Year 2949: The King's Hunt

[Vladim]

’Yes, yes,’ said the king, ’but you skirt around the difficult question. The issue will not be how to spend the treasure, once it has been acquired. You may not want it even, yet others surely will. What are you to say to them when they hear word of the Marsh-dwellers’ gold?’ The dragon-slayer’s tone remained sombre, yet there was a hint of impatience in his words.

Bard turned away from the company now, and approached one of the windows that rose over the throne room; it looked to the west, and the king looked at the beams of light that shone through, as if in contemplation. It was a little while before he spoke again.

’You know the tale of Smaug’s defeat and the reclaiming of Erebor. And surely you remember how great the quarrel over the dragon-hoard was, and how the Free Folk nearly drew swords against each other on that day. Tragedy was averted only because of the orcs and the wolves. Their purposes would have been better served had they left us to it, for we might have done their work for them.’

He looked on grimly at each member of the company before he continued. ’Now from what you say, I anticipate many folk to place claims on the hoard as soon as the news spread. The dwarves will likely say that the treasure is theirs, and that it came from the Eastfort, and that it was Bofri’s expedition that found it. The elves would say that the treasure is in their realm, and thus they would claim part of it. And I happen to know that not all the gold there is dwarven, as you shall hear for yourselves soon enough, so others yet may place claims still.’

The king paused. Though he had spoken much, he had not yet revealed what he meant by his last comment. Instead, he added:

’It was the wisdom and generosity of Bilbo that put an end to the quarrel over Smaugh’s hoard. What would you do if you were in his place, or in Thorin’s, Dain’s or mine? Or what if you were the Elvenking? How would you split Smaug’s hoard?’

Now Bard looked again at the gathered company, eager to hear their answers, for his questions were a test of their wisdom.

[Vladim]

"Is...good question," Asfrid says after a moment, brow furrowed almost comically in thought. "Is also not one I have ever asked myself. I have seen myself many ways in my life, my king, but never has it been on a throne and making decisions like that one."

After a moment, she clears her throat and continues somewhat hesitantly: "This maybe is simple, sire, but I am simple woman at heart. Here is what I would do: I would share it with any and all who seek to use it to build instead of destroy. Is true others will have more poetic or proper ways...but that would be my way. The dragon sat on its gold for long years and long did others go without because of it. If one simply wanted to become New Smaug and sit around counting riches, my answer and instinct would be no. But for the elves who wish to purchase marble to carve, or the dwarves who need coin to dig tunnels and mine mines, or the humans like us who want to build a home for families and businesses for customers...or even the little hobbits who want to build more pubs and pipe leaf farms...yes, Your Majesty, I would want and try to help them all. If you build with the gold, a share could be yours; if you hoard with the gold, then you are just a dragon by a different name. At least...at least, is how I see it. Your Majesty."

With that, and a bow, the warrior woman quieted once more.

[Vladim]

"Perhaps, My Lord, Asfrid is right," Barin mused, almost to himself. Then, speaking up he suggested "perhaps a meet between the kings of Dwarves, Elves and Men to discuss what to do with the treasure. I would suggest an equal three-way split between each of the kingdoms on the condition that each would re-invest a sizable portion of it - or it's value in coin at least - on rebuilding the road and the Eastfort, making it a haven for all free-peoples who wish to trade since, with that at least, all the realms can see benefit.

"Whilst it may not have been my Kinsman's finest hour," he continued, "Thorin Oakenshield had allowed himself to dwell for far too long on the Arkenstone, and it's promise had sadly corrupted his heart. With the treasure of the Marsh-Dwellers, at least there is no single piece accountable to any of the given free-peoples since none of us, has given any specifics to the my knowledge."

With this, Barin surveyed his companions to see if there were any other suggestions, or further confirmation of his own.

[Vladim]

A smile spreads on Asfrid's lips.

In the right light, coupled with her boundless enthusiasm for life in general, Asfrid could almost, kind of be pretty...but only kind of.

