Blood Run: A Terror Returns RPG

[Durelin]

Glad that they were going to have a change of setting, which would hopefully result in a better atmosphere within the group, but not looking forward to seeing his father, Parkun was torn. His pace was quick, though, as he believed very much in getting things over with. As Farmer Mugwort slowed while speaking with one of the other Hobbits -- Madoc something, he believed -- the young man pulled ahead of him, and soon found himself joined by the Dwarf.

Parkun glanced at Kuric quickly, hoping to not catch the Dwarf's eye, and resisted the urge to look behind him to see if Master Mugwort noticed him. Anything that went on between those two was bound to be interesting since Kuric's odd outburst regarding the leadership. Instead the strawberry-blonde's ears were drawn behind him as he heard a young voice shout about how a horse had gone missing. Then Leanora, the only woman in the group -- why there was any woman at all Parkun would wonder for some time -- explained. Ah, so it's Orin, he thought, still feeling too conscientious to turn around and look.

"I told ye, didn't I!" came a sudden outburst from Kuric. His booming voice made Parkun start, and consequently the young man's face reddened as he hoped beyond hope no one had noticed.

"Only a troll would take a horse on," the Dwarf continued, "but yer all too daft to believe me. Lad, how long ago did the horse go missin'?"

Parkun felt anger flare up inside him at the word "daft". Maybe the others could be called that -- he would concede that -- but that Dwarf was included in 'the others', and Kun was not.

And Kun didn't care when the horse went missing.

"Do trolls bother stealing horses before eating them, Master Kuric?" he asked, ignoring the Dwarf's own question but doing his best to keep any sarcasm out of his voice. He tried to sound almost interested, but he wasn't about to put on too much of a show for the crazy old fool.

[mormegil]

"Do trolls bother stealing horses before eating them, Master Kuric?" stated the young man called Parkun.

Kuric was glad and knew that his plans were coming to fruition for finally here was somebody that showed him the proper respect.

"Aye lad, that they would." Kuric said gravely nodding toward Parkun in agreement, "Trolls are dumb, it is true, but they know enough ta take the creatures out of the area." Raising the tone and authority in his voice he decalred, "Now, if ye'll all just listen ta me we'll get this sorted out quick enough to get home fer dinner tonight."

Beginning to march down the line the defenders had formed Kuric stated "Let's quickly grab some ale and be off." Kuric's glee was barely contained at this statement. Patting his mace almost lovingly Kuric thought, It's been too long my friend but soon, soon. With that though Kuric's mouth formed a toothy smile and he was momentarily lost in thought.

[Firefoot]

"Quite alright. This seems important," Toby responded to Leanora as Kuric started ranting on about trolls again behind him. Suppressing his rising annoyance at the dwarf for a moment, he turned instead to the boy Orin who had run up. "Your neighbor's horse, you say? Hmm... And you came as soon as you heard?"

Orin nodded breathlessly, but added, "But it happened last night." Toby nodded, frowning to himself. A horse... that was a big animal, and likely to make a fuss - unlike his own docile, if rather dim-witted, sheep. "I don't suppose anyone saw what happened?"

"Nope. Just turned up missing," Orin reported.

Toby sighed. "Thank you, lad. And have your pa keep me posted if any other evidence appears."

"Yes, sir!"

Toby returned his attention to the rest of the Defenders just in time to hear Kuric declare: "Now, if ye'll all just listen ta me we'll get this sorted out quick enough to get home fer dinner tonight." And then, the nerve of him! He began to head off toward the inn, clearly expecting the others to follow. "Let's quickly grab some ale and be off."

"And I suppose, Master Dwarf," said Toby sharply, "that you know precisely where we'll all 'be off' to? That you know this land better than any of us who have lived here our whole lives? That you know where trolls would hide - assuming that it is actually trolls, who are rather large and by all accounts none too smart and would have a rather difficult time not to be spotted?"

[Farael]

It seemed that, finally, common sense had prevailed and the “Defenders of Bree” were off to the Inn to grab a bite and look at some maps. Or was it common sense? As much as he was delighted by the prospect of food (and the unavoidable smoking of pipeweed afterwards) he was still concerned by the possibility of an indigestion. It would certainly not do, to face a hungry monster on an upset stomach.

The group was making their way to the Inn at a rather quick pace. It seemed that either Robby was not the only hungry one, or that all of them wanted to find themselves somewhere more private, where they could plan and plot as much as they needed.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a lad ran up to the group and after some talk with Leanora and Ash –it seemed they were relatives of some sort. Probably siblings or cousins, as men do not note their relations as carefully (and excellently) as hobbits do- he informed the group that his neighbour’s horse had gone missing without a trace.

" Just turned up missing," the lad had said.

“How do you “turn up” missing? When you don’t turn up, that’s when you know you are missing!” asked the hobbit, showing what he believed a prime example of hobbit sense.

Farmer Mugwort, either not hearing or choosing to ignore his question, asked some questions of his own at the dwarf. It seemed he agreed with the Dwarf’s idea, or pretended to, that a troll was behind all this trouble. Yet Robby could see that the farmer was not quite impressed by Kuric’s antics. Hoping to calm the situation he interceded.

