Year 2949: The Marsh-Bell

[Vladim]

Ewald listened to his companions as they spoke and sang. He was impressed and even slightly surprised by some them as he hadn't expected that. He liked to sing himself but it was usually together with others. He smiled and nodded encouragingly at Asfrid, Lára and Beran after they had sung and recited verses.

When the meeting was about to get wrapped up and they were all standing up to take farewell of their host Lord Ewald stepped up towards Gloín. "Thank you so much for your generosity and hospitality, Gloín, son of Groín. We shall do all we can to use wisely the information and resources that you have given us, and as Asfrid say you shall get a full report of all our findings and adventures when we come back. Hopefully when we have cleared a way down to the East Bight, you and your kin will be able to restore the settlement that once stood there and you can reap the benefits of once again being able to trade in that direction without taking long detours.

I will also bring words of your generosity to King Bard so that your station with Dale shall be strengthened. Not that I think it is weak now, but I know that my King is very eager to remain strong ties with the dwarves, both diplomatic and in trade."

[Vladim]

"Mi targê!", exclaimed Barin, feeling the weight of the pouch in his palm, and glancing in seeing the unmistakable glint of gold, "This is generous indeed. I assure you that this will be put to good use either speeding our journey Southwards, or those of the surveyors and craftspeople that follow us should our endeavours prove successful. Mukhuh targzu satarrigi sigin."

Bowing deeply and formally to Glóin, he adds "Should there be anything you desire of us during our endeavour, or after you only need ask."

Finally, turning to Ewald, he hands the pouch to him. "For your safe-keeping Lord Ewald. There should be more than enough there to equip our party and secure passage down the river."

[Vladim]

Journey roles

After checking the OOC thread and reading what some players suggested as journey roles for their characters, we have:
Guide: Asfrid
Scouts: ?
Hunters: ?
Look-outs: Lara, Beran
Given all of this, I suggest that Ewald and Barin are most suitable to fill the scout roles, while Fareth, although probably able to fill many roles, is best suited to fill the vacant Hunter role. However, the final decision is yours. You may even leave certain roles open if you wish, although there is only a disadvantage in that.
Please choose and write your PCs’ journey role somewhere on your character sheet. Once chosen, it cannot be changed for this adventure, but it can be changed for the next adventure.

 

Fellowship focus

No-one has chosen a fellowship focus yet, and although you don’t have to, it’s a nice and flavourful aspect of the rules that is nice to see in play. Let me summarize, off the top of my head, the rules and mechanical effects for fellowship focus:
1. Any player may select any other PC for their character’s fellowship focus. The relationship does not have to be reciprocated. For example, multiple PCs can choose the same PC as their fellowship focus (Frodo!). And maybe a PC ends up being no-one’s fellowship focus (Boromir!).
2. When you spend Hope to help your character’s fellowship focus, the Hope point is immediately refunded.
3. After every session, if your fellowship focus did not suffer any negative effects (e.g. becoming Wounded or Miserable), you regain a point of Hope. ‘Gaming session’ is hard to define in Play by Post, but as a rule of thumb assume that 1 session = 1 – 3 scenes (regarding on the duration of the scenes). Keep in mind that this is one of the few ways to regenerate Hope in the adventuring phase.
4. However, if your fellowship focus did suffer a negative effect, you gain a point of Shadow instead.

 

Journey mechanics

Since the company is travelling by boats downriver, the journey South will only take 4 days, and require one Fatigue (Travel) check from each player at TN 14.

Failure grants 1 point of Fatigue only, instead of the usual two, because you are travelling on boats instead of on foot. Rolling a Sauron (11) triggers a potential Hazard episode. You may also invoke an appropriate test for an auto-success. Any bonus success dice (d6s) gained from preliminary Lore checks can be used for the Fatigue check, or saved for other purposes (e.g. for other use during the journey).

Corruption (Wisdom) checks may later be requested, when the company enters Mirkwood, as this is a Shadow land.

You may roll your Fatigue (Travel) checks vs. TN 14 now. I will have more narrative posted after the rolls have been made.

 

Fareth & Ewald

@Eliadia / @Bearlord: This is a good time to activate Foresight of their Kindred / Woeful foresight. If you want to do so, let me know. I will give you some info if you do.

[Vladim]

Part 3: A long and weary way

After speaking to Gloin, the company secured two boats using the papers they were provided with. They were wooden, round-bottomed skiffs with dragon-headed prows. Both boats allow four rear-facing oarsmen, led by a coxswain who is to steer the boat, and it was determined that Asfrid would lead the company, since she knew these lands best. The next of the day was spent securing supplies for the journey south and organizing the expedition.

