The Great Golden Hoard Game Thread

[Nogrod]

After a couple of days of easy trekking the going was now getting tougher by every hour. Novgorod had entered the marshlands of Dagorlad and his pace slowed considerably. At times he had to check his every step and the mosquitoes were a constant annoyance. The going was getting all the more fatiguing and so the Blueberryjuice proved to be a real treasure, partly saving his day.

But eventually his concentration slipped for a fleeting moment. That was enough to get him into trouble. Suddenly the ground just gave away from beneath him and he realised his feet being swallowed by the bog, the swamp sucking them into it’s cold and muddy embrace ever tighter. He was sinking deeper at a slow but steady pace. Novgorod was cursing loudly.

This was not the first time Novgorod had been stucked into a marsh, but this time he had no one to help him out. He had sunken thigh-deep before he remembered what to do. With all his strength he yanked his body forwards, managing to ease the pressure around his feet passingly. He landed flat on his face to the bog, his legs still sucked by the muddy substance from under his knees. This probably is the most awkward position I’ve ever found myself from, he thought to himself after the “landing” and smiled a bit just to rise his spirits as he spat mud from his mouth.

As his weight was now spread over the surface of the swamp as evenly as possible, his body stopped sinking. But just laying there, nose on the smelly bog, was both frustrating and in a long run also dangerous. The problem was, that he knew only too well that every movement he made would probably sunk him deeper if he was not extra careful.

So, careful to move only those muscles that were absolutely needed, Novgorod started slowly raising his head to assess the situation and his chances. He had a faint image in his mind of there being patches of open water blue in front of him before he got stucked. He rose his head from the ground.

And there it was! Just two feet ahead from him behind the little neck of swamp. And if there is a place that is a bit higher than the surroundings, there is a reason for it... and that is some more steady vegetation... Carefully he started pushing his right hand through the moss and mud in front of him and finally got a hold of a root of a kind under the mud. Carefully he slipped his left hand in to take a grasp of the root too. Then he started concentrating. I need strength and speed to have momentum. I need strength and speed... he said to himself, breathing deeply and readying his muscles for the pull. I have one chance, a second is up to the stars. All or nothing, now!

With that he pulled himself fast forwards, using all the energy his arms could generate. The root he had taken hold of turned out to be quite rotten and broke down and so the pull produced only a part of the force he was hoping for. It was enough to free his feet but not enough to spring him to the open water.

“Blas...” he had time to yell before his face sank into the mud filling his mouth with the incredibly foul stinking substance of the bog and the rotten pieces of wood. He raised his head up immediately and realised being only about feet away from the open water, sinking fast into the swamp because of the force he had used. Just a feet! You can do it! He took a deep breath and started struggling forwards, sinking down with every effort of a stroke he made. Soon he was totally buried under the swamp, struggling forwards. And with every movement downwards he also got a little forwards. He had never fought this furiously for his life. Down he went, and a little forwards, down he went, and...

Just as his lungs were breaking, first his hands and then his head plunged from the mud into the open water. Novgorod had to double his effort to get the rest of his body out from the squeeze of the bog. His legs were still partly stucked in the mud as he made his last effort and sprang up towards the surface of the water. I... need... air...! ...

It took a while before Novgorod came faintly back to the here and now. He was on the float, free from the mud, in open water but too tired to do anything. At last he managed to take a draught of the Blueberryjuice and started regaining both his mind and body. There was a long patch of clean water around him, bordering to another little neck of the land, but behind it there was more water. Slowly he started swimming towards the next pool of water.

Passing over the next neck of land was a lot easier as he could build up some speed in the water and then leap forwards. That didn’t mean he didn’t have to struggle. Also his clothes and packages were wetted through and turned heavy. But in the end he somehow managed to pass several necks of land and following the open waters he at last reached the end of the marshes.

Novgorod was too tired to continue. He was too tired to even make a fire to dry and make himself warm. He only pulled the thoroughly wet clothes off him and fell asleep covered only by the low shrubs against the mosquitoes.

[Valesse]

The sun had already started rising when Valesseka found the motivation to open her eyes, but within a second she was up and rushing to pack. Late, late, late! She thought, standing up like a prarie dog and frowned. Even from here she could tell that Éomeléo had left, and she found herself unable to forgive herself for helping him the night before. She raced into the shallow water after searching for the shallowest crossing. That was the VERY last time. Very last... Argg...

Moving across the landscape at a paced jog, Valesseka focused on nothing other than catching up to the Gondorian Noble -indeed-. Valesseka snarlled, oblivious to the sound of her pack strap straning to hold together. But by the time she had reached back to grab her lunch, the strap snapped. "Grrreat..."

