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Old 10-03-2004, 08:54 AM   #161
Lalwendë
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Lalwendë is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.Lalwendë is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.
Tarn was back at his stone hut and the fire was blazing. His damp outer clothes hung about the room, giving off steam as they dried, and a pot of stew was bubbling, ready to be served. Thynne took two wooden bowls and ladled out a serving for Tarn, who took it silently without any thanks. Beads of feverish sweat broke out on the man’s forehead. He stared into the flames as he ate, turning over the events of the previous day in his mind.

The Corsair man he had rescued had been dragged on a sled all the way back to his ship; he lived, but Tarn wanted to see if he had recovered yet. He was keen to get to the Corsair ship and learn the news but he had just woken from a much needed sleep after the hike back and he needed to eat first. Luck had been on his side after the battle, as Thynne had found not only a sled, but someone’s dropped water bottle and a spare fur. It turned out the lad had stayed with the archers and then they had directed him to search for anything of use which the elves had dropped or left behind; they could see he was not big enough for battle but that they would need supplies after the fighting was through. The water and the warmth of the extra fur had sustained Tarn during the hike home, where he could finally stop and tend to his wound.

The cut was not long, but it was deep, running laterally across his left bicep. He knew that untended, the wound could fester and sap his strength. As soon as he had got back to the hut he had boiled water while Thynne curled up in a corner and slept soundly, tired and overwrought from the battle and the march home. Before Tarn could sleep he had needed to tend to his injury. He had bathed the wound and then took some sphagnum moss and comfrey leaves and packed them around the gash in his skin, before binding it with a strip of clean woollen cloth.

He had crept into bed as a red dawn broke across the eastern sky and fallen into a deep sleep, untroubled by dreams. Now, as he ate, he remembered those he had injured and wondered if they too were sitting by warm fires or if they had succumbed to their injuries. There was no question about the elf he had felled with his harpoon. He had seen the life drain from his eyes and the blood spill from his body. He shivered a little as he thought of it, but then Thynne distracted him from his musings by opening the door and looking outside.

A cold wind blew in, making the flames in the fire shudder and Tarn winced at the icy draught as he turned his head to see what the day outside was like. Whatever the weather, and despite how he felt, he knew he could not and would not be staying in the hut today.
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Old 10-04-2004, 11:32 PM   #162
Regin Hardhammer
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Marreth and the spy...

Marreth awoke by mid-morning in better spirits than he had been before, considerably refreshed from a good night’s sleep. Next time they were forced to camp away from the ship, he vowed to bring tents. The biting frigid winds had assaulted the crew all the way back to the ship. The storm had evidently died out overnight, or had not stretched this far south: the day looked to be clear and calm. The hours spun by quickly as Marreth and those of his crew who were healthy put in a full day's work tending to the ship and its rigging. By late afternoon, all the Elves and their band had returned to their ship. As evening approached, Marreth resolved to take a walk by himself out on deck so he could contemplate what he might try next.

His sabotage had worked, but the Elves had nevertheless managed to organize themselves and put up a good fight. The Corsairs did not score a decisive victory against their adversaries, but then again they had not lost mightily either. As Marreth considered what to do next, he saw three flashes of light coming from a patch of bushes on the nearby shore. He looked out and saw a red lantern, and crouched beside it a hooded figure. Of course, thought Marreth, our Lossoth friend may have some ideas what we should do next.

Hastily leaving the ship, he approached the agreed upon meeting place. Marreth trailed the Lossoth into a secluded clearing, a few feet away from the edge of the Bay; they were wholly surrounded by bushes.

Before Marreth could ask the Snowman about the Elves’ plans, the hooded figure spoke in a shaky voice, “The Elves know there is a Corsair spy. Rumors are flying around the Elven ship. I arranged a little accident on shore for one of their party, and made it look as if Alahseey was the one who did it. Still I am not comfortable. Too many people are asking questions. One minute they may blame Alahseey, and the next start looking for another to blame. I fear they will catch me and put me in chains. Yet I do not waver in my mission; I will continue to relay information to you as best I can. Even if I am found out, I can still be of great use to your cause. I know the Bay like the back of my hand, and can show you likely spots for your treasure hunting. I only ask that you send some men onto the nearby shore to keep an eye on the Elven ship. They can alert you if something happens to me and I am in need of aid or rescue.”

The Captain replied, “I will grant you this aid; it is no fault of your own that our plans to exterminate the Elves have failed. But I send you fair warning Lossoth that this is not some kind of trap laid by the Elves who have sent you here. If you plan to deceive us, I will bring down vengeance upon your head stronger than a raging blizzard. Very well then, you may go.” Marreth did not completely trust this stranger, but if the Lossoth was discovered, he would have no way of knowing the plans of the Elves. Worse yet, the spy might disclose something to them of his own plans and strategies. Better that the Lossoth should be with him, where he could monitor things. He concluded it was best to lend aid to this stranger but do so cautiously. Marreth would not have his men lured into an ambush.

"Return now to the Spirit," the Corsair captain continued, "and here is a coin or two for your pains. But see that you carry yourself carefully, and do not say a word to anyone of my plans..."

Mareth dropped two gold coins in the spy's hand and was about to turn away, when he glanced back and asked one more question. "The Elven ship must be low on supplies. Except for the special things they needed for the trek north, I've not seen them bring in large barrels with ale or herring or other needed foodstuffs."

"That is right," the Snowman nodded. "Not since the first day have they restocked their larders. I heard Luindal say that he has sent several large orders to Igal, a local merchant and procurer of goods, and that many items and workmen will be coming onto the ship in the next few days while they rest up and make their future plans."

Marreth nodded but said nothing more, although his mind was spinning very fast. He quickly returned to his ship, and summoned Jynne and Diera to be brought to him, since Jarlyn was resting as he had ordered. When the two arrived, he began “I must reveal to the two of you something. Since the arrival of the Elves, I have had a Lossoth spy on board the Elven ship to relay their plans to me. That is how we were always one step ahead of them. But now I have reason to believe that this spy, a valuable information source to me, may fall in jeopardy. At the very least, the Elves are suspicious of us so it will be harder to get information."

"Therefore, I am asking you to go and hide on the shore behind the rocks and the snow bluffs in one of the secluded groves. Take some trusted helpers with you and see if you can pick up any news. I understand that they will be having an inquiry tomorrow morning out on deck. One of the Elders is to be tried, although she has nothing to do with us. Possibly, some of our Lossoth friends may even care to pose as local traders bearing goods from Igal and offering to take these provisions onto the ship and store them away. That way they can get up close. You can't get away with showing your faces, but our Lossoth allies can probably do so."

Then he told them who the spy was and added, "Alert me if you see that the Elves have captured this Snowman or anything unusual is taking place. You are to leave immediately and take the seal skin tent with you. If the snow flares up like it did last night you will need it.” Marreth was exceedingly glad that he did not have to go camping outdoors again. He turned back to his cabin wondering how Jynne would react to the order that he again go camp out in the snow.
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Old 10-04-2004, 11:44 PM   #163
Imladris
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Tolkien

So that was what Marreth had been up to in his secrecy: talking to his little spy on the elven ship. The problem, of course, was the fact that he had to babysit the fellow to make sure he didn't get caught. Well, he wasn't much of a spy, was he, if he was caught so easily.

"You are to leave immediately and take the seal skin tent with you. If the snow flares up like it did last night you will need it," Marreth was saying.

Jynne scowled. Not only did he have to babysit some traitor, but he had to to do it in the cold wet snow. If he became sick, all could be spoiled...

With a curt nod, Jynne turned on his heal and slipped into his own quarters. Taking a small oaken chest from underneath the cot, he opened it. Inside, tiny vials clattered brightly against each other as he sifted through them. Finally, he found what he was looking for: a concoction that would fend sickness from his flesh. Holding the green vial aloft, Jynne peered into the transclucent glass. The vial was only half full -- he would have to use it sparingly. Plucking the cork from the vial, he swallowed three times, and then replaced the vial with the others.

As he slipped from his room, clinging to the splotchy shadows, he thought about what Marreth had said. He had ordered them to bring along some trusted men. Jynne smiled thinly. Trusted men...did Marreth not know that men could not be trusted?

Last edited by piosenniel; 11-10-2004 at 03:28 PM.
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Old 10-05-2004, 12:16 AM   #164
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Alahseey: The Meeting Begins

Alahseey paced nervously from one end of the cabin to the other before stopping to press her face against the porthole. From her vantage on the ship, she had only a limited view of the beach and surrounding waters. But she could see that the long night had given way to morning. In contrast to her own gloominess, the new day had dawned bright and clear. The Spirit was now moored in shallow waters in a portion of the Bay adjacent to the largest Lossoth settlement. Early this morning, Luindal had moved the ship and dropped anchor only a stone's throw from the shore.

Alahseey also observed a number of small boats rapidly approaching the Elven ship. Most carried Lossoth Elders, men and women she intimately knew who had been invited to attend the inquiry and hearing. Other long boats had drawn up alongside the Spirit bearing boxes of foodstuffs and small barrels that Igal's trading agents had agreed to bring on board to replenish the Elves' empty storage bins. Determined to head north as quickly as he could, Luindal had purposely carried a light load, and many provisions had been depleted during their weeklong voyage from the Havens as well as the subsequent days at the Ice Bay.

Despite her confinement, the Elder was in relatively good shape. The trek south had been bearable largely because of Freyn who made sure that she received ample food and water, and was not pushed beyond her physical means. Luindal's treatment of her had been firm but fair. The Captain had ordered her bonds untied as soon as she boarded the Spirit. She had been escorted to a small, comfortably furnished room with a single guard set outside the door. Food and drink were provided in ample measure along with changes of clothing. But the door was bolted shut and no one was admitted inside other than to drop off and collect her food dishes. The guards had not been allowed to speak with her.

Alahseey heard footsteps in the hallway, then watched as the bolt was drawn back. Two members of the crew stepped into the room: one a Lossoth, the other an Elf. Both were heavily armed. "You're to come with us, Elder Alahseey," the Lossoth directed. "If you come freely, we will not bind your arms or legs." She inclined her head in agreement, and stepped forward to walk beside them. The group continued down the corridor and mounted the ladder to the main deck where a large crowd had already gathered. On one side stood Luindal and his crew, including the Lossoth volunteers. On the other were the Elders and several trading agents employed by Igal who had been bringing provisions on board the ship since early morning.

Luindal stepped forward to start the meeting, addressing everyone in the common tongue. "We are here for two reasons. First, Hilde Halvardsdatter has brought formal accusation against Elder Alahseey, daughter of Ingrid the reindeer herder. Hilde charges Alahseey with slicing Galhardir's safety rope in two by using her own axe. After this happened, Galhardir plunged through the ice in rather suspicious circumstances and nearly lost his life in the swift currents of the Bay. Traces of shredded rope were later found on the Elder's axe, which she wore on a belt at her side."

