Hunt for the Palantíri RPG

[piosenniel]

Regin Hardhammer’s post - Mareth

Marreth sat brooding inside the cabin of his ship, which had been moored at the side of the Ice Bay, within a well hidden cove that was totally free of ice and snow. The weather was stormy and the night dark. He gazed out at the violent sea as the waves rose and thunder roared. This was the worst storm he had experienced since his arrival in Forochel some three months before. It was an ominous sign that the weather was changing, and that blankets of snow and ice would soon descend on their heads. He found himself troubled and frustrated that he and his men had made so little progress towards accomplishing their goal.

Earlier that year, everything had seemed more optimistic. Marreth’s patron, the great Lord Castamir, had been searching ancient scrolls to obtain information on artifacts of power, especially those created by the Noldor. As a descendent of the Black Numenoreans, Castamir had extensive knowledge of early languages and lore, which he hoped to use to seize control in Umbar and eventually to challenge Gondor itself. While visiting Minas Tirith on a trading mission, Castamir had been able to consult the royal library and was elated to learn about the ancient Stones of Annumínas and Amon Sûl. He immediately decided to send out an expedition to locate and retrieve these objects of power from their watery grave at the bottom of the Ice Bay of Forochel. These Stones would give him the means to spy on Elessar’s troops and navy as well as to keep a controlling eye on his own people.

Circumstances seemed to favor such an expedition. There had been several years of drought in the North, with diminished amounts of rain and snow. As a result, the water of the Bay was shallower than it had been for some time, with stretches of the coastline and its maze of caves and rocks exposed to public view for the first time.

Marreth had eagerly sworn allegiance to Castamir, agreeing to head the expedition. Castamir’s plan seemed like the perfect way for Marreth to gain revenge. During the War of the Rings, Marreth had served on his father’s ship as part of the Corsair fleet that sailed up the Anduin. He had seen Elessar lead the hosts of the dead onto the pirates’ ships, and his own father driven mad as he jumped overboard to his death. Marreth had sworn to avenge the death of his father by bringing ruin to Elessar and his kingdom. These two Stones could help accomplish that goal.

Marreth and his ship had arrived at the Bay in early summer and spent months struggling to locate the missing globes. But the search had not gone quite as smoothly as expected. An exploration of the coastline and caves had yielded no results. And even on the fringes of the Bay, the Corsair divers could not stay in the water long enough to find anything without freezing to death. At first, the Losseth, the native peoples of the Ice Bay, had been suspicious and sought to avoid the strangers. As time wore on, a few malcontents began to assist Marreth, won over by future assurances that the Corsairs would supply a large cache of weapons to help them topple the existing Lossoth chieftains and seize leadership within their own tribes.

These malcontents, in turn, provided the Corsairs with seals that had been specially trained to seach for evidence of shipwrecks along the bottom of the Bay. With the establishment of peace, there had been a considerable increase in the number of trading ships that sailed North over the summer months. Along with this increase came a rise in the number of shipwrecks.

Those Lossoth who could handle the trained seals actually made their living from salvage operations, having the animals first locate the vessels and bring up a piece or two of sunken booty to those waiting in the ships. Then Lossoth divers would plunge into the waters and quickly secure the objects using a heavy leather net or sturdy ropes before attaching these to the hook of the WINCH. The last step would be pulling the object to the surface and unloading it onto the boat. This whole operation was only feasible during the summer when large stretches of water were free of ice.

Marreth had hired the men and told them to use these same tactics to hunt the palantiri, but they had still not achieved success. As the weather began to worsen, the Corsair pushed his crew and their Lossoth allies even harder to try and find the Stones.

Marreth set aside his reflections. The storm was blowing furiously: he needed to make sure that the rigging of the ship was securely fastened. Marreth rose abruptly, rushed out into the hall, and barked to his two most loyal officers, Diera and Jarlyn, to follow him on deck. As he was checking the rigging at the bow, he saw in the distance a large sailing vessel being tossed about by the waves. He could barely make out the distinctively swan-like outline of an Elven ship. He lurched forward in astonishment, clinging to the rail, and tried to get a clearer look. He had only seen such vessels in the ancient lore books that he had read. His second reaction was one of anger. Such a ship could only be drawn to the Ice Bay for the same reason that he was. They must be here to take the Stones for themselves and their allies the Gondorians.

Marreth roared out above the din of the storm, “Infernal Elf vermin! Thou vain, milk livered coxcombs, may you sink to the bottom of the sea!” Then he turned to his captains, pointing an accusing finger towards the bobbing ship, “Look there, we have company, and I fear they are up to no good!”