Hunt for the Palantíri RPG

[Orofaniel]

"Here," Galhardir said, as he led the way through some icy stones, and paths. "It's a bit slippery, so you may want to be careful," he then continued.

Annû and Rög noticed it soon enough, and tried to stay on their feet. It was easier for Galhardir, as he was well aware of the terrain. He had been there a hundred times before. He knew where the best places to find nice and fresh water were hidden. It wasn't always as easy as one would think, because often the water would be strongly affected by the ocean and the salt.

"It's not too far from here," Galhardir then said turning to Rôg who was right behind him. "Where is Annû?" He then asked, as he noticed that the elf had disappeared. "He is right behind us," Rôg told him. "Oh," Galhardir replied, as he saw the elf appear just behind one of the big icy rocks. "We wouldn’t want to loose you, would we?" Galhardir said teasingly, continuing forwards.

A few minutes past, and more walking followed. Finally, they reached the spot that Galhardir had recommended earlier. It was a nice, hidden field between some hilly areas filled with clean, pure ice. It was a magnificent view for those who hadn’t seen anything like it before. "Is this it?" Rôg asked, seeming a bit insecure about the place. "Indeed," Galhardir said proudly. "This ice is as pure and clean as it can get....We'll just chop something off over there, and we're ready to go," Galhardir said, leading the way once again.

Rôg and Annû followed willingly, wherever Galhardir led. They walked on a small icy path, but this wasn't as slippery as it had been before. Some were more grateful for that than others.

"Are you ready?" Galhardir said stopping for a moment. "Aye," Rôg replied.

Together the tree of them managed to dig some of the top ice, which was looser than the rest, and bring it back to the fireplace where Carandu and Rodhal were waiting eagerly for their return.

[Niluial]

Elwë gazed at the torn gray clouds that streaked across the cold sky, he felt uneasy, he wasn’t sure why but he didn’t like the feeling at all. Andtuariel moved closer to the fire rubbing her soft hands together in hope to feel warmer. Elwë put his two arms around Andtuariel’s waist and hugged her tightly. She turned around quickly when he hugged her; things were still awkward since their kiss.

“What is happening with dinner?” Andtuariel inquired.

“Er, I think Annû and Rôg are sorting that out.”

“No, they ventured off somewhere, I have no idea where.”

“Oh” Elwë said suspiciously.

“Then I’ll prepare the food, we need an early night.” Andtuariel said, then she headed off to the food supplies and started to prepare it.

The stars shone brightly across the blackened sky. It was dark but the blazing fire of reds and oranges lit the campsite up. Elwë hadn’t seen Annû or Rôg and was worried that something may have happened, he cleared the thought from his head and was sure they just got sidetracked or were taking their time back, as it had just gone dark. He saw Andtuariel sitting on a log by the fire, she was in deep thought, one could see by her facial expression, he loved to catch her like that.

Elwë sat on a rock beside Andtuariel who was gazing at the dancing fire.

“It’s magical.” She said softly to him.

Elwë chuckled, “we love avoiding serious topics with small talk.”

“We have nothing to talk about that is serious.”

“I’m sorry about the other night, I may have been out of place.”

“No not at all” she said as she got up and walked towards the other lossoth females.

Elwë returned to his deep thoughts from earlier on and he felt uneasy once again. His eyelids slowly closed and soon his deep thoughts disappeared.

[Rinfanawen]

Diera stomped her way through the mushy, wet snow towards where they had made camp. Her feet were soaked. Her hands had shriveled long before, even though she had gloves on, and the sleeves of her overcoat and shirt were soaked from her wrists to above her elbows. Her hat had managed to dry some from before, but it froze under the icy conditions of the air. Nevertheless, she managed to easily find camp.

She found her shelter was quite comforting, though sadly it did not keep out the frigid cold. Any wind, however, was blocked quite nicely from getting inside. She sat atop a blanket on the icy, cold ground while she wrapped another, thicker blanket tightly around herself. The snow-stained clothes she wore pressed firmly against her skin, making her even colder. She shivered tremendously. The cold air and icy ground made her think about only one thing...how much she hated the land. She thought back on the terrible accident long ago.

Diera was young at the time. She was only around six years old then, but she remembered it well. It was the only memory she recovered after the event. She closed her eyes tightly as horrific scenes flashed through her mind. She saw her mother’s face. Her mother had been cooking for a long time. Her face was blackened with soot and ash from the fire. Diera remembered sitting at the table singing a quiet song to herself while she watched her mother. She remembered her mother’s expression as she came closer to the table and began to sing as well. Her mother was so happy. Both of them were...and her father!

She smiled as she remembered her father coming home that day. He rode in on horse. She remembered running to the door in pure ecstasy. She ran out to meet his smiling face that very moment. As she ran from the house, she remembered hearing a loud crash and a sudden warm temperature against her neck and back. She turned quickly to see that her house had caught fire. It was blazing in flames that seemed as high as mountains. Her childish fears made her halt in shock. She remembered her father running into the house to try and recover her mother from the flames, but neither of her parents ever exited the house. The last thing she remembered seeing of that location was the sight of the roof collapsing into the midst of the flames. She remembered running. She ran faster and faster until she found herself falling to the ground, fainting due to running so far. She remembered nothing else until she awoke on her uncle’s ship at the harbor two days later.

