Year 2949-50: Sentinel of the North

[Vladim]

At Heva's account of the craftsmanship of the arms and armour worn by Viglund and his retinue, and the tale of the jewels which adorned them, Barin's jaw tightened. By the end of her account, he was grinding his teeth and visibly shaking with anger.

Between clenched teeth he growled, "No doubt looted from the mansions and mines of my kin and my forebears. By Durin's beard there will be a reckoning if 'tis so."

[Vladim]

Dahr-Ol arched an eyebrow as Heva described Viglund's new finery. It reminded him of the gear men carried in the old stories.

"My former people also lusted after ancient treasures and weapons, or so my mother said. She seemed to think it was one of their many weak points. If Viglund also this lust, it is a bad sign. Nori and Barin I would feel better if you two came with Annungiland I directly to Viglund's. If he is in a mood to show off you are better suited than I to say what he has found and where it came from.

Gramtyng that would leave you to escort Idunn, Ingi, and Celebros to see old Mab. Are you comfortable with that?"

[Vladim]

"Nothing about sorcery, no... Just the bloodline." Gramtyng paused for a moment. "I'm also almost certain there was more to that book - there was another line, like it went to another descendant but.. the page was gone." The bard shifted his gaze to the fire, shivering as he heard Barin's angry words; just the sort of thing he'd been afraid of. It could easily have been the treasure and tombs of his own ancestors just as likely as the dwarves, but whereas he could do little against that, the dwarves... Well, the Battle of Five Armies showed what the dwarves could do. Still... While he didnt know Barin, he knew Nori, and they needed to know more about this sorcery. "Did you find anything out about the sorcery from Radagast?" He quietly asked Idunn, before turning to nod to Dahr-Ol's question. "Thats fine by me." He considered telling Barin about the city of his own people that likely was here, but interrupting the conversation would be rude, so he kept his silence, waiting for Idunn to answer.

[Vladim]

’’Tis fine by me.’ said Idunn to Dahr-Ol laconically, adding quickly: ’Is there anything you would like us to ask her on your behalf, or on any of the others', who will be journeying to Viglund’s first?’ She paused and let them speak, making sure to commit to memory anything they might wish to know.

At length, she turned to Gramtyng, who had a few more things to say of his discoveries in Dale. ’Hm…’ she said plainly, pondering for a while on what this all might mean, before answering his question. ’No clear answers from Radagast. He is not certain what the meaning is, or if this may be the Necromancer, returning to his ancient outpost in the Dwimmerhorn, but what else can it be? Still, he has promised to look into the matter, for it seemed to me that he took it very seriously, and he has sent ravens to the Gladden Fields to spy, and word to Hartfast to be cautious, and has sought the counsel of the head of his order – some wizard called Saruman, whoever that may be.’ She shrugged dismissively; clearly, this was not the path she would have taken, but she did not wish to meddle in the affairs of wizards.

(OOC: @thesloth this may be the point where Dahr-Ol may want to say something about what he has discovered, if he also went to seek Radagast’s counsel in the fellowship phase after Kinstrife. Idunn has not learned too much, mainly because she didn’t really spend an undertaking with him. In IC terms, though, maybe Radagast mistrusts her foolhardiness and personal history and does not want to say too much, fearing that she might do something stupid.)

Heva had proven a gracious host, offering food and council as the companions spoke amongst themselves and with her. The conversation continued back-and-forth on the matters of Viglund, the Free Cottars, and on the crossing of the Anduin. For the latter, Heva had one last piece of advice, and she described in detail a place, not far from where her farmstead was located, where the waters of the river ran less swiftly, and where they would therefore be able to cross more safely, if they managed to build a raft.

At length, however, the woman excused herself. It was late, and it was deemed wise to allow the companions some rest, for on the morrow they would find themselves on the road again. With the final preparations made, the companions lay around the fire, and one by one they drifted into slumber…

(OOC: Mechanically, if you follow Heva’s suggestion, you can receive an automatic attribute bonus to any Athletics checks made to cross the river via raft (i.e. just add your Body or Favoured Body scores, no hope spending needed). You’ll still need to find wood though, with Explore, and make the raft, with Craft.)

