2950: Varr's tale

[Vladim]

At first there was no response, and it seemed to him again that he had become lost in an endless sea of dark green, with no-one to hear him. But he did not lose heart: he cried the words again, and he waited, until at a distance he seemed to hear something shift. He almost regretted it then, thinking that he had stirred something from its slumber, and at once his hands went to sword and shield, but he did not have time to draw them.

The company was upon him quickly. They had not made a sound as they approached swiftly in the darkness, or at least so it had seemed to Varr, though he knew that details often eluded him (something that his association with Breda had made apparent on many a night). But perhaps it was for the better, for he did not have to sheathe his sword when at last the elves stepped into view.

It was only a small party: no more than half a dozen of them, sentries and archers, though Varr could neither tell nor know if others yet lurked in the shadows, shrouded from his eyes. An elf fair and tall, taller than Varr even, and that was saying something, with dark, long hair, seemed to be their leader: he stepped forth, but he spoke not, though he clearly expected an explanation. And Varr spoke it, wasting no time.

"Lord, if you would aid me: I am Varr, son of Halstein, who hailed from Esgaroth, and I am in great need of your aid. One of my companions has become lost in your domain, and I cannot find him."

 

OOC

Let's make it into another audience... though not sure if I should use core rules or the updated version.

Edit: Let's go with the new (updated) rules and try to keep it short and sweet: the number of successes needed will be 3, and the time limit 4+successes if the introduction works (otherwise just 3).

Edit 2: That's a fail.

Successes: 0/3

Time limit: 0/3

[Vladim]

"This we know already." replied the elf sternly. "More than one, if fact. Yet you must return to your kin in your village, and swiftly. These woods are dangerous, and doubly so tonight. Do you need a guide to lead you back?"

[Vladim]

"Nay, lord." answered Varr, refusing to give up his search so quickly. "Only one man remains lost: Ingemar is his name, a Barding of Dale. The others I have found already, and returned them to safety."

Upon hearing this, the tall elf turned to his companions, and spoke a few words in the melodic tongue of his folk. Varr understood nothing of it. But he was not deterred.

"Let me come with you. I can aid your search. I know the path the loggers took, and I can lead you there swiftly."

 

OOC

Successes: 1/3

Time limit: 1/3

[Vladim]

Varr's words gave the sentries pause. One of them begun to speak, and still Varr could not understand it, but the leader quickly raised his hand, commanding his companion to be quiet. He took forth a few more steps, and inspected Varr carefully by the light of the Lake-Man's own lamp.

"It is too dangerous, and not all my kin will welcome your presence in the Woodland Realm. You must go: leave the task to us. We shall complete it."

[Vladim]

Sensing his chances diminish, Varr's mind raced. To convince them could prove out of reach, but he needed to gain their attention if he was to change their minds.

"Is this to do with your emissary? Arbereth, daughter of Firithros? If you could take me to her, after Ingemar has been found, then I could explain everything, and put things to rights."

He gambled everything on this gambit: a desperate tactic, since he knew that invoking that name could turn things against him. But he had no time to waste, and he needed them as much as they needed him. If only they could see it as plainly as he...

 

OOC

Let's burn some Hope on this (potentially) last Persuade check, and also make him Inspired-he is Eager to get going.

Edit: An Extraordinary Success, so it should be sufficient to end this audience. Stats updated.

Successes: 3/3

Time limit: 2/3

[Vladim]

Epilogue: Farewell to Frostward

Late summer, 2950 T.A.

 

They never did manage to find Ingemar, despite tirelessly trying throughout the night and in days that followed. No trace of him remained: the forest had swallowed him up, and he was lost forever, and it was not long before the menfolk of Frostward came to believe him dead, though never daring to say this plainly.

By some strange stroke of fortune, it turned out that the elf-lord that Varr had stumbled upon was Firithros, Arbereth's sire. As soon as Varr had spoken the name, his disposition changed, and the company took him with them, and they spent a sleepless night searching for Ingemar. Their efforts bore no fruit, and yet they did not give them up for many days after. But even in the light of day they had no better luck. Reluctantly, they gave it up after a week had passed.

Firithros gave assurances that scouts and trackers, fair folk who knew the Heart of Mirkwood better than any man, would continue the search. They too found nothing, save a light scarf that had belonged to the man, which was recovered from a spider-infested glade...

The Men of Frostward mounted their own attempts. They were feeble by comparison, hindered by lack of knowledge of anything that extended beyond the eaves of the woods, and their fear of Mirkwood and the elves, who were increasingly beginning to be viewed in hostile fashion.

Ingemar was not the only one to suffer this grim fate. As days passed, tidings from nearby logging settlements, hamlets similar to Frostward, reached Varr's ears, and rumours swirled as such news arrived. Two more at first, and then another: loggers lured and then lost. The lucky ones, those that managed to find their way back to home and hearth, either alone or guided by friendlier elves, returned with tales full of the terrors of the forest, and the sorceries of the fair folk. None of it made matters better, but fear now made the men less likely to seek the deeper parts or to go out by night, and no new incidents or disappearances occured afterwards.

For Varr, this had at last proven enough to put an end to his short-lived venture in Frostward. Now other matters weighed more heavily in his mind. Ingemar was beyond his ability to save-beyond anyone's, most likely. But he absorbed the rumours with growing concern. And the elves too, with whom he now spoke frequently though in secrecy. For Arbereth, whom he met again, was none too pleased with these happenings and growing tensions.

Before summer came to its end, it had been decided. It was time to leave Frostward behind, and to return to Lake-Town. What had started off plainly had become perilous, not just for Varr but everyone living here. There was only one man who could put matters to rights again.

[Vladim]

OOC

Ok, it's time that I wrapped this up and moved on with my life, or at least tried to.

First impressions and notes to self (for future reference): if the goal of this attempt is just to characterise and flesh out some new characters, then maybe Strider Mode is not the best way to go about it. I think Ironsworn can achieve the same thing with simpler, more narrative-focused mechanics, so it may be the superior system (for this particular purpose). That being said, there were some issues with this setup which probably didn't help to make this "adventure" too exciting:

• The opening premise was a little bit mundane and unexciting; perhaps something more urgent and dangerous would be more compelling.
• I didn't try journeys or combat, so it's a little unfair to the system.

Regardless, Strider Mode still seems like a good way to get to know the details of TOR 2e, so maybe it's masochism but I may keep going.

Right! Now time for the bean-counting! What did all this masochistic writing give me? Other that the... eh... pleasure of writing and narrative and character development?

• Scene 1 probably counts as "accept a mission from a patron", even if Storr was not a conventional patron. So, +1 Adventure point.
• Scene 4 is "reveal a significant location or discovery" for +1 Adventure point.
• Scene 5 is "Participate in a Council" for +1 Skill point.
• Scene 6 is "Overcome a tricky obstacle" for +1 Skill point.
• Scene 8 is another council, for +1 Skill point.

So overall, Varr gets 2 Adventure points and 3 skill points.

[Vladim]

(OOC: Bumping for chronology...)