Diera was almost in tears as she broke from her memories. Why she had let herself remember that time, she did not know. So long it was that she had endured without remembering the event, and she wished she had not at this moment. She figured it was the cold. The cold made her do things unknown to her usual life. She found herself singing, and to add to that, she was singing the exact song she sang as a child. She stopped her voice suddenly. Why do I remember that? she thought. I’ve never sang that song...not since then, at least. She tried to force herself away from the thoughts, but they were too strong to let go.

Suddenly she heard the sounds of feet trampling through snow nearby. A familiar face quickly peered in at her own.

“What is it?” Diera said harshly to Doyal.

Doyal paused for a moment. “Nothing, I...were you singing?”

“No,” said Diera abruptly.

“Oh,” replied Doyal. “Alright, then.” He stood at the entrance of her shelter for a few moments longer.

“Is that all?” she asked him.

Doyal nodded his head and answered, “Um, I was told to remind everyone to keep their weapons in close range. We never know exactly when the Elves are to arrive.”

“Thank you for the warning,” said Diera as she watched Doyal walk away. She remained seated on the ice for quite some time wrapped warmly in her blanket. Her thoughts eventually broke away from her forgotten past, but the song remained in her heart for days to come.

[Imladris]

Jarlyn shot a glare at Marreth and a dirty look at Jynne. How could Marreth assign Jynne to help him? Marreth, though a good friend, could be a bit short sighted at times. It was obvious that Jarlyn didnt like that Jynne.

He shrugged off Jynne's helping hand and could have sworn that Jynne had smiled thinly. The little --

"So, do you know why the captain was blinking a lantern?" asked Jynne.

Jarlyn shot him a suspicious look. Why in Middle-Earth did he care? "Why should I know?" he retorted sharply. His head began to ache and he clenched his fist to his temple.

"Well, you are his best friend," said Jynne smoothly.

"There are two things you must realize, Jynne," said Jarlyne impatiently. "The first is that I am do not feel up to avoiding numerous questions from you. The second is that it is none of your business what our Captain does. Now for pity's sake leave me alone."

"Corsairs do not have pity -- at least they are not supposed to have pity," said Jynne silkily.

"Oh go away and insult someone else," Jarlyn snapped as he settled himself by the fire and helped himself to a bit of stewing broth.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Luindal gazed moodily at the fire and again replayed the sequence of events that had led to the death of his two companions in the watery tunnels of the cavern. All day, on the trek north, he had been unable to purge their faces from his mind or the haunting feeling that he had somehow failed them. Pushing his hand beneath his belt, he felt the swatch of fabric and button that he’d picked up in the cave. His natural inclination was to meet life in an open and honest way and assume that those around him were doing the same. Yet all the evidence he had seen over the past two days suggested something very different.

Luindal had not been shocked to learn that the Corsairs were likely responsible for the precipitous landslide. The Southrons had their personal ambitions and schemes, the details of which were unknown to him. Yet it was certain that they would bitterly oppose the Seeing Stones falling into the hands of Elves or King Elessar. He only wished he had realized ahead of time that they were likely to hatch a plot of their own that would bring danger and death to his own men. What did disturb him was the mounting evidence that there were one or more among his own party who had apparently decided to side with the enemy. This was hard to take.

This time, however, he would not be caught off guard. Some of the men were still away from camp, gathering water and provisions, but a number had already settled in for the night. His eyes scanned the campsite until they lit on a likely recruit. Gesturing Elwën to come join him, Luindal explained that he needed someone to search by the shore to see if there was indication of anyone else coming here beforehand, perhaps with evil intent. “Be careful when you go! I am probably wrong, but it’s possible we have company. Make sure you’re not seen. And if you find anything unusual, come back and tell me. Oh, yes, and one last thing, whatever you do, do not walk out on the ice itself. Stay on the snowy banks that overlook the Bay.” With that, he clapped Elwën on the shoulder and sent him out into the bleak night.

Walking over to the others who were gathered round a larger fire, he sat down and began to talk, “Tomorrow, I want us to take every precaution. I want no more deaths if we can avoid it. A few will be assigned to walk out on the ice and test it, to make sure we have no more mishaps. The rest of you will stand guard on shore, watching for intruders.”

"I've assigned Annu and Elwen to the second team, and Andtuariel if she is well enough.. You must tie sturdy ropes about your waist and anchor them to something solid onshore, perhaps a tree or large boulder. Freyn will be in charge of these lifelines along with Hilde, Alahseey, and Rôg I hope nothing goes wrong, but if it does they will pull with all their might and direct all the other Lossoth and Elves to do the same so that we lose no one else to the waters of the Bay.

"I will lead the first party onto the ice, and will need a volunteer to work with me." He glanced around the group and eyed Galhardir. “We need a Lossoth who knows the Bay. Galhardir, this is no easy job, but I can think of no one else I would rather have at my side in the first group. What say you?”

