Welcome Guest 

Register

12
Author Topic:
Halrohir
Council Member
Posts: 102
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Retaking Khazad-dûm (see OOC or PM me to join)
on: February 24, 2009 04:53
"I've been waiting for you," said Norin, who looked as if he had not slept a minute the night before.

"What happened?" Frain said anxiously. "You look terrible."

"Those scouts you had me send out last night... They never returned," came the reply.

"My regrets," Frain said. "I am sure they fought well. It looks like Bragin’s skills will be needed after all. I will inform him to begin working on his plans. We will need plenty of able workers to aid him. Also, if you have any architects among your company or those skilled with wood, we will have need of them."


Bragin was tossing in the midst of a dream, random images filling his slumber: Chisel pulling a vast load of stone, clearly too big for his strength; standing at the edge of a pit, looking down into a pool of boiling water, which was not boiling from heat but rather churning with snakes; carving a handle for a well-crafted throwing axe, interlaced with leather bindings, studded in iron, and the tracery of a flower around the haft, humming to himself –

…when he awoke to the thud of a kick to his leg, and drowsily looked up to see Frain’s impassive face looking down upon him. Bragin’s face also moved serious, as Frain explained the situation involving Norin’s scouting party and the lack of news from the gates.

“Ah, this is disturbing news, or rather the lack of it”, Bragin said as he pulled on his boots and retrieved his crossbow. “I’m supposin’, master Frain, that ‘tis my turn to aid you once again. Might I be asking the aid of a few more scouts, ones who will not blench at the thought of danger? Archers or crossbowmen will be useful, too.”

After a time of scrambling through his gear, in which he found his crossbow, a mattock, and a small kit of architect’s tools, Bragin stood with a group of six Dwarves led by Norin’s companion Glin, all armed as he was, awaiting his word. All was ready, when he turned to Nori, who was watching the party set out.

“Nori, medame, might you grant me a request?” Bragin said with a slight bow. “Will you consent to look after Chisel for a while? See that he doesn’t eat my blankets, or tug on the tent flaps?” After a silence, he looked down at his beard, then looked up and muttered, “Thank you, medame…” and walked off to the others.

The scouts, with Bragin accompanying them, moved from the camp and headed north and east. Their first obstacle was the old Hollin Road itself; situated high atop its own steep-sided roadbed, it wound this way and that, running more or less southeast towards a great cleft in the hills. The dwarves were obliged to scramble up its steep banks, after first traversing the deep rock-filled bed of what was once the Sirannon, now reduced to less than a feeble rill between the stones. When they reached the top, and the old pave-stones of the Hollin Road, Bragin took the lead, fingers entwined around the trigger of his crossbow.

The road veered to the left, headed now straight east. The party came upon a rise of rock, fully thirty feet in height, a jagged edge running along its length. There to the right lay all that was left of the Stair Falls – a tumbled mass of water-smoothed boulders, topped by a wide carved trough where the falls plainly spilled over the wall in old days. Hardly a trickle of water now babbled over the stones, noisy in the silence of the echoing hills. Bragin and the others crept cautiously to the base of the falls, where the road turned sharply to the left, rising in a steady ramp for a long distance before switching back upon the cliff face, to climb the rest of the way to the top. Cut into the rock before them, alongside the falls, were a set of broken stairs leading directly to the top.

Bragin motioned the others together, and explained his plan. “I shall go with you two, and follow the road – it will give me a chance to inspect the path. Glin, you and the others will ascend the stairs, and take a position at the top, but do not move until we start the second rise there. That way, we shall all arrive at the head of the stairs together. Keep out of sight, and have your bows ready!” Bragin had already taken in the sight of the falls and the stairs; the stairs were in fair shape, and it was plain the watercourse would be able to handle the volume of a great water flow. Mighty was the Gate-stream in the days of its youth! As the party proceeded, Bragin also took note that the switchback road itself was in need of repair and repaving in many places, to become able to handle traffic again. And he did not fail to note, there was a wide stable space at the start of the incline, large enough to accommodate a few buildings of modest size – storehouses, and even the tavern that Nori confided to him was her desire. So far, so good.

