Hunt for the Palantíri RPG

[piosenniel]

The wind was picking up. Even below the surface of the bay, Rôg could feel the water pushing this way and that with a stronger force. He rose up toward the surface, poking his head through a hole in the thin ice. It was sleeting, turning to flakes of heavy snow here and there. With the increasing change for the worse in weather, came a dimming of the natural light. It grew dark the further down he dove and he had to feel his way along with snout and flipper for anything that might be the palantir. A few promising rocky formations had been pushed and prodded against, but none yielded the smaller globe. He remained persistent, despite the worsening conditions. Two hours, though, of diligent searching brought no results. Luindal called him aboard, saying they needed to move the ship into the deeper waters of the bay to avoid being pushed up on the sandbar by the surging waves.

Once Rôg was aboard, the Elves weighed anchor and unfurled the mainsail, preparing to head into the interior of the bay. The wind lashed at the sail as it was hoisted, driving the ship through the waves at a rapid rate. Below, on the deck, the crew who were busying themselves with securing anything on deck against being washed overboard in the increasing storm. The main mast groaned as the sail filed out with the powerful gusts of wind. And a number of times Elves near it peered up the length of it to see if there were any reason it had begun to also make a sharp creaking sort of sound.

Luindal had just come up to see what was left to be done, when one of the crew called out a warning. An especially strong breeze had slapped itself against the sail in a sudden squall. The mast groaned as the sailed pulled on it and twisted as another gust of wind hit it from a different angle. With a crack, a long section of the wooden mast in the upper half of its length, snapped in two, and heaved toward the deck. Elves scrambled to secure the sail and the broken length of mast before it washed into the bay. The captain ran to give assistance, but was stopped short at a call from his first mate. pointing back to the sandbar and the area of it fronting on the bay.

The Corsairs! It seemed they had taken rapid advantage of the Elven ship’s retreat and now its misfortune and had pulled in close to the sandbar with a number of their longboats, preparing to make their own search for the other palantir. Luindal ordered a few of the crew to keep an eye on the Southrons’ ship, while he and others repaired the mast as hastily as was possible . . .

[Child of the 7th Age]

At first, Luindal had no idea how this mishap could possibly have happened. He had carefully inspected all the rigging and the mast the morning before. Everything had been in perfect shape at that time. The wind blowing through the Bay was brisk, but not so forceful that a healthy main mast could be sheered off from the force of the storm.

Luindal worked steadily with his crew to rig up a gerrymandered sail on the lower half of the mast. It would at least give them limited ability to maneuver the ship till they could put in at port again to secure another mast. Yet all the while the Elf worked, he was furiously reflecting on how this could possibly come about. It must somehow be linked, he reflected, on the unexplained incident from last night when the Corsairs had been discovered in barrels that the merchants had loaded onto the ship. Exactly what had Marreth been trying to accomplish then? Undoubtedly, he wanted his men to stay hidden until the barrels were stowed in the hull. At that point, late at night, the Corsairs could creep out and visit all manner of havoc on both the men and the ship Still, the risk of discovery was unacceptably high, and Marreth must have known that. It was common practice for the Captain of a ship to check two or three random containers to make certain the merchants had properly packed and transported the goods. And while some of the barrels were filled only with supplies, a great many also hid a stowaway. The odds were quite good that the Corsairs would be discovered before they ever got below deck.

Perhaps the real reason for the incident was that it was planned as a diversion, to take the Elves' attention away from something else that was suposed to happen. A grimace of realization passed over Luindal's face as he gestured to his men to halt their work. He quickly mounted the main mast and climbed to the spot where it had snapped in two. Closely examining the jagged spears of wood, he could see what appeared to be the bottom half of a smooth tunnel bored expertly through its very center. He glanced over at a rope that now swung free: a small piece of parchment had been painstakingly tied to it at some earlier point. Ripping the dagger from his side, he sliced through the rope, retrieved the note, and quickly scanned it.

Grim faced but silent, Luindal climbed downward and thrust the message into the outstretched hands of Rôg and Galhardir who were both waiting at the base of the mast. Rôg looked it over and quipped, "Marreth, again! He is like a cat with a dozen lives. You never know where he'll turn up next. Strange, though," he pondered, "that he should write with such a scholar's hand."

