Year 2949-50: Sentinel of the North

[Vladim]

The Easterly Inn, early winter 2949

Chapter 1: The North Beckons
Scene 1: A homely house

 

’(…) A chance meeting, as we say in Middle Earth.’

J. R. R. Tolkien, Unfinished Tales

 

Gramtyng, Nori, Idunn, Ingi, Dahr-Ol and Annungil

Spring turned to summer, and summer in turn brought autumn and winter. The companions, who in the interim had elected to go about their separate ways, or remain together, according to everyone’s wants and needs, found themselves reunited again, this time at the Easterly Inn: a waystation conveniently located between the lands of the Woodmen and those of the Dwarves of Erebor and the Bardings.

The inn itself took pride in being a piece of the Shire on the wrong side of the Misty Mountains (as its proprietor, Dodinas Brandyback, was fond of saying). A humble abode, yet homely and welcoming, it was under the direct auspices of Beorn himself. It was a strange sight in these lands, having been raised no more than a few years ago, and despite its growing popularity, tales still spoke of it being run by ‘wise children’ – what the most superstitious amongst the Beornings and the Woodmen called Hobbits. Despite being so recent, the inn was already prospering, situated as it was so near the Forest Gate, which linked east and west through the elf-path.

Here the companions were welcome – indeed, more than welcome – for their valiant deeds in these lands and their wise counsel had not been forgotten. In particular, Dodinas was grateful to Dahr-Ol and Annungil for life, for they had rescued his brother Dindy and his companions from certain death at the hands of goblins. As for the rest, word had spread of their deeds in defending the lands of the Beornings from Valtar's army, and their names were well-known in these lands.

[OOC: Both Dahr-Ol and Annungil receive a free Attribute bonus to all rolls when interacting with the proprietors of the inn, because of the aid they have previously offered (link). Everyone else gains an advantage on all such rolls (re-roll d12, take best result) because of their deeds in Theft of the Moon and / or Kinstrife.]
 

Barin and Celebros

In Lake-Town, Barin sought to talk to Bofri and to Gloin, who were joyous to see him return successful from the Woodnand Realm. Yet Bofri’s joy soon turned to disappointment, for he had hoped that Barin would remain committed towards restoring the Old Forest Road. Nevertheless, he was understanding, for he too had heard rumours that orcs were amassing again under the Grey Mountains, and when his attempts at changing Barin’s mind failed, he accepted his decision.

With the aid of Gloin, and the first-hand accounts of Polin and Pomin, Dain was convinced to send aid to the Grey Mountains. A small force would aid their kinfolk to evacuate the most dangerous areas, and Dain promised that he would see to it that all the refugees will be resettled in Erebor – temporarily if they wished to return later, when the orcs had been dealt with. But he could send no army to drive the orcs back, for there were not enough stout dwarven warriors to spare, and Dain did not wish to risk losing those that he had.

When the mountains were stiff with orcs, before the Battle of the Five Armies, it was in Mount Gundabad that they had their capital. The mountain, a place of great importance for the dwarves (for it was here that Durin the Deathless awoke in ages past), was almost liberated hundreds of years ago, in the great war of orcs and dwarves, but the dwarves chose not to remain there, and so the orcs returned. What had happened under Gundabad after the Battle of the Five Armies none could tell, but some said that the orcs that were attacking the Grey Mountains were under the command of Gundabad.

To investigate, Barin had decided to undertake the journey from Erebor to the lands of the Beornings, travelling through the Elf-Path, with the permission and support of the Elvenking. He was joined by some of his old companions – namely, Fareth and Lara (for Asfrid and Ewald had elected to remain to Lake-Town and Dale respectively), but also some new ones – for the Elvenking had provided a small group of sentries to help in the journey through Mirkwood. Amongst them was Celebros, a young elf (or, at least, young by the counting of the years amongst the firstborn).

Unbeknownst to Barin – at least initially – Celebros was under orders to join the dwarf in his journey. And so, unlike the rest of the fair folk that accompanied the dwarf, Celebros did not turn back at the sight of the Forest Gate, but instead continued. Thranduil himself was now involved in Barin’s mission, for he did not want to see dwarven refugees or orcish marauders from the North trespass on his realm. To deny his will would mean risking the fragile alliance that Barin had managed to secure during the hunt.

