Athelas - The Quest - Word Sleuth RP

[Afird Splitax]

Word Sleuth RP

...Then he called to Ioreth, and he said: 'You have store in this House of the herbs of healing?'
'Yes, lord,' she answered, 'but not enough, I reckon, for all that will need them. But I am sure I do not know where we shall find more; for all things are amiss in these dreadful days, what with fires and burnings, and the lads that run errands so few, and all the roads blocked. Why, it is days out of count since ever a carrier came in from Lossarnach to the market! But we do our best in this House with what we have, as I am sure your lordship will know.'
'I will judge that when I see,' said Aragorn. 'One thing also is short time for speech. Have you athelas?'
'I do not know, I am sure, lord,' she answered, 'at least not by that name. I will go and ask of the herb-master; he knows all the old names.'
'It is also called kingsfoil,' said Aragorn, 'and maybe you know it by that name, for so the country-folk call it in these latter days.'
'Oh that!' said Ioreth. 'Well, if your lordship had named it at first I could have told you. No, we have none of it, I am sure. Why, I have never heard that it had any great virtue; and indeed I have often said to my sisters when we came upon it growing in the woods: “kingsfoil” I said, “ 'tis a strange name, and I wonder why 'tis called so; for if I were a king, I would have plants more bright in my garden”. Still it smells sweet when bruised, does it not? If sweet is the right word: wholesome, maybe, is nearer.'
'Wholesome verily,' said Aragorn. 'And now, dame, if you love the Lord Faramir, run as quick as your tongue and get me kingsfoil, if there is a leaf in the City.' ...
'And if not,' said Gandalf, 'I will ride to Lossarnach with Ioreth behind me, and she shall take me to the woods, but not to her sisters. And Shadowfax shall show her the meaning of haste.'

When the black breath blows
and death's shadow grows
and all lights pass,
come athelas! come athelas!
Life to the dying
In the king's hand lying!
The Return Of The King, The House Of Healing