Luindal sighed and shook his head, "I want this matter fairly and thoroughly investigated to see if Alahseey is guilty. But that is not all. Since our arrival at the Bay, it's clear someone on board this ship has been passing information on to the Corsairs. First, there was a mysterious landslide that conveniently covered up the door of the cavern while leaving everything else untouched. Surely, this was no accident. Outside our own group, only a few of the Elders even knew that we planned to search the caves that day. Secondly, I saw the Corsairs trudge northward in the early morning long before we ever left the ship and even before I told the rest of you where we were going. Either Marreth has the ability to read minds, which I think unlikely, or he has planted a spy in our midst. "

"While we can not be certain, the person who cut the rope is probably the informer. And all those old fishing holes that caved in are also suspicious From the beginning, I expected to have trouble with the Corsairs. But it concerns me far more to learn that we have a turntail in our own midst."

"I am asking for your help. If you have heard anything that suggests Alahseey's guilt or innocence, if you have any idea why the ice gave way, if you saw anyone acting in a suspicious mannner, or know why the Corsairs have so much knowledge of what we're doing, please come forward and speak up. Before Alahseey can be declared guilty, the Law of the Lossoth requires that at least two witnesses verify Hilde's claim as to the cutting of the rope or her part in the spying. I personally do not intend to leave here until we come to the bottom of this thing."

With that, Luindal stepped back and glanced around waiting for someone to speak....

Last edited by Child of the 7th Age; 10-07-2004 at 05:31 PM.
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Old 10-06-2004, 04:34 PM   #165
Rinfanawen
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Silmaril Diera

"I am asking you to go and hide on the shore behind the rocks and the snow bluffs in one of the secluded groves."

Diera's heart jumped in glee at Marreth's words. Spying on the Elves again, are we? she thought. The rest of her captain's orders seemed like music to her ears, even if they were to camp on land again. It will be worth it all in the end, she constantly told herself. She soon returned to her cabin beneath deck.

She opened the door of her room quickly, smiling as she stepped inside. Diera stood over her bed, thinking of what she would need to bring with her. "You are to leave immediately," Marreth had said. Diera stared sideways in thought. No, there will be no time for packing. She picked up merely her long, leather cloak and hat. Both had somehow managed to dry in the elapsed time after the battle. Her small knife remained sheathed nicely within her boot. Her sword she left on her bed. Swords are not needed for spying, She thought, trying to comfort herself. She looked back at the sword upon exiting her cabin, almost going back to take the weapon. She shook her head. Turning away once more, she shut the door of her cabin and walked to the deck.

Doyal and another trusted shipmate of hers were already waiting on deck. Diera gestured a ‘hello’ as she approached. Soon after, Jynne appeared from below deck, looking rather unsteady in his walk. Diera looked at him curiously. Her thoughts returned to a few nights ago when Marreth spoke to her about Jynne. Her captain himself had warned her of Jynne’s suspicious deeds, and now she was beginning to see them herself. Diera stared at Jynne. A thousand questionable comments went through her head to say to him, but she remained silent. A time for inquiring would come later. Their small group departed soon after.

The group quickly rowed to shore. Quickly they rowed, but quietly as to not draw attention to themselves. Diera stepped onto the earthy soil of the land with much hesitation. Ever since that cold night on the ice, she could not keep from thinking of her parents. She sighed. Don’t go there, she thought as she stepped off the boat. The rest of her crew was already on shore. She looked up at them with soft eyes.

“Let’s go,” she said. Her voice quivered and squeaked as she spoke, but she quickly cleared her throat and repeated the phrase in a more commanding tone.

The land was deathly quiet, apart from their own light footsteps. They were the only Corsairs to be found, and no Elf had been seen leaving the ship. The air was cold. It blew through what thin clothes they wore until it froze even the tiny hairs on their arms. Diera could sense the frost was coming. She could smell it in the air, as if snow had already touched the ground.

Their slow, cautious pace was quickened as they came nearer to the location of the Elven ship. Diera bent low behind a few patches of shrubs in the secluded area Marreth had pointed out. The Elven ship could clearly be seen, but nothing unusual was taking place at the moment. A light wind began to blow. Diera held her wide-brimmed, brown hat over her head as she peered out towards the deck of the hideously graceful ship. Soon a few Elves appeared in her view, followed a rather large crowd of Elves.

Diera closely watched the interesting scene that was taking place on the ship. The attention of every Elf and pro-Elf Lossoth was fixed upon a certain Elf in the middle, named Luindal, who seemed to be of a high order. Diera watched as the Elf spoke words she could not hear. Luindal then singled out an Elf of whom she did not know. Luindal spoke more words to the crowd, acknowledging the other Elf through the whole speech. Diera sighed. For the first time, she wished she had the vision of Elven eyes so she could at least try to make out what was being said. She soon let the absurd thought flee from her mind as she waited to see what would happen next.

Last edited by piosenniel; 11-10-2004 at 03:28 PM.
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Old 10-06-2004, 05:21 PM   #166
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Carandû had not meant to be late to the hearing. It was his turn for galley duty, though, and the pots and pans and dishes needed to be cleaned up. Lunch would follow soon after the meeting was done and clean bowl and spoons would be needed for the soup the cook had simmering. With a final swipe of the dish towel, he nested the last bowl on the cupboard. Tying his hair back a little more neatly, the Elf hurried down the passageway and up the stairs to the meeting place.

The crowd was large already. Carandû shoulder his way to where he could see Annû standing. ‘Your pardon,’ he murmured many times as he jostled his way through the throng, once stepping inadvertently on a Lossoth foot. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked in a hushed voice slipping in next to his brother.

‘The Captain’s just spoken of what Alahseey has been accused of,’ Annû replied. ‘And brought up, too, that he thinks there’s a spy in our midst.’

Carandû frowned at what he heard as Annû explained all that Luindal had said. ‘Is that why he set me to reindeer duty, do you think? Did someone step foreword and accuse me?’ Annû shook his head, saying the particulars of the part about the spy had not been addressed.

‘Who was it who accused the Elder?’ Carandû’s gaze swiveled about the room looking at those who stood near the front, wondering if the same person had fingered him.

Annû raised his arm and pointed to where Hilde stood. ‘Her!’

Carandû’s mind raced back to the evening he had found the Captain’s door open and gone in to shut off the lamp. It was after that that Luindal had assigned him to reindeer duty and would not let him join in the search parties that had gone out onto the ice. He looked to where Annû had pointed, his eyes going wide, as he remembered it was she, Hilde, who had seen him exiting the room. She was in profile, standing a little ways away from Luindal, and this view of her sparked another memory of that day Galhardir had almost drowned. ‘Brother, I must make my way to the front where the Lossoth stands accused. They have the wrong one!’

The brothers made their way to the front amidst the grumblings of those pushed aside for their passage. Luindal saw the two Elves and bade them step forward, asking if they had anything to say. Annû spoke a few words in his brother’s ear, then pushed him forward.

‘That day that the lines were cut, Captain,’ Carandû began, his gaze shifting from a close study of Hilde’s face back to Luindal. ‘I wasn’t supposed to be near the operation. I’d been assigned to see to the reindeer. But my brother was out on the ice and I was not one to be parted from him should danger arise. And I was worried that it might, given our previous mishaps in the cave search. Needless to say, I left my charges in the care of a Lossoth and climbed to a vantage point where I could watch what was going on. I saw my brother and the others already on the ice when I arrived at my vantage point, and I traced their lines back to the tree where they were secured, wanting to make sure all had been done properly. My eyes followed my brother’s group and periodically I would sweep back to see the ropes that kept them safe. Just before Galhardir went in I saw a Lossoth with an axe in hand standing by his party's rope. I swept out again to see my brother slipping along, when the cry went up that a rope had broken and one of the searchers had slipped into the water. Then the Corsairs attacked, of course, and the chaos of battle ensued.’

At the word ‘Lossoth’, the crowd had begun to mutter and look hard at Alahseey.

‘So,’ began Luindal, ‘it was Alahseey you saw with the axe definitely in her hand . . .’

‘No,’ said Carandû, firmly, in a loud voice, as to be heard above the swell of harsh talk. Luindal looked at him expectantly. ‘The Elder was standing some ways away from where the rope was severed, or so I have pieced together from the rumours I sorted through of where the cut was made.’ Annû had made his way round to where Hilde stood and now grasped the woman firmly by the arm. ‘It was her I saw, standing near the rope, axe gripped in her hand,’ Carandû continued. ‘Hilde, the Captain’s confidant, the one who had knowledge of all the plans, and free run of the ship.’ He took a step closer to Hilde who drew back against Annû.

Annû pushed her forward, his grip still hard on her. ‘And tell them how you saw my brother leaving the Captain’s cabin after he’d gone in to turn off a lamp left burning on the desk. Tell how you accused him of being the spy.’ ‘Tell them!’ he commanded in a wrathful voice, his tall frame looming over her.

Last edited by Arry; 10-07-2004 at 01:43 PM.
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Old 10-07-2004, 02:55 AM   #167
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Pipe Galhardir at the Hearing

Galhardir gazed.

Could it really have been Hilde who had done it and nearly killed him?

"Please, will you let me speak?" Galhardir then said out loud and got up. Luindal ordered the Lossoth and the elves to be quiet. "Please do," he said and looked at Hilde. Annû tried to be quiet, but Galhardir noticed his eyes glanced over at Hilde constantly.

"My memory from that horrible day is still a bit unclear, but I do think my thoughts and those memories I have are important for you to hear," he started. "I remember handing over the end of my rope to Alahseey and Hilde, so I think it’s most certain one of them cut it too..." Some of the elves started to mutter, looking back and forth at Hilde and Alahseey as they were trying to vision the event. "When I noticed I had lost Luindal on the ice and I was surrounded by thick fog I panicked. I remember pulling my rope slightly, to see if it could lead me back to the bay. As you all know, the very reason we're here is because it was cut off. Alahseey has been chraged for this terribl action, although I do not think she is the guilty one...." Voices of great confusion was to be heard. Galhardir didn't expect anything else either as there was now several people charging Hilde instead of Alahseey for the terrible deed. "The rope had been cut only a short time before I got lost, or so I think. To be able to cut my rope one had to use an axe..."

"Get to the point," one of the elves muttered.

"What better way of hiding your own traces by pointing the suspicion to someone else is there?" Galhardir then asked the crowd. "I've bee asking myself this question since the very moment I heard that Alahseey had been charged for this deed. Please do think about it...A spy would do something as horrible as that, but only a spy. I tell you, Hilde is that spy. Not Alahseey."

As he had finished, great anger and accusations came from Hilde. Annû smiled mischievously because he knew Hilde would have to pay for what she had done. It was like a victory. Galhardir sat down again, waiting for Luindal or some of the Elders to say something regarding Galhardir's accusations and thoughts. "Oh, one last thing. If it hadn't been for you," he said, looking at Rôg and some of the elves, "I wouldn't have been here today," Galhardir continued, pausing. He sighed. "The person who has betrayed us should be punished for this and not walk away thinking she can fool us by leading another innocent person into her own miserable level."