Valesseka pulled her pack off and inspected the strap... it would not do to simply tie it, due to the weight of her supplies, but at the same there was no catching up with Éomeléo without fixing it. Looking down at her brooch, the girl shook her head. It couldn't hold her pack without breaking. She would have to sew it back together somehow. "It was in good condition when I left..." she looked around, not sure what for, "....Éomeléo!" With a growl she stood up. "That trecherous man! It HAD to be him! And after I had helped him..." Whether she was right or not, it was enough for her to quicken her pace. Leaving her pack for now where she took it off, the Arnorian went in search for a thick briar.

"He thinks he'll get away with it, does he?" She mused, somewhat hysterically. "He thinks I won't play this game too?" She pulled a large vine up and took two savage swings at it with her throwing ax. Returning to her pack she frowned. What exactly was she planning to use as thread? Moaning in misery, Valesseka deflated and sat on the ground. This is what I get for helping people. With a sigh the girl lowered her head when it hit her, quite literally. When she had pinned her shawl on the ground with her axe, the gash had started ravelling. With a grin she started pulling at the ravels until she had collected enough to repair her pack strap.

Pushing a hole into the leather piece, she next used the thorn again to force the threading through. The entire repair took less than an hour for her, and in that time she was forced (by her stomach) to have a quick lunch. "Not bad" smirked Valesseka, pushing the vine piece in the repaired pack incase she needed it later for later repairs. With a kind of vindictive air, she returned to jogging west. We'll see who's ahead tomorrow, Éomeléo.

[Naria]

"Ahh, now this is much better," She sighed. Narleah had found some reprieve from the sun that had made her sick the previous day. She climbed ever higher until she reached the top of a large hill. The scenery was breathtaking, she couldn't help wondering though how she would escape the mass amount of trees that surrounded the area. The little dwarf whistled a happy tune as she moved down the other side of the hill.

Narleah was making good time, when she suddenly came to a crevice in the earth. It was not all that wide, about four to five feet across, so she figured that she would be able to jump across. She took a few steps back and ran forward as fast as her little legs could take her. Sailing through the air she thought how easy is this, I will make it no problem.Just as she was about to put her right leg forward to reach the opposite side of the crevice; her foot slipped and she found herself falling...down, down until she landed with a mighty thud. Narleah shook her head trying to clear her blurry vision...."Aye, well I should have known that my day was fairing to well for me," she sneered. It was at that time that she felt a searing pain rise from her right knee; Narleah had sprained her knee in the fall.

She sat crumpled at the bottom of the pit for quite sometime wincing in pain and trying to think of a way out. Narleah had noticed that the area immediately around the crevice had no trees, alive or dead. There were, however rocks and lots of them. She pulled her crumpled hat out of the small of her back where she put it when she arrived in the cooler climate. What to do, what to do she thought. "Hmmm, if I were to pierce a hole through my hat and pull the rope through....I could try and hook my hat on one of those rocks up there." She pondered some more and then thought what do I have to lose, I might as well try. Narleah did just that, it took some doing, but she managed to rip a hole in her beloved hat and pull the rope through. She gave a giant heave ho and threw it up....nothing, it didn't even reach half way. She gave another heave ho...this time it made it to the top, but didn't grab onto anything. Narleah watched the hat fall back down and gave it yet another lob upwards. Success! The hat grabbed hold of a rock, but would it be enough to hold her weight. She gave the rope a tug and found that the hat did not come floating back down to her. Narleah tied the remaining rope around her waist and began shimmying up to her freedom. She had found a rhythm, she used her good leg for leverage and her buttocks for support and balance. It was hard work dragging her bad leg instead of being able to use it, but she managed to work her way to the top.

Narleah reached the mouth of the crevice and found that getting herself over the ledge was actually much harder than she imagined. She took her pack off and threw it up and over the ledge and with all of her might, pulled and pulled herself until she could use her left knee to push her body up and over the rest of the way. Totally exhausted and feeling the throb in her knee, she lay on her back staring up at a now starry night.

[Valier]

Day 4 came to an end, the adventurers were finding the trail arduous and long...was the promised treasure worth it?

Night 4 has now begun.

All players please pm me your daily favorite vote. You have 24 hours for this.


Players that may converse are as follows...

