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LoremasterMiar
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 11, 2005 02:42
Now it would not be unreasonable to say that Thrain was a rash dwarf, if you had been manhandled out of your bed, thrown in a dark room with a bunch of Elves and had your height insulted you too would be a but peeved. But for a dwarf, those things alone would be enough of an excuse to clap the offenders in chains for a month. But add to that the fact that his most prized procession had been stolen by filthy robbers, and they had spilt his drink too. Well, lets just say that you would feel pretty sorry for those men, when the dwarf catches up to them.

Of course there is the matter of judgement. In the mind of an Elf you weigh up the pros and cons of the situation and try to come to a mutually beneficial solution for all. In the mind of a dwarf, anyone who is cowardly enough to attack someone in their bed, steal their hard earned gold AND spill a good flagon of ale, DESERVES to have their body hacked into equally sized pieces, their heart ripped out and shown to them (still beating of course), and their eyes.......well you get the picture.

This combined with the current situation, meant that any chance of Thrain formulating a carefully planned and well-thought out escape strategy had flown away, along with the guard's head. So at present Thrain found himself in a dark tunnel along with several Elves, not the ideal situation for any Dwarf to be in. However, the fact that they were all out of the cell appeared to be good enough. A job well done.

At this the dwarf sat down and drew out his pipe, he filled it and began to smoke it. He also reached for a hip flask, took a good long swig, before motioning to the Elves to sit down too.

"Come, sit down. We have done a great deal all ready. Lets have a good drink and smoke to celebrate. I think that I might even have some half-decent food in my pack somewhere," Thrain observed, as he reached into his pack heaped a small pile of firewood, and set about lighting it.

He looked up to the frozen expressions of the Elves, and then it suddenely clicked.

"Oh God, what was I thinking! I'm so sorry. How do you like your eggs?"

(ooc - just humour me here!)
Liswen
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 13, 2005 08:19
Telerea had to laugh. How could the dwarf think of food at such a time. Narmion had set her down, so she carefully approached Thrain. "Master dwarf," she said as tactfully as she could "I know you mean well in suggesting a meal - but this might not be the right time to sit and loose time eating when we have a bunch of Haradrim on our heels. And there is a faint, but strange smell in the air. I don't trust it. If we have any chance of escaping we should take it now and rest and eat once we are out of their reach, unless of course you want to find yourself in another cell in just a few minutes or hours maybe."
She turned to Narmion, giving him one end of her staff and holding the other. "This way I can follow you and you don't have to carry me all the time - this must have been exhausting already.... Thank you!" she smiled at him, reading herself for the next run.
Sirithros_Lirenel
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 13, 2005 10:26
Bronwe was now firmly convinced that this dwarf, at least, had more than a few screws loose. But at least they were relatively safe for the moment. (As safe as one could get in a dark cave system and surrounded by bloodthirsty Haradrim, that is.) She slipped out of her hiding place to rejoin the group.

In their mad scramble, Bronwe now realised, she had definitely heard hooves and a whinny or two. But of course. The Haradrim kept horses on hand for when they needed to move fast, or perhaps when they needed something of an advantage against their opponents. And then she realised the escape route had been staring her in the face all along. Bronwe was, to put it mildly, skilled with equines. If they were able to find their way to the stables, she'd have them far, far away before the sun rose.

She began to indicate the direction in which she had heard the horses, trying to communicate with her hands the idea.
Eldarion
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 14, 2005 03:19
Torlith looked at the dwarf incredilously, somehow able to think of food at this moment. "We'll eat later, if there will be a later for us. I'm eating like a king if I ever do get out." He rose to his feet, many of the torches around them through the corridor had flickered out during the commotion. All around them it was practically an abyss, save for a few torches scattered down the corridor flickering ominously.

A few moments later Bronwe had begain pointing down one of the many passage-ways. After random hand motions it seemed she wanted them all to go down through the corridor she was acknowledging. Torlith gripped the Haradrim sword and dashed across the ragged stone floor.

