Seekers of Truth RPG

[starkat]

Anora reeled in her seat when she heard the man address the woman at the bar. “Nine months is an awfully long time to go missing, Sandrina Lightheart"...

It can’t be! All the reports said she was dead! But she looks so much like Sandrina… Anora’s thoughts trailed off as she made up her mind. Getting to her feet, she walked over to the bar and took a closer look at the woman. When she saw the pendent around the woman’s neck, Anora knew.

She came up beside the man. “Excuse me. I heard you call her Sandrina Lightheart?” When the man nodded, Anora turned to the woman. “I have been watching you since you came in.” Her voice broke and for a moment her emotions got the best of her. She brushed some loose strands of hair out of her face. “You are Sandrina aren’t you? The pendent you are wearing, I recognize it.”

Anora watched the woman’s face for a moment. “I am Anora. Do you remember me?” Hope built as she waited for a reply.

[Crystal Heart]

Sandrina looked up at the man and woman that stood before her. They knew her name.

"You know me? I've been missing nine months? Oh, my head hurts so." She asked, a smile forming upon her soft lips at the thought of being recognized, of finally knowing that she was in the correct spot. Every where she had travelled no one recognized her. Except here. And they knew her name! Yet, she couldn't remember these people. She couldn't remember being in this Inn ever. She couldn't recall why their voices, or at least the woman's, seemed so familiar.

She watched as they nodded, looks of confusion on both of their faces.

"I was riding to somewhere, a place of trade I think. I can not remember. My cousins were with me. The horse got scared. I fell. That's all I remember. I had nasty brusies all over me and I could barely walk. My horse was dead beside me. Who are two? I have no idea what is going on anymore."

Sandrina put her head into her hands, hoping that this headache that had came with all her thinking about trying to remember would go away. Every second made it harder for her think and she just wanted it all to stop. She wanted to be home. Home. She jolted upward. She had a home. She had a family. Where these two people her family? As much as she wanted to believe they were, something in her heart told her that they weren't. She swallowed hard and tried to keep the smallest sliver of the memory of home inside her mind, but it slipped back behind the dark barrier that concealed almost everything from her.

"I can't remember anything. All of memories are gone. Except for a few. I just found out my own name a couple of minutes ago," Sandrina whispered in dispair, tears slipping from her eyes and down her face like sorrow filled rivers.

[Firefoot]

Harold had gotten his emotions under control, at least to the point where his face was cold, hard, and expressionless. The undercurrents of the room were tense, though, tense and uneasy. He was still furious, but he had learned through experience that the first step to getting an advantage over someone was to not let them know your feelings and motives.

Harold surveyed his sons. The option of mercenaries they had brought up was an interesting one, if not entirely sound. Mercenaries would fight for money, but a larger sum would just as easily turn them to the other side. They would need someone to keep them on task, someone like his men. He nodded very slightly to himself. That would work well.

“Mercenaries,” he said gruffly. “They might work for part of the plan. They won’t do it on their own. You there.” He swung his head to the six men standing to the other side. They had remained silent before, clearly not wanting to be on the wrong side of his anger. “You will stay at this house and set a trap for Sandrina when she comes, and she will come with others, mark my words. I’ll hire out some mercenaries, and you will be in charge of them. Make sure they hold up their end of the bargain.” Harold didn’t like putting that kind of trust in anyone, but sometimes trust had to be given. He turned back to Arthur and Samuel. “We three are leaving, by tomorrow at the latest. I have no idea when Sandrina will show up here, but I want to be long gone by then.” He noticed that Samuel looked to Arthur before showing his approval. Samuel had always been too soft for Harold’s taste, as much as he had tried to harden him. Harold knew he preferred the nickname Sam, and to Harold this was another sign of his weakness, and insisted on calling him by his given name. Arthur was more to his liking, but he had still failed in what leadership Harold had given him.

Harold supposed that his sons dared not dispute his plan, and if they did Harold would not let them hear the end of it. He ran his cold blue eyes over Samuel and Arthur, daring them to disagree with him.

[Arien]

“Nine months is an awfully long time to go missing, Sandrina Lightheart"...

Braedon stopped, his hand on the door. Sandrina... Lightheart?... He turned; the man had addressed the woman. Crystal. Or was it Sandrina? He moved to the bar, listening to the conversation between the two. Then another woman approached.

She too addressed her as Sandrina. Two people? Surely they couldn’t have got it wrong! This had to be the one that they had searched for, and given up on. He shook his head, how could they have thought her to be dead?

Braedon waited, and listened to Sandrina as she talked to the two. “I can't remember anything. All of memories are gone. Except for a few. I just found out my own name a couple of minutes ago” She spoke softly, as tears filled her eyes. So she could not remember, this would explain her behaviour; this would perhaps explain why none could find her.

He turned around and leant on the bar, Sandrina looked a little too overwhelmed with everything at the moment. He eyes searched the Inn, could it be possible that someone else here recognised the girl? It did not take him long to see the Ranger at the other end of the bar, his eyes were intent upon the woman. He looked somewhat familiar...

...Yes that was it, he was also on the search for this woman. Braedon made his way towards him.