Last edited by piosenniel; 11-10-2004 at 03:27 PM.
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Old 10-07-2004, 01:54 PM   #168
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‘If only I’d not gone back to my pack to get those foot warmers!’ Rôg shook his head, remembering how his feet had been cold and his pack, just a short distance away, held some furl-lined socks that Bear had given him. The ropes had been fine when he’d left; he’d checked their knots and seen that the three Lossoth he was standing watch with were all in place, watching the searchers inch out onto the ice. He’d heard the cries for help just as he returned to where the ropes were anchored. His immediate thoughts had been to go quickly to the source of the cries, as he saw a multitude of hands catch hold of the cut rope. Thoughts of how he best might help, though, had crowded out a glimpse he’d gotten just as he neared the anchoring rocks, before the cries went up.

One of the three Lossoth safeguarding the anchor points had just stooped down slightly and shoved an axe a little ways away on the ground. He’d hurried on as he saw hands grip the escaping lifeline. But his next images were of Alaahseey and Freyn running as he passed them to grab onto the rope. He gasped, audibly, at what this meant. The person who’d put down the axe must surely have been Hilde! He’d not seen her use it, but . . .

His attention was caught by the murmurings of the crowd in front of him. And the loud voices of Carandû and Annû. They, too, were accusing Hilde of the deed. Luindal had called for everyone to be quiet and be calm. Rôg heard him ask Carandû had he seen her use the axe, but the Elf could not say he had, his attention diverted by the cries for help and then the Corsair onslaught.

Rôg stood up on a crate at the ship’s railing and wave his arms wildly to draw the Captain’s attention. ‘Now, I didn’t see her swing the axe and make the cut, either,’ he said. A smug look crept onto Hilde’s face at this admission, and quickly fled as he went on. ‘I have to admit I was away for several moments. But I did see who laid the axe down as the rope snaked into the waters of the Bay.’ Rôg looked consideringly at Alaahsey. ‘The Elder and Freyn were further up the lifeline when I saw them trying to grasp it and stop its movement. The only other Lossoth there that I passed on my way to help was the one whose hand I saw cast the axe a little ways away from her.’ He nodded toward Hilde with his chin. ‘It was her, Hilde, whose hand held the axe just after the severing blows were struck.’

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Old 10-07-2004, 07:29 PM   #169
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Nilak had slept later than he meant too. He had to get back to Corsair ship and speak with Sernir. See what jobs he had in store for him today. The failure on the ice had left Sernir angry and irritable, but this was really no different from the Corsair in a normal mood.

Nilak trudged along, moving slowly today. He was in no real hurry, though he should have been. As he walked along he overheard two Lossoth men talking about Igal. Nilak slowed down when he heard that Igal was bringing supplies to the Elven ships. The words "he needs some help with the loading" floated into Nilak's ears. He dropped his coin pouch into the snow, pretending he had dropped it on accident. He got down on his knees and listened to the Lossoth men talking more about Igal and his shipment to the Elves.

This was it. This could be what Marreth and the Corsairs needed to get ahead. Nilak could go offer help to Igal. He could gain the advantage for the Corsairs. He smiled to himself and grabbed his coin pouch. This was perfect.

Now Nilak walked faster to the ship. When it was in sight he realized this would be dangerous. He couldn't go alone. But who could he possibly bring with him? Who did he trust? There was no one he truly trusted, but there was Tarn. Tarn had gone into the caves with him and he didn't try to stab Nilak in the back. Nilak sorted through his other choices. No one. It looked like he would have to try and enlist Tarn's help.

On the ship Nilak searched out Tarn. He was not too hard to find. "Tarn." The larger Lossoth man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I have a proposition for you."

Tarn listened to all Nilak had to say. He spoke rarely, but nodded from time to time. After Nilak explained his plan Tarn agreed. They would go to Igal as soon as possible.

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Old 10-08-2004, 06:43 AM   #170
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Tarn had been sitting idly on the deck of the Corsair ship when Nilak came towards him in a rush. His news had been interesting, and the plan was well thought out. Tarn didn’t have any questions to ask, and found himself easily agreeing to the man’s scheme. He had gained a sense of respect for Nilak since the episode in the caves; the man had shown courage and had proved to be a trustworthy ally. He was quite content to go along with Nilak’s idea, and standing up, whistled for Thynne, who had been watching the sailors scaling the rigging.

*

As they drew nigh to the Elven ship, Tarn could see that some of the loading had already begun. Men were bringing supplies across the water in small boats, but were clearly struggling; it appeared that Igal had failed to employ enough men to get the job done quickly. Nilak said what Tarn was thinking, that this would make their mission easier.

Pulling a woollen scarf and a hood from the inside pocket of his overcoat, Tarn covered up his head and the lower part of his face; this would help shield his identity, something which Tarn suspected might be necessary. He could do little to hide his coat, which was distinctive in an area where most wore furs, but he stooped a little to make himself a bit more unobtrusive. Large crates were sitting on the shoreline, unattended, and Tarn loaded an empty boat with the cases until it was full, when Nilak pushed the craft out into the water.

The ship was close to shore and they soon reached it. Nilak went up the ladder first, and as nobody challenged him, he motioned to Tarn and Thynne, who passed up the crates before scaling the ladder themselves. At one end of the ship, there was a large crowd gathered, what appeared to be the whole crew, along with many Lossoth faces. Tarn’s deep eyes squinted as he tried to make out who was there. It appeared to be a Lossoth woman who was in some kind of trouble, and he burned with curiosity to know what she had done, but had to turn away in case he was noticed.

Those onboard were too interested in the trial to notice the newcomers, but a stocky, beetle-browed man soon saw them and hastily came across the deck towards them.
“Igal,” said Tarn. “I see you have found yourself a deal here with the elves? Profitable no doubt?”

The man stood with his arms folded, a sour expression on his face. “And why would you want to know? Think someone’s outdoing you here do you? A shipwrecker and a profiteer?” His voice raised slightly and Tarn and Nilak moved to stand on either side of him, menacingly.

“And what might you be then, Igal?” hissed Tarn. “Goods sold at no doubt high prices, and I see your pitiful wages have failed to find you enough men for the job.”

“What about it? I know you two won’t be here for the wages. Come to steal my labourers, have you?”

“Lower myself to that?” spat Tarn, his face full of derision. Turning aside with a sneer, he took a handful of the corn in one of the sacks which had been opened, and examined it, sniffing the grains carefully as they ran through his long fingers. It had a tainted smell and he knew that Igal would have mixed bad, cheap corn with the good quality produce which the elves were paying a premium for. Igal blanched. He knew that Tarn would have no hesitation in revealing his secret, and then he would be ruined. He readied himself for what the men were going to ask of him.

Tarn was too proud to offer his labour to any of the Lossoth, especially not to Igal, who was an unscrupulous trader, but full of pride that he was held in high regard by the community as a merchant. Tarn hated the man for his false pride, not recognising the same quality in himself. His sense of self-importance was at the centre of his being. The difficult youth he had endured drove him to prove that he was better than everyone else, more powerful, wealthier, stronger; it also drove him to assume that he was all of these things, even when he was not. But he had at least managed to scare Igal.

When Nilak told the man that they wanted the job of attending to the goods in the warehouse and bringing them onboard, his relief was visible. Igal did not seek to question the men, in fact he had as yet not been able to secure anyone willing to do the job and had been worried that he would have to do it himself. His manner changed and he expressed thanks to the men. Nilak nodded to Tarn, and the deal was sealed. They knew that Igal would not say any more of the matter, he had considered himself to have got off lightly.

Thynne was positioned behind the large crowd, hidden by the mast and rigging from the eyes of the elves; he was watching the trial. Driven by their curiosity, Nilak and Tarn sauntered across, where they both listened to the proceedings with interest, thinking how much Marreth would welcome this information.

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Old 10-09-2004, 01:54 PM   #171
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Hilde had pulled back from the circle and now stood defiantly at the far end of the room. Her hands were clenched tightly to her hips as she glared obstinately at her accusers. If she felt any fear or trepidation, it was not evident from the expression on her face.

Turning angrily from her accusers, she directly addressed Luindal, “You would believe these men? I am a poor woman. I have no reason to be involved with outlanders or their dealings. I cook and clean and labor. Intrigues over lost Stones mean nothing to me.”

“Look instead to Alahseey. She has many reindeer herds and is an Elder. She and her kin are used to getting her own way. Her family supplies furs to the outlander ships and gains riches thorough the trade. What nonsense they have in their heads I do not know, but I am certain they would use their slippery tongues and promises of wealth to secure their mother’s release.”

The Elf countered calmly, “You are saying that Alahseey’s family bribed my men to speak as they did?”

“Aye, that I am… She could not do it herself. But we have had dozens of Lossoth on and off this ship with the supplies. With my own eyes I have seen her youngest son loading barrels in the hull. Who knows what mischief he was sowing?”

There was an uproar among the onlookers as the nature of Hilde’s charge became apparent. One of the brothers had to be restrained by his fellow Elves to keep from breaking out of the crowd and personally throttling Hilde’s neck.

Alahseey wrenched free of her captors and hurled herself in front of Luindal. “Let me speak! I must answer these charges for Hilde’s words touch my family and its honor. My son is an honest trader who supplies furs and other provisions for your crew. He would meet any in fair combat to defend his mother's honor, but never would he stoop to cunning and deceit. If there are lies here, they do not come from me or my family.”

“You hate me!” Hilde countered, her face livid with rage.

The Elder pivoted about, “No, not I. But I do feel sorry for you. You may desire to lead a simple life, but not your son. He dreams of gold and power and commanding others, and will stop at nothing. He even uses his poor mother to achieve his goals.”

Glancing at Luindal, Alahseey continued, “I knew the other day but had no time to tell you. Her son has put her up to this.”

“You have no proof!” Hilde retorted.

“No proof? If my guess is right, she holds the proof in her own hands. Luindal," she added, "look at the bag she carries at her side. Search it thoroughly and see what you find.”

The bag was immediately deposited in front of Luindal and its contents dumped out on deck. There was a clanging sound as a handful of gold coins bounced free, rolled a ways, and then came to a stop. Luindal bent down to retrieve a single coin, examining it closely. “Gold!” he confirmed. But it is not a coin I know.”

Rôg, who had been standing close by, glanced over his friend’s shoulder with a knowing look, “That is because it is from Umbar, the city where the Corsairs make their home.”

Luindal set down the coin and turned first to Alahseey, “I am sorry for this misunderstanding, and apologize for any slight to your family. We will talk later. I owe you much”

Then he faced the other woman and announced his decision, “Hilde, you are to be bound and turned over to the Council of Elders who will determine the punishment for your misdeeds. Andtuariel, could you go now and gather a band of Elves and Lossoth to accompany you to the Hall of the Elders? The Elders have asked that Hilde be held there under lock and key…”


The posse of Elves and Lossoth quickly regrouped at the far end of the deck. They secured Hilde's arms and legs with rope and formed an escort on either side of her. With Andtuariel in the lead, members of the group climbed down the ladder over the side of the ship and slipped into the small boats. Luindal continued to watch as the band reached shore with Hilde in tow and started their trek to the central Lossoth settlement where the Hall of Elders could be found.

