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Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: October 27, 2010 06:51

Thane cared very little about the lost tribesmen. Why should he take time and energy away from his own misson if even the lossoth were too busy to retrieve their kin. His ignorance was eventually blocked by the ellon's own, seldom heard from, conscience and he stood idly by as Mithennor divided the strength of their group. Perhaps this is what bothered the half elf the most.

Adûn, Lindir and Idhrenniel were about to run off to chase a large hell-wrought marble and dangle it in front of every orc in the north. Providing they actually found the cursed thing, they would need all the assistance available. While He, Sirion and Mithennor were in just as much danger tracking orcs and wargs around with the notion that they could acquire some injured lossoth baggage. Thane weighed the scenarios and found them to be foolhardy. Aside from just leaving the tribesmen as hostages and continuing their mission for the palantir, the ellon could not see a third option.

Thane decided that if he had to choose a group, it would definetly be the one he was already placed into. Sitting around all day waiting for the ranger to translate old journal pages was not the ellon's idea of fun, or of work for that matter. Plus it would give him more time to figure out how to repay Mithennor for her wager in the ranger's camp. The half elf had not ingested enough alcohol to forget the things he had been dared to do. His present lack of alcohol only amplified his embarassment.

Grumbling into his bed roll, Thane shut his eyes and got as much sleep as could be had in their situation. He awoke the next morning sore and grumpy, but ready for the road. The group broke down their camp and debated meeting points.

There was no telling how long it would take to retrieve the lossoth, so it was hard to pinpoint any one location on a map. It was eventually decided that upon returning the lossoth, Mithennor, Sirion and Thane would just have to keep an eye out for the ranger's mark. It would be vague. But a camoflauged trail was necessary to combact the strangely active orcs.

Fennuir

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: October 27, 2010 08:30

There was no sleep for Lindir as he had a great deal weighing on his mind. The morning was on them quickly and it didn’t take long for the voice of dissention to finally sound. It was Ulbar and he did not take with the elven plan. The Gondorian did not want to go with either group. He expressed it quite clearly that he’d had quite enough of the orcs to last a life time, and he did not fancy walking about the damned tundra to find them. It was suggested then that he stay at the camp and bury the dead, to which he happily agreed.

He clearly knew nothing of permafrost. Lindir thought to himself.

There were enough supplies left behind by the orcs to last Ulbar for some time. There were also those villagers that had escaped the orc raid who would return in a day or two and life would get back to normal. It was agreed that when the hostages were found and released they would bring back word to him of their next move. He could, when the Lossoth felt secure, ask them to guide him to the Dúnedain encampment and leave him there to find his way home. Or he could wait for the elves to return and leave with them.

It was a difficult parting with which Lindir did not whole heartily agree. A force divided was easy pickings. The evening before he wrote a note to Cirdan on a piece of parchment he’d torn off the records he’d found in the chieftains demolished hut. He then placed it in an envelope he’d made along with a ring from his right hand. He gave it to Sirion without a word but as he turned to walk away Sirion caught him by his arm.

“This is a little premature don’t you think.” Sirion removed the ring and handed it back.

Lindir looked at the ring in Sirion’s out stretched hand and smiled at the younger elf.

“I think not my friend. It’s best to have everything in place. You can make a point of returning it when we next meet.” The two ellon shared a knowing glance and then Lindir turned and walked away and joined his group.

“Well Adûn we are only four days behind the stone. Now we must seek for two men who can walk these lands in winter’s darkness with every mound and stone covered in ice and snow, as easily as we walk the southern forests in high summer. We have no cover, we can have no open flame, orcs roam the lands and the rains have washed away anything that may have shown us the right path. Do we have a false hope? No, I think not.”

He picked up his pack, shouldered it, and wrapped his arm around Idhren.

“I am glad to have you by my side.” He gently brushed the side of her face with the back of his hand. “I could not ask for a better warrior or one more lovely.”

They said their good-byes to the others and then took the path which would take them to the water’s edge in a few minutes. As they walked Lindir began to sing and Idhren joined in.

“I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew:
Of wind I sang, a wind there came and in the branches blew.
Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the Sea,
And by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a golden Tree.
Beneath the stars of Ever-eve in Eldamar it shone.
In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion.
There long the golden leaves have grown upon the branching years,
While here beyond the Sundering Seas now fall the Elven-tears.
O Lorien! The Winter comes, the bare and leafless Day;
The leaves are falling in the stream, the River flow away.
O Lorien! Too long I have dwelt upon this Hither Shore
And in a fading crown have twined the golden elanor.
But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”

(LotR FotR - Farwell to Lorien)

[Edited on 29/10/2010 by Fennuir]

maerwyn2233

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: October 30, 2010 02:43

Idhren smiled up at Lindir and without a word, her eyes told him the same.

He began to sing, his soft sweet voice a serenade and she joined in. Adun looked at them, with a sad look in his eye. She searched him deeper then she had before, there was something about him that was not quite happy. As she continued singing with Lindir, Adun did not join, nor did he smile at the sound of their sweet elven voices. Ah, that is a problem for another day, Idhren. One at a time now... She had to remind herself.

They reached the waters edge, it was beautiful. The water was calm, pure, and silent. It was a stunning sight for one to see in the early morning. Idhren was hopeful that they would find the men they seeked for, they would find the stone. She would not let anyone give in. Her fiery soul would carry them all through the darkness if they gave in. She would not let them fail.

Idhren took Lindirs hand and noticed that the ring he had before was now gone. She looked at him, with inquisitiveness .

"Oh?" She peeped.

Carandra

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: October 30, 2010 06:01

Despite the fact that they separated in morning, no one seemed enthusiastic about the idea. She wasn't either, but she felt as if part of the task was to aid the Lossoth, not just relieve them of the palantir. Divided they were weaker, this was undeniable. But three might be able to succeed where six would fail when it came to acts of stealth. She hoped. Otherwise she might be known as the elleth who brought about the doom of middle earth. She resisted the urge to rub her temples at this thought.

Tracking the yrch was relatively simple, most blind men could have followed the trail. She found herself in the lead, which was unusual, she normally didn't much care for others to be behind her. Besides, Thane had an air of contemplation, which was new.

and she didn't feel like it boded well for her.

They came upon the remnants of a camp... it couldn't have been more than a day or two old.

"So, do you think we catch up, or might there be a trap laying a bit further in wait?"

Mon coeur est genre, mais je suis un monster. (My heart is kind, but I am a monster.)

Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 01, 2010 12:54

"I'll never be able to rest out here," Thane grumbled, pulling his cowl down over his eyes to block out the sun's glare. "We need to keep moving. The orcs have enough of a lead."

He strode past Mithennor and took point. Secretly he hoped for a few orc stragglers. It would be a good sign that they were gaining on their quarry. Realistically, Thane had studied the orc tracks and was very much aware of their number. There were more than the three elves could hope to contend with on their own. Not in an outright battle anyways. He wondered if Sirion and Mithennor knew what they were getting into.

Thane realized then that this was indeed Mithennor's reasoning. She wanted stealth. The ellon disliked stealth missions. They took away the security of a fully armed batallion. Not that the elves had one of those at their disposal. The lack of cover and darkness concerned the ellon the most. This was not one of the southern forests. It was the open tundra, seemingly as desolate and hopeless as Mordor itself. One would think the orcs would be at home here. Thane continued to grumble to himself for some time as the trio continued on.

Running became more tiresome as the elves came into the hills. Thane was still a little fatigued from their last battle, and he was almost ashamed to be the one to request a break so early into the day. Eventually he swallowed his pride and the little group came to a stop halfway up a large hill.

"My apologies," he said, panting heavily. "Just a moment." Thane knew it would be worse for his burning lungs if he were to stop moving, so he opted to walk up the rest of the hill.

Mithennor and Sirion exchaned glances but said nothing.

When he came to the rise, the ellon stretched and lifted both arms over his head to regulate his breathing. He glanced down into the next valley... noticing two orcs that had strayed from their masters whips. Thane froze and was surprised that he had not already been spotted. The two orcs suddenly went on the alert, glancing about widly. The ellon realized that the wind was at his back, and he quickly jumped back down the opposite side of the hill and skidded toward Sirion and Mithennor.

"Orcs," he whispered, motioning to the rise of the hill. "I only spotted two."

Sirion and Mithennor went into action, bringing their bows down from their packs and heading to the next valley. Thane stayed behind to catch his breath. They didn't need his help for this one.

"Come on down!" Sirion called for Thane, not long after.

Thane got up reluctantly and made the easy trek down hill.

"Foolish creatures," Sirion muttered, kicking at one of the fallen orcs.

"Foolish is not the word I would have chosen for them," Thane countered. Afterall, they were the ones heading for an orc encampment. "Honestly I don't see how our mission is any less foolhardy when we have no cover and no..." Thane stopped in mid sentence, giving the fallen orcs all his attention.

"Whats wrong?" Mithennor asked, deciding that it was not a good thing when she could physically see the wheels in the half elf's head turning.

"Orcs!" Thane cried happily, and began tearing the clothes and armor off of one.

"Yes Thane... orcs," Sirion said cautiously, stepping back from the half crazed ellon.

"You don't get it do you!" Thane said, stripping off his own shirt and replacing it with the orcs tunic. It smelled horrible, but nothing could kill Thane's excitement. He already had fleas, what was an extra smell? "We have no cover whatsoever! Not even the comfort of moonlight! Did you honestly think we were going to be able to take a whole batallion on? There are too many tracks for comfort. But this way we can walk among them!" He began pulling on the orcs armor. It was heavier than he was used to, but Thane was certain he'd grow accustomed to it.

Sirion came around to the idea slowly and began to do the same with the second orc. He complained briefly that all his clothes and armor would be dragged off by scavengers, until Thane threw all their belongings under a rock to be picked up on the journey back.

"Well theres only two orcs... I guess we can wait to find some more." Mithennor commented, still not enjoying where this whole thing was going.

"We could, but the raiding party is four days ahead of us. They are probably already back at Carn Dum. In which case we will have no idea where they are keeping the hostages." Thane said picking up a coil of rope as he stood. He threw the rope to Mithennor with a grin.

"They will be easier to locate if we have a hostage to join them, dear Mithy."

[Edited on 1/11/2010 by Ohtariel]

Fennuir

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 03, 2010 03:18

The singing ended when they reached the water’s edge, it was time to get serious. The task before them was daunting but that just made it all the more interesting. It had been a while since Lindir had been sent out on a critical field mission and he was relishing the thought of awakening all of his senses. In spite of mulling over a quick plan he just caught the sound of Idhren making a small gasp.

"Oh?" She peeped.

“What is it?” he asked sounding concerned.

“Your ring, it’s gone?” she commented

He looked down at his hand and then back to Idhren with a smile.

“I’ve given it to Sirion my dear, he may have more need of it than I.”

Lindir turned his gaze to the distant shoreline and stared along it for a few minutes. There were was nothing but bare shore for as far as he could see. No movement meant a long run with only a few brief stops for Adûn to catch his breath. He would need all his training and strength to maintain the pace the elves would set for the next few days. Three days or two if they were in luck because the two ice men would not be setting a hard pace for themselves.

“Well Adûn are you’re ready. We’ll need to set a fast pace. I know you haven’t the stamina of the elves so after five leagues we will pause for you to catch your breath. We will continue on in this manner until dark when we will rest for a few hours and then be on our way again. At some point the icemen will have left the shoreline so we will need to watch for any sign of them.”

Idhren gave nod and Adûn said that the pace would suit him. They were off.

The brittle stone cracked and ground in complaint under their feet as they tried to set a fast pace. The stone was not ideal footing to run on but occasionally there would be a stretch of sandy shore line where they could pick up the pace with the improved footing. The air was cold even though the sun was in the sky and the mist from each breath could be seen rolling out behind them as they exhaled. The tundra rolled by unchanging until they reached much firmer footing. At this point they would leave the shoreline where it jutted out ten leagues into the bay and here they stopped to rest for the night. On the second day they went cross country for 15 leagues and crossed into the Northern Waste where the ground was frozen virtually all year round. In spite of the permafrost there were flowers of brilliant colour that took root in sheltered corners and lichens grew on the boulders and bed rock that jutted up out of the ground. There was wildlife a plenty here. Many birds, foxes, rabbits and northern deer lived here for most of the short springs and summers. Adûn shot two rabbits and cooked them with a variety of herbs that grew as stunted versions of their southern relatives. Peat and a few pieces of coal he found provided enough heat to cook their meal. The second day passed without incident but there were signs that the rains had not completely washed away of orcs that had passed here within the last few days. All the heavy foot prints lead away in one direction, south.