Group 1
Eomeleo
Valesseka

Group 2
Thin-Gloomy

Group 3
Galadster

Group 4
Novgorod
Glirdingo

Group 5
Ransley

Group 6
Kafkalina

Group 7
Narleah


This map is where you are resting for the night and where you start from on Day 5.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Éomeléo lazed by the great oak tree and watched the last vestiges of sunlight diminish. It was a lovely night. He wondered if Valesseka had followed him west. He supposed she would. He wondered also where the other competitors were, and whether they took less rest than he did. Frowning slightly, he realised that this was very likely.

The time passed and Éomeléo felt a surge of foreboding. He gripped his sword and looked into the distance. He had the feeling that hostility was approaching. Sure enough, he heard a sound to his right. Turning around he spotted the Arnorian girl marching towards him, a slightly mad glint was in her eye. Éomeléo could hardly believe that someone would not be smiling at the sight of his friendly face.

He stood up, swinging his sword around as if he were practising his strokes; he was actually a little bit nervous.

[Valier]

Night Four went out without a hitch, the adventurers were quiet and subdued...

Day 5 has now begun. You have 36 hours to complete your daily tasks.


Players in Roa's zone

Sleepy
Nogrod
THE ka
Naria

You will pm your direction to Roa and recieve all your info from her.


Player's still in my zone

Valesse
Eomer
Gil-Galad
Thinlómien

You will pm me your direction still, until I tell you otherwise

The day 4 favorite post winner is.......Novgorod!!!! He will travel twice as far as the others for today only.

Edit: Sorry I posted this an hour early...if any players wants to add a post, please let me know....

[Valesse]

Valesseka had refused to talk with Éomeléo the night before, and was now mentally reciting her new mantra Noble -indeed-. As far as she was concerned the Gondorian was guilty, and she would figure out his punishment in due time. As for today she was sure to walk up as early as she possibly could have and noisily prepared herself for the next trek. After I was so nice to him! After I shared my kingsfoil!

Even as steamed as she was with Éomeléo, it was in her plot to sabotage him not to have him believe it could be her. With hardly an audible grumble (clearly not the same situation in her head.) Valesseka headed west once again, quickly entering the northernmost part of Mirkwood. Here the air seemed much cooler which was a relief after the blistering heat of the sun, and the cruel burn of the wind from days past. Hours went by, but with hardly any notice. The Arnorian's hatred was fast becoming the last thing on her mind as she took in the young forest around her. She thought it was beautiful and just for a minute perhaps it even humbled her enough to consider that maybe, just maybe, the scene she had just walked into was fairer than herself.

That moment was soon to pass, as she came closer to a river in the woods where apparently there had been a recent flood. There water stood in large shallow pools, glittering where the trees broke and let in light from above. "Well how am I going to--Putooh!" Valesseka sputtered, and then again. Backing away she saw something monsterous coming at her, like a large bubbling shadow she'd before only fear in nightmares. Holding back nothing, the girl screamed and retreated out of sight. She was panicked... how was she suppose to get past that... that... Thing!?

M-maybe...if I... Valesseka was blumbering behind a tree, here and there she could be heard whimpering. Maybe if I looked scary also? Would that thing be afraid of orcs? Somehow mustering up the courage to approach the pools again she gasped... whatever it was, it created something like a wall across the water. Shuddering, she reached deep into the pulls and starting caking on mud. Not exactly sure what an orc looked like, she was quite liberal in applying it. Soon she was covered in muck and fallen leaves. It isn't leaving. She frowned, slinging her pack back over onto a shoulder, and holding her stave ready. I have to get across. Just think about that... whatever it is, can't hurt me too badly...

The moment of truth had arrived for the day, as Valesseka approached the floating mass. Mosquitoes! Big ones, and lots of them...

Valesseka could still hear the humming through her mud packed ears. Just get across the river. Just get across. She soon found that it was getting impossible to see where she was heading because the mass of mosquitoes were quite interested in this strange creature that had wandered into their midst. She took off her axe and used it to bat away what mosquitoes were infront of her. Progress was slow, and what time she had made in her pleasent stroll through the woods before was now being literally eatten up by mosquitoes. "Putooh!" They were getting in her mouth! She tried to hold it as closed as she could and still be able to draw some breath from it.

I'm there, I'm to the river. Now there was another problem... How was she going to get across? Now at the edge of the mosquito cloud, she could see a fallen tree laying across the river. Hurrying toward it, she was nearly hurt to find it rotting. Obviously it couldn't carry her weight. Valesseka slung her pack infront of her and tied it to her stave which she balanced ontop of the rotting tree. carefully she entered the water, pulling her supplies across with her. She would tread water manically when she didn't feel ground under her, and used the fallen tree to pull herself across. When she was finally to where she could stand again, Valesseka was sapped of energy, but feared that if she remained close to these insects, she'd end up sapped of more than that.