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Old 10-09-2004, 02:57 PM   #172
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Marreth:

Marreth paced impatiently back and forth in his cabin. He had been waiting all morning to hear some news back from those who'd been sent out to spy on the Elven vessel. Already it was noon, and no one had returned. He was beginning to wonder if he should go on his own and try to find something out, when there was a knock on the cabin door. He opened the door and saw the two Lossoth, Nilak and Tarn, standing in front of him. They were talking very quickly.

Within a few moments the whole story was out: how Hilde was being dragged away to prison, and also Igal's promise to place them in charge of the warehouse when the supplies were shipped to the Elves just two days from now. Marreth responded warmly, "You've done well. A shipment of large barrels in two days is more than I could have hoped for. We will speak more on that later, but right now we have no time. There's another job that needs doing."

Marreth ran up on deck and sounded the alarm bell, which was a signal for his best men to gather fully armed within his cabin. He returned to his quarters, sat down at the table, and explained, "Hilde the Lossoth has been a good friend to us. She has been seized by the Elves and is being dragged off to prison. Let us go now and seize her back. Who is with me in this?"

A considerable cheer went up and several men surged forward. As Marreth began to stand up, he saw Jynne off scowling to the side and nodded towards him that he should speak.....

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Old 10-09-2004, 03:07 PM   #173
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Tolkien

Jynne shifted uncomfortably in front of the captain. The spy had been found out -- this did not trouble Jynne any. What made a god spy was not being found out. It was her own fault that she had been careless.

Now Marreth wanted to bring her back. Why? She was useless. Defective. Clumsy. Careless. A danger to them. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Marreth. Why was she so important? Why would Marreth risk so much on her?

Clearing his throat, Jynne leaned on the table and said softly, "I have a question before we go. How is Jarlyn? He was not feeling well some days ago." He smiled thinly.
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Old 10-09-2004, 10:48 PM   #174
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Marreth glared over at Jynne. There was something in the man's tone that annoyed him. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was definitely there.

"How is Jarlyn?" Marreth repeated. "You should know as well as I.... My friend has been in bed since our return to the ship. That means that I will have to ask you to stand up in his place. Take a small contingent of men with you, and have them fall in behind my group. I do not know how many armed men Luindal has sent as an escort. But let's be safe. I am determined have Hilde back and safe on our ship. Form ranks now and hurry to the Hall of the Elders where she is likely to be held."

What Marreth did not tell Jynne or any of the other men was that he did not want to have the Lossoth woman in a postion where the Elders could squeeze her for information about the Corsairs and their plans. Not that he had told her too much, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

With that, Marreth strapped his sword to his side and plunged out the door, with the others following behind him.

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Old 10-10-2004, 12:25 PM   #175
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Andtuariel watched Hilde suspiciously as she was assisted into one of the boats. Once Andtuariel and the others were securely in the boat she took a breath in and looked at her surroundings. It was odd outside, one couldn’t explain it, the clouds looked so huge with a slight grey tint to them, they looked daunting. The atmosphere was strange too; an uneasy feeling is what Andtuariel felt, a sickening feeling, a knot deep inside her. She decided to think on another topic; she had no idea why she was to lead everyone, but she figured Luindal had seen her strong, determined and very bossy characteristics. Elwë always used to say I make a good leader. She smiled at Elwë who sat beside her. Andtuariel had chosen Elwë and another elf to attend her in the boat with Hilde, among with other Lossoth.

Once they were on the shore she walked ahead with Jannel, a Lossoth, who guided her and the group to the Elders Hall. Andtuariel felt jittery, for no reason at all. Elwë frowned at her as they walked, “something wrong?” he inquired. Andtuariel shook her head, she couldn’t explain.

Andtuariel smiled slightly as they walked through the village. It was beautiful and unique, to her, she had never really looked closely or admired a Lossoth Villiage; the little ice huts, everything so simple yet amazing. Everything was silent; the weather was becoming worse and the snow was thick and heavy. She smiled at the Jannel the Lossoth who was guiding her. She raised her hand high in the air, ordering all to stop. Andtuariel turned towards the Jannel.

“It seems like we will walk miles from here, the weather is getting worse. Are there any short cuts?” Andtuariel asked frowning, her lips ice blocks.

“Yes,” Jannel replied, “there are quiet a few but I think I know the right one to take, it’s the safest. We better be as fast as we can before we all freeze to death.”

Andtuariel chuckled, “at least we have our warm fur coats.”

She smiled at the group and shouted for them to follow her and Jannel. She had to shout as loud as she could, the wind was strong and it carried her voice. Like the snow had done so many times, it cut deep into their skin as the wind carried it. The walk was becoming painful and exhausting but Andtuariel was sure they were to arrive at the Elders Hall soon enough, with that thought she was content.

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Old 10-12-2004, 02:01 AM   #176
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Carandû watched as Hilde, her hands bound behind her, was assisted into one of the boats tied up at the ship’s side. Andtuariel and two other Elves as well as several of the Lossoth accompanied her in the boat as they rowed toward the shore. Annû and he accompanied Alahseey in the second boat with two of the Lossoth men to man the oars. In the last boat was Rôg with his Lossoth companion, Bear. Luindal had placed another two Elves in with them. And behind all of them were three very small skiffs holding several Lossoth each.

The trip from ship to shore was uneventful. Even so, the Elves all had their bows at the ready. And Carandû kept his eye on Hilde, though she was bound. Any sign of trouble and he planned to dispatch her quickly with an arrow.

Once on shore, Andtuariel took the lead, one of the Lossoth from the meeting showing her the way to the Elders Hall. Following her were a group of Lossoth, ringing the prisoner. Elves came close after, wary, their weapons drawn. And at the end came Rôg and Alahseey flanked by Carandû and his brother with a few armed Lossoth bringing up the rear. A short winding path across a stretch of frozen tundra brought them in sight of a small snowy rise with a great rounded top, ice house on its low plateau. About it, at the foot of the rise were clustered a number of small hewn ice huts, which served as the central part of the Lossoth village. A short narrow path led up the side of the rise.

Carandû saw Andtuariel hold up her hand to call a halt as the group reached the far outskirts of the village. It was beginning to snow; the view ahead was getting hazy. Most of the villagers appeared to have already taken shelter in their homes as the little passageways between them were empty of traffic. He could just see Andtuariel and her Lossoth guide discussing, most probably, he thought, the quickest route to the Elder’s Hall. Satisfied that they could find their way through the increasing obscuring snow, Andtuariel called back along the line for all to follow along closely. Visibility was becoming poor, even for the Elves.

Silently, Andtuariel led the way toward the center of the settlement through the increasing flurries. The rest followed along in her tracks . . .
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Old 10-13-2004, 12:27 AM   #177
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Hilde:

All the while the group was trudging forward, Hilde fidgeted with her wrists and fingers, desperately trying to loosen the cords. Her efforts were unsuccessful. Nor could she gain the sympathy of the Lossoth guards who surrounded her despite repeated efforts to speak with them and point out the injustice of dragging an old woman off to prison.

By now, the snow was falling in thick sheets: it was difficult to see clearly to the side or to glimpse anything more than a few feet ahead on the trail. Hilde's lone remaining hope was that Marreth would keep his promise and send a band of partisans to rescue her.

For some time, the escort of Elves and Lossoth plodded onward, although their progress was slowed by a mounting accumulation of snow. In spots, the path had become quite slick. Suddenly, a large field loomed directly ahead, a wide expanse of mown grass that normally served as the market for the town, but which was now empty and blanketed with several inches of snow. Despite the swirling flakes, Hilde could make out the outline of a sturdy wooden structure on the far side of the plaza where the jail and the Hall of the Elders sat. It was the only permanent building in the settlement and one which was well fortified. Once inside, Hilde thought it unlikely that she could break loose, even with the help of the Corsairs. While there were no onlookers or traders out in the middle of a storm, a few canopies and tables still lay haphazardly scattered about the square, seemingly deserted and stripped of their wares.

Hilde peered towards the largest of these vacated trading stations, narrowing her eyes and straining to see if anyone was there. Although she could glimpse little in the darkness of the storm, she was relieved to hear a familiar signal coming from the booth on the far end of the plaza: the hoot of a snowy owl sounded once, then two more times in quick succession. She smiled slightly, then dug the heel of her left boot deep into the snow, and purposely wrenched her leg sideways as she went sprawling down on the slippery path. Her guards bent over to help her up....

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Old 10-13-2004, 05:29 AM   #178
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Question

Marreth watched Hilde slip on the ice and fell on the ground. This momentary distraction was the perfect opportunity to launch the attack. Marreth and his men rushed toward Hilde, only to be blocked by a ring of Lossoth.

Marreth began thrusting his sword at the Snowmen, but they were able to parry his jabs. Try as he might, it did not look like he was going to be able to reach Hilde. He needed to find a new way to somehow get the Elves to release her. Marreth was not the only one to have trouble, his crew did not seem to be having much success. He selected one particular Lossoth in the middle of the circle and began attacking him. Maybe if that Lossoth was killed it would provide a hole through which the Corsairs might be able to slip through and rescue Hilde.

Marreth’s blows descended swiftly upon the Snowman who backed up with every lunge. Finally the rapier sliced through the Lossoth’s stomach and he fell over dead, his blood trickling out onto the snow. But just as he fell, another one of his comrades who had been standing behind him stepped forward to take his pace. And so Marreth began his attack once more against his new adversary. Try as he might, Marreth was simply not able to break through. He would have to find another way or Hilde was certain to end up behind bars.

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Old 10-13-2004, 09:28 AM   #179
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Marreth’s obvious satisfaction with the task Nilak and Tarn had carried out had filled Tarn with exhilaration and energy. He had joined the Corsairs as they set off in a great rush to attempt their rescue of Hilde. They were a pack of wolves slipping through the white shroud of the blizzard. The snow came down relentlessly, and soon the party were all so thoroughly covered that they were indistinguishable from their surroundings.

As they stood in the deserted market place, struggling to see anything in the storm, the voices of the Elven party came out of the white sky, muffled but close, and the signal was given to attack. Hilde was defended closely and keenly, and Tarn failed to make any difference to the attack.

Standing back and sighing with exasperation, his exhilaration began to turn to anger. He was as determined as the Corsair captain to rescue the captive, but more than anything, he wanted to continue to make an impression. Nagging at him was a slight sense of surprise that a Corsair should be so keen to save one of the Lossoth, although this was a feeling he could not quite explain.

Tarn impatiently scuffled at the ground with his frostbitten foot to keep the blood flowing, something he was always careful to do when standing out in snow; the old injury still troubled him. He looked down for a moment and saw the sharp edged stones he had uncovered by stamping in the snow. Without pausing to think, he stooped, grabbed a handful of the quartz stones, and began to stuff them into snowballs.

Someone shouted angrily that it was no time to be playing childish games. One of the Lossoth guards scoffed as he saw what looked like a huge man made of ice trying to start a snowball fight. But Tarn, barely able to conceal the laughter rising inside him, hurled the first of his deadly snowballs and it glanced off the head of the guard; his mocking quickly turned to dismay when he felt the blood running from the gash in his brow to his mouth.

