Year 2949: The Marsh-Bell

[Vladim]

(At the end of the evening)

Fareth responded to Regin, 'I'm glad you're heartened by our progress so far, Regin. As I said - sometimes rhymes are just rhymes, sometimes not. As long as you'll keep your wits about you and eyes open regardless, I doubt it matters whether you believe it is more than a bedtime story. Wisdom can come from many places.

Sleep tight.'

[Vladim]

Mechanics

+1 Shadow for Barin. Better start thinking about taking Stiff neck of the dwarves! 
-1 Hope for Asfrid

This concludes this scene, and this ‘session’; therefore, everyone who has a Fellowship Focus should regain a point of Hope. Also, the Fellowship Pool gets replenished. Note that only Ewald has so far taped into the Fellowship pool – when the pool gets refreshed, all excess points are lost, so I suggest to everyone to make better use of it in the future if you want to make the best of your resources.

 

Part 4: By the rotting river

When the sun rose, it was the fourth day since the company’s departure from Esgaroth. The companions broke camp early and quickly, and so before long they set out, following the way Barin and Ewald marked previously. Soon, they came upon the headless statue of the Northman that the scouts had discovered. The dwarves, upon seeing the broken statue, as well as the traces of ruins all around, became visibly excited.

From there, scouts and company had no markings, and had to press on through the tangled woods and marshes much more slowly and carefully. They made steady progress for an hour, despite the morning mists that obscured their sight, before the forest changed. Now the dead trees with their tangled branches and gnarled roots were replaced by hoary willow-trees standing close together, shutting out the light of day even at its brightest. Their drooping branches trailed into the many streams that were fed by the River Running, and their moulding roots sank deep into the grey slime. Then, the streams suddenly disappeared into a vast fen without wind or tide. The still and humid air hung heavy, thick and suffocating. Further progress had to be made by wading knee-deep into the stagnant waters and thick slime.

Despite the miserable conditions, the companions were able to find many clues indicating that they were getting closer and closer as they pressed on. They saw ruins similar to those they had found before strewn along their way with increasing frequency: a lonely pillar here, a small marble arch there, a wet and broken wall with grinning gargoyles staring down at them as they passed by: all the telltale signs of the once mighty Northmen that ruled these lands, before the Shadow came. At length they could see, far away in the distance, the last vestiges of their ancient town, jutting out from the slime and mud like stubbed fingers and teeth. They had found the city.

As they approached, it was Lara who noticed first a group of willows that stood out even amongst this forest of hanging trees: they were much larger, as if they were older than the rest, and their barks were black as night. Bofri stumbled on something that went crunch in the darkness. As he looked down, he made a grim discovery: the broken scull of a Man, grey with age, lay beneath his feet. As the company looked on, they found many bones, strewn all about them, submerged in the muds. Wisely, the company chose to avoid those ominous trees, and took the longer, but safer, path towards the ruins.

 

 

Now they came closer to the ruins, and up on the trees they could occasionally see birds perched up on the branches: small but raven-like, with a greenish sheen to their feathers. They looked as if they were asleep, and their numbers grew as they drew closer the ruins. In front of them stood a deep and dark pool of water. The remains of a great marble arc could be seen on the distant shore, still holding a massive wooden gate. The other walls of the building had long crumbled into the mud.

Suddenly, there was movement up on the trees: the crows stirred all at once, as if roused from their sleep simultaneously, if indeed they had been asleep. They croaked loudly from all directions, and some flew towards the great ruin. Then, after a little while, and as if in response to the birds’ cries, a bell rang: slowly and softly, it seemed distant and remote, as if coming from under the ground.
 

Mechanics

I need another wisdom check from everyone (TN 14). If you fail, your character is captured by some strange spell, and feels the compelling need to follow the mesmerizing sound of the bell: They will enter the pool, walking towards its centre as if in a daze. The character also gains a point of Shadow. Feel free to role-play this if you want.