 

Fareth only

That night, Fareth was restless in her sleep, and her mind raced with the stories she heard a long time ago, many from Gandalf. In particular, a Hobbitish rhyme, taught to her by Gandalf, found its way into her head, where it repeated itself throughout the night, torturing her and affording her little sleep. It was not dissimilar from the rhyme Asfrid recited in front of Gloin, yet this one was darker still, and more disturbing. The rhyme went like this:

The Shadows where the Mewlips dwell
Are dark and wet as ink,
And slow and softly rings their bell,
As in the slime you sink.

You sink into the slime, who dare
To knock upon their door,
While down the grinning gargoyles stare
And noisome waters pour.

Beside the rotting river-strand
The drooping willows weep,
And gloomily the gorcrows stand
Croaking in their sleep.

Over the Merlock Mountains a long and weary way,
In a mouldy valley where the trees are grey,
By a dark pool's borders without wind or tide,
Moonless and sunless, the Mewlips hide.

The cellars where the Mewlips sit
Are deep and dank and cold
With single sickly candle lit;
And there they count their gold.

Their walls are wet, their ceilings drip;
Their feet upon the floor
Go softly with a squish-flap-flip,
As they sidle to the door.

They peep out slyly; through a crack
Their feeling fingers creep,
And when they've finished, in a sack
Your bones they take to keep.

Beyond the Merlock Mountains, a long and lonely road,
Through the spider-shadows and the marsh of Tode,
And through the wood of hanging trees and gallows-weed,
You go to find the Mewlips - and the Mewlips feed.

[OOC: You may now use the Foresighted trait for the following two parts / scenes of the adventure.]

 

The fellowship departed with the rise of the sun on the next day. This first leg of the journey was the easiest, and as such it was uneventful. The mood amongst Bofri and his dwarven comrades was cheery, and it was evident to all that he was glad and excited to depart on this mission, which he had been planning for many years. At times he spoke of his dreams and ambitions; at others he joined Regin and Dwalin in sombre song, seeking to help the companions coordinate their efforts in rowing.

As they journeyed on, towards the southern end of the long lake, the sight of Esgaroth gradually faded behind them. By the late evening they began hearing the loud roar of the waterfalls, gradually increasing in volume as they approached. It was not long thereafter, a little while after sun-down, that they saw the sight of a small hamlet on the western shores of the lake, where a few huts of Lake-Men lay huddled together, and their fires could be seen twinkling in the dark at night. Soon, they noticed several wooden piers jutting out from the shingles. They left the boats there, and decided to seek the hospitality of these folk for the night. On the next day, they were to follow the Stair of Girion, to bypass the waterfall, and it was then that their journey would start becoming more difficult, for soon thereafter they were to enter Mirkwood.

[OOC: From this point on, I let you track your own stats, including Advancement Points, Fatigue gained, Hope and Shadow points etc. Some of the rules are in the rules folder of this forum. But feel free to ask if you have questions!

We can RP this first leg of the journey and the night spent in this small hamlet if you want; the Lake-Men that live here are simple folk, but they are, perhaps, more likely to know stories from the Long Marshes, as they live closer to them. Everyone can attempt a single skill check – all options are valid as long as you can justify them, but Courtesy (to seek hospitality) and Song (to entertain the Lake-Men) are amongst the most appropriate.]

[Vladim]

In between spans of rowing, Lára leans a little over the boat and lets her fingers trail through the water. She loves the water, like many of her people. To swim clad only in its cool embrace beneath the starlight is a treasure no gem or jewelry can match, to dangle her toes within it speaks of distant days in the memory of Middle-earth, when only the Elves walked in dream under the stars. She closes her eyes and listens to the sounds of the softly lapping waves, and the cry of the gulls, together a lovely music of the lake.

"The water speaks of the Men of the Lake, and the Dragon whose bones sleep uneasily in the depths." She dips her hand in the water and raises it, letting droplets fall shining in the sun. "Can you hear the Lake? 'Like drifting leaves, the boats upon my surface. Singing, singing, I feel their songs down to my bed.' The Lake enjoys the folk of Esgaroth as much as they need the water."

The Elf rows and hums softly to herself the rest of the way, her cloak drawn back over her shoulders, hair streaming brilliant red in the sun. Her eyes gleam a bright sunny blue, mirroring the lake in the morning light. She grows quieter as they approach the falls, a far-away look in her eye as though listening to something distant. "Few things are more beautiful than the lake and the falls in the sun."
 

