The Hills of Evendim RPG

[littlemanpoet]

Falowik

Thoronmir gave quick commands. "I'll go first. Falowik, you come right behind me, since you are the one who can spot Eodwine. Awyrgan, follow Falowik, and watch his back. After Awyrgan, Lumiel and Lira, with Furman between them, followed by Finëwen, and last of all, Eswen to protect our rear. Eswen, I've seen you with a blade, and know you to be at least as able a swordswoman as any here. Honor us with your skill, and any other strategies you deem wise." He gazed at her meaningfully.

She nodded once. Falowik could not tell if she had understood any special meaning from Thoronmir's words. He could not imagine what the Ranger had been talking about. As they took their turns shinnying up the pipe, Falowik wondered what they would find.

It was hard going, and it stank. Falowik tried hard not to retch. He was glad that it had been raining so hard, for if it had not, the stench would have been worse, and they might have been stymied by their noses alone.

Falco

Falco lay hunkered down in the mess in the pipe, letting his eyes adjust to the light. It had been pitch black in the pipe, and the half light had seemed almost like noontime to him.

He was in a dungeon, it seemed. He smiled. Had not the famous Gandalf been known to have said of one Dark Lord, "wise fool"? Well, here was another. There were two guards. One stood at a door at the other end of the walk way, and another was seated at an official looking table. There were groans and mutterings off to left and right, but Falco could not see any of the prisoners to even guess which one, if any, was the famous Eodwine.

He could hear the others crawling up behind him. They were being awfully noisy. Humans! Such a noisy lot! Big trouble, indeed, even when they were well spoken enough, which Falco had to admit to himself, Thoronmir was turning out to be. He was a good fellow, for all his lumbering big folk ways.

As silently as he could, Falco placed one hand before the other, hauled himself up, placed one foot on the floor of the ditch, then the other, and stayed hunkered down in the mess. He scrunched up his nose. He was going to be glad when this portion of their adventure was behind them. At least the stench penetrated the whole prison, or he'd be found out already! He wondered how the guards could stand it! They probably wouldn't have to for long, not if their little group had its way.

Thoronmir was just about at the end of the pipe.

[Imladris]

Lira crawled on hands and knees through the pipe, eyes fixed on Lumiel’s head. The elf was full of a quiet, joyous confidence that never seemed to diminish. Lira smiled. The elf had a good heart -- hopefully she would not fall in this mad rescue attempt.

The tunnel reeked of filth and the putrid, rotting remains of leaves and other plants. Pale, limpid roots clung to the top of the iron pipe; spiders scurried amid the fungus that clung to the tunnel’s sides. They crawled on slimy muck that layered the pipe, like soured icing upon stale, hardened bread. She could feel the squishy mud ooze between her fingers; heard it cling to her knees with a gasping sound, that would release with a squeak-like sigh as she crawled forward. Cobwebs, the burial ground of unnumbered insects, stretched across the pipe like dead, wispy curtains.

She could vaguely hear the clank of prisoner’s shackles, the harsh chortling of their guards as they mocked and insulted them. She shuddered, wondering if the place within was as filthy as the pipe.

The opening of the tunnel came in sight. Guards paced back and forth, shadows flickered on the walls from a sickly fire.

[Alatariel Telemnar]

Finëwen followed Lira and Furman into the tunnel. It reeked but Finëwen continued on, though she didn't see how she could. The tunnel itself is not what bothered her. She wanted to complete what she had started, but she did not feel no different. She had gained nothing from the trip, not even the experience of it all.

Drawing nearer to the end of the tunnel, Finëwen saw nothing for herself. After this she had nothing to go back to except an empty house, for her elven parents had passed over the sea years ago. She enjoyed living with the elves for the time that she did, but does not feel it her place, though she was raised as one of them. She just hoped that if she were to die, she'd be dying nobly...

The lights grew lighter, causing Finëwen to squint her eyes. The filth in the tunnel was not so bad anymore. The light was too bright to see what was at the end of the tunnel yet for Finëwen.