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Old 10-14-2004, 06:58 PM   #180
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Jynne dived into a clump of evening shadows and watched the Corsairs clash blades with the Snowmen, all the while wondering if Marreth would ever learn that one could not underestimate elves. They were not defeated easily, and had the nasty ability to wriggle free from tight places.

Of course, fighting was never the best way to get things done, he observed thinly. Naturally, you kill the enemy, but then you yourself die along with them. Of course, there were the few that survived, but fighting was not a winner's game. Both sides ultimately lost. Why play a game one couldn't win?

Then he saw her. The female elf. An evil grin cracked his face. Why were the elves so foolish? Sliding from the shadows, he slipped towards her. His dagger whispered from its sheath.

She was hanging around the edges of the fighting. Her fingers fidgeted, her feet tapped as if she wanted to go and help but then thought better of it.

Foolish girl.

Silently as the shadows fell, he wrapped his arm around her neck, and deftly caught her small wrists in his iron fist. She gasped, but swallowed her scream, which was something. Most women shrieked and fainted at the first sign of danger. "Do you feel that?" he whispered, pricking her neck with his dagger. "Fear that, and things may go well for you. I owe you my thanks, though" he added, nodding his head in a mock bow. "The elves were foolish to bring you along. They will do anything to save a woman." Licking his lips, he shouted, "Oy! Snowman leader!"

Some of the Snowmen and the elves had already noticed the elven lady's predicament and had stopped fighting, suddenly wondering what they were to do. Jynne laughed silently to himself. They were men of small stature to be so easily blown apart by a gusty gale.

"Now that we have finished this foolishness," Jynne said silkily, "I would like to make you an offer. Give us Hilde --" he cast a distasteful glance at her (if she had been more careful they wouldn't be here) -- "or your elf will never see the light of the Valar on a westward ship."
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Old 10-14-2004, 11:17 PM   #181
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Andtuariel gasped as the cold blade of the dagger was held against her skin and hard, rough hands grabbed her small and fragile wrists. She breathed deeply trying to quell the fear that bubbled somewhere in the pit of her stomach. Andtuariel felt a slight trickle of blood creeping down her neck as the corsair held the dagger too closely. The one thought that echoed through her mind was, "What is happening...why was the Corsair doing this?” Then she realized that she was a bargaining chip. They would kill her...

"Do you feel that?" he said, his voice cold, sly and creepy. "Fear that, and things may go well for you. I owe you my thanks, though" the corsair added. “The elves were foolish to bring you along. They will do anything to save a woman." He hissed softly, and tightened his grip. She cringed, hating the filthy feel of his hands. "Oy! Snowman leader!" he shouted loudly.

Everyone stopped as they noticed her. No… ignore him, keep on fighting.

"Now that we have finished this foolishness, I would like to make you an offer. Give us Hilde or your elf will never see the light of the Valar on a westward ship."

She felt a cold, numb feeling swell inside of her. She could die. She could never go west. She must not think about that...

Andtuariel heard a few people gasping and others whispering. She watched the crowds slowly step back when a sudden shout came from the crowds, “Let her go!” Andtuariel saw a tall handsome figure, it was Elwë. He was about to run right up to her when Annû grabbed Elwë and pulled him back, whispering something in Elwë’s ear.

Andtuariel watched the elves discuss the situation, while the corsair stood silently behind her though the grip on his knife never faltered. Andtuariel was scared, wishing that she could live, yet hoping they wouldn't turn Hilde over to the Corsairs. Finally the elves finished and Elwë walked up and said while trying to keep calm, “we will give you Hilde if you give us Andtuariel.”

Andtuariel didn’t believe the Corsairs would stick to their side of the deal, why would they? She was hoping they would, but doubted it.

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Old 10-15-2004, 09:18 PM   #182
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Carandû watched as his brother pulled Elwë aside. And then heard Elwë speaking to the Southrons who held Andtuariel - ‘We will give you Hilde if you will give us Andtuariel.’ It was obvious that Elwë had never treated with the men from the shadowed south. Why should they give the Elf back? It would be far more strategic to keep her – to force the others of Luindal’s band out of the bay and out of the picture as far as finding the palantíri. As far as he could see, Andtuariel was an unfortunate player in this. She would be dead or worse no matter if Hilde were given back or kept prisoner.

As Elwë waited for the Corsair answer, Carandû made his way up to where Hilde was ringed by the other Elves, a smug look on her face. ‘You are nothing but fodder for carrion eaters, old woman,’ he growled at her snatching her up easily in his grip. Dragging her across the ice toward where the Corsair held the Elf captive, he cried out in a great voice. ‘Is this the offal that you seek, southern dung beetles?’ ‘Take her, then,’ he bellowed heaving her small form at the one who held Andtuariel.

Carandû nocked an arrow and let it fly after the Lossoth spy, intending to kill her at the feet of the curs who’d bought her. One of the Corsairs loosed an arrow of his own, bringing the Elf down. He could hear the enraged cries of his brother as he fell, and the zip . . . zip of arrows as they cut through the air from Annû’s bow . . .
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Old 10-15-2004, 10:03 PM   #183
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Rôg’s first impulse was simply to flee. He did not care for combat, save by ink, quill, and paper or by words spoken within the agreed boundaries of debate. No hint of warrior blood informed his actions when faced with clashes of the physical sort. Weaponless, he backed behind Bear who seemed about to run himself. ‘What’s happening?’ he whispered.

‘That Carandû fellow . . . the one what went down,’ he heard Bear say, who now seemed rooted to the ice as he watched the events unfold ahead. ‘He’s bleedin’ awful bad. You can see the red spreading out on the ice. ‘His brother’s shootin’ at the Corsairs and now it looks like the other Elves and my people have joined in.’

‘What about that Elf that was leading us?’ he said, peering around the Lossoth’s shoulder.

‘Can’t say. Can’t see her in all the hubbub.’ Bear shifted his spear to his right hand in preparation for joining the fight. ‘Come on. We can’t leave them to fight by themselves.’ He pulled Rôg forward, shaking his head at the man’s empty hands. ‘Do something, or your friends will be slaughtered!’ Bear took off running to join the fray.

And probably so will I!’ squeaked the skinchanger to himself. He shrugged his shoulders, thinking wildly. The image came to him of the goshawk he’d seen earlier in the year, a snow-hare plucked easily from the ground as it ran for cover; long, strong, sharp talons of the raptor sunk readily into the flesh . . .

Flap . . . flap . . . glide . . .

The wings of the blue-grey bird pushed him over the heads of the combatants. From his vantage point he could see the Corsair still had Andtuariel in some sort of a grip. As the bird drew near, he dropped lower, his long legs extending toward the man’s head. Talons finding purchase, he dipped his sharp hooked beak and sank it deeply round the man’s nose . . . giving it a strong, hard nip.

There! That should give the Elf a fighting chance!

With a rapid flutter of wings, he flew off seeking other suitable “prey” . . .
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Old 10-16-2004, 01:19 AM   #184
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The bird came from nowhere, descending upon him like a hawk upon a mouse. Jynne roared with pain as the bird bit him on the nose, but had the sense not to let go of the elven wench. He tightened his grip upon her wrists, and shifted the knife so that it could more easily slit her throat in a moment's time.

The arrows reigned around them, and he backed against a tree, clutching the wench as a shield against him. He could feel the blood run down his nose, bathing his lips crimson.

Raising his voice, he shouted, "ENOUGH OF THIS OR THE ELF WILL MEET A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH!"

The silver blade flashed across her cheeks...a river of blood appeared. "This can do much worse," he said in a soft silky voice that penetrated the air. "This blade is bathed in poison, it burns you skin, does it not?" he asked almost politely. He smiled thinly as she nodded her head, a soft whimper on her lips. "And not even your bird fiend will save her," he added. "If I so much as see a shadow a birdish shadow, or hear a flutter of wings, I will not hesitate to strike. Maybe, I'll strike in such a way that she dies a slow, painful death that not even the elves can stay," he whispered silkily. "If the foolish Hilde dies, this elf dies -- very painfully."

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Old 10-16-2004, 09:56 PM   #185
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His brother was dead. No flicker of familiar thoughts eased Annû’s mind as he laid his hand on the unmoving chest. He wondered for one brief moment if the old tales were indeed true. Would he meet his brother once again in the West; see him walking with that impish look in his grey eyes as he left Namo’s halls, lips curved in a smile?

"ENOUGH OF THIS OR THE ELF WILL MEET A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH!"

The Corsair’s voice cut through Annû’s thoughts. He blinked back his tears, anger replacing sorrow. Annû stood, looking toward where the southron held Andtuariel. A quick glance about and he saw Elwë standing still as death, eyes fixed on her; barely breathing as the Corsair’s knife held steady against Andtuariel’s neck. Tucking his anger away with his sorrow, Annû called out to the Corsair.

‘Stay your hand! You have Hilde, still alive it seems, as I can see her huddling low like some dog at her master’s feet. We will retreat back to our boats – leaving one on the shore for Andtuariel. Two of us will wait for her.’

The remaining Elves and Lossoth retreated as quickly as they could, leaving their dead behind. Reaching the shore where the boats were tied, they made for the ship, oars dipping silently into the cold waters of the bay.
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Old 10-16-2004, 10:11 PM   #186
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Marreth did not like surprises from his own men. And he was angry that Jynne had pulled this off on his own without even bothering to inform him beforehand. His men were a band of pirates whom he expected to obey his orders, to act together as a group, and not go off on some hairbrained scheme of their own making. If Jynne did this once, he was apt to do it another time and the results could be less than gratifying.

In the full hearing of all the company, he turned and snarled, "Jynne, lay down your blade. We can surely handle a dainty morsel such as this with a good sturdy dagger and no poison on the tip. And the next time you decide to bring along a poisoned dagger, or perform a stunt like this, I want to hear about it first. I am the one in charge here, and I give the orders!. "

"Now, maties," he turned back with a broad grin to his other men. "As long as we have this little princess in our control, we might as well make use of her. She will be our special guest." He turned and flashed her a welcoming grin and then continued, "You've no need to fear. As soon as your friend Luindal brings me the Stones, you'll return safely to your friends, but not till I have the palantiri in my hands."

"What about them?" Jynne sulkily prodded, pointing towards the two from the Elven party who had remained behind. The look on Jynne's face left little doubt that he preferred to see their bodies lying on the ground.

"Come now, Jynne," Marreth replied in a silky voice. "We mustn't be greedy. I've no use for more than one captive, and this one looks prettier than those two." Marreth saw Jynne's fingers tighten on his dagger as he turned and scowled. The Captain replied so all could hear. "If anyone lays a hand on either of those men, they will answer personally to me!"

Marreth then turn and spoke to the two, "Return to your ship. The Elf stays with me. She is war plunder fairly won. But I am a generous man. Have Luindal bring me the Stones, and she will go home. But try any tricks....try to escape with the magic Stones....and this little lady will walk the plank."

