Hunt for the Palantíri RPG

[Kitanna]

Nilak had slept later than he meant too. He had to get back to Corsair ship and speak with Sernir. See what jobs he had in store for him today. The failure on the ice had left Sernir angry and irritable, but this was really no different from the Corsair in a normal mood.

Nilak trudged along, moving slowly today. He was in no real hurry, though he should have been. As he walked along he overheard two Lossoth men talking about Igal. Nilak slowed down when he heard that Igal was bringing supplies to the Elven ships. The words "he needs some help with the loading" floated into Nilak's ears. He dropped his coin pouch into the snow, pretending he had dropped it on accident. He got down on his knees and listened to the Lossoth men talking more about Igal and his shipment to the Elves.

This was it. This could be what Marreth and the Corsairs needed to get ahead. Nilak could go offer help to Igal. He could gain the advantage for the Corsairs. He smiled to himself and grabbed his coin pouch. This was perfect.

Now Nilak walked faster to the ship. When it was in sight he realized this would be dangerous. He couldn't go alone. But who could he possibly bring with him? Who did he trust? There was no one he truly trusted, but there was Tarn. Tarn had gone into the caves with him and he didn't try to stab Nilak in the back. Nilak sorted through his other choices. No one. It looked like he would have to try and enlist Tarn's help.

On the ship Nilak searched out Tarn. He was not too hard to find. "Tarn." The larger Lossoth man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I have a proposition for you."

Tarn listened to all Nilak had to say. He spoke rarely, but nodded from time to time. After Nilak explained his plan Tarn agreed. They would go to Igal as soon as possible.

[Lalwendë]

Tarn had been sitting idly on the deck of the Corsair ship when Nilak came towards him in a rush. His news had been interesting, and the plan was well thought out. Tarn didn’t have any questions to ask, and found himself easily agreeing to the man’s scheme. He had gained a sense of respect for Nilak since the episode in the caves; the man had shown courage and had proved to be a trustworthy ally. He was quite content to go along with Nilak’s idea, and standing up, whistled for Thynne, who had been watching the sailors scaling the rigging.

*

As they drew nigh to the Elven ship, Tarn could see that some of the loading had already begun. Men were bringing supplies across the water in small boats, but were clearly struggling; it appeared that Igal had failed to employ enough men to get the job done quickly. Nilak said what Tarn was thinking, that this would make their mission easier.

Pulling a woollen scarf and a hood from the inside pocket of his overcoat, Tarn covered up his head and the lower part of his face; this would help shield his identity, something which Tarn suspected might be necessary. He could do little to hide his coat, which was distinctive in an area where most wore furs, but he stooped a little to make himself a bit more unobtrusive. Large crates were sitting on the shoreline, unattended, and Tarn loaded an empty boat with the cases until it was full, when Nilak pushed the craft out into the water.

The ship was close to shore and they soon reached it. Nilak went up the ladder first, and as nobody challenged him, he motioned to Tarn and Thynne, who passed up the crates before scaling the ladder themselves. At one end of the ship, there was a large crowd gathered, what appeared to be the whole crew, along with many Lossoth faces. Tarn’s deep eyes squinted as he tried to make out who was there. It appeared to be a Lossoth woman who was in some kind of trouble, and he burned with curiosity to know what she had done, but had to turn away in case he was noticed.

Those onboard were too interested in the trial to notice the newcomers, but a stocky, beetle-browed man soon saw them and hastily came across the deck towards them.
“Igal,” said Tarn. “I see you have found yourself a deal here with the elves? Profitable no doubt?”

The man stood with his arms folded, a sour expression on his face. “And why would you want to know? Think someone’s outdoing you here do you? A shipwrecker and a profiteer?” His voice raised slightly and Tarn and Nilak moved to stand on either side of him, menacingly.

“And what might you be then, Igal?” hissed Tarn. “Goods sold at no doubt high prices, and I see your pitiful wages have failed to find you enough men for the job.”

“What about it? I know you two won’t be here for the wages. Come to steal my labourers, have you?”

“Lower myself to that?” spat Tarn, his face full of derision. Turning aside with a sneer, he took a handful of the corn in one of the sacks which had been opened, and examined it, sniffing the grains carefully as they ran through his long fingers. It had a tainted smell and he knew that Igal would have mixed bad, cheap corn with the good quality produce which the elves were paying a premium for. Igal blanched. He knew that Tarn would have no hesitation in revealing his secret, and then he would be ruined. He readied himself for what the men were going to ask of him.

