The Yule Log RPG

[Nerindel]

Maranwe

As Greenbeard strode on Mara gave more thought to their situation, Greenbeard seemed sure that they would be safe at Fir Hill, but Mara was not so sure. she looked up at the sky recalling Mori saying something about this thing… this shadow having no like of sunlight or was it day, she could not recall but she was certain that he had said that it weakened it in someway and this could only be of an advantage to them. perhaps if only to give them yet again the opportunity to flee!

Maranwe had fought many battles in her young years but she was no fool, she knew this thing was beyond her and more than once since she had left the relative safety of the Green man she wished Arato was with her… she did not know what it was, but whenever she was with this strange mysterious warrior she felt safe, even when faced with the most terrifying of evils his presence was a comfort.

As she thought of Arato, she again pondered on her visions and of what she had seen. Mori and Stamo battling the shadow or at least that is what she assumed they were doing though they bore no visable weapons, but wait had she forgotten so easily the glimmer of light just out of reach of the battle a glimmer like that of a blade edge? Arato? Mara suddenly wondered or was she merely grasping? Perhaps… perhaps not, but if it was her friend with Mori and Stamo then she must find a way to let them know where they were going.

Pulling out the sheaf of pine bark owl had brought them, she carefully stripped off the top layer and with Greenbeards instruction she etched with one of her knifes a crude picture of a lone fir atop a small hill, surrounded by other firs knit together in a wall that enclosed the hill, hoping at least one of them would know the place. Greenbeard seemed to think they would when she spoke to him of her suspicions that all three men seemed something other than what they appeared. Then unclasping the copper brooch fastened to her cloak she quickly slipped the pine note on to it and had Greenbeard stop that she could attach it at eye level to one of the trees.

“Hoom not far now!” Greenbeard rumbled in a lower tone than he had been. She could feel it too an oppressive darkness that weeded it way into her soul rooting out and tugging incessantly at her fears, she glanced down at Wenda. All three deer’s eyes where wide with fear as they glanced nervously together. “Stay close!” Mara called to them, hoping that her voice might reassure them and distract at least momentarily from their fears.

It was not long before they reached the close knit wall of firs that Greenbeard had described and as they drew nearer Mara could see no way for them to pass, suddenly she could hear a low hum, it was coming from Greenbeard then the firs seemed to part admitting the Ent and his companions, before again knitting together behind them.

Greenbeard gently set her down on the ground, there was no snow only a carpet of fallen pine needles, a gentle slope lead to the top of the hill, where underneath a lone pine sat a pool of clear fresh spring water. “Drink” Greenbeard urged them as the reached the pool and they did greatfully. It was cool and crisp and left them surprisingly filled and refreshed and the fear that had tugged at then seemed to have gone when they had passed under the wall of firs.

Mara stared at the wall for a long time there was something about it that reminded her of Arato a feel, a sense, that she could not quite grasp….

“ Hoom This place is special to the trees,” Greenbeard said interrupting her thoughts. “Especially the firs see how they close themselves together to protect it, there are not many of them left but they gather here and take root.” Mara saw a light of sadness in the old Ents eyes as he spoke.

“Do you really expect these trees to hold against that.. that shadow,” Wenda asked as she came beside them, Mara took off her over tunic and gave it to Wenda along with her cloak as the young Shape-changer waited the Ents Reply. But Mara’s thoughts where no longer on whether the firs would hold back any attack, nor whether Arato and the others would reach them on time, but on the Mountains that loomed over fir hill. There had been more to her vision than she had not told the others and as she stared at the white peak of the mountain she knew that what she had seen was near, it would be here and soon and fate would decide! a great fear then welled up inside Mara a fear that she had never known before.


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Arato

Arato flew through the darkness, a silent shadow twisting past trees and leaping over stream and brush. He was driven by fear for Illuvatar’s daughters and anger at himself for failing to foresee this new danger!

All about him the forest was silent, a curtain behind which many eyes watched and waited, fearful of the events passing before them, of this shadow, this darkness that threatened to devour their world. He ascended the mountains slope at a dead run, alert for the presence of both the shadow and its intended prey, sensing neither yet, but knowing that they must be close.