"Is good idea, Friend Barin," the warrior murmured.

[Vladim]

Ewald listens to Asfrid and starts smiling at her wisdom. Not that he doubted in her but she had rarely spoken out in situations like this before when the Barding lord had been around her so he was a little surprised and impressed. He couldn't have expressed his own views in much better way though so all he does is nodding. Then Barin expresses the same ideas just in a slightly different way.

"I can only agree with my friends." Ewald says after Barin is finished. "This treasure must be used for the common good of all the people in our region. Let's forget old grudges and let the value of it be converted into building a strong alliance and friendship instead. What better way to do that than rebuilding the Eastfort and the road through the Long Marches so that trade and civilisation for the free people can once again thrive. A place where all people can meet in peace. If we invest the value of this treaure in this it will grow tremendously over time. Not just in pure coin value through the trade that will commence but also with the increased peaceful interaction between elves, men and dwarves it will generate. Everyone will benefit from it in the long-run."

Ewald pauses for a while to look around at the others. "Do you think we need to speak with the Elven king and the Dwarven king about this before we go back there? Or perhaps Your Majesty should call for such a meeting while we go down and secure the location and the treasure before word of it spreads too far?" He turns towards Bard and gives him a quick bow.

[Vladim]

Barin looks across as Ewald finishes his thoughts and responds, "You speak wisely Ewald, my friend, but I would still urge caution. Whilst King Dáin may be swayed by such an argument given that we have representation among our Fellowship of both Dwarves and Men, we lack representation from the Elves, and we all know that the Elvenking is mistrustful at best of outsiders.

"Any expedition we mount back to the Marsh-dweller's lands may be met with suspicion if we have not yet gained the say of King Thranduil. Aye, it may even be constituted as a direct affront or an act of war!

"We must be circumspect here. I would council, My Lord," at this Barin bows slightly towards the King, "that you contact King Thranduil and King Dáin to at least appraise them of our plans and gain their consent before we embark on any expedition.

"And, I am more than certain that King Thranduil will insist on having some Elven presence in our venture."

[Vladim]

King Bard listened to the discussions between the companions attentively and held his tongue. With his keen and penetrating gaze, he looked to those that spoke, as if weighing their wisdom, and did not say a word until he was satisfied by what he had learnt.

’It is good that you do not crave the gold for yourselves,’ he finally remarked, ’it shows that you have not fallen victims to the dragon-sickness. Not yet at least. But the temptation should not be taken lightly.

The old master was not as strong,’ he remarked grimly, ’and Smaug’s gold drove him mad, and it killed him in the end. May his fate serve as a cautionary tale.’ he added ominously.

A shadow fell over him for a while, but its hold lasted only for a few brief moments; it was gone almost as soon as it came, and so the king spoke on, his words now less foreboding.

’You deem well, and though I have no say in the matter, I know others who may think differently. I shall support you through aid and counsel in this matter, but you must do as you think, and convince others of the wisdom of your plan. As for my advice, I must agree with master Barin. King Dain will not oppose you in this. He is a good friend, and I trust that Bofri and Bofur and Gloin all have his ear. But I worry that the Elvenking may have his reservations, and you will need his support. This is, in fact, one of the matters for which you have been summoned here.’

Yet before he would reveal more, Bard quickly added: ’But enough of this talk of dragon-sickness and politics. It is a good day outside: the sun shines brightly and the air is warm. Come, let us leave these walls; we can continue our discussion outside. Besides, there is someone that I wish you to meet.’

[OOC: If you have something to add, that's great, but if you just want to me to move things forward that's also fine - just drop my a quick OOC!]

[Vladim]

[OOC @Suzuki Stumpy I shall start outlining the plot of the adventure. I will post it scene by scene, so do not feel the need to respond to anything until the whole thing is over. Each post should give you a rough idea of the information and options that your PC would have in this scene.]

