2950: Varr's tale

[Vladim]

To Varr's surprise and astonishment, his words were well-taken. 

"Can you hear it too? The song never ceases at night-time." said Breda eagerly, hoping against all hope that she was not the only one in the entirety of the village that could perceive such things. But, regretfully, Varr could give no response but to shake his head, and soon hope gave way to disappoinment for the girl. 

"I wish they would stop. The music is beautiful, yet sometimes it is too sad. It is difficult to sleep. But it must be my imagination. For no-one else in Frostward ever complains of sounds or songs."

She fell silent again, but just as Varr was about to speak, she gave him a strange look and shushed him, and whispered carefully.

"Again it comes. Can you truly not hear it?"

There was hope again in her eyes, as if she truly believed that, somehow, this time would be different. 

 

OOC

Let's carry the advantage and roll Awareness with a bonus die... and should I spend hope again? Eh... sure. Screw it, let's do it.

Edit: A great success; hope well-spent.

[Vladim]

Again Varr harkened and strained his ears, falling silent and bending all his will towards listening. He knew that Breda was not lying: what she was claiming she truly believed, but was it merely something that her vivid imagination conjured in her mind only? He thought that it could not be so, but at first all his efforts were to no avail, and at length he looked to her with disappointment in his eyes, and thought to shake his head sadly.

But just as he had at last given up all hope of ever hearing them, the sounds of the night came to him, faint and distant and otherworldly. He gasped, and looked at Breda in amazement. He spoke no word, feeling that he would end the spell, but even so, Breda at once knew, for the change upon his countenance had been as sudden as it had been clear. 

It came from afar, that strange music, from the direction of the mill and beyond: deep into the forest is where it must have come from. The words made little sense to his ears, yet still he had a longing to understand their meaning. Still without speaking, he begun to leave the long-house. Breda hesitated for a moment, but soon she was with him, following by his side.

 

OOC

Let's carry the advantage and make a Lore check with a bonus die.

Edit: Ah! Close, but still a fail.

[Vladim]

(Art credit: artsammich)

 

Varr hurried along now, following the faint music that still reached him. He hastened his steps, walking faster and faster, until he was practically running along the trail. He passed by the mill and continued until the eaves and then further still, entering the thinned-out forest where by day he had labored many long and hard hours.

The light of the moon was bright, and it showered the boughs of the trees, making them shine with a silvery light, eerie but at the same time beautiful. For a moment he stopped and marvelled at the sight; it seemed to complement the spell that the song was weaving, enthralling and ensnaring him in ways he was not even aware of at present.

Suddenly Breda caught up, and she placed her hand on his shoulder. Varr turned to face her quickly, and remembered that she had followed him. She seemed afraid, and unwilling to go any further. And somewhere, in some deep and half-forgotten recess in Varr's mind, something, some inner voice of reason, it cautioned him against the danger of venturing into Mirkwood by night.

 

OOC

To keep things interesting and unexpected, let's roll on the Telling Table to see if Varr continues or not; let's rate the chance as Middling.

Edit: A yes.

[Vladim]

"Do not go." whispered Breda fearfully, casting fearful glances about her. Something made her deeply uncomfortable, yet Varr seemed determined to continue. His eager curiosity had already gotten the better of him.

"Wait here." he replied just as quietly, and added: "Or better yet, return to the long-house. I shan't be gone for long." Breda gave him a final look, long and dissuading: a last-ditch attempt towards preventing him, but she knew that it was pointless. Varr had already made up his mind. And the song was now growing in intensity.

The spell of it was now fully upon the Lake-Man, and with soft footfalls he neared the heart of the forest, eyes and ears open with amazement.

 

OOC

Let's make a Stealth check for approaching quietly. Cloak gives a bonus die.

Edit: A Great Success. Let's say he goes for the "Make haste" option.

[Vladim]

Art by Jon Hodgson for The One Ring, 1st edition (Adventurer's Companion)

 

Swiftly yet silently Varr moved under the shadows of the trees. The deeper he delved, the clearer the music became, until at length he could distinguish the different instruments carrying the tune, at times switching back and forth, and at others playing in unison. For how long he had wandered in the dark forest he could not tell, but now, with answers awaiting not afar-practically within arm's reach-he did not hesitate. Slowing his steps, he approached warily, until at a distance he could see the lights of many lamps hanging from the branches of the trees.