Other PCs who passed this test and wish to help any companions who fell under the spell may attempt an Athletics check (TN = 10 + victim’s Body score) to physically restrain the victim.

Current status:
Barin: Falls under the spell; Athletics TN 16 to restrain him / help him.
Lara: Resists the spell; rolls 23 on the Athletics.
Ewald: Resists the spell; rolls 8 on the Athletics.
Fareth: Falls under the spell; TN 17 to restrain her.
Asfrid: Resists the spell; rolls 9 on the Athletics.

[Vladim]

Startled by the unexpected rising of the birds, Barin spun around to make sure those following behind were alright, and after their cries began to fade the dolorous sound of a distant bell could be heard.

He wasn't certain where the sound came from. Somewhere up in the ruins, perhaps beyond that broken gateway in the centre of the pool. Whatever, it didn't matter. Barin, convinced that he had to find the source turned and began slowly walking, as if in a trance, toward the edge of the pool.

Someone from within the company called to him "Barin! Barin! By Durin's beard, where do you think you're going?" but Barin, unable to hear anything but the calling of the bell, trudged on ...

[Vladim]

At the sound of the bell, Fareth froze, then slowly began to walk to towards the water - gazing unblinkingly into its very centre...

[Vladim]

Ewald stopped in his tracks as the brids stirred and flew away. Then he heard the soft sound of the bell. It felt like it called to him so he took a few steps towards it to try to hear better from where it came. Then he managed to shake off the feeling, somehow understanding that it wasn't natural.

He saw Barin and Fareth starting to move in the direction of the sound and their eyes seemed glazed. "Barin! Fareth! Don't go there!" he shouted at them. He tried to move after them to try to hinder them with force but then he stepped on a slippery stock of a fallen tree and almost fell.

[Vladim]

Asfrid shakes her head, as if to clear a fog that wouldn't quite break. When she sees her companions struggling, she moves to aid them, but while she is somewhat clear-headed, her body simply doesn't seem to want to move as fast as she tells it to.

"Is strange...," the warrior murmurs, looking to help her friends but finding herself weak as a newborn pup.

[Vladim]

Barin

When Barin awake, the first thing he felt was the bitter cold. It was not long before he realised why: he was soaked to the bone, and was lying at the top of some cold, crumbling steps leading from a water-logged tunnel into a stony chamber. What little light was here came through that way. The flooded room itself was utterly dark, with no source of light of its own, and devoid of any features, as far as Barin could tell, barring wet stones and the dark doorway that led forward.

It was only a few moments later, as he tried to recover and think, when Barin sensed the smell: a foul and rotting smell, the smell of death and decay, assailed him as soon as he took his first deep breath. The entire complex reeked of it. But the smell was not the only disturbing thing about his predicament. Although he tried to figure out how long he had been here, he could not: he had lost all sense of time, and the only thing he could remember was the sound of the bell, though presently silence surrounded him.

Before he could make sense of any of it, he heard the faint sound of footsteps in the distance…

[OOC: Please subtract 3 Endurance points from your current Endurance. If that brings you below your current fatigue, Barin becomes Weary.
You have several options here; the obvious ones are to move forward through the doorway and explore (but this means that you will encounter the source of the footsteps), or explore the water-logged tunnel (Athletics TN 14 to swim), or hide (Stealth check TN 14), or cry for help, or carefully listen (Awareness TN 14), or anything else that I have not thought of (but you are free to suggest it). There may or may not be a bit of a ticking clock, so you may want to choose actions carefully.

 

Ewald, Fareth, Asfrid, Lara

With great swiftness, Lara was able to catch Fareth before she could disappear under the stagnant waters. She restrained her long enough for the spell to break, and eventually Fareth came to her senses. As for Ewald and Asfrid, though both rushed into the waters to restrain Barin, they were too slow, and before they could do anything about it, the swamp swallowed the stout dwarf.