The journey, long and exhausting, having taken the better part of November, was now behind them, and the two unlikely companions found themselves at the Easterly Inn, a hobbitish establishment of all things, where they could rest and recuperate for a few days, while collecting information from the folk that dwelt here.

[OOC: Both Barin and Celebros gain an advantage on all rolls when interacting with the inn's proprietors (re-roll d12, take best result) because of the relative rarity of elves here, and Barin's tales from his previous adventures (assuming that he shares some).]

 

Scene purpose

The main goals of this short, introductory scene are:

1. To give you a chance to describe how your characters relax and recuperate in a homely, comfortable setting, in much the same way that the first chapter of the Hobbit and its descriptions of Bilbo's comfortable life contrast with the later chapters. It is also possible to highlight your character's inability to relax / recuperate, if that's more appropriate for your PC (your decision). See the mechanics spoiler for more details.

2. To gather and exchange news. This you can do in two ways.
* First, you can RP amongst yourself, especially by having the old-timers (Gramtyng, Nori, Ingi, Dahr-Ol and Annungil) interact with the newcomers (Barin and Celebros). These two groups should have access to news from different places (depending on where the NPCs were in the previous adventure and / or fellowship phase).
* Second, you can engage the NPCs at the inn - just RP it or provide some kind of Common Skill roll if you want (any you can justify) and I will provide the relevant info, if any.
Although interaction between PCs is encouraged, it is not critical. I will provide much stronger incentives for interaction / cooperation in the next scene.

 

Mechanics

Regarding the mechanics:
1. You can provide a description of how your character enjoys life (eating, drinking, playing music, story-telling, socializing, whatever) you can regain a point of Hope (or, if you are full on Hope, an Experience Point). I will not police this - just award yourself the point if you think it's appropriate.
2. However, maybe some characters are unable to enjoy life because of the grim happenings in the previous adventure (e.g. Kinstrife). If such is the case, you may take one of the following negative effects; the trade-off is that you also get so-called destiny points (a new sub-system for this adventure, more on those below - check the 'Hard Mode' spoiler) as follows:
2a. Anywhere from -1 to -3 Hope. Gives 2 Destiny Points per Hope point spent.
2b. Your PC is Daunted for this chapter and the next (I will let you know when the condition is removed). This means that they cannot spend Hope / Fellowship Points / Courage. Gives 5 Destiny Points.
2c. Your PC is Miserable (therefore risking a bout of Madness / permanent Shadow when a Sauron (11 on the d12) is rolled) for this chapter and the next. Gives 12 Destiny Points.

 

Hard Mode

Throughout this adventure, I will give you several chances to make some decision that will impact your character negatively (including mechanics). This is meant to emphasize the hardships your PCs encounter, but I will leave the decision to you always. In this way you can adjust the difficulty level as you wish / think is most appropriate for your PCs. An example has already been provided above.

In exchange, I will always provide some Destiny Points as a trade-off, as above. These can be used at specific points (around the middle and also at the end of the adventure) to either improve the chances of finding good treasure (e.g. by allowing re-rolls in treasure rolls, or upgrading the quality of success of treasure rolls) or gain new abilities. The specific mechanics will be explained as they come up (but I am happy to provide them earlier upon request).

As for character death, while it is a possibility, I'd rather that it does not come about because of some bad random dice roll, but because of player choice (e.g. valiant last stand, attonement) or at least because you evaluate risks and benefits and decide that a risk is worth it. In some cases, I may instead of death apply some permanent, nasty effect like Frodo's stab-wound from the morgul-knife or missing finger.

 

Expectations

As previously:

1. Posting rate. I’ll assume a posting rate of about once a week per participant (more is welcome). I will also strive for one post that pushes the narrative forwards a week. If someone cannot meet this requirement, then I will move on without them until they are able to return to the narrative.
2. Communication. Please communicate absences if possible. I will also let you know if I am unavailable. If you are bored, it’s always better to post something, rather than nothing (even if it is a simple out-of-character statement that you feel you have nothing to add to a scene).
3. Tracking your stats. Please keep track of your character’s statistics (Endurance, Fatigue, Hope, Shadow points, Advancement points, Experience points etc). I will keep track of group statistics (Fellowship pool etc).
4. Contents of posts. I will not place any limitations, but I encourage you to be creative and proactive with your characters. I also encourage you to take control of the narrative to set the mood, embellish a description or develop a minor character. This is in general allowed if it does not ‘break’ the game or make your character unreasonably powerful. It is also up to you to pursue interesting subplots for your characters, or suggest some to me. The only limitation is to please try and stay true to the setting.

