Blood Run: A Terror Returns RPG

[piosenniel]

Newsman's post

Madoc had always lived a good life. He had a beautiful family, a laid back and easy-going lifestyle, many friends. What more could a hobbit ask for? Yet many a night had found him sitting outside with his pipe looking at the stars and questioning himself. Something had grown inside him, could it be what had caused that hobbit to leave so long ago...what was his name, Bilbo?

That was when it was still safe to be outside at night. Lately things had grown dangerous, something new to people around here. Livestock were turning up dead, and even Toby Mugwort's dog had been killed. His own dog seemed nervous outside.

Madoc had a family to think of, and that was what had driven him to the town meeting. He could barely contain himself with how long the mayor had waited to address this issue. Yet he kept himself in check, and the anger slowly dissapated. The meeting progressed, and the plan of action was announced. Toby was to lead a group to find this "thing". As man and hobbit alike argued over the outcome, and who should join, Madoc stayed quiet in his seat.

Madoc respected Toby quite alot, but he really couldn't see himself doing something this daring. He stood up to go, but was pushed forward in the ruckus, his hand went up and the Mayor called him out. "Madoc Hurnt! Are you volunteering to join this cause?" The old mayor bellowed.

It took a moment for the words to sink in. Madoc stammered a reply. "Well, no...I...well I mean..." Suddenly that feeling that he needed something more took over, and the yearning for adventure rose. "I mean YES, yes I am." What was done was done, this was going to be very interesting.

[piosenniel]

Finduilas' post

Ash thought that it was very unfair that when his father was no longer able to help much, something should start attacking the area. Even though only one or two animals on their farm had been killed, many people around Bree had lost animals. Ash hadn’t wanted to come to the meeting, but Father wasn’t able to, so there was nothing for it. At least Leonora was allowed to come.

Ash wasn’t a coward, but he felt very young as the meeting began, even though he saw that there were many other young men in the group. However, he soon forgot himself in the excitement of the meeting. He saw the threat of this new thing, and he saw no reason why he should not be able to find it. After all, he was an ambitious youth.

‘The poor mayor,” thought Ash, “This must be a hard job.”

When the Mayor called for volunteers, Ash waited till a few people had volunteered, then stood up.

“Sir, Leonora and I would be happy to be of any help to the lands and people of Bree. Count us in.” He said this, not noticing that he had volunteered Leonora, without even thinking. A quick look from her told him his mistake, but he saw that it was to late to take it back. He merely smiled apologetically and sat down.

[piosenniel]

Thinlómien's post

Leanora looked out of the window, watching a crow fly in the sky. She was deep in thought and hardly listened to the Mayor's words. It was not that she wasn't interested - she was - but the Mayor's speech was very dull and there was nothing new for her as the Mayor's daughter, Jinna, had already told her the latest news.

Leanora was thinking about the issue. Many people had lost animals, mostly sheep. Leanora and her brother's friend Jock had lost his dear dog. What kind of beast can it be? Papa had suggested that the killers were ordinary wolves, who had just become more aggressive, but Leanora couln't agree. It wasn't a satisfactory explanation. Old stories of hill trolls and even more horrible beats of the wilderness kept danicng in her head.

Suddenly Leanora noticed Ash springing up. "Sir, Leanora and I would be happy to be of any help to the lands and people of Bree. Count us in", he said in a steady voice. Leanora cast a quizzical look at him. He sat down and smiled his apologetic smile. Leanora rolled her eyes. Ash never asks my opinion because he always thinks he can assume what I think, Leanora thought, a bit grumpily. Ash looked at her. "Lea?" he asked, looking slightly worried. He seemed to wonder if he had mistaken her feelings about the matter. "It seems we're going, then", she said and grinned. How could her brother have even slightly doubted her love for adventures?

[piosenniel]

Farael's post

“You should go to this Town Meeting son, it will be good for you” Grumbled Robby, thinking of what his father had told him earlier that day. “Oh, your dad is right Rob” had said his mother “it won’t be long before you realize your tweens are over and you are a gentlehobbit. You can’t grow up overnight son”.

Well, how was he ever going to grow up if he kept being told what to do by his parents? As they said themselves, he was almost out of his tweens! Regardless, here he was, looking desperately for any of his friends to talk to. He did not find any of his usual friends, but instead, he saw beautiful Rose Overhill. She was Timmy’s (or rather Timothy Underhil, Robby’s best friend) cousin’s twice removed on his mother’s side, which among hobbits is close enough to be considered a “relative”. As such, she was invited to Timmy’s birthday parties, where she did an excellent job of ignoring Robby Twofoot. Not to be discouraged by such minor setbacks, Robby kept on approaching her, until she finally agreed that he was not that bad a hobbit. Yet in spite of young Twofoot’s best efforts to impress her, she only regarded him as an acquaintance.