He tried to calculate how far ahead of him they might have gotten, but it was impossible to tell. At best, he could only hazard a guess. He knew not how much of a head start the two women had gained and now admonished himself for not asking as much of the brothers before they had left to face the new danger threatening those back at the Green Man.

A darkened trail of death and decay marked his enemies passage, snow melted into thick brown mush, leaves blackened with disease, bark rotted on still living trees. This one cared not if any followed, arrogant in it’s own ignorance, still believing as it’s master had that it’s power, greater than that of Illuvatars children gave it the right to be lord and master over all, that it was better than any that walk this world, that none could contest it’s will! But it had been wrong about that and had paid dearly for it’s mistake, Mori and Stamo would have surely wounded it deeply. ‘but perhaps not dearly enough’ Arato thought bitterly, as his thoughts again turned to the two young women being chased by this thing.

Every few feet deep gouges crossed his path left and right unmarred by the decay. Arato stopped to study one more closely as he realised that there was a regularity to their occurrence. The earth was cut deep as though a tree had been ripped up by it’s roots but not nearly deep enough for it to have been rooted overly long. As he moved outwards from the gouges he noted something else deer prints at least three sets , keeping pace with what ever made the gouges he thought as he followed them on.

Could this be he wondered contemplatively, could it be that young Wenda and her companions managed to find an ally in one of Yavanna’s Guardians? But what of Mara, there was certainly no visible sign that she was with them, though she would have not been able to keep up with the Ent on foot, perhaps it carries her…. But where too he wondered looking out into the vast scope of trees before him.

It was then he noticed it a faint glimmer on the branch of a nearby tree, drawing cautiously forward he realised that it was a reddish copper brooch in the shape of a beech leaf… Mara’s he realised at once plucking it from it’s perch, attached was a tightly rolled up scrap pine bark no words were written upon it but a hastily etched picture of a small hill with a fir tree on top adorned it’s surface.

‘Clever girl!’ Arato grinned, realising from the simple etching where they were heading. Fir hill, he had once heard it called, a sanctuary for Yavanna’s beloved trees, perhaps this night it would serve thus for the two young women!

Slipping the brooch into his tunic, he hurried on hoping that this sanctuary of Yavanna’s would at least keep them safe until he could arrived.

[piosenniel]

Wren flew into the common room in a crazy, wind-milling fashion, tumbling foot over beak as he tried to land on one of the tables. He was quite out of breath and his little heart beat so fast he feared it might burst from his chest altogether.

‘Hurry! Hurry! They’ll be here soon!’ he gasped out. ‘I saw them as they left the base of the hills and entered to short flat plain between there and here!’

He put a wing tip to his chest and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. ‘Have mercy, have mercy!’ he muttered to himself. ‘I could use a little of that good ale to steel my nerves . . .’

[Arry]

‘Fetch the rest of our arrows from upstairs, Madoc,’ Andwise called to his brother. He’d lowered the bow he’d held just moments ago, when he and the others had expected an attack from the animals that now stood quietly in the room as if listening to what was being decided. He still had his eye on the bear, but the big hulking animal was busy now scooping some of the smaller animals toward the center of the room. Herding them, he thought, like a shepherd does those under his care . . . to safety.

‘And you, Willem, take the lad there and see if you can fetch some thin toweling and lamp oil.’ He motioned for Birger to draw near and gave him a few hurried directions.

‘We won’t be much use to you if we fight the wolves straight on. Too small for that,’ he said nodding his head at his assessment. ‘But I noticed when we first came that the Inn has a high gabled roof. If you, Carr, can get a ladder to set up against the eaves, then we’ll go up and defend from above.’

He looked toward the great owl and then at the two tall men. ‘And I had another thought, too . . . that is if the bigger birds would agree to it.’ He rocked a little on his feet, feeling awkward that he should be thinking of using a bird for defense and even more odd that he should be, in a manner, speaking to them about it.