“Its her...” the Ranger whispered as Braedon approached.

“I believe it is. It is the name she remembers and those two beside her seem to know her.”

“Well this was unexpected.” He replied tearing his eyes off her, turning to face Braedon, “Raen.”

“Raen, yes now I remember. I am Braedon.”

“Of course, what may I ask are you doing in these parts? I am sure that most returned to Gondor and Eriador when the search was ended.”

“If what you ask is if I knew she would be here. I did not. It is just by chance that I should see her. I was in Rohan on quite a different errand, but I believe that my plans may have to be changed for now.”

“I agree. But her parents, no one know where they are. They moved deeper into Rohan when we abandoned the search.” Raen looked back to Sandrina, and took a sip from his mug.

“We must at least approach her. Let her know what she needs to.” Raen nodded, he rose and the two headed over to the three.

[The Perky Ent]

"Pack?" Arthur shouted at Harold. "How far will we tread from the estate?" he said, as he collected things from Harold's house for him to pack later. "We leaving this place all together! At least, until that wretched girl is killed. You heard the plan. We leave our men here, we'll get some mercinaries, leave them here. Our lives or at stake! Better leave the fighting to them!" Harold began going through a pile of cloths on the floor, and putting them on a table. "I know! I know! It's just...these men have as much to fear as we do. They aren't exactly Sandrina's best friends! What if they run too! Sandrina will bring her father and reclaim her land. We'll loose everything! And as for the mercinaries, they're getting harder to find every day! Without orcs, their need has decreased. There's so many risks!"

Harold was silent. Arthur knew that rage was building up. "You're right! Of course, you're right! The plan won't work. We'll just draw our swords and meet them when they come. Sure, we'll be outnumbered three to one, but that doesn't matter! Right? It's better just to stay here!" Harold said in a sarcastic, yet fatherly tone.

"Really?" Arthur said inquisitivly. "No! Idiot child! Have I taught you nothing? What is in that thick skull of yours? Because it obviously isn't brains! I've had it up to hear with you! I'm not going to wait here to die. We have little choice, but I'd rather be a living coward than a brave corpse!" Arthur blushed, nodded his head slowly, and left the room. Getting his horse, Arthur road with his brother through the estate.

"Do you think the plan will work, brother?" Samuel said to Arthur as they galloped across a vast plain of short grass. "Honestly? I don't trust father's friends. They're about as brave as he is. While we're gone, they could loot the whole estate and run. No doubt they'll run to Gondor. They'll be safe there. King Elessar isn't big on death. I don't really like him very much, or any ruler for that matter. As far as I'm concerned, they should keep their fat noses out of other peoples business! The less government, the easier it is!" "Well, King Eomer is good for one thing" Sam said. "And what's that?" Arthur asked his brother calmly. "Pipeweed"

After a long ride, they reached the old well. It had marked the divider between Arthur and Samuel's land since their father re-established the Lightheart estate. "Well, I'll be seeing you, brother" Samuel said to Arthur, riding off into the horizon. "Well," Arthur said, taking a deep breath, "Time to pack!"

[Himaran]

The two rangers moved through the inn slowly, not wanting to rush up to Sandrina while she was clearly upset. Raen watched carefully as she wiped her eyes and began speaking to the man and woman that obviously were past friends. Any doubt he had previously harbored was gone; it was her, and after all those months in the wildnerness he was stunned. Where had she been? The ranger had scoured every inch of the surrounding forests but had found no trace of the supposedly "dead lady." And here she was, alive and apparently unharmed... physically, at least.

Sandrina turned, seeing them approach. "Excuse me, Miss," said Raen, trying to act calm. "My companion and believe we have seen you before. Perhaps you could shed some light on our suspicion."

"Perhaps, your name is not Chrystal," added Braedon; who had spoken to her before. The woman looked at them, then back at the others, as if realizing that they really did recognize her.

"No. Its Sandrina." She paused. "At at least I think it is."

"Who are you two," said the man beside her, although not in an unfriendly voice.

"I am Raen. This is Braedon. We were among those who searched for Sandrina, although the search ended half a year ago. It seems now, however, that it was not entirely unsuccesful."

The man's rigid features softened. "Hama, a friend of the Lighthearts. Thank you both for looking. But it seems that Sandrina has rendered it all unnecessary." The four turned to her, waiting anxiously for conformation that their soaring hopes were well-founded.

[Morsul the Dark]

Sam went off towards his house, "I do not plan to pack," he thought to himself. "If they plan to run let them. I will not go just to please father. Father can go to the ends of the world he will still go to Morgoth's halls in the end, as I and my brother. Perhaps if I give up this way of llife now I will be spared." but then the thought of the money came to him. "So much money I could buy a new horse a new house and as much pipeweed as could be grown in a year."

Sam dismounted near a tree and sat down he began to smoke. His mind cleared and he concentrated. Would he flee or stay? Either way there was a chance of death. One slow and lonely, running away gave that. Or staying and fight, death by sword. Or the last option that just occured to him, If he stayed and surrendered perhaps he would be spared. But then he would have to give up his brother, that he did not want. It was a difficult decision.