* * *

Elves are not wholly unknown in the little hamlet on the western shores of the Lake, but few come to spend the night. Lára is all too happy to spend her night listening to their tales of exploration into the Marshes, eyes bright and round, with a gasp here, or an enthused smile there, gladly hearing all they would tell. Even the least exciting of their tales is to her a glimpse into the lives of the people, and through them the land itself.

When the tales have died down, and the fires are crackling bright in the starry night, Lára sings softly. The song remains in Elvish, but the meaning becomes clear to all who listen, as the Elves pour their love of the things they hold dear into their songs, their crafts, "magic" as it were to Men and Hobbits, but to Elves, simply the purest expression of their devotion to Middle-earth. She sings of the waters and their endless voices, eternal since the molding of the earth, never the same exact face from day to day but retaining the same sense of purpose through the long count of years. Joyous are the raindrops, who fall upon the earth to be reborn again, and joyous is the Lake, home to countless creatures and free folk, central to so many cycles.

At length she finishes her soft singing and remains at the fires for the night, tending them while one by one the Lake-Men drift off to sleep. Lára the Elf stares into the fires, wandering the strange paths of Elvish dreams even as she sees entire histories unfurl within the crackling flames.

[Vladim]

Throughout the day, though Fareth is not entirely comfortable in boats, she rows steadily and strongly towards the fellowship's goals. Her thoughts are focused on what they'll find once they reach the marsh - and a close observers might see her occasionally gaze down river towards their destination with narrowed eyes and tension in her brow, as she worries about what they'll find.

Upon arrival, Fareth looks at the Lakeman who greets them carefully, then says 'Best of the evening. We travel on past your home, but we would gladly greet any hospitality you can offer, and whatever stories you have about what we may find beyond. You must have learned much from your hard labour here.'

Any information the Lakemen have about the marshes she listens to with great intensity.

[Vladim]

Ewald was in a good mood throughout the day as the company rowed their boats away from Esgaroth. He tried his best to sing with the dwarves and use the rythm of the tunes to make the rowing movements more effective.
He watched Lára as she dipped her hand in the water and spoke of it as it sentient being. Maybe it was. Ewald didn't answer her directly but he smiled at the thoughts that came to his mind inspired by her words.

As they approached the piers of the small hamlet and made landfall Ewald was one of the first to leave the boats for others to take care of while he went to to seek the hospitality of the Lake-men that lived here. It was going to be the last night before they went into much dangerous areas, so they needed a good night's sleep.

Fareth greeted the first man that came to meet them and Ewald standing next to her added to her introduction.
"We come from Esgaroth and seek only shelter for one night. We will pay for your hospitality of course and exchange stories with you as Fareth already suggested.
I'm Lord Ewald of Dale, we all travel with Master Bofri of Erebor to try to find a way south along the river to the East Bight. A dangerous path indeed, but we still have hopes to succeed and make travel safer for the future. Which should benefit your community as well."

[Vladim]

The Lake-Men that lived here were porters, young and simple men – for men they were for the most part. Most were unmarried; even those amongst them that had families had their wives and children in Esgaroth, as there was not much here beyond a few simple huts. Still, they were eager to help, and to share what humble hospitality they could, and not for the sake of any reward (Ewald’s offer of gold was quickly rejected). Arrangements for the portaging on the morrow were quickly made, and a fair price was soon agreed upon without much negotiation.

 

OOC

For the portaging, if you were to do it without any help, you would gain 2 Fatigue each, but since you have Gloin’s support and gold, you can hire these men to make it easier (no Fatigue gained). I assumed that’s what you guys are aiming for, but if you want to do something else, just let me know and I will edit.

 

For now, the company gathered by the fire, and they exchanged news and tales and songs. The Lake-Men were friendly folk: they rarely met adventurers, much less such that were willing to travel south, and were clearly excited to see them. A merry man, one Hafgrim son of Egil seemed to speak for them, and he told them that travellers in these lands were a rare sight. Indeed, this hamlet would have been long abandoned if it weren’t for the merchants that sometimes passed through here, heading towards Esgaroth and beyond to sell their wares. The death of Smaug did increase the traffic, Hafgrim admitted, yet not enough to make it worth their while to raise more houses here, or to grow their numbers. But, he admitted, strange visitors had been common as of late.

