The Great Golden Hoard Game Thread

[Valesse]

Valesseka jumped up for her spot on the ground, covered her brooch and humbley examined the well dressed Gondorian's boot-clad toes. She had recognized him to be the man who she had caught shouting at the Sea of Rhûn, and was starting to feel that he had quite an affinity for being boisterous, even if his calling out did make her feel a tad more secure.

"I would tell you my story, good sir, but I fear it would not be as marvellous as your own... I will make you a deal however, that I will tell you about me, if you do the same in return?" Very slowly a faint grin was growing on her face, some bit out of embarassment, but mostly from inexplicable giddiness. "That is... if it pleases my lord..." she nodded, boldly eyeing his shins. She had not expected someone to also head North like herself, but did not find his presense profoundly disappointing.

Lowering her head once more, Valesseka held her arms out in offerance to Éomeléo, "Please... sit. I'm from Arnor, so I fear my story is as long as the wind that carries it from me."

He seemed cheerful enough... but, she figured, he didn't really need the treasure if he could afford garbs like that.

[THE Ka]

"I see. Tis a tragic thing, for eventually, there will be no more Ents, or Entwives or Entings if the rest do not come back," Glirdingo said sadly. "But let us cast away these dark thought's and enjoy each other's company while the night lasts."

Kafkalina was once again awoken to that thought, if the entwives never returned. It had lingered of course, after the ents had discovered of their disappearance, all ents that she knew seemed to receed back into the deep of their forests, or became apathetic and endangered themselves to becoming treeish. It was also from this that some Huorns accepted to take up control in small patches here and there, and thus being confused for real ents by other peoples. The ents were more solitary now, that was true, and even more a mystery to other peoples of arda.

Maybe this journey was what I needed, to see the forest of this world for the trees again. I guess that this adventure will help make these last years the better.

Glirdingo seemed to be in a merry mood, and Kafkalina took it as a sign of the times as well, concerning the elves. The elves were almost in the same situation as the ents, but of course far better, she thought. Though, as old as the two peoples would be, and their time was slowly winding to a farewell, why not make them joyful ones?

" You are quite right fair Glirdingo, time has been given to mourning for the entwives, and we ents never give something so long to think unless it is worth such long thoughts, and of course, old enttish takes quite a long time to say anything in. It is why I am glad the elves were such kind creatures to teach us their speech and others, or this meeting with you would take a whole age to complete!"

Kafkalina gave a good laugh to this, it was indeed nice to speak with an elve again.

" Ho hmmm, well I have told you my story, would it be fine with you if I ask of yours? How have the elves been keeping themselves these long years? Hopfully much better than us ents."

[Glirdan]

" You are quite right fair Glirdingo, time has been given to mourning for the entwives, and we ents never give something so long to think unless it is worth such long thoughts, and of course, old enttish takes quite a long time to say anything in. It is why I am glad the elves were such kind creatures to teach us their speech and others, or this meeting with you would take a whole age to complete!" Kafkalina gave a good laugh to this, it was indeed nice to speak with an elve again. Glirdingo laughed heartily at this as well.

" Ho hmmm, well I have told you my story, would it be fine with you if I ask of yours? How have the elves been keeping themselves these long years? Hopfully much better than us ents."

"No problem, my dear Kafkalina. As you may know, there are three main settlements here in Middle-Earth. One, as you know quite well, is Lothlorien. There's one further North of us in the great forest of Mirkwood and one over the Mountains which is called Rivendell. We're all rather quiet settlements, but Rivendell seems to get more of the visitors than the rest of us, but perhaps that is because Lorien has a bad name in the countries surrounding the borders and Mirkwood is home to plenty other strange creatures. But, we are doing quite well. Keep ourselves to ourselves really. But I do not know how much longer this peace will last," Glirdingo said sadly. "There's something stirring in my heart which tells me that there is to be great trials in the future and that the time of the Elves is wanning." He looked around him sadly. He had known Middle-Earth all his life. It was his home. He didn't want to leave it, yet he knew in his heart that one day he would. But now was not the time. "Time to put these thoughts to the back of my mind and enjoy the time we do have left."

He wiped a single tear, which was running down the side of his cheek, the the back of his hand and looked back up at the Ent. "But, my dear Ent, I do believe I shall bid you goodnight. Need my rest for the next leg of this race, just as you do. I do hope to speak to you again. This was wonderful and it was wonderful to see one and Entwife before I passed off into the West or into the Halls of Mandos. So, have a good night sleep my fair Ent and I wish you luck in you're journey tomorrow."

