Village Square
The trail leads into a small village, which has built up inside the walls of the fortress. Surrounding the center square are several sturdy houses of wood, and even a few of stone. Just steps east of the square is a large common hall, where the community can gather for meetings. There are also a few shops, for trading wares, and an apothecary, behind which is a small garden of herbs and a healers cottage. A dusty path running between the Trading Post and the Common Hall leads to the Blacksmith's Shed and the Stables area.
It's very late at night, at least 2 hours after midnight and the entire township surounding the fort has gone to sleep for the night. There are the odd sentries patroling the army camp, but none of them notice the tiny black shadow that flirts between the shadows. Almost completely invisible, Rose makes her way though the camp to the adan's tent that she has marked as her target for the night. Wearing her usual tight black leather pants, she has left her red shirt at the common house, and is now wearing a tight black leather top, her normally loose blond hair is tighed back tightly and there is mud smeered on her face to hide the normally pale features just incase any of the half asleep sentries might notice her.
The camp is still, in the dead of the night only vague shae patrol the border of the camp more to keep some activity than to protect the edain of an unprobable attack of their brethrens. The said tent stand, not far from Hador, light and guarded by some men in dark cloth, steel shining in their hands. Stealing to a nearby shadow, Rose glance at the sentries to the tent that is her goal and smiles contemptiously as she twists her wrist and a dagger appears in her hands as she makes her way around the back of the tent, still staying in the shadows watching to see if the sentries are going to patrol around to the back, or if she can sneak forward and just simple slit a hold in the back of the tent.
The sentries halts, their duty lazy and boring "Did you fuel the fire, or we'll chill again." says one, his vocie clear in the silence of the night. "Aye come I have put water on too." and the steps closes toward Elagil tent, but soon teh guars goes elsewhere unaware of what is ahppening there.
A decidedly nasty smiles appears on Roses face as she quietly contemplates the stupidtidy of sentries, as far as she was concerned, only thieves and smugglers made good sentries. Seeing the guards walking away from the tent, she makes her move, lying down on the ground she crawls forward, and makes a tiny hole in the tent, just to make sure the occupant is asleep. In her experience trying to steal while the occupant wasn't asleep was often not the smartest thing to do, though she had pulled it off in the past, usually by the skin of her teeth. Putting her eye to the hole she looks inside and listens for the sounds of sleep.
The steps of the guard fades away and with a very light noise, a small hole is punched through the hard fabric of teh tent cloth. Just at this moment, the noise of someone stiring or moving with carelessness in his bed is heard inside, then all is still.
A loud sound explodes in the night air, it is a man shouting, no singing. Walking down the dusty path from the tavern comes a tall adan, a mud smeared cloak wrapped around him. Though a little distance from the tents and busying of the central square the voice still rings loud and clear, "Ahhh, I climbed a mountain on a sunny day, when I reached the top the rain came down and washed me to its base..." The voice is loud and rawcass, not at all infitting with its bearer, Baradil scout of Dor-Lomin.
Rose sighs internally, and pulls up a single tent peg using her dagger hilt, the peg comes free soundlessly and the bottom of the tent, which had been flush with the ground now was a fair bit of slack, enough for a small person to crawl inside off. Off in the distance she can hear loud singing the recognises the voice of her bar room brawling friend and though she smiles faintly, she curses him for making so much noise, holding her dagger poised to keep the figure in the bed soundless but cutting his vocal cords, Rose crawls into the back of the tent and lies on the ground in easy reach of the bed should it become necessary to 'cut' any noise.
A moan comes from inside the ten and some noise of someone stirring blankets as well "Make him shut up" rumbles an upset voice in. "By Marach...zzzz" and a small heave. Then all inside the tent is silent again.
Near the fire the guards laughs and their loud voice carries over the camp "This must be Baradil, seems he had it, go and see if we can have a bit of fun with this drunkard" one laughs and shakes his head "At least he had something else that this obnoxious tea..."