[OOC:
_So as you guys continued to interact with King Bard, I was planning for him to be later joined by the 'dusky beauty' that was briefly referenced in the previous adventure (the Marsh-Bell), when you guys were portaging at the Stair of Girion.
_She's a merchant-princess from far away Dorwinion, to the south, which trades a lot with Lake-town and Dale via the Running river. Just following the Running River downstream to the south would take you there, to the sea of Rhun, where Dorwinion is located.
_It would turn out that Lady Una has captured Bard's heart and the two plan to marry soon, something that has not been announced yet, but Bard was planning for the wedding to take place just before the anniversary of the Battle of the Five Armies.
_Una came with an entourage from Dorwinion, but their party was attacked by the Marsh-Dwellers while they were following the Running River, and the creatures captured their treasure, which was intended to be Lady Una's dowry.
_Bard is still keen to marry her, but this also means that (soon to be Queen) Una has a claim to the Marsh-Dwellers' gold, as some of it belongs to her.
_If the dowry was to be recovered, Bard would certainly reward those who would do such a great deed, and support them in their endeavours.

As the discussion would shift again to the matter of the Marsh-dwellers' gold and the restoration of the Old Dwarven road, Bard would explain that the main issue is to get the Elvenking to play along. King Dain of Erebor is less likely to have a problem, because (a) he's good friends with Bard and (b) supports the idea of restoring the Old Road anyway. However, Thranduil could prove problematic, as he still mistrusts dwarves, and the Marsh-Dwellers are *technically* sitting in his land (though even the elves don't often go there).
_It would be revealed that there are tensions of late between the Men of Dale / Lake-Men and the Sylvan elves, because the former are cutting down too many trees to rebuild Dale / Lake-town, which some of the elves object to.
_The Elvenking is organizing a hunt that is open to a select few non-elves, and he has sent an invitation to King Bard. While Bard is not going, he is sending some hunters to join this great hunt, and he suggests that the PCs use this opportunity to speak to Thranduil and try to convince him to support the Restoration of the Road project.
_He suggests the fellowship seeks a gem-cutter in Lake-Town to get a gift fit for Thranduil, as this would help with the introduction and to smoothen things a bit before negotiating.

If there's anything specific Barin would do after learning all of this, feel free to let me know. I will work it into the story.]

[Vladim]

[OOC: Hmm ... given his heritage, Barin would have taken it upon himself to seek out a gem cutter (granted, he's a stonemason by trade rather than an expert in gems, but any Dwarf worth his salt knows a good craftsman and good craftsmanship when he sees it). He would also have conferred with Lára (assuming she's still around in Lake-town) to determine what type of jewelry would speak most to to Elven royalty.

By taking this task upon himself, he would hope that it could lead to some degree of trust (however grudging) being cemented between himself and Thranduil (and there, by extension to Dwarvenkind in general).]

[Vladim]

Sounds good!

So Lára is not with you guys at this point, but you will meet her again in king Thranduil's court. However, Barin does have Folk-lore, which means that he should know about the story of how King Bard placated King Thranduil by giving him the Necklace of Girion from his share of Smaug's hoard. Alternatively, king Bard can reveal this information (whatever you prefer). Based on this, Barin should be able to conclude that, although Thranduil likes gems of all sorts, he has a weak spot for green gems.

The best gemcutters in Lake-town are actually dwarves, so Barin is lucky there. He can use the coin given to him by Bard after the conclusion of this audience to seek a gem fit for Thranduil. Though the coin Bard gives to Barin for this task is not a vast amount, it's possible to persuade the dwarven artisans that this is an endeavour well worth the investment, and so perhaps Barin can get a special deal on the gem in question.

In mechanical terms, give me some sort of social roll (probably Persuade and Inspire are the most appropriate, though I'll accept any you can justify) to convince the artisans about the importance and benefit of this mission. Additionally, give me a Craft check to recognize which kind of gem (for your budget) has the finest craftsmanship and is most likely to impress Thranduil. Both checks are at a standard TN (14). If you succeed, this will add to the number of 'requests' you can make from Thranduil when you meet him (you'd still have to roll for them, though). The description of the 'gift' is down to you - but it's not necessary to come up with one, either (we can just hand-wave).

