Blood Run: A Terror Returns RPG

[Dimturiel]

All that Erling could afterwards say was that everything had happened so quickly. He had never before thought that an event could come so fast, uheralded, unexpected. He did not know Grimbeorn-he had hardly exchanged a few words with him-but, as was his way with strangers, he had been fond of him. It was hard to believe that he had seen him die, yet it was also hard to pretend that the fact did not happen. It would ever be, from then on, and he somehow knew it.

Erling could very well see that the rest of his companions were also shoked. Well, not all. Kuric seemed quite unconcerned. But he did not mind that. He was glad there was someone like him nearby, someone to draw attention to practical thoughts that would make them forget what they had just seen. Well, maybe not forget, but at least postpone the time when they would have to think about it.

They were now on the move, tracing the wounded Warg. All of them, even Orin. It was a risk to take such a small child on such an adventure, but Erling agreed there was nothing else they could do. But one thing was troubling him. They were perhaps enough to tackle one Warg, but was it only one? Shouldn't they perhaps go back and ask for some help from Bree? But no, that would probably cost them too much time...

"I wonder," he began, and he realised his voice shook slightly-from fear or shock or grief, he could not tell, "Is it really only one of these creatures? Or are there perhaps more? Isn't there a chance for us to be outnumbered?"

As he spoke, he cast uneasy glances around him. He had always thought that knowing what exactly your enemy was made it less feared. He had praid for the time when he would know what was attacking Bree's peace, for he had thought he would be less terrified of them. But it was not true. The fear had not disappeared. It was still there. Strange, he thought. Few stories spoke of such a fear. Few had prepared him for the moment he was facing now.

[Thinlómien]

Luckily for him, the dwarf disappeared to the woods before Leanora recovered from her shock and started laughing, almost hysterically. The situation was so absurd. The nice stranger had been brutally slaughtered, they were all in danger and what was worst, they had Orin with them. And on the top of that, the dwarf had come and offered noble words and called her "my lady".

"Lea, are you alright?" a familiar voice asked softly from behind her.
"No, of course not. But don't worry about me," she replied, surprisingly calmly.
She turned to her other brother: "Orin, are you alright?"
"Yes," replied a small and shaken voice.

Suddenly, Lea turned and hugged both her brothers fiercely. "It's alright. We will solve this matter," she said.
"Of course we will", Ash said. Lea couldn't see it in the dark but she knew his face was far less confident than his words.
"Are we going on an adventure now?" Orin asked.
"Yes," Lea said at length, "but this is not playing. This is very dangerous. Orin, do as you're told and don't do anything stupid by your own. Otherwise..." She left the sentence hang in the air, both because she would not like to voice such threat on her little brother and because she was not sure if she woould have been able to finish the sentence without her voice breaking.

It was then when they heard Erling's words: "I wonder, is it really only one of these creatures? Or are there perhaps more? Isn't there a chance for us to be outnumbered?"

Lea and Ash both gripped Orin's shoulder instinctively. "Don't do that!" the lad hissed. Ash let go, Lea didn't.
She approved of Erling's practical manner. She was aware that the thought had had to be voiced.
But she didn't feel comfortable with planting such thoughts to Orin's head.
"He's as deep in this bog as we are," Ash said quietly, "we cannot shield him from it." Gritting her teeth, Lea nodded. Her twin was right once again.

She truned her gaze back to Erling. "I don't know if there are more than one of them," she found herself replying, "but I doubt it. If there had been more of them, there would surely have been more losses. You can't feed a pack of wargs with one sheep or one horse." She cut off her talk, fighting the impulse to add "or one human" to the list.

She had also deliberatedly kept to herself another thought that had popped to her mind. Wolves hunted in packs.

[Finduilas]

Ash was shocked by what had happened, but unlike Lea hadn't seen Grimbeorn's face. But telling by Lea's reaction, he didn't want to. He put Orin behind him, before going over to Lea to see how she was.

"Lea, are you alright?" He said, coming up behind her were she was kneeling.

"No, of course not. But don't worry about me," she replied, calmly. "Orin, are you alright?"

"Yes." The shakiness of Orin's voice didn't surprise Ash, but it was bad. He wouldn't be able to leave now.

Suddenly, Lea turned and hugged both her brothers fiercely. "It's alright. We will solve this matter," she said.

"Of course we will", Ash returned, putting every ounce of confidence he had left into those words.

"Are we going on an adventure now?" Orin asked, shocking Ash. Adventure? Was he still thinking of this as an adventure? As often happened, Lea spoke right before him, saying the essence of what he was going to say.

"Yes," Lea said, "but this is not playing. This is very dangerous. Orin, do as you're told and don't do anything stupid by your own. Otherwise..."

Her ending right there was horrible. Ash could feel the shake in her voice. If they hadn't been around so many strangers He would have given Lea a hug, but thought that if he did so, she would wish he hadn't.

Keeping Orin and Lea close to himself, Ash went after the dwarf, hoping to find the wargs, before they found them.

[Groin Redbeard]

Gorin moved through the darkness with a rapid pace. They had been moving for around an hour in pursuit of the warg. Erling's question at the beginning of their chase was one that he had already considered, and it was all too possible that Erling was right, but no sense in stirring up unnecessary fear; the company was scared enough as it is.

Gorin and the rest suddenly came into a small clearing of grass in the forest. Gorin was panting hard, and the others looked tired as well, even Kuric looked winded.