At noon of the third day they found signs of a camp. Someone had been here only a day earlier. Fish bones littered a small area where they must have stopped to eat. There were signs that they headed east, inland. Idhren went to the top of a rise and gazed into the East spotting hills in the distance, some 15 leagues away. These hills were the last remote vestiges of the Grey Mountains and it made sense if they wanted to hide the stone they may have chosen to go there. The problem, of which the icemen didn’t likely know, is that Carn Dûm lay only 50 leagues away from those distant hills Idhren saw. Not far from the camp Idhren found more iron shod Orc foot prints and as before the rain had washed over them and again they moved right through the area to the south.

Lindir thought to himself of how uneventful their journey had been and wondered what the others fate had lead them into. He was worried for them and he was certain Idhren’s mind was on their companions also. Adûn calling out drove off the shadow that had filled Lindir thoughts. There were footprints, very fresh footprints heading east. These were not prints left by any orc or the beast of burden. They were mingled with the icemen’s steps and it appeared that a third man had joined them. The lack of any blood or a battle scene gave rise to more questions that had no answer. Lindir was old enough to know these marks, for he had seen them in his youth before Beleriand had gone under the waves. These were dragon prints.

Naucoaran

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 03, 2010 04:49

For the most part, Adûn had little trouble keeping up with the elves. He was accustomed to the climate in the north, and the rangers traveled on foot as often as mounted. As the pace continued on and their feet devoured the leagues, his strength began to wane. The elves were accepting of this, and knew it was to be expected. His bloodline was pure, and the gifts of the Dunedein were strong in him, but he was no elf.

With a stroke of surprise, Adûn came across a third humans tracks that joined together with the others. They were acquaintances, or at least they were not hostile to each other. The two had stopped and had been idle with the third for some time before moving on. Prints overlapped and crisscrossed, as if one of them had been pacing during a discussion. A third of the Lossoth had joined the group then, with acceptance or not from the others. There was something more surprising for the ranger though. Adûn was taught how to recognize every kind of track, but he didn't recognize the non-human prints. Lindir explained them, and a chill that was not from the cold swept through the group.

"Nothing can be assumed." Adûn said after pondering the new piece of the puzzle. The Lossoth could be traveling with it, though I don't see how it has not devoured them yet. The beast could also be following them. News of the Palantir might have spread far enough to rouse beasts of legend. We must be wary, but I fear to move any slower." The two elves seemed to agree, the thought of contending with a rogue dragon weighing heavily on their minds as they set off once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirion smiled ruefully as Thane threw a rope towards Mithennor. The armor he wore reeked, and made his skin itch. He was quite sure it had never been washed, and filth coated the leather and made it stiff and grimy. Touching it left an unpleasant residue on his hands. When Thane made no move to help her tie her up, Sirion went to her side and picked up the length of rope. He put on a wry grin and held it up,

"I promise to be gentle, my lady." his tone was not too overly mocking. She arched an eyebrow and smirked, seeming to take it all in stride. They tried to let her maintain some dignity as they hogtied her in loose knots, but giving them the appearance that they were tight enough to bite into her skin. There were several complaints made, and a few grunts as finishing knots were tied. The two would-be orcs hefted Mithennor onto their shoulders. their destination was close, they had to keep the act up. She made a few scathing comments and promised more than a few hurts to be visited upon them when it was all over, with an uncouth oath or two between it all.

The orc armor gave ample room to stash their finer weapons, and some of Mithennor's bigger ones as well. She still held her multitude of small blades on her person, none of which would be seen anyways unless it was too late for the unwitting investigator. With the disguise fully in place, they were ready to make the final leg of the journey to where the prisoners were being held. Carn Dûm awaited.

[Edited on 4/11/2010 by Naucoaran]

Fennuir

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 03, 2010 08:30

“We were told to hurry and not to stop for food yet there you sit eating. How can you just ignore the counsel of our guiding spirit. You always bring shame on yourself Burodan by not honouring the ancestors words.”

“Whatever spirits or ancestors you talk to tell them that I cannot run on an empty stomach. You on the other hand you carry enough blubber to live on air and water for a month. Like a walrus during mating season.” Burodan tossed the fish bone aside and wiped his hands on the pants he wore. He picked up a fish and looked around but Nerrivik had gone so he began to eat the fish he was going to offer him.

Nerrivik returned a moment later. “You had better come now cousin, they await us.”

Burodan belched and rose to his feet. Slowly and grumbling about carrying the box he made his way up the short slope to the top. When he looked up he stopped dead in his tracks. His face blanched and his feet felt as though they were glued to the spot. Unable to run he did all he could do, he dropped the box and fell to his knees. Nerrivik was standing with his head bowed in reverence before a great dragon and one of the ancient Chiefs. You could see right through them both but there they were.

“Now you can tell them yourself about your empty stomach cousin.” Nerrivik said in a whisper.

[Edited on 4/11/2010 by Fennuir]

[Edited on 11/11/2010 by Fennuir]

Carandra

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 04, 2010 03:17

Thane obviously was in the throws of genius. And it worried her as he continued to gesticulate towards and about the orcs. Suddenly Sirion understood and she wasn’t far behind. Her heart sank as she caught the rope. She wanted to argue but everything died on her lips as she realized it was a brilliant plan. A really brilliant plan.

Mithy

She winced at the name as she caught the rope reflexively and grinned. Best to put a decent face on it, besides. This could easily be fun... if not a little fatal should things go awry. Her sword and bow and arrows joined Sirion’s belongings under the rock, her poniards and the more obvious of the daggers were split between the other ellons and hidden in the orc armor, her smaller daggers she kept. She was not going unarmed into an orc camp. They started to tie her up, loose enough to where she could escape, if needed, but tight enough to be convincing.

I promise to be gentle, my lady

She tried to give them a dirty look, but it got lost in translation as she tried not to laugh. After a moment or so, though, the knots got a bit more invasive... and rougher. At one point, when they were trying to tie her hands and feet together in some odd conglomeration, and they dropped her. On a rock. Mithennor swore loudly, Thane laughed and Sirion looked torn between concern and amusement. As she protested further, Thane laughed more.

“I will mark you, bruise for bruise...” and after another sharp jolt “You” she said to no one in particular “will be the only ellon, in the history of Middle Earth, to be beaten to death by a-” she was cut off as they had hefted her over their shoulders.

She hated almost beyond description being bound and almost wholly dependent upon others. True, she could get free with only a bit of effort and she did still have her knives. But she was an elf. And the orcs would surly know about the mission... and where there was an elf, there was a source of information, and.... entertainment. Not too far from the encampment, Thane produced a wad of filthy material. Mithennor knew exactly what that was for. She scowled.

“Open wide, dear Mithy” He grinned as she reluctantly opened her mouth for the gag that would be the final part of the ruse. Her retort was cut off by the foul smelling and fouler tasting rag. She glared at him as he patted her on the head and they made their way towards the camp.

She had no idea what was going to happen next, or how they were going to get out, or even if. She wasn't sure Thane or Sirion knew either.

Mon coeur est genre, mais je suis un monster. (My heart is kind, but I am a monster.)

Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 05, 2010 05:58

There was really no need to be binding and carrying Mithennor just yet, but Thane and Sirion were having fun with the idea of it. Beneath the orc helmet Thane's grin nearly spread ear to ear. Despite the presence of the sun, it was late in the evening before the trio made it to the borders of the supposedly abandoned fortress. Orc sightings became more frequent, and Thane started to grow suspicious. None had hindered them yet.

He was aware that they looked as one of their own, but they were obviously laden with an elf. The ellon expected to be challenged. Isn't that what orcs did after all? He couldn't count how many times he'd been sent to march on an already exterminated orc encampment due to fighting in the ranks.

Thane shifted his large helmet around in attempt to scratch his head without revealing his face. The orc who had previously worn the armor must have been low ranking. The face mask had blinders on the sides to keep the soldier looking forward at all times.

Like a carriage horse, Thane mused to himself. It was painfully obvious that the ellon was surveying the surrounding orcs, due to his lack of peripheral vision. As he swung his head back and forth, Thane managed to get a glimpse of the horizon. The sun was still veiled by a thin stretch of cloud left over from the recent storm.

Most of the orcs nearby stuck to the crags in the mountain for shade. Some wandered a short way from their posts, but kept a watchful eye on the sun. Thane realized their situation before long. None walked as boldly into the open as the trio did.

"Sirion." he whispered, though the sound seemed to echo painfully in his helmet. "We'll be found out if we don't find cover soon."

Thane could not read facial expressions through the helmets, so he assumed the ellon was confused. "Just head for the shade of the mountain there. We may have to stay till night."

Sirion complied and found an unoccupied spot away from the sentries. They set Mithennor down gently, but tried not to show it.

Having to think like an orc was already starting to annoy Thane and he hoped they wouldn't have to keep it up for long. He walked a little ways out to the edge of the shade and took in their surroundings. Fear started to creep into his mind and heart as he looked upon the orcs. This could go very wrong for Mithennor. He had laughed earlier when Sirion and himself had accidentally dropped her, but that was not his intent. Thane was not out to purposely cause the elleth pain, and the same held true now.

The ellon was known for his unsual tactics, but he wondered if perhaps it had gone too far this time. There was no going back now, but Thane still felt regret. He turned back to his friends.

"Mithennor," he said in all seriousness, purposefully using her full name for once. "I promise no harm shall come to you. You are put in this role by my doing, and you will leave it in the same fashion." Thane placed a hand over his heart. "Even if it results in harm to my own person, I swear it."

The act of charity was uncommon for Thane, but he meant every word. The ellon had grown accoustomed to his games with the elleth, and there was not an inch of him that would willingly take part in her demise.

With that he decided to change the subject. He did not want to scare the elleth. "We still have a ways to travel before we can make it to the fortress. I have a feeling that we are expected to do it in cover of darkness. The orcs will be upon us then, and we will have to do everythign in our power to convince them that we are kin but not to be trifled with."

"Perhaps we should use names native to their tongue?" Sirion offered, knowing he was going to have to communicate with Thane around the enemy.

Thane paused for a moment. He had never once bothered to learn an orcs name and had no knowlege of what one might sound like. The ellon chuckled. "Sirion I have never once exchanged pleasantries with an orc and somehow I do not think I will need to start. They are creatures of violence, are they not?"

Siron shrugged, he didn't know any generic orc names either.

As the day grew darker, the orcs began to stir and some evern started to wander over to the elves. Thane hefted Mithennor over his good shoulder and followed in Sirion's wake. If anyone could bowl over an orc on strength alone, it was going to be the blacksmith.

Carandra

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 08, 2010 04:31

Mithhenor never supposed Thane to be heartless, even if he wasn't the most thoughtful of individuals, but his sudden concern took her aback somewhat.

"Mithennor, I promise no harm shall come to you. You are put in this role by my doing, and you will leave it in the same fashion; Even if it results in harm to my own person, I swear it."

She looked up at the pair of ellons, but to Thane mostly. She spat out the rag, matching him for severity;

"I knew what was at risk when I undertook this quest, even my life..." she trailed off, unsure of how to convey her gratitude towards his concern. "Thank you, though... for your concern. It is not unappreciated"

The topic was quickly dropped. She was grateful. Contemplating death by torture was bad enough, but she was unused to being emotionally inclined.

She trailed off as Sirion and Thane contemplated orc names and other practicalities. As the sun light decreased, her nervousness increased. If they were to resist handing her over to superior officers, their cover would be blown. She calmed herself forcibly as some started to approach them. She was hefted over Thane's shoulder again...

"Gorag" she hissed as silently as possible. "you're name is Gorag and his is Kaluk. Now, hit me and tell me to be silent." There was a moment of hesitation "do it!"

the hit that Thane managed to deliver while she was over his shoulder wasn't as hard as it probably should have or could have been, but with the armor, it still made her head ring.

The orcs that had been approaching grinned through their helmets at the small trickle of blood that now traced down the side of her face.

"What do you have there?" the larger of the pair asked gruffly. He started to reach for her hair to pull her face up to confirm his suspicions. She flinched, it was a natural instinct for an elf to have around yrch. She closed her eyes.

A Elbereth Gilthoniel o menel palan-diriel, le nallon sí di-nguruthos! A tiro nin, Fanuilos

(((O Elbereth Starkindler from firmanent gazing afar, to thee I cry here beneath death-horror! O look towards me, Everwhite)))

((ooc: don't know about you, but if it were me, I'd be rather scared. But please don't take her for a coward))

Mon coeur est genre, mais je suis un monster. (My heart is kind, but I am a monster.)

Naucoaran

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 08, 2010 06:56

As the two orcs approached, Sirion and Thane quickly began to prepare themselves without appearing to be nervous. Sirion flinched slightly when Thane struck Mithennor, but understood that it was needed. Her lip would be swollen for a few days. Thankfully the orcs spoke in common. Each tribe had its own dialect and version of the dark tongue, and to avoid confusion many orcs knew how to speak common.

