Ayshela

Casting his steps up and down the ridge, Linador kept a determined watch for any sign of where the orcs and hobbits had descended. There was no other way, they must have come down here - but where? At Turin's cry Linador spun and slipped, catching himself and dashing the many yards across to where he'd last seen him. Looking down, Falmar was scrambling toward the now unmoving Turin. Linador stopped to look closely at the place where Turin had fallen, then scrambled down to join Falmar. "Is he...?" he asked. Falmar nodded, closing Turin's eyes. Linador and Baelestimah went back up to lead the horses carefully down, noticing no loose rocks on their way. A grave for Turin was prepared as quickly as possible, and after a soft prayer the company resumed the chase. Linador strode up near Falmar and asked, "Did you find anything strange on your search?" Falmar shook his head, saying "No, did you?" Linador nodded slightly, and said, "Just one thing. There were NO tracks of any sort. There was nothing at all near where Turin fell that was not ours. No track, no scattered gravel, nothing. Not even a rabbit track or fallen feather from a bird." Falmar looked at him curiously, so Linador explained. "It would have taken months of dry weather, or a very heavy rain to remove all the tracks. To sweep the area so completely clean, yet leave rocks piled dangerously loosely - I've only once seen that combination, in late spring in the mountains where there was no wildlife to be found. I don't see that happening here without helping hand." Falmar looked concerned again, and they continued on in deep thought. "Anyone near could have pushed him, but WAS there anyone near? I saw Garnorn's prints behind Turin, but was he close enough? And when was he there? In time to push him, or simply passing by on his way to his own search? I don't know. And what of Rootmaker? He did not go down with the rest of us, yet found it easy to do so after Turin fell. He suspected Mattias, and Mattias died. He suspects me now - am I next?" Linador's face darkened as his thoughts shifted. "But then again, that trap could have been left waiting for any of us, and the area swept clean so we wouldn't suspect it was there. We know the orcs passed this general direction. They would have had time - it wouldn't take long if done as they rested and checked their direction. And they have two of us with them, either of whom could have told them we'd surely follow. They wouldn't have left a trap if they weren't certain we'd follow. But which? Irvin? He's quiet, as a rule. Would fear make him talk? Or would he have stayed quiet 'til now so no one would suspect him? What of Filk? Smooth enough, and likely enough to talk to anyone. Would he have told them we'd follow hoping they'd let them go? Or hoping they'd set a trap?" "Do you know how far it is from Isengard to The Shire?" Linador asked Falmar, as his thoughts spun into a hopeless tangle. Falmar shook his head. "Farther than Fangorn," Linador suddenly realized, knowing he now had three to watch and one of them wasn't even with them. OOC: meh, not a counter accusation, I swear. Pure randomness dictates a vote for Katzaniel/Rootmaker.

cool, I'll be in with a post in a minute, but things have gotten complicated here and I thought I'd missed it. *whew*

and this is where RL gets me killed, it looks like, since the only "slowness" is in lack of time to post. I've actually not got time for *this*, but wanted to pop in to say I'd try to get in tomorrow - for all the good it looks like it will do. Oh well, I've actually lived longer than I thought I would, and it's been a fun game... and probably as well to go out before *having* to come up with some reason to vote for someone so thoroughly detracts from the fun of the game as to make it unpleasant. *shrug*

heart

bleh... missed night phase RP entirely, and at least half likely to miss day phase as well... been gone all day and will not only have my usual horde of teenagers here tomorrow, but a 14month old as well, so time to think will be at a premium and time to write nonexistant. *might* be able to be on Saturday.

literature

*thump* Something hit Ayshela in the back. Turning from the engrossing sight of mounds of sheep moving about the strangely changed environs of the Conservatory, she saw a widely grinning Gwaihir wielding a rather large pillow. "Hah, you got me!" Ayshela laughed, leaning up to remove several feathers from his ears and hair. "I thought I heard CheerMynx somewhere under all the sheep shaped pillows, shall we see if we can find her?" Ayshela grabbed a smallish sheep-pillow and crept about, tracking CheerMynx by the sounds of giggles, until she was sure she'd found her... then - WHAP went her sheep into the mound of sheep CheerMynx was hiding under! Giggling madly, Ayshela ran off to look for someplace to hide.