 

(OOC: The next post will come soon, pushing the story forward into the next scene. However, feel free to wrap up any conversations at Heva's, even if it means that you have to make your next IC post a two-parter. Just separate the paragraphs or add some titles to indicate, if you want.)

[Vladim]

Chapter 2: Due North
Scene 2: Dreams in the dark

Annungil’s dream

When sleep took him, Annungil felt as if he had awakened elsewhere, to a time and a place he could not recognize. And yet, strangely, he knew this to be a dream, for he recalled that which he had dreamt of previously, and remembered yet, however vaguely, the song of lamentation amongst the ruins, and the great tower that stood in the middle.

He looked about him, and he witnessed before him a magnificent sight stretching as far as the eye could see: the sweeping view of a pristine, lush valley, with an endless vista of green hills surrounding it. At the distance, in the middle of it all, stood a great tower, and Annungil knew this to be the tower of the dream he had dreamt before. It was noon, and the sky was blue and clear, with only a few small, white clouds drifting upon it, and the sun was casting its bright light upon it all, the leaves of the trees reflecting back magnificent, verdant green.

Annungil knew that he must reach the tower as swiftly as he could; a foreboding sense of great urgency filled him, though he could not tell where it came from, or why this was. All he could feel was that pressing urgency, and so he marched towards the tower, as if drawn to it.
 

---

Time passed. It was impossible to say how, or how much, for time flowed strangely in this dream, but it was night-time now, and Annungil was standing upon the great tower. From that high vantage point, he could see the nightly sky, illuminated by a galaxy of stars, and a pale, full moon. Once again, he felt drawn towards the north, where the black shape of a great, three-peaked mountain loomed menacingly, at a great distance. As Annungil approached, a song rose from beneath the valley, as if hummed by the earth itself, and it filled the air, reverberating solemnly through the mountains:
 

The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw a crown of stars appear,
As gems upon a silver thread,
Above the shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountains tall,
In Elder Days before the fall
Of mighty kings in Nargothrond
And Gondolin, who now beyond
The Western Seas have passed away:
The world was fair in Durin's Day.

A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon
In shining lamps of crystal hewn
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
There shone for ever fair and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk;
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

As the song ended, Annungil noticed simultaneously two things happen: ahead of him, to his left, appeared a dark silhouette of someone, standing precariously close to the edge of the roof. He was unable to notice the stranger before, but the stranger too seemed oblivious to Annungil’s presence. But also, Annungil felt behind him the uncanny presence of someone else, though he could not see anything – it was more a hunch, or precognition, than something he could put his finger on.

(OOC: Your character has a binary choice here, and one action only, before this dream sequence ends: approach the stranger, whose silhouette he can see, or turn back to check if there’s someone behind him. No rolls are required just yet, but please put your IC reply in a private tag.)

[Vladim]

Dahr-Ol's dream

When sleep took him, Dahr-Ol felt as if he had awakened elsewhere, to a time and a place he could not recognize. And yet, strangely, he knew this to be a dream, for he recalled that which he had dreamt of previously, and remembered yet, however vaguely, the song of lamentation amongst the ruins, and the great tower that stood in the middle.

He looked about him, and he witnessed before him a magnificent sight stretching as far as the eye could see: the sweeping view of a pristine, lush valley, with an endless vista of green hills surrounding it. At the distance, in the middle of it all, stood a great tower, and Dahr-Ol knew this to be the tower of the dream he had dreamt before. It was noon, and the sky was blue and clear, with only a few small, white clouds drifting upon it, and the sun was casting its bright light upon it all, the leaves of the trees reflecting back magnificent, verdant green.

Dahr-Ol knew that he must reach the tower as swiftly as he could; a foreboding sense of great urgency filled him, though he could not tell where it came from, or why this was. All he could feel was that pressing urgency, and so he marched towards the tower, as if drawn to it.
 