The larger orc stroked Mithennors cheek, or tried to as she flinched away. He let out a guttural laugh and turned to the smaller orc. "Still got some fight in her doesn't she. Maybe we should teach her a lesson." there was a hungry look in the orcs eye, and the two made some vulgar gestures to each other. Thane glanced worriedly at Sirion. The blacksmith was large, his shoulders spanned almost twice as far as the normal elf. They were slouched down to hide their natural height, elves were much taller than any orc and it could give them away, but Sirion stood up a little straighter. Orcs played on dominance, and size matters the most when trying to intimidate each other. Sirion was fairly confident he could snap either of those orcs in half if he wanted to hard enough.

The ellon puffed out his chest and grunted, shoving the other orc away from Mithennor. "Watch it pathetic scum!" he contorted his voice to make it sound like gravel grinding underfoot. It made his throat ache. "We found her, and shes ours. I don't want someone like you spoiling her for me." His whole body was tense, Thane shifted slightly behind him, readying his feet to prepare for a fight. The other orc shifted his eyes from Mithennor, to Thane, to Sirion. His fingers twitched, they were close to a rusty curved belt knife, the edge wickedly serrated. Sirion stared him in the eyes, daring him to move for the blade.

the orc took a step back and spat on the ground. "Fine, have your fun. Don't think this isn't over." he glanced at each elf again before roughly swatting the smaller orc and stomping off away from the two. After they were far away, Sirion let out a sigh of relief. "They'll be back, plotting an ambush or something while we sleep. We need to hurry." The others voiced no complaints.

[Edited on 9/11/2010 by Naucoaran]

Fennuir

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 08, 2010 10:36

All three agreed that they should not walk the last 3 leagues into the stone hills during daylight. They had come to a small bowl shaped dip in the land and there they waited for night fall before continuing. The trail of the two Lossoth, the dragon and the third man were obvious and it continued right through the bowl they now used to shelter in. Idhren and Adûn spent time scanning the tundra plain and hills for any sign of movement but saw nothing. Lindir was examining the prints of the dragon and the third man. The man’s footprints matched, for the most part, the traditional boot of the Lossoth except that it was very shallow for the size of the print. He had the same conclusion with the dragon’s footprints, they were far too shallow for an animal of that size. He sat beside one of the dragon’s mammoth footprints and stared at it trying to piece together the facts that puzzled him. Idhren came and joined him but she said nothing.

Lindir was pleased to have a private moment with her while Adûn was at watch. He took her hand in his and softly kissed it. Her hands were smooth and soft in spite of being a warrior. He looked at her just as the sun shone on her and gave her face and hair a golden radiance. He knew then that for as long as he lived in this world or the next he would never forget this moment. His heart softened and any ghosts of the past that may have lingered were dispelled, he was free to move on. He leaned over and softly kissed her cheek.

“I love you Lady Idhrenniel. I have fought against it and failed. My heart and soul are now yours. May our paths become as one.”

--------------------------

The ancient Chief and the great dragon lead Burodan and Nerrivik into the hills they had seen from some distance. Burodan, as a young man, had travelled to them with his father and understood their significance to his people. Nerrivik knew of the caves only from tails he’d been told as a young boy but their significance and the power that dwelt there would never leave him. His life would never be the same. Even his hard callus wife would see and know that he was changed and now bow to him.

The ancient Chief and the great dragon lead Burodan and Nerrivik into the hills they had seen from some distance. Burodan, as a young man, had travelled to them with his father and understood their significance to his people. At this site, one of the few bedrock out croppings that made up the hills, there was a deep cavern. This was the only such cavern for hundreds of leagues and here Chiefs of old had been laid to rest in unfrozen soil for a thousand years. One day Burodan would bury his father here; if Sirion and his company were abe to rescue them and survive themselves. Nerrivik knew of the caves only and their significance from tails he’d been told as a boy, but the power that dwelt there would never leave him. His life would never be the same. Even his hard callus wife would see and know that he was changed and now bow to him.

They were lead deep under the stone hills where there was no light but for the light of torches that were given to them. They each carried a torch and both carried the box with the Palantir over the rough wet stone and gravel floor. There as directed they set the box on a high stone pillar. They were given spears that had been laid to rest with Chiefs of old buried there and told to guard the stone. Only one instruction was given them by the Ancient Chief.

“Fear not, for powers you have little knowledge of have sent us to be with you. The gods of the elves, to whom your Elders called for aid, now watch over you.”

[Edited on 11/11/2010 by Fennuir]

Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 09, 2010 09:06

Sirion and Thane continued on, setting their pace to double time. They had to reach the fortress before sunrise. Traveling any other way seemed impossible. Thane made a mental note of the increase in orc population the closer they came to Carn Dum. Providing they escaped the treacherous north and returned to Imladris, the ellon would see to it that Lord Elrond was notified of the orc situation.

These monsters should not be here, Thane thought to himself. He knew the fortress had already been emptied long ago. But judging by the number of orc, the enemy was regrouping. He felt his heart race with nervousness and guilt for his spontaneous decisions.

After some time Thane traded off carrying Mithennor with Sirion. "You are both bearing me on the way home," Thane joked, trying to lift their somber mood with humor. "A palinquin will do." He refused to admit how sick he felt when interrogated by the orc sentries, not even to himself.

The ellon took point in their line and raced on. It was dawn by the time the elves reached the gates of the fortress. As they laid eyes on the encampment before them the sun started to rise over the hills, revealing the power that was breeding within Carn Dum. This was no winter refuge as was believed by the elves in Imladris, but an army. It became apparent that a palantir in Carn Dum would be extremely valuable in the hands of the enemy. More so than first believed.

"How are we ever going to navigate in there?" Sirion muttered.

Thane looked to Mithennor, hanging over Sirion's shoulder, and said nothing. She would play her part. But at what cost? The ellon felt sick again.

"Don't worry about getting out till we find the lossoth." Thane said quietly. "Let's go."

The ellon led the way through the gates, avoiding all orcs who walked nearby. In the shadow of the mountain and walls of stone the orcs walked openly. It took every bit of will power Thane had not to visibly flinch when they passed.

"Snaga!" growled a large orc who walked up to Thane. "Where did you get that?"

This greeting only confirmed Thane's suspicions that he was dressed as front line fodder. "Out on the tundra," he answered back.

The orc walked around to look at Mithennor, and lifted her face cruelly to inspect her. He retracted his hand a moment later, howling in pain. The elleth had thrown her gag and bit the orc in response to his offense.

Thane smiled beneath his helmet, but was livid at the same time.

"Put her with the others," The big orc cursed at Sirion, smacking Mithennor as he walked around. "And you!" he said addressing Thane. "Get back on the forage line!" He pushed the half elf into a group of similarly marked orcs.

"Alright scum, move it!" commanded the large orc, and he snapped his whip at Thane. The ellon looked to Sirion but was driven on by the slave master. They would have to find a way to meet later. For now, Thane's biggest problem was the orc whip.

maerwyn2233

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 11, 2010 02:58

Idhren made her way back to where Lindir was, and stood beside him without a word. He turned to her and stroked her hand. Then he kissed it softly, moving up towards her face and kissed her cheek. Then he said, softly.

“I love you Lady Idhrenniel. I have fought against it and failed. My heart and soul are now yours. May our paths become as one.”

She felt a jolt of new depth and excitment.

"May we travel the leagues of Arda together and part in not in this life or the next..."

She drew herself closer to him.

"Nor ever."

Then she kissed him. She held nothing back, each day was treasured to her. There time could be limited. Perhaps they would die today, tomorrow. She did not care.

She held onto him and slid her hand up his back, kissing him passionately.

Carandra

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 12, 2010 05:30

The orc's hit made her vision blur. Thane had been at an odd angle and held back. The orc felt no such restraints. The blood trickled down the side of her face into her hair dripping onto the ground as Sirion carried to where, presumably, the Lossoth were. She pretended to be unconscious, thinking maybe she could start planning with them as unobtrusively as possible.

Sirion set her down as gently and gruffly as he could, the Lossoth recoiled in fear until he left. As he turned, she opened her eye and winked at him before feigning unconsciousness again.

He left and she lay there, worrying about the ellons. What would happen to them should they be discovered? they were in atleast as much danger as she was. More was riding on them.

The Lossoth started edging towards her cautiously, murmurs broke out when they recognized her as an elf. Without moving and being as quiet as she could, speaking to the ground where she lay-

"Do not be dismayedwe're here to help you escape, I have two compatriots in the camp, disguised."

She fell silent again as a guard neared them, thankfully the Lossoth understood that she was pretending to be prone and went along, pretending to just watch her warily. There were some skeptical sounds from some of them, but as the guard settled in, talking further wasn't possible. She couldn't be sure if it was Sirion or Thane, though she obviously couldn't be knocked out for much longer.

A plan... they needed a plan.

Mon coeur est genre, mais je suis un monster. (My heart is kind, but I am a monster.)

Fennuir

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 13, 2010 10:07

Lindir let his emotions soar and take him. He ran his fingers through her hair and drew her so close he could feel her racing heart beats. When he kissed her a fire was kindled deep within him. Her hand went up his back and he...

“Excuse me Lindir, Idhren.” Adûn said sounding quite timid. “I’m sorry but the darkness is almost upon us... we really should be leaving. We don’t want to come across a patrol if we can help it.” Adûn looked as though he wanted to say something else but his tongue suddenly felt very swollen. With an awkward look on his face he turned away and watched the plain again.

Idhren rested her head on Lindir’s shoulder and they shared a quiet laughed.

“As much as it pains me I must agree with the lout. He kissed her and then twisted the laces at the top of her tunic around his finger. “I will find a private niche in those rocky mounds even if it means tying him and staking him to the ground. We will find a few moments alone and continue this.” He kissed her thrice on the neck and held her close for a moment longer. There was something more he had to tell her but it would wait until they were reunited with the others, and the palantir was in his hands.

The three of them stood at the top of the bowl and scanned to the south and north but nothing that walked on two legs was to be seen. The run to the distant hills took no more than two hours. They stood atop the first stone mounds and again searched the horizon in each direction but there was still nothing but the odd hare and fox. The trail they followed now crossed over the stones and could only be found where lichen had been crushed and rubbed off the stones. It led them on to the base of largest and tallest hill. This hill was some one hundred and fifty metres (500 Ft) in height and two leagues in length. They quickly climbed the gray weather worn and cracked stone. For two hours they scoured the area but found no signs to where their quarry might be. They did discover that orcs had been here recently and left one of their number behind. His head, legs and arms were gone; likely eaten.

It was an hour or so later, when they realised that they hadn’t eaten since the morning meal of the day before. So on the hill’s pinnacle, and out of sight, they stopped and sat for a small quick meal. The wind picked up and upon it came the first smell of distant rain to the West. They set to finding a spot to shelter from the rain but they had no success in finding even the smallest overhang to shelter under. So it was a most welcome surprise when they happened come across a well hidden cave entrance. They were hesitant at first remembering that there was a dragon in the area and this was perfect for a dragons lair. Lindir looked back and saw distant flashes of lightning and he heard the thunder as it rolled across the tundra. The storm was definitely getting closer. So, with their swords drawn, they dared to take the first few tentative steps into the dark chasm. They looked about for signs of the dragon and the Lossoth.

“You have no need for your swords or bows just yet my friends. We are quite safe here for the time being.”

The three warriors spun around and there gazing down on them was a Lossoth, he was standing on the coiled tail of a dragon. He was dressed as a Chieftain but there was something that wasn’t right about either of them.

“I bring you greetings from the Fëanturi Lindir. It is they that have sent me and my companion to bring you counsel and aid in the matters of the Palantir. They await your return to Valinor with the seeing stone.”

Lindir stood there dumbfounded. He had just glanced over his shoulder an instant before hand and nothing was there. Where did the visitors come from?

[Edited on 14/11/2010 by Fennuir]

maerwyn2233

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 14, 2010 12:07

Idhren felt her heart sink at the sound of Aduns voice, but she knew that they must be moving on now. It was nearing dark, and he was right. She felt Lindirs hand twirling her lace around in his fingers and he assured her they would continue this later on. She barely had the patience to wait but she was sure that waiting would only increase her desire more which could not be a bad thing.

They ran for awhile until they came to a cave, and they settled in comfortably watching the lightening outside. Suddenly Idhren sensed anothers presence and all three of them spun around in sync with one another.

A lossosh was standing, with his dragon.

He spoke words of being sent by the Feanturi and he knew Lindirs name. He said he would aid them in the matters of the Palantir.

"Who are you?" Idhren asked in a crystal clear voice, staring straight into the Lossoths eyes.

Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 14, 2010 05:47

His hands and feet bound, Arpenien crawled stiffly over to the newly imprisioned elleth. He sat quietly next to her and waited for the guard who was making rounds to leave. At long last the old man spoke, his voice hoarse from lack of clean water.

"Be still," he said in a gentle tone. The tribe chief tore a section of his tunic and started mopping up the blood from the side of the elleth's face. Mithennor flinched away from him, claiming that treatment was not necessary.

Arpenien chuckled. "You elves keep far too much from the world. It is a practice that makes a needlessly wary race." The old lord sighed. "But perhaps my own people would fare better if I thought as you did. I'm afriad I was too eager to call for assistance and trouble came to my land because of it."

The two tribesmen who sat nearby voiced their displeasure at Arpenien's grim musings.

The old man silenced them with a wave of his hand. "My lady I am Arpenien, Lord of the western tribe and I ask permission to assist you because of the nature of our meeting. It does not take long for things to go awry here." He pointed to one of the lossoth tribesmen who sat in the corner coughing. "Kelgard there grows ill from what little we have found for food here. The orcs do not feed us and we have a good idea why. If your reasons for being here are true we must keep you healthy."

Mithennor consented, finally sitting up to face the tribesmen. She examined her surroundings first, looking for any weak points in the crude iron cage she had been thrown into. There were none to be seen.

When Arpenien finished he addressed the elleth again. "Considering you are here only days after we arrived, I think it's safe to assume you found our ruined camp. Did you not find the remnants of our tribe?"

"We could have," Mithennor replied. "But we found evidence that our... mission was somehow headed away from them." She decided it would be best not to openly speak of the palantir. "Half of our company traveled hence. The rest folowed the orc raider's tracks here."

Arpenien bowed his head sadly. "You should not have come." He had already accepted the fact that he was to die at enemy hands. His disappointment was not stemmed from the knowlege that he would live to see his family again, but that his life would surely ruin the success of the elven escapade.

Mithennor looked horrified. How could he say such things?

The tribe chieftan shook his head. "I fear you misunderstand me. Lady, it has been brought to our attention that the orcs still seek for that which has brought you so far from home. We have told them nothing so far, not even while at the mercy of their cruel devices. But in our time here, we have discovered their plans. The orcs will return to the tribes. Luckily I know my people will have gathered all families together for strength, so I do not fear for them. The days will grow darker very soon and the tribes will follow the deer herds and move to places our enemy has not entered for generations." Arpenien stopped for a moment to cough into his sleeve. "We have also discovered that the orcs know of your party, and when your companions do not follow my people they will know the truth of things. They will send a larger force that your friends cannot hope overcome without the full strength of your fellowship."

Mithennor was not sure how to process this revelation.

Before she could answer, Sirion entered the room. He took off his helmet for a moment so the tribesmen would know him as an elf and not as an orc. Glanicng around briefly at the forlorn look about the imprisioned people, he found it odd that they would still be so depressed at the thought of rescue. Surely Mithennor told them already! The ellon fumbled around in his armor for a moment and pulled out what little of the smoked venison he was carrying. He couldn't imagine that the orcs were keeping them well fed, if at all. This sparked some excitement, even more so when he slipped his water filled wineskin through the cage bars.

The tribesmen ate ravenously for what little Sirion provided. They would have to wait for more later. Thane was carrying the rest of the food.

Sirion nodded, satisfied and put his helmet back on. He looked to Mithennor and was surprised to find her eyes fraught with worry.

Naucoaran

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 19, 2010 08:56

Before he left, Sirion gave a cursory glance at all the prisoners. Besides those scarfing down the scraps of food, few moved or even protested. They seemed resigned to their fate, given up on survival. The northern people were hardy, at the very least, if anything he had heard about them was true. The thought that they would give up with rescue so imminent and survival more than just a flight of fancy made him worried. He did a quick examination of the cages. The bars were crudely worked, and the locks looked simple, though hinted at something more complicated than what the bland casing showed. The metal was blackened and looked corroded, but felt strong and solid. The metal made his skin itch when he touched it. "Like it was forged by the dark one himself." he whispered quietly to himself. Despite his knowledge of how locks worked and were put together, how to manipulate them to make their mechanisms fail, he knew he would need a key to open it. "I will return soon, the time is near." he said confidently, he wished he felt as sure as he sounded.

Hesitantly, Sirion donned his crude helmet again and left the cages to plan out how he would stage a rescue. It was not long before he found an overseer lounging with a too-human looking shank of meat. He was fat, and seemed to be more prompt to work his tongue than his cruel whip that hung on his belt. He also wore a keyring with some large keys made out of the same blackened metal as the cages. It had numerous decorative barbs on the spine and loop. The ellon quickly began formulating how he would take it from the over-sized orc without him noticing. Naturally, fighting came to mind. The orc took another bite of his mystery meat shank, Sirion's stomach churned and twisted at the thought of what it might be.

He moved closer, picking up a crude club. As he neared the cooking area and the overseer, the metallic tang of blood filled his nostrils. A mingling stench of unwashed bodies, filth, and death surrounded the pit. He vaguely noticed the pile of bones off to the corner, some gnawed clean, others still with scraps of raw or cooked meat clinging to them. He recognized a femur, along with one or two pelvises and a couple rib cages turned into macabre storage units or knife racks. They were relatively alone, a few lower ranked orcs were there picking at scraps. they were small, almost appearing to gave some goblin in them. Front line fodder, somehow escaping their duties.

Abruptly, Sirion swung his club into one of them from behind. He felt the crunch of bone under the blow, and realized he may have hit too hard. "You grunts should be working, not eating!" He rasped, trying his best to hide his distinct sylvan accent. The one he hit lay unmoving on the ground, the other screeched at him, a few more came to his call. An explosion of violence erupted in the small group, each trying to take down this large orc, each vying for the prestige that killing him may award. When it appeared that the fight would not settle down, the overseer begrudgingly uprooted himself and charged in, barbed whip leading the way.

Sirion was mostly armored, but the cruel metal shards ripped through some of the cloth rags in between armor pieces, drawing some scratches. The wounds began to itch and he hoped it was not poisoned. Sirion lashed out at the overseer and landed a few hits, though most only as a distraction so that his other hand could grab the keyring. He succeeded, and as soon as he had deftly stored the key away, he settled down as the other smaller orcs shied away from the lashing whip. The overseer snorted and spat up some phlegm, then began cursing the whole lot of them. After the verbal berating and promises of putting them in the cook-pot next, Sirion left as hurriedly as he could. He was glad that the overseer really was as lazy as he thought, and thought he was too much a hassle or danger to try and fight with.

Sirion returned to the prisoners and tried to rouse them a bit more by showing them the key. A few were excited, but the majority still seemed like they still had no hope of survival. After a few silent moments, Sirion took the key and placed it in Mithennor's hand. He gave her a level look, locking eyes. "You will know the time to use this. I just hope it comes before they figure out it's gone. Thane has gone missing, I think, and if he is anything like I remember, he has not been idle. I must figure out how we'll escape unnoticed, I'll bring word back soon of the plans." He gave a look around at the prisoners again, then back to her. She still had a worried look to her eyes. "What's wrong with them? What's happened?" She filled him in to what she had been told, and when it was finished Sirion felt a greater weight on his chest. He gave some reassuring words, then fixed his disguise and left quickly, fretful thoughts pulling at his mind like the frayed edges of a mat. Not for the first time, he hoped they had not gotten in over their heads.

Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 21, 2010 04:50

”Die, filth! That’s mine!” Came the angry retort in response to Thane’s actions. The orc spoke in the dark tongue and it made the ellon visibly shiver.

Thane, who did not speak the foul language, snarled menacingly in reply. The ellon understood perfectly why the beast was upset and he quickly brought his foot up to the orc’s midsection and kicked him down the side of a hill. He hefted the spear he had stolen from the monster over his shoulder and took off with the rest of the group.

Thane had been sent out with a hunting party to provide for the orc fortress. The enemy’s food of choice was limited to the lossoth tribe, and even then, they were hard put to come back with a successful hunt there. The ellon had at first been reluctant to take part in such a ridiculous notion. Why on earth would he want to help feed the enemy? He was extremely tired from being on his feet and running for weeks, the very last thing Thane wanted to do was compete with orcs. In his very heart and soul the ellon knew that he hated these creatures, even if some part of them was humanoid. His very livelihood came from the slaughter of orcs, and every fiber of the Thane’s being was outraged to be in their presence.

This all came to a halt when the slave driver revealed his hunting strategy. The party of twenty orcs were to scour the mountain sides, and whoever brought back game was rewarded with some dark strange drink out of a flask. Thane would win this prize if it killed him. The first orc he had seen receive a sip had done so by means of smoking a fox out of its burrow. He had hauled the creature out by its tail while the orc’s comrades beat him brutally for a chance to steal the kill. Bruised and bloodied, the nearly useless brute brought the fox to his master and was rewarded with a drink. Thane had noticed that the orc stood straighter and ran harder after imbibing than he had when the party had first started out. If orcs had their own version of miruvor, the half elf was going to try it.

Before long, a small herd of deer was spotted in the next valley. The orcs shifted uncomfortably as the animals traveled in and around their territory. Thane, who did not fear the mountains or the legendary dragons that were said to occupy them, took up his stolen spear, found his second wind and charged after them. He raced now against a few other brave souls who were foolish enough to leave the safety of Carn Dum borders.
--

It was dawn by the time the slave master caught up with his hunters. Thane sat triumphantly on top of a buck carcass waiting for him, bruised and battered from fending off opponents who were after his kill. The large orc handed over the flask and the ellon licked his lips in anticipation as he removed the cork. He started to bring the drink to his mouth, but found that his helmet covered the majority of his face. Frustrated now, he turned his back, hoping to tip his face mask to the side while the monster wasn’t looking. This attempt failed as he had orcs on every side of him staring hungrily at the flask. Thane felt his anger rise and when it came time to return the drink, the ellon recoiled.

The large orc raised his whip and it curled painfully around Thane’s forearm. Determined and out of his mind with rage, the ellon fought through the pain and clasped the loose end of the whip. He jerked the cursed thing out of the orc’s hands and threw it behind him.

The orc brought himself up to full height and pulled a mace down from the sling on his back. He was accustomed to being challenged for his position daily; he was also used to keeping it.
The orcs formed a circle around Thane and their master, chanting excitedly. Thane unsheathed his sword and set the flask down by his deer carcass. He tested the orc sword for a moment, uncomfortable with its odd center of gravity. With a loud battle cry the large orc charged Thane, refusing to give him the offensive. Adrenaline filled the ellon’s veins. Thane dodged and countered, slapping the mace away with the flat of his blade. He turned his hand around and reversed the motion, aiming for the orc’s gut.

Snarling, the slave driver jumped away. It annoyed him to no end when one of his underlings stepped out of line. He often suspected that there was just too much goblin mixed into his subjects. The large orc feigned an overhead strike, and he kicked the ellon in the gut when Thane lifted his sword to block. The half elf disguised orc staggered backwards to the ground, the air knocked out of his lungs. Luckily Thane had the presence of mind to roll away the minute he hit the ground, avoiding his opponent’s mace that was currently buried in the dirt where the ellon had just been. The half elf hauled himself to his feet and spun around to face his adversary.

The orc was laughing now, confident that he would keep his position and his life. Defeating foolishly brave orcs was a sport for the slave driver, but he didn’t want this match to last forever. Thane regained his breath and came at the orc. Back and forth the two went, until Thane’s hand felt numb from the shock of blocking such a heavily wrought weapon with his crudely forged one. The beast was slowing now, but even that meant very little to the ellon. With a loud crack, Thane blocked the orc’s cruel mace for the last time as his poor excuse of a sword finally shattered under the pressure. Panicked now, he turned and fled back to the deer carcass. The orc gave chase and the onlookers howled all the louder. Quickly Thane took up his hunting spear and spun around. The orc had too much momentum moving forward and with one mighty shove, the ellon ran his opponent through. In death the orc brought his mace down, shattering the shaft of the spear and splintering the wood so it pinched Thane’s hands. The half elf quickly let go and shoved his fingers in his mouth trying to lessen the pain. Gleeful howling erupted all around Thane as he danced around rubbing at the bruises in his hands.

A riot broke out as orcs turned in every direction seeking their newfound freedom. Thane didn’t really notice until one of them went for his discarded flask. That got the half elf’s attention.

He bent low and grabbed the slave driver’s whip and cracked it. “Back in line cave filth!” Thane roared, more than a little upset by the whole situation. Out of fear the orcs quickly gathered around Thane. “You!” he growled addressing the beast who currently held the flask. “Hand it over! The rest of you, get back to hunting!” The orcs did as they were told, and when Thane was finally alone he titled his face mask slightly and sipped at the flask.