There is a sudden urgent need in the City for the healing plant, athelas (also known as kingsfoil and also by its ancient name in Valinorean Quenya as, asëa aranion). In the past year, the trying times that all have been living through have totally depleted the herb-masters supply. The 'living freshness' and invigorating fragrance are needed now more than ever to heal and bring the fair world of Spring into everyone's hearts. And so, a group - a melting pot of different races from all corners of Middle-earth joined together on this special quest - have volunteered to make the journey to Lossarnach. The plant now grows sparsely and is becoming rare in the lands and their goal is to find and cultivate it if they can.
May the Quest be a success!

~~~~~

This is Word Sleuth with a twist. WS RP meaning, one must RP in character in-game posts instead of just posting a play.
A plotline will be posted (like the one above) at the beginning of the match, and prompts will be given at each update to keep the match interesting and the RP going.

[Afird Splitax]

Lossarnach - Lotro-Wiki.com

Word Sleuth Dictionary

RULES OF WORD SLEUTH

• The object of the game is to make interlocking words (in a crossword style, across or down) on the board. These words score points
  depending on the letters and their placement on the board. At the end of the game the team with the highest score wins.

• The players will have a rack of letters that they play from. The starting rack will have 7 letters.

• The first player sets a word upon the board with one of the tiles on the center square (which is a double word tile). The word is scored and that team receives new tiles to replace the ones they used. Then the second player must create a word (or words) using at least one tile already set on the board and so on and so forth for each player.

• The End of a WS Game:
  Once all tiles are gone from the bag and a single player has placed all of their tiles, the game will end and the player with the highest score wins.
  • Tallying WS Scores:
    When the game ends, each player will count all points that are remaining on their tiles that have not been played. This amount will be deducted from the final score.
    An added bonus is awarded to the player that ended the game and has no remaining tiles. The tile values of all remaining players will be added to the score of the player who is out of tiles to produce the final score for the game. The WS player with the highest score after all final scores are tallied wins.

• Words must be placed either horizontally or vertically, reading left to right, or down. Diagonal words are not allowed. Words reading from right to left, or up are not allowed. Words requiring apostrophes or hyphens are not allowed. All words must be found in the Word Sleuth Dictionary , unless quoted from Tolkien's works.

• When a word is placed on the board any letters they touch in adjacent rows must form complete words. The score includes all words formed or modified during the turn.

New words may be formed by:
Adding one or more letters to a word already on the board.
Placing a word at right angles to a word already on the board, using one of its letters or adding a letter to it.
Placing a complete word parallel to a word already played so that adjacent letters also form complete words.

• No play will be accepted after the 48-hour deadline has passed. No tile may be shifted or removed after a play is posted. Neither can a play be edited or deleted in an attempt to alter a play. However, if a player wish to clarify an issue, such as adding a source to a quote, or correcting misspellings of words, they may do so in a separate post.

• You may use a turn to exchange all or some of your letters. If you exchange letters, that is your turn.

Challenge:
If a player thinks a play is invalid, they can ask the Moderator to rule on it and either allow or disallow the play.
Scoring:
Each play will be scored by adding up the tile values of all words formed, adding any applicable ME Bonus, applying the Board Bonuses. Words that use all seven letters will receive an additional Bonus of 50 points.

• The value of any tiles left in the racks at the end of the game will be deducted from that team’s score. Blank tiles have no score value.

A Middle Earth Bonus:
A bonus of 10 points will be applied to scores for Tolkien words and 5 points for generic words (i.e., words not specific to Tolkien works), played that are supported by a valid quote from the approved list of J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings of fiction:
The Hobbit
The Lord Of The Rings
The Silmarillion
Unfinished Tales
The Children Of Húrin
The History of Middle-earth (HoME)
A Tolkien word is defined as: A word not found in the Word Sleuth Dictionary, yet found in Tolkien, or a word that, although found in the Word Sleuth Dictionary, has a unique meaning in Tolkien's works, for example, the word Shire.
In the case of using a quote, it can be no more than 250 words in length, and has to be one single quote. If you play the same word twice in one turn, then the word must be found twice in the quote. For example, if you play AN and AN in one turn, the word AN must feature twice in the quote you provide in order for you to get the bonus for each word.
The Bonus will be added BEFORE any additional increase (Triple Word Scores, etc.) The word being quoted must appear exactly as you have played (i.e. "jumped" cannot be used if you only played "jump").
If you wish to play a Tolkien word, yet a quote on another word in the same play with gain you a higher score, (for example, you play ARAGORN under an E also forming EA, and ARAGORN falls on a TWS, then quoting ARAGORN will obviously get you more points than quoting EA) you may give a separate quote verifying that it exists in a Tolkien book, but obviously you won't score points for it.

• There is a 48-hour deadline each turn. ( The deadline is subject to change depending on how the game unfolds and the amount of participants)

Posting Format:
For actual plays on the board the following format should be followed, please:
Team A Playing Post
GET vertically with the G at the end of JO so also making JOG and DOPE
GET=2+1+(1*3) = 6+5ME = 16
JOG=8+1+2 = 11
DOPE=2+1+3+1 = 7
Total = 34
Quote:
"That settles it!" said Frodo. "Short cuts make delays, but inns make longer ones. At all costs we must keep you away from the Golden Perch. We want to get to Bucklebury before dark. What do you say, Sam?" (Fellowship of the Ring, A Short Cut to Mushrooms)
A polite notice: if using a Blank Tile, could you please indicate this when making your play. For example, Team A wish to play EXIT, with the Blank Tile being T. This just makes it easier for our mod. Thanks!

TO BEGIN:
All letters have been placed into a small leather pouch and shuffled about. I have drawn the letters in this order:
Teams
@Pele Alarion and @Call of Cthulhu
@Fuin Elda and @Moriel
@Tarawen and @Lailyn
The team drawing the letter nearest the beginning of the alphabet plays first, and so on and so forth. I drew P, I, 0. The letters were re shuffled and seven tiles were drawn for each players rack.