’Funny to see so many folk passing through this month.’ he commented. ’Why, just last week, we saw folks from the south, from as far away as Dorwinion if you will believe it. I didn’t myself, not until I saw the fine swan-boat that carried their lady. Fairer than any woman of Esgaroth that I have seen she was, mark my words! Must have been important folk too: they asked us to send word to the Master, and on the next day a company of King Bard’s bowmen came – royal archers of Dale, with their uniforms and long-bows and shining swords and all! I would not have minded if she had stayed here for longer, but I was grateful for the wine they left us with. I only wish that I had asked her name!’

[OOC @Bearlord: I have not forgotten about Ewald’s Foresight; I will give you the relevant info when it is narratively appropriate, which should be soon. But not just yet.

To everyone, we can just role-play this scene, so there's no need for rolls.]

[Vladim]

Ewald raised his eyebrow when Hafgrim described the guests that had visited them only a week ago. He tried to remember if he had heard anything about a high-born Lady from the south coming to visit King Bard before he had left Dale, but nothing came up. He was a little disappointed by the thought that the King or the high nobles may have withheld information from him, but that was how low his standing had sunk recently. He desperately needed to restore that.

"That is interesting news indeed. Can you describe the lady? Was she tall and what hair color did she have?" he asked the spokesman of the porters. Then he added. "When they left, did they say where they were going?"

[Vladim]

’She was like nothing I have seen before,’ said Hafgrim, ’dark as the night were her hair and her eyes, and her skin was dusky. Jewels and gold decorated her hair – she must be high-born. A true beauty of Dorwinion. Never have my eyes seen one so fair!’ he reiterated with fascination, reminiscing almost, before turning towards Lara and adding: ’amongst mortals such as we are here, of course, my lady.’ He blushed for a moment, fearing that his words had offended the elf-maiden.

’Neither tall nor short she was,’ he continued, ’but moved with the grace of flowing waters.’

They left but a week ago – they did not linger here, alas. I say they were escorted to Dale, for where else would the Bowmen take her? But I cannot tell for certain.’

[Vladim]

"Dorwinion? That is being what you said?"

Asfrid looks up from her reverie and blinks at Hafgrim.

"Richly cloaked and clothed? Smoky skin? An a...," the warrior stops, flushes and grins a grin somewhere between disarming and goofy.

"I have seen this one, I do think. Few from Dorwinion reach the Lake and surroundings, is true. Must be same woman, yes? Is strange she seeks the Dale. Is hard to imagine her there...or anywhere, is true! Ha!"

[Vladim]

Ewald nodded as Hafgrim and then Asfrid spoke.
"Indeed it sounds like a fair lady from Dorwinion. I may have seen some in Dale long ago. She must be very important if she was escorted by the Royal Archers from here. Did you by any chance overhear something they said about why she was here or the reason she was going to Dale?" Ewald couldn't hide his curiosity on the matter, but he didn't have a lot of hope that the men knew much more than they had already told them.

[Vladim]

’We mind our own business here.’ said Hafgrim with some indignation. ’I am not in the business of overhearing what other folks say, no sir!’ He shook his head, and that was that: he would not speak of the matter any further.

That night, lord Ewald found sleep hard to come by…

 

Ewald only:

After midnight he decided to check the boats yet again, for he could not get any rest. As he approached the pier, an ancient-looking, decrepit old man grabbed his hand from behind, and looked at him. Then, he spoke: ’If you go south in the marshes take heed: tread lightly and fear the gallows-weed…’ He repeated the verse again and again, like something from an old song he had long forgotten.

[OOC: I was planning for this event to happen in the village, but since Ewald activated his woeful foresight, I thought it fitting that it be he who hears the old rhyme. Still, because it would happen anyway, I’ll give you 1 XP if / as soon as you share the information with the rest of the fellowship via an IC post. Just award yourself the XP as soon as you do that!

 

---

 

Before the morning dawned, the company was up, preparing their boats and equipment. Soon after sunrise they departed: The Lake-Men loaded their boats on the trackway and pulled them slowly towards the river. It was hard going, transporting everything along the winding path, but with the help of these folk it was done quickly, and they and the fellowship parted ways not long thereafter. Hafgrim wished them luck, and his fellows waved them farewell as the company entered the boats and followed the river south.

They made steady progress on the first day, even if the stream became tortuous and wandered many times along winding courses. On either bank the terrain was flat and fenny, and before nightfall they set camp on the eastern shore and rested their weary limbs for the night.

A dense fog greeted them in the morning; it obscured everything and would have made travelling impossible, had they been journeying by land. Yet they only had to follow the river, and so they set out. Soon they were at the eastern eaves of Mirkwood. As they entered the shadowy canopy of the forest, all sounds were silenced, and there seemed to be little life in the woods. Boating soon became more difficult: dangling branches above, and gnarled roots below, made for unexpected obstacles that had to be avoided, often narrowly because of the mist. The company strained against the oppressive forest, that grew wild here, unchecked by the axes of the Woodmen, as it had been in the lands of Beran and Fareth. Still, they journeyed ever onward, though progress was slower now.