Almost immediately after the liquid touched his lips, he spat the contents of the flask back out. His mouth felt numb, as if he had spent the night in a pub. Thane had sampled firewater from nearly every nation in Middle Earth, and nothing tasted or felt quite this foul. Determined now, Thane took a second sip and forced it down. He coughed fitfully, but was proud of his ability to consume the horrid drink. The aches and pains in his limbs seemed to vanish, and even his recent bruises looked lighter. He felt strangely energized but his stomach seemed somehow perverted. Thane shrugged and tucked the flask away in his tunic.

He walked back to the deceased slave driver and stripped him of his leather shoulder pads, armor and marks of authority. Glancing around quickly to make sure no one was watching, Thane switched clothes with the orc. If he was going to walk around in an enemy encampment, he was not going to do it as a slave. He squirmed uncomfortably in the new armor, fresh blood still coating the inside of it, and took off back towards the fortress. The hunting party would be back soon which meant the ellon would have to share his new drink. Thane ran off the side of the mountain unaware that personality wise he made an excellent orc.
--
By the time Thane searched the fortress and found Mithennor and the lossoth it was past midday.

“Where have you been?” Mithennor asked. “Sirion’s been looking for you for hours!”

“Hours? Try half a day. Have you lost your sense of time without the sun, Mithennor?” Thane muttered. It wasn’t like he wanted to spend all that time out on the side of the mountain! Mithennor’s worried look told Thane that she was scared, and rightly so. He made a mental note to be more thoughtful. “I apologize, it just wasn’t easy to get back here.” The ellon decided to try and cheer her up. “I don’t know about you sweetie but I got promoted today at work.” This didn’t seem to help either so Thane decided to quit while he was ahead. Thankfully Sirion walked in not long after.

“Where have you been?” he said angrily. The ellon looked stressed. “And give the lossoth some of our venison, they haven’t eaten in five days.”

Thane wondered briefly if he was the only one too tired to be worried. He searched his tunic for a moment before realizing that he had left the rest of their supplies in his old orc disguise. The half elf wasn’t about to admit to this, so he deflected. “Why do I have to do everything myself! Have you even been trying to escape while I’ve been gone!”

Footsteps echoed down the stone halls just outside the prison door. Thane and Sirion jumped to their posts, pretending to stand guard and dropping any semblance of a fight between ellons.

A team of orcs entered the room and addressed Thane. “The she-elf comes with us.” One of the beasts leaned forward in the dim light and searched for his keys. He cursed repeatedly when he was unable to find them.

Thane noticed Mithennor and Sirion exchange glances, but the meaning of their look was lost to the half elf. Frustrated, the orc finally lifted his own axe and bashed the lock open. Two lowly servants proceeded to drag the elleth down the hall.

“Where are you taking her?” Thane growled, his anger rising dangerously.

The orc sniffed. “For questioning.” He looked at Thane’s marks to identify the ellon’s position. Why should a slave driver care if they take the elf? The orc shrugged and left with his servants and body guards. “Fix that door!” he snarled at Sirion before leaving the room.

Thane and Sirion exchanged worried glances. They needed to leave today, before Mithennor met her fate in the bonds of a torture chamber.

[Edited on 22/11/2010 by Ohtariel]

Carandra

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 21, 2010 06:32

Thane was, atleast for the moment, safe. She tried not to let on how relieved she was, but between worrying over him, Sirion, the palantir, the Lossoth, the newly gleaned information and the key she now had tucked into a boot, Mithennor probably came across as distracted... at best. sweetie she filed that away to be dealt with later, when she could focus. She liked her snide comments to be in their best form for Thane.
Then the other orcs appeared. At first, a wild hope sprang up that when they couldn’t find the key, they would leave to find another. As the lock broke, all other emotions bowed to the fear that reigned supreme as they hauled her out by her hair. She had managed, while thrashing, to kick the key out of her boot, as well as a dagger, which landed next to Arpenien, who then made to sit on them in an attempt to conceal them. The orcs must have missed the action, but she hoped Sirion hadn’t.

Mithennor regained consciousness slowly, unwillingly. She tried to open both eyes, but found that her left had swollen shut. She had atleast 3 broken ribs that protested each time she drew a breath, and several others that were cracked, bruised, or potentially broken. She took stock of all else- they had removed a strip of flesh from her left leg to give her a scar to mirrored almost perfectly the one that ran the length of her right. She had cried out when they had done that, and they had howled with laughter, but nothing else had left her lips, nothing to say where it was or where it was going, or where the others were. She bore burns and cuts and her head throbbed in time with everything else. She shifted on the ground and wished that she hadn’t, the stones on the ground cut into her skin, though they had atleast left her in her underthings.... not that it was much comfort or help, as she shivered. They had also roughly shorn her head- the upside of that was that they no longer could pull her around by her hair- that had been most unpleasant.

Mith supposed they left her in the tent when she had passed out beyond their ability to revive her. She heard guttural mutterings outside where she was being kept. Two yrch entered, one with a bottle in his hand, the other with a nasty grin. One held her face and mouth open while the other, larger one poured the contents of the bottle down her throat. She recognized him as the one she bit earlier. The larger one kicked her on their way out, the taste of coppery blood on her lips, she closed her eyes. She tried to decided if it was poison, or something to keep her alive longer... or just something disgusting to make her sick. She sighed and tried to sleep a bit.

Sleep didn’t last long until they came again.

((ooc: poor Mith. Now she has no pretty legs or hair. Rough day for the girl. ))

[Edited on 25/11/2010 by Carandra]

Mon coeur est genre, mais je suis un monster. (My heart is kind, but I am a monster.)

Fennuir

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 22, 2010 09:51

"Who are you?" Idhren asked in a crystal clear voice, staring straight into the Lossoths eyes.

“I am, in answer to your question Lady Idhrenniel, Anterion, Grand Chieftain of the Lossoth. In the time I walked these land you were but a elfling my Lady. As for my companion,” He slowly turned his eyes to rest on Adûn as if he had spoken out, “he is not a creation of Morgoth and he responds to my commands. There is nothing to fear from him, he is here to protect us.”

“Do you have the Palantir?” Lindir went straight to the heart of the matter.

“Ah yes Lord Lindir you would come to the crux of the matter. The stone is under guard some distance further down this cavern. The two tribesmen who took it upon themselves to safe guard the seeing stone now stand watch over it and await your arrival.”

This was what Lindir had hope for. He had been concerned that they might have to kill the two Lossoth to get the Palantir

“Then let us go and get the stone and leave this land.” Adûn said in a strong voice.

Anterion looked over to the Dúnedain. “Men, you always so impatient.” He turned and faced Lindir. “What are your thoughts Lindir?”

“We saw no orcs for some distance so I too would prefer to take the stone now and see it taken from this world. But you say you have come to counsel us, what is your counsel my lord?”

Anterion smiled “You would not make two leagues before a orc patrol would have spotted you. In your weakened numbers they would fall on you during the short night and take the stone. If, by some chance, you over came them you would still face death and the loss of the stone. There is a large contingent of orcs leaving Carn Dum. They know of your quest and they will hunt you down. Their numbers are large and you have no hope of escape or success. My counsel is to wait and guard the stone. Go down into the depths of the cavern where you will find the men you seek, and there you will wait. Wait for your companions arrival, and then we will take the fight to them.” A large confident smile crossed the Chieftains face. “Then I too shall have my revenge on them at last.”

Adûn did not like the idea of being trapped deep underground. He preferred to fight under a wide open sky in the forests of his homeland where one could see their foe, not in a place where the dead were lay to rest in the darkest caverns of the Northlands. He already missed the pine scented air where one could breath deep and fly into battle. Here the air was dank, lifeless and heavy with the smell of the tar torches. It weighed on his mind.

Lindir was surprised at the peace he had as they walked ever deeper under the stone hills. Whether this was because of the presents of Anterion and the dragon or because of Idhren he wasn’t sure. His mind constantly wandered to her’s where their thoughts of each other would mingle and dance. He longed for her touch and the for the night sky when the stars would gaze down upon them. Without realising what he was doing he reached out and took her hand.

They saw torch light a head and rounded a corner that opened into a large chamber, a chamber big enough for a dragon to battle in. They stopped before climbing down and hailed the Lossoth warriors. The warriors replied and watched as the three figures made their way down. It was with surprise and awe when they saw that two of the figures had a slight glow to them; it was just as they were told it would be. Now it was just a matter of time.

Naucoaran

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 23, 2010 05:50

As the chieftain and his dragon appeared, Adûn began to back into the corner. His fingers twitched as he pondered reaching for his sword while scanning the area for an escape. He was determined hot to be caught inside a dragons lair to be devoured at leisure. Fighting a dragon did not seem like any sound plan he had heard of, though he knew they could be killed. Perhaps if they were lucky, they could distract it and escape. His hopes were dashed on the rocks as the quick examination of the tunnel revealed that the only way out was through the dragon. His heart was pounding, blood rushed through his ears. He could feel his pulse in every part of his body. As he was about to charge, determined to not go down without a fight, the chieftain spoke.

Their lives were spared, at least for the moment. The chieftain and his monstrous ally were friends, not foe. As his nerves began to calm, the elves began to speak to it. The answers the chieftain gave, along with the way he spoke hinted at untold knowledge. They were aware of their names, mission, and much more they had not yet revealed. Among the words, Adûn caught glimpses of knowledge that had been known to only a few within the group, some secrets that were held even by these companions. He made a note to bring it up at a better time.

As the trio met with the lossoth guarding the palantir, Lindir made sure that it was properly covered and secured. "If we are to be attacked and hold our own here, we should make defenses." Adûn said after a moment. I'll go about setting some traps and snares outside. It will give us a leading edge to attackers." the others nodded their consent and he began the trek up to the surface. As he exited the cave he blew a large sigh of relief. Being under ground played with his nerves and his senses. Being confronted by a spirit dragon didn't help him much either.

Methodically, he began making snares and traps, ranging from simple noose catches to a few pitfalls. Tripwires were made out of thin strands of peeled bark and rigged to drop rocks onto the victim. There was not much he could do alone, however, so he stuck to simple small traps for the time being.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Mithennor was dragged away, the two ellon stood dumbstruck. "This wasn't supposed to happen." he heard Thane whisper. "We have to move fast, there isn't much time!"

"We aren't ready yet, there is still things that need to be done or we are all lost." Sirion said numbly "Sacrifices must occasionally be made, she knew the risks." He began to quickly fasten the door back in it's place so that a casual inspection would not show that it was broken. "Stick to the plan. I'll get the bodies." Sirion said firmly as he grabbed Thane and gave him a little shake to get him straitened out. He shoved the smaller ellon out the opposite door and left the other way to stalk some orcs. Thane's roll was pivotal, and he needed to be in the game or all was lost. Sirion just hoped that the ellon had or would get an escape route figured out soon.

In a camp full of orcs, you would think it was easy to find four unlucky beasts to kill and replace the prisoners with, but finding some alone and killing them without drawing attention was more difficult than Sirion expected. He stalked a group of two on a narrow path, a long curved knife in his hand. One stopped to scratch himself momentarily and Sirion struck. He plunged the curved knife deep into the first orcs back, piercing a lung. the creature tried to scream out, but a bubbly rasp was the only thing that came out as the ellon clamped a powerful hand over the things mouth. He hoped it would not bite him. The other orc heard the scuffle, and started to turn as Sirion plowed into it, knocking it to the ground. The creature tried to scream but Sirion immediately wrapped his powerful fingers around the thin throat. He could feel the windpipe crush under his grasp, and kept squeezing, anger flooding out of him as he thought of Mithennor, left to cruel devices because of his and Thanes inaction.

He pictured blades and pokers, hot irons and clamps. Most of all he was reminded of the group of orcs when they first brought her into the camp. the ones making lewd gestures and comments about their new plaything. He did not feel the creature stop thrashing beneath him, see the life leave its bulging eyes. By the time he got off the corpse, it was long dead. Sirion returned the two bodies to the cages, and left to find two more. The last two orcs he found went down easily. Each one was alone, one had even been sleeping to avoid the coming light. Each lossoth was stripped their rags and placed in the orcish clothing. they were spared the heavier pieces of armor, not being strong enough to move at the pace they needed to after starvation.

It was about this time that Thane returned, his eyes frantic. "The way is secured, but what about Mithennor? I made a promise to her that I would protect her, Sirion!" The elf seemed crazed, on the edge of hysterics. Rage continued to boil inside Sirion at the thought of that might be happening to their captured friend at that moment. Suddenly, he struck Thane in the jaw. Not hard enough to break it, but it knocked the unprepared ellon off his feet. Sirion went over and grabbed his collar and drug him to a wall then lifted him and slammed the other ellon into it. "Pull yourself together, you can't help her like this!" He shouted in the others face, then slammed him again.