Don't forget to add your advancement points if you are succesful!

By the way, if you want, feel free to post a copy of your character sheet in the Fellowship folder, since you are now one of us. I'll see if I can send you the full image of Barin to add if you want. We also have a discord server; I'll send you a link so feel free to join us there too, if you want.

[Vladim]

Very well, so Barin leaves the audience with King Bard, and after consulting with Bofri and his fellow kinsmen, heads towards the artisan quarter of Lake-town to speak with some of those who come most recommended. Recalling that King Bard gave the Necklace of Girion to the Elvenking as a gift after the Battle of Five Armies, he surmises that perhaps a matching cloak-pin, encrusted with gems might suit the king (and Barin's budget).

With this in mind, he spends some time examining the works on display in many of the artisan's workshops before settling upon one who he thinks produces the best looking work.
 

Craft roll (TN14):
Dice Roll: 1d12 3d6t
d12 Results: 3
d6 Results: 2, 2, 2 (Total = 6)
Sum Total: 9

Unable to spot anything incredibly eye-catching within his budget, he settles on a pin that is encrusted with myriad blue-green gem chips which seem to catch the light in a most pleasing manner, and whilst not an exact match for the King's necklace, he thinks it would still be well received.

Looking at the purse provided by King Bard, he approaches his fellow dwarf and begins negotiations in earnest to see how far his budget will stretch.
 

Pursuade roll (TN14):
Dice Roll: 1d12 2d6t
d12 Results: 4
d6 Results: 2, 4 (Total = 6)
Sum Total: 10

... but, despite his most earnest protestations, the craftsman remains adamant on the price. So, Barin digs into his own purse to see if he can stretch to buying the piece ...


[ooc: Damn, unlucky rolls there for Barin. He's still got the 10 gold coins he managed to swipe from the Marsh Dwellers in his purse, so in an effort to get the piece for the Elvenking, he's prepared to dig into those. Let me know how much I need to knock off the total he has to afford the piece]

[Vladim]

Curses, I was really hoping that Barin's luck would change! I hope it gets better in the future. But what you propose - paying out of his pocket instead of negotiating - is also perfectly acceptable. I'll just randomly determine the price by rolling a 2d4 below:
 

Price:
Dice Roll: 2d4t
d4 Results: 1, 4 (Total = 5)
Sum Total: 5

So he can afford the gift for that price - whether he pays it or not is down to you, but if you do aquire the item, I'll consider the two failed checks above (Persuade / Craft) as if they were successes.

During his encounter with Bofri, Barin would quickly learn that his fellow dwarf has been busy recruiting more 'adventurers' from the diverse folk of Lake-Town for the mission, as now he has a good idea of what it would take to claim the Marsh-Dwellers' gold. In game terms, you can 'recruit' any other NPC you want to your party. Currently, I am assuming that you are continuing with Fareth, Asfrid and Ewald; however, you can add or remove NPCs as you wish. If you want to do so, give me a rough description of what you want this new NPC(s) to be, e.g. by stating their culture (most Wilderland cultures would fit) or some particular skill (e.g. a hunter, a scout, whatever). I can happily generate those NPCs. Or you can do it yourself, if you like that sort of thing. Whatever you prefer!

Though Bofri will not be accompanying the group on their journey to the elvenking (he has heard too many bad stories from his father, who was imprisoned there, and he also has the whole expedition to organize), there will be a retinue of Barding hunters, led by the captain of the Royal Archers of Dale, a man named Sigward. This company is small, perhaps consisting of 6 men or so. The only others joining is Barin's fellowship.