The last of the orc arrows fell, and it appeared that for a time there would be no more. Linador relaxed and let his bow drop to his side. He would have liked to have dropped back to ask Rootmaker if he'd been able to catch hold of Neriam, but from the glimpses he'd caught they would have focused all arrows on Rootmaker if he'd moved once more. As many arrows had been sent at Neriam, he was probably dead before the boats got out of arrow range. These thoughts, and many more, flickered in and out of Linador's mind as he scanned both banks carefully for signs of movement or of threat. Seeing nothing, he stretched mightily and turned his attention more fully toward calming the horses. "Thank you," he said to Baelestimah. "No easier to calm Warud and Horse-Brother while guiding us all out of danger than to do so while returning fire and trying to knock flaming arrows from the air before they strike their target." "How many were there?" Baelestimah asked, guiding their raft around a small log in the river. "I couldn't see, truly. A dozen that I'm certain of, and more that I suspect were there but covered enough I'm not certain how many. Too many, either way. They shouldn't have been there. They shouldn't have known we were here." "No," Baelestimah agreed. "Our stay in Lothlorien should have put them off our track for a while." Linador nodded. "It should have. And the last report I got from the border guard, they knew of no orcs in this area. The nearest ones were two days away, or back near Moria. None who followed us across the river ever returned to Moria, so there should have been no report of our being there or continuing downriver." Baelestimah simply said, "I wonder how they knew to be there?" The horses stamped and moved a bit, knowing Linador and Baelestimah were disturbed. Linador spoke soothingly and continued to calm them, wondering the same thing himself. He had spoken with those of the border guard who returned to Caras Galadhon, but had himself never been far from the city. There had been much to do, and those who made the raft for them had needed a good amount of time and information. Meeting with Dunlan, with the guard, replenishing supplies, and talking with those who wished to hear of Rivendell - there'd been little more than time enough to rest once all else was done. As he looked across from one boat to another, Linador wondered who among them might have had time and ability to slip across the border and send word of their plans. Baelestimah had been nearly as occupied in Caras Galadhon as he had been. Seothen had been seen often, as had Turin, learning what they could to take home with them, correcting the lore and legend of their lands. Garnorn? He could, perhaps, and there had been times none of the company had seen him. Megwyn? If Garnorn could, she could the easier for being smaller. It wouldn't be the first time she had had opportunity when things went badly. Linador calmed his thoughts again as much as possible, since the horses sensed his disturbance. Yet as he sat between them, he wondered. OOC: vote for Phoenix/Megwyn.

found

oooooooooh! can't wait to read more! Welcome! Make yourself comfy, it might be a bit before Wyv has a chance to pry himself loose from the pillow - errr... sheep fight in the Conservatory. Meanwhile, I brought some sandwiches, some coffee, and some tea since I didn't know which you'd prefer. *sets a tray down on the table by Silus' chair*

okay, a few things which haven't been brought up yet... #1 - I feel like everything is going back on it’s self. it's = it is its = something belongs to it There lips move but no sound comes forth. there = a place their = something belongs to them dose I gather you mean does here? fairly common typo. =) #2 - I agree with rev about breaking up the "I remember" lines, and not leaning on it quite so hard. You could fairly easily break this into sets of lines leading with "I remember" but not having that repeated for two or three lines as you describe what you remember. #3 - Go back form once you came so long ago. I *think* what you mean here is "from whence you came"... as far as archaic, the one explanation which has stuck in my mind for years is that "If it sounds like something Yoda would say, it's archaic. Rephrase it." heh. #4 - You might be surprised at how much empathy you'd find if you let yourself flesh this out into something clearly reachable for more people. I *really* like these lines. My job isn't to do this, It's to protect. But in a weird way I guess by doing this it is protecting.

the locked topic graphic appears in the tan skin, but not in the blue? see "Manners and Consideration" in this forum, as an example.

42

*huggles* have I told you lately how much I appreciate you? =) You're a sweetheart! Thank you!

Sorry, Tanny, I was typing while you were posting, so your post and mine ended up a bit out of sequence.