 

OOC

1. Since this land qualifies as blighted, I need a Corruption (Wisdom) roll against TN 14. To do this, roll 1d12 plus a number of d6s equal to your Wisdom scores (1-2 probably). Failure results in gaining 1 Shadow point. You may, if you wish, spend a point of Hope to add your Basic Heart rating to the result.

2. The guide (Asfrid) should roll Athletics at TN 14. Failure to pass a test results in all companions losing 3 Endurance points, as they must enter the cold waters of the marshes to free their boats from where they get stuck in mud, or in a tangle of dead boughs. This should be repeated every day.

3. The look-out (Lara) should attempt 2 Awareness checks (TN 14).

4. The scouts (Ewald and Barin) should attempt 2 rolls, Explore or Search, each, to navigate the marshes and help find the ruins. Finding the ruins is a prolonged action, requiring in total 4 successful rolls. However, Great successes count for 2, and Extraordinary successes count for 3.

The company will keep searching in the marshes for more days, until those 4 successes are accumulated, which will necessitate extra Corruption checks from everyone, Athletics checks from the guide, Awareness checks from the look-out etc.

5. As for Fareth, because Barin’s player is absent for now, I will allow her to contribute to the Explore / Search checks of the Scouts (in Barin’s place) – so she is also allowed two rolls (Explore or Search) every day.

We can RP what happens based on the results. Good luck!

[Vladim]

The fog; the dark, low-hanging eaves of the forest; the soft, squidgy ground underfoot; the dank, fetid atmosphere. All these things conspired to send a shiver of unease down Barin's neck as the party spent their first day in search of the ruins of the Eastfort; the road; anything, damn it, that would show some sign of previous habitation or construction.

Several times, Barin halted in his search, convinced that there were cold, malevolent eyes upon him, yet straining his hearing and his sight to their very edge, he could discern no detail, nor see no evidence of anyone other than the members of his own fellowship.

Subconsciously, he tightened his grip on his axe.

Sometime towards mid-afternoon, he stopped dead in his tracks. "Ho!" he cried out "I see something!"

There, in the mist ahead, lay stone! Foundations of some earlier building. Could this be the fabled Eastfort that the group had come to find?

Trying to steady his now rapidly beating heart, Barin scrambled over to the ruined stone, clearing some pieces of the detritus of age that had conspired to obscure the origins of their workings.

After around ten minutes or so of examination, Barin trudged back to his companions, shaking his head "No. There's no way those stones formed part of the Eastfort. They're worked by the hands of men, not Dwarves for starters. Mayhap, they formed part of some small settlement in these parts before the marshes and the forest reclaimed them, but there's no way to tell if we're in the right place.

But, I don't see how we cannot be in the right area. Surely, men would not set up a small independent habitation outside the watch of the Eastfort and the sanctity of the road this close to the Forest?

We must continue the search, but we should be cautious now, lest we overlook some vital piece of evidence."

[Vladim]

As an Elf, few love the land as Lára of the Woodland Realm loves it. Even a foggy day upon the river is to her a thing of beauty, reminding her of the tales of her people's awakening in the misty nights beneath the stars. The noise of the river itself is a song. She can hear its voice, understand its words if she listens, waters that have rushed through this land for many long years even by her ageless people's reckoning. The forest is her home and she remembers it as it once was; bountiful and green, beautiful in the way that few outsiders could know. Yet the Shadow lies upon it, and so upon her heart, troubling all of the Elves. Their ancient Enemy has spread poison to a once-fair realm that even the Elves find difficult to leech. Truly, all of Middle-earth feels that same poison, and it cannot be cured while the one who embodies it persists through the ages.

Yet what hope is there of casting the Shadow forever into light? Many wars have been fought against the dark power. Ever a victory is proven temporary, ever the Shadow returns, and now its touch darkens Greenwood so that Men and Dwarves call it "Mirkwood" and fear it. The weight of this darkness chills Lára's heart as they pass through the eaves of the wood, and for a time her lyrical voice is silenced, her bright eyes dimmed, her thoughts clouded.

• OOC
All three rolls failed. I like the idea of just taking the Shadow point and Lára becomes melancholy for a bit; she takes the corruption of her home personally, after all! I'm considering spending Hope on one of the other two rolls, or both. Did you say we already made it?