Tol-in-Gaurhoth XXI: Dueling Wizards Werewolf - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 05-15-2006, 07:07 PM

One of the village's young men spent a year in wandering before he returned home, but did not get far. Rather, he made friends of the Dwarves of Ered Luin and learned all he could of their histories, even of the great Dwarven Cities of the First Age of Arda. Armed with this knowledge, the young man returned and married, and fathered a son whom he named Nogrod, after one of the two great Dwarven cities of old.

Nogrod proved to be a happy fellow, not at all like his city name's population. He left town when a young man, and made his way in the world as a fool and jester, and became quite good at it. Most of his time was spent in the kingdoms of the Dunedain in the North of Eriador, and he made a fine living. When he returned to Sealville, at the mildly advanced age of thirty-five, he brought back with him a small fortune, with which he found it quite easy to catch himself a bride, and not the least fair of face amongst those available. Her name was Diamond, famous in the village for everything haveing to do with carpets, and she bore him seven children, though only three survived: Lhuna, Zali, and Firefoot. As their children grew, whether mooning about the house, or playing about the bottoms of willows, or running fast from trouble they'd started, they were well cared for and suffered no want. The eldest, Lhuna, married well enough that without her to care for, the four remaining family members lived rather well.

As the years advanced, the house was known to erupt in sudden violences of temper and squeals of rage accompanied by the sounds of some stick like implement smacking against something that did not give way. "You know who wears the pants in that family," the gossips were known to say.

On the mornign of Day Two of the Evil Times, Diamond was holding forth just outside her own home, making new battledores while she talked. Nogrod was there of course, and Glirdy was over, as well as Alcarillo. Diamond talked about family rivalries, the late but not missed (by her) Loki, and how much she agreed with "that boy phantom". Celuien burst in, tears streaming down her face. "Why my poor, harmless Saucy?" Diamond tried to comfort her in her grief, which meant keeping her battledores sheathed. Celuien nevertheless gave out murmurings of suspicion, directed at various and sundry persons, including the present and listening Diamond and Alcarillo. Glirdy accused the mayor. After some more deep thinking and referring to lorebooks, Diamond barely stave off the temptation to throw another in the fire. Nogrod finally spoke his piece, but all he could say was, "This looks bad. We're really in trouble." He ducked from getting hit with a battledore just in time, then announced that he was going to take a nap.

It seemed that mormegil had been eavesdropping and took high umbrage at the death of Loki and all the nattering talk that he couldn't keep track of. In good mayoral fashion he put his hands in his vest and with all seriousness declared a few of the villagers innocent. How do you know? not a few of them wondered.

Down by the beach, Gurthang, Caranlondien, Feanor, Zali, Firefoot, and the phantom discussed the recent events. "We have to find a wizard!" Gurthang said yet again. "I don't think we can expect to find any clues in Saucy's death," said Caran. Feanor said, "Just because our ancestors acted one way, doesn't mean we'll act the same way." The others looked at her with impatience, wondering why she was saying something so obvious. "I wonder if Saucy's death is was a subtle frame-up?" said Zali. "This is completely nuts!" said Firefoot. Phantom said, "I have a plan but I'm not saying what it is." Zali looked at him moon eyed and mistily while the others clicked their tongues or rolled their eyes.

Toward noon, Celuien announced that the Salty Seal would stay open for business. The villagers gathered there for food and drink. Mormegil opened the discussions anew by pointing out that Diamond was talking an awful lot. "What's she trying to hide behind so many words?"

"So much depends on who the evil wizard is!" said Eomer.

"I think it's Valier," said Nilp. "I vote for her." And so the lynch vote began over lunch.

Lalaith became the quick receiver of two votes, noticeably one from her own orphan charge, Oddwen.

It was not a complete surprise that Diamond turned on her husband and voted for his lynching. Of course, she had warned that she would be quite willing to vote for members of her family, but no-one had taken her seriously until it happened. Some whispered behind their hands to each other, glancing evilly at the battledore maker. Others aimed an eye at Nogrod and wondered if his wife knew something about him that it would do all of them well to know.

Soon the voting coalesced around two primary nominees: Nogrod and Oddwen. The Nogrod camp considered the filthy, insane child to be hardly a serious threat. "How can such a poor thing turn into a werewolf at night? Or have the twisted intelligence needed to be the evil wizard?" Meanwhile, the Oddwen camp said "She's being a bad girl." Luckily for her she was apparently not being a bad girl enough. The final tally was 11 votes for Nogrod, and 6 for Oddwen.

They bound him and led him to the beech tree, strung up the rope, and set him on the stool.

"Do you have any final words, Nogrod?"