At last, they reached the summit of the cliff, and peered out over the landscape. Glin motioned Bragin over to his side. There at the top of the cliff was their first sign: scraps of cloth, a cap of hewn iron of Dwarf-make, and a shattered axe upon the stones.

“I know this helm, master”, Glin said. “This belonged to one of the scouts we sent last night. The axe-head has blood upon it, but that is no orc-blood, nor any creature I recognize.“

Bragin, Glin and the others knelt silently, thinking of the lost scouts, then turned to the view before them. From their hiding places atop the cliff, the dwarves looked out over a fetid and noisome lake still and smooth as glass, stretching from almost at their feet across the open space, right up to the cliffs that formed the Walls of Khazad-dum. Surely there, right across as the road plunged into the loathsome lake, on the opposite side was a jumble of destroyed trees and rubble piled against the cliff foot – the very place where the Nine Walkers encountered the Watcher. Looking north and south, the lake stretched out at least mile long, grey-green putrid water that totally blocked the passage. Around the north side, Bragin remembered, was the path the Walkers took to reach the West-gate. But that, he had to remind himself, was another day’s work. He forced his eyes to look around at his feet, and inspect the dam itself.

Without a word, Bragin laid aside his crossbow and produced his mattock, motioning the others to keep watch. He quietly scrambled down to the watercourse on the upper side of the falls, and walked its path to the foot of the dam carefully chipping away at loose stone with his mattock. The closer he got and the more he saw, the more incredulous Bragin became, trying hard not to laugh out loud at the sight before his eyes.

Of all the luck to find this, Bragin said to himself, it’s too easy! All they did was bring down part of the hillside, and let the avalanche dam the lake! There is no stone skill here whatsoever – they simply made a cofferdam of debris! Give me a dozen miners, and I shall have this thing down in a fortnight – a score or more, and the river is free inside a week!

Bragin looked up at the hillside, where clearly large patches of rock were missing, and the scars from sliding boulders were plain to see. There were no underlying base stones, no foundations – simply the mass of the falling rocks held the waters back. But that also posed a problem: with no support beneath, a spillway would be difficult. The energy of the rushing streams would eat away at the watercourse. Bragin would have masonry work to do, to create a solid base for a mill or a water wheel. More work, once the dam was secure. Bragin’s thoughts came to a sharp stop, with a call from above. Glin whistled in the silence, and the architect scrambled back up to his fellows. Looking out over the surface of the water, the stillness had been broken by numerous ripples on the surface, fanning out from a place in the center of the water.

“There one moment, gone the next”, Glin explained. “Like a large fish, a gar or a pike, just breaking the surface – but larger, much larger. Personally, master, it gives me the collywobbles. Norin and Frain spoke of a plan you have. What might stop such a beastie as tales in the camp tell?”

“It will be better than I first imagined, good Glin”, Bragin said. “Let us get down from here, and talk more freely at the base of the stairs.” As the party made to descend, Bragin took one last look back over his shoulder. Beyond doubt, there was something still lurking in the depths of the lake – a new ripple now moved the water, father out towards the other shore.

This is your hunting ground no longer, beastie, Bragin swore. We shall drive you out, and you shan’t like how we do it. Back to the abyss with you, and may you gnaw on your own flesh in your famine. For you shall not have Dwarf to feast upon ever again! He followed the others down and, after a hurried conference at the foot of the stairs, began the long hike back to the base camp, to report on their first glimpse of Khazad-dum.


[Edited on 2/25/2009 by Halrohir]
Merides
Humor Admin
Posts: 578
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Retaking Khazad-dûm (see OOC or PM me to join)
on: June 16, 2009 12:43
(The following is a joint post from Gwendeth and Merides)

Curiously, Falin had listened to Aervon telling his story to Corin. Without meaning to, he'd become fascinated with the man's tale.
He ruffled the head of the young one as he stood,
commenting, "If you pay attention, young Falin, you will be amazed at how
much you can learn, especially from the other races. We, as dwarves, tend to keep to ourselves.. If we truly wish to learn, we must look away from our own beards."