---

Time passed. It was impossible to say how, or how much, for time flowed strangely in this dream, but it was night-time now, and Dahr-Ol was standing upon the great tower. From that high vantage point, he could see the nightly sky, illuminated by a galaxy of stars, and a pale, full moon. Once again, he felt drawn towards the north, where the black shape of a great, three-peaked mountain loomed menacingly, at a great distance. As Dahr-Ol approached, a song rose from beneath the valley, as if hummed by the earth itself, and it filled the air, reverberating solemnly through the mountains:

The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw a crown of stars appear,
As gems upon a silver thread,
Above the shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountains tall,
In Elder Days before the fall
Of mighty kings in Nargothrond
And Gondolin, who now beyond
The Western Seas have passed away:
The world was fair in Durin's Day.

A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon
In shining lamps of crystal hewn
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
There shone for ever fair and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk;
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

As the song ended, Dahr-Ol noticed simultaneously two things happen: ahead of him, to his left, appeared a dark silhouette of someone, standing precariously close to the edge of the roof. He was unable to notice the stranger before, but the stranger too seemed oblivious to Dahr-Ol’s presence. But also, Dahr-Ol felt behind him the uncanny presence of someone else, though he could not see anything – it was more a hunch, or precognition, than something he could put his finger on.

(OOC: Your character has a binary choice here, and one action only, before this dream sequence ends: approach the stranger, whose silhouette he can see, or turn back to check if there’s someone behind him. No rolls are required just yet, but please put your IC reply in a private tag.)

[Vladim]

Gramtyng's dream

When sleep took him, Gramtyng felt as if he had awakened elsewhere, to a time and a place he could not recognize. And yet, strangely, he knew this to be a dream, for he recalled that which he had dreamt of previously, and remembered yet, however vaguely, the song of lamentation amongst the ruins, and the great tower that stood in the middle.

He looked about him, and he witnessed before him a magnificent sight stretching as far as the eye could see: the sweeping view of a pristine, lush valley, with an endless vista of green hills surrounding it. At the distance, in the middle of it all, stood a great tower, and Gramtyng knew this to be the tower of the dream he had dreamt before. It was noon, and the sky was blue and clear, with only a few small, white clouds drifting upon it, and the sun was casting its bright light upon it all, the leaves of the trees reflecting back magnificent, verdant green.

Gramtyng knew that he must reach the tower as swiftly as he could; a foreboding sense of great urgency filled him, though he could not tell where it came from, or why this was. All he could feel was that pressing urgency, and so he marched towards the tower, as if drawn to it.

 

---

Time passed. It was impossible to say how, or how much, for time flowed strangely in this dream, but it was night-time now, and Gramtyng was standing upon the great tower. From that high vantage point, he could see the nightly sky, illuminated by a galaxy of stars, and a pale, full moon. Once again, he felt drawn towards the north, where the black shape of a great, three-peaked mountain loomed menacingly, at a great distance. As Gramtyng approached, a song rose from beneath the valley, as if hummed by the earth itself, and it filled the air, reverberating solemnly through the mountains:

The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw a crown of stars appear,
As gems upon a silver thread,
Above the shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountains tall,
In Elder Days before the fall
Of mighty kings in Nargothrond
And Gondolin, who now beyond
The Western Seas have passed away:
The world was fair in Durin's Day.

A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon
In shining lamps of crystal hewn
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
There shone for ever fair and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk;
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

As the song ended, Gramtyng noticed simultaneously two things happen: ahead of him, to his left, appeared a dark silhouette of someone, standing precariously close to the edge of the roof. He was unable to notice the stranger before, but the stranger too seemed oblivious to Gramtyng’s presence. But also, Gramtyng felt behind him the uncanny presence of someone else, though he could not see anything – it was more a hunch, or precognition, than something he could put his finger on.

(OOC: Your character has a binary choice here, and one action only, before this dream sequence ends: approach the stranger, whose silhouette he can see, or turn back to check if there’s someone behind him. No rolls are required just yet, but please put your IC reply in a private tag.)

[Vladim]

Ingi's dream

When sleep took him, Ingi felt as if he had awakened elsewhere, to a time and a place he could not recognize. And yet, strangely, he knew this to be a dream, for he recalled that which he had dreamt of previously, and remembered yet, however vaguely, the song of lamentation amongst the ruins, and the great tower that stood in the middle.