What would come next would be the journey to the Woodland Realm. Feel free to roll Travel and whatever your company role would be (Guide, Scout, Hunter or Look-out). There's no need to track anything except advancement points, so no need to add Fatigue or such, even if the rolls fail. As before, it's all at TN 14.

[Vladim]

Barin's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he heard how much the artisan wanted for the piece. He had to admit though, it was a really nice piece and would be much appreciated by the Elvenking.

Handing over the purse of gold entrusted to him by King Bard, he also dug deep into his own belt pouch to dig out five of the antique gold coins he'd managed to retrieve from the lair of the Marsh-Dwellers. Easy-come, Easy-go he thought, and whilst looking at them disappear with some little regret, he'd never been one to covet or hoard great wealth.

Leaving the artisan's workshop, he returned to the residence of his friend Eawald to see how preparations were going for the journey to the Elvenking's hall, and upon arrival was pleased to see that Fareth and Asfrid were still there making preparations themselves.

Sadly, he had to inform his three companions that Bofri would be unable to join them on this endeavor as he needed to remain behind in Lake-Town to make preparations for returning to the East Fort (and he secretly admitted little desire to visit the halls of the Elvenking given the treatment his father received) however, Bofri said that one of his acquaintances from the Lonely Mountain had recently arrived in Lake-Town and would meet the fellowship when they rode out in a few day's time. An experienced hunter of Orcs, and a master artificer and trader, he should make a good replacement for this journey, the Dwarf goes by the name of Dridek Shatterhorn.

... over the next few days, the companions continued to make their preparations, and eventually, accompanied by a small retinue of hunters led by their captain, the fellowship set out to the Elvenkings halls.

Travelling mechanics

Taking just under a week, even though the journey was through fairly rough, marshy terrain, the company soon found themselves drawing under the brooding canopy of the forest. Soon, the trees crowded out the majority of the sunlight and the air became cool and moist, a welcome respite after traipsing along the pathway through the marshes.

Still, in these reasonably civilised regions of Middle Earth, there wasn't much that would dare waylay a company of Royal Archers and their companions, so after an uneventful journey the party found themselves standing outside the huge, carved gates of the Woodland Realm of King Thranduil...

[Vladim]

All of that sounds good! Thanks for looking up the mechanics in detail; don't forget to take a note of Barin's Advancement points as they will come in handy later on, to increase some skills.

There's only one minor correction: when generating advantage dice (for example, by using Lore before a journey), even if you generate more than one, you can use a maximum of one die (d6) per subsequent skill check. I think this is buried somewhere in the core rules. No need to correct anything now - this is mostly for future reference.

There are a few things Barin will notice or learn as soon as he arrives in the Woodland Realm:

1. He can meet again with Lara, who is quite friendly and eager to hear what happened during her absence, and how the project is progressing. She will also provide whatever aid she can, for example help in securing an audience with Thranduil, or passing on the gift, or anything else you may ask her to do (like making a formal introduction).

2. There's lots of folk from all over Wilderland: Beornings, Woodmen and Lake-Men are represented (in addition to Bard's archers from Dale, who accompanied you). All in all three dozen people, men and women, all of them hunters of some skill and renown from all these lands. All these folk (including your own party) are staying in Thranduil's halls, in special rooms prepared for this purpose, but separately from the elves.

3. The elves are overall friendly and hospitable, and eager to hear news from beyond Mirkood. However, the elf hunters themselves are a little bit aloof - their behaviour is subtle, but it's clear that they do not think much about these Mannish hunters, as they have lived in the forest for centuries, and feel like they are far more skilled. Perhaps the worst offender is al Elf-maiden named Ruthiel, a famed huntress and tracker. She laughs at the mortal hunters, and is outright arrogant when dealing with them. She has a beautiful bow strung with mithril, a sign of her station (give me a Lore or Craft check to notice /remember more about it).