Fuin Elda and Moriel
*T E V R G O S*

Tarawen and Lailyn
*P N O G H D A*

Pele Alarion and Call of Cthulhu
*C A D N I C U*

@Fuin Elda and @Moriel you have 48 hours to make your first play. Good luck!

Afird Splitax stood outside the great gates admiring the stonework. It had been dwarven stonewrights that had repaired the gates after the war. He himself had never worked on anything as big as an axe head but, he knew that great skill had gone into repairing the gate and he was proud of his kin.
Dressed in sturdy dwarf-boots and a hooded travelling cloak and still sporting a bandage on his forehead from his rambunctious escaped in the Old Guesthouse pub upon his arrival in Minas Tirith (he had drunk to much ale and thought dancing on the edge of a table was all the rage in the Stone City), he was ready for an adventure. He had signed up as a recorded keeper for a group that was heading to Lossarnach, a vale in the southern White Mountains. They were on a quest to find a healing herb called, Athelas. He had never heard of the herb before and wasn't much into healing potions but, the job paid and he needed coin to survive.
Hoisting his heavy pack onto his back, he stood waiting for the group that would be joining him. Looking out across the land, he wondered what type of folk he would be travelling with on this quest and from where they would be coming from.

[Raisins]

Fuin had been a recent guest of the House of Healing recently and despite her cheery nature, she had seen full well that the stores of Athelas were low even for that house where they did grow it in the gardens. More was needed, perhaps not as much as in days past now that there were fewer wraiths in the world with the fall of Sauron, but one should not get complacent. Occasionally she was still a bit shaky while walking having had a fairly bad concussion upon her arrival but she was strong enough now that she was able to give the healers the slip. She was certain Nessa would have her head if she found the elf clambering up steep mountainsides and mucking about looking for a plant while she was not fully healed.

She'd at least been nice enough to leave the healers a note saying she'd be back she'd gone for a walk.

Team Fuin and Moriel
GROVES horizontally with the R on the center tile (Double Word)
GROVES= 2+1+1+4+1+1=10 +5(Quote)= 15 *2(DW)
Total = 30 pts

‘Curse him, root and branch! Many of those trees were my friends,
creatures I had known from nut and acorn; many had voices of their own that
are lost for ever now. And there are wastes of stump and bramble where once
there were singing groves. I have been idle. I have let things slip. It must
stop!’ Page 475, Tree Beard, The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Edition, Harper Collins, 2005

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 34 points
*T I E N W B I*
Tarawen and Lailyn
*P N O G H D A*
Pele Alarion and Call of Cthulhu
*C A D N I C U*

@Tarawen and @Lailyn you have 48 hours to make your first play. Good luck!

A female elf @Fuin Elda (well, she looked female in the dwarf's eyes) had arrived. She seemed preoccupied with her thoughts and didn't greet Afird. Not sure what he should do, he shrugged off his pack and began to rummage through it nonchalantly while watching the elf out of the corner of his eye. Maybe she was one of the elves who held a grudge against the dwarves. Maybe she was shy. Maybe she hadn't seen him, although one would have to be almost blind to miss the dwarf and his grand beard and large pack. Yet, one never knew these days.
Finding his boot brush, he took it from his pack and began to brush his boots vigorously, dislodging some dried mud and dust. It would be best to start the journey with clean boots. Looking back at the elf, he wondered if he should offer the brush.....

[Lailyn]

Ljúfa
A young woman made her way down to the gates to embark on a little adventure. Her coat was buttoned all the way up to her chin and the green hat pinned upon her head did little to tame her wild chestnut curls. When she reached the group, she surveyed them before setting down her pack down to rest her shoulders before they set off for the mysterious Lossarnach, where she had never set foot before.

"Good day! Are you all headed to look for kingsfoil? I hope someone knows what it looks like!" When she spoke, she betrayed both her lack of herblore and her Dalish accent. She was not daunted by this - how hard could it be to pick some plants?

Team Tarawen and Lailyn
HOPED vertically off the 'E' in groves hitting a DW
HOPED = (4+1+3+1+2) + 5(ME) = 16 * 2(DW)
TOTAL = 32

“The Sackville-Bagginses won’t never see the inside of Bag End now, or it is to be hoped not.” - A Long-expected Party, Fellowship of the Ring

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 34 points
*T I E N W B I*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 32 points
*N G A S T L E*
Pele Alarion and Call of Cthulhu
*C A D N I C U*

@Pele Alarion And @Call of Bearthulhu you have 48 hours to make your first play. Good luck!

Bowing to the curly-headed lass who was greeting him and the elf quite cordially, he said.
"Greetings! Afird at your service! I have never seen the herb either. And, I have never been to Lossanarch. Some told me that it was a two-day walk and, by others, a week. I am new to this area and do not know who to believe. " He grinned at the young lass and continued. "What I am really concerned about, though, is, will there be food. I have brought some refreshments, but not enough to see me through a week. Have you heard whether or not there will be a food wagon?"

[Pele Alarion]

Pele was informed that the collection of athelas at the disposal of the Houses of Healing was very much depleted, and she happily agreed to join in with whoever was willing to go to Lossarnach in search of the plant. It would give her a great opportunity to leave the city and enjoy the nature while doing a rather pleasant task.

She had procured a team of two horses and quite a spacious wagon which had some boxes and baskets for the plants, while some were filled with food and similar provisions for any people willing to go on this quest. Dressed in a comfortable set of leggings tucked in a pair of black boots, and a grey long-sleeved shirt under a warm vest she was all prepared for roaming the meadows and climbing mountains if need be. The ever-present (almost) dagger rested in its sheath on her belt, and the sword, cloak and some other belongings collected in her pack were stored in the wagon among other things.

She halted the horses near the great gate and assumed that the small collection of gathered people were the ones who would be coming on this adventure. However, she only recognised Afird from among them.

"Good day!" she called, jumping down from the wagon to approach the small group. "I am Pele Alarion, the Master Healer of the Houses of Healing. Am I right to think that you would be coming to hunt for some athelas?" she asked, just to make sure.