After saying goodnight, Glirdingo walked back to where he had left his stuff. "That was quite a nice chat. I just hope that I'll be able to see more of this world before I pass off into the West. Perhaps this race is exactly what I needed. Something to get me out into the world and discover what I can. I believe, after this, I shall take to the roaming life," he thougt to himself thoughtfully. "But for now, I need rest." With that, he sat down and began his nightly meditation.

[Valier]

The first night passed quickly as the adventurers snoozed away. The dawn broke with a glorious sunset spilling colour like jewels of orange and gold over the land. The adventurers awoke to a dewy morning, as they readied for the day ahead.




Day 2 has now begun. You have 36 hours to complete your tasks.

Yesterdays favorite daily post goes to.........Kafkalina and her thistle armour!! She will move twice as far as the other adventurers today only.

Players you may now pm me your direction choices.



Oh and don't mind the big yellowish spot on the map.........

[Glirdan]

Instead of continuing on straight (like he knew that some other would do), Glirdingo decided to branch off to the left and see what would happen there. He was walking along, enjoying the warmth and light from the sun, taking rests here and there for food and water breaks.

It was about midday when he was taking a short lunch break when something happened. He was just seraching through his sack for his canteen and a thing of lembas bread when he heard a noise in the shrubbery close by. He straightened up and drew his bow and arrow in the blink of an eye, squinting at the bush where he heard then noise. Then he saw it move again and loosed the arrow and out of the bush fell a hog, female by the looks of it.

It was then that he heard squeals nearby. "Uh oh... I don't think that was the brightest thing I've done," he thought to himself as two hogs thundered out of the brush (male this time) and charged at him. He turned and ran as fast as his feet could carry him. The hogs weren't far behind. He jumped into the air to grab at a low hanging tree branch and hauled himself up on the tree. The hogs thundered by underneath, not noticing that their quarry had eluded them. "Definetly not the smartest thing I've done," he panted.

He waited a little until he caught his breath and was sure the hogs had found their way home another way before jumping out of the tree. "I think I'll avoid that pig that I caught. "Maybe one of the other hunters will pick it up and decide to try their luck with that lot of pigs," he thought pensively.

It was then that he remembered that he had forgotten his things by the dead pig."Again, not the smartest thing I've ever done," he thought, exahspereated. He took his time going back, in case the pigs hadn't returned and decided to charge at him again. He was lucky, they had returned some time ago and he found his belongings and the trail without a further hitch.

He walked along, hoping that the pigs wouldn't pick up his scent. Again, his luck had held out. The pigs, who were trying to find food at that time, had gone back into the den.

"Well, that's the last time I shoot at a bush without first calling out to it!" he thought, a weak smile creeping up as the sun shone brightly on his face as he continued his journey.

[THE Ka]

Kafkalina woke much better than she had begun the day before, and traveled with great ease and stride. This soon brought the ent very far, and to a very surprising sight. The fields had slowly been giving way to small hills, which soon seemed to drop off the horizon into a gorge. It was a dry mouth of the earth, with no river, most likely its founder, in sight. Kafkalina stood back and looked down into the great dry casm. In the rocky and deep gorge there were a few points that rose up out of the ground below, and not much else.

Ho Hmmm! What a way to find oneself. I couldn’t walk around this great hole in the earth, and climbing down and across looks to be too much time, it would take me at least four days whole. Hmmm, if there was a way to possibly go from those high points to other high points, I could cut my travel in half with careful planning. I need something strong and flexible, maybe there is a log around.

The ent looked for a log that might fit this purpose. Others might consider felling a large tree to fit this purpose, but being an ent this was highly obviously out of the thought and idea of Kafkalina, as she definitely was not bent with such malice as might belong to the Huorns of Sauron or other fell creatures. Since there was naught but rocks and dry land, nothing but small shrubs and scraggly plants grew to the side of the earth. Kafkalina could not rely on that of the earth anymore, as to use rock and stone however great to fill a path across the gorge would take far too long. This time it would call for a much more demanding sacrifice on the ent’s half.

Oh great earth scourges! Ents were not meant for this! Wait, I think I do have an idea now. Ents definitely were not meant for this, since not all ents are the same tree, thank great Yavanna for that… I am forgetting myself entirely in this matter, and the work I have done for the past two ages it seems. We ash trees must be defensive, for many a woodsman values our bark and wood since we are strong and most elastic for bows and spears. Oh, I sound horrible now, talking of myself as if I was a commodity! Has it really come to this then?
Well, if only for myself I guess I can make such a pole of wood with which to travel. I will need to make much ent draught after this, possibly when I reach Mirkwood. That is, if I ever do make it that far. Oh bless my bark, I hope this works!