He turned and shook his head: "Not a pleasant way to die, I'm afraid. Once you get beyond the waters of the Bay, the sharks are very hungry. Always looking for a morsel to eat, and the waves very high. A frail thing like this wouldn't have a chance."

For one moment, it looked as if one member of the waiting party would charge forward with sword outstretched in a foolish gesture that could only end in death. But his comrade took charge and forcibly held him back, shouting to Marreth that this thing was not ended and that there would be a price to pay. The Corsair only turned and laughed, saying he didn't make it a practice to pay for anything. He simply took what he wanted, and this little Elf maiden was not different at all.....

Seeing that any attempt to rescue Andtuariel would only be a foolish gesture with nothing positive gained, Luindal's men turned and walked back to their boat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Niluial's post:

Andtuariel pulled and struggled but her hands had been tied together firmly -- but Marreth had seen to it that Jynne hadn't tied the thongs cruelly tight. She knew that there was no way out of this. She sat in the row boat, glaring at the filthy pirates around her. One Corsair licked his lips with a smug, sickening look upon his face. She looked back on the shore, panic stricken. She didn’t want to die yet she didn’t want to be around these awful Corsairs anymore. Andtuariel had always wanted to die a hero -- yet this wasn't exactly a heroic way to die.

Her thoughts left the rowing boat, left all her troubles… she thought of Elwë. She knew he was probably crying or angry or filled with mixed emotions. Andtuariel was worried about him and what he may do to himself, to the others just to save her life. She was also worried about the stones, she wanted to live but would rather be dead than to see those precious stones in the Corsairs filthy hands!

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Old 10-16-2004, 10:15 PM   #187
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Rôg took the quickest way across the icy waters, outpacing the boats as he winged his way back to The Sea-Spirit. With a screech he dove toward the ship’s railing, extending his talons toward it to secure a sure perch. What a horror this venture had turned into! he thought, jumping from the railing to the deck.

‘Luindal!’ he shouted, running down the stairs toward the Captain’s room. A number of those still on board peeked out from their rooms and from the galley, hastening behind him as he neared Luindal’s study.

‘What’s happened?’ they asked crowding about him as he knocked on the Captain’s door. ‘Where are the others?’

‘The Corsairs were waiting for us. They’ve captured Andtuariel; taken Hilde. Many are dead . . . many . . .’

The door opened. Luindal stood there, his face unreadable. ‘Who is dead?’ he asked in a quiet voice.

‘Carandû, for one . . . and possibly Andtuariel, by now . . .’ began Rôg as he entered the room. He took a seat on one of the nearby chairs; the events of the day had settled in on him at last and his knees were shaking. Those who could crowded about in the hallway near the opened door as he recounted the unfortunate unfolding of what had seemed a straightforward and simple mission at the first.

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Old 10-17-2004, 06:28 AM   #188
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Luindal stared somberly at the table in front of him, carefully masking his feelings and averting his eyes from Rôg's. His head reeled with pain as he heard his friend recount the tale of disaster that had befallen the escort sent out with Hilde. Luindal found his thoughts racing desperately in two different directions: deep sadness and horror on hearing about the death of innocent folk who had done nothing more than follow his orders, and a growing sense that he was into something for which he had no experience or stomach, and that his own shortsightedness had caused innocent folk to lose their lives. Just as soberly, what was he doing sitting on the ship while his men were battling and losing their lives? He should never have put Andtuariel in this dangerous situation: he should have led the raid himself.

For a moment, he thought of going off on his own to contact Cirdan, begging the old Elf to relieve him from command of this mission for which he was obviously so ill suited. Yet he knew the answer he would receive even before he raised the question: I am sorry Luindal, but there are too few of us left. And we do bear some responsibility for this situation, since the Stones were our inventions. You are the best we have. If you can not do it, then the Stones will ultimately fall into evil hands and the old, bad days return. Only this time there will be no Gandalf or Galadriel to tip the scale against the forces of evil, and the dominion of Man will begin not with the even hand of Gondor but with Harad, an empire bent on dominion and might. He could not sit here and mope or reflect. Something had to be done, and fast.

Luindal reached out and placed his hands on his friend's shoulder, "Rôg, your words bring sadness. To hear of the death of innocent folk is no joy, and Cârrandu worst of all! Let us pray his brother survives. But if we stop here, we will do no honor to their memory and sacrifice."

Luindal began to speak again, but was interrupted by a sudden noise and commotion coming from the hallway. Someone was pushing hurriedly through the crowd of onlookers who were gathering in greater numbers outside the open door. Instantly, one of the Lossoth thrust the door fully open, raced inside and approached the table where Luindal sat, blurting out the latest news. "The small boat has returned. Annû and his companion live, but the boat holds no more than these. Marreth has taken the Elf and threatens not to return her till he has the Stones in his grasp. If we discover the palantari and sail home with them, he says she will die in the manner of the pirates: by being forced out onto the plank."

"Was Marreth the one who did this thing?" Luindal growled.

One of the Elves in the hallway shook his head, "Yes and no. Marreth was willing to take advantage of the situation, but it was not he who put the blade to Andtuariel's throat. It was another..... the oily looking Corsair with the evil face who calls himself Jynne."

The Lossoth who shared the original news quickly added, "Marreth was not so pleased with Jynne's actions, I think. For he had harsh words with him as we stood there and waited, in front of the whole company of Corsairs. Jynne would have had the two of us killed, and seemed to be pushing the Corsair captain to do that. In fact, I think he would have slit Andtuariel's throat without a second glance. But Marreth put him in his place. He berated him for carrying a poisoned blade when he himself had not been told of Jynne's intentions. I do not know what is happening, but there is bad blood between those two."

Luindal nodded in understanding. It sounded as if Marreth had his hands full on more than one front. He turned to address his companions who now stood clustered in the hallway, spilling over into his cabin, "We will rest and mourn our dead for one day. Then we will do what should have been done in the beginning. The Lossoth are a good people, but they are largely tied to the shore without large ships of their own. They do not think in terms of the water. We will take this thing to sea. The Stones were lost at sea and they will be found there. We may have a trick for Master Marreth up our sleeve." He glanced over at Rôg and gave him a knowing look.

"But what of Andtuariel?" a voice from the crowd cried out.

"Leave that to me. I have something in mind....something that is best left unsaid for the time being. I have not forgotten her. But for the moment, let us honor our dead and bind our wounds, for the morning after next we will go in the smaller boats and locate the Stones on the bottom of the Bay. I can promise you that."

With that, he said goodbye to the men, but beckoned Rôg privately forward. "I must speak with you for a moment in private. We can not leave Andtuariel with no protection. Yet for the moment I think she is safe. This Marreth has tipped his hand by telling us that he will have her walk the plank. No one walks the plank while his ship is moored to the dock, yet this is exactly where he is."

"But can we trust him at his word? He is a pirate." queried Rôg.

"A pirate, yes. But also a man who has to keep Jynne in his place. He has said this thing publicly in front of all the assembled Corsairs about keeping the Elf alive till he gets the Stones. He is using her as a bargaining chip. As long as she has value, he will not harm her. Plus, Marreth can not give in to Jynne's demand and immediately skewer her, or he will look foolish, having said something otherwise to his men. No, he will do exactly what he said. "

Luindal added as an afterthought, "Unlike this Jynne, Marreth has at least that much honor. But still, I do not trust the Corsairs."

Luindal glanced over at Rôg and then plunged in. "I have a proposition for you. We need to keep an eye on the situation over there. It seems to me that as a Hobbit friend of mine once said: what's good for the goose is good for the gander. I could have a Lossoth sent over and find some pretext for him or her to serve on shipboard. But I have a better idea. You can get in and out of places very quickly and get back to me with great speed. I do need you here, especially now that we will be diving down into the Bay. But might you be able to do a surveillance flight or two just to keep an eye on things, and get some word through to Andtuariel to let her know that we have not forgotten her?"

..................

The candle had burned low, with only a small stub still remaining, by the time that Luindal and Rôg had finished their conversation. In the course of the evening, they had touched upon many different matters and had come up with a plan to search for the Stones in the Bay. "We are agreed then," Luindal nodded at his friend. "We will begin our search the morning after next. You will dive into the deep waters, using whatever guise you choose, while I will help you in the water as best I can after taking up the air bladders and putting on a protective suit smeared over with a thick layer of whale grease. We will take a small armed guard with us, but leave a goodly contingent of men on the Spirit to stand guard, for we would be foolish to trust the Corsairs any further." With a shake of the hand the two parted for the night. Luindal vowed privately that he would speak with Annû concerning his brother sometime the next day.

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Old 10-17-2004, 07:15 AM   #189
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Galhardir who had remained on the ship didn't believe his own ears. The first thing that came to him was the ill news about Carandû's death. He didn't want to believe it, although he knew it was what had happened when he looked at Annû. Annû was obviously devastated, without really accepting the fact that his brother was dead.

Galhardir felt much anger, but most of all sorrow. The two elven brothers had helped him twice since he'd first met them. Carandû was now dead, and he was dead without him, Galhardir, being able to even try giving something in return. The reason he had stayed at the ship was to be sure he was fully recovered. The horrible news that the Corsairs had been waiting for them and attacked had come as a horrible shock that no one had prepared for, nor had they thought something as drastic as this would come as they left the ship with Hilde. Galhardir held on tight to Rodhal, because of the sudden feeling that his knees would fail and he would fall. How had this happened? He didn't understand it. He looked at Rodhal, who had tears in his eyes. Galhardir wasn't sure if the boy shared the same feelings or if he'd even understood what had been said.

"Uncle?" he said. His voice was tearing Galhardir apart as it was full of sorrow and grief.

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Old 10-17-2004, 09:41 AM   #190
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Tarn stood impatiently stamping his feet to keep them warm as Nilak fumbled with the keys to the warehouse. Igal had supplied him with a bunch of large brass keys, and had informed him that there were several locks. None of these keys were marked in any way and it took Nilak some time to find the correct one for each lock. The snow was still falling and now that night had fallen, the temperature had plummeted.

When Nilak finally managed to open the door, Tarn bundled him in quickly.

“Let’s light a brazier before we start on this work”, he said, shaking out the fur he wore over his coat. The snow which had frozen to it flew out in a flurry as he beat the fur on the side of some crates. Thynne was still full of excitement about throwing the snowballs filled with stones and he could not keep still. It was beginning to irritate the two older men who had several hours work ahead of them and were cold and tired after the long walk from the market place.

“Thynne, go out and find some more coals for this brazier,” snapped Tarn, as he stooped, rubbing his hands in front of the meagre flame he had just sparked into life. “Trust Igal not to leave enough coals to warm an ice hut”, spat Nilak. Thynne asked for some money to buy coals with, but Tarn raised an eyebrow at the suggestion and the lad clearly got the message that he was to steal some.