~~~


Team Pele & Frost will play this:
RANCID vertically, making good and proper use of R in GROVES:
RANCID = 1+1+1+3+(1x2) (DL) +2 = 10

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 34 points
*T I E N W B I*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 32 points
*N G A S T L E*
Pele Alarion and Call of Cthulhu - 10 points
*C U A E N H I*

@Fuin Elda and @Moriel you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

While waiting for a young lass response, a wagon suddenly exited the gate and pulled up. Two horses came to a halt not far from where he stood. He stepped back and distanced himself, for he was, like most of his kin, not overly fond of the large beasts. He was quite pleased to see that the Master Healer, Pele, was in the driving seat. As she jumped down and called a greeting, he made his way over towards her (avoiding the horse, naturally). Nodding and bending and bowing and waving his hood before his knees (in proper dwarf fashion), for he was very pleased to see her, he said.

"Greetings Master Healer! It is wonderful to see you again! Wonderful! " he was so pleased he actually blushed with pleasure as he looked at the tall woman. Touching the bandage on his brow, he continued.
"I have been putting an ointment on my wound, and it appears to be slowly fading. I keep the bandage on so that the sun won't bleach it. I am not really a vain dwarf, but one less mark on my rugged old face can not be a bad thing, would you not agree?" He grinned and put his hand casually on the rather spacious wagon.

"Yes, I believe," he said, turning and looked at the elf and the young lass - still unsure of what to call them, "that we are all here for the quest. My main concern," he said as he knocked on the side of the wagon with his large hand, "is food. I pray this spacious wagon contains some victuals for the journey? And how far away is this Lossarnach?"

[Raisins]

Fuin realized very shortly afterwards that one she'd not actually said hello to the dwarf that was there, and two that one of the healers... wait was that the head healer? Bloody concussions, was also there. She gave a small wave to the dwarf and came up. How likely was it that the Master Healer knew who she was? Act. Natural. Something like that yes. She hadn't said anything so far or seemed to have recognized her so that was probably for the best if she stopped trying to hide.

"I'm sorry I have the worst manners I'm Fuin it is lovely to meet you Afird, and Pele." She gave a smile, "I"m afraid though I missed our other companions name, it's quite nice to be going on another adventure for something as soothing as Athelas." She knew full well what Athelas was she was also a master healer similar to Pele, though she was trained by the elves of Imladris. Looked at the wagon, she'd not brought her bow or weapons since those were currently in the care of the healers after her fantastic entrance into the House of Healing and that would have been quite suspicious. She did have a small pack of food with her and a knife to help with harvesting... Yes that is what it was for, not at all to ease her untrusting mind that did not like to be utterly unarmed outside of the city. That was what she told herself at least. At least it seemed the guard that had helped her get to the House of Healing was not on duty either or they might have questioned her.

Team Moriel and Fuin are playing

ISEN using the S off of Groves vertically along HOPED
ISEN = 1+(1*2)+1+1= 4 +10(ME only bonus) = 14
PI = 3+1 = 4
DE = 2+1 = 3
TOTAL= 21

The host turned away now from the road to the Fords of Isen and bent their course southward. - Helms Deep, The Two Towers

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 55 points
*T W B I Z E BLANK*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 32 points
*N G A S T L E*
Pele Alarion and Call of Cthulhu - 10 points
*C U A E N H I*

@Tarawen and @Lailyn you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Bowing low to the elf, the dwarf said. "Afird Splitax at your service! It is a pleasure to meet you, Fuin. I am quite sure Drifa has mentioned your name to me before. I now have a face, and may I add quite an attractive one to go with the name. " Grinning good-natured, he bowed low to the elf and the Master Healer once more, then turned and looked around at those who had gathered.
It appeared that this was all that would be heading out. If others were joining the quest, they surely would be able to follow. Afird was getting eager to get on with this adventure. His right knee was aching. That could only mean one thing; the weather was changing. It was already nearly as hot as it had been the day before, but clouds were beginning to come up from the West. It looked likely to turn to rain. He was still unsure how far this location was and whether or not they would have to camp before they got there. He preferred to be under shelter if rain was coming. Turning to the group, he asked.
" I do not mean to rush us along, but are we ready to depart? It looks like it may rain. And my knee, being a proper weather vane, tells me it will be a soaker." He laughed. "I, for one, would like to be in a comfortable shelter when it does!"

[Lailyn]

Ljúfa
Two days or two weeks, Ljúfa didn’t really care, but she was just beginning to worry about her lack of provisions when Pele arrived with the horse-drawn wagon. She had packed a hand trowel for digging up plants and a small hatchet for chopping branches for firewood, but had rather assumed most things would be provided for the group.

“I’m glad you’re here, and so well-prepared, Master Healer Pele Alarion,” she addressed her politely. “And to you, Fuin, I say mae govannen. I am Ljúfa of Laketown.”

She followed Afird’s glance up at the increasing clouds. On her journey south, she’d spent more than a few miserable and cold days and nights without shelter and she was not at all keen on repeating that. “Yes, let’s hurry on!” she agreed with Afird. “I’ve had one bath today already and I don’t want another!”

Ljúfa shouldered her pack, ensured her hat was still perched on her head and turned toward Pele, whom she had identified as the leader of this expedition, with an expectant look. She waited to follow along behind the others with no clue which way Lossarnach was.