In addition:
5. NPCing the PCs. In cases of extended player inactivity (2 weeks +) I may need to NPC certain PCs. While I will avoid this as much as possible, this adventure is designed with critical points where the narrative may only be able to continue because of a specific PC's knowledge / expertise. At these points, I may need to briefly NPC said PC if the player is absent.
6. Player removal. This will only be considered after one month of inactivity without prior notice / explanation in the OOC thread. Even then, I will probably be even more lenient than that.

 

NPCs of note

_Dody and Dindy and Agatha are all co-owners.
_Dody and Dindy are brothers.
_Agatha is Dody's wife.
_Dando and Rodry are their children.
_The cat and the dog are the family pets.
_Frier is a dwarf tinker who helps with repairs and expansion.

 

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Dodinas (Dody) Brandybuck	Agatha Brandybuck	Dinodas (Dindy) Brandybuck	Frier the dwarf
Dando Brandybuck	Rodry Brandybuck	Griffo Longwhiskers	Shadrach

[Vladim]

Although used to travelling long distances on foot, Barin would be the first to acknowledge that the journey through the woodland realm had been tiring for him. Damn, he wasn't getting any younger, he thought, and becoming somewhat of a hero amongst his people and the folks of Lake-Town still didn't sit entirely comfortably with him.

Still, he had given his word to his kin from the Grey Mountains that he would endeavour to investigate the Orcish presence there, so here he was, leagues away from his kin and friends from the past few years at this isolated inn on the far side of Mirkwood. He silently praised his fiend Dridek Shatterhorn for apprenticing his son Núr to him, as his presence had helped to make the journey somewhat easier and, he grudginly admitted to himself, the Elf that had accompanied them was marginally less annoying than he first thought - although he was keen to not fall into complacency - after all, he was fully aware that Celebros was not here of his free will, but under the orders of his King, and therefore, was naught more than a spy. Still, Barin had made the effort to get along with the pointy-ear and was committed to keeping things as pleasant as possible.

This inn had offered the first taste of warm air, fresh bathing, fine food, ale and companionship that Barin had felt in what felt like a lifetime, but was in fact only several weeks - but he was enjoying it all the same. Possibly too much as he was convinced he was putting on weight!

Still, he'd been here for enough days now to get to know the proprietors a little and felt that he could now safely turn matters to more sensitive topics, so this morning, as he sat down in his - ha he was getting entrenched if he thought of this little corners as 'his' - quiet corner, he beckoned Agatha to sit with him a moment when she bought over a plate of food and mugs of ale and wine for himself, Núr and Celebros.

"Agatha," he said, leaning in conspiratorially, "I'm here in part at the behest of King Dain of Erebor. I need to find out how far the Orcish presence has grown in these parts over the last few years - especially if there is any increase in incursions from the North, or any travellers or news coming from the Iron Hills to the north. There will be coin in it, good coin too, for any news that bears fruit. I know you and yours are good folks, but any news could help prevent further oppression of my Kin from the region, and hopefully provide enough information that we may oust the Orcs from the North once and for all."

Damn, he thought. That was clumsy, but then again, oratory was never his strong suit, but these Hobbits were a simple, worldly folk so he hoped that Agatha would appreciate his straight talk more than any honeyed words he might give to a politician.

[Vladim]

If there was anywhere here in the North that was homey for Annungil, it was here at the Easterly Inn. Not that it reminded him of home, by any means. It was as far from the grandeur of Minas Tirith as one could get without living beneath the Shadow. No, it was homey, because he was welcomed almost like family. Ever since he and Dahr-Ol had gone into the darkness beneath the mountains to rescue Dindy from the goblins, they had always been welcome here.

It amused him to stay with the Halflings while he awaited the return of the rest of the companions. He sat on a chair by the fire, his cloak drawn about him, and Griffo purring on his lap, and Frier across from him, the dwarf carving some wood. Winter had begun to set in here in the North and Annungil would never be used to the cold wind that howled down off the Misty Mountains. If anything, he missed the warm southern winds carrying the scent of the sea and warm climes far away. This wind got into his bones.

"Heard what happened down in the south," Frier said, not looking up from his work. "Ill news indeed that such men were gathered together."

