The Prancing Pony Inn

[Greg]

Dwamdil stirred. His vision swam, but, stubborn as he was, he tried to sit up. His body went cold and he slumped back onto his head again, dizzied by the effort. He reached his hand up to his head, and found a gash. He looked at his hand through blurry vision, and saw a bit of red. Some of it was dried and crusty.

He took a few deep breaths, and then hauled himself up to a sitting position, and realized he couldn’t hear anything but a dull ringing in his ears. He turned his head slowly, and saw blurry shapes circling around him. His vision swam, faltered, and then finally focused, and the scene unfolded before him. Dead goblins littered the ground, and his comrades moved about the area. He turned to his left and saw the bard beginning to heat a knife, bent over him, with a small medical kit.

It took less than a second to piece this together.

“If you so much as touch my head with that iron, I’ll shove my ax so far up—“

The effort of yelling stole bloodflow from his brain again, and his vision faded momentarily, but he kept his balance this time.

“Oh, heck with it.” He unrolled a linen bandage from the bard’s kit, and wrapped his head tightly in it, giving the bard an ugly look that contained just a hint of thanks. The bard would understand; he’d lived at Erebor.

“So it appears that I’ve missed the party. Where are we going?”

[Mirimaran]

“Oh, heck with it.” He unrolled a linen bandage from the bard’s kit, and wrapped his head tightly in it, giving the bard an ugly look that contained just a hint of thanks. The bard would understand; he’d lived at Erebor.

“So it appears that I’ve missed the party. Where are we going?”

Daelon just nodded, holding the blade just before the fire.

"Thorbed and the Ranger are looking for stragglers. You know, if you leave that gash open, you'll be lucky if you don't pass out from loss of blood, and don't get me started about the scar."

Of course, he'd seen much worse from accidents in the workshops of the Dwarves, yet they were a stubborn and resilient people.

[Eric C]

Thorbed followed closely behind Aeron as she quickly picked up the orc's trail. They moved at a fast pace for a hundred yards, then the pattern in the underbrush changed and the ranger stopped. She knelt, looking up at Thorbed and pointing at a different set of markings. Thorbed bent and saw the prints of iron orc boots on the ground. Thorbed was no tracker, but even he could tell that the orc was wounded. Aeron rose and they were again moving at a fast pace, Aeron with her face down, studying the tracks and Thorbed with his eyes scanning every feature of the woods to spot anything out of order. Soon they burst through the treeline and onto a hunting trail. Thorbed looked to the left and Aeron to the right. Once more they were on the tracks of the orc. But tracks were unnecessary now; the orc was in sight, limping heavily away.
"Let's try to take him alive and solve the riddle of orcs attacking in the daylight." Thorbed whispered to Aeron.

[Greg]

"Thorbed and the Ranger are looking for stragglers. You know, if you leave that gash open, you'll be lucky if you don't pass out from loss of blood, and don't get me started about the scar."

"It's going to scar anyway. Have at it."

Dwamdil showed no sign of the pain as the hot blade seared his temple, but he was quick to re-wrap his head, this time with the linen soaked in water from his bottle to help cool it off.

"Thanks."

[Eric C]

Thorbed noticed the orc was nearly around a corner and out of sight so he determined now was the time for action. He bolted and ran toward the orc, gaining on him fast. As he neared, the orc looked over his shoulder and reached for a knife. Thorbed dodged the blade as the orc swung wildly to defeat the big man. Thorbed and the orc both breathed heavily from their injuries. Thorbed arrested the orc's wrist in a crushing grip. The orc showed his fangs but Thorbed drove a fist between his eyes. The orc reeled, but could not escape Thorbed's grip. Thorbed punched the orc in the ribs. It was too much. He felt the cracked ribs give way and puncture the orc's lungs. Cursing himself under his breath, Thorbed let the orc fall, gasping and spitting black blood. He took the knife from the orc's hand and knelt beside him.

"Who are you and why have you attacked us under the yellow face?" Thorbed asked with a low growl.