Dragging her toes across the ground, she managed to clamber away from the mosquitoes and set up a muddy camp.

[THE Ka]

Kafkalina began to see the smudge of mirkwood far away, and soon found it's northern border. Walking cautiously through the trees, she could immediately sense the forests uneasiness. The dark shadow of Dol Guldur indeed had spread farther than its physical appearance, it now was a calling of great suspicion to anything coming from the south.

Oh huummm, and I thought to be amoungst trees again would bring me comfort, but all I find is distrust and none at ease. I hope only that I do not appear to be bringing more shadow to this great forest...

She was about to finish her thought, when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye, then again, but more softly now. She could sense more than trees were watching, and decided to stop and scan before moving on. Before she could, a hunting party (more like a scouting party it would seem) of elves surrounded her. Kafkalina made no attempt to run, she knew their ways and knew the folly of it. Bending slightly down to have a better view, she stared kindly at what appeared to be their leader, who was also staring with an arrow in her face. They did not seem to take kindly to her at all, but she could sense some in the party were just bewildered with curiousity as to why and who she was here.

" Speak, but do not take a further step. Tell us your business in Northern Mirkwood huorn."
The captain said in the mannish tongue, which bewildered Kafkalina more than his party members at her sight.

Why did he not speak to me in his own tongue? Ha ro tum! This indeed is strange and sad, that once to think I could come here and speak freely with them. To call me a Huorn too? Indeed something foul has come to pass for these elves of Mirkwood. Well, I have nothing to speak but the truth, hopfully they remember their own speech...

Still looking with a kind face, Kafkalina told them of her true intentions in their speech, Sindarin.

" Suilad Onodrim mellons, unless the world has changed indeed and the elves and Onodrim have parted ways, then it would seem the world has truely changed into naught. I am an Onod, though I cannot tell you my name in enttish, I have also the name of Kafkalina. I know I come from the south, and I know of the ill ways of Dol Guldur with their great spiders and twisted dark Huorns, but I speak with as much truth as Ilúvatar can grant me when I say this. I am not a Huorn, or dark and twisted roots I have bent for malice, I am of old an elve friend and the few left of the Onodrim. From what my people know of the Entwives, I may be indeed the last one, but no wive am I. I have journeyed quite far from my home in Eriador, in search of a treasure that may help my people and rebuild forests. If you have not forgotten my ways, as I have not forgotten the cunning and beauty of Thranduil's wood, you will know that nothing rousts an Onod to journey so far without a good reason. With that I will say that you will find not a single branch on me twisted with dark hatred for elvenkind, I only hold contempt for those that would cut down every tree of fair arda, as Yavanna set us Onodrim out to protect. Ho hmmm, as for my business, if you need to know, is to journey through your wood with peace and to refill my ent-draught at the Taurduin if this is approvable by you of course. I have nothing else further to say, but only that Thranduil's wood, may it one day be bright as we once knew."

The ent left the leader and his party in what seemed like a daze, but they were thinking of course. She knew that with the threat to the south, they would not suffer fools and would always be suspicious of her actions, but hopfully she did not seem to be a menace.

With arrows still pointed, the party did not move until their leader spoke.

" From what I first saw my eyes were filled with curiousity that one of the Onodrim had traveled this way, but then I know that the evils to the south can be puppets no matter how kind they may seem. Though, I know of no huorn dark or no, that could speak such in our speech, or had the ability to speak anything but a few words in the tongue of men or that of trees. It has been long since an Onod lived and walked through our forest, and the trees have grown without direction or heed of warning, thus allowing so many to become tools of malice against us and others. Though your story seems still strange to me, I shall let you pass under observation until you are out of our borders. Your presence will not be unknown, Onod, to that of King Thranduil. May you take care and your journey be a passible one. Galu Onod."

With that the party began to leave, but Kafkalina felt it unkind to not help them for the time she took from them. Calling for the leader to wait before he left, she looked through her bag, and then into a smaller bag. There lay the mallorn seeds, as bright as the day she found them. Taking one, she presented it to the leader carefully. At first he seemed suspicious, then his eyes widened for a bit in surprise and realization.

"Give this to King Thranduil and tell him I am sorry for causing so much trouble. May it help to bring light and joy back to his home."

The leader simply nodded and tucked the seed away carefully and disappeared. Kafkalina continued on her journey carefully to the forest river, now aware that she was a lucky guest to this wood of unease.