Year 2947: Theft of the Moon

[Vladim]

As she swims deeper and deeper, Idunn makes out the glittering form of the fabled axe of the Woodmen, and the corpse of a man that holds it.

’Wolf-biter!' she thinks, ’I was destined to wield it!’

With what little air remains in her lungs, she descends lower, towards the floor of the ruins, but as soon as she tries to grasp the axe’s hilt, it dissolves, leaving behind only darkness, and a strange stone that seems to absorb all light. Idunn quickly seizes the axe-head's fragment and the stone. Instantly, she feels her strength fail, and she begins to sink into unconsciousness…

Yet but before she completely loses her senses, she sees the life-line of Ellerina’s rope, which shines faintly in the dark gloom. And she feels her comrade pulling her upwards, away from the dark depths of the sunken dwarven ruin.

[Vladim]

As Nori begins to further examine the ruins, he seems to enter a trance-like state of focus. Setting his axe against one of the nearby walls, he uses his hands and fingertips to examine the walls intently. With each passing moment it seems, his search becomes more eager... more anxious. His eyes search the walls, floors, and ceilings feverishly. Should anyone call out to him, it would seem he’s gone completely deaf as his attention falls squarely on his search.

Eventually, the dwarf finds a peculiar rock in the wall – one that doesn’t seem to belong there upon greater examination, but would easily conceal itself from a normal search. Nori pauses when he finds this stone, his fingers gently running over the surface of the rock before pausing in the center of it. Pressing in on the stone, the rock enters further into the wall, which in turn causes a chain reaction of some hidden mechanics to reveal a stairwell leading down into some unknown crypt.

Frantically, Nori goes about putting a torch together and lighting it with some flint and steel. With a brightly lit torch in one hand and his axe in the other, the dwarf eagerly, but cautiously makes his way down into the secret chamber.

Searching the subterranean room, the dwarf is at first shocked to find the skeletal remains of those of his kind. Waving the torch about slowly, Nori searches for clues as to what has happened, too captivated by the sight to say anything initially. Making his way slowly over to the figure holding the tome, Nori does his best to carefully handle the parchment as his eyes scan over the faded and incomplete writing fragments. His lips move slowly as he reads the few words he can make out. “The gods…” he murmurs aloud as the words dawn on him.

Shuffling to the stairwell, Nori pauses to cast a glance towards the small pile of treasure. It’s evident on his face that he’s having to pull himself away from going over and rummaging through it greedily, but there’s a sense of urgency and haste that allows him to tear his mind away from the thought and jog up the stairs as quickly as he can. As he does so, he shouts, “Idunn! Gramtyng! Almarion!” In between each name, he huffs and puffs as he exerts himself to move as quickly as possible. “This place! There’s something wrong here!"

[Vladim]

Borin had remained mostly silent during the conversations around the fire. He was upset at how badly the journey and his hunt had been for him mostly. He looked up when Idunn explained what she'd learned about the Viglundings, scowling at the idea of slavery. That was something orcs or goblins did, not men. If the Bear Lord wouldn't handle it, then other people would. The talk of treasure, especially right at hand, fully caught his attention. His scowl turned into a look of intense interest.

When Nori and Idunn led the way to the watch-house, Borin followed along. He watched as the woman dove into the water as his fellow dwarf searched the walls. The revelation of the secret door filled him excitement. He stayed at the top of the stairs, watching and listening. Nori had found it, and he deserved the first chance to explore it. When Nori came puffing up the stairs, Borin moved out of his way, but followed him into the room, trying to get a peek at the parchment Nori held. Mentioned of "something wrong" caused the dwarf to put a hand to the axe at his belt, eyes looking around as if expecting orcs to come jumping out of the shadows.

[Vladim]

Treasure

As the Company searches the chamber, they are able to find a good bit of treasure; most of it in precious gems instead of heavy coin. Borin, Nori, Idunn, and Gramtyng do not find much in the way of magical objects: For Bella and Almarion, fate seems to have decided otherwise... as she dug her hand onto a shelf almost too high to reach for her, among the feeling of pieces of rotten paper that slipped past her fingers, there was another feeling not quite like the rest: utterly cold. Pulling back her hand, and brushing away the dust revealed a strangely colored ring, looking like it had been made entirely out of a pearl. The ring had no other decorations upon it, save for a small star carved into a slightly elevated area where another ring might have had a gem set into it, and a pair of eyes on either side, with Khuzdul runes around the outside of the the ring. Almarion had also found something(to be updated). Idunn's find was even more disturbing: It only took one glance from either dwarf to identify just what the circular object had been: A scale of a green dragon; marvelous for crafting and utterly precious... Although weighted down with shadow.