Tarn was too proud to offer his labour to any of the Lossoth, especially not to Igal, who was an unscrupulous trader, but full of pride that he was held in high regard by the community as a merchant. Tarn hated the man for his false pride, not recognising the same quality in himself. His sense of self-importance was at the centre of his being. The difficult youth he had endured drove him to prove that he was better than everyone else, more powerful, wealthier, stronger; it also drove him to assume that he was all of these things, even when he was not. But he had at least managed to scare Igal.

When Nilak told the man that they wanted the job of attending to the goods in the warehouse and bringing them onboard, his relief was visible. Igal did not seek to question the men, in fact he had as yet not been able to secure anyone willing to do the job and had been worried that he would have to do it himself. His manner changed and he expressed thanks to the men. Nilak nodded to Tarn, and the deal was sealed. They knew that Igal would not say any more of the matter, he had considered himself to have got off lightly.

Thynne was positioned behind the large crowd, hidden by the mast and rigging from the eyes of the elves; he was watching the trial. Driven by their curiosity, Nilak and Tarn sauntered across, where they both listened to the proceedings with interest, thinking how much Marreth would welcome this information.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Hilde had pulled back from the circle and now stood defiantly at the far end of the room. Her hands were clenched tightly to her hips as she glared obstinately at her accusers. If she felt any fear or trepidation, it was not evident from the expression on her face.

Turning angrily from her accusers, she directly addressed Luindal, “You would believe these men? I am a poor woman. I have no reason to be involved with outlanders or their dealings. I cook and clean and labor. Intrigues over lost Stones mean nothing to me.”

“Look instead to Alahseey. She has many reindeer herds and is an Elder. She and her kin are used to getting her own way. Her family supplies furs to the outlander ships and gains riches thorough the trade. What nonsense they have in their heads I do not know, but I am certain they would use their slippery tongues and promises of wealth to secure their mother’s release.”

The Elf countered calmly, “You are saying that Alahseey’s family bribed my men to speak as they did?”

“Aye, that I am… She could not do it herself. But we have had dozens of Lossoth on and off this ship with the supplies. With my own eyes I have seen her youngest son loading barrels in the hull. Who knows what mischief he was sowing?”

There was an uproar among the onlookers as the nature of Hilde’s charge became apparent. One of the brothers had to be restrained by his fellow Elves to keep from breaking out of the crowd and personally throttling Hilde’s neck.

Alahseey wrenched free of her captors and hurled herself in front of Luindal. “Let me speak! I must answer these charges for Hilde’s words touch my family and its honor. My son is an honest trader who supplies furs and other provisions for your crew. He would meet any in fair combat to defend his mother's honor, but never would he stoop to cunning and deceit. If there are lies here, they do not come from me or my family.”

“You hate me!” Hilde countered, her face livid with rage.

The Elder pivoted about, “No, not I. But I do feel sorry for you. You may desire to lead a simple life, but not your son. He dreams of gold and power and commanding others, and will stop at nothing. He even uses his poor mother to achieve his goals.”

Glancing at Luindal, Alahseey continued, “I knew the other day but had no time to tell you. Her son has put her up to this.”

“You have no proof!” Hilde retorted.

“No proof? If my guess is right, she holds the proof in her own hands. Luindal," she added, "look at the bag she carries at her side. Search it thoroughly and see what you find.”

The bag was immediately deposited in front of Luindal and its contents dumped out on deck. There was a clanging sound as a handful of gold coins bounced free, rolled a ways, and then came to a stop. Luindal bent down to retrieve a single coin, examining it closely. “Gold!” he confirmed. But it is not a coin I know.”

Rôg, who had been standing close by, glanced over his friend’s shoulder with a knowing look, “That is because it is from Umbar, the city where the Corsairs make their home.”

Luindal set down the coin and turned first to Alahseey, “I am sorry for this misunderstanding, and apologize for any slight to your family. We will talk later. I owe you much”

Then he faced the other woman and announced his decision, “Hilde, you are to be bound and turned over to the Council of Elders who will determine the punishment for your misdeeds. Andtuariel, could you go now and gather a band of Elves and Lossoth to accompany you to the Hall of the Elders? The Elders have asked that Hilde be held there under lock and key…”


The posse of Elves and Lossoth quickly regrouped at the far end of the deck. They secured Hilde's arms and legs with rope and formed an escort on either side of her. With Andtuariel in the lead, members of the group climbed down the ladder over the side of the ship and slipped into the small boats. Luindal continued to watch as the band reached shore with Hilde in tow and started their trek to the central Lossoth settlement where the Hall of Elders could be found.