At the center was a great clearing, and there a fire burned brightly, and all about it many fair folk danced to the music and made merry. Elves. Varr had seen them before, in Lake-Town and Dale. They always kept to themselves and with their own. And so, he was surprised: for he had never witnessed any of their feasts or celebrations. 

A sudden feeling of danger and guilt washed over him at once: for he knew that he was trespassing, and spying upon something that was not meant for his mortal eyes. That voice of reason spoke from within, counselling him to depart at once, though the temptation to linger and listen to the music was great. He struggled, but he feared the darkness and the perils, and at length, reluctantly and not without a great deal of caution, he withdrew.

 

OOC

Although this could be the end of the scene, let's roll Hunting to see if he can retrace his steps and return to Frostward. Pehaps if he fails badly he could get lost.

Edit: A fail, though not an awful one. I should probably come up with some minor complication.

[Vladim]

He had taken only a few dozen steps when temptation overcame him, and he turned his gaze back upon the feast and the light-filled clearing to take one last look from afar. There was little light coming from elsewhere, and though he had not ventured far, it had already proven impossible for him to accurately retrace his previous path. He would have to find a new way.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling of leaves and a parting of branches, as if someone was walking not far from him. He turned to face the source of the sounds, but he saw nothing. He crouched and tried to make himself as small and as quiet as a mouse. If he were noticed, he would be caught, and he knew that elves had ears and eyes far keener than his.

 

OOC

Let's try a Stealth check to deal with this complication. If he fails, he will be put under some kind of elf-spell.

Edit: A great success; I'll carry the advantage to the next roll.

[Vladim]

With great relief, Varr listened to the footsteps as they grew more and more distant, until after a time that seemed to stretch beyond what it must have been in actuality, they faded, drowning into the music and the sounds of merry-making. 

For a while, he remained crouched and quiet, uncertain as to whether the danger had passed. But as time went on, it seemed to him certain that it had. He caught himself feeling unwilling to leave the light, and dreading the journey through the darkness. A part of him even thought of showing himself, and seeking to join them, but such a foolish notion was only considered for a moment, before being quickly dismissed. Then, he mustered all his courage and resolve, and stood up, and steeling his nerve against any possible dangers, he began to walk towards the direction from which he thought he had come.

 

OOC

Ok, so since his Hunting check failed, let's roll an Explore check to see how well he does. If he fails, maybe he is late, and he comes in the morning, becoming Weary for the day; what's more is that others may suspect that he went in the forest.

I'll burn a point of Hope as he becomes Eager to return.

Edit: A success, though just a normal one.

[Vladim]

He was like a blind man in these deep parts of the forest, where few of the moon's rays could penetrate the leafy canopy above him. And yet, as soon as he had escaped the elven-spell that had been put upon him, and left the feast-clearing far behind, he seemed to regain his wits and memory, and remember some of the features of the pathless way that he had come through.

As soon as he focused his mind and senses on the task of returning, all music begun to fade and ultimately vanish, replaced by nightly sounds of birds and forest creatures. Apart from those, there was little other sign of life. This time, he chose caution over haste, proceeding slowly and methodically. His blade rested in his scabbard, but his hand often wandered to its hilt, and he was ready to draw it at moment's notice. Yet this proved unnecessary.

He must have walked in the blackness for an hour or more when at last he saw the first signs of the village far past the point where the trees had been thinned. He breathed a sigh of relief and headed straight to the place where he had left Breda. Concern over what she might have done in the interim suddenly occupied his mind, but it needn't have had, because she was still there, waiting. She seemed as relieved to see him as he was to see her. 

"Elves." he said to her plainly, having not yet fully recovered from the ordeal. "I found your music. I will tell you all that I have seen."