 

Bella

Born, after consulting with the dwarves, you figure out what your Ring is of dwarven make, from Erebor, is worth 80 Treasure, and has a Blessing of Perception(Awareness) on it: On Awareness rolls, you always add your Wisdom to the result: So if your normal roll is 1d12 2d6, now it is 1d12 2d6+Wisdom. Plus, you are able to spend a point of Hope to turn a success on a Awareness roll into a Magical Result: This basically invokes some manner of 'magic' based on sight - perhaps it gives you darkvision, or you see something in the distance with utter clarity. Its a narrative tool for you to use and justify normally impossible things. It does add 1 point of Sauron's Attention, though.

 

Idunn

Ok well, that was our first test. What you found is a Precious Object with a Curse of Shadow on it. It is, however, worth 120 Treasure - but while you carry it, your Shadow is considered to be 1 higher than normal (this may be removed, but you need to speak to a loremaster about how to do that). Any of the dwarves will be able to tell you just what it is - a scale of a dragon. As such, besides being sold, it can also be crafted into a Wondrous Artefact Armor, Shield, or Helm if a dwarf works on it. You could either pay a dwarven smith 10 Treasure to work on it for a while, or have Borin or Nori do it - this wont count against their life's work. Essentially, pick a type of armor, shield, or helm, pick an enchanted quality of dwarven make, and there you go.

[Vladim]

Bella turned the strange ring over and over in her tiny palm. It was funny how the eyes seemed to follow another's gaze. Being of dwarven make, she had considered giving the Fellowship's dwarves the tiny bit of jewelry. She had remembered Bilbo's tales of the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, how their treasure had been stolen from them and the foreboding gleam in their eyes when they spoke of it.

Besides, a Took valued stories and banquets, and especially stories and banquets together. And Bella was more tomboy than most ladies of the Shire. What use did she have of such frippery? But Bella thought, gazing into the eyes of the Ring. This is a very precious thing. She flipped the ring over her fingers, one after the other, idly wondering whether to cram the ring into her pockets or put it on.

In her concentration, she almost missed the dwarves warning. She snapped out of her daze to see what put such an edge into her stoic friend's voices.

[Vladim]

After a pleasant chat with Bella, the bard leaned against his backpack and attempted to relax, but found it difficult to do so. When Idunn returned with Magric, and informed them of what went on with Viglund, his face had a very ugly look: Slavery practiced by the Free People? That was not right, by any stretch of the imagination, no matter what went on. He may have disagreed with his people about a great many things, but freedom was one concept he held close to his heart. Anyone practicing such a thing can't have been without evil in their hearts. Magric seemed much easier to understand after that, but despite his easily visible hatred for slavery, the other things that he originally disliked about the man were still present; it wasnt as if they went away. Still, at least he hated the right things.

When the The Bride called out to Nori and Almarion, he'd also heard her words - Nori seemed to be in nearly a trance as he deciphered the runes upon the stone; it was unlikely he'd heard the huntress. Almarion seemed preoccupied with something else, so he shrugged and followed his friend instead. After she descended, the silhouette distorted in a bizarre way, and the things underwater had somehow changed shape. Rubbing his eyes, the minstrel tried to make sense of it all, but could not. The longer he watched, the faster he realized that something was not right. Could she even hold her breath that long? What was that black muck spreading, some kind of swamp silt? It have him a bad feeling, a chill that creeped through his veins, not unlike when he was young and stupid, and on a dare, approached the entrance of Dwimorberg. He frantically began pulling at the rope, hoping to pull Idunn out before whatever was happening would become even worse.

Once she'd been out, he dared to breathe again: "Damn, that scared me. What did you see? From above it... it wasn't normal."

------------------Treasure Room------------------

Gramtyng did not manage to find anything of particular note in the chamber, but it mattered little to him: this treasure was worth far more than the paltry sum Baldor paid them previously. Many things could be acquired on this. Perhaps a new lute, strung by an elf, even! He was not too upset about that. Still.. this place was depressing. How did those poor dwarves die? Hunger? Suffocation? The bard shuddered when he heard Nori call out: "What happened, Nori? Did you find something?"