He slapped Thane across the face a few times for good measure, and when he seemed to calm, Sirion released him. "I know where the torture cells are, we can go get her now. It's time." Sirion said calmly, but inside he was just as erratic as Thane. This was not how it was supposed to happen. We were supposed to get in and get out, simple. Thane had said it would be easy, nothing would happen. He cleared his thoughts. "This way, be quick." Siron said then rushed off, not looking back to see if Thane were following.

As they approached the torture cells, They could not hear any activity inside. Had they been too late? Sirion's heart pounded in his chest. He kicked the door, a shout bursting from his lungs as he charged in. There were three orcs in the room, one at a table with a variety of instruments spread out on it while two others were standing over an unconscious Mithennor clad only in undergarments. Please just be unconscious Sirion thought. The orcs were startled, and unprepared for a fight. Sirion launched a knife into the chest of one standing over Mithennor, then charged the torture artist. Thane started working on the other by Mithennor, his blade making quick work of an unarmed orc.

The torture artist picked up a poker that had been resting in a hearth. The end glowed red, and he swung it menacingly at Sirion. The elf danced back, but was too frustrated and angry to play games. He did a quick parry of a crude thrust then amputated the orc at the wrist, then slashed off his other arm as he tried to throw a spiked hammer at the elf. Sirion hesitated in killing the orc for a second, then picked up the hot poker. Rage filled his eyes, making him see red. He thrust the poker deftly into one of the orcs eyes then shoved hard, pushing the body to the ground. He ground the implement into the creature, finally working his way into the brain cavity and killing the beast abruptly.

Thane was standing over Mithennor, seeming useless as he stared at her unmoving body. "Move" Sirion said roughly, shoving Thane out of the way. He checked for a pulse and found one, though it was a little soft. Her skin felt hot to the touch, and a light layer of sweat covered her body. "She's alive, lets go." he said, motioning for Thane to move towards the door and take point. Sirion glanced around quickly, and grabbed a ratty blanket that had brown smears on it, dried blood most likely. He wrapped Mithennor in it, trying to give her some decency, then lifted her into his arms. She was hardly a burden to him, being hardened from years of working metal.

The two elves had to sneak back to the lossoth, being careful not to be seen. An orc cradling a prisoner was too strange, and they would be found out. In what seemed like hours, but could only have been a handful of minutes, they made it back. As Thane was getting the Lossoth up and ready to go, Mithennor began to stir. Sirion laid her on the ground and held her down as she began to fight back, suddenly unrestrained and unaware of where she was.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." He said hoarsely, glad that she was at least alive after all. The grin left his face though "If you can call it that. This hell hole has only the stench of death inside it. Be still. Your ribs are broken, along with countless other things that may be hurt on you. I'm sorry I couldn't find your clothes, this blanket will have to do for now." He turned to Thane. "She's awake, though I wouldn't count on her moving much."

[Edited on 24/11/2010 by Naucoaran]

Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 23, 2010 08:21

The longer Mithennor spent in hands of the orcs , the more worried Thane became. They had been idle for too long and now the elleth would pay the price. Thane ran frantically out of the fortress the minute Sirion knocked some sense into him. The way had to be clear for their escape, and it was the half elf’s job to make it so. On his travels back from the orc hunting party, Thane had discovered a thin ridge leading off the side of the mountain, heading west and out of the fortress. Thin enough that only two could walk abreast at a time. Travel out of Carn Dum would be slow, but the minute they were free of the mountains it would be a straight run for the lossoth tribes.

The main problem was the orc guard. Thane dispatched as many as he could, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before their relief appeared. Time passed slowly for Thane, he was anxious and his movements were clumsy. More than once he missed a vital spot on an orc and the creature cried out, attracting his comrades. Thane was hard put to silence and hide all of them, but he was soon able to return to Sirion.

The two ellon ran as fast and hard as they could to the lower dungeons, hoping and praying that they were not about to see the reality of their mission unveiled before their eyes. Despite knowing the dangers of Carn Dum, Sirion and Thane stood dumbfounded in the doorway of the torture cell the minute they spotted Mithennor. Thane’s anxiety and fear turned to blinding rage, and his hands shook with the emotional overload. The elves overtook the orcs with little trouble, though it did not satisfy their frustration and pain.

Thane looked down at Mithennor after the orcs were spent. He couldn’t speak or even move in his state of shock. Thane was ashamed to even look at her, but found he could not bring himself to turn his gaze. How could he have let this happen? Beneath his helmet Thane wept. Hot tears ran down his cheeks as Mithennor’s injuries were checked.

Quickly Sirion lifted Mithennor into his arms and they were off again. Back up the long way they came to return to the lossoth. The tribes men had finished stuffing their decoys with orcs, and had used the dagger the elleth had dropped to cut their bonds. They stood and exited their cell when the elves arrived. Sirion stopped for a moment to see to Mithennor who has just regained consciousness, but they could afford that moment only to try and make her more comfortable. They were moving again almost as soon as she was wrapped tightly in her blanket.

Thane took point leading the way out. Arpenien and one of his men came next, blocking the view of Mithennor and Sirion who followed. The ellon gave a sword to the last tribesman who brought up the rear, keeping a look out for any trouble. Thane kept their pace as fast as he could, though they were slowed from the old and the wounded in their party. His throat felt shut so tight he couldn’t even shout at them to hurry.

When they made it to the ridge Thane had discovered, a bell rang out repeatedly in the fortress. Someone had discovered their decoys. Thane moved Arpenien to the front of the line and let Sirion pass. He pulled the two tribesmen to the back with him to cut down the enemy that would surely give chase. The group ran on the ridge that tipped precariously off the mountain, and in the failing light they were not yet noticed. As quiet as they were all trying to be, every step Sirion took jarred Mithennor’s injuries and she whimpered and cried out often.

When they had gotten far enough away from the fortress Sirion set Mithennor down to give her a break.

“She’s taken a fever and we’ll be discovered if she keeps calling out,” Sirion muttered, almost at a loss for what to do. He was a blacksmith not a healer.

Thane turned away, unable to deal with any of it. In the service Thane developed a habit of using drink to cope with his stress. With shaking hands he searched his tunic for his flask. He pulled it forth from his pocket and started to bring it to his lips, when the smell of the orc concoction wafted against his senses. Thane had almost forgotten he’d acquired it!

“Move,” he said hoarsely at long last, nudging at Sirion weakly. Thane bent and sat next to Mithennor. He took a deep breath before reaching out to her and lifting her head. It pained him to touch her. Slowly and carefully he shifted her position and came to rest her back against his chest.

“Sirion hold her,” he said quietly. “She will want to reject this.” The ellon did as he was bade and restrained the elleth gently but firmly.

“Mithennor you must drink this, it will help with the pain.” Thane nodded at Sirion as he started to poor the orc drink into her mouth.

She struggled and managed to spit out most of the liquid, but Thane and Sirion tightened their grip on her and managed to help her keep down half of the flask’s contents.

Mithennor, exhausted as she was, could sleep the minute the drink took effect. She felt numb to her wounds and was able to ignore Sirion's jarring trot. Thane passed the flask around the group. None of them had found any sleep in the last couple days, and there were many leauges yet to run. Their fatigue was temporarily dealt with after one sip a piece. Thane saved the rest of the flask for Mithennor. The night had just begun, and the ellon had a feeling they would need all their strength in the coming race across the tundra.

[Edited on 24/11/2010 by Ohtariel]

Carandra

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 24, 2010 09:03

(ooc: getting some of this from when I had a fever that made me see things... 104.5 isn't as much fun as you might think... and it's not so good, neither was the last, sorry. Fambly is running amok)

Awareness slowly came back. She was being carried, probably to somewhere worse... the cook pot, she knew that was a possibility. She tried to thrash, unsuccessfully. Someone was holding her down she opened her mouth to yell, but the voice coming from the orc was familiar... comforting. Sirion.
She opened her good eye and tried to look around, her head spun and breathing was getting to be increasingly difficult.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. If you can call it that. This hell hole has only the stench of death inside it. Be still. Your ribs are broken, along with countless other things that may be hurt on you. I'm sorry I couldn't find your clothes, this blanket will have to do for now"

she tried to give a thin smile, but it turned out more to be a grimace and any other response was swallowed by a cough that made her feel like her chest was about to split in twain.

It was hard to tell who was who with the orc garb on. She gave up and closed her eyes... eye again. She held her blanket against her... it was so cold. Someone scooped her up again and they were off at brisk pace. She slipped in and out of awareness, everything hurt. Her ribs made breathing hard, but actually breathing was painful as well... like fire. Every move was painful.

She didn't remember getting to the outskirts of the camp, Mithennor felt herself being repositioned against Thane... she was fairly certain it was Thane, but the gentleness was surprising. She tried to open her eyes again, the one still swollen. Sirion held her and Thane forced something vile down her throat, it burned going down, she gagged. Eventually, some got down and in a few moments things felt numb. Not better, but... numb. She had wanted to say something to Sirion, to Thane, but it was lost in the shivers as Sirion picked her up again, running.

She tried to focus on something.... her heart beat, the rhythm of Sirion's footsteps as they sprinted away from the orcs.

She shivered some more. How could one feel like there was melting inside but frozen elsewhere? She felt like she was going to melt before she froze. She was only faintly aware of some parts of the wound on her leg had opened, the orc draught had brought about a numbness that led not towards sleep, but just towards blackness.

[Edited on 25/11/2010 by Carandra]

Mon coeur est genre, mais je suis un monster. (My heart is kind, but I am a monster.)

Fennuir

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 25, 2010 03:13

(OOC I’m sorry but I’m sort of lost in trying to keep our group going. My apologies if my post sounds more like a long winded narration.)

New torches were lit and set in sconces cut into stone walls and what food there was, was shared by all. Adûn had gone to the surface and returned over an hour later. He told the others of his little surprises he had fashioned for the orcs and everyone had a hearty laugh imagining in their minds eye the trouble he would cause in the orc ranks. Their mission was known to the orcs and they likely knew that they were somewhere in the area with the stone. There was other news though and Lindir took it upon himself to share what he knew but he’d waited until the time seemed right.

There were shouts of anger, wailing and cries of grief when the orc attack on the Lossoth village and the loss of life was explained to Burodan and Nerrivik. Burodan confirmed that the hut where Lindir had found the parchment was indeed the Chieftain’s, his father. Their blood ran hot and it was all the others could do to keep them in the cavern; the blind fever of vengeance was on them both. Because Lindir and his companions knew nothing of the village lay out or the people they could not bring any news of who had fled and who had perished. The only one thing they could confirm is that the Chieftain was not amoung the dead; it brought no consolation to Burodan. Their grief changed to horror when they learned of the hostages the orcs had taken, they knew much of the orcs from old stories of the past and the orcs had not changed in all that time.

They were grateful when told of the rescue mission and surprised that the elves would put themselves in harm’s way for people they did not know and who’s lives mattered little to men of the south. Burodan shared the arguments he and his father had had about the seeing stone and that news of it was shared with far too many when help was sought. Had his father listened to his fellow elders none of this would have happened. Idhren complemented Burodan and Nerrivik on the courage and foresight they had shown in taking the stone to safe guard it. When told what the stone could do and of the many lives they had saved keeping it from the orcs they were awed and somewhat comforted in the actions they had undertaken. Shortly thereafter one of the torches was extinguished and the two tribesmen were left to themselves.

In the semi darkness some attempted to rest but not Idhren and Lindir. They spoke quietly in Lindir’s native tongue, Quenya, so that the others would not understand but there was a possibility that Adûn would understand some of what they said. It was not long before their passion awoke and for a time love was allowed to overrule concern for the day to come. They tried to be quiet but every now and then soft laughter escaped them.

There was a sound that travelled through the chamber that everyone took note of. A horn sounded close to the cave entrance, a sound well known by all but the two Lossoth. What Anterion had told them had indeed come to pass; the orc scouts had arrived.

Everyone scrambled, readied their weapons and began to move forward to a point from where they could observe the cave entrance. The Overseer could be heard issuing orders in black speech. It only took a minute or two before the shouts and screams of pain could be heard as Adûn’s traps began to take their toll on the orcs. There was a loud bellow from somewhere above them followed by a few rocks and dust which fell across the cave entrance followed by a large object which hit the stone with a dull thud and crunch. There were shouts and screams of rage as one of Adûn’s snares brought about the fall and death of the orc overseer. Black blood slowly spread out across the rock from the overseer’s split scull and seeped into the cracks in the rocks. Orcs scrambled down the stones to their fallen commander and raged at his fall but it didn’t take more than a minute or so before some began to investigate the cave’s entrance.