[Arry]

‘Scholar or no,’ said Annû drawing near to where Luindal and the others stood, ‘the man is a black-hearted scoundrel and a common thief.’ He drew their attention to where the longboats of the Corsair ship had been lowered and were now slowly scouring the area where the large globe had been found previously by the Elves. they could see that there were Lossoth with the Corsairs, and that they had brought seals to use in the hunt for the globe. ‘He still means to have the smaller palantir with no thought to the cost of obtaining it. He’s a single-minded blackguard it would seem.’

Annû nodded to where Elwë stood at the Ship’s railing, his eyes straining for a glimpse of Andtuariel. ‘This incident with the mast will not be the last of his tricks to keep us from securing both the stones. He’ll use our own better nature against us, I’m sure of it. Offering her safety as a reward for letting them have both the stones. We mustn’t trust him, no matter what he promises.’

[Regin Hardhammer]

Marreth’s excitement rose as the Corsairs raced towards the wounded Elven ship. The other Palantiri was bound to be somewhere nearby. Marreth called in the Lossoth trainers and told them to send out their seals. “And they better find the Stone or there will be a new item on the menu tonight,” he snarled. He would not stand to lose the Palantiri again, especially with such a prime opportunity. The trainers called their seals and instructed them to search the vicinity where the other had been found. After watching the seals glide downwards through the icy waters, Marreth look once more at the Elveh ship. He saw them working frantically to try and rig up a sail, and laughed giddily at the sight. Fools, thought Marreth, no one can save them now. Soon after the other Palantiri was in his grasp, Marreth would spring his attack and capture the one the Elves held. He would take no prisoners, and especially relished the thought of watching that fool Luindal walk the plank.

“Get ready mates,” he ordered. “After those seals find the Palantiri, we’ll have to use the winch and pull it up with the net. Make sure that both are working.” Several crewmembers ran towards the devices to examine them. Minutes crawled by as he waited for the seals to arrive and Marreth felt as if he were stranded in the middle of the sea waiting for the wind to pick up. Infernal beasts, he thought, never did us any good. It will be a miracle if they come back at all.

Then, just as he was about to vent his frustration on the seal trainers, he heard a distinct barking sound in the distance. He ordered the crew to follow the noise and, after arriving at its source, Marreth smiled warmly as he saw a circle of seals.

“Lower the net slowly,” cried Marreth, “Give the seals a minute to push the Stone into the net, and when you pull it up be careful. We don’t want to break or lose it.”

One of the seals again surfaced as four members of the Corsair crew began turning the crank at a steady pace, eagerly awaiting the prize. After a few moments, a black opaque stone, smooth as a pearl, appeared caught in the net. Marreth rushed towards the net as it was pulled on board, pushing the others out of the way. Trembling with excitement, he lifted the stone in his hands. It was heavy, but not burdensome for Marreth, who was strengthened by years of battle.

Stroking the Stone repeatedly with his palm, Marreth gloated: I have one of the legendary weapons of power. Let Lord Castamir take heed!

“Onward,” barked Marreth, “Set a course straight for the Elven ship. We will approach her while she is still dead in the water and slaughter all on board. Spare only the Captain. I have special plans for him.”

With that Corsair ship set a course right for the stranded vessel.

[Kitanna]

Nilak had brought his two best seals to help find the last stone. He leaned over the ship and whistled for the seals. Their heads surfaced in the dark waters and they barked happilay when they saw Nilak. "Kaltag, Eleri. You know what to do, do not fail me." He clapped his hands and let out one long whistle. The he pointed toward where the other trained seals were headed. Kaltag and Eleri took off without hesitation. Now all any one could do was wait.

Nilak stood by the ship's rail watched the icy waters waiting for the seals to return. As he stood he sensed someone behind him. He had a good idea who it might be. "Those beasts better find the stone." Sernir growled in Nilak's ear.

"They will. Those two are my best seals."

"They better be. Remember the reward that is at stake if your seals are not the ones to find that stone."

