camp. Meanwhile, she and the rest of the companions could search for a convenient hiding place in the lair so they would be ready and waiting whenever the wyrm returned. What a stroke of luck!

She looked confidently at Perin and asked "How soon will the beast return?"

Perin weighed his words carefully before he responded, "No one can say for certain. But generally when he leaves the lair to collect firewood, he does not return for several hours."

Several hours! Even better. The Elf smiled to hear Perin's words. Then she quickly called the group together and explained what had happened. "Now! Now is our chance to rescue the captives, deal a death blow to this beast, and destroy the armor. The dragon has gone forth from his lair and will probably not return for some time. We must go forward with all speed to lead the captives to safety and find hiding places from which we may attack the wyrm whenever he returns."

There were quiet whispers of approval all around the circle to hear that they would be leaving now. Standing in front of the band, Gràin lifted up his battle axe and cried, "May Aule aid us in our task and lead us on to victory." The Elves and Men nodded their assent and cried out to Elbereth to pour her grace upon their cause. With that, the companions walked silently forward along the sloping path in single file, wending their way to the topmost ledge where they would scale the great grey rock.

[ July 11, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

07-09-2003, 11:48 PM	#145
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Elentari stood on the ledge staring up towards the upmost peak of the great mountain where only yesterday there had been a huge wreath of smoke issuing forth from the cave. This morning the sky was clear and bright, and by all indications the fire had been extinguished. Lying down on her stomach and inching forward, the Elf peered over the cliff overhang and saw where the sun had extended its golden rays over the flat plains far below. Elentari wasn't yet certain at what point in the day she should order the company to make its way up the sloping hill and scale the massive grey rock that would lead them into the cavern. Everyone had made the necessary preparations the night before. They had cleaned and honed their weapons and rubbed the rat fur over their clothes and bodies. Perin had given them detailed instructions on the layout of the cave, the usual whereabouts of the captives, and even how the Dragon most often spent his day. The members of the company were definitely prepared and ready to go at any minute. Still, it was probably best to wait till evening when the shadows and darkness would do much to conceal the presence of intruders. Elentari leaned back against the ledge weighing the arguments in her mind. Emotionally, she would prefer to make an immediate assault on the cave and rescue the captives as soon as possible, before any more of them could be killed. But, rationally, she had to admit that it made a lot of sense to wait for the cover of darkness. She was just about to turn away and go about her business of feeding her horse when she felt an insistent tug on her sleeve. Elentari looked down at Perin; the Dwarf had come up beside her and raised his arm into the air pointing an index finger at the skies. "Look! Look there!" he broke out excitedly. The Elf craned her head back and let her eyes follow in the direction that Vrain was pointing. There, perched atop the roof of the cave, the giant wrym stood poised for take-off. With a single bound, Glawr pounced into the air spreading his wings and ascending upward. He circled the mountain twice, then dipped down towards the lower slopes and disappeared in a verdant grove of great oak trees. Perin's words tumbled out quickly, "What luck! The creature has gone out to seek wood for the fire. Probably the hardwood that Vrain told him was necessary to craft a suit of gold to wear over his chain-mail armor. We must go immediately." The Elf's eyes opened wide as she considered the advantage of slipping into the cave while the dragon was tending to some business elsewhere. Lenwe and a few of the band could safely lead the captives down to the camp. Meanwhile, she and the rest of the companions could search for a convenient hiding place in the lair so they would be ready and waiting whenever the wyrm returned. What a stroke of luck! She looked confidently at Perin and asked "How soon will the beast return?" Perin weighed his words carefully before he responded, "No one can say for certain. But generally when he leaves the lair to collect firewood, he does not return for several hours." Several hours! Even better. The Elf smiled to hear Perin's words. Then she quickly called the group together and explained what had happened. "Now! Now is our chance to rescue the captives, deal a death blow to this beast, and destroy the armor. The dragon has gone forth from his lair and will probably not return for some time. We must go forward with all speed to lead the captives to safety and find hiding places from which we may attack the wyrm whenever he returns." There were quiet whispers of approval all around the circle to hear that they would be leaving now. Standing in front of the band, Gràin lifted up his battle axe and cried, "May Aule aid us in our task and lead us on to victory." The Elves and Men nodded their assent and cried out to Elbereth to pour her grace upon their cause. With that, the companions walked silently forward along the sloping path in single file, wending their way to the topmost ledge where they would scale the great grey rock. [ July 11, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ] __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.