He looked about him, and he witnessed before him a magnificent sight stretching as far as the eye could see: the sweeping view of a pristine, lush valley, with an endless vista of green hills surrounding it. At the distance, in the middle of it all, stood a great tower, and Ingi knew this to be the tower of the dream he had dreamt before. It was noon, and the sky was blue and clear, with only a few small, white clouds drifting upon it, and the sun was casting its bright light upon it all, the leaves of the trees reflecting back magnificent, verdant green.

Ingi knew that he must reach the tower as swiftly as he could; a foreboding sense of great urgency filled him, though he could not tell where it came from, or why this was. All he could feel was that pressing urgency, and so he marched towards the tower, as if drawn to it.

 

---

Time passed. It was impossible to say how, or how much, for time flowed strangely in this dream, but it was night-time now, and Ingi was standing upon the great tower. From that high vantage point, he could see the nightly sky, illuminated by a galaxy of stars, and a pale, full moon. Once again, he felt drawn towards the north, where the black shape of a great, three-peaked mountain loomed menacingly, at a great distance. As Ingi approached, a song rose from beneath the valley, as if hummed by the earth itself, and it filled the air, reverberating solemnly through the mountains:

The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw a crown of stars appear,
As gems upon a silver thread,
Above the shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountains tall,
In Elder Days before the fall
Of mighty kings in Nargothrond
And Gondolin, who now beyond
The Western Seas have passed away:
The world was fair in Durin's Day.

A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon
In shining lamps of crystal hewn
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
There shone for ever fair and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk;
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

As the song ended, Ingi noticed simultaneously two things happen: ahead of him, to his left, appeared a dark silhouette of someone, standing precariously close to the edge of the roof. He was unable to notice the stranger before, but the stranger too seemed oblivious to Ingi’s presence. But also, Ingi felt behind him the uncanny presence of someone else, though he could not see anything – it was more a hunch, or precognition, than something he could put his finger on.

(OOC: Your character has a binary choice here, and one action only, before this dream sequence ends: approach the stranger, whose silhouette he can see, or turn back to check if there’s someone behind him. No rolls are required just yet, but please put your IC reply in a private tag.)

[Vladim]

Celebros' dream

When sleep took him, Celebros felt as if he had awakened elsewhere, to a time and a place he could not recognize. And yet, strangely, he knew this to be a dream, for he recalled that which he had dreamt of previously, and remembered yet, however vaguely, the song of lamentation amongst the ruins, and the great tower that stood in the middle.

He looked about him, and he witnessed before him a magnificent sight stretching as far as the eye could see: the sweeping view of a pristine, lush valley, with an endless vista of green hills surrounding it. At the distance, in the middle of it all, stood a great tower, and Celebros knew this to be the tower of the dream he had dreamt before. It was noon, and the sky was blue and clear, with only a few small, white clouds drifting upon it, and the sun was casting its bright light upon it all, the leaves of the trees reflecting back magnificent, verdant green.

Celebros knew that he must reach the tower as swiftly as he could; a foreboding sense of great urgency filled him, though he could not tell where it came from, or why this was. All he could feel was that pressing urgency, and so he marched towards the tower, as if drawn to it.

 

---

 

Time passed. It was impossible to say how, or how much, for time flowed strangely in this dream, but it was night-time now, and Celebros was standing upon the great tower. From that high vantage point, he could see the nightly sky, illuminated by a galaxy of stars, and a pale, full moon. Once again, he felt drawn towards the north, where the black shape of a great, three-peaked mountain loomed menacingly, at a great distance. As Celebros approached, a song rose from beneath the valley, as if hummed by the earth itself, and it filled the air, reverberating solemnly through the mountains:

The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw a crown of stars appear,
As gems upon a silver thread,
Above the shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountains tall,
In Elder Days before the fall
Of mighty kings in Nargothrond
And Gondolin, who now beyond
The Western Seas have passed away:
The world was fair in Durin's Day.

A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon
In shining lamps of crystal hewn
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
There shone for ever fair and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk;
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

As the song ended, Celebros noticed simultaneously two things happen: ahead of him, to his left, appeared a dark silhouette of someone, standing precariously close to the edge of the roof. He was unable to notice the stranger before, but the stranger too seemed oblivious to Celebros’s presence. But also, Celebros felt behind him the uncanny presence of someone else, though he could not see anything – it was more a hunch, or precognition, than something he could put his finger on.