4. Amongst your fellowship, it is Fareth who is most eager to join the Royal Hunt and to 'prove her worth' to the elvenking. By keeping an ear out, Barin learns that the quarry will be the fabled white deer of Mirkwood; magical beasts that only rarely make an appearance in the Northern parts of the forest, and are thought by the elves to foreshadow portentous events. The hunt itself is thought to last several weeks, as hunters will travel into small groups to cover more ground.

5. Fareth eagerly counsels to join the hunt, regardless of the outcome of the audience with king Thranduil; she believes that, if they are able to bring down a white deer, then they will certainly impress the elves, and this may earn them special favour. She is overheard by Ruthiel, who makes it very clear how little she thinks of mortal hunters, and the two women get into an argument, but eventually it is de-escalated. Fareth is clearly unimpressed after the encounter.

You may react to any of these things as you wish, providing rolls if you want. Assuming that Barin still wishes to speak th Thranduil, the next scene would be the audience. Let me know if you want to continue with that, and I will set the scene!

[Vladim]

Upon their arrival at the woodland realm, the fellowship were swiftly greeted and shown to their quarters for the duration of the King's hunt. To his surprise, Barin found the elves generally friendly and not exhibiting any of the stand-offish, superior haughtiness he normally attributed to their kind.

After settling into their rooms, the fellowship were ushered into a large hall where there were folks from all across Wilderland, all invited to the hunt, and they quickly circulated among the other hunters to exchange news and gossip and tales of their prowess at hunting and other arts martial.

Feeling somewhat out of place by virtue of them being the only dwarves present Barin and Dridek slipped away from the main throng to go look about, and by asking a few discrete questions of folks it clearly became obvious to the pair that the Elves considered themselves far more capable than these menfolk that the king had invited.

One of these elves, a maiden who Barin learned went by the name of Ruthiel showed disdain bordering on hubris towards the other hunters. Boasting of her renown with the bow and her prowess in the hunt.
 

Lore (TN14):
Dice Roll: 1d12 1d6t
d12 Results: 10
d6 Results: 4
Sum Total: 14

[ooc: ouch, only just!] [no AP this time since I'm already at 2]

On looking across at her whist she was boasting, Barin couldn't help but notice the bow she carried, strung not with hemp or gut like others, but shining with a gleam that could only be ... Mithril! He drew in his breath. The craftsmanship on the bow was exquisite, and he just knew that the bow had both history and name. Racking his brain, he eventually came up with what he could recall ...

[@vladim: Feel free to edit in the details of the bow here]
 

Courtesy (TN14) - find out more about the hunt:
Dice Roll: 1d12 2d6t
d12 Results: 7
d6 Results: 5, 6 (Total = 11)
Sum Total: 18

Engaging the Elf-maiden and her cohorts in conversation, Barin managed to discover that the hunt will be for the fabled white deer of Mirkwood, not that any of the Elves considered that their guests would stand a chance of finding it, let alone bringing it down. At this point Fareth wandered across, obviously eager to join the conversation, and obviously keen to join the hunt. However, the conversation soon turned sour when she and Ruthiel nearly came to blows over exactly who would be the one to bag the deer. Whilst Fareth stood by her abilities as a superior hunter, Ruthiel continued to pour scorn upon her and disparage her abilities. It took the efforts of several men and elves to separate the two before things became too far out of hand, and storming away with Barin at her heels, Fareth was heard to be grumbling "I'll show her who's better. They'll have to be impressed when I better her in the hunt!"

But first, the feast. With King Thranduil playing host and sitting at the head-table. Whilst taking their places in the banqueting hall, the fellowship couldn't help but notice Lará, their companion of yore gliding gracefully across to greet them. Smiling, she greeted and hugged each of the fellowship and took introductions from those she had not previously met. Then, pleasantries exchanged she sat down to share conversation of the last few months.

During that conversation, Eawald broached the subject of whether she could arrange a formal introduction with the King so that they could discuss the pending quest to retrieve the Marsh-dwellers' treasure to which she heartily agreed. She would send word on the morrow as to when the king would see them.