Not but a minute or two did he reel around a corner to find a well-lit corridor, moonlight shining through a grating in a wooden door at the end. He cautiously shuffled across the wall down the passage. There were doors on either side of the corridor, everything around him strangely quiet. A loud whinny of a horse soon shattered the silence. This was what Bronwe was signaling. All they had to do was get a hold of the horses and they could be on their way. But as Torlith came within a few hundred feet of the door to the stables a silhoutte of a man appeared in the grating of the door.
Elven~Princess
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 14, 2005 06:15
The stables were probably the least guarded of all the Harshem caves. Unlike most of the Haradrim, the Harshem could move faster on foot than most could on horses, but horses were a welcome to weary feet. Although it wasn't the most guarded, it was still well-guarded.

Since their birth, each horse had been trained to listen to only three people (Mahari, Shahar, and the owner of the horse). That is the other reason that the stables weren't as protected, the horse would not listen to a stranger (but none had ever met an elf.(ooc:hint, hint)

Ghazi glanced around the stables looking for his horse. Then he found it. A paint mare. Ok, so it was an unusual horse for a Harishem to have, then again it was a strange horse for anyone in middle Earth to have. The few guards stationed in the stables had heard nothing of escaped prisoners nearby, so knowing that Ghazi would give plenty of warning in the event of a break-in to the stables, in the unlikey chance it would happen. He got his brush out and started brushing his mare's belly, hidden from view by anyone who wasn't right next to him. "Easy, Simbelmynë." he quietly said.

If you look at Ghazi, most see the blood thirsty signs of a Haradrim, but if you were blind and caught him in a good mood, it would be troublesome for you to believe he is really from Harad. The only reason he went along with the plan is because he would be able to see the simbelmynë that grew there.
dreamdancer
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 14, 2005 07:25
Narmion followed Torlith after shooting a crooked smile in the dwarf's direction. He had never been around dwarves for more than a few minutes, and this one amused him despite the danger of their situation. As the elf went after the man, he led Telerea with her staff, making sure to avoid places in the path where loose stones or large cracks could be seen. Rounding the corner, he thought he saw a man tending to a horse within the stables.
"Easy, Simbelmynë." Narmion's elven hears heard the whisper. Was this the only man in the stables? The dark-haired elf looked over his shoulder. There were five of them-- the dwarf would most certainly need to ride with someone, as Telerea may need to. Narmion didn't doubt that the others could handle horses well enough. Turning, he dropped his voice to the lowest whisper he could manage and motioned for the others to gather round.
"Here are the horses-- what is our plan now?" he asked them, gripping the harad sword. He didn't like that blade-- he wanted his old sword back. It had accompanied him through countless fights and had hung at his hip for years and years. That weapon was out of reach, however, and he knew that saving himself and helping the others get out was far more important than an old sword.
LoremasterMiar
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 14, 2005 09:44
"Here are the horses-- what is our plan now?"

Thrain rollled his eyes, he walked up behind Narmion and tugged at his elbow.

"Look, I know that in a group of Elves my opinion is some what under valued, but contrary to popular belief I DO HAVE A PLAN THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE ANY DUMB ACTIONS LIKE RUNNING OUT INTO A BLIZZARD AND BEING CUT TO PIECES BY HARADRIM GUARDS!"

For a second he paused for breath and controlled himself.

"Look, first of all we are all hungrey, and are likely to remain so for a while. At least here there is shelter, so I SUGGEST that while we have this shelter was eat and take a little time to recouperate and evaluate the situation. Because when we leave here we will not be certain to find any shelter again for a while, and I don't know about you but I always fight better on a full stomach. Secondly, we need to equip ourselves, get your stuff and my gold back, because again, if we're not kitted out properly we will end up dead. And finally, let the guards come to us, if we go chasing after them then we are going to end up back in that cave or dead. And one more thing wipe those smug looks of your faces, from what I can tell your 'master' plan was to rush out, fight the guards and ride off into the freezing cold, without food or supplies. Now if you don't want any food then that's fine by me, all the more to eat for me. And once I'm done, I'll find a guard, MAKE him tell me where my gold is and then I'll sail off downstream on my little boat and laugh at the thought of all you Elves freezing to death just so you could play heroes. And if any of you give that racially superior look you all seem to have mastered and give me some snotty remark, then save it. I've heard it all before."

And he took a deep bite out of a bit of sausage he had been cooking.
Sirithros_Lirenel
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 14, 2005 05:17
Bronwe chose to ignore the dwarf. She made her way discreetly to a small bay gelding. He looked like he would be fast enough, and his conformation spoke of superior strength and endurance.

