Seekers of Truth RPG

[Firefoot]

By the time Harold finally left the inn it was past sundown. He mounted his mare and headed off at a slow trot, not wanting the horse to injure a leg in the deepening darkness. The darkness fit his mood. Negotiating with the mercenaries had not gone nearly so well as he had hoped. They had demanded more money than he had hoped, though not expected. He had been forced to pay them some money in advance, with the promise of more once the job was done. He had made it quite clear that he expected them at the estates early the next morning. He had not told them exactly who they were to kill, either; he had simply told him that a small armed group was coming to plunder his estates and kill him. He had given no reasons. Harold suspected that this was part of the reason the pay had been so high. Mercenaries usually liked to know what they were getting into.

When he finally arrived home he handed the horse off to a stable hand and hurried up to the house. He would be grateful when the day was done. He was surprised and slightly irritated to find his sons waiting for him at the house. Arthur appeared ready to leave and Samuel, if still hesitant about going, looked resigned to the fact.

“Do you need something?” he asked gruffly.

“No, not exactly,” said Arthur, seemingly taken aback. “We were just wondering how everything went, and what’s going on.”

“We have our mercenaries,” growled Harold. “And a bloody high price they want for the job. They had better do it right, or Sandrina’s head won’t be the only one I want. They are to be here first thing in the morning, and we will be leaving soon after that.” Silently, he added the words if all goes well. He had been unable to shake the earlier feeling that something was amiss, though he could see no basis for it. Harold continued, “Each of us will be bringing an extra mount in order to make better time. Be at the stables packed and ready to go by mid-morning. I don’t take kindly to waiting.” Arthur nodded, unperturbed. Samuel responded more slowly, but his answer too was in the affirmative.

“We will see you then,” said Arthur. With that both of them left the house. Harold climbed upstairs to his own bed and fell into a restless sleep.

~*~*~*~

The next morning dawned clear, despite the previous night’s ominous clouds. Harold arose with a groan and threw on some clothes suitable for travelling. Some dry bread was all he felt like eating for breakfast, and he bundled the rest of the food that would not spoil quickly into a bag to take along. He walked outside, expecting to see the mercenaries either waiting for him or riding up the road soon. Impatience rose within him as the minutes stretched on and they did not come. He had seen neither Sam nor Arthur yet, which also concerned and frustrated him. Does nobody but me understand how important this is...?

Harold was about to go round up his sons when he saw that a lone man was staggering up the road. He seemed to be exhausted. At that moment he picked up his head to look around. Harold could hear the relief in his voice when he called out, or tried to at any rate.

“Harold... thank Eru... I’ve gotten here... before... Sandrina...” With difficulty, the man was making his way up the slope towards Harold, and then Harold recognized him. It was Cerdic, the manager of the trading the estate did. He had been away to find out how much money people in other parts of Rohan were getting for their goods.

“Come up to the house, Cerdic, and tell me what you know, for it is clear you know something. You can have water and a place to sit as well,” said Harold. Cerdic nodded gratefully and followed him up to the house, still gasping for breath.

Once Cerdic had gotten his breath back up at the house, he began to speak. “I take it by the packed up state of the house you have received word of Sandrina?” Harold nodded, saying, “We had intended to leave this morning, as soon as the hired mercenaries arrived, but I have waited so long that we may well leave before they get here.” Cerdic continued, “I was in the same town as they were last night. Sandrina is gathering people to herself to come here and take the estate she claims as rightfully hers. She had intended to leave early this morning, and I fear they will be here soon. You see, I rode off as soon as I heard an adequate amount of their plans. I rode with speed through the night, but sometime around midnight my horse went lame and I was forced to leave him behind. I pressed on as hard as I could on foot, but I believe that it was slow enough that Sandrina will have made up a great deal of ground on me. If you want to leave before they get here, you must go soon.”

“Thank you, Cerdic,” said Harold. “Your news is appreciated, though it tells me little more than how little time I have. I had bargained on a couple days, at least. You may go now; you will want to get some rest, I imagine. If they should ask you, you know absolutely nothing about what is happening here. Say we left this morning without a word.” Cerdic nodded, and left. Harold sighed, rubbing his temples. Cerdic was one of the few people he felt he could trust. They had grown up together, as his parents had worked for Harold’s. He had no time to waste, now. He hurried outside to each of his sons’ houses.