Team Tarawen and Lailyn
AEGLOS vertically on the O in Groves
AEGLOS = 1+1+2+(1x2 DL)+1+(1x2 DL)=9 + 10(ME) = 19
AS = 1+1 = 2
TOTAL: 21

“Against Aeglos the spear of Gil-galad none could stand; and the sword of Elendil filled Orcs and Men with fear, for it shone with the light of the sun and of the moon, and it was named Narsil.
Then Gil-galad and Elendil passed into Mordor and encompassed the stronghold of Sauron; and they laid siege to it for seven years, and suffered grievous loss by fire and by the darts and bolts of the Enemy, and Sauron sent many sorties against them. There in the valley of Gorgoroth Anárion son of Elendil was slain, and many others. But at the last the siege was so strait that Sauron himself came forth; and he wrestled with Gil-galad and Elendil, and they both were slain, and the sword of Elendil broke under him as he fell.”
-Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, The Silmarillion

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 55 points
*T W B I Z E BLANK*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 58 points
*N T N O A L I *
Pele Alarion and Call of Cthulhu - 10 points
*C U A E N H I*

@Pele Alarion and @Call of Bearthulhu you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Afird wondered if there would be a song or two shared on this trip. He enjoyed very much learning new songs from different folk. He also liked to make up his own songs from time to time, although none had ever said that he was a good balladeer. Humming softly to himself as they readied to depart, he began to fit together with some lyrics that had been hammering around in his head the last few days.

My axe is sharp
My hammer is heavy
My beard is long
My boots a muddy
Ho ho ho ho
My axe cuts wood
My hammer splits the stone
My beard keeps me warm
My boots take me home
Ho ho ho ho

[Baphởmet]

Team Frost and Pele
CHAINED horizontally on the D in Rancid
CHAINED = (3 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 1+ (1 x 2 DL) + 2) x 2 DW = 28 + 5(ME)
TOTAL: 33

"The goblins CHAINED their hands behind their backs and linked them all together in a line and dragged them to the far end of the cavern with little Bilbo tugging at the end of the row." - the Hobbit, Over Hill and under Hill

My partner is crime, @Pele Alarion will be along shortly with the continuation of her RP to complete our turn!

[Pele Alarion]

Pele was greatly amused by all the sophisticated greetings Afird offered her, and she attempted a curtsey in return, though without a dress it looked rather out of place.

"It is good to hear that you are very much on the mend, my good Dwarf," she said, and then nodded towards the wagon. "The food should be sufficient, and there's always a possibility of hunting some deer, or getting additional delicacies from the local villagers," she hastened to confirm that there were enough provisions for their plant-gathering excursion.

While she had not met Fuin, hearing the name reminded Pele that they had the Elf under treatment in the Houses, yet she said nothing of it, only making a mental note to keep an eye on her just in case.

"Fuin, Ljúfa, nice to meet you!" she responded to introductions. "Both of you have travelled quite far, it seems, and yet you do not seem satisfied with adventures yet."

At the mention of rain, Pele looked up at the sky and took note of the gathering clouds; the probability of rain appeared to be high indeed. "Well, why don't you all hop in the cart, and let's get moving - unless you rather prefer to walk for many long hours," her blue eyes glinted with merriment. To set the example, she climbed back up on the seat and took the reigns. "As for the shelter, oilcloth covering over the cart would have to do... Unless we manage to set up some fancy shelter in haste."

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 55 points
*T W B I Z E BLANK*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 58 points
*N T N O A L I *
Pele Alarion and Call of Cthulhu - 48 points
*U E E D M X S*

@Fuin Elda and @Moriel you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

With the last 'ho' falling from his lips, Afird turned to see a great strong black-haired man with huge arms and a great beard (Call of Bearthulhu), approach the group. The man spoke few words, but the words he did utter, struck the dwarf as suspicious, causing him to raise an eyebrow and rub his chin; CHAINED - hands - dragged - partner in crime. Surprised, somewhat, he wondered what those words meant.
"Was this big man a saboteur? Or was he a slave trader trying to gather innocent folk into joining a false cause and then when they were long on the road with no one about, capture them all and then in the darkness bind them and sell them into some bondage?" Pulling his beard, he shook his head at such foolishness.
"Oh, you silly old fool!" he said to himself, " he is probably the Master Healer's helper, or maybe he is the cook who provided all the food for the journey.
Chuckling to himself but still eyeing the great man and staying as far from him as possible, he heard the Master Healer say that all could ride in the wagon, and if the weather was foul, they could sleep under the oilcloth. That sounded like a good idea as far as Afird was concerned. But until the rains came, he preferred to walk...

[Moriel]

The group at the gates was large enough that Kamion suspected he was the last to arrive as he came trotting up; prepared as ever, his longsword was bucked in his baldric across his back, a satchel hung from his shoulders, and a heavy dagger in its sheath from his belt. Coming to a halt next to the wagon, he gave a nod to Pele, and one to the rest of the group at large. "Apologies for the delay, I hope you haven't been waiting long. When things go wrong at the stables, they tend to go very wrong. Kamion, at your service." He squinted up at the sky. "Well that doesn't look promising, does it?"