Quietly, she approached. The horse tossed his head and gave her a baleful stare through a long, straggly forelock, as if daring her.

She reached out to his face, careful not to stare him in the eye so he would not think she was a predator of some sort.

//Quiet now... come on...//

Painfully slowly, she edged closer until she stood at his shoulder. He stretched his head back and whuffled, nibbling her sleeve experimentally. Bronwe did not move until she felt he had determined she was no enemy, and somewhat trusted her. Then she made eye contact. She felt the horse's thoughts running into her head.

//Who are you, silent one? You smell different from these loud two-leggeds I see so often. You smell of my kind, yet you are a two-legged.//

//I am a different kind of two-legged. My... friends and I need your help. Will you?//

The gelding seemed to look her up and down for a moment, then lowered his head and pushed it into her chest in a friendly, horse-y sort of way.

Bronwe looked around, and decided to put Narmion, who looked lighter, onto the horse. She beckoned to him.

//Bear my companion well.//

Once the other horses saw that the gelding had accepted these newcomers, it was relatively straightforward to find suitable mounts for the rest. Now if only someone would shut the dwarf up and get rid of the other human in the stable...
Eldarion
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 14, 2005 05:48
"Elves..Elves and their little thing with animals. I swear..animals don't listen to me I'd rather just give em' a good wack. But no matter. My stomach has gotten the better of me, so the dwarf's plan is much more appealing than a blizzard and Haradrim guards. Now I'm not favoring either of you, but I'll let you elves execute whatever crazy plan you wish. As for me, I'm going to satisfy one monstrous hunger within me. And then forcing some Haradrim filth to talk doesn't sound too bad. Whatever gets me some food and a pass out of here."

Torlith smirked, helping himself to one of the extra sausages that the dwarf had been cooking hurriedly. He took a bite out of it and felt a smidgen of warmth for once, more than he had felt in the past few hours. The man took a seat on the cold stone floor and placed the Haradrim sword next to him to allow a complete enjoyment of a very low quality chunk of meat the dwarf dubbed sausage. It didn't taste very much like sausage though, but anything was gold at that moment.

After finishing off his snack, Torlith gripped the Haradrim sword and arose to his feet. He felt somewhat refreshed and noticed a tad of his strength returning to him.

"Well dwarf, about getting that gold of yours back? To be honest, I'm not going to help you out of the kindness of my heart, more out of extincts that are bleating for me not to ride off into a cursed blizzard. Sooner we get out of here and sit next to a warm hearth, the better." Torlith said, itching to leave the creepy hide out of these Haradrim.
Liswen
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 14, 2005 07:49
Telerea was still holding on to the staff - in the short while she had known him she had learned to trust Narmion completly and he had not let her astray yet. She had never stumbled nor hit her head.

She heard and smelled horses. She liked horses, her own horse was very reliable and always brought her to the right destination, but she feared this time she would have to ride with someone. She wondered who this might be.

Suddendly she felt a tuck on the staff and reacted. She went forward with Narmion who suddendly let go of the staff and took her hands to feel the horse. Then, before she could really get aquainted with the animal she felt herself being lifted and set onto the horse.

Not knowing what was going on and what would happen next she sat on the animal, waiting. She started to make contact with the horse, petting it lightly on the neck and whispering things to it, things which were important for the horse to know.

Then after a while she felt someone get on the horse behind her, not saying a word. She wondered who it was and asked carefully. "Narmion?"
Sirithros_Lirenel
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 14, 2005 08:47
[OOC: *smug grin* Elves don't feel the cold...]

//Oh for crying out loud!//

Survival instincts and the need for self-preservation took over. If they were going to be suicidal, there was only so much she could do. She had tried to help them, but if they weren't going to help themselves, well...

Bronwe selected a proud stallion, a lean, muscular storm grey. It took a little longer for her to establish dominance over the beast, but she felt he would be best suited to a long, hard ride into the storm. She saw that Narmion and Telerea were already mounted and leapt lightly onto the broad, warm back. Winding her fingers into the long mane, she turned him to face Narmion. Considering the stallion was larger, it would probably be safer and faster if Telerea rode with her, and she indicated so to Narmion.
LoremasterMiar
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 15, 2005 03:31
"Well dwarf, about getting that gold of yours back? To be honest, I'm not going to help you out of the kindness of my heart, more out of extincts that are bleating for me not to ride off into a cursed blizzard. Sooner we get out of here and sit next to a warm hearth, the better."