[Regin Hardhammer]

Marreth paced impatiently back and forth in his cabin. He had been waiting all morning to hear some news back from those who'd been sent out to spy on the Elven vessel. Already it was noon, and no one had returned. He was beginning to wonder if he should go on his own and try to find something out, when there was a knock on the cabin door. He opened the door and saw the two Lossoth, Nilak and Tarn, standing in front of him. They were talking very quickly.

Within a few moments the whole story was out: how Hilde was being dragged away to prison, and also Igal's promise to place them in charge of the warehouse when the supplies were shipped to the Elves just two days from now. Marreth responded warmly, "You've done well. A shipment of large barrels in two days is more than I could have hoped for. We will speak more on that later, but right now we have no time. There's another job that needs doing."

Marreth ran up on deck and sounded the alarm bell, which was a signal for his best men to gather fully armed within his cabin. He returned to his quarters, sat down at the table, and explained, "Hilde the Lossoth has been a good friend to us. She has been seized by the Elves and is being dragged off to prison. Let us go now and seize her back. Who is with me in this?"

A considerable cheer went up and several men surged forward. As Marreth began to stand up, he saw Jynne off scowling to the side and nodded towards him that he should speak.....

[Imladris]

Jynne shifted uncomfortably in front of the captain. The spy had been found out -- this did not trouble Jynne any. What made a god spy was not being found out. It was her own fault that she had been careless.

Now Marreth wanted to bring her back. Why? She was useless. Defective. Clumsy. Careless. A danger to them. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Marreth. Why was she so important? Why would Marreth risk so much on her?

Clearing his throat, Jynne leaned on the table and said softly, "I have a question before we go. How is Jarlyn? He was not feeling well some days ago." He smiled thinly.

[Regin Hardhammer]

Marreth glared over at Jynne. There was something in the man's tone that annoyed him. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was definitely there.

"How is Jarlyn?" Marreth repeated. "You should know as well as I.... My friend has been in bed since our return to the ship. That means that I will have to ask you to stand up in his place. Take a small contingent of men with you, and have them fall in behind my group. I do not know how many armed men Luindal has sent as an escort. But let's be safe. I am determined have Hilde back and safe on our ship. Form ranks now and hurry to the Hall of the Elders where she is likely to be held."

What Marreth did not tell Jynne or any of the other men was that he did not want to have the Lossoth woman in a postion where the Elders could squeeze her for information about the Corsairs and their plans. Not that he had told her too much, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

With that, Marreth strapped his sword to his side and plunged out the door, with the others following behind him.

[Niluial]

Andtuariel watched Hilde suspiciously as she was assisted into one of the boats. Once Andtuariel and the others were securely in the boat she took a breath in and looked at her surroundings. It was odd outside, one couldn’t explain it, the clouds looked so huge with a slight grey tint to them, they looked daunting. The atmosphere was strange too; an uneasy feeling is what Andtuariel felt, a sickening feeling, a knot deep inside her. She decided to think on another topic; she had no idea why she was to lead everyone, but she figured Luindal had seen her strong, determined and very bossy characteristics. Elwë always used to say I make a good leader. She smiled at Elwë who sat beside her. Andtuariel had chosen Elwë and another elf to attend her in the boat with Hilde, among with other Lossoth.

Once they were on the shore she walked ahead with Jannel, a Lossoth, who guided her and the group to the Elders Hall. Andtuariel felt jittery, for no reason at all. Elwë frowned at her as they walked, “something wrong?” he inquired. Andtuariel shook her head, she couldn’t explain.

Andtuariel smiled slightly as they walked through the village. It was beautiful and unique, to her, she had never really looked closely or admired a Lossoth Villiage; the little ice huts, everything so simple yet amazing. Everything was silent; the weather was becoming worse and the snow was thick and heavy. She smiled at the Jannel the Lossoth who was guiding her. She raised her hand high in the air, ordering all to stop. Andtuariel turned towards the Jannel.

“It seems like we will walk miles from here, the weather is getting worse. Are there any short cuts?” Andtuariel asked frowning, her lips ice blocks.

“Yes,” Jannel replied, “there are quiet a few but I think I know the right one to take, it’s the safest. We better be as fast as we can before we all freeze to death.”

Andtuariel chuckled, “at least we have our warm fur coats.”

She smiled at the group and shouted for them to follow her and Jannel. She had to shout as loud as she could, the wind was strong and it carried her voice. Like the snow had done so many times, it cut deep into their skin as the wind carried it. The walk was becoming painful and exhausting but Andtuariel was sure they were to arrive at the Elders Hall soon enough, with that thought she was content.