Annungil let out a long breath and nodded slowly. "Aye. It was grim. I cannot yet understand the way of the world here in the north, so far from the great realms." He shrugged after a moment, growing silent and his eyes withdrawn. "It was a bloody day. I fought orcs in skirmishes along the borders of Gondor, but fighting Men?" He shook his head. "It was far darker."

A familiar word caught his ear and he turned to look to where a newcomer sat in the corner. A Dwarf sat there, speaking to Agatha, inquiring about Orcs. Annungil tilted his head to his companion. "Have orcs returned to these regions?"

[Vladim]

Dahr-Ol moved quietly along the wall of the Inn, his friend Annungil was seated and he wished to surprise him.

Dahr-Ol loomed over his old friend, prepared to execute an epic bear hug when Griffo alerted and spoiled the surprise. "This has become a lot less easy since Griffo here took up guardianship of you old friend!" Dahr-Ol grinned broadly and thrust forth his right hand. From his left hand he tossed a treat for Griffo.

[Vladim]

He had heard of this Easterly Inn, but never had he set eyes upon it or laid a foot within until now. The command from his king, at once both unexpected and serendipitous, was pointedly clear: he was to remain a distant sentinel for the elves of Mirkwood. It was not a task he particularly relished, although, the distaste for spying soon was abated when he journeyed with the stumpy dwarf named Barin. The fellow seemed a good enough sort— for a dwarf —since their first meeting. Celebros kept conversation brief and to the point between them. And it seemed Barin might have appreciated the quiet during their nearly month long journey to the inn.

When they had finally arrived at the Easterly Inn, he stared at the humble waypoint, eyeing it with open curiosity and a light frown upon his pale lips. Again, he kept his thoughts to himself and was disinclined to share counsel with Barin and Nur. So, he followed them both inside, still dressed fully in his elven mail and stood out like a sore thumb. What he did not realize was how comfortable it appeared inside. The innkeepers had taken obvious pains to create a welcoming and hospitable atmosphere for travelers. It was only later in the day and into the evening that he truly begun to appreciate the amenities offered at the inn— particularly the bathing!

 

---

Several days had passed and Celebros had opened up some to the others. He was still quiet and unobtrusive, remaining primarily an observer as he felt keenly out of place among the dwarves, hobbits, and men. Then, Barin had taken the opportunity to speak to one of the proprietors, an Agatha Brandybuck, inquiring after news concerning Orcs in the North. It was a grim subject, but one Celebros was well acquainted with; his time spent in conflict with orcs had given him a significant amount of experience to learn a great deal about them. He was an unyielding adversary of those foul creatures.

"What he asks of you is of great importance, Agatha. The presence of any orcs in this region would be a threat to all people," he remarked evenly in a mellifluous baritone to the hobbit proprietor. He flicked his keen gaze to Barin, giving the dwarf a solemn nod, a show of his support. Just then, a man seated in a chair beside the fireplace had turned in their direction, obviously eavesdropping on their conversation, for he asked after the subject of orcs as well, albeit a different question.

Celebros frowned in the man's direction, eyeing him curiously, and was just about to say something in response until a rugged man had attempted to surprise the seated fellow. The dozy lap cat that had been snuggling the eavesdropper gave away the surprise by perking up and alerting the seated man. The two men obviously knew each other. Celebros held his tongue and focused his attention back upon Agatha, intent to hear what she had to say about the matter.

[Vladim]

Agatha looked up at these strange folk with curious eyes, half-fearful and half-fascinated. Beornings and Woodmen and other Men sometimes passed through here, and she had grown accustomed to the occasional dwarf and even elf, but to have the representatives of the kings and other heroes under her roof… it was all a little bit overwhelming for the little hobbit. The talk of orcs – combined with the recent news and happenings here – made the poor hobbit’s heart jump. She was beginning to doubt the wisdom of following Dody, her husband, on this foolish endeavour so far away from the Shire, but she did not say it.

She leaned in as conspiratorially as Barin had towards the unlikely duo and whispered back: ’As a matter of fact, yes…’ she said, and gulped, ’some orcs have been sighted in recent months, but Lord Beorn and his thanes have been keeping their numbers at check. Though I hear that some were slain in the skirmishes.’ As soon as she had said this, she made haste to add something quickly, as if to reassure someone – her guests, or was it herself? ’No orc has come here, mind you – here you are as safe as you would be at the Green Dragon!’ But there was a hint of doubt in her voice.