Once they had warmed up, the men began to inspect the goods they were supposed to be packing for transportation to the Elven ship. Some produce was already packed, as Tarn found when he opened a cork on a large flask of wine. He dipped his finger in and tasted it, but did not drink any. His experiences with the drunken uncle who had taken over as elder of his clan had been enough to warn him off drink from a young age. “Here,” he said, handing the flask to Nilak with a knowing wink. “If this is any good you might like some. Drink it or sell it.”

The warehouse was quite a large structure by Lossoth standards and the light from the fire was not strong. Tarn saw large shadows looming up in the dim red gleam against the walls and looking in their direction, spotted the immense barrels which were to be loaded with goods for the Elves. Hefting one onto its side, he inspected it and found that the wood was strong but light; together with the great size of the barrel, a man could comfortably be concealed within.

The goods that the men were supposed to be packing lay along the opposite wall, clearly labelled. Tarn smirked as he saw them. Coils of rope, packages of canvas, an assortment of tools, spare blades for knives, nails and lengths of wood. Some of these things could easily be smuggled out of the warehouse and hidden, just enough to create space in the barrels to hide the Corsairs. The canvas, he could see, would make useful padding to muffle any suspicious noises from inside the containers, as they were sure to get a bumpy ride when loading the ship. As he saw Thynne come back in through the door, Tarn suggested to Nilak that the lad’s task should be to carry the goods out of there while they prepared the barrels.

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Old 10-17-2004, 09:43 AM   #191
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Hands reached down to bring the two Elves quickly up from the rope ladder. Once on deck, Annû withdrew from the ring of questions that hammered against them, letting his companion answer them as he might. Others of the Elves made way for him as he walked to his room, their heads nodding slightly at his passing. No words or thoughts of comfort reached him. He had wrapped his grief about him, tightly . . . steely proof against unwanted access.

The door to their room was slightly ajar. For a moment he leaned against the frame, eyes closed, willing the familiar laughter at some puerile jest to come tumbling through the entryway. But there was only silence, broken softly by the thump . . . thump of a moth’s wings beating against the parchment shade that covered the low lit lamp near his bed.

‘You’ve left the lantern by your bed burning,’ he chided himself, stepping into the room. ‘Carandû will have your hide, little brother. You know how he hates . . .’

With a great wrenching pain, grief’s armor broke. Against the witness of the empty room it could not hold. Annû’s legs buckled and he slumped to the floor, his back against the now shut door. Head in hands he sobbed . . . waves of sorrow crashing over him . . .

Outside, the snow whirled softly against the ship; flakes disappearing as they met the icy waters.

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Old 10-17-2004, 10:04 AM   #192
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Nilak had fumbled with the keys when they first arrived at the warehouse. Then he had to resist the urge to drink the wine he had put off to the side for himself. Every now and then he'd look up from his work and eye the bottle.

The hut was large and the coals were not enough to keep it heated. "Boy," Nilak snapped, "Get us some more coals. We don't want to freeze to death." Nilak went back to work as Thynne went out for more coals.

The two older Lossoths moved the supplies out of their way and worked some more on the preparing the barrels. When Thynne returned Nilak threw a coil of rope at his feet. The boy picked it up and moved it out like he had with most of the other supplies. Nilak and Tarn continued their work. Everything had to be ready for when Marreth and the Corsairs arrived.

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Old 10-18-2004, 02:00 PM   #193
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So that was how Marreth wanted to be, was it? Never mind that he just saved the entire expedition, nevermind that if it wasn't for him Hilde would not have been rescued. He supposed that Marreth didn't understand that sometimes things happened without forethought.

As for his daggers being poisoned...when were they not? A grim smile creased his face. It wouldn't be wise to let Marreth know that now, would it...

He threw a daggerous look at Marreth's back as they scrambled into the boats.

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Old 10-20-2004, 07:23 PM   #194
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By the Great Winged One! Rôg muttered silently, flapping his wings against the falling snow. It must have been some great . . . no, strike that . . . make it cruel joke of the Elder King to make birds for this most inhospitable of lands. “May his fair winds keep us aloft!” he quickly whispered under his breath, casting a quick nod westward, to allay the harshness of his thoughts.

The same winds that aided his own flight, swirled the snow as it fell. From perch to perch his powerful wings beat steadily moving him silently toward his objective. ‘And what might that objective be?’ he wondered to himself and his great head swept from side to side, yellow eyes taking in the details of the frozen land below and the Lossoth community huddled upon it. ‘See what you can see,’ Luindal had told him. ‘Something to give us an inkling of what the Corsairs are doing.’

Leave it to an Elf to be vague . . . the snowy owl thought, snapping his beak in irritation.

He’d flown near the Corsair ship, noting only that it seemed busy much in the same way the Elven ship was busy. Too many crewmen were on board, even at this time of night . . . not safe to go snooping there now . . . passing over the top mast that held the identifying pennant, the owl answered a call of nature, leaving a large white splotch against the Southron flag’s dark background that wouldn’t be appreciated until the sun rose.

The Lossoth settlement seemed more promising. Most were in their homes, snug against the darkness and the weather for the time being. 'Now there is something promising,' he thought, noting a large building on the bayward perimeter of the settlement, not too far from the empty marketplace. What few small windows there were along its sides were all shuttered tightly, but here and there some soft light from within flickered. Curious, the owl glided down silently to the roof’s eaves, sidling along the beam they rested on until he found a small hole giving access to the high rafters. He peeked his head through the opening, then squeezed his shoulders and wings through, mashing his feathers close to his body. As his tail cleared the entryway, he sidestepped across the rafter until he had a good view of the room. Other birds had used the hole and beam previously he noted, their droppings frozen to the rough wood.

Rog hunkered down in the shadows of the high ceiling; the light from the brazier did not reach up here . . . nor did any heat, the bird noted sadly, fluffing his layers of feathers about him. Now to wait and see if anything of interest might unfold . . .

~*~

Later that night:

Odd goings on in the warehouse . . .


Curious, he thought, that two of the Lossoth should be here in a warehouse when others of their kind had closeted themselves snugly in their homes to wait out the snowy night. Rôg swiveled his head about taking the good neatly sorted along the warehouse walls. Coils of rope, he noted, length of wood, canvas . . . now wasn’t that interesting. These were the items he recalled Luindal had ordered stashed in the ship’s hold when they’d first left. One of his crew, the Quarter Master, he thought, had raised his brows at the meager quantity, but the Captain had assured him that additional supplies could be gotten from the people living round the bay. Now it made sense, the Lossoth would be seeing to the delivery of the goods sometime soon, and were going over the inventory. Yes, that would be it . . . there along the far wall were the large barrels in which much of the delivery would be crated.

One of the men pulled the cork from a small cask. He dipped his finger through the hole, tasting the liquid within. Rôg wondered if the two were going to warm themselves with the spirits, but the man replaced the cork and said something odd to his companion. ‘Here,” he said, handing the flask to Nilak with a knowing wink. “If this is any good you might like some. Drink it or sell it.’ Why would these men want to steal from themselves, Rôg thought. They looked as if they already had a proprietary interest in the goods.

Curiouser still, a young man came in. One of the men, laughing, suggested to the other that the lad should start taking the goods out, while the barrels were prepared. Prepared for what? They must intend to deliver the barrels as planned, but what was going into them? The young man listened carefully to the older and shook his head in understanding. One of the men pointed to a small cart parked just inside the warehouse front door. With a nod, the lad fetched it and began loading the wine and onto it, exiting through the back door when the cart was full. The rope came next, then the boxes of tools and knife blades.One of the Lossoth men, Rôg noted, had stayed the young man’s hand when he’d gotten to the canvas. A few words passed between the two, which Rôg could not catch. But the other man had chuckled as the boy went out with another load saying something about ‘ . . . wouldn’t want to lose our packing material, would we? Make a bumpy ride for ‘em!’

The back door to the warehouse opened once again; Rôg looked down to see what now the boy would choose to take out. But it was someone else who entered. A man – lean and lanky, with a long dark beard. Hints of dark red pants flashed out from his brown cloak as he strode purposefully into the warehouse and toward the two men. The newcomer’s gaze flashed back and forth at the contents of the warehouse. And in one of his passes, Rôg caught a brief glance of his face. The Corsair Captain! What was he doing here? Despite his acute sense of hearing, Rôg could not catch in full what the three men discussed. ‘Barrels’ he caught; gestures toward the canvas; soft laughter at some shared jest. ‘Elven ship’.

Rôg shook his feathers softly at these suspicious goings on, then sidled back toward the hole. Adjusting his eyes to the darkness outside the warehouse, the owl recovered his bearings as to where the Elven ship lay at anchor. On silent wings he sped back toward it. There was treachery afoot of some sort, of that he was now certain. Luindal would want to know of the odd meeting in the warehouse. What he would make of it, Rôg was not sure . . .

Last edited by piosenniel; 10-23-2004 at 09:53 AM.
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Old 10-23-2004, 06:26 PM   #195
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It had not been an easy day. Luindal had spoken with Annû as well as others in the ship's company who had lost kinfolk and friends in the recent Corsair attack. A service of remembrance was already planned to take place early the next morning. Luindal had relieved the brother from his normal responsibilities over the coming week, and urged him to take time for rest and reflection, making what peace he could with the sad change that had come into his life. Luindal privately wondered whether Annû would eventually decide to leave the Havens and travel westward in hopes of reuniting with his brother. But until they managed to conclude their mission and sail back to Cirdan, that decision was likely to be postponed.

Overcome with restlessness and having little appetite for dinner, Luindal pushed his trencher aside and wandered out on the open deck, staring fixedly across the Bay. Under his arm were a number of journals and maps that Cirdan had entrusted to him before their departure along with one other ancient chronicle presented by the Elders after his arrival. The latter was sadly incomplete. Although carefuly inscribed on the soft hide of a deer, the account was full of indecipherable letters and gaps where time and the elements had eaten away at the text. Alahseey had translated this document for him some days ago, and then had spent more days trying to guess at the missing parts.

Determined to glean what clues he could as to the likely whereabouts of the Stones, Luindal had spent most of the afternoon reading and rereading the accounts of the shipwreck as well as Alahseey's translation of the comments that had been gleaned from the Lossoth onlookers. The latter had attempted to describe the location of the ship, the configuration of the Bay and the weather conditions that had resulted in the shipwreck. Putting these important hints together with Cirdan's own observations and a set of carefully annotated navigation charts used by navigators from that earlier time, Luindal had reached the surprising conclusion that he actually knew where the Stones had sunk.

At first, he could hardly believe his luck and had assumed that this was all a miscalculation. But reading and plotting again, he had come up with the very same conclusion. About one hundred feet out in the water, on the eastern side of the Bay, there was a lengthy sandbar that most navigators were careful to avoid. Ssince the water in that portion of the Bay was not deep, it usually froze quite early in the year. While the sandbar would not have caused the disaster, which was the result of the ship being smashed against the ice, it would account for the fact that Lossoth commentators claimed to be able to see the top rigging of the wreck for some years afterwards, until the winds and elements had battered the remains into nothingness.