He smiled again at Falin, then walked off to put his newest
scroll with the others he had collected.


Coming up behind his nephew, "Corin's right," Regin told Falin, and with a half-smile on his cragged face, Aervon agreed, too. "Look at all I'm learning from you Dwarves," he commented.

The night passed quietly for all, it would seem, and then Bragin led a group of dwarven bowmen off to see what they might accomplish. Watching them leave, Falin felt... well... 'useless'. "So," he commented to no
one in particular, "What of the rest of us?"

Nori stood nearby, and she glanced over at the younger dwarf at this comment. "Well, Falin, I'm sure we kin find somethin' tae do... it's just a matter of lookin' in the right place, if you know what I mean. Now, if ye were like my brother, ye'd find a nice, quiet place wi' a scroll and a pen. But I think ye might be more like myself- ye'd rather be doin' somethin' while yer waitin' - am I right?"

Looking at Nori, Falin's lip quirked. "You're right on that score," he replied, though he'd enjoyed talking to Corin. "Perhaps a bit of battle-practice?" the younger dwarf offered.

"It wouldn't hurt," Regin commented, coming up behind the two. "I suspect that even if Bragin is successful, we've fighting to look foward to." With that said, Falin's cousin took himself off on his own pursuits...

But, Falin hefted his axe. "What say, ye, Nori?" he asked.

Nori smiled at him as she reached for her walking-axe. "I say prepare yerself, young Falin. Ye're about to find out what a proper dwarf
woman's fightin' skills are like." She backed away a few steps, looking around to be sure their practice area was clear.

Corin sat a ways away, a frown of concentration upon his face, working on his chronicle.

Regin, noting Corin's expression, "Somethin' botherin' ye?", he inquired of the other.

Corin looked up from his writing. "Nay, not really," he replied. "Sometimes it is a difficult job, choosing the correct words for the appropriate entry. I wish for our journal to be the most accurate narrative possible. If you'd like, I could include something from you, my friend.


Satisfied that they would not be in the way of any other dwarves, Nori nodded at Falin. "Are ye ready, dwarf?" She swung her axe in a circle, prepared for anything.

Since he wasn't (really!) very good, but trying hard not to show it, "I am!" Falin replied, and whirled his axe as well. Testing Nori's skill, the younger dwarf feinted, and then, "Oof!" he grumbled, stumbling backward...

"Watch yer opponent's moves, but be prepared tae shift yer feet, Falin." Nori smiled at him, pulling her axe's long staff-like handle back into her grip. "Now," she continued, ready to instruct, "relax yer grip on the axe. It be a part of yer arm. Let it move freely." She nodded when she could see him visibly relax. "Breathe, Falin. And move yer feet.."

Thwack! Nori sent her axe handle crashing into his.

Nodding, Falin tried to obey Nori's suggestions, but unconsciously, he'd loosened his grip just a bit too much. "Ouch!" he grumbled, for the handle of his weapon had jammed his hands. Resetting himself, and gritting his teeth, the young Dwarf swung back. However, his attack was met by nothing but air, and the force of his attempted blow sent Falin hurling off-balance.

To the side, Aervon was sitting, his chin resting on one hand as he watched. Interesting!, he thought, for he'd never seen a Dwarf in training. Curious, he wondered what wisdom Nori would next hand out to the huffing youngster...


"Keep yer feet movin', Falin. Ye need to take a hit with more than yer hands. Yer whole body is a weapon- what would ye do if ye didn't have yer axe with ye? Tell me that. Would ye simply run? Or would ye take the punches with yer whole self? It's the same with yer axe. Now, come at me."

Nori tensed herself, ready to go at it again.