Nilak clenched his teeth together. Soon he will be gone and life can go on as it always has, Nilak thought.

~*~*~

It was theirs. The seals had found the second stone and now it was aboard the Corsair ship. It had not been one of Nilak's seals that found it, but after all that had happened he cared not.

Everyone crowded around Marreth as he held the stone. The captain looked at the stone without paying attention to anyone else. Everyone near the stone had a look of longing and jealously in their eyes as Marreth held the stone. Nilak also felt a pull toward the stone and it's power, but he was more curious.

What was so important? What power did this stone hold that so many men had died because of it? Nilak wanted to take it from Marreth and try to better understand it. He wanted to learn its secrets. Marreth turned his back to Nilak and the Lossoth's head cleared.

The captain yelled out orders to head for the Elven ship. Nilak grabbed some fish he had and threw them over the side for Kaltag and Eleri. He tried to forget about the stone, but his curiousity kept rising. Maybe he could try to sneak a peek when everyone else was on board with the Elves.

[Child of the 7th Age]

"Captain, look!" Galhardir pointed grimly towards the Corsair ship as the pirates began to reel in their line and haul the smaller of the Stones onto the deck. For an instant Marreth's ship halted as if its captain was uncertain whether to take his prize back to shore or continue on and try to seize the other Stone. Then, abruptly, the vessel turned and begin to bear down on them. Its path would bring it alongside the Spirit in a matter of only a few minutes.

Glancing anxiously towards the mast, Luindal signalled to the men who were working on the rigging. "We've got to get out of here and fast. Is the sail up and secure?"

Elwên's voice came back, "She's up, sir. The rigging has been repaired the best we could. But whether the lines are strong enough to hold, we can't know for sure."

"We've no choice," countered Luindal. "Go ahead and unfurl her." Then he shouted to the helmsman. "Get us out of here."

The Elves pulled at the lines trying to coax the sail to unfurl on the central mast. The storm had passed and the sea was once again silent. For a moment, the canvas lay limp and unmoving, waiting for a fresh breeze to come. The Corsair vessel continued to hold course as the distance between the two ships shrank. Then the wind picked up. There was a creak and a groan as the rigging pulled taut and the sail billowed to its fullest. Slowly, the great ship began to move.

Luindal glanced nervously at the groaning lines but the sail continued to hold true. "I've got her, Captain," the Elf at the helm cried out and the Spirit skimmed along the top of the waves, as if Ulmo's unseen hand pushed her gently from behind. Within a few moments, the ship had maneuvered out of the way of the Corsairs and had swung around to the west, positioning itself further from the sandbar.

Luindal's first thought was to make it into port and permanently repair the damaged mast. As much as he would have liked to confront Marreth and seize the other Stone, he was unlikely to have success in the shape they were in now. But just as Luindal was about to turn his ship about and race to the shore, Annû's voice rang out, laced with suspicion, "Sir, look again. The Corsairs have stopped dead in the water and they're signalling to us...." Annû grimaced and placed his palm about the hilt of his sword.

[Arry]

His hand went to the hilt of the sword hung from his hip. It was Carrandû’s blade; Annû wore it more for the comfort of having his brother with him still in some small manner, rather than for his ability to use it well. At his back was hung his bow, and now his hand went up to it, bringing into place in his right grip; his left hand hastening back for an arrow. He nocked one, loosely, keeping his eyes on the Corsair ship as he walked to the ships railing and leaned against it. They were still too far away, even for the strength of his bow. Three more ship lengths, he thought, and I can begin to pick them off.

His eye was caught by a struggle on the southron ship at the entrance to the below-deck passageway. A crewman had come up to the deck and was now pulling on something still in the passageway. A slender figure was pulled onto the deck with another crewmember shoving roughly from behind. A woman – her hands tied behind her struggle to free herself from the grip of the two Corsairs. Elwë had come up along side Annû; his attention focused on the events taking place across the water. ‘Andtuariel!’ he gasped out in strangled voice.

Annû clasped his fellow Elf on the shoulder. ‘Your crossbow, Elwë. Fetch it quickly. You will need it if we are to rescue her.’