"I am Therbosh, and I will die with my secrets." Therbosh weezed. He spat his black blood into Thorbed's face, then drove a small dagger into his own jugular vein.

"No!" Thorbed gasped. Therbosh smiled as he felt his life slip away.

Aeron arrived in time for Thorbed to rise and turn to face her. The black blood on his face matched his dark mood. He hated himself for the punch to the ribs. He hated himself for leaving his friends blind to the orcs' plans.

[Mirimaran]

"Thorbed and the Ranger are looking for stragglers. You know, if you leave that gash open, you'll be lucky if you don't pass out from loss of blood, and don't get me started about the scar."

"It's going to scar anyway. Have at it."

Dwamdil showed no sign of the pain as the hot blade seared his temple, but he was quick to re-wrap his head, this time with the linen soaked in water from his bottle to help cool it off.

"Thanks."

"And here I was going to sing you a lullabye of the Longbeards to sooth your nerves", joked Daelon as he cooled the blade and returned it to his pack. He looked off in the distance.

"We're asking for trouble hanging around here. We need to regroup and set back out. Perhaps we should have recruited more members. Nine would have been a better number than four."

[Ranger of Arthedain]

Thorbed noticed the orc was nearly around a corner and out of sight so he determined now was the time for action. He bolted and ran toward the orc, gaining on him fast. As he neared, the orc looked over his shoulder and reached for a knife. Thorbed dodged the blade as the orc swung wildly to defeat the big man. Thorbed and the orc both breathed heavily from their injuries. Thorbed arrested the orc's wrist in a crushing grip. The orc showed his fangs but Thorbed drove a fist between his eyes. The orc reeled, but could not escape Thorbed's grip. Thorbed punched the orc in the ribs. It was too much. He felt the cracked ribs give way and puncture the orc's lungs. Cursing himself under his breath, Thorbed let the orc fall, gasping and spitting black blood. He took the knife from the orc's hand and knelt beside him.

"Who are you and why have you attacked us under the yellow face?" Thorbed asked with a low growl.

"I am Therbosh, and I will die with my secrets." Therbosh weezed. He spat his black blood into Thorbed's face, then drove a small dagger into his own jugular vein.

"No!" Thorbed gasped. Therbosh smiled as he felt his life slip away.

Aeron arrived in time for Thorbed to rise and turn to face her. The black blood on his face matched his dark mood. He hated himself for the punch to the ribs. He hated himself for leaving his friends blind to the orcs' plans.

The young Ranger didn't even have to look at the larger man directly to feel the intensity of his gaze. She knelt down next to the orc's lifeless body, inspecting it. She wanted to think that it was the company's horrible sense of timing that led them to be ambushed by the orc party; a coincidence that their paths crossed that of the small orc band's, but something told her otherwise. A shiver ran up her spine, causing her to avert her gaze from the orc to the gametrail that lay ahead of the two. There was a feeling of unease that began to settle in her limbs, causing her to rise up off her haunches. "In any case," she paused for a moment, turning to look at her black splatter faced companion, "we should return back to Daelon and Dwamdil, and find the other two horses that bolted." She looked back down at the orc's body for a moment before removing her quiver from her back, handing it and her bow to Thorbed. "His body needs to be burned with the rest and our tracks erased from this area ere we have the unlucky chance of meeting more of his tribe." Kneeling back down, she pulled the dagger out of the orc's throat, hauling his limp body up on her back. Rising once more, the Ranger's legs shook slightly, causing her to stagger slightly from the orc's weight. When she got her footing well enough, she glanced over her shoulder for a moment, before she began heading in the direction they had came in.

[Greg]

[quote="MirimaranWe need to regroup and set back out. Perhaps we should have recruited more members. Nine would have been a better number than four."[/quote]

Dwamdil nodded. "Aye, nine would have been nice. But alas, I saw none others in town that had the look of a fight in them that would've been willing to leave. Perhaps we'll pick up a few along the way, yes? Perhaps a stop in Rivendell could be in order. Often folk of many races will spend a spell in Rivendell to rest along the way. Maybe some of them think the idea of safety in numbers sounds pleasant, eh?"