"In that case, you've got more sense than these Elves. Don't get me wrong, good warriors, but their focus leaves much to be desired for. But to the matter at hand. Now, I'm not just talking a small pouch here, we're talking TWO chests of the stuff. You see I struck a seam up north a while, did a deal with some Wood Elf tradesmen see. We dug out the gold together, they keep half and I gets half. Now, in your willing to help, I'll cut you in a share of the profit. But double cross me and well, you don't want to know. So do you swear an oath to help me?"

At this Thrain extended his hand to Torlith.

(ooc - by the way Dwarves take oaths very seriously, so this is just an insurance policy.)
dreamdancer
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 15, 2005 06:57
Narmion was indeed mounted behing Telerea, but he was torn in his decision. The elf felt the urge to escape the confines of the harad caverns, but the sword of his father was too precious to leave behind in the hands of evil men. At first he had seen no sense in the dwarf's plan, but now the desire to have his sword back (and to get rid of that wretched thing at his waist that these harad men used as weapons) was strong.
"It may be wiser to team with those two..." he said to both Telerea and the silent elf, "we should all stay together, right...? I still wish to find the man who took my sword, and.. well, we can't leave the dwarf and man to die when they helped us get out of the cell..."
He checked to see if the stable hand had noticed them yet-- no, he was engaged in the grooming of his horse. Narmion dismounted and whispered to the elleth's "Stay here for a moment..." Then she went back to where Torlith and Thrain were discussing an oath of some sort.
".....So do you swear an oath to help me?"
"Listen," he said, choosing to ignore the look of disdain the stouter of the two threw at him when he interrupted, "I want to get my sword back just as much as you want your gold. Can't we use horses in traveling through these bloody caves? It would be quicker since we all run at a different pace, and we would be higher up than any harad men we come across-- heads would be easier to knock from shoulders. I will help you get your gold back, dwarf, but understand that I will flee if it is needed to protect the elleth's we have taken up with."
Elven~Princess
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 15, 2005 04:42
Ghazi heard the voices of the prisoners and knew they had escaped. He stood up and was able to walk up to them without any of them taking notice.

"If the guards hear you talking, they are sure to come and you WON'T make it out of here alive."

The elves and dwarf looked at him, but felt little fear.

"They won't come as quickly if you promise me one thing."



OOC: you guys nearly post faster than I can read it, the thing he wants you to promise is something along the lines of keeping quiet about being the Harad prisoners. feel free to make up the conversation between him and your character.
Liswen
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 16, 2005 10:39
Telerea heard what Narmion said. Alone on the horse she felt insecure again. And left alone with the mute elleth would be no good idea. They could never find out what the other wanted.
She had never found herself in such a situation before. Usually she could impress people with how well she could cope and that she did not need any help. All of this had gone out of the window when she had been captured. Ever since then she felt like a little girl again, needing help and guidance.
The she heard a new person speak. She asumed it was the groom the others had been mentioning. What kind of promise did he want?
"What thing?" she asked aloud.
Elven~Princess
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 29, 2005 05:49
"Do not tell anyone anything you have learned here. I shall come to make sure you have kept your promise, that and, well, the tracking skills of Shahar are excellent, but none can compare with Mahari. What do you say? Are you going to let me come or do you all want to be killed for trying to escape?" Ghazi explained a little.
dreamdancer
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 29, 2005 09:40
Narmion eyed the man with suspicion. Telerea called out suddenly, hinting that she was willing to find out more about this man's offer. The elf gripped his sword and looked him up and down.
"If you can help us escape, then do it, I beseech you, but betray our trust and I'll show no pity."

(short post. hey, maybe this thread isnt dead after all!)
Elven~Princess
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Post RE: In the Winter... (free for all!)
on: May 29, 2005 12:05
"Under pain of death if I prove not true to my word." But Ghazi was true to his word. Not only that he was bored with his life in exile and wanted to do something. Maybe working with this band of misfits may just be the bread he was looking for. With that, he led to the secret passage out, to begin thier journey in the blinding snow.

OOC: i thought it had died too, so I figured maybe everyone was waiting for me, so I posted and it just might live
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