Sailing Away RPG

[Child of the 7th Age]

For the moment, Bingo could do little but concentrate on the immediate problem at hand. He'd had no intention of getting in a fight with Samuel. His natural inclination was to avoid a fistfight at all costs. Usually, that meant slinking off with his brother to some secluded niche where they could commiserate. But there were no secluded spots on a raft, and Bingo felt he couldn't just sit still, waiting to be bashed over the head.

The water at this point in the river was definitely over their heads. Some of the lads looked to be in trouble. While frantically treading water and trying to decide what to do, Bingo spied an old tree stump that had a few live branches protruding out of it, growing in the middle of the river. It was a good thing he had spent so much time playing near and in the water. Collaring the nearest floundering hobbit, he scooped him up by the collar and swam over to the stump, dragging the lad behind him and shoving his body up onto a low-hanging tree branch. "Wait here!" he bellowed, as he swam off to retrieve one more hobbit who appeared to be having serious troubles.

The current was swift and even Bingo could not fight against it forever. If he had been on his own, he could have made it down to the raft or swum over to the side and scrambled out on the bank. But, relectant to leave the other lads alone, Bingo swam back to the sheltered stump and clung, panting, to its lower branches as he pondered what to do. All the while, their raft was floating further down the river. A few of the other lads had taken off to try and retrieve it. How they were going to get it back against the current, Bingo had no idea. Or maybe they could steer it over to the bank, while he and the other two hobbits in the tree carefully made their way downstream by wading through the muddy waters and reeds that ran near the shore. He looked downstream to see what was happening.

[Firefoot]

Sondo was absolutely furious. How much thought did it take to realize that you couldn’t have a fistfight on a raft? Now, everyone was in the water and the raft with all remaining supplies was floating away. Sondo could hardly be called a good swimmer, but the concept was not unknown to him and he could at least stay afloat without difficulty. With shaky strokes he took off toward the raft after only a moment’s hesitation. Without looking closely he saw that there was another hobbit swimming just behind him, also intent on the raft. Slowly the pair gained on it, and they ended up quite a way down stream before actually catching it. Fortunately, it had tipped but not flipped, and the supplies which had been secured to the raft had not been lost.

Upon catching the raft, Sondo knew that the next step had to be turning it to shore so that they could go back and rescue the other hobbits. Now that he had leisure to look, he saw that the hobbit who had joined him was Reggie.

“Reggie,” he said, “go to the other side of the raft. We need to get up at the same time so it won’t tip.” Sondo was out of breath from the swim but his voice still conveyed a no-nonsense tone. Reggie obeyed without question and the pair was able to simultaneously hoist themselves up onto the raft. Sondo was now thankful that they were about the same size and weight. He looked despairingly back up stream. Though peaceful seeming, the Brandywine’s current was strong, and the hobbits stuck in the river were dwindling.

“Now, we need to get the raft to shore and hurry back to help the others,” instructed Sondo. Reggie was one step ahead and held up the rope which had previously been used to tie the raft to the stream. Reggie had tied a loop in the end so that they could hopefully hook something on shore. He asked, “How about this?” and gave an experimental throw towards shore. The loop caught on a piece of driftwood, but as soon as tension was applied the log snapped.

“Try again,” encouraged Sondo. Reggie tossed the rope, and this time it caught a peculiarly shaped stone sticking up on shore. They held their breaths, and fortunately, the rope held. They swung around to the bank as the rope tightened, and soon they were able to hop onto dry ground. Sondo hurried upstream to unhook the rope from the rock, retrieved it, and sprinted back to where Reggie was holding the raft by the shore. Sondo took the rope, saying, “Go on ahead - see if you can help. I’ll follow soon.” Reggie nodded and hurried off as fast as he could. Sondo deftly tied the rope around a tree so that it ran from tree to mast, suitably securing the raft. He gave a quick tug to make sure the knot would hold and hurried after Reggie. He was already weary from the strenuous swim to catch the raft and his run from raft to rock and back, and now he was slowed by the need to take care not to stumble over a tree root in his fatigue. This was not how adventuring was supposed to go! He was already imagining the things he would say to Sam and Bingo. They had not even left the Shire yet, and already they were having difficulties! He hoped that things would be under control at the scene of the spill. Haste was needed, and so he dug in for a last spurt before finally arriving.