Team Moriel and Fuin will play

WINZE vertically on the N of CHAINED
WINZE = W(4) + I(1) + N(1) + Z([10x3=]30) + E(1)
TOTAL = 38

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 92 points
*T B BLANK R N R R*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 58 points
*N T N O A L I *
Pele Alarion and Call of Cthulhu - 48 points
*U E E D M X S*

@ Tarawen and @Lailyn you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Another volunteer had arrived. With a nod of his head in greeting, he too looked at the threatening sky with some unease. It was time to be off.
'Shall we let the wagon go first, and those who wish to ride in it may do so and those who choose to walk, walk? I can jog along at a fairly good pace. If I get tired, I will call out. '
Afird was eager to be off. It seemed like they had been leaving for weeks. His boots were shiny clean. His pack sat nicely on his back. The only thing that could happen now is that it would start raining before they moved off. Looking at the sky, he decided not to wait for the others. He knew what direction southwest lay. Hiking his pack, he began to walk down the road away from Minas Tirith.

[Marceline]

Tarawen had just begun to feel truly confined in the city when the opportunity for a little adventure presented itself. The cold stones of Minas Tirith had girded her in long enough, and she had decided to join the group for a reprieve from the crowds and noise. But she hadn't bet on becoming a late riser in her new lifestyle in the great city. When she arrived at the gate, the group had set off. She hurried after the little cluster of people following a wagon out of the city. She hoisted a worn bag over her shoulder and pressed onward, panting slightly, through the hordes of folk coming and going from Minas Tirith. As long as I keep them in sight, she thought, I'll catch them up eventually!

Team Tara and Lail will play the word TALAN vertically off of CHAINED, with the second A being the A in CHAINED.

Score: 1+1+1+1+1 * 2 (DWS) = 10 + 10 (ME Bonus) = 20

Quote: "As he climbed slowly up Frodo passed many flets: some on one side, some on another, and some set about the bole of the tree, so that the ladder passed through them. At a great height above the ground he came to a wide talan, like the deck of a great ship. On it was built a house, so large that almost it would have served for a hall of Men upon the earth." - The Fellowship of the Ring, The Mirror of Galadriel

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 92 points
*T B BLANK R N R R*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 88 points
*N O I E Y M T*
Pele Alarion and Call of Cthulhu - 48 points
*U E E D M X S*

@ Pele Alarion and @Ambivalent Octopus you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Afird turned and saw another volunteer joining the group, but before he could say, 'hi ho,' the skies opened up, and the rain came down. It came down in buckets with bolts of lightning and claps of thunder. It came down like cats and dogs. It came down sideways, like an orc pissing into the wind. It rained older women with clubs, shoemakers, pilot whales, chair legs, pipe-stems, dwarf-boots, hobbit pipes, and bearded frogs. It came down, and everything and everyone that stood beneath the angry skies got hammered...

[Lailyn]

Ljúfa
“Oh, yes, I like a good adventure!” She exclaimed to Pele. “But not getting wet. If you're offering a ride, I'll take it!”

Ljúfa hopped into the cart and made herself quite at home. She rummaged through the pack on her lap and pulled out a small flute. When she surveyed the group for a possible singer to accompany her (perhaps Afird might sing again and elves liked songs, right?), she saw Kamion had arrived with a blade at his waist. Pele was similarly armed. With just her flute in hand, she suddenly felt spectacularly under-armed and unprepared.

Feeling out of place, she glanced back at the city gates, wondering if it was too late to back out of this little quest. “Oh is that someone trying to catch up?” Ljúfa squinted in Tarawen’s direction. “Do you think we should slow down just in case?”

Her voice was drowned out (literally) by the clap of thunder and the pouring rain that began to beat down upon the party. Well, she might not have a weapon, but she felt quite snug (and smug) from under the cover of the oilcloth on the cart just then.

[Pele Alarion]

Their party grew a little bit in numbers when Kamion arrived. Pele was quite aware of the habits his horse had, so she couldn't help but chuckle when he mentioned the stables. "Waiting or not waiting, but we should better be off," she laughed, after she had returned his nod with a merry glint in her eye.

When she thought that anyone willing to rather ride in the cart than walk, Pele urged the horses forward to follow Afird who had already set off, and it seemed to her that the previously obtained injury did not interfere with his ability to march along the road vigorously.

However, they had not gone that far, when the weather turned foul without a proper warning (well, apart from the dark clouds that had kept rolling in, which kind of should be considered as a warning). Pele blinked at the sudden flash of lightning and ducked her head at the ominous thunder.