The five protectors of the palantir readied their bows but held back waiting to see if the orcs would risk going into the cave without their task masters whip to drive them forward. They ventured in a little further. Lindir and the others pulled back on their bows but a deep growl from deeper within the cave rumbled and shook the rocks. Everyone fell to the floor. The orcs began to shriek and fled the area as quickly as they could as another deeper guttural growl shook the rocks followed by a blast of enchanted fire.

Anterion’s voice came to the five telling them they had nothing to fear. The Lossoth had turned and ran back down to the chamber. The others stayed where they were and lay flat against the stone not knowing what would happen next. Several orcs shot volleys of arrows into the caves dark interior and scrambled over the stone as fast as they could and fled the area.

“We have to drag him in and make it look like a dragon took him for his meal. I know it’s not your way but we have to make a bit of a mess of him.” Adûn commented. “They may have a scout watching so we’ll have to wait till dark.”

Adûn who was rather pleased with the result turn to Lindir and was about to say something but his mouth opened and nothing more came out. One of the wildly shot orc arrows had lodged itself into Lindir’s left shoulder. It had sunk deep into his flesh entering the muscle where the arm and shoulder meet. Idhren gazed only for a second at the arrow and the growing blood stain on Lindir’s tunic. She tore open the front of his tunic and with her knife she cut away the remaining fabric from the wound and pulled off the sleeve. She began to tear strips of fabric and wrap it around the arrowhead. From her own tunic she tore a long strip of fabric and wrapped it over his chest and around him to hold the packing around the arrow head in place.

Adûn had already gone back to get the Lossoth and the two spears they had. They made their way back to Lindir and fashioned a stretcher out of the spears and Adûn’s travelling cloak. Within a half hour they had managed to carry Lindir down to the chamber. He was left alone with Idhren while the others went back to drag the dead overseers body into the cave as soon as it became dark.

“The bleeding has slowed.” She said a matter-of-factly.

Lindir took her hand. “Don’t worry my dear, I am in good hands and everything will be alright. The others can't be to far off now with the orcs on the move. I pray that they are all well. ” He gently took her hand and kissed it.

[Edited on 26/11/2010 by Fennuir]

Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 25, 2010 09:43

"The elves have their prize!" Burodan growled at his cousin when they were finally alone. "We should leave now!" The hotheaded tribesman was done with the whole situation. He was finished with the stone, the orcs, the elves and even his deceased kin. Visits from the relatives were bad enough when they were alive, always feeling the need to have a say in Burodan's life. But now they were doing it from beyond the grave! If the old chieftan hadn't been helping them, Burodan would have seen it as a bad omen. The lossoth felt as a man possessed at the thought of his ruined tribe. He dared not voice his ungrateful complaints, not even to Nerrivik, and decided that it would save them both a great deal of trouble to simply return to the tribe.

"Burodan, these people are risking their lives for our kin." Nerrivik, who had always been blessed with the cooler head out of the two, said with some surprise. It was apparent, however, that he was just as content with the situation as his cousin was. "What if your wife or one of your sons are among the missing? You would abandon our only allies in their time of need?"

Burodan sighed and massaged at his temples in frustration. It was not in him to leave the elves now. "No," he muttered. Though he knew in his heart that if he were back home in the tribes, no force on earth would keep him from leaving the elves and going to the rescue of his kin. "It just feels wrong to sit still when our families are still suffering, despite removing the cursed stone."

"I know," Nerrivik said sadly and patted his cousin on the shoulder sympathetically.

"There's nothing for it then," Burodan said with a sigh as he stood.

Nerrivik knew his cousin and was aware that nothing good ever came from Burodan making up his mind so quickly. "Where are you going now?"

"To speak with Anterion.We cannot hope to defend against the oncoming wave, especially when one of us is already injured."

"Burodan, please! Do not--"

"Do not follow me, cousin. This need to be done. I will be back shortly."

The future lossoth chieftan stood taller in that moment. He felt overcome then by a confidence that bordered arrogance. Burodan grabbed a lit torch as he walked deeper into the recceses of the cavern. He would need Anterion’s full attention and power for this request, and to do that Burodan would need to find the chieftan's burial site. The elder's grave was his channel to the realm of the living, or so went the eldritch belief. Having been here as a boy the tribesman knew this would be easier said than done. Gravesites were not marked by written names, but by deeds. Symbols of Anterion’s triumphs in life would surround his tomb in the hopes that the deceased's legacy would not be lost to his people. The tribesman only hoped he could remember his ancestry well enough to aid in this search. He walked now on sacred ground, and even as a future chieftan he knew that this was a place he was not yet permitted to dwell.

But Burodan's need was great and he decided that if Anterion could not see that in death, then the chieftan was not their ally.

Fennuir

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: November 29, 2010 08:57

Lindir’s shoulder throbbed and the pain cursed down his entire left side. It was a unfortunate blow but now something had to be done. The Dúnedain were all skilled in the arts of healing and this would be a common injury for them to deal with. Adûn came to Lindir and crouched down beside him.

“Are you ready?”

Lindir nodded.

“I have one of your own elven blades made for just this purpose." Adûn was slowly unwrapping the blade. It will still hurt like hell my friend and I have nothing to give you for the pain.”

“Well next time we’ll be sure to bring a surgeon along.” Lindir tried to smile but it was difficult. “Do what you must Adûn, I won’t hold it against you.”

Burodan and Nerrivik were brought over to hold Lindir down and keep him as still as possible. Idhren held his legs down and looked away. It was not a straight forward process but waiting was not an option. The arrow shaft had been broken off by Idhren before Lindir was carried back to the chamber. What remained of the shaft was only a stub of about three inches. Adûn cleaned the blade and heated it with one of the torches. His hand shook a bit, he took a deep breath and looked at Lindir who gritted his teeth and nodded.

At the first stroke of the blade Lindir began to shake, at the second his face broke out in sweat and it was all he could do to not shout out. Each time the blade cut into his flesh it was as though fire was searing from the blade. Adûn drew the blade a little deeper until the blade was stopped by the head of the arrow. The incisions were small but they had to be deep, they had to reach the back of the arrow head where the arrow was widest. Adûn could feel the resistance on the blade as it cut through a bit of muscle. Lindir could not keep himself from writhing in pain and it was all that Burodan and Nerrivik could do to keep Lindir down. Adûn examined the wound and probed it with the blade to make sure he had indeed cut deeply enough. The bleeding made it difficult to see into the wound and he had to rely on the tip of his blade to probe with. Each time the blade entered the wound or touched the arrow head it was to Lindir as though he was being tortured. His eyes would open wide as if he were panicked and his body would go into spasms. There was a fair amount of blood now. It ran down to his elbow and dripped off into a small pool. Adûn needed to end quickly.

“I’m sorry my friend, forgive me for what I must do.” Adûn grabbed the wooden stub and gave a small tug. Lindir’s mouth opened wide as he broke the hold of the icemen and sat partially up before being forced back down. His body suddenly went limp and his eyes rolled up; he was mercifully unconscious. In spite of the pain Lindir never cried out.

Lindir woke hearing Idhren softly singing songs of Valimar. He thought he was seeing the golden light of Lorien filtering through the trees on another perfect morning. The music was soothing and was filled with the powers of healing. For a moment he just lay filled with a bliss only the elves could understand. The bliss of the western land of light. He tried to rise and the golden light of Lorien was gone. Darkness was about him and the air stank of tar smoke. His shoulder felt as though it was on fire. His mouth was dry and filled with of bitterness. Reality and memory had flooded back in. He looked to his shoulder, there was a dressing on the wound and the stub of the arrow was gone. Adûn had done his work well.

“May I have some water?” He asked in just a whisper.

The sound of his voice startled Idhren but she was very glad to see him finally awake. Lindir had been unconscious for a day and a half.

[Edited on 30/11/2010 by Fennuir]

[Edited on 30/11/2010 by Fennuir]

Naucoaran

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: December 01, 2010 05:57

There was little talk amongst the group as they made a desperate flight away from Carn Dum. Spirits seemed to be low, despite freedom. More like the illusion of freedom Sirion thought bitterly, not for the first time. The shadows and fragments of doubt in his mind that they could pull this mission off had began to coalesce, growing bigger and more like reality every minute they were in the camp, and even now. He tried desperately at first to cling to his reality that had been built up over his life. Good triumphed over evil, justice was served. Deeds done in the shadow were always punished. His walls began to crumble.

He remembered the pit, a cook-pot he didn't want to inspect but knew what laid inside. The remains of the others who could not escape their fate, left to be macabre decorations for the orcs till they found fresher ones. Where was their justice? Why did they deserve to be nothing more than a smear in the latrines. They don't even use them, they're nothing more than animals. The thoughts swirled inside his head, causing the young ellon to brood. Rationally, Sirion already knew all this existed. He knew that orcs were ruthless and vile, they had no decency. But those were lessons long told, just words on a paper. The stench of death and decay filled his nostrils again, he tried to banish it but the memory was still fresh.

He glanced down at Mithennor, she was still unconscious in his arms. He tried to readjust his hold on her to better protect her from the jostles and fix the blanket that had begun to slip off. Seeing the damage that had been visited upon her legs and head made the rage return. If he had no obligations he might have even turned back to kill more. His eyes fell on Thane as he looked back and guided them on further, and Sirion was suddenly struck with a sense of clarity. He now understood the other ellon's need for the drink, why he was so jaded. At that moment, Sirion pitied Thane.

They were beginning to enter the mountain passes, Thane remarked on how they were almost past the areas the orcs patrolled regularly. The other ellon took up a little farther lead to make sure the next curve was clear. When he returned he lifted a hand to wave them through, and cursed. Two goblins loomed overhead, scouts of some kind. It was a chance occurrence. They both held spears, and could have thrown them down on the group but then would be weaponless for the others. The first dove at Thane, the point of his spear leveled for the ellons chest. In one fluid move the elf pulled his blade free and deflected the spear to his side, nearly catching the body of the calling creature in doing so.

The goblin bounced a few times before scrambling back away from the edge of their walkway, shaking the spear at the only armed elf. Sirion couldn't take his sword out because he carried Mithennor, and he wouldn't dare set her down on the walkway for fear of her somehow tumbling off into the expanse below. He was thankful that Thane posed a more serious target. There were two goblins though, and while one was tied up with Thane, the other wanted to get the easy kills. He glanced at Sirion at first, but his bulk may have been too unnerving for the cowardly thing. He glanced farther down and spotted the three lossoth, one of which an elderly man who stood slightly stooped, winded from the run.

the creature howled in what may have been joy, and dove at Arpenien. The older man saw the beast, and to his credit managed to bat away the spear tip with a forearm. he lacked the reflexes of elves though, and the goblin crashed into him full force. The two hit the ground hard and began to roll to absorb the impact. the goblin came up on top, struggling with the chieftain. The other two lossoth rushed to help their elder, but the goblin began thrashing on him, sinking tooth and claw into flesh. They thrashed again, partly Arpenien to get the beast off. they tumbled closer to the edge. The scuffle elevated as the other two got to Arpenien, eventually prying the goblin from the man. He stood, but as he was just getting to his feet the wiry goblin broke free of the two lossoth and dove at Arpenien.

They were overbalanced from the extra force needed to break free, and the goblin latched onto the old man as the momentum carried both over the cliffs edge. Dimly, as Sirion watched, he heard the death wails of the goblin Thane was dispatching. He quickly glanced at him, then back, but the lossoth leader was gone. The two remaining lossoth wailed and fell to their knees, staring down into the rocky depths, a certain death for any who went in. Sirion stood, his face a blank mask. "We have to move on, we are not safe yet." Thane took a double take to the ellon, apparently ready to say the same thing. They shared a glance that both seemed to understand and Thane went over to the remaining humans. he grabbed the collars of their rags and lifted them roughly.

"His death will mean nothing if we stay here and die ourselves. Make the price he paid worth it." He said roughly then shoved them both to get them moving. The group began to run at a faster pace to escape the mountain passes.

[Edited on 2/12/2010 by Naucoaran]

Carandra

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: December 02, 2010 06:25

((ooc: gonna borrow Thane for a moment or three, can/will remove/mod if you don't like it... and I'm not totally happy with it, either, but it seemed like a good idea when I was at work : / ))

Once the blackness had faded, there were nightmares. She was young once more, fighting the troll that nearly killed her then. But it was the right leg that had been crushed, why did the left hurt? The feeling of being chased, unable to escape. And fire, but it wasn't hot, it was cold and sharp. And orcs. Always orcs. They beat her, burned her, and tried to poison her... and then she was kidnapped again by still more orcs, they were carrying her off, where were her friends? did they leave her? and then there were orcs fighting orcs, but the one held her, trying to keep her safe.