[Vladim]

Idunn desperately gasps for air as she breaks the surface of the murky waters. As she casts her eyes around the half-flooded room, she sees the faces of her companions, and is relieved to be back with the fellowship. However, the waters are freezing-cold, and her strength has been sapped from swimming. Thus, as soon as she has pulled herself out of the pool, she begins to shiver uncontrollably.

It takes a few moments before she can speak, but she eventually answers to Gramtyng. ’A dead man,’ she says grimly, ’holding an axe.’ She recovers the fragment to show it to Gramtyng, and rubs it with a rag to reveal its surface. The sight of Wolfbiter’s runes surprises her as much as everyone else. ’It cannot be…’ she says, her voice shaking. ’Everything seemed like a dream down there, or a nightmare. I thought I had imagined it, but this is indeed a piece of Wolfbiter, the axe that Berengar wielded.’

The revelation shakes the Woodswoman, and for a little while she forgets about the green scale that lies at her feet. She leaves it there while she speaks, long enough for any of her companions to notice it. But she eventually remembers it. As if struck by some epiphany, she kneels down and touches it, and is strongly compelled to hide it in her satchel.

But before she does this, she realises the strangeness of her behaviour, which is so unlike her, and decides not to proceed. Instead, she tries to explain herself. ’I found this too, at the bottom of the room. It seems precious, though I don’t know what it is.’

[Vladim]

When Gramtyng inquires as to what has given Nori alarm, the dwarf quietly waves him and any of the other members of the fellowship that haven't lost themselves to the treasure room, with all its opportunity and grim reminders. Leading them back to the top of the stairwell, Nori begins pointing to the battered ruins and the markings left by some unknown source. Pointing to them with the head of his axe, the dwarf explains the basis for his concern. "This isn'a right," he tells them. "No man or orc could make this... No dwarf would need to... No elf would want to..." He then turns and outlines with door with his axe. "... no troll could make it through here..."

Letting the head of his axe fall to ground unceremoniously, as if it had become to heavy of a burden to carry - the metal clinking loudly against the stone, with the blade angled up and away from the surface - Nori looks back to his companions. His voice is a bit weaker and more solemn. "Those..." He has trouble saying 'dwarves', the word to painful - his lips trying to get the sound out, but failing entirely. Skipping the word, he starts fresh, believing his friends can figure out what he's referring to. "They were hiding from something... They were scared enough to seal themselves in... Kin of S... Sca... Scatha or something or other. That's all I could get from the bloody book before it turned to dust."

Nori then looks about at the group expectantly, as if hoping one of them could fill him in on why exactly the dwarves perished. It's when his eyes come to Idunn though, and the dragonscale in her hands that his eyes pause, fixating on the wonderous find.

[Vladim]

Scatha

Finding out who or what Scatha is is a TN 12 roll for any dwarf, and TN 14 for Rohirrim. Almarion can likely roll vs TN14 as well. As for the others, the story isnt particularly part of their culture, unless they've spent time looking at lore of Wilderland (a little less than 1000 year old). Invocations of appropriate traits are also welcome. I'll delay Gramtyng's post till Nori, Borin, or Almarion reply, and supplement what they say, if anything.

[Vladim]

Surely, Idunn notices Nori’s staring eyes, for her dwarven companion does not hide his surprise. The huntress has heard the stories of the legendary greed of dwarves, which, after all, formed a great part of the tale of Thorin and his company. But although there was certainly truth in such stories, she feels that she knows Nori well enough to trust him.

Fighting against her earlier impulse to hide the scale, she picks it up and brings it closer to her companion.

’What is this strange thing? It is green, like an emerald, or some precious stone, yet far too large to be one.’ she asks him, presenting the strange artefact to the dwarf.

[Vladim]

Borin

Scatha. A known and loathed name, especially to the dwarves of the Grey Mountains. He was the greatest of the Long-Worms that infested the Grey Mountains, who raided Wilderland and primarily the Vales of Anduin until TA 2000, when he was slain by the King of the Eothed at the time. There was a dispute between them and the dwarves over who could lay claim to Scatha's Hoard, as the dwarves claimed it had a great amount of their works, while the Eothed argued that not all of it was, and that to the victor go the spoils.