’Folks used to come this way from the north, travelling along the northern eaves of Mirkwood and by the foothills of the Grey Mountains and then south again… It is the route Bilbo took to return to the Shire!’ she added, speaking the name of the now-legendary hobbit with some measure of pride. ’But we do not get many travellers from the North these days. Some say the threat of orcs is growing, but some say that cruel Viglund, the lord of the northern lands, has been unkind and unhospitable to travellers.’ She paused for a while, pondering the growing threat of orcs, before adding: ’Those folk over there must know more about orcs,’ she said, pointing to the Men and dwarf that were the inn’s only other guests, ’they are at Beorn’s service, and I hear that they know better of his lands. All I can add is this: the accursed mountains to the west are full of caverns and tunnels, and a cunning orc knows which paths underground to take to travel for many miles without ever facing the light of the sun. Why, they kidnapped Dindy a few years back and they would have eaten him too if it weren’t for those two!’ she said, pointing now more specifically towards Annungil and Dahr-Ol.

[Vladim]

"Thank you Agatha," Barin replied, "I'm sorry if my questioning has upset you, that was not my intention."

Sliding more coins across the table than he strictly needed to pay for the food and drinks he and his companions had been served with he added "There's some extra coin there for your troubles. If, as you say those fine folk over there may know more, might I trouble you to make some introductions for us, and bring them a round of drinks on me."

[Vladim]

Agatha agreed to Barin’s suggestion, but she did not take his coin – they were all honoured guests here, under this roof, at least for as long as some of them retained Lord Beorn’s favour. She set busily to work, preparing food and drink for all of them: not pale ale, or foamy Shire-Beer, or even the rare wine of Dorwinion, which the wood-elves loved greatly, but golden mead instead: the drink of heroes, made from the finest, clearest honey the Beornings had gathered, and infused with rare herbs from the distant Shire: a secret, special recipe of Dindy’s devising. This was brought forth in great drinking-horns, fashioned from wood instead of bone, but nevertheless intricately carved: the work of a talented Beorning woodworker, no doubt. The drink was paired with dried fruits: fat wine-grapes and figs and peaches and apricots from the south, rare delicacies not seen elsewhere in the North. It was impossible to deduce how Agatha could have acquired such things, but she had, and here she was, offering them freely.

Dody and Agatha and Dindy served the mead and the fruit, making introductions and joining in the conversation as required. At some point, Dody, who was the most lyrical of the three of them, felt a great sense of pride building up within his small frame, almost overwhelming him. He stood up on a table, to be seen by all, and offered a toast, waxing poetically and with great emotion: ’To the Free Folk of the North – Men and Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits. May their friendship never falter!’

He spoke on, but the additional words carried the same sentiment, more or less, and no new information. But they were fancy words, spoken as if making some great oration.

[Vladim]

Dahr-Ol took note of the Dwarf and Elf who appeared to be traveling together. It was not unheard of, but it was unusual. Unusual sometimes meant bad. Walking past Dody he lifted his horn as the hobbit made his great speech.

"Friends, welcome to Beorn's lands! We do not often see elves and dwarves arriving together. Is there some news of the forest which should concern us?"

[Vladim]

As the Hobbit made his toast, Barin raised his horn and cheered along with the rest of the Inn's clientele. Noticing the group the other side of the common room also were served with the fine mead and delicacies, he surmised that they must be folks of some renown around these particular parts.

As the huge beorning loomed over his table, Barin had to strain to look up at him. In response to his question, Barin replied "Not of the forest, but further north, into the Grey Mountains. It would seem that the Orcs have come south from Gundabad and driven my kin from their halls. Whilst they shelter in safety under the Lonely Mountain, I have been tasked to go scout the area to see exactly how strong a threat the Orcs present.

"My elven companion here is with me under the auspices of King Thranduil since the Elvenking is rightly concerned about an Orcish presence so close to his borders.

"Name's Barin, by the way. Barin Greycloak. The young dwarf over there is Núr son of Dridek, my apprentice if you will, and my elven companion is named Celebros. Hail and well met my friend."

He raised his drinking horn in the man's direction in greeting.

[Vladim]

As the toast was being served, Ingi slipped in the door to warm himself by the fire. The depth of winter chill in these parts were uncommon to him but the pup Vefu and the raven Munir would not tolerate staying indoors no matter the homeliness of the setting. Standing he was quietly slipped a glass of mead from Agatha and some of the dried fruit served by Dody and Dindy. These, combined with the fire, served to warm him both inside out and outside in.