[Eric C]

"Stupid of me!" Thorbed growled low enough to barely be heard. He looked at the ranger's weapons in his hands. They were of fine make and very effective. He followed Aeron back the way they had come, feeling guilty and useless, watching her carry the dead orc. Once they reached the treeline and found a suitable place to dispose of the orc, Thorbed carefully placed Aeron's bow and quiver near at hand and made certain she knew they were there. He found some pine bows and fashioned a quick broom out of them. Cautiously retracing their steps on the path, he came to where the orc fell. From there, he worked his way back to Aeron, carefully wiping away their tracks.

[Mirimaran]

Dwamdil nodded. "Aye, nine would have been nice. But alas, I saw none others in town that had the look of a fight in them that would've been willing to leave. Perhaps we'll pick up a few along the way, yes? Perhaps a stop in Rivendell could be in order. Often folk of many races will spend a spell in Rivendell to rest along the way. Maybe some of them think the idea of safety in numbers sounds pleasant, eh?"

Daelon nodded as he adjusted his pack and checked his horse.

"Indeed, Bree is and will always remain a refuge for those whose world stops at the town gate. What we need are heroes. Rivendell!" He stopped and looked to the sky.

"Long have I wished to see the great House of Elrond! I wish to hear the songs and tales of long ago, and learn a tune or two if I may! Even in the halls of the Longbeards the hospitality of Elrond Half-elven is spoken of. Have you ever been to Rivendell, Master Dwarf?"

[Greg]

"I have passed through once. I received but a single meal and a pack of provisions, and never met Master Elrond in person, though I saw him from afar in his study. It is no Moria, but it is indeed a beautiful place. When our companions return, I'd very much like to see what they think of going there."

[Peter Remling]

Mamduka almost ran down the orc directly in the game trail he'd been riding on. The orc was jabbing upward in a tree trying to dislodge nuts with a rusty berdiche'.

The sun had ridden high in the sky and the light dusting of snow had melted soften the ground underneath and muffled the sound of his horse's hoofs.

Mamduka, had he any time, would have been able to identify himself and seek aid from the orcs through a series of secret signals. Solitary orcs are notorious for not thinking through a situation and this one was no exception. The orc immediately made to fell Mamduka's horse. Mamduka threw a throwing knife in either hand, one overhand and one underhand, both struck the orc. hHe then jumped from the horse and closed with the orc with his sword.

In mere moments the orcs slumped dead to the ground. In that second Mamduka realized he'd receive no succor from these orcs.

Knowing a large band of orcs were around he'd go quietly and scout out the orcs. Over a hundred orcs were camped in a homestead that had been taken over earlier this week.

"Well"' thought Mamduka, "If I can't use the orcs with their knowledge, maybe I can use them without their knowledge."

This lead Mamduka to a new train of thought.

[Ranger of Arthedain]

"I have passed through once. I received but a single meal and a pack of provisions, and never met Master Elrond in person, though I saw him from afar in his study. It is no Moria, but it is indeed a beautiful place. When our companions return, I'd very much like to see what they think of going there."

"Of going where, master Dwarf?" asked the ranger, situating her quiver onto her back, continuing to carry her bow in her hand. Both her and Thorbed made for their other two companions after disposing of the orc and cleaning up their tracks. Her eyes were attentive and ever watching the woods that loomed around them.

[Eric C]

(Tag anyone)
Thorbed followed Aeron without a word. He still stewed about losing the chance to gain some valuable information for his companions. His anger showed in deep furrows on his brow, in the way he stomped behind the ranger. His spirits lifted some when he saw that the Dwarf was conscious and talking.

[Greg]

"Of going where, master Dwarf?" asked the ranger, situating her quiver onto her back, continuing to carry her bow in her hand. Both her and Thorbed made for their other two companions after disposing of the orc and cleaning up their tracks. Her eyes were attentive and ever watching the woods that loomed around them.

"To rivendell, young miss. We might find ourselves a comerade or two worth meeting."