“Hurry up, you lazy slowpoke! We are leaving in ten minutes! Get your brother too!” he yelled at Arthur’s door. “I’ll have your horses ready.”

With that Harold departed to the stables, retrieving each of the six horses he had selected last night. Three of them he saddled up to be ridden, saddlebags over their hindquarters. The other three wore only halters. They would switch off so that there were always fresh horses to ride. Within a few minutes Arthur and Samuel appeared, each dressed like himself for travelling on horseback. Harold almost expected Samuel to give one last argument, but he didn’t, much to Harold’s relief. He could not afford the time. They mounted up.

“We ride!” said Harold, and they were off, heeling their horses into a ground-eating canter.

[Crystal Heart]

Sandrina nodded in response. The time to leave was now. They had stayed too long in this Inn. Her cousin's men would undoubtedly be searching for them and this would probably be the first place that they looked.

"Let's go, before more danger arises," Sandrina stated.

The company walked outside in the brisk morning air, still dark from the lingers of night. Sandrina thanked one of the men that handed her the reigns of a horse. She jumped on and took a deep breath. This was the start of her rightful justice against them. Them that had created such hell for her in the last nine months.

Hama led the way, heading towards the Lightheart Estate. They travelled in silence through Rohan until they reached the golden fields and a large home and stables.

"Welcome home, Sandrina Lightheart," Hama whispered back at her. She gasped at the sight. It was just like the others, except it felt so.... so familiar. Memories flashed in her mind. Memories of her parents and all the happiness that was this house.

"Thank you, but I will not accept that I am fully home until my cousins and their father are brought to justice."

[Himaran]

As soon as the Lightheart Estate came into view, Raen's instincts began to kick in. Everything was wrong. They had rushed to the home without a plan for taking it back, or infiltrating it. He had to have a word with Hama. Urging his steed forward, the ranger came to a stop next to the man, sitting proudly in his saddle next to Sandrina. "Hama, what about her cousins? Doubtlessly they will have men hired to stop us."

"They have all cleared out, I am sure. Come, it is time to give back to Sandrina what is rightfully hers."

Not at the expense of her life!

Ignoring the man, Raen turned to Sandrina. "My lady, we must approach your home carefully. There may be guards, well-positioned and equiped. I do not wish for us all to be slaughtered." Which will probably happ if we waltz right up and knock on the front door! He waited for her to respond, hoping that his reasoning would be understandable.

[Crystal Heart]

Hama glared at Raen, shocked that he would go around him and straight to Sandrina. He had no idea who she was! What made him think that he could just, just... His anger bubbled up inside him, causing all thought to fly from his head. He watched as Sandrina looked farway in thought and wondered just what dilema was going on in her head. She of all people did not deserve to have to deal with this. She had been used as a pawn in her extended family's game. She had wandered around for nine months, not truly knowing her own name or where she was from. All of her memories had vanished when they had beaten her and now here she was being told that they could be slaughtered. What horrible thought could Raen have believed in? It was clear the woman had gone through enough trauma. She did not need to know that there was the possibility that she was having all of these people go forward to their death. His hands clenched angrily as he continued to watch Sandrina's face.



Sandrina had not thought about the fact that there could be a possibility that these people would die during this quest. That she would be asking them to give up their lives for justice. For her. The thought had not crossed her mind. Then again she had been trying vainly to recover all of her memories. She had thought that whatever memories she could retain would be of some use to them and had overlooked the threat on these kind people's lives.

"You are right Raen and I apologize for not thinking about it," Sandrina said, bowing her head slightly in shame.

Hama jolted his horse forward, in between Raen and Sandrina.

"She should not have to be sorry in any way. What are you doing Raen?" Hama hissed, his eyes narrowing. Sandrina placed a hand upon his forearm, trying to get his attention away.

"Please do not fight each other. We need to be a group. Undoubtedly they will be. If they find a faction within us they will destroy us. You will stop this right now Hama!" Sandrina commanded, rising up to her full height upon her mare. Hama looked over at her in shock.

"If you can not handle your emotions, Hama then you should not be in our quest. Can you handle yourself sir?" Sandrina asked sharply, narrowing her own eyes. Hama looked down and away, his cheeks flushing in embarssement. He took a deep, ragged breath and looked her straight in the eye once more.

"Yes, Sandrina Lightheart I can handle myself. Do whatever you feel is correct."