Rose hmms quietly and wonders if she should come back another night, but she shakes it off, Baradil would have to fend for himself, at least until she could finish the job, make sure that Elagil had gone back to sleep, Rose throws a quick glance around the tent and the small stool that is by his bed. Smiling faintly she puts her hand on the stool and lifts her eyes just high enough to see on too it. Her small hand grabs the pouch of coins, holding it firmly to prevent any clinking, smiling faintly she stuff it down the top she's wearing. Looking again at the sleeping figure she notices that Elagil has rolled on to his side facing away from her, she can just make out a necklace under the pillow. Rose silently compliments Elagil for his choice of hiding place as her small hand grabs it and gently pulls it out from under the pillow.
Baradil stands still for a moment, strangely with some success, he does not stagger or sway or lurch, he stands like a lad challenged to be as still as he maybe. This pause lasts for a few moments and is broken, by a slight over balance and a leg thrown forward to regain a sort of stability. He sings no longer but begins to walk in slow plodding strides, ina relatively straight line.
Elagil rolls again, facing some terrible nightmare where a terrible man holding a stoll sing over his head, but he faces Rose now, his nose ending but a few inches away from her knee. Perhaps a small relent of perfume or just and the man mutters an hesitant word, his voice dreaming and his features calm "Lindis ?" he calls.
Rose flinches slightly and resists the urge to raise her knee into Elagil's face to drive him unconsciencious, and instead starts to lower herself to the ground inche by inche so as not to startle the sleeping man. Taking stock of what she's got so far and the near misses, and decided to beat a retreat, throwing the necklace around her own neck she push it down into her top and starts to crawl towards her little entrance at the back of the tent.
"Seems we cant not let him so either, go and pick him Gilion, letting this poor man so is ...." the adan guard smiles, a chukcle on his lips "Cruel like would say our dear lieutenant" he laughs and shakes his head "I ready him some tea then we'll have fun." Nodding, Gillion stands and speaks gravely, eyeing his comrade "Ayep happily he is sleeping today" he chuckles and goes to Baradil "Come on Bara, have some hot brew with us."
Baradil's path begins to slip and snake a little as if he had lost concentration. He staggers into the circle of tents, at the front of Elagil's tent. He looks up at the sky and remains so for a while. The scout is quiet now, a moment of reflextion perhaps, but for some reason, some of his sober sense reurns to him as he hears the crinkle of the tent. The sense leaves however as Baradil decides to call on the lieutenant. "Psssst, pssst Elagil are you awake." His failed attempts of whispering are disturbed by the vboice of a gaurd. "Tea, no thank you the tea here tastes as if it has been steeped in a horses......." he pauses as if he looks for the word with the most humour attatched to it. He shakes his head, as if one suitable cannot be found, the young lads beard is spattered with mud and his hair is crusted with it, at this range his clothes are seen to be filthy too. "No....No thank you, actually, do you have any ale.....I'd not say no to a drop of ale, I have a splitting headache." The scout's words are slow, but understandable, his eyes are very glazed.
Elagil repeats the name of Lindis once and extends his hand forward, testing touch in the dark, eyes still close. The voice of Baradil he doesnt hear yet. For even as the scout start to call him, the guard Gillion gags him wiht his hand "Are you mad, he is boring enough, let him sleep, we have.." the guard smiles impishy "Ale for you and if you wake him we wont have anymore" he whispers.Meanwhile in the tent, the probing hand of Elagil meets something, soft, a woman calf.. he braod smile "He dearie I found you."
Rose curses softly to herself as Elagil's hand touches her calf and he whispers a name, a little bit of indecision then she turns back towards Elagil "Of course you did" she whispers softly, even as she tries to think of a way for him to let her go "Now sleep" she says softly "It's the middle of the night and everybody should be sleeping" she continues in her soft lullying voice, well she hopes it's lullying
Baradil smiles and chuckles, "Elagil isnt boring!" his voice rings out loudly almost a shout, "besides Im no drunkard I havent touched Ale for a few days, I awoke in a ditch but a few minutes ago, and my head hurts, like.....like.." Again the lad cant find the words, he sways on the spot and falls to the ground heavily, with a loud drop. He lies now on his back, blood begins to run from his nose and his mouth for no apperent reason.