An owl hooted overhead out of the gloomy night shadows that caused Luindal to glance up and break into a grin. Rôg had evidently taken him up on the challenge of suveillance work and was now returning to the ship. Eager to share his news about the location of the Stones, the Elf turned towards the shapechanger to speak. But before he could get a word out, Rôg came flapping down furiously, first landing on the railing and then blurting out a tangled tale concerning a shipment of supplies and some further mischief that was being planned by the Corsair crew.

Luindal scowled and shook his head, "I should have known. But this time, they'll not get away with their pranks. We'll be waiting for them with drawn sword."

"Perhaps we should just refuse the shipment?" suggested Rôg.

Luindal shook his head, "We need those supplies. And if we turn the Corsairs back, they'll come up with another scheme we won't be able to discover. At least this way we are prepared for them, even if we don't know exactly what they plan to do." At this point, Luindal explained to Rôg about the possible location of the Stones. "If we can just hang on till the morning after next, we may have the palantiri in our hands, and can say goodbye to the Corsairs for good."

"Let me think more on this, and I'll address the men tomorrow." With that, the two parted and went their own ways.

***************************

The next morning, once the service of remembrance had concluded, Luindal had shared with the crew Rôg's tale of a possible scheme by the Corsairs. "The shipment is to come on board tonight. We'll be ready and waiting. Some in clear view on the deck, and others crouched in hiding places, but all armed to the teeth. Trust nothing these traders do or say, and keep your eyes open."

The crew muttered its approval and agreement. After the losses of the past two days, many welcomed the chance for another crack at their assailants.

"One more thing," Luindal noted. "I had thought to take the small boats out tomorrow morning hoping to locate the Stones at the bottom of the Bay. Since then, however, I think we may actually have come up with an idea as to where the palantiri lie. So perhaps we may be able to collect them and sail home soon. We won't know for sure till we go down and have a look, but all the signs are good." There were whispers and mutterering to hear this piece of welcome news. Luindal cleared his throat and continued, " If the Stones are where I suspect them to be, we will locate them and immediately crank them onto the deck of the Spirit using the large winch. In this situation, the smaller boats won't do. So we will sail out on the Spirit and, with a bit of luck, be heading home not too long after that...."

"Now back to your cabins, all. Sharpen your weapons and your wits for we will be needing them tonight."

The crew wandered off, excitedly talking about the news, and prepared for the evening to come. By the time the stars shone in the heavens, the Elves and their Lossoth allies were safely hidden on the ships, awaiting the arrival of the shipment of supplies.

Last edited by Child of the 7th Age; 10-23-2004 at 06:51 PM.
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Old 10-23-2004, 06:56 PM   #196
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Marreth:

As evening drew near and the time came for the men to leave, Marreth cast a suspicious glance toward Jynne but spoke to him calmly, “In light of recent events, I shall have to leave you on the ship during my next mission. I can’t work with untrustworthy shipmates in a venture as important as this. You best run your schemes by me before you go kidnapping Elves and putting poison on your blade lest you find yourself in an unpleasant situation. I’ll have the plank ready if you pull something like that again.”

If there was one thing that annoyed Marreth it was a crewmember going over his head. He had not come by his position by accident, and thought that he at least deserved the courtesy of the men keeping him well informed. A ship without a strong Captain was like an eel with its head cut off.

Marreth was also suspicious of Jynne and his poisons in regards to his friend Jarlyn. In Marreth’s view, no one who snuck poison aboard the ship without informing him could be wholly trusted. Although he had no proof, Marreth suspected that Jynne might be slipping something foul into Jarlyn’s food. He found it very unusual for an officer who looked perfectly healthy to suddenly begin vomiting and turn pallid, taking to his bed. Just that afternoon, he had assigned Thomas, one of his most trusted manservants, to prepare the sick man’s food and tend to him in his illness, making sure that no one else came near Jarlyn until he had fully recovered. Just before he left, Marreth asked the ship’s carpenter to borrow his smallest hole borer. Slipping the instrument into his pocket, Marreth promised to return the craftsman’s instrument shortly but gave no explanation as to what he planned to do with it.

Leading the way out of the ship, Marreth and his men marched forward toward the warehouse under the illumination of the full moon. Constructed out of sturdy wood, the warehouse stood firm in the center of the village despite the thrashing it regularly received from the wind and the snow. Entering the building, he thanked Tarn and Nilak for their hard work, and then instructed his crew to hop into the barrels and wait. The boxes and barrels were to be loaded onto smaller ships and ferried out to the Elven vessel where they would be lifted up onto the deck with the aid of a winch.

The two Lossoth had already lightened the barrels by removing some of their contents so the Elves would not grow suspicious of the weight. The crew were already choosing their barrels and preparing to hide, one man in each. Marreth scanned the various type of containers, which were filled with an assortment of things: rope, sail canvas, salt, weapons, and other goods. By the time he had taken his time to decide, all of the barrels had already been taken except for one filled with flower. Marreth grumbled as he lowered himself into it, fully expecting to look like a ghost when he came out. Marreth hoped that none of the crew had taken a pipe with them, especially since someone was likely to be knee deep in tobacco. He sat back and waited for the shipment to move. It was relatively roomy but his sword kept poking him in the side.

Last edited by Regin Hardhammer; 10-24-2004 at 08:50 PM.
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Old 10-24-2004, 09:16 AM   #197
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Tarn felt a rush of pride as Marreth thanked him for the work. He had rarely been thanked in his thirty seven years, and most of those times were when he was a boy. Hunting and working with his grandfather, he had always received warm praise when he did a job well, but his adult life as an outsider brought little opportunity for praise; to survive he exploited others and by necessity he had fostered the image of being a thoroughly untrustworthy man. To receive praise now was a rare sensation which he found strangely satisfying and he visibly drew himself up to his full height, and gave an appreciative nod.

Eager to help the Corsairs, Tarn strode towards the barrels where various bodies, small and large alike, were attempting to climb into their chosen hiding places. Thynne was already working; he received a gift of a tasty strip of cured meat from a man he helped into a barrel well packed with canvas. The man could see that he would have a more comfortable journey to the ship than most, although he felt a little envious of his mate, who laughed fruitily as he sat down into a container of tobacco.

“You can leave me here,” he laughed, not seeing the disapproval on the Captain’s face as he climbed into his own barrel of flour. “What a shame there are no barrels of ale.”

“Ah, you’d drown happy,” said the man in the barrel of canvas, his voice now muffled as Thynne began to pack some of the canvas over his head.

“And that is why none of you are going in a vat of ale”, said Tarn, smiling as he worked to help a man with a large belly into a container of apples. There had been enough risk of drowning already, he thought to himself, remembering the cave and the attack on the ice. It was not a fit death for any creature, let alone a fighting man.

“Here, make sure you have your sword,” he said to the man quietly, packing the blade which had been forgotten in the rush to claim the best barrels into the container with him. He clapped him on the shoulder before he replaced the lid, closing the man into dark confinement.

Last edited by Lalwendë; 10-26-2004 at 12:57 PM.
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Old 10-24-2004, 06:55 PM   #198
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Nilak watched Tarn beam with pride as Marreth thanked them both for their hard work. Nilak was proud of the work he and Tarn had accomplished in the short time they had, but it was clear Tarn was far more pleased.

Now both Lossoth men and Tarn's helper boy began loading Corsairs of all shape and sizes into the barrels. Nilak laughed at each comment the Corsairs made about going into the barrels. He had to admire them for willing to do this. Nilak probably would not have agreed to be shoved into a barrel. For any reason.

"Pity I didn't bring my pipe." One extremely tall Corsair said as Nilak tried to put him into a barrel of tobacco. "It would make this much better for me."

Nilak laughed and pulled the canvas over him. "I think the Elves might suspect something if a barrel started to smoke."

The Lossoth headed over Sernir who was attempting to get into a barrel. Nilak felt an urge to nail the barrel shut when he was inside. "If this plan of yours fails Lossoth you'll have to answer to me." Sernir spat as he situated himself in the barrel.

"Barrels don't talk, Sernir." Nilak pulled the canvas top over him to avoid another remark from the Corsair. He really wished he had a hammer and nails handy right about then.

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Old 10-25-2004, 06:43 PM   #199
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Jynne buttoned his lips and mimiced to his friend who would never betray him (also known as his mind): In light of recent events...if I hadn't done it then they would have taken Hilde (not that she deserved to be rescued) but all that our beloved captain can say is that I shouldn't have done it. Gratitude is not something that should be viewed lightly...It's time to bring Jarlyn a little of a drink...

Jynne slipped into the filthy kitchen and rummaged about for a goblet, which he filled with red wine. Fishing a slim vial from his belt, he tipped a few drops of clouded liquid and watched with satisfaction as it disappeared like mist into a rose gloom.

Smiling thinly to himself, he swirled the goblet as he slunk towards Jarlyn's quarters. A man, Thomas if Jynee recalled correctly, was slouched against the door, eyeing a flickering rainbow. As Jynne slipped behind the manservant, Thomas eased himself in front of the door handle and stared at Jynne with a puppy dog insolence.

"What are you doing?" asked Jynne impatiently.

"Captain's orders, sir," he drawled.

"And why is that?" asked Jynne.

"He is suspectful of Jarlyn's illness --" he shut his mouth as if to keep the wayward words to fly away. He nodded solemnly.

"I see," said Jynne silkily. "Do tell him that I stopped by to be sure he was getting better."

With a brief nod, Jynne slipped to the decks below, and pushed a creaky door open. The elf-woman was huddled in a corner, her hair a veil over her dirt streaked face.

"Elf," said Jynne. "You wouldn't happen to know anything that would be of interest to us, would you?"

The elf straigtened and buttoned her lips, glaring at him. He was foolish to think that she would have betrayed her people.

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Old 10-27-2004, 09:35 PM   #200
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Luindal peered out over the bay. In the distance he could see a small flotilla of boats approaching the ship, each loaded down with two or three barrels and boxes. He had considered mooring the ship closer to the shore, at a point where an old wooden jetty jutted far out into the water. It would probably have made the loading easier. But he had rejected that idea. If the Spirit had pulled too near the shore, there was always the possibilty that the Corsairs could hide somewhere nearby and rush the ship en masse at an inopportune moment. This way no one should be able to approach them unawares.

They would need to crank the barrels onto the deck one at a time, using two large winches that stood beside the railing on the open deck. He beckoned to Rôg, Galhardir, and Freyn to climb over the side of the ship and go down the ladder into the first boat that had just drawn even to them. They were to speak with the Lossoth traders, shake hands on the deal, and offer the agreed on price. Then they would help attach the rope to the containers and steady them from below as he and Elwen and some of the others cranked up the rope and set the barrels and boxes out on deck.

Luindal closely observed the men who were accompanying the supplies in the boats. If these were Corsairs, they had done an amazing job of disguising themselves. To the outer eye and ear, they looked and sounded like native Lossoth. Perhaps the Corsairs had decided to rely only on their allies to do this little piece of mischief, and had stayed behind on their own ship. Yet this didn't sound like the approach that Marreth would take. Luindal shook his head and began to wonder what other mischief was afloat just as Rôg and the others began climbing down to the first small boat.

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