Kafkalina then buried her shame at this fact that she would need to take from herself as if she came hunting mercilessly with an axe, and found the ent wine in her bag. Looking far and wide to make sure that no tree was watching this, the ent began to drink the invigorating draught slowly, but steadily. Soon, one of her top most branches along with a few hundred leaves here and there, began to grow rapidly. Soon it was long enough that the ent had to sit on the ground from becoming too top heavy. After a time, the branch had now become a long enough log that with good luck would help her vault from the sides of the small peaks within the gorge. Carefully taking a sharp rock found nearby, Kafkalina readied to remove the branch as quickly as could be done.

Ho Hmmm! Yavanna help me that this doesn’t turn for the worse!

Quickly, and with as much force, Kafkalina removed the branch. The ent slowly arose and felt the top of its head. The branch was indeed removed, and it indeed was painful for awhile. Drinking more ent wine and allowing sap to cover the top of her head, the sharp pain left and was slowly throbbing away, as she prepared the branch to become a pole.

Well, it could have been worse, I could have missed. Bah Hmmm! I don’t need such thoughts right now, time to try this pole. It better be well worth the sacrifice I put into it!

The ent carefully planned out the position of the pole as it scaled down the side of the gorge, and finding a side jetting out far enough, the ent made for the first high spot. Being as flexible and strong as to her namesake, the ent made it with a some difficultly as it steadied itself on the narrow top. Slowly, and with much precision, Kafkalina carefully made it far enough to reach about a mile from the top of the other side. There she decided to walk and climb carefully the rest of the way, and reached finally the other side.

Today had been a trying day, and as the ent stopped to rest, she knew that what she gave in would certainly be able to be rewarded later, whether she was able to reclaim lost land or no.

[Valesse]

Waking just early enough to see the brilliant colors of the rising sun, Valesseka quietly started to put together her pack stealling careful glances at the sleeping Gondorian. If she was careful, she could be a hour or more ahead of the nobleman before he could make his breakfast. Éomeléo could stand some more sleep, she figured, smirking to herself. For his beauty rest and my wealth.

Sneaking small bites of stale bread, Valesseka hurried northward away from the river and out into a vast field billowing like the angry waters of the sea. The wind had picked up noticably as she ventured into the plain, which made the burning sun more tolerable. It'll be a shame if that Lord goes a different way... She huffed, hair blowing down in her face, forcing her to quickly forget about her previous thought. With a growl she man-handled it back behind her ear just in time to be hit with a blast from Manwë.

"Gracious!" She gasped, the wind was taking a turn for the worst, and walking was starting to become more laborious than it should have to be, especially with her sail of a skirt. To add insult to injury she could feel her precious face burnning with the intense gales of wind, so the girl hastily pulled her wool shawl over her head and close to her cheeks. Relieved for a moment that she would be able to save her complexion from the elements, Valesseka sighed and continued further into the plain. But her relief was short lived.

Surging again, a mighty gust forced the Arnorian to check her balance, and in the process carried off her shawl. Valesseka squawked loudly and chased after the run-away article as fast as the terrible wind would allow. Just out of reach each time she bent down, or tried to pin it with her stave, the shawl took to the air, then tumbled across the ground only to be tossed in another direction. Valesseka became more and more infuriated at the thought of loosing what would be one of her capes. There are mountains coming! Mountains! I -need- this shawl! I can't give it up! She also knew the longer she chased it around the plain, the longer Éomeléo had to catch up with her... or that the other adventurers had to get toward that treasure, and this, simply, was unexceptable.

Swallowing hard, Valesseka pulled her throwing axe off of her hip and waited for the shawl to tumble on the ground again. Wincing as she did, Valesseka threw the axe soundly onto the shawl, making an alarming gash across a corner, but none the less pinning it to the ground. Mournfully she pulled the axe off of the shawl and put it back on her hip before examining the damage. It would be alright... if one could ignore the gash... scoffing at her own impulsive rescue, Valesseka carefully wraped the shawl around her head and shoulders before pinning it to the rest of her attire with her prized brooch.

Valesseka was sure this meant that she earned herserlf an good sound meal, though cursed that the wind and her poor packing ensured that this was impossible. She would have to settle for jerky.