Linador had spent much of the day checking over his gear, fitting a new string to his bow and making new arrows. His blades had been taken to be sharpened, which was a weight off his mind as he knew little of the plans for their stay here or when they would be leaving. Haldir found Linador wandering among the trees when his tasks were complete. "It's a shame you arrived in winter when the beauty has faded," Haldir said in greeting. "Yet, faded or no, there is a peace here which may aid your rest before you continue. To further ease your mind, the messenger from Elrond has agreed to meet us to discuss your request. Shall we return?" Linador relaxed a trifle as he nodded in agreement. When they neared Linador's gear he looked up from conversation and stopped in surprise. "Dunlan!" he called. "A bit out of your usual haunts, aren't you?" Dunlan smiled and said "I'm glad to see you're well, Linador. Elrond sent me to forwarn the lord and lady that you all would be arriving, but we'd become concerned by reports even before I left. I must return soon, is there a message you wished to send?" "Less a message, really, though that goes with it," Linador said as he knelt by his pack. He took a small box from near the top, removed the lid and took from within a small cloth-wrapped bundle. "I've been carrying much since the night the pack mule was killed. I asked Jin, since he'd had several heavy items on the mule, if there was anything I could carry so the load would be more evenly distributed. He refused then, and every time I asked from then until Moria. Once in Moria, though, his fear grew nearly by the step and I could barely keep him calm enough to continue. I believe that only knowing he was walking steadily toward the far gate and lighted spaces enabled him to walk at all. After battle, while we rested in the 21st Hall, he gave me this and asked that it be given to Elrond for him." "Couldn't he have given it to him himself?" Haldir asked. "No. He said it wasn't quite finished before we left, and he spent portions of the first few mornings working on it. He said that calmed him enough to sleep, and in that way he completed it. He intended to take it back after the journey, but he worried that his fear would overcome him and he would do something rash which would get him killed. Not knowing if everything he carried would go with him, he gave this to me to deliver for him if it came to that." "Can't you deliver it, as you evidently said that you would?" Dunlan asked. "If I survive this journey, I will explain more fully to Elrond. Since that is not guaranteed, or at this point even likely, I ask you to please take this to Elrond for me and tell him it is Jin's gift of thanks." With that, Linador removed the cloth wrapping and gave to Dunlan a small figurine. It was just longer than an elven hand, and the man posed there was exquisitely wrought in gold and silver. "It's wondrously done," Dunlan said, his finger unconsciously moving to smooth a strand of the somewhat ruffled hair. "It looks as though it could be a younger Elrond." "It does," agreed Linador. "Jin did not know Elrond in his youth, yet this shows a power of imagination to rival his skill with metal and gems. The body itself is skillfully formed, even to the fingers on the sword hilt. Every fold of clothing is right, the lacings of the boots are perfect, but I believe the master's touch is in the cloak. You can almost feel the breeze which lifts it, and to work the metal so that it flows like cloth is amazing! Did you note the gems?" Dunlan and Haldir leaned in to look closer, eyes widening as they saw the tiny gems, each perfectly placed on the sword hilt, the sapphire eyes which looked so real it seemed they watched you, and finally a gasp as they saw the emerald brooch which clasped the cape. "The Lady's eagle! It's done in perfect detail, yet he could never have seen it!" They looked up in wonder, and Linador took the figurine to wrap it and place it in its box once again. "You see now, perhaps, why I asked to speak with you before you left. I must ask this favour of you, in case I should not return. Please take this to Elrond. It was Jin's last gift, his gift of thanks. I would not have it go ungiven." Dunlan nodded, asking "I will, but is there nothing else? From word I was given, it seemed there was more." "Only to tell Elrond that somewhere among our company there hides the hand of death. I've nothing more to send, since I've brought nothing of value to others but my blades and, unlike Jagkatha, unless they kill me within these borders, my blades will go with me." Dunlan looked perplexed, and Linador explained," Jagk was supposed to have gone, while on watch, to investigate a suspicious noise. She was found with an arrow in her, fallen from the bridge we'd battled at the day before." Linador paused in thought, then said, "Now, if I were investigating noises and expecting attack, I'd certainly take my bow, but have my blades strapped on and ready. Yet, somehow, Jagk was killed by goblins and Meg has her blades now." Linador shrugged. "No, there's nothing else for you to take. Not from me, at any rate. You might ask among the company before you leave. Baelestimah may have word for Lady Arwen, or anyone else remaining may have messages to send. This, and warning for Elrond, is all I have for you. Those I give you with a caution to travel carefully, a wish for safe and speedy travel, and my gratitude."

meh... some honours I can do without, but I can't say I'm surprised. I knew full well that fingering Phoenix for her careless posting of Jin's death had, in effect, signed my death warrant. That's not the kind of thing a player does if they want to lengthen their life-span. Hope you've got someone else lined up to keep the group moving *as* a group, though, because when I get killed for it, you'll need them.