[Kitanna]

Marroc had been sitting on one side of the raft with Rory and Reggie. Rory was talking about he escape from his family. "I told my Ma, I was going, whether she objected to it or not." Rory stated proudly.

Clearly he was exaggerating, but Marroc wasn't going to say anything about it. "So you let all that tea go to waste?" Marroc was not the kind of Hobbit who would let any amount of tea or food to go to waste.

Rory smiled and laughed when Marroc made his comment. He just nodded. It was now Reggie's turn to tell his tale, but a fight seemed to be breaking out on the other side of the raft. Sam was yelling at Bingo for what seemed to be some sort of misunderstanding.

Sondo was trying to break Sam and Bingo up. Rory shouted a warning about tipping the raft, but no one listened. The next thing Marroc knew was that he was bobbing in the water and the raft was floating away.

Panic filled the young Hobbit. He was a terrible swimmer. "Help!" He desperately tried to keep himself afloat. Someone grabbed him by the collar, helping him toward safety.

It was Bingo. He pushed Marroc to a low-hanging branch. Marroc grabbed hold and gasped for air. "Wait here!" He instructed as he swam after another one of the Hobbits. Marroc just clung to the branch for dear life.

Now that he was safe Marroc's thoughts turned to the raft. What would happen to them if it was lost on the river along with all their food?

[Encaitare]

Reggie hurried along the riverbank, scrambling through grasses and mud. He glanced back to see Sondo still holding the raft safe, and scanned his surroundings for any of his companions.

He was angry with that Sam -- not only had he been picking on Bingo, but he had upset their entire raft! If he found that mean hobbit...

A cry broke his thoughts, which was probably for the best. He looked to see Marroc clinging to the branch of a tree, suspended over the water.

"Help!" Marroc called, seeing Reggie on the bank. Reggie wracked his mind but could not think of any way to reach him, hanging above the surface of the water like he was. The call came again, and Reggie began to get scared. What if he couldn't do anything? He began feeling around in his pockets for something that would aid him. Nothing in his front pockets, nothing in his shirt pocket -- aha!

In his back pocket, Reggie's fingers closed around a piece of thin rope. He pulled it out and was dismayed to see that it wasn't particularly long, only a few feet. He thought quickly, and decided that his idea was worth a try.

"Marroc! Get closer to the bank if you can! Move along the branch!"

Marroc looked frightened, and tentatively let one hand go to swing himself a little closer to the trunk.

"That's good, come on," said Reggie, dreading that at any second he would hear a plop, and then Marroc would be out of his aid. But at long last, Marroc was several feet closer.

"The branch is too thick," he called to Reggie. "I can't hold on for much longer..."

"You're going to have to let go," Reggie said, "and then swim towards the bank. Then I'll throw the rope in and you can grab on!" He hoped that Marroc was a decent swimmer...

[Kitanna]

Marroc was clinging for dear life to the branch. Any second he could be swept away. His thoughts went to his family. They would never know. He could die and his family would never know where to look for him. Marroc could not die like that. He had to get to safety.

Reggie was on shore. "Help!" Marroc cried, trying to get Reggie's attention.

The other Hobbit heard Marroc's cry for help and came to his aid. He searched his pockets looking for something, looking for anything that would help him pull Marroc in. Marroc's heart sank when it seemed Reggie had nothing. He was going to have to swim to Reggie.

Reggie pulled a piece of rope from his back pocket. Marroc's spirits rose until he saw just how small the rope was. "Marroc! Get closer to the bank if you can! Move along the branch!"

Marroc started to move slowly along the branch. He let go with his left hand and swung himself close to the trunk. He would not dare let go with both hands. Reggie was on shore shouting encouragement to him. Inch by inch he drew closer to Reggie and the shore, but the closer Marroc got to the trunk the thicker the branch was. He little hands would not be able to hold on much longer.