This was new territory to him and he still felt a little bemused in the company of the halflings. It was all too easy to perceive them as children yet he felt this may be a grave insult, measuring a person by their stature. From his childhood there was a strong memory of the excitement that had spread around laketown when it was revealed a Halfling was among the honoured company of Dwarfs. As a youngster he had of course been too small before to be present at the banquets at which they were received yet the excitement at their presence had always stuck with him.

Scanning the room he noticed the renew brotherhood of Dahr-Ol and Annungil, and their interest in the strange combination of the elf and dwarf also present. Looking further into the longer shadows of the tavern Idunn could be seen quietly scowling at the over florid toast made by the hobbit. She seemed not at peace following their previous adventures and Ingi hesitated to break into her obvious distain for unnecessary conversation. Neverless Vefu usual exuberance caused him to race to Uthred and would have made not engaging the woodswoman somewhat awkward “Well met Idunn. Is there any news ?” yet her continence suggested stories of what had been occurring in the companions life during their time of separation may need to wait until another time.

OOC; Will fill in Ingis back story a little more after we complete the Kinstrife and Dark tidings adventure. What Im thinking is that Ingi went back to laketown to recuperate, possibly will take the merchant prince virture as a result of his family being worried about his adventures but want to wait and see what is on offer if that works. Will come back an amend/edit for narrative completeness He will of heard of Barin while recuperating in laketown/through correspondence with his family and if coming from laketown noticed signs of their travel a day or so march ahead of him.

[Vladim]

Dahr-Ol nodded in turn as each person was introduced.

"We have seen an increase this winter of the foul folk. But I had not marked any of them as Gundabad's forces. Nor did I realize any of the free folk had retaken those slopes. I know of a few trails that wind up from the headwaters before they join the great river, but I have not walked them since my youth.

How long ago did your kin return to Gundabad? I have only ever known it to be under the influence of fell men."

[Vladim]

The merriment was... unexpected. Celebros found it intriguing and even gave a subdued smile in response to the merry countenances of all those present. He had to wonder how they all were able to celebrate so fully? The subject of orcs, so close to his home, left him feeling a strong desire to set out for the hunt; the need to protect his people had subsumed whatever fleeting moments of happiness. While he gave a curious sniff of the mead, he left it untouched, clapping slowly along as Doddy had toasted.

The Beorning, a rugged looking fellow, had greeted them in a friendly manner. Celebros offered a bow of the head in his direction, glancing over at Barin who had took to speaking for them both; the introduction was to the point and sufficient by the elf's measure. This was a venture that was to gather information for his king and then to properly decide on how to destroy the incursion of orcs to the forest's northern regions.

"Well met. The threat of orcs nearby our home is cause for great concern. My role here is to lend aid to other like-minded folk and learn what I can about the Gundabad orcs and any of their allies." He leaned back in his seat, one hand unconsciously resting upon the hilt of his blade.

[Vladim]

At Dahr O'l's question Barin shook is head almost imperceptably.

"You misunderstand friend, my Kin has always hailed from the Grey Mountains but never from the Black Mountain of Gundabad. The Orcs from there had never been so brazen as to come south in such numbers, so my fellow Dwarves have always felt safe in their hallls. It's my understanding that it's at least two, possibly four seasons hence that the Orcs swarmed down from Gundabad and drove them out, and being less martial than our Kin under the Lonely Mountain, there was little they could do."

"We found them, or what was left of them anyway, hiding in makeshift caverns they had dug within the Elvenking's realm, half-starving and on the verge of madness. It is pitiful to see my fellow dwarves made so low...."

"Batashniki targkh ..." He trails off muttering in Dwarfish to himself, chin resting low on his chest, visibly upset by the displacement of his kinfolk, then after a short while he looked back up as if remembering where he was, quaffed his mead and said with a short, bitter laugh "Khashâm ganagifôn 'uglakhul ya zull mi binzull."

[Vladim]

Dahr-Ol frowned as the Dwarf spoke bitterly of his kin's misfortunes.

"These are ill tidings indeed. Celebros I can tell you a little of the Hill men who inhabit the mountain. Of the orcs and goblins I know only that their skulls are stronger than their brains, however both can be readily split with sufficient strength and a stout heart.

Aunnungil! Come and hear this tale, the enemy is afoot to our north it seems." Dahr-Ol called in a voice lound enough to cut across the din of the tavern to his trusted friend.