[Vladim]

"Its a dragon scale," Borin said softly, attention riveted on the object in Idunn's hand. His glee over the treasure was gone, completely overshadowed by the thought that one of Scatha's kin had been in the area. Might still be in the area, slumbering in some hole...The dwarf glanced around the ruin once more, seeing how it must have looked when these kin of his and Nori's had lived here. Had any survived? Doubtful. But they had preserved their treasure, kept it out of the greedy dragon's clutches. It lent the small hoard a sense of sanctity, as if the sacrifice given for it made it more than mere treasure.

Borin looked back to his companions, expression grim. "They hid from a dragon here. A green, obviously. Probably long gone, else we'd have heard about it. But we should be wary; no telling what evils it brought with it." He shifted his grip on his axe, peering about once more. "Our kin deserve a proper burial. Nori, did you learn any of their names?"

[Vladim]

The bard shook his head at her discovery. So the axe had been fragmented into that many pieces… and they had become scattered to this degree. “So…” He asked quietly. “That was Berengar, then?” The place had clearly been touched by the Shadow, how and why he did not even want to know. “Well… Least you seem fine. Come on, lets go get some stew. I feel cold just looking at ya.” Gramtyng shuddered, looking back towards the cozy fire and the companions around it.

-----------At the broken stairs-----------

Gramtyng’s face darkens when he hears the name ‘Scatha’. The name was one of the several clues he’d had in regards to finding the lost lore of his people’s origins – the Eothed. This particular chapter of their lives was about the only piece that was well-preserved, apart from the story of their migration to Rohan. Scatha, and the events surrounding him, had been one of the most conflicting tales. “Scatha was a long-worm… One of the dragons that bothered Wilderland in ages past. I do not know much of his crimes, only that he was killed by Fram, son of Frumgar, the king of the ancestors of my people.” He paused for a moment, before reconsidering stopping there and completing his statement. “The story goes that dwarves demanded the hoard of Scatha, which Fram refused, and sent them a necklace made of the dragon’s teeth, telling them these were far rarer than any gems in the hoard – and that for that insult, they killed him.”

The Rohirrim shook he head and didn’t comment anything further. The story of Fram and his descendant, Leod – and his son after that, Eorl, were the beginning of his people’s history. But everyone’s story had a dark point to it… Besides, who knew how accurate that story had been? He kneeled in front of the skeletal remains and examined them carefully, then tuned to Borin again: “I don’t think we’ve much to fear… It looks like their death were years and years ago. Nori, what did you manage to read in the book, exactly? Any dates? References?” The bard figured that, although he did not know the history of the dwarves, perhaps Borin and Nori could identify the time period by the way the stone or metal was forged, or perhaps there was some manner of event mentioned. Still.. Unlikely. The fact that there could have been a dragon just… sneaking around was somewhat disconcerting. The whole room sent a chill through his veins.

[Vladim]

A magic ring? A possible dragon? This sounded like one of old Bilbo's adventures. When Bella was knee-high to a hobbit (which were themselves knee-high to just about everything else) Bella had dreamed of such adventure. Hearing the tales from Bilbo had only imflamed that desire.

But now that it was actually happening, she suddenly wished she was back home doing chores and only dreaming of adventure. She listened to the others, as practically all of them had a better head for battle...

[Vladim]

(In the flooded room, with Gramtyng)

It was a troubling thought, one that she had not considered: that the body she had seen belonged to Berengar. Yet she cannot confirm it-she isn’t even sure that what she had seen wasn’t an illusion. She shakes her head, indicating both confusion and denial. ’I could not tell. It could have been anyone. I might have even imagined it… below the water, everything was distorted.’ Despite the mad hermit’s state, she hoped Berengar still lived. As long as he did, he could be helped.

(At the broken stairs, with everyone)

Idunn never imagined something as valuable as a dragon-scale would ever come to her possession. And even though Borin’s ominous words disturb her, she does not wish to part with her newly acquired treasure. A thing so precious would certainly help her frugal folk, who must struggle constantly against the encroaching darkness of Mirkwood.

She listens to Gramtyng’s story and pieces together what had happened here from what her dwarven companions said. Although she remains silent, she quietly promises not to repeat the mistakes of the Men and Dwarves in Gram’s story. ’This is different.’ she says to herself. ’This treasure will help the Free Folk of Wilderland grow and prosper.’