"The branch is too thick. I can't hold on for much longer..." Marroc dreaded the only solution he could see to this problem. He was going to have to let go and try his luck at swimming.

"You're going to have to let go," Reggie said, confirming Marroc's fear. "and then swim towards the bank. Then I'll throw the rope in and you can grab on!"

Marroc was frozen with fear for a moment. He was no swimmer and the current was so strong. He took a few deep breaths, each time swearing he'd let go and each time failing to do so.

"You can do it, Marroc!" Reggie called. "I won't let you go under."

Marroc stuck in some air and let go of the branch. Marroc went under right away. He kicked furiously and resurfaced. He kept kicking, desperately trying to get within reach of the rope. Reggie cast the rope out and Marroc grabbed hold. Again he went under, but this time Reggie was able to pull him out.

Marroc kicked, Reggie pulled and soon Marroc could feel Reggie pulling him out of the water and onto the shore. He couldn't decide what to do first. Hug Reggie for saving his life or kiss the ground. He grabbed Reggie and gave him the biggest hug he could muster. After letting go he kissed the ground out of joy.

Now that Marroc was safe he had to turn his mind to other things. He had to help Reggie find the other Hobbits and make sure none were hurt.

[Crystal Heart]

Sam didn't understand what in the world had happened. He had gotten up to get some food and now he was in the water. Now he was in the water. He was sure this was all Bingo's fault. His arms swung around as he tried to get back to the raft that was floating down river. Panic and fear clutched his heart as realizations that he was about to die here in the Shire in the river, alone..... He swung his arms even faster in fear.

Memories of his life flashed before his eyes as the water poured into his mouth. He could hear gurgled screams coming from somewhere nearby, but his head wasn't thinking about the fact that it was him who was screaming. Memories of how he had treated his parents, the food he had last eaten, the fight with Bingo, the stupid raft he had agreed to even set foot on, his last steps out his house door, the night with that beautiful hobbit girl... Esmerald. His memories swam swiftly, almost exactly like the river, through his mind as the thought that this was the end full took him.

Sam knew that he did not want to die, that he was far too young to succumb to death. Furthermore, he understood that what he wanted wasn't necessarily what he was going to be granted in this situation. As his arms tried to swim, he felt his feet getting further towards the bottom of the river. His head bobbed up and down. He barely had enough time to breath in between the breaks of water and air. As he was pulled farther down the river a thought struck him, his last thoughts were these and these breaths his last. Never again would he see the green, lush fields of the Shire. Never again would he eat his mother's wonderful food. Never again would he be a young hobbit.

As he floated down the river, he silently prayed a promise to be a better hobbit if someone just saved his life.

[Nurumaiel]

When the raft had tipped Falco had been fortunate enough to be swept immediately to shore. He retained his calm and reason very well, and hurried downstream to be of better assistance to those who were still floating along down.

Falco watched Sam struggling in the water, and he considered that their adventure was not coming off to a very good start. Sam was such a grumpy, disagreeable boy, anyway. But, of course, they couldn't just leave him to drown, even if he was unpleasant. Falco touched one toe in the water. He was wet anyway. Why not? He went a little further in. He must be careful not to be swept away. It never occurred to him that he was doing something rather dangerous, as he didn't know how to swim. What did he care for danger?

He was almost up to his waist now, but fortunately the river was flowing very fast, and he was not swept off. And what of it if he did? It would be an adventure, at the least. He looked upstream. Sam was floating down, flailing his arms helplessly. Falco waded on more step, and put out his hand. "Grab my hand, Sammy!" he called. "And try paddling more towards me, if you can."

Honestly, things hadn't started out well at all. With Sondo as leader, perhaps that could be expected. They'd have mutiny now for sure. No doubt the boys would all be frightened after their escapade and want to go back. And if they went back he, Falco, would be in dreadful trouble for running away. That wasn't right. What if things kept going like this under Sondo's leadership? He would have to speak with him.

But first he had to take care of Sam.