Nodding, Falin tried again... this time bracing himself against the impact. - Again and again he did so... and after a while, it became easier. "I think I'm doing better!" the young dwarf commented, and breathing hard, stood back for Nori's opinion.

"Better." She refused to compliment him beyond that, although she smiled inwardly at his apparent excitement.

The two of them sparred for a while longer, passing the time until Bragin's group returned.
gwendeth
Accounts Admin, Sindarin Mod & Head Stargazer of Varda
Posts: 5808
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Retaking Khazad-dûm (see OOC or PM me to join)
on: October 04, 2009 11:17
(well, per Edraitheru's OOC post, and this is ssucky, but maybe something to get this jump-started again?)

Falin was worn out by the time Bragin and his group returned. Looking up anxiously, "How did it go?" he inquired, and then grumbled when Regin sent him off to fetch drinks and something to eat. Himself curious, "What did you find?" the older dwarf inquired, and rather suspected that Corbin would be scribbling down every detail he could draw out of Bragin.

Aervon was interested as well, and came to sit with the group to listen. He was particularly keen to hear what Bragin had to say about the Watcher...
"Tolo si, a tiro i cherth Eru" "Come now, and see the works of God"
Halrohir
Council Member
Posts: 102
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Retaking Khazad-dûm (see OOC or PM me to join)
on: October 09, 2009 08:11
Bragin gratefully accepted the bread and beer offered him, then sitting down on the ground with his axe out to use as a pointer again, he began his report:

"We have a challenge ahead of us, Dwarves, and no mistake about it. The way up to the Hollin Road is steep, and we may find ourselves building some kind of causeway to reach it; heavy timber and stone could not be hauled up that bank otherwise.

"Once we reach the Stair Falls, I discovered something heartening. The blocking of the Sirannon is simply no more than a cofferdam. Long ago, someone simply caused a landslide which blocked the river, and the whole mass of the hillside did the job. Based on my first look, we can release the river in inder a fortnight, and turn it into a spillway with good Dwarven skill!"

All as he spoke, Bragin was pointing at marks in the dirt he made, illustrating his observations. Presently, his marks shifted away from the dam and the falls, right up to what he indicated was the door of Durin.

"This lake, it seems, is a shallow pond, except out in the middle where the old vale deepened", he went on. "There are holly trees and bushes, drowned and rotted, everywhere in the waters and the banks of the pond. It's very scummy and slippery, which should come as no surprise. But what we DID see, out in the middle of the lake, was something - some THING - moving about just beneath the surface, waiting for us.

"The scouts from last night were attacked right up to where the spillway would rise, so we would have to place and post a guard at the height where we found the traces. But I am confident that, between our skills and our matchless archers and crossbows, we could make the beastie think twice before disturbing our work! Watchfullness, that is the word above all else, as we retake the Mines!"

Now at this point, Bragin stood back up, leaning on his axe as a prop from stiff legs. "One thing we shall need to do is, get organized first. We shall need a saw pit, for when the trees are felled, they need to be shaped as we see need. Posts, beams, timbers, all will be needed. Carpentry is the skill that will play out first, and we shall hew wood before hewing rock and moving stone. Now, I have some ideas...."
Edraitheru_Melannen
Council Member
Posts: 132
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Retaking Khazad-dûm (see OOC or PM me to join)
on: June 18, 2010 06:38
"I would hear these ideas you speak of," Frain said from where he was standing. "You will have your carpenters and whatever else you might need."

He squatted down with the others and indicated a few points in the dirt himself.

"We will position crossbows here, here and here along with a front line of axes while you do your work. Be wary though, we know little about this ancient evil that lurks in the waters nor how much pain it will take before leaving us be. Your plan is still a dangerous one, though we may make it less so."

Frain paused and thought for a minute before continuing.

"We must make care to avoid disturbing the waters. Though it may know we are there, it would appear that disrupting its place of slumber is what draws the beast forth. Aervon, would you take command of the guard and make sure they are informed of what they face?"

Frain stood up from where he had squatted down beside the drawing in the dirt.