"Let us stop here for a moment," Gorin said between breaths, "The creature couldn't have gotten far with the wound that he has and we have gained on him since our departure." Gorin felt his knees beginning to give way, but he made an effort not to sit or slouch. His dwarfish pride would not permit it.

Gorin looked around at the others and could see that they were less scared now, even the young lass looked very resilient now, but the lad Orin was shaking. The dwarf tried to ignore the lad but soon it began to get on his nerves. He walked over to the lad, who was sitting between Ash and Lea, and unfastened the cloak that he had been wearing. Gorin tossed it at the boy with just a simple, "Here ya go."

His chainmail rattled as the wind picked up, and the clouds cleared offering some moonlight to shine its rays down upon them. Suddenly, a chill shot up the dwarf's spine, not because of the wind, but what was carried on the wind. A low howl that turned into a high pitched moan was heard close at hand, and in an instant everyone was on their feet.

"It is close at hand," Gorin said glancing at Kuric, "Come let us go on cautiously, the beast is tired and should have no energy left for flight.”

Gorin took one step forward towards the sound before he stopped dead in his tracks; more howling was heard from the north. Everyone stood dazed and confused for a moment, wondering if their minds were playing tricks with them. Gorin forced a smile at the Orin, who was trying to look brave.

“Nothing to fear, you hear the strangest things at night. Best not let your mind run away with you.” They began to move on now, this time with all their weapons unsheathed, but Gorin grabbed Erling’s arm and whispered for him to linger behind with him.

“I’ve heard that kind of howling before while I was in the wild,” Gorin said staring at Erling, both looking dead serious. “More of them are coming, and they sound hungry. They will be draw to the voice of their comrade, and that puts all of us at great risk. If the others have an ounce of brains in their head they will not believe what I told the Orin, but hopefully the boy will believe it.” Gorin looked around hesitantly, “Keep a sharp eye, lad, let’s not have any more deaths on our hand.” They slowly marched forward together and rejoined the group.

Gorin took his side by Kuric, and began speaking, in low voices; about he had just told Erling. There was no fear of anyone knowing what they were saying; they spoke in a tongue that only their kind knew.

[Dunwen]

Sam watched the two dwarves conferring while he caught his breath. He guessed what the red-headed dwarf probably told Erling. Although no more than a blacksmith, and not used to such goings on, he could see through a brick wall in time, as the saying went. Another chorus of howls rose and fell in the distance and his lips thinned. Surely he could hear through one as well.

Although revolted at the sight of Grimbeorn’s mangled corpse, a wave of relief had swept over him at the discovery of what really lay behind the attacks in Bree. While his heart pounded with fear at least he did not feel the horror of knowing one of their own assailed them.

He turned his head to see the shadowy shapes of the Winkles. They looked to be calmer now, especially Miss Leanora. But they would have their little brother to worry about. He loosened the leaf-shaped steel blade he’d forged only last year and reached over his shoulder to count the arrows in the quiver under his cloak. Making his silent way to the two dwarves and Erling, he spoke softly so the boy would not overhear.

“Not that it’s easy to tell over all the noise we’ve made, but I’d bet a gold piece the last calls were closer.” He straightened to his full four feet height and spoke quietly but firmly. “Now, tell us what these wargs don’t like before they get here. I don’t fancy ending up like Grimbeorn.”

[mormegil]

Hearing dwarven for the first time in decades brought a nostalgic feeling to Kuric he didn’t think possible. He deeply loved his dwarvish heritage and revered his language. It was a moving experience, one that, if the others could see into his dark deep-set eyes, they would have seen him slightly emotional. It was a sacred thing, in Kuric’s mind, to be speaking the language of Durin the Deathless.

Long had Kuric held the eldest of his race in high esteem. He remembered vividly being a young lad under the tutelage of his father being taught his history, heritage and responsibility as a dwarf. He swelled with such pride at the stories of their glory and former greatness. He had hoped to bring back their former grandeur, this was the cause of all his travel and labor, while he loved the road and adventure, he truly wanted to make his mark as a dwarf on Middle-earth. It had been a long time ago that he forgot why he left on his adventures initially. It all came crashing down on him at that moment. He knew that he had utterly depraved his once grand mission. The guilt almost overwhelmed him. He felt like he was sinking in despair, but then he heard, starting almost as a whisper from the depths of sorrow the guttural voice of his comrade and he was renewed.

Hope blossomed and for the first time in memory, Kuric felt he had a purpose. Looking down at his most prized possession, his mithral chain coat, he realized that the moment was now. When it was given to him he was told something of great import and Kuric felt it was prophetic. Never had he shared what was told him, but he knew the time had come.

“Lad,” Kuric said feeling great joy in speaking his native tongue, “I need ya ta do me a favor. These people are good people, but they ain’t a ready fer this kinda battle that awaits ‘em.” Kuric paced impatiently trying to explain and wondering if he should tell this relative stranger what he meant by what he would say next.

[Thinlómien]

The dwarves were talking in low voices, in some secret tongue. It irritated Lea that they did not care to share their plans with the others even in such a dire situation. She was just about to interrupt their talk with a pointy remark, when the howling came again, much closer this time.

"It is very close," Orin whispered, terrified.

Lea remembered Sam's words that had gone unheard a moment ago. She turned to the hobbit.

"Should we light a fire?" she asked in a fierce voice.