Andwise ran his hand through his curls, pushing away the uncomfortable feelings. ‘Anyways . . . I was thinking that the kitchen probably has some small skin bladders they use for storing liquids in.’ He looked up at the two men, reassured that their attention was on him; that he had not been discounted. ‘If we fill them with cooking oil I thought the larger birds could drop them on the wolves as they charged near the Inn. The oil would soak into their fur. And the touch from a burning arrow would set the beast aflame . . . if we’re very lucky, the flames will spread as the burning wolves bump against the others.’

‘Of course, we can’t burn all of them, but it would surely decrease the number of attackers and distract a number of them, making the remaining beasts more manageable for us . . .’

Andwise’s voice trailed off as he looked about the room from man to bird to beast . . . waiting to see what they thought of this . . .

[Child of the 7th Age]

Hot on the trail.....

The wolves could sense the shadow creature urging their band to hurry forward and join him in the North. A heavy mist had swallowed the surrounding countryside, draping the world in a thick curtain of terror that struck the hearts of all those who came under its dark spell. It was as if each of the two-leggeds in the Inn was called upon to face the secret fear that he or she most wished to avoid. The feelings emenating from the two-leggeds in the Green Man were so strong that the band of wolves had no trouble picking up on that scent.

Spurred on by the call of the shadow as well as the insistent clamoring of their own stomachs, the wolves ploughed greedily forward with noses pointed towards the ground. They had been commanded to join the shadow creature, but the place of the meeting lay far to the North. First, they must stop and feed. The scent of fear and the possibility of fresh meat relentlessly swept them forward.

The tail of the lead wolf swept rhythmically back and forth in anticipation of the bloody feast that he hoped was soon to follow. The trail of the two-leggeds was maddeningly fresh even amid the bracken and fallen leaves. Every step brought the wolves closer to the spot where the Inn nestled against the hillside, seemingly open and defenseless to any attack. Almost as one, the members of the pack veered northward towards the source of the fear, trotting swiftly along the rocky ridges of the hills until they came to the place where a grove of tall oaks stood.

Under the direction of the pack leader Nilak, the band approached this outer grove on silent padding feet; the trees stood less than a quarter mile from the front door of the Inn. Nilak gave the signal to the others to spread out in a semi-circle and crouch low in the grass so that the two-leggeds would not spy them as they approached the Inn. As a low growl escaped from his mouth, Nilak peered out above the line of grass to see who was there and assess the layout of the land.

The moon had slipped behind a cloud: the earth quivered in an eerie stillness. Nilak's shaggy coat, and that of the other wolves, blended in perfectly with the shadows. The only thing that could be seen, even from some paces distant, were matching pairs of greedy yellow eyes blazing through the night. Still, Nilak stood perfectly still, holding back from his attack. He could see tiny lights in the windows of the Inn just ahead, but did not know how many of the two-leggeds the place housed and whether they would be outside in the courtyard. He would wait just a little, until it was perfectly dark, and then surge forward, hoping to find some victims outside the building, perhaps tending to the animals in the stables. After taking care of these, surely more would join them, enough to provide a comfortable meal for all eight members of his band. For now then, he would wait and watch.....

[Huan]

Birger showed Willem to the kitchen and got the cook to help the Halfling with the oil and the toweling. As he left the room he could see Willem showing Cook how to tear the toweling to wrap about the shafts of the arrows, just above the sharp tips.

Carr was on his way outside to fetch the ladder. And Birger followed after him to give a hand. They soon had it in place, leaning securely against the eaves of the house. Birger clmbered quickly up it with a broom and swept a pathway on sloping roof for the Halflings and he to climb up.

He narrowed his eyes as he stood at the top, squinting into the distance. He thought he saw a small dark cloud swiftly moving over the frozen ground and making for The Green Man.

He found the Halflings ready with their bows and arrows as he re-entered the inn. Birger grabbed a small bucket of flaming coals and tinder and followed them out the door as they left. They would dip their arrows, Andwise told him, into the heat and set them aflame.

The Halflings handed him their quivers to put on once they reached the roof. He would stand ready to plunge three at a time into the bucket and set them alight when the time came.