"I will inform the rest that you are to have their full cooperation and will make sure that there is no problem with Aervon taking command of the guard."

Saying this, Frain turned and strode off in the direction of the supplies. He was beginning to wonder where Edraitheru had made off to.
gwendeth
Accounts Admin, Sindarin Mod & Head Stargazer of Varda
Posts: 5808
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Retaking Khazad-dûm (see OOC or PM me to join)
on: October 11, 2010 03:06
(( sorry - had a wedding at church on Sunday, so got delayed... hope this is all right!! If I need to edit, just let me know...))

"Tolo si, a tiro i cherth Eru" "Come now, and see the works of God"
gwendeth
Accounts Admin, Sindarin Mod & Head Stargazer of Varda
Posts: 5808
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Retaking Khazad-dûm (see OOC or PM me to join)
on: October 15, 2010 01:30
Bragin gratefully accepted the bread and beer offered him, then sitting down on the ground with his axe out to use as a pointer again, he began his report:

"We have a challenge ahead of us, Dwarves, and no mistake about it. The way up to the Hollin Road is steep, and we may find ourselves building some kind of causeway to reach it; heavy timber and stone could not be hauled up that bank otherwise.

Eagerly, both Regin and Falin listened to Bragin and watched as he drew in the dirt. Being much older, Regin nodded several times - the other dwarf’s comments making sense.
"The scouts from last night were attacked right up to where the spillway would rise, so we would have to place and post a guard at the height where we found the traces. But I am confident that, between our skills and our matchless archers and crossbows, we could make the beastie think twice before disturbing our work! Watchfullness, that is the word above all else, as we retake the Mines!"

Now at this point, Bragin stood back up, leaning on his axe as a prop from stiff legs. "One thing we shall need to do is, get organized first. We shall need a saw pit, for when the trees are felled, they need to be shaped as we see need. Posts, beams, timbers, all will be needed. Carpentry is the skill that will play out first, and we shall hew wood before hewing rock and moving stone. Now, I have some ideas...."

"I would hear these ideas you speak of," Frain said from where he was standing. "You will have your carpenters and whatever else you might need."

He squatted down with the others and indicated a few points in the dirt himself.

"We will position crossbows here, here and here along with a front line of axes while you do your work. Be wary though, we know little about this ancient evil that lurks in the waters nor how much pain it will take before leaving us be. Your plan is still a dangerous one, though we may make it less so."

Frain paused and thought for a minute before continuing.

"We must make care to avoid disturbing the waters. Though it may know we are there, it would appear that disrupting its place of slumber is what draws the beast forth. Aervon, would you take command of the guard and make sure they are informed of what they face?"

Less concerned with the actual construction (it was *not* his area of expertise), when Frain spoke of the guard, Aervon nodded. “I will be honored,” the Gondorian replied, and with a small smile, “If your fellows will stomach a Human to lead them,” he added.

Falin exchanged a glance with Regin. Dwarves taking orders from a man? - Somehow, he didn’t see that happening.
Frain stood up from where he had squatted down beside the drawing in the dirt.

"I will inform the rest that you are to have their full cooperation and will make sure that there is no problem with Aervon taking command of the guard."

Saying this, Frain turned and strode off in the direction of the supplies.

Nodding again, Aervon was certain with Frain’s backing, he’d have no problems. Squatting down, he looked intently at the designs etched in the dirt. Already, the former soldier was thinking of how best to protect the workers. Looking at Bragin, “Will you show me?” he inquired, for truthfully, he wanted to see the place for himself.

Falin, after watching Frain head off, hefted his axe. “’Tis as good for chopping wood as it is for fighting,” he commented. Grinning at first Regin and then Bragin, “Count me in on that carpentry,” he said.

“And, I,” Regin added. “Unless Frain needs me elsewhere,” he added, looking after the Dwarven leader…
"Tolo si, a tiro i cherth Eru" "Come now, and see the works of God"
12
Members Online
Print Friendly, PDF & Email