As he slowly made his way towards her in the crowded room, the mayor of Bree started talking about this frightful menace that was haunting the farms. Robby had, as the son of a farmer himself, heard plenty about it, but he did not concern himself much with it. None of his sheep had been attacked, and so he considered himself safe, and perhaps a little lucky. Still, knowing it would not do to start a conversation while the major was speaking, he stopped walking and pretended to pay attention to what Mayor Hershman was saying. Truth was, he was still looking at Miss Overhill, hoping to catch her eye.

Mayor Hershman, meanwhile, rambled on and on about this menace, and what they would do about it. It seemed that Farmer Mugwort would lead a group of men and hobbits to find out what this monster was, and deal with it accordingly. It sounded like an adventure something that only those crazy folks from The Shire seemed bent on doing. He had heard many stories about “Mad Baggins” and his endless treasure, and then his son Frodo, along with Mayor Gamgee, had killed some sorcerer or another (personally, he always liked better the story of Master Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck, two great and memorable hobbits who had fought alongside kings… and talking trees). But that was work for the Shire folk and not good , decent hobbits of Bree.

A few hands were raised, volunteers who would follow Farmer Mugwort on his search for this “menace”. And then, the unthinkable happened. Rose Overhill finally noticed him being there, and acknowledged him with a smile. Not only that, she walked over to him, and in a voice that sounded as harps playing in sweet harmony told Robby “Robby Twofoot! I did not expect to find you here. I thought you would be trampling around with your friends, too busy with your games and jests to be concerned by the troubles of others”

-“Why, of course Miss Overhill, I am no longer a lad of twenty five summers.” Answered Robby, hoping to sound more confident than how he truly felt. “As a matter of fact, I was thinking I should perhaps volunteer to join Farmer Mugwort and the others. It is time I do something other than looking after my daddy’s… that is, my father’s cattle.”

Rose seemed to be truly impressed, and so with a tingling in his stomach that may have been caused the proximity of Miss Overhill (or perhaps the fact that his father would positively disown him for being so reckless) Robby Twofoot raised his hand to catch Mayor Hershman’s eye and volunteered himself. After all, they were just going to find out what this “thing” may be… there was no reason to be worried about it, a couple of days camping under the stars and looking at what Robby expected to be some pawprints from one animal or another. No reason to be worried at all.

[piosenniel]

Durelin's post - Parkun Felderth

This is a joke, Parkun thought as he scanned the people around him, a very large crowd by Bree’s standards. He smirked as he observed the mayor and the elder council of the town, wondering why everyone stood and listened to such frail hands and failing minds. White hair did not equate with wisdom.

These town meetings frustrated him to no end, and the more typical ones put him quickly to sleep, but there were appearances to consider. His father was the innkeeper of the Prancing Pony, and as the son of such a man, he had to be just as an upstanding townsperson. And what well-to-do person did not go to the town meetings?

“I know we all have what it takes to protect our land and our loved ones,” the mayor boomed, and Parkun suppressed a snort. “But in this fearful time, I am calling for a group of Defenders of Bree…” the young man began to really listen at the phrase ‘group of defenders’, “to be led by Toby Mugwort, a strong-hearted Breelander since birth.”

A group of defenders led by…a Hobbit? Parkun thought with wonder. This town was even more of a joke than he thought. A Hobbit couldn’t stand up even to whatever petty criminals or common beasts were causing a scare. When men began volunteering to be a part of the group, Kun believed they might have a chance. But then a woman was volunteered, and then a Dwarf – of all people – who sounded very full of himself, and then even more Hobbits.

What a motley crew. And the safety of the town was in their hands? Hah, Parkun laughed to himself, we’re lucky they’re not up against much. Perhaps they were quite lucky, as well. If they were already granted the lofty title of ‘Defenders of Bree’, before they had accomplished anything, this group was surely all set up for grand treatment by the other townsfolk.

Just when the mayor, and all the others present, seemed to think they had a good number of ‘Defenders’, Parkun lifted up his hand with only an awkward nod to Master Hershman, thinking that maybe it was time the innkeeper’s second eldest made some sort of name for himself.

[piosenniel]

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