“Now, now Farmer Mugwort, Master Kuric… while haste is clearly of utmost importance, there is little point in arguing about what to do here on the streets. While it might be a Troll, we do not know that for sure, and if perhaps this… thing we are after is more cunning than one of those giants they may have spies, even in this Bree of ours. Let us not be too hasty.”

[Finduilas]

Noticing that Leanora left his side, Ash looked around him. He uttered a small groan when he saw his younger brother Orin, talking to Lea, and Lea apparently restraining him by his shoulder. He turned and walked up to them and asked, “What are you doing, Orin? Why are you here?” He didn’t wait for Orin to answer, but turned to Leanora and told her they should probably catch up with the group. She agreed, and let go of Orin, who amediately sprinted off towards the group, calling for Mugwort. He and Lea ran after him, hoping he wouldn’t offend anyone before they could intercede and explain.

The news that Orin had brought Mugwort was disturbing. A horse missing. From what Ash knew, that was the largest animal yet to have been stolen.

Yet again, the dwarf tried to assume leadership. Ash was almost more worried about the Defenders than about what they were defending against. If they couldn’t agree in simple conversation, would they ever be able to work together when they started getting solid facts?

Ash felt like rolling his eyes when Robby, a hobbit, pointed out an erroneous statement of Orin’s. When the poor little fellow is repeating an important message, you don’t need to pick on him for his language skills. But one look at Orin told Ash that he wasn’t a poor fellow, and didn’t need any help. Robby didn’t wait for his question to be answered, but turned to the dwarf and Mugwort, and tried to make peace. Ash had to put his hand over Orin’s mouth to keep him from talking back to the hobbit.

[Firefoot]

While Toby was a little annoyed by Robby’s tone and the way he spoke as if Toby was also convinced the threat was trolls – which he decidedly was not, he recognized the sense in what the younger hobbit said.

“Of course you are right,” said Toby bowing slightly before the dwarf could put in a word of retort. “We won’t be able to accomplish anything out here in the middle of the road.” He raised his voice, addressing the whole company. “We’ve heard the message now, so let’s get on to the inn.” And he led the short distance down the road.

Toby didn’t understand why the dwarf was so insistent about becoming the leader of the Defenders. Without any knowledge whatsoever about any of them, he seemed to have dismissed all of them, and particularly him, as remarkably inept and incapable. I’ll show him – he started to think, then realized that he had nothing to prove to this dwarf, this outsider. The dwarf should have to be the one to prove himself! After all, what did any of them know about him? Only that he had happened to come to the village about the same time as these strange happenings began! All Toby knew was that he was becoming less and less inclined to give the dwarf the benefit of the doubt with every word he spoke.

With these thoughts in mind he approached the door to the Prancing Pony and the whole troupe filed in afterwards. He greeted the innkeeper, an old friend, cheerfully enough for his stormy mood: “Good day to you! We’ve several bodies here in search of an ale or a meal, and I’m going to have to ask whether we might make use of your maps of Breeland.”

“Certainly, Toby. I’ll have those right out for you, and Rowlie will see that you’re all properly fed,” he said, with Rowlie referring to the serving hobbit.

“Thanks,” answered Toby, and went over to join the Defenders who had gathered around one of the largest tables. The maps were brought out in short order, as were the ales, and Toby spread the map out across the table. “Now, what we need to figure out is where this beast might be hiding during the day. Some of you know the area pretty well; any ideas?”

[Durelin]

When they arrived at his father’s inn, Parkun dropped toward the back of the partying, so he would be one of the last to enter. He hoped that if his father was busy dealing with the others he might overlook his son. But the strawberry-blonde had little luck.

Master Felderth gave his boy a grin when he saw him enter, at which Kun dropped his eyes. And after the innkeeper had gotten the maps for Farmer Mugwort, he gave the young man’s hair a good ruffle before leaving the party be.

Parkun stared down at the table, mortified and seething with anger. He felt his face heat up and wished he could hide it, and so he did all he could and avoided eye contact with anyone. Even when Master Mugwort spoke he did not look up and did not really listen as he was too absorbed in his own embarrassment, his anger towards his father, and wondering why he was here.

I had best get more than a few pats on the head out of this, he thought. And there was no way he was splitting any of the glory or the reward with his friends, which was why they had no idea where he was at the moment. Luckily this was nothing really new.

It was a gamble and perhaps a waste of time to be a part of this little group, and it certainly meant a good bit of embarrassment for him, but still…even the embarrassment was worth it if his older brother heard and saw how his father was praising him. But if any of it was to be worth it, things still had to go well, so there was no sense in him just sitting there.

“There are a lot of woods around here,” Parkun spoke up rather quietly, only half hoping his father heard him, “and I know some of them alright, myself.” That was a bit of an exaggeration – he had played in the woods and ventured into some deeper parts of them on dares, but he could hardly navigate through any of them. “There aren’t just beasts who live in them, either,” he added off-handedly, though the statement was meant to be mysterious.