"It's sad to leave a good life so early," the gaffer said. "Sorry family. Your daddy was a nice person once, but then something just meddled his mild-mannered mind."

"Kick the stool already!" cried Diamond, hands on hips.

Nogrod grinned. "Bye-bye everyone!"

"Oh, I'll do it!" Diamond groweled, and came up to kick the stool. Then she shrieked and fell back. Nogrod's face began to ridge and his teeth enlarged. His nose grew into a snout, and he burst his bonds. With a roar he scratched and struggled at the noose, but Eomer and Phantom raced up and unsheathing their swords, they slew the monster with many strokes. Finally he lay on the ground, a mangle of matted adn bloodied flesh, his eyes alone red with werewolf-light. He hissed a last sibilant breath. Some heard whispered words of doom in that hiss. Shivering with the growing chill of the night, even more with the horror of the first werewolf revealed, they shuffled off to their homes, climbing under the covers even though the night was not cold.

~ The Tally ~

One evil wizard
One good wizard
Two werewolves
One seer

~ The Dead ~

Elempi, father of Diamond of the Battledore, killed on Night One
Loki the leech collector, lynched on Day One: innocent
The Saucepan Man the barkeep, killed on Night Two: innocent
Nogrod the retired jester, lynched on Day Two: werewolf

~ The Living ~

Diamond of the Battledore
Celuien the Healer and Cupper
Caranlondien the Sled-Team Driver
Roa Aoife the weaver
Dancing Spawn of Ungoliant the Baker
Kath the minstrel
Lommy the little girl who steals other children's candy
Lhunardawen the jeweler
Glirdan with the giant crush on Kath
Valier the gardener
Sleepy Ranger the former wanderer
Kitanna the beloved of Eomer
Firefoot the artist
Alcarillo the old retired sea captain
Cailín the match maker
Oddwen the filthy, insane street urchin who steals chickens
mormegil the retired mariner and current mayor
Feanor the shepherdess with a love of alliteration
Zali the seamstress and beloved of the phantom
the phantom the loud, unpredictable, adventurer
Naria the servant who empties and cleans chamber pots
Jenny Hallu the unmarried maiden & aunt
Lalaith the frivolous aunt and guardian of Oddwen
Eonwe the freeloading husband of Lhunardawen
Eomer the adventurer & lover of Kitanna
Nilpaurion the ne'er do well hubby of Dancing Spawn
Gurthang the stable-hand