"Tatata" whispers Elagil, "Now I found you, I dont want to sleep anymore...." You could swear he is smiling in the night and a gleam in the night, like eyes fluttering dangerously in the place his head should be. "Do you wear your necklace ?" he says his voice sounding heavily of sleep yet.
"Hola Baradil, indeed you didnt drink enough" Gillion grins and pulls him out of Elagil tent ere he fall "Or too much perhaps, hey lazy come on help me get him" he says to other guard, he is bulky" Without much care, the two meancarries Baradil to the fire.
Rose growls low in her thoat at Baradil's continuing annoyance, but answers in her soft voice "but of course, do I ever not wear it?" she asks softly "but I'm tired, and we all have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, so go to sleep" she says a touch of irritation in her whisper, "Come my lord, roll over and pull the blankets tight, it's a cold night and we can't have you catching a cold" she say, with the thought he might remove his hand to pull his blankets up, then she can make her escape, post hast.
Dropped around the fire, the red light flickers apon the lads face, beneath a particularly grimey patch of mud, an old bandage can me made out, and from beneath too, blood begins to seep, wetting the caked on mud on the forehead of the scout. Patches of skin can be seen, around the cheek where the mud had not stuck, and the skin begins to grow cold and palid. The dusty flags begin to become wet as the blood from the mouth and nose of Baradil drip slowly onto the floor, he moves not, his breath is quiet if at all. The fire light still flickers as the two soldiers begin to talk among themselves.
"He rolled again" coments one of the soldier bored, catching Bardil collar and having him lay in some proper way. Another sigh and he resumes his chat with his fellow guardman.
A sigh shakes Elagil shoulders as well and his hand trails on Rose turned Lindis calf. "We could hel each other I think, come on Lin" He insists till his hand meet the soft leather boot on Roe foot "Dear !" he says louder surprised "It's a boot !"
Rose curses softly again "I was just getting up to get something to eat, I'm hungry" she says gently pulling her leg free of Elagil's hands "now just wait and I'll be back soon" she says pretty sure that the guards may have heard Elagil's louder voice and she lays on the ground and crawls as fast as she can without making a noise towards her personal exit.
Baradil is roled over by a gaurd and now he lays on his side, facing away from the pair, still he bleeds, but now he is not even to be seen by the soldiers. His face now grows white as a sheet accept for the streaks of mud and blood, which now stain his face much. Breathing he is though, it is even and weak, not at all ragged if anything growing more and more relaxed.
"Be quick beloved" mutters Elagil, drifting into half sleep again. Another voice is heard at Elagil cry "Ah now you awoke him" the guards grumbles casting Baradil an angry glance, seizing his sword, he says his companion "Better be on uty now or if he sees us" he stands and runs toward his watch, he halts blinking "Didnt you see the tent moving ?"
Rose smiles in victory as she makes her way out the back and crawls into the nearest shadow, lying on the ground by a nearby tent, dagger still in her right hand while her left is covering the blade to stop and reflection of light that might happen, she waits in silence for the guards to resettle down, before she thinks of moving any further.
The noise from about, is further added to by a sleeper in a near by tent coughing loudly, and then from another tent grumbles arrise probably throught the late night singing coughing and talking. Now Baradil adds not to the noise, still he lays and quiet he remains.
I heard, and saw too" says the other guard, worrid now, but perhaps more by the lieutenant awakening. "Is there something right there, I could swear I saw something..." he frowns "Come on." and the other guard laughs "You're dreaming, come...
Rose holds her breath as the guard walks right by the tend she's hiding behind and smiles when he returns to the front of the tent while still on the ground crawls backward away from the tent and towards where the Common House is silently promising to check on Baradil in the morning to see if he's ok.
Back to Dor-lómin Roleplaying Log Page