At length the bell stopped ringing, and the companions stopped for a while to catch their breaths. Soon they learned from Regin and Dwalin that Bofri had gone missing as well; in the confusion, they had lost him, and could no longer find him. As the fellowship inspected the pool, they found no corpses or drowned dwarves, and so they waded in the waters and combed the swamp, determined to find what had happened to their companions.

Before long, one of them cried to the rest: an opening below the surface of the swamp had been discovered, and soon after another one. The waters were murky, but they could feel that the flooded paths were made of wrought stone, not mud, and were thus likely part of the ruins, now reclaimed by the swamp and the forest.

[OOC: You may discuss amongst yourselves and formulate a plan, or take any actions as you see fit. If you want to attempt exploring one of the submerged openings, you should give me an Athletics check (TN 14). You can choose which opening to explore: the one close to the waters where Barin disappeared, or the other one. There may or may not be a bit of a ticking clock, so you may want to choose actions carefully.]

[Vladim]

Fighting down a surge of panic, Barin swiftly took stock of his situation. The chamber was dark, but not completely black to his Dwarven sense of sight. Those footsteps sounded like they were slowly, but inexorably coming toward him, and he realised that he'd have to act fast if he was to be prepared to meet whatever it was that was making them.

Of the rest of the company, there was no sign.

Rifling through his pack, Barin realised that he'd still a coil of fine rope and some basic tools in there. Enough, he thought to make a quick deadfall to catch out who - or what - ever it was that approached.

Moving as stealthily as he could, his experienced fingers traced the stonework along one side of the opening and ... there - a small gap in whatever mortar had been used to cement the stones together if he could only feed the rope end through he could tie one end to the one side of the door and at least hold the other end taut enough to trip the unwary.

Using his pocket knife he tried to make the hole in the stone a little larger. Being as quiet as he possibly could, but still the sounds of his working echoed unnaturally within the small chamber.

"Damn" he muttered under his breath "be quiet. Must be quiet"

Trying again, this time he dropped his knife with a resounding clatter. The footsteps getting closer, coming more rapidly now as if their creator had fixed on Barin's location.

Finally, he got the rope through the stonework and tied off and just as he hauled it taut across the doorway, he noticed that the footsteps stopped abruptly. Catching a brief glimpse of something glittering in the room ahead, Barin waited in silence. Keeping as still as possible with only the constant 'plip ... plip' of dripping water to be heard.

Then, a tentative whisper from just beyond the doorway "Who goes there? Show yourself, coward!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Barin recognised the voice as that of Bofri, and answering in a whisper himself, Barin responded "Bofri? It's me, Barin. Don't approach. Stay where you are a moment and I'll come to you."

Re-coiling the rope as best he could, he left the one end attached to the side of the door - after all, he didn't know if his makeshift trap might be needed later - and then retrieved his things before stepping through the doorway into the chamber beyond to greet his fellow kinsman.

[Vladim]

Barin:

 

Bofri fell quiet in silent acknowledgement of Barin's words, and allowed his kinsman to proceed. As Barin dared a few steps forward, he left the flooded chamber behind him and entered what appeared to be the main cellar. Under what few rays of light made it past the leafy canopy of Mirkwood and the partially ruined, overgrown roof, Barin could see uncovered before his eyes a vast vaulted chamber, presenting six arched openings, three on either side. Under each arch lay a passageway, leading deeper into the ruins. The farthest doorway to the right was the largest and most remarkable, its arch decorated with stones of many colours.

Bofri, barely able to contain himself, despite the grim surroundings and the ever-present, offensive smell, took Barin by the shoulder and spoke excitedly. 'This is it! The palace of the Northmen that once dwelt here! The East-fort cannot be far from here. This is a good sign! If the work of Men survived this long, then no doubt that of our ancestors must stand also.'

Suddendly, they heard the sound of splashing waters behind them. From the chamber from which Barin had arrived, they saw a dark and tall figure emerge: lord Ewald, soaked to the bone, but seemingly well, despite his ordeal.