05-15-2006, 07:07 PM	#10
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	End of Day Two One of the village's young men spent a year in wandering before he returned home, but did not get far. Rather, he made friends of the Dwarves of Ered Luin and learned all he could of their histories, even of the great Dwarven Cities of the First Age of Arda. Armed with this knowledge, the young man returned and married, and fathered a son whom he named Nogrod, after one of the two great Dwarven cities of old. Nogrod proved to be a happy fellow, not at all like his city name's population. He left town when a young man, and made his way in the world as a fool and jester, and became quite good at it. Most of his time was spent in the kingdoms of the Dunedain in the North of Eriador, and he made a fine living. When he returned to Sealville, at the mildly advanced age of thirty-five, he brought back with him a small fortune, with which he found it quite easy to catch himself a bride, and not the least fair of face amongst those available. Her name was Diamond, famous in the village for everything haveing to do with carpets, and she bore him seven children, though only three survived: Lhuna, Zali, and Firefoot. As their children grew, whether mooning about the house, or playing about the bottoms of willows, or running fast from trouble they'd started, they were well cared for and suffered no want. The eldest, Lhuna, married well enough that without her to care for, the four remaining family members lived rather well. As the years advanced, the house was known to erupt in sudden violences of temper and squeals of rage accompanied by the sounds of some stick like implement smacking against something that did not give way. "You know who wears the pants in that* family,"* the gossips were known to say. On the mornign of Day Two of the Evil Times, Diamond was holding forth just outside her own home, making new battledores while she talked. Nogrod was there of course, and Glirdy was over, as well as Alcarillo. Diamond talked about family rivalries, the late but not missed (by her) Loki, and how much she agreed with "that boy phantom". Celuien burst in, tears streaming down her face. "Why my poor, harmless Saucy?" Diamond tried to comfort her in her grief, which meant keeping her battledores sheathed. Celuien nevertheless gave out murmurings of suspicion, directed at various and sundry persons, including the present and listening Diamond and Alcarillo. Glirdy accused the mayor. After some more deep thinking and referring to lorebooks, Diamond barely stave off the temptation to throw another in the fire. Nogrod finally spoke his piece, but all he could say was, "This looks bad. We're really in trouble." He ducked from getting hit with a battledore just in time, then announced that he was going to take a nap. It seemed that mormegil had been eavesdropping and took high umbrage at the death of Loki and all the nattering talk that he couldn't keep track of. In good mayoral fashion he put his hands in his vest and with all seriousness declared a few of the villagers innocent. How do you know? not a few of them wondered. Down by the beach, Gurthang, Caranlondien, Feanor, Zali, Firefoot, and the phantom discussed the recent events. "We have to find a wizard!" Gurthang said yet again. "I don't think we can expect to find any clues in Saucy's death," said Caran. Feanor said, "Just because our ancestors acted one way, doesn't mean we'll act the same way." The others looked at her with impatience, wondering why she was saying something so obvious. "I wonder if Saucy's death is was a subtle frame-up?" said Zali. "This is completely nuts!" said Firefoot. Phantom said, "I have a plan but I'm not saying what it is." Zali looked at him moon eyed and mistily while the others clicked their tongues or rolled their eyes. Toward noon, Celuien announced that the Salty Seal would stay open for business. The villagers gathered there for food and drink. Mormegil opened the discussions anew by pointing out that Diamond was talking an awful lot. "What's she trying to hide behind so many words?" "So much depends on who the evil wizard is!" said Eomer. "I think it's Valier," said Nilp. "I vote for her." And so the lynch vote began over lunch. Lalaith became the quick receiver of two votes, noticeably one from her own orphan charge, Oddwen. It was not a complete surprise that Diamond turned on her husband and voted for his lynching. Of course, she had warned that she would be quite willing to vote for members of her family, but no-one had taken her seriously until it happened. Some whispered behind their hands to each other, glancing evilly at the battledore maker. Others aimed an eye at Nogrod and wondered if his wife knew something about him that it would do all of them well to know. Soon the voting coalesced around two primary nominees: Nogrod and Oddwen. The Nogrod camp considered the filthy, insane child to be hardly a serious threat. "How can such a poor thing turn into a werewolf at night? Or have the twisted intelligence needed to be the evil wizard?" Meanwhile, the Oddwen camp said "She's being a bad girl." Luckily for her she was apparently not being a bad girl enough. The final tally was 11 votes for Nogrod, and 6 for Oddwen. They bound him and led him to the beech tree, strung up the rope, and set him on the stool. "Do you have any final words, Nogrod?" "It's sad to leave a good life so early," the gaffer said. "Sorry family. Your daddy was a nice person once, but then something just meddled his mild-mannered mind." "Kick the stool already!" cried Diamond, hands on hips. Nogrod grinned. "Bye-bye everyone!" "Oh, I'll do it!" Diamond groweled, and came up to kick the stool. Then she shrieked and fell back. Nogrod's face began to ridge and his teeth enlarged. His nose grew into a snout, and he burst his bonds. With a roar he scratched and struggled at the noose, but Eomer and Phantom raced up and unsheathing their swords, they slew the monster with many strokes. Finally he lay on the ground, a mangle of matted adn bloodied flesh, his eyes alone red with werewolf-light. He hissed a last sibilant breath. Some heard whispered words of doom in that hiss. Shivering with the growing chill of the night, even more with the horror of the first werewolf revealed, they shuffled off to their homes, climbing under the covers even though the night was not cold. ~ The Tally ~ One evil wizard One good wizard Two werewolves One seer ~ The Dead ~ Elempi, father of Diamond of the Battledore, killed on Night One Loki the leech collector, lynched on Day One: innocent The Saucepan Man the barkeep, killed on Night Two: innocent Nogrod the retired jester, lynched on Day Two: werewolf ~ The Living ~ Diamond of the Battledore Celuien the Healer and Cupper Caranlondien the Sled-Team Driver Roa Aoife the weaver Dancing Spawn of Ungoliant the Baker Kath the minstrel Lommy the little girl who steals other children's candy Lhunardawen the jeweler Glirdan with the giant crush on Kath Valier the gardener Sleepy Ranger the former wanderer Kitanna the beloved of Eomer Firefoot the artist Alcarillo the old retired sea captain Cailín the match maker Oddwen the filthy, insane street urchin who steals chickens mormegil the retired mariner and current mayor Feanor the shepherdess with a love of alliteration Zali the seamstress and beloved of the phantom the phantom the loud, unpredictable, adventurer Naria the servant who empties and cleans chamber pots Jenny Hallu the unmarried maiden & aunt Lalaith the frivolous aunt and guardian of Oddwen Eonwe the freeloading husband of Lhunardawen Eomer the adventurer & lover of Kitanna Nilpaurion the ne'er do well hubby of Dancing Spawn Gurthang the stable-hand