[Vladim]

Well into the late hours of the night, long past the time when others had retired, the two of them spoke, sheltering under the roof of the great hall. Breda listened and spoke little for the most part, absorbing every little thing of Varr's tale, until at length he had said all, and seemed satisfied for not omitting even the smallest of details that he recalled still.

Then they both fell silent and did not speak for a long while, as if each was lost in their own thoughts. Varr tried to recall in his mind each and every detail, thinking that summoning the scene thusly would make the memory last longer. But it was fading already. Yet Breda's thoughts were turned inwards, and she searched her own memories for something that had never in truth happened: at least, not in the waking world.

"This feast is like a dream I have always had. The music, the lights, the elves: everything that you have described seems familiar and real. Perhaps it was no dream at all, but something I saw as a child, but do not fully remember."

She paused, thinking that Varr would have something to say in response. But the Lake-Man said nothing. And she had already made up her mind.

"Next time, I will come also. I wish to see them in the flesh. Perhaps that will awaken that old memory."

 

OOC

Let's end the scene here. I can use that old prompt ("Explore Fragile Memory") as an overarching theme in this story. I think it could work rather well.

Not sure about the next scene. I'm thinking of a montage. I probably need to transition into something more standard and adventure-y, otherwise I'll get stuck a lot. Maybe roll on the Lore Table for inspiration?

Edit: Escape Gloomy... Patron? Does that even make sense? Maybe...

[Vladim]

(Art credit: Jon Hodgson, The Darkening of Mirkwood)

 

Scene 5: The emissary

Location: Eaves of the forest near Frostward

Time: Late evening, summer

 

The days passed quickly and routinely after that night. By day, he labored long and hard hours, slowly learning the tricks of the trade as repetition honed his mind and his muscles, until he could call himself a half-competent lumberer. Yet at dusk, and oftentimes even afterwards, long past the hours of the evening and well into night-time, Varr would linger by the eaves. At times he would go alone; yet at others he was accompanied by Breda, who longed to hear the music. The sounds would not always come to him, but his companion's ear was sensitive and well-attuned, and she could always tell him what to listen for or where to look.

They did not dare repeat their risky venture into the forest all too frequently. But there were occasions when the weather was pleasant, and the stars or the moon shone brightly, and the sky was cloudless, when temptation got the better of them. In those nights, they would enter the forest warily, in search of the elves and their feast, seeking their music. Twice again they saw them, and twice they escaped notice, and the sight seemed to draw them into that world together, and from that point on they spoke of that memory frequently and fondly.

As spring grew warmer and warmer, it's latter months beginning to give way to summer, other Dale-folk begun to flock to the village, and so Frostward grew. Many were those that could not stay in the long-house, and so tents were raised outside, beyond the protection of the palisade, and at nights the settlement grew noisome and troubled. It seemed to Varr that the vices of the great cities were now following him, and so he sought to avoid the village as much as he could, spending more and more time by the forest or with Breda.

[Vladim]

If he were asked in the weeks and months that were to follow to identify the precise day that all would begin to unravel, then Varr would not hesitate: for though it was not apparent at the time, this was the very night that the troubles in Frostward had started.

That night was not different from the others that had preceded it: the sky was starlit, and the air warm, and the forest cooler, offering a brief respite from the heat of the day. Presently, Varr was alone: Breda's duties kept her in the common room of the long-house, even though she would have much preferred the forest. But there was no elf-song tonight, though it was just as well: the rhythmic singing of the insects proved calming to the Lake-Man, even though it did not cast the same spell of enchantment as the music of the fair folk.

When the emissary approached she did so with soft footfalls; so soft, in fact, that Varr did not notice her arrival until she was standing over him, having (to his eyes) almost manifested out of nothingness. Immediately, he shifted from his seated position, seeking to rise up to show the courtesy she was due. For even though he had been absent-minded and inattentive, there was no mistaking it: she was clearly one of the fair folk.

Clad in fine blues that stood out from the more rustic garments of her fellow forest-elves, and carrying a stern expression on her noble and fair face, the elf-maiden was evidently someone of import. In her presence, Varr felt small and insignificant, but he tried to muster some words, though he was neither swift nor decisive about it. Before he could manage it, the maiden spoke.