[Orofaniel]

"Me?" Galhardir asked Luindal quietly. Luindal nodded. "You know the bay better than most of us, and I think we could need that as we set out on the ice," Luindal said, waiting for Galharidr to accept. It wasn't much to think about though; Gahardir was more than willing to join this little party on to the ice. "Of course I'll join you Luindal," Galhardir then replied with a smile around his face. "Good," Luindal said, smiling as well. "We need to be very cautious, because the ice is not safe right now," Galhardir told Luindal.

"I noticed it especially as we were walking to fetch water," Galhardir then continued. "Really?" Luindal asked him, seeming quite surprised. "Yes, indeed. I saw some remarkable crevasses, but I don't know how sensitive they are. What I do know, is that they were remarkably big. One doesn’t see them too often, really; not like this," Galhardir then said, seeming a bit weary.

"I see," Luindal said thoughtful. "I reckon' it's nothing to worry about," Galhardir then said, comforting. "We just have to be cautious, and watch out steps," He then said finally. "You are correct, my friend," Luindal nodded.

"Hopefully we won't meet any such unpleasant surprises," Galhardir then said causally. He laughed, but it lacked the sensation of a real laughter.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Niluial's post

Elwё’s heart jumped as Luindal asked him to search the shore for any indications of company. “Be careful when you go! I am probably wrong, but it’s possible we have company. Make sure you are not seen. And if you see anything unusual, come back and tell me. Oh, yes, and one last thing, whatever you do, do not walk out on the ice itself. Stay on the snowy banks.” Luindal said concernedly, followed by a meaningful pat on the shoulder.

“I’ll be careful and I swear I won’t miss any evidence, if there is evidence.” And with that Elwë turned around beaming. Pride and pure ecstasy filled Elwë. Me! I was asked… me!

He started walking towards Andtuariel, ready to tell her the wonderful news. He stopped. She probably won’t want me to go. Hmm, or she’ll worry herself to death. He turned around once again, changing his direction towards a fellow elf. “If Andtuariel asks you where I am, say I have gone to fetch wood.” Elwë said softly.

“Sure!” said the elf.

Elwë entered his tent. He was no longer filled with joy but instead a mixture of feelings. He was excited, because he was chosen and yet fearful of what could happen. What if I fall in an ice hole? No, remember what Luindal said, “whatever you do, do not walk on the ice itself” just stay clear Elwë, step by step. He tried to clear his thoughts but another one jumped right into his head. What if there is company and I bump into our ‘company’?. “Get a grip of yourself!” he hissed allowed to himself.

Slightly shacking Elwë tightened the laces on his leather boots and put on a warm, soft fur coat. He sighed slightly and walked back outside in the bitter cold. Slowly he started to walk in the direction of the shore. His feet felt as heavy as a thousand bricks and they kept sinking deeper and deeper into the snow making it harder to lift them. The snow-laden wind cut into him like needles penetrating his skin.

What felt like hours he finally arrived at the shore. Whatever you do, do not walk out on the ice itself. Stay on the snowy banks echoed in his head numerous times. He looked around, shielding his eyes from the piercing snow. He just noticed how dull everything was; there was nothing but whiteness and different shades of grey.

He searched carefully, like an eagle does for its prey. He squinted; sure there was nothing when something black caught his eye. He bent down and picked it up. It was a rough, homespun sort of cloth, it was black with crystallized sea water on it, “odd but not enough evidence” he murmured. He shoved the cloth into his pocket and was just about to walk off when something in the snow glinted. He bent down and started to dig. There it was, a silver pocketknife; its handle embellished with diamond and square patterns, its curved blade was extremely sharp and it was slightly rusted yet well kept and polished. He used his sleeve to wipe the snow off it. Elwë then inspected it closely, surely it’s too ‘rich’ looking for a Lossoth, but not too ‘rich’ looking for a looting Corsair.

Elwë quickly shoved the knife in his pocket and looked around, making sure the company wasn’t near by. He turned around and walked faster than before. He was excited of what he had to show Luindal and wanted to get out of the cold.

When he got back to the camp Andtuariel ran up to him and hugged him. Elwë rolled his eyes, “who told you?”

“I thought you were lost while getting the wood! And, wait, told me about what?”

“It doesn’t matter!” he said, his eyes searching for Luindal.

“But, where is the wood?” Andtuariel said suspiciously.

“Like I said it doesn’t matter.” He said impatiently.

Luindal spotted him and gestured him to come over. “Did you find anything?” Luindal asked rapidly.

“Yes!” he dug in his pockets and pulled out the knife and black cloth and handed it to Luindal. “I found these two items.”

“This knife must belong to one of them, I have never met a native, Lossoth with a knife such as this one.” Luindal said while examining it closely.

“Me neither. Unless it belongs to one of our men but I haven’t seen anyone with a pocket knife like this.”

“I’ll have to ask, but I doubt it. This cloth, no one here has clothes made of this cloth.” Luindal said depressingly. “Thank you, you have done a great deed Elwë.”