[OOC: You may now interact with Bearlord / Ewald. Please include him in your private tag. There are 6 passageways; 3 to the left and 3 to the right (as described above). You may explore them, if you so wish, or leave the way you (and Ewald) came, by swimming through the submerged passage that is in the flooded chamber.]

 

Ewald:

Lord Ewald did his best to swim, but the cold and dark waters quickly swallowed him, and soon he sank in darkness. He soon fell upon the bottom: not the muddy bottom of the swamp, but a stone-wrought passageway leading onwards. Unable to see or hear anything, he walked and swam as best he could, using only his fingers to feel his way. Just as he was about to run out of breath, he found an opening, and pulled himself up with a loud splash. He took a deep breath, but almost instantly he was overwhelmed: the air was stale and foul, and reeked of filth and death.

Now his eyes were open, but darkness was still all around him. It took a while for his eyes to adapt to it, but when they did, he could tell that he was standing on the crumbling steps of a water-logged tunnel that led into a stony chamber. What little light there was came through that chamber. The flooded room itself was utterly dark, with no source of light of its own, and devoid of any features, as far as Ewald could tell, barring wet stones and the dark doorway that led forward.

At the chamber ahead, he could discern two quiet figures: their shapes suggested they were dwarves, and quickly Ewald realised that these were Bofri and Barin. They had not drowned, but stood ahead of him, seemingly well, or at least as well as lord Ewald was, given that all of them were wet and cold and alone in these forgotten ruins.

[OOC: Lose 3 endurance points. On the bright side, you may now interact with Bofri and Barin, who are in the chamber ahead, looking at you. Please include Suzuki Stumpy in your private tag as of now on.]

[Vladim]

Fareth struggled for a time, but languidly, to reach the water, then suddenly gasped in breath deeply. 'I... my...'. She paused. 'I am fine now, thank you both. What's happened?' she rasped. Upon hearing from her fellows she looked down, and to the side, 'Then it seems children's fears have come real.'

When the party learned the presumed fate of their party members, she gazed at the water then watched Ewald charge into one hole. She looks to the others.

'Asfrid, Lara... we know not what our companions are facing! I suggest one of you follow Lord Ewald, and two of us search the other opening! What say you?'

[Vladim]

Ewald gasped for air as he rose out of the water and realised he was inside some kind of underwater chamber. It was hard to breath the stale, filthy air. Clumsily he crawled up on the floor of the chamber and looked around.

"Barin!" "Is that you?" "And Bofri?" "What happened?" "Did you hear that bell?" He was breathing heavily between the words as the swim had taken a lot of his energy and the air down here wasn't the best. He barely saw the two figures but moved slowly towards them.

[Vladim]

Without a word - just a nod - Asfrid dives in after Barin, leaving the others to seek out Bofri.

[Vladim]

As soon as they recognised Eawald emerging from the flooded passageway whence Barin had, but moments before, emerged from himself both Dwarves rushed to his side to see if he required any aid. Luckily, he appeared only to be winded after his swim through the flooded cavern, nothing worse.

At Eawald's interrogatory tone, Barin responded, "Eawald! Durin's blessings be, 'tis really you! Aye, I remember hearing a bell, but then remember naught else after that until waking up scant feet from where you yourself are now. Bofri was lucky enough to find me here, and I feel no further ill effects from whatever sorcery ensnared me before. Where are the others? Is it a long swim back along the passageway? I'd want to study the stonework more before arriving at a conclusion, but Bofri believes that this is part of the palace of the old Northmen that once dwelled here. If this is proven to be so, then he is correct in his assumption that the East Fort cannot be too far hence."

Turning to look back into the cavernous vaulted chamber, Barin lowered his voice to almost a whisper, "What tales and riches might survive in here, who can tell?" Then turning back to face Eawald and Bofri, in a slightly louder tone, "but this place reeks of death and decay. I council we keep together if we are to explore this ruin further. And that includes those who are not currently here with us!"