(OOC: Your character has a binary choice here, and one action only, before this dream sequence ends: approach the stranger, whose silhouette he can see, or turn back to check if there’s someone behind him. No rolls are required just yet, but please put your IC reply in a private tag.)

[Vladim]

Nori's dream

When sleep took him, Nori felt as if he had awakened elsewhere, to a time and a place he could not recognize. And yet, strangely, he knew this to be a dream, for he recalled that which he had dreamt of previously, and remembered yet, however vaguely, the song of lamentation amongst the ruins, and the great tower that stood in the middle.

He looked about him, and he witnessed before him a magnificent sight stretching as far as the eye could see: the sweeping view of a pristine, lush valley, with an endless vista of green hills surrounding it. At the distance, in the middle of it all, stood a great tower, and Nori knew this to be the tower of the dream he had dreamt before. It was noon, and the sky was blue and clear, with only a few small, white clouds drifting upon it, and the sun was casting its bright light upon it all, the leaves of the trees reflecting back magnificent, verdant green.

Nori knew that he must reach the tower as swiftly as he could; a foreboding sense of great urgency filled him, though he could not tell where it came from, or why this was. All he could feel was that pressing urgency, and so he marched towards the tower, as if drawn to it.

 

---

 

Time passed. It was impossible to say how, or how much, for time flowed strangely in this dream, but it was night-time now, and Nori was standing upon the great tower. From that high vantage point, he could see the nightly sky, illuminated by a galaxy of stars, and a pale, full moon. Once again, he felt drawn towards the north, where the black shape of a great, three-peaked mountain loomed menacingly, at a great distance. As Nori approached, a song rose from beneath the valley, as if hummed by the earth itself, and it filled the air, reverberating solemnly through the mountains:

The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw a crown of stars appear,
As gems upon a silver thread,
Above the shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountains tall,
In Elder Days before the fall
Of mighty kings in Nargothrond
And Gondolin, who now beyond
The Western Seas have passed away:
The world was fair in Durin's Day.

A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon
In shining lamps of crystal hewn
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
There shone for ever fair and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk;
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

As the song ended, Celebros noticed simultaneously two things happen: ahead of him, to his left, appeared a dark silhouette of someone, standing precariously close to the edge of the roof. He was unable to notice the stranger before, but the stranger too seemed oblivious to Celebros’s presence. But also, Celebros felt behind him the uncanny presence of someone else, though he could not see anything – it was more a hunch, or precognition, than something he could put his finger on.
As the song ended, Nori noticed simultaneously two things happen: ahead of him, to his left, appeared a dark silhouette of someone, standing precariously close to the edge of the roof. He was unable to notice the stranger before, but the stranger too seemed oblivious to Nori’s presence. But also, Nori felt behind him the uncanny presence of someone else, though he could not see anything – it was more a hunch, or precognition, than something he could put his finger on.

(OOC: Your character has a binary choice here, and one action only, before this dream sequence ends: approach the stranger, whose silhouette he can see, or turn back to check if there’s someone behind him. No rolls are required just yet, but please put your IC reply in a private tag.)

(OOC 2: As a dwarf, Nori should be able to recognize the song as the Song of Durin, as it is famous and known by all his people. The three-peaked mountain at the distance is clearly Gundabad, the place where, according to legend, Durin awake when the world was still young.)

[Vladim]

Barin's dream

When sleep took him, Barin felt as if he had awakened elsewhere, to a time and a place he could not recognize. And yet, strangely, he knew this to be a dream, for he recalled that which he had dreamt of previously, and remembered yet, however vaguely, the song of lamentation amongst the ruins, and the great tower that stood in the middle.

He looked about him, and he witnessed before him a magnificent sight stretching as far as the eye could see: the sweeping view of a pristine, lush valley, with an endless vista of green hills surrounding it. At the distance, in the middle of it all, stood a great tower, and Barin knew this to be the tower of the dream he had dreamt before. It was noon, and the sky was blue and clear, with only a few small, white clouds drifting upon it, and the sun was casting its bright light upon it all, the leaves of the trees reflecting back magnificent, verdant green.