"I have come to speak to your master, bearing a message from the Woodland Realm. I have been told that you and your companion often linger by the eaves or lurk in the forest. Can you take me to your lord? I have much to say to him."

 

OOC

Alright, let me start to slowly bring this to a conclusion. I want to try the audience mechanics for this scene, just to get the hang of it. Let me check the details and get back to it later.

Edit: Ok, so I don't want this to drag on forever but at the same time I don't want it to be the easiest possible... So let's set the Resistance to 4. 

What is he trying to achieve? I don't think he is trying to "get" something, but maybe he can earn a measure of respect from the elf? And if he fails, the elf will go directly to the chief.

[Vladim]

A sense of relief was felt by Varr upon hearing the words of the elf-maiden. He feared that his trespassing on the feasts had been noticed, and that now the elf had come demanding explanations. But that seemed not her purpose at all. 

"Master Iwar is in the long-house, within Frostward..." he said at length, and continued: "...I can take you to him as you request, but he may be presently preoccupied. Perhaps it would be better to simply convey the message?"

He paused and noted that the maiden seemed not to like the idea; clearly she preferred to speak to Iwar herself, and now.

"I am Varr, son of Halstein, of Esgaroth, at your service." he added with a bow, hoping that the introduction would make her better predisposed towards him.

 

OOC

For the Introduction, let's try Courtesy. I'll use Eager as well (since he's eager to be helpful), and burn a point of Hope.

Edit: A Gandalf and a Great Success. Let's roll on the Fortune table. Edit: You gain favored ground-well that doesn't make too much sense...

Time limit = 5.

[Vladim]

The emissary said nothing in immediate response; her expression, however, remained unaltered: a sign that she still maintained a healthy skepticism for the mortal's words, and his ability to deliver the message himself. Even Varr was able to perceive this, though he did not press her on the matter: instead, he waited patiently, hoping that courtesy would carry the day.

And, in time, it seemed to be so, at least to some extent, for she spoke again, and this time more openly.

"Greetings and well met Varr, son of Halstein. Would that you had offered an introduction sooner: for my kindred spoke of a tall man who likes to linger and lurk by their gatherings in the great clearing, oftentimes with another, and thinks himself as if invisible." She smiled faintly, even as Varr, embarrassed, blushed. "Would that be the same that I am presently standing before?"

[Vladim]

"I will not deny it," replied Varr apologetically, "...for the music that your kinsfolk make is beautiful, and at times it reaches even the village, though it is faint, and most cannot hear it. Against my better judgement I followed it a few times, though it seemed discourteous to interrupt the feast, and so I hid.

Yet it must be true that the folk of Thranduil have sharp ears and keen eyes, for it seems that I was not unnoticed. In this matter Breda, my companion, is innocent, for it was I that convinced her to join me."

He paused for a moment, thinking. Despite his nightly ventures, the elf-woman seemed not offended, and so Varr thought to turn this to his advantage. The idea was simple, but it was worth to try.

"I must grant you and yours some boon or repayment for my trespassing, which I will not repeat. If there is any way in which I can be of use to you, please speak it, and I shall endeavor to accomplish the task."

 

OOC

Hm... I'm thinking Awe with Tall (to be Inspired) and a point of Hope to try to make an impression of competence.

Edit: A basic success... so +1 to the progress and the time limit.

Resistance=1/4

Time limit=1/5

[Vladim]

The elf-maiden did not answer at once: she first observed him for a while, in a manner that Varr felt as if he was being measured.

"I have come to speak to your master," she repeated in time, "...yet there is no reason why you and your kinsfolk should not know the matter that troubles my folk, for it should be made plain for all to see, sooner rather than later."

She took forth a step and spoke again in stern manner.

"The men-folk of the North have hewn many trees of late, and though at first it was understood that such deeds were necessary to rebuild the ruined cities, such is no longer the case. I have been sent by the Elvenking to tell you this. The felling near the forest must stop for a while, until an agreement is arrived at. If you continue in the same manner, then soon your kin will infringe upon the Woodland Realm, and this must be avoided."