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Tolkien's World
Tolkien RPG
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Chapter 3:
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Though it was strange that they are not being followed by soldiers from the wizards' keep, they think that they mages there are probably keeping track of them using their magic. Meanwhile, Karla is lagging behind, checking if there are other survivors as well as covering their tracks. After sometime, the group have made camp to rest for a moment. They are now very much far from the keep and found themselves in a forest. Theomer was tending his wounds and Carisan checking the horses and the meager supplies they have managed when Karla arrived. Advising that they move again for fear of the guards, they quickly broke camp and rode out and headed south. |
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As the night finally descended upon them, they made their camp. In the middle of the night, they heard movement among the trees. Alarmed, they reached for their weapons. The intruder is Glorielin, an elf who said that she was lost on her way to Lorien. After they told Glorielin their story, the elf suggested that since she is travelling to Lorien, they might like accompany her. They thought it was a good idea because Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel might know news as to what had happened to the Fellowship of the Ring lately and so they agree to go with Glorielin. And so they went south to Lorien the following morning, hastening up as they saw a Nazgul flying over then in the sky.
As if some mysterious force is guiding them, the band had saw a small village down the valley they were traveling from. Since they are short on supplies, they know some of them have to go to the village and get some provisions. As they are discussing on this, they saw a figure coming towards their direction. When the stranger moved closed, they saw that it is an elf. He introduced himself as Elenluin and that he lives at the little village the group have been looking at for sometime now. He claimed that Elrond who sent him there. He thought that they could use his help. He then offered them to rest for a while in his house. The group became wary since they remember (especially Theomer and Carisan) about a certain stranger named Convocare who offered his help and then betrayed them. After a while, Elenluin had convinced them of his trustworthiness and so escorted them to his house. There, they refreshed themselves and spent the night, for once, on a proper bed.
On the next morning, with the group refreshed and their supply replenished, they ready to travel again towards Lorien. While resting on a glen, the group heard the sound of fighting. Creeping slowly, they saw a group of men who are after a single person. Looking closely at the trapped man, Theomer realized with shock that the person those soldiers were after is their friend Enuvien.
Indeed it was their friend Enuvien whom the soldiers (which they saw was from the keep they were imprisoned in) were after. Seeing them finally corner Enuvien, they knew they could wait any longer. With each of them yelling their battlecries, they rushed to the surprised soldiers. Though it was a long battle, they eventually won but not without any problems: Carisan had been seriously wounded.
With their enemies either killed or had run away, the group had turned their focus on their fallen comrade. They made their camp on a nearby clearing to rest for the night and to tend their friend. Glorielin took care of Carisan while the others set up the camp. During this time Carisan had a curious dream, something that hinted at each of their future. All was relieved when Carisan had woken up at last.
Later at night, while Carisan was sleeping, resting his tired body, the others are planning on their path to Lorien. Theomer took an old folded map from his pack and spread it to show it to the others.
"I think we are somewhere around this place right now", he said, pointing at a place in the map between Ered Mithrin and Mirkwood. "Unfortunately, we are still far from Lorien, probably two or three days of journey still ahead. Actually, we are near the source of the River Anduin. An option could be that we just follow the path of the river downwards until we arrive at the field of Celebrant, near where Lorien is."
Clearing his throat, Theomer continued, "But there is a big problem if we follow that path. Report have filtered to Edoras before I left that Orc tribes have occupied the plains on the northern part of the Anduin. We cannot follow that course without encountering these Orcs. I think it would have been fine, if only Carisan is not wounded. We cannot risk another battle with him weakened. But...",Theomer hesitated, "there might be another option."
He looked at the others, their eyes encouraging him to continue. "You must know, that the ancestors of the Rohirrim, the Eotheod, lived at the northern vales of the Anduin in the past. My mother told me of an ancient and forgotten road that passes through Mirkwood. It starts somewhere in the Ered Mithin near where we are and enters Mirkwood at the place where the River Running enters the great forest. It then goes down until it crosses the Old Forest Road. The other option I was saying is that we follow this road until we get to the Old Forest Road where we can hopefully go on the Anduin River in peace until we reach Lorien. Of course, there is another catch. The reason I hesitated before was because it may sound ridiculous to you but there is this tale that was attached to that road." Another cough. "Well, it seems that there are stories about Great Spiders living in that part of Mirkwood, spreading terror to the rare traveler who passes through. It was not really proven since, as far as I know, these creatures live at the lower eastern part of Mirkwood, near the elven woodland realm. But still, baseless or not, it may be true..." His voice trailed off for a moment but, Theomer again spoke. "So what do you say, friends?"