Quick as they could, Birger and the three Halflings took their positions on the spine of The Green Man and stood ready. Birger felt the pocket in his breeches with his free hand, making sure his sling and his rocks were well at hand should he need them . . .

[Tevildo]

Tevildo had slithered out of Mori's satchel, listening with renewed interest as Andwise explained his ideas for fighting back against the wolves. The cat was not unhappy to be here in the Inn plotting an attack on a wolf pack rather than curled up in Mori's bag hiding from the shadow creature. Not that Tevildo couldn't have taken out that grim faced monster on his own if the wizards had cleared out and given him a bit of elbow room. But the long-robed fellows had proven singularly uncooperative, not appreciating or acknowledging how he might have helped them.

As much as Tevildo disliked Melko's former henchman, he could not help but be pleased by the fact that he would now be up against a band of dishevelled and ugly hounds, predictable brutes who slathered at the mouth and, just like their cousins, the cowardly dogs, attacked their prey in gangs. As far as Tevildo was concerned, there was very little difference between the two types of canines, except that the wolves had the good sense normally to avoid the two-leggeds.

Huan and the rest of his ilk hanging about the Inn would probably deny that any relationship existed. But that was because dogs were untrustworthy, nasty creatures who told enormous lies just to get the approval of their masters. Still, Tevildo would be quite happy to work hard for the downfall of the wolves. If the wolves could be escorted out first, perhaps the dogs would be the next to go!

Owl was so caught up organizing the ground attack of the larger animals that he had paid no attention whatsoever to the birds, some of whom had flown inside the Inn and were now getting in everyone's way. So like birds to make themselves a bother and a nuisance! But the pea-brained creatures did have one advantage even Tevildo could not deny: they had the ability to fly. And it did seem as if this might be an advantage in helping to defeat the pack of wolves. Tevildo had generously offered to Owl to take command of the brigade of smaller birds to teach them what they must do. "You take the kestrels and the merlins," Tevildo purred. "I wouldn't presume to instruct the great birds of prey. Just give me the songbirds and such, and I'll try to put some sense into their heads. What do you say to that?"

[piosenniel]

Wren perched on the crossbeam of the ceiling and cast a beady black eye down on the proceedings below. Many of his feathered confederates were also

A number of the smaller birds had flown up the cross beams of the room, wanting to be out of the way of the larger animals. Wren, too, was perched there, ruffling his feathers in a rather indignant manner as he cast a beady black eye at the proceedings below.

‘Kestrels and the merlins!’ he spluttered to himself, catching the conversation between the cat and Owl. ‘Of course you don’t want to try bossing them about,’ he muttered to himself. ‘You lily-livered bird-killer! They’d peck your sneaky little eyes out and leave you for the wolves to make mincemeat of.’ The little brown bird hopped up and down on the beam indignantly at the very thought of a cat trying to put some sense into his head.

Still, he wanted to help . . . and Owl looked to be too involved in his business with the bigger birds to take any note of the smaller. Wren gave a loud trill, calling all the songbirds up the crossbeams. ‘Quiet!’ he ordered, in a quite officious manner as the last of the little twitterers flew up in a rush of feathers to the high perch. With their heads cocked toward him, the little birds gave him their attention.

The sudden silence surprised him . . . as much for the fact that they had actually listened to him as for the fact that a place unfilled with their chattering seemed so cheerless. ‘Listen up, my friends,’ Wren went on. ‘I think the . . . C-A-T down there might have an idea of how we can help against the wolves that are on the way.’ One of the chickadees fluttered her wings, looking as if she might fly down to where Tevildo sat.

‘Sit tight, missy!’ he called to her. ‘No reason to get within tooth and claw reach of him. We all should stay here out of his reach while he tells us his plan.’

Wren leaned over the side of the beam and whistled at Tevildo to attract his attention. ‘Hey you! White cat! We hear you have a plan in mind.’ A score or so of little glittering eyes looked down at the cat from above. ‘And speak up, please! We’re not coming any closer . . .’