[Morsul the Dark]

Sam was tired, his will broken his body ached, grief clouded his mind. Sam looked ahead at his brother and father. If he were to say anything his father would not let him hear the end of it, but if he didn't say anything his conscience would drive him mad. There was nothing to do but act as their shadow, silently follow them. Like a shadow, yes that was the answer. "Shadows are invisible at night what if I return to the estate and tell our whereabouts to Sandrina and the others?" He whispered very quietly.

Harold looked back at him, "What are you mumbling about now? You know thisa is the only way." Harold drew back level with Sam and gave him a fatherly pat on the back, "Sorry about your guilt, but you know I'm right..." He sped forward past Arthur.

Sam looked up, "You may think it is the only way, I myself have other plans." Sam took out his pipe but as he did his horse hit a rock and fell breaking its knee. "Blast!" Sam cried.

Harold and Arthur looked back Harold had turned an odd toned red and Arthur sat silent. "You fool your a waste of time and money I should have left you behind where you would cause no more trouble get your other horse and ride it will have to bear the extra burden!" Harold yelled scaring a flock of birds from a nearby tree.

Sam threw off all his baggage except two loaves of bread and a cantene of water. "That should lighten your load." Then he looked at his other horse and began to tend to its knee.

"We don't have time for nonsense leave it to die!" Harold shrieked.

"Then ride on without me! I will not let Wisetail die!" Sam cried tears of anger streaming down his face. His horse's knee had broken before so he knew it would take a few weeks before he could walk again with this in mind he began to gather grass and other vegetation that he could eat and dug a hole that would with luck fill with water when it rained. He washed the wound and bound it with an extra shirt. "FRare well wise tail and when you mend may you find your way home. Harold and Arthur had gone ahead so Sam scribbled out a note outlining their plans and tied it to wisetail's mane. "May Eru watch over you." he gave wise tail a pat on the head then mounted the secondsteed and rode off. He finally caught to Arthur and Harold. There was silence for quite some time after that.

[Himaran]

Raen was so taken aback by Hama's remarks that he slackened the pace of his horse to a near stop; with Sandrina's rebuke of the man still ringing in his ears. For a brief moment resentment flashed through him. Who was Hama to speak with such scorn? He had not spent months in the wilderness searching for the woman, but acted as though Raen should have nothing to do with her. Was it... anxiety? Jealousy? Or perhaps overprotectiveness... but whatever the cause, the ranger was not about to let it lead them to their deaths, and he tried to view his quick conversation with Sandrina as a success.

He quickly turned to Braedon. "We should approach on foot. It will be far less noticeable. Who knows what is waiting down there." The ranger nodded, and they both trotted their horses back down the path and dismounted, tying the halters to a tree. Raen readied his bow, pulling a shaft from his quiver and setting it on the string. The pair moved back up the hill to where the others remained on their horses, conversing.

"We're going to scout ahead," said Raen, which drew a nod of thanks from Sandrina and no response from Hama. Pushing the frustration from his mind, he followed Braedon down the hill in a crouch. Quickly reaching a band of trees, they spread apart and checked for sentries; bowstrings taunt. No one was in sight outside the estate. But it was sound, not sight, that brought the rangers the information they needed.

In the distance, a horse neighed, as if in pain. An angry voice was heard also, and then another. An argument among the enemy, most likely. "Run back and get the others," Raen whispered to Braedon. "We can approach unseen from this angle, and the trees extend almost to the far wall." The man was already on his way back up the hill before the sentence was complete.

Raen turned back, wondering if the enemy he so desired to meet was slipping right through his fingers.

[starkat]

As they had approached the estate, Anora had grown more determined to make certain that Sandrina remained unharmed. Feeling for the blade at her side had become an instinctive movement for Anora on their journey.

She had stayed close to Sandrina, but had remained quiet. Her time had not yet come. She watched as Hama and Raen had begun arguing. I hope they figure this out. The whole point of this mission is to reunite Sandrina with her parents.

Raen and Braedon rode off to scout ahead and Anora walked her horse in front of Sandrina. Her friend looked at her in confusion for a moment and then nodded. Anora breathed a sigh of relief. I am glad that did not come across as being heavy handed. I just want to protect her.

Her hand rested on the hilt of her blade. Suddenly Anora caught the faint sounds of someone coming towards them. She pulled her sword from it's sheath and Hama did the same. When Braedon came out of the trees everyone waited for him to explain.