Barin knew that he must reach the tower as swiftly as he could; a foreboding sense of great urgency filled him, though he could not tell where it came from, or why this was. All he could feel was that pressing urgency, and so he marched towards the tower, as if drawn to it.

 

---

 

Time passed. It was impossible to say how, or how much, for time flowed strangely in this dream, but it was night-time now, and Barin was standing upon the great tower. From that high vantage point, he could see the nightly sky, illuminated by a galaxy of stars, and a pale, full moon. Once again, he felt drawn towards the north, where the black shape of a great, three-peaked mountain loomed menacingly, at a great distance. As Barin approached, a song rose from beneath the valley, as if hummed by the earth itself, and it filled the air, reverberating solemnly through the mountains:

The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw a crown of stars appear,
As gems upon a silver thread,
Above the shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountains tall,
In Elder Days before the fall
Of mighty kings in Nargothrond
And Gondolin, who now beyond
The Western Seas have passed away:
The world was fair in Durin's Day.

A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon
In shining lamps of crystal hewn
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
There shone for ever fair and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk;
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

As the song ended, Barin noticed simultaneously two things happen: ahead of him, to his left, appeared a dark silhouette of someone, standing precariously close to the edge of the roof. He was unable to notice the stranger before, but the stranger too seemed oblivious to Barin’s presence. But also, Barin felt behind him the uncanny presence of someone else, though he could not see anything – it was more a hunch, or precognition, than something he could put his finger on.

(OOC: Your character has a binary choice here, and one action only, before this dream sequence ends: approach the stranger, whose silhouette he can see, or turn back to check if there’s someone behind him. No rolls are required just yet, but please put your IC reply in a private tag.)

(OOC 2: As a dwarf, Barin should be able to recognize the song as the Song of Durin, as it is famous and known by all his people. The three-peaked mountain at the distance is clearly Gundabad, the place where, according to legend, Durin awake when the world was still young.)

[Vladim]

Certain he was dreaming, Dahr-Ol forced himself to ignore the feeling of a threat and moved forward towards the man.

[Vladim]

Barin listened as the conversation, and the evening wore on until eventually, weariness overtook all present.

Settling down by the fire, he bade his companions good night and, wrapped in his blanket let sleep wash over him.

---

As his dream drove itself into his mind, he realised that he recognised the song and suddenly, the whole scene fell into context. He knew beyond all shadow of doubt that he needed to reach Viglund as soon as possible. Still, the significance of the tower eluded him however.

With the sudden shift of context that oft comes within dreams, he found himself at the top of the tower. The tingling feeling of unease that he was being watched - or worse - from behind, but the figure before him, stood there on the precipice, appeared to need aid.

He was torn, turn or reach out, turn or reach out?

Until, with a dread feeling of inevitability, he reached out before him to offer aid and succour to the one stood at the edge of the roof.

[Vladim]

Dahr-Ol shouts "Why are we being drawn here!?"

[Vladim]

Nori jogged towards the tower with seemingly endless endurance. The pace nor the terrain wore on him like it would in the real world – he could not feel the earth push back against him in harsh reciprocation of his feet pounding against its surface. It was as if he was walking in the clouds. And for some time, it felt like he was never going to reach the tower before suddenly he was upon it. The passage of time felt completely natural – or at least not so shocking as to wake him from him temporary stay in this vivid state of sleep.

Listening to the song, he felt a sense of warmth flow up from his feet and into his chest. He looked about him in amazement – everything seemed crystal clear and tangible: the stars, the mountains, the stones of the tower itself. It was as if he could reach out, touch anything, and know it instantly. He was draw towards the edge of the rampart to look out over the valley as the last chorus began, his eyes being drawn downward towards the valley and the warm fading to be replaced by a cold chill across the back of his neck.

The presence of something or someone behind him was undoubtedly unnerving, but it was not distracting enough to pry the dwarf’s attention away from the figure he could make out on the nearby roof. Turning to his left, Nori approached the figure cautiously – the dwarf firming his posture as though if the figure were to leap from the tower, he would not pull Nori with him. "You there…" Nori calls out in a firm, but not frightening voice. "… what are you doing?"