She woke. Her mind felt clearer, but still throbbed along with everything else. Breathing was painful, her eye still swollen and her other hurts had had time to settle and stiffen, and the getaway hadn't helped issues, but obviously couldn't be helped. Wherever the others were, she hoped they were faring better.

The others were huddled together, not far off... but there were only four of them. Hadn't there been five? She shivered and tried to readjust the blanket. One of the figures, Thane by the build and movement, though it was hard to tell in the overcast light, came and settled close to her, presumably to see if she was awake or still alive, but with Thane, it was generally still hard to tell.

"You came" She couldn't really think of what else to say. It was all that mattered. She had had her doubts, it had been hard to think of anything positive when she had been stretched out on the table while the yrch had plied their methods.

She reached out and touched his cheek lightly, there was streaks in the grime on his face.They looked almost like tear tracks, but... with the helmet, they were probably just where the sweat had made a trail through the dirt.

She tugged his ear down so that his face was close enough for her to give him a quick kiss on the forehead.

She owed Sirion one as well, maybe another since he was probably the one that had been carrying her. This was already far more vulnerable than she cared to be. She cast around frantically for something... anything...

"Thane" she wrinkled her nose "nostach be yrch gaer"

you smell like ten orcs

Mon coeur est genre, mais je suis un monster. (My heart is kind, but I am a monster.)

Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: December 02, 2010 07:14

Wearied from the events of the past few days, no one was performing at their best. The group ran through the night, though perhaps at a slowed pace after the loss of the lossoth chieftain. The grieving men had begged Thane to let them stop and retrieve their leader’s remains, or at least to pause allowing for prayer. Thane hadn’t come for deceased bodies and he certainly wasn’t about to wait for more orcs in attempt to be tolerant. The lossoth customs would have to wait until later.

The tribesmen ran as if there was lead stuck to their feet after that, and Thane had no patience or energy for it. He snapped at them more than once and even considered using the orc whip that was still coiled at his belt. They ran on into the brightly lit hours of the morning until even Thane was physically shaking from the exertion. Not even the orc concoction could stave off the sleepless days they had all spent. After awhile, Thane was finally forced to submit to exhaustion. They hadn’t made it through the mountain passes yet, and this upset the ellon more than a little. He could not deny that he needed rest. At last he trudged off the deer trail that they had been following for some time and found a small crag in the hillside that they could set their backs to.

Sirion laid Mithennor down gently and brought a hand to her forehead. “She’s still burning.” He said with a tired sigh. “She needs more than this rag.”

Mithennor woke then, and the elves huddled around her incase she started crying out in pain again. Thane retrieved the orc flask and knelt closer to the elleth, to drug her again if need be. But instead of a fight he received a kiss on the forehead. He considered her usual demeanor towards him and pinned her thanks down to delirium. A chuckle caught in his throat as she remarked on his hygiene. Mithennor refused the orc drink and Thane didn’t blame her, even he couldn’t help the feeling that ‘acquired taste’ had nothing to do with it.

“I’ll remember to bathe before I…we rescue you next time.” He said, trying his best to be playful. The jokes came slower due to all they’d been through. Thane was starting to feel uncomfortable now, so he retreated. “Sleep Mithennor,” he said softly as he pulled her hand away from his face. His hand lingered on hers for a moment before he stood.

Thane glanced at the blanket that Sirion had been fighting with on their flight out of the fortress. “Well,” Thane muttered. “We don’t need the disguises anymore.” He removed his stolen armor, throwing it all into a pile on the edge of their camp. “I don’t think we will have time to go back and get our things,” he said, disappointed. The ellon didn’t want to be in the orc clothes any longer. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the flask, tying it to his belt. Quickly, he removed his tunic and undershirt and threw them at Sirion. “Those should keep her warm.” Thane was still too ashamed to look at Mithennor, much less dress her.

One of the lossoth hissed at Thane, requesting that he at least keep his pants on.

Thane let it go. The tribesmen were still upset with the decision to leave Arpenien. He was too tired to fight with them anyway. The lossoth sat down quietly after that on the closest seats to the road. They would not find any sleep this day. Thane felt that this was to his advantage as he picked a spot in the shade, and fell asleep almost instantly.

~
Far into the recesses of the cave, Burodan walked almost blindly. His torch was going out and the temperature change from the surface to the halls was greater than he had expected. He knew most of the tombs he passed on the way, well enough to realize that none of them belonged to Anterion. He hoped he would not have to search for much longer. There was no telling when the orcs would arrive and he didn’t want to be stuck underground while the others labored on their own.

Almost randomly, he caught a draft of fresh air. Curious, Burodan followed it. The path he took led into a wide open chamber with old dusty torches lining the walls. He lit a few of them to better gauge his surroundings. The chamber he had just entered was vast. The ceilings were vaulted and bone carved decorations lined the walls. Absentmindedly he stepped in a puddle, and could see water running in the chamber from a few yards away. Burodan continued on till he found the source of the fresh air. It was a burrow in the side of the mountain where some wild creature had made it through and scattered some of the possessions of the dead. He shook his head and swept up a few pieces of broken pottery from the walkway with his foot.

The large chamber ended in a hallway that appeared to make a steep descent into the mountain. Burodan changed torches and walked briskly down the path. Suddenly he slipped on the wet floor and slid down the hallway and into an antechamber. He came to a stop in between the jaws of a great dragon’s skull.

Burodan, who could only see large white teeth overtaking him in the dim light, dropped his torch and let out a high pitched squeal as he covered his head and curled into a ball. When nothing happened, he stood and lifted his discarded light. He laughed nervously to himself, recognizing that he had simply fallen into a dragon’s remains. Burodan looked around briefly and was glad that Nerrivik was not around to have seen or heard any of this. The tribesman reached out tentatively and patted a long white tooth to reassure himself that it was definitely an old skull he was currently standing in.

However, his nervous pat disturbed the old bones and the skull slammed shut with the tribesman inside. Burodan screamed this time and wriggled out the free end of the dragon head. After taking a few deep calming breaths, he moved towards the walls and lit a few old torches to light the whole room.

He was surprised to find that the antechamber held not one dragon skull, but three. Each one was laid next to a different grave. Despite his lack of experience, Burodan was aware that killing a dragon was a huge achievement. Doing so in the defense of the tribes was considered the highest honor. One of these graves must be Anterion’s. Burodan knew nothing about summoning the dead, so he wandered about the graves looking for anything that might give him a clue. He did not have to search very far. When the tribesman finally turned around, he found Anterion standing in the doorway with an amused smile on his face.

[Edited on 3/12/2010 by Ohtariel]

[Edited on 3/12/2010 by Ohtariel]

Fennuir

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: December 03, 2010 08:41

Lindir woke again not knowing how long he had been sleeping. It was quiet. Only one torch burned and it casting a gloomy light throughout the cavern. Idhren was not close by and he couldn’t see her anywhere. As he struggled with his one arm to sit up Adûn was suddenly there to give him a hand.

“Take care Lindir, I had nothing to stitch the wound with.” He helped Lindir up into a sitting position.

“What time and day is it outside of this hole.” Lindir’s head spun as he rested back against the stone.

“It’s dusk of the second day. You’ve slept for about seven hours since you first woke. Are you sure you’re alright.”

Lindir took a deep breath and said nothing for a moment. “I’ll be fine Adûn. My head spins, nothing more.... I owe you my life my friend.”

“Well we’re not out of here yet. The orcs have been back twice but the dragon saw then off. On the second visit they left something to tempt him out. He went out far enough to be seen and they haven’t been back. We picked up what they left to tempt him.” He reached out and grabbed clothing from his pack. “Do you recognise these?”

Even in the dim light Sirion’s torn tunic and Thanes slashed pants were recognisable.

Lindir’s head fell back and he groaned, he was unable to suppress his emotions, tears stung his eyes. “What of Mithennor?”

“Nothing of hers was left.”

Lindir screamed out in rage and tried to stand but Adûn forced him to sit.

“There nothing you can do Lindir, there’s nothing any of us can do now!” He had to shout Lindir down. “Mithennor may be safe, and all that will be accomplished is your death, mine and the Lossoth. Then they’ll have the stone; how many will die then?” Adûn got up and began to pace, there was more.

“Idhren... where’s Idhren?” Lindir looked up at Adûn. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know...” Adûn said quietly. “She left without saying a word. I don’t even know when she left.”

It was quiet for a few moments. Lindir was holding his head with his one hand.

Adûn continued. “Nerrivik told me Burodan’s gone down further to either find another way out or find Anterion. He might just find a way for the orcs to get in if he's not careful. As long as Anterion and the dragon stay with us we should be alright. The orcs have seen the dragon so they won’t enter the cave. It’s rained outside so we’ve got water... there are mushrooms and a moss we can eat that Nerrivik found so we should be able to outlast them. We'll lose a few pounds but eventually they'll leave when they can’t find any clue of us or the stone.”

“You’ve forgotten one thing.” Lindir spoke without raising his head. “The orcs that are here are only the scouts and their captain’s dead. The company that’s coming is a different breed of orc and they have uruks that lead them. The uruks won’t temp a dragon but they don’t fear them either. Our hope now rests on Idhren or the chance that Mithennor evaded capture. Either way we have no choice but to wait.”

[Edited on 4/12/2010 by Fennuir]

Carandra

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: December 05, 2010 01:57

She had fully expected some snide comments after a bit of affection, but bantering seemed to be one of the last things on his mind. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed by this.

Sirion tossed her a tunic and an undershirt that she recognized as Thane's. She pushed herself up, or tried to. She fell back with a sharp intake of breath that barely cut off a cry. She tried again, this time braced for the pain. She pulled on the tunic, grateful for the warmth and cover. But she couldn't very well leave him without any sort of shirt. She pushed the undershirt away from her before laying back down.

Her companion's new behavior was troubling. Thane seemed reluctant to look at her, and even more so to speak to her. Sirion's change was perhaps the most alarming of all, having retreated somewhere inside, leaving the seeming innocence he used to wear about himself, sparing long suffering smiles and jokes. He seemed stony now.

She didn't recall having fallen asleep, but was wakened suddenly as Sirion jumped over a boulder, jostling her ribs. She gasped a bit, causing Sirion to look down; she gave a wan smile that probably more closely resembled a grimace, but Sirion kept running.

A sudden well of frustration and anger bloomed inside her. Mithennor carried a hatred of the yrch, as did all her kin, but she had never before understood the undying, burning fixation that she had seen in a few. She was helpless, every move caused pain, and she was causing great amounts of inconvenience to her friends and companions. It would probably be better at a certain point to just abandon her somewhere... except they took her weapons too. Some of those had belonged to her father. She glowered into Sirion's shoulder as she pulled the blanket a bit tighter around her, though the tunic did help a great deal.

The silence was getting to be too great.

"what are you thinking?" Sirion looked like he was many miles from where they were

Mon coeur est genre, mais je suis un monster. (My heart is kind, but I am a monster.)

Ohtariel

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RE: The Ice Crystal ((KEEP))
on: December 06, 2010 08:25

It was past midnight by the time Burodan made it back to the surface. He found Nerrivik waiting with Adun and Lindir. They sat near the cave entrance around a small cooking fire, tending a meager soup. He took a seat near them with a tired sigh.

“Anything of note?” Nerrivik asked, though he seemed preoccupied.

“Theres a way out around the lower chambers, but it’s nothing more than some creature’s tunnel.” Burodan addressed Lindir this time. “I’m not sure that I could make the trip, but your she-elf might.”

This brought forth some pent up emotion that Burodan had missed on his journey. Nerrivik had to fill his cousin in on the details while Adun calmed the elf down. The tribesman wasn’t worried about the elleth so much as the disturbing news of the planted clothing.

Did this mean the elves were unsuccessful in their rescue of his kin?

Burodan dropped his head into his hands, too tired to react in anger as he normally might have. What was the world coming to when he couldn’t simply live as his ancestors did? The Lossoth had been protected from war for generations, and now the world saw fit to make up the lost time. Part of him wished the fire-drakes were once again the biggest threat in the north.

“I found Anterion.” Burodan finally said, attempting to change the painful feel to the room. “The dead do not easily tolerate disturbances.”

“Is there anything he hasn’t already done that can help us?” Nerrivik pried.

“I cannot be certain. He said many things. Some of them I was not yet ready to hear. But if that is my punishment for crossing forbidden ground, then I will consider it a cheaply acquired consequence. I pleaded with him to somehow send word to my father and ask for aid, but he claims to be confined here. He cannot transcend the boundaries of his burial site. Neither he nor the dragon will leave the mountain range. Our ancestors make horrible messengers.”

Silence followed as Burodan let the details of his trip sink in.

“So is there nothing more they will do?” Adun asked, wanting every resource at his fingertips.

“I was warned to make sure that everyone was inside the cave when our enemy arrives. Anterion would not give me much more than that.”

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