space

Linador sat a bit apart from everyone, leaning back against a tree as if he were merely napping. No hint showed of the seething rage beginning to flow through his veins, or of the dark suspicions bubbling through his thoughts. Careful breathing kept him under tight control until Haldir came to stand looking down at him. His voice was low enough none else heard, but that he confirmed Jin's loss was clear as Linador looked up at him, then leaned rapidly forward to put his head between his knees, as if he might be ill. A few of the company drifted nearer as Haldir bent down to rest a hand on Linador's shoulder. As he took a shuddering breath and sat back up, Haldir asked, "This may be a poor time to ask such questions, but if I may, why were you bringing a dwarf into Lothlorien? It is unusual to have so many strangers here at once, but unheard of that one of them should be a dwarf." "Did not Elrond send word?" Linador asked. "He did, though I think none but the Lord and Lady understood," Haldir said with a small smile. Linador nodded. "Jin was... a friend to several of us in Rivendell, though none of us knew much of who he was. He himself did not. Elrond found him wandering, near death and remembering only his name and his father's name. He was brought back to Rivendell for reasons known only to Elrond, who took a personal interest in Jin's recovery and continued health." Linador rose and walked with Haldir back toward the rest of the party, continuing to explain: "The two things Elrond could never overcome were Jin's amnesia and his desperate fear of the dark. Wherever he came from, whatever drove him from his home, it must have been horrific enough to have caused both together, because unknown as a fear of darkness is among dwarves it was rooted deeply enough to be as immovable as his amnesia. He was uncommonly considerate with his precautions, ensuring always that the lamps and candles which were ever with him did not even slightly offend the noses of those around him." "But why," began Haldir, trailing off at a nod from Linador. "Why was an achluophobic dwarf part of an expedition traveling at night, and possibly - eventually through Moria? I asked that also. In part, because Jin wanted to come. His fear had been growing, despite all efforts at treatment, and he felt himself to be a burden to his friends. He wanted to face his fear, hoping to overcome it. Elrond permitted it because he knew his ability to ease Jin's fear had ended, and because he knew our path led through here. I was to bring Jin here, to bring him to the Lady, in hopes that she could help him recover his memory of himself and the peace he had lost when he lost himself." Linador stopped and turned a pained gaze on Haldir. "In that, I've failed. Wherever he may now be, may he find his peace at last." Face hardening, Linador growled, "And may I bring that peace to the one who killed him." OOC: vote for Phoenix/Megwyn, for listing Jin as dead before his wolf-kill death had been posted.

*curses* wanted to get a post up this afternoon, but life continues to conspire against my having time to more than check threads and perhaps post a very brief note. Will try to get that up tonight once I've got kids settled, but knowing how well that works with teenagers... wish me luck? might have another three to five minute window of opportunity to check in before then... Patrick, Giles, if either of you wants to borrow Linador for help in getting the horses across the river, feel free!

eyes

Puzzled frustration fairly radiated from Linador as he sat near the rest of the company, catching his breath from the pace of events as well as recent travel. "Too many questions, too few answers, and too many which will never be answered now," he said in a near-growl which was too low to reach anyone more than a few paces away. "Madness, all of this," he continued. "But then, where evil is so is madness, so perhaps it makes a certain form of sense after all." He heaved a sigh and went to help calm and care for the horses, taking note of the condition of the rest of the company on his way. Everyone was tired and shaken, but none seemed to carry worse injury than scrapes and bruises, which was better than expected. "Death or nothing," he thought, shaking his head at the oddity of it all. "And the worst of it is, I'm not even sure if that's a horrible way to travel, or better than many alternatives." Stifling a shudder at memories of snowy trails and a broken leg, he moved quickly to the horses knowing that caring for them would calm both him and the animals. Calm would be important as they progressed, and would make food settle better as well. Calm... calm... Linador focused on that thought as he checked hooves and legs, treated scrapes and looked for sores from straps.

hey, congrats! broadband beats dial-up any day of the week, though dial-up equally beats nothing... *huggles* glad to see you back!

energy

neh. I've voted randomly before, do as often as need be when the RP is delightfully tight and finding reasons to suspect anyone which don't stretch reason itself all out of shape is difficult at best. I think I've only overridden the dice once, and that was only because I laughed myself sick when I counted down the list and realized it had come up with me voting to lynch myself. Tanny - thanks for the update, I got a bit confused by Phoenix's post listing deaths so far.