[Vladim]

[OOC: @Eliadia: That is correct – Ewald (and now Asfrid) have dived into the waters, around the location through which Barin disappeared. I think that we have lost Fossil Firebird / Lara, so that probably leaves Fareth as the only PC still on the surface of the lake.]

 

Fareth:

Seeing Ewald and then Asfrid disappear below the surface of the waters, Regin grew restless. ’We cannot just leave them to drown!’ he said, frustrated by his own inaction. ’Even if they are somewhere in these submerged ruins, they may be still in danger. I will not have us fail, not when we have come so close. Let us follow the others!’

But Dwalin, who was older, counselled caution: ’We should stay here, and be ready to aid them if they should return. We are more useful up here.’ Seeing that Regin remained unconvinced, he added: ’Then I will stay behind, with lady Lara by me. Be careful and do not linger below longer than you have to!’

Hesitantly, Regin approached the waters where Barin was lost, took a deep breath and dived in.

[OOC: Ok, so I saw the (failed) Athletics check in the dice thread. So I presume you are diving in. The failure only means that Fareth is bad at swimming in the dark waters, and does not do it as efficiently as it could be done (lose 3 Endurance because of the cold waters). You may spend Hope to avoid the loss of Endurance. Also, if you spend Hope, you will get a (normal) success, so that can give you the 1st Advancement Point in the Movement group (if you have not received it already). If you have the 1st AP already, then you cannot get the 2nd Advancement point – for that you would need a great / extraordinary success of a normal success & trait invocation. Unfortunately I don’t see any appropriate traits for this task in your character sheet.

I need some more info – is Fareth following the hole where Barin disappeared, or the other one where Bofri presumably went to?]

 

Asfrid:

Despite the darkness, the cold and the lack of any sound whatsoever, Asfrid managed to swim in the murky, stagnant waters well, guided by her sense of touch. For the muddy bottom of the swamp here gave way to wrought stone and polished marble, and they guided her below the ruins and into a submerged chamber. As she emerged on the other side, she took a deep breath, and regretted it almost instantly. The air here was stagnant and foul, dominated by an offensive smell of death and decay and filth. But she was safe, and at the distance, she could see the others: Bofri, Barin, and Ewald. Soon, Regin also appeared by her: he had also decided to brave the depths, and he burst out of the waters with a loud cough. So now five of the fellowship were inside the sunken ruins, though Fareth, Lara and Dwalin where nowhere to be seen. Presumably they had stayed above.

As Asfrid and Regin adapted to their new surroundings, they could see nothing but darkness all around him. It took a while for their eyes to adapt to it, but when they did, they could tell that they were standing on the crumbling steps of a water-logged tunnel that led into a stony chamber. What little light there was came through that chamber, and that is where the others stood. The flooded room itself was utterly dark, with no source of light of its own, and devoid of any features, as far as Asfrid could tell, barring wet stones and the dark doorway that led forward to Ewald and the dwarves.

[OOC: You may now interact with Barin and Ewald. Include them in your private tag if you wish to do so.]

 

Barin:

Before anyone could reply, more companions emerged from the flooded chamber through which Ewald had appeared just minutes earlier. They heard loud coughing, and turned to see Asfrid and Regin standing in the darkness. So now five of the fellowship where inside the sunken ruins, though Fareth, Lara and Dwalin where nowhere to be seen.

[OOC: You may now interact with Asfrid and Regin. Include them in your private tag if you wish to do so.]

 

Barin, Ewald, Asfrid:

[OOC: Please feel free to talk with one another and formulate a plan. The two main options here are to explore the ruins, or to return to the surface and try to find the others / formulate a plan there.]

[Vladim]

Fareth nodded to Dwalin, then told him 'Stay, and be ready should we call. But Bofri deserves our help.'.

She jogged to the edge of the water... then froze for a moment, shuddered at the memory of the chiming of the bell... then swam into the hole Bofri seemed to have gone down.