[Child of the 7th Age]

Harad/Umbar

Urken's fingers tightly grasped the pommel of his sword as he watched the party approaching from an easterly direction. The kings were mounted on oliphaunts as were two of their advisors. The giant beasts plodded slowly forward, the men atop their backs using the accustomed pointed rods to control both their direction and gait. About the feet of the beasts marched a goodly number of foot soldiers. Most of these carried spears and large oval shields which concealed the upper part of their bodies. The two kings were being careful in having the men assume a defensive posture. Urken would not have expected less.

Urken extended a hand in greeting to the strangers, dutifully nodding his head to acknowledge their outward superiority in rank. Beyond this gesture, however, he was not prepared to go, nor did local customs or laws compel him. For a warrior-priest represented a fount of authority separate from that which legitimized a king.

"Greetings, royal representatives from Harad. Welcome to Umbar. I think you will find the harbor holds exactly what you need to help you find your way to Minas Anor. Although fewer in number than before the war, the ships are swift, and well appointed. We will speak later about the course of our voyage, the route that we must travel and how long that voyage may take. But, for now, we need to turn our attention to the matter at hand: to secure the two vessels needed to transport us and our beasts. And this must be done swiftly under cover of the night."

He nodded to Herumir and Fuinur to follow him inside the gates to the entrance of the underground tunnels. They dismounted the oliphaunts and walked cautiously forward, surrounded by their retinues. They peered about in all directions to ensure that there would be no ambush or other foul play. Looking down into the depths of the tunnels, they seemed to hesitate again, but then went forward, driven by necessity.

Urken extended his hands outward with palms raised towards the stars. "I give you my word, on he oath of a warrior-priest that no trick lies within these shadows. My own desire to reach Minas Anor is even greater than yours. I will not say that our goals or desires are the same, but for this part of the journey, our interests are identical."

He led them, their beasts, and their soldiers down the broad underground ramp in the direction of the harbor. As they marched forward, he explained his plans for the assault. "We will come out on the rocky cliffs which overlook the harbor. You will get a good look at the ships and how many men are guarding them. Our easiest approach would be to silently take out the guards on at least two of the ships and then occupy them by force of arms. All should be done swiftly and silently. If we are fortunate, we may sail out before extra forces are even called into the harbor. If not, we will have a tougher fight on our hands, but I am confident we can win."

"Two ships?" Herumir queried. "Who will command these two ships, and why would two be needed?"

Urken shook his head. "I have no need to command any of these vessels. Each of you may chose the one that you wish, and I and my men will come along on wherever you will have us. But two ships will be needed to house the number of retainers and beasts that we bring."

The kings drew aside and spoke with one another, and gave their consent.

"Good," said Urken. He told them he had several men skilled in slipping into secret places by swimming under water and then launching a silent assault on the guards who were awake. It might work best to start with these, and then follow with a few swiftly placed arrows and a boarding party. Hopefully, a number of the men on the vessels would be asleep.

Herumir growled, "I am not adverse to slitting throats when it is needed, but what if some beyond the guards choose to surrender and join our cause. These pirates have no firm loyalties and, as long as we line their pockets with gold, they may be of some use to us."

"Do as you see fit," said Urken. "Only trust them not until they have proven their worth."

Fuinur, who was skilled in methods of ambush, volunteered to join the underwater landing party who would first ambush the guards. Urken nodded his head in assent, and the forces made their way quickly to the harbor.

[ October 02, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]