"What did you say?" she turned her head to ask Ljúfa, and then spotted Tara further away, apparently trying to catch up with them. Pele slowed the horses down ever so slightly, and blew the rain drops off the tip of her nose. It was too late for her to hide from the rain, since she was already drenched to the last seam in the heavy rain torrents. Ah well... nothing that can't be fixed later with a dry set of clothing and a warmth of fire.

~~~~
Team Frost and Pele will play:
EXHUMED horizontally, using E of AEGLOS and H of HOPED.
EXHUMED = 1+8+4+1+3+1+2 = 20
Total = 20

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 92 points
*T B BLANK R N R R*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 88 points
*N O I E Y M T*
Pele Alarion and Ambivalent Octopus - 68 points
*E S E T I J R *

@ Fuin Elda and @Moriel you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Sometime after the deluge of cats and dogs, clubs, dwarf-boots and bearded frogs, Afird found himself none the worse for wear besides his beard taking forever to dry and weighing him down somewhat. The Company had travelled some distance when before them a loomed some woods. Wondering if this might be a good place to start looking for the herb, he made his way towards the horse and cart to asked Pele if she had a clue. He could hear flute music as he drew near, which he found quite pleasant. Avoiding the horse as best he could, he looked up at the women with the reins and said.
'Oi! What do you think, Master Healer? Could this be a good place to start looking for the herb? '

[Raisins]

Fuin for her part did not mind the rain nor the thunder. she found it was always nicest after a hard rain, the smell of wet soil and leaves and grass, she likely was among the few, though she did have to admit by the end of the long walk her leg was aching fiercely, and it was everything in her power to keep herself from limping as she walked along beside the cart now that they were nearing a woods she heard the dwarf Afird ask if this would be a good place to gather herbs and she looked to Pele curious as well.

Perhaps she'd find a herb or two that she could muddle up with her dagger and put on the wound on her leg give herself some small reprieve from strain she'd put it under. Matilda would not let her live this one down she figured, she'd end up with Fred trailing her about making sure she didn't disappear or something like that.

Team Fuin and Moriel

BAT off of the T on Talan horizontally. using our blank for the A

BAT = 3(*3 for triple letter) + 0 (Blank)+ 1= 10+ 5 (ME bonus)= 15


QUOTE
Then howling under the moon he leaped down the hill, and the bat wheeled and flittered above him. Of Beren and Luthien, The Silmarillion

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 107 points
*T R N R R U I*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 88 points
*N O I E Y M T*
Pele Alarion and Ambivalent Octopus - 68 points
*E S E T I J R *

@Tarawen and @Lailyn you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

As Afird looked at the woods and the vale where the flowers were all a bud on the upper slopes, he couldn't help feeling a sense of joy and peace. He had been composing a song in his head ever since he saw the forest. It seemed to suit the surrounding area and the task the group had set out to accomplish. And maybe, the woods did grow the herb and its 'living freshness,' and invigorating fragrance was causing one to feel such emotions. Whatever the cause, he felt in the mood and began to sing in his low dwarven voice...

Are you going to Lossarnach Fair?
Athelas, kingsfoil and asëa aranion
Remember me to one who lives there
For once, she was a true love of mine.

Have her make me a cambric shirt
Athelas, kingsfoil and asëa aranion
Without a seam or fine needlework
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Have her wash it in yonder dry well
Athelas, kingsfoil and asëa aranion
Where ne'er a drop of water e'er fell
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Have her find me an acre of land
Athelas, kingsfoil and asëa aranion
Between the sea and over the sand
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Plow the land with the horn of a lamb
Athelas, kingsfoil and asëa aranion
Then sow some seeds from north of the dam
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

If she tells me she can't, I'll reply
Athelas, kingsfoil and asëa aranion
Let me know that at least she will try
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Love imposes impossible tasks.
Athelas, kingsfoil and asëa aranion
Though not more than any heart asks
And I must know she's a true love of mine.

Dear, when thou has finished thy task
Athelas, kingsfoil and asëa aranion
Come to me, my hand for to ask
For thou then art a true love of mine.
*adapted from Traditional English Ballad*

[Marceline]

Tarawen

Wet, bedraggled, and late - this was not how Tarawen would have preferred to begin her journey, but she was no stranger to the elements. Soon after the skies opened up, she was soaked through - hair plastered to her face, her boots grown heavy with the water that sloshed between her toes. She wrapped her cloak around herself for what little protection it could offer, and hurried toward a wagon bringing up the rear of the group she was following. To her delight, she saw a friendly face: Pele, the master healer from the Houses of Healing who had summoned her to the city not so long ago.

"I should have known you'd be along for this quest!" she said by way of greeting when she had caught them up, smiling in spite of the weather. They continued on, and gradually the deluge slowed to a light mist and then to nothing. "And greetings!" she said to a woman (Ljúfa) perched on the cart Pele was directing. "My name is Tarawen. What is yours? A fine group we've got here, by the looks of things."

The leader of the group, a stout dwarf (Afird) with a still-damp beard, approached and proposed the woods they had come upon as a likely spot for finding athelas. Tarawen's spirits lifted even further when he began to sing, and she smiled once more before stepping amongst the trees to begin her search.

Team Lailyn and Tarawen
We would like to play the word EMYN horizontally off the E in WINZE.
EMYN = 1 + 3 + 4 + 1 = 9 + 10 (ME Bonus) = 19 * 3 (TWS) = 57

Quote:
"And standing there they surveyed the lands, for the morning was come; and they saw the towers of the City far below them like white pencils touched by the sunlight, and all the Vale of Anduin was like a garden, and the Mountains of Shadow were veiled in a golden mist. Upon the one side their sight reached to the grey Emyn Muil, and the glint of Rauros was like a star twinkling far off; and upon the other side they saw the River like a ribbon laid down to Pelargir, and beyond that was a light on the hem of the sky that spoke of the Sea." - The Return of the King, "The Steward and the King"

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 107 points
*T R N R R U I*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 145 points
*O I T B A A I*
Pele Alarion and Ambivalent Octopus - 68 points
*E S E T I J R *

@Pele Alarion and @Ambivalent Octopus you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

'For thou then art a true love of mine...'
As the last words of the song fell from his lips, Afird noticed a newcomer had joined the group. Although she appeared to be soaked through by the rainy weather, the smile upon her face was as bright as the sun coming out from behind a cloud. She entered the forest looking eager to begin the search for the healing herb. The dwarf smiled. With this type of enthusiasm, the herb baskets would be full sooner than expected. Or at least he hoped so. Looking towards the forest eaves for a comfortable tree to rest under, he made his way further down the slope. It would be nice to take off his boots and dry them out before he began searching. He would have to ask Pele to explain exactly what the herb looked like. He did not want to be picking some poisonous weed that would turn his skin into some volcanic rash.

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Baphởmet]

Team Pele and Frost

Playing TRIED vertically using the D in EXHUMED

TRIED = [1 + 1 + 1 + 1(x2) + 2 +5]x3
Total = 36

Sleepily he tried to reckon the times and stages of their journey, but his memory was drowsy and uncertain. - Minas Tirith, ROTK

Vipsania was late, horribly late. It was bad enough that she was late, but late for her first shift at the Houses of Healing! This was not the way to make a good first impression on the notoriously persnickety healers. If she was lucky, she’d be mucking out chamber pots and sweeping up cobwebs for the next three weeks. If not, well there always things that needed… draining in the Houses. She was spared those ignominious duties though, by the grace of the Lady of Stars. However, she was going to have to catch up with those already out searching for athelas, apparently the stock in the House was low, or nonexistent. If Vipsania were being honest she only half heard the old crone that said it was either find some athelas or be smacked with a broom. The redhead raced through the city until she finally caught up with the members of the quest. Quest? Good lord, when did she start referring to this as a quest? Was Vipsania the “quest going” type? Her parents had better not find out, they’d lock her in a tower and never let her leave. She was lucky Ystr was out in the gardens picking vegetables for Zoë. He was nearly as bad at keeping secrets as he was keeping track of her.

By the time she caught up with the motley crew (was there any other kind of quest goers?) she was gasping for breath. “So sorry, I, uh, well I was late this morning and they told me it was either cleaning up after incontinent patients or find you before you were too far from the city. I, I hope I’m not too late. Please, is this the group looking, looking for the athelas?”

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 107 points
*T R N R R U I*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 145 points
*O I T B A A I*
Pele Alarion and Ambivalent Octopus - 104 points
*E S J Q L O BLANK*

@Fuin Elda and @Moriel you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Another pretty lass had arrived and joined the party. Afird was about to introduce himself when he felt something bite at his neck under his hair. He then felt another bite and then another. Suddenly black specks were swarming before his eyes. Waving them away with one hand, he used his other to dislodge the biters from his cheek and head. It was gnats! And it was the season for them. Waving and swatting his way towards the covered wagon, he hoped that netting or some other type of protection the group could use to ward off the pest lest they be eaten alive whilst in the woods and the open.....

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Pele Alarion]

It seemed that the rain had come down with the sole purpose of soaking them and then leaving them wet to continue with gathering of herbs. Yet, if the sun would be gracious enough it might warm them and eventually dry the clothes.

When Afird asked about the forest that they had reached, Pele squinted a while, looking at the trees, and eventually nodded: "We might as well start here, yes."

Placing the cart in a rather strategic location in the grass, just off the muddy road they had been following, Pele jumped off the cart and smiled at Tara knowingly. "This is not something I could have ignored..." she commented, as she wrung out the excess moisture from her tunic.

"Late or not late," she said, with a glance at Vipsania, "If you need to know what athelas looks like, I have a drawing to show you, until we find a proper plant to look at. And..." She slapped her hand across her neck, killing a couple of annoying insects. "I suspect you might want to use this lavender and thyme infused ointment to keep the little flying monsters at bay."

Pele retrieved her pack from the cart and fished out the mentioned items. Meanwhile her thoughts went to the horses that would need to be released from their duty while the group of adventurers roamed this way and that looking for herbs.

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 107 points
*T R N R R U I*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 145 points
*O I T B A A I*
Pele Alarion and Ambivalent Octopus - 104 points
*E S J Q L O BLANK*

@Tarawen and @Lailyn you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

*bows low* My apologize for the delay...

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Lailyn]

Ljúfa
Why, Afird had a lovely singing voice! Perhaps they might get the chance to play another ditty together. When they stopped near a wooded area, Ljúfa traded her flute for her spade with some regret and hopped out of the cart.

“Ljúfa,” she introduced herself to Tarawen, who looked positively drenched. “You’re very dedicated to go running after us in the rain like that,” she commended her. “I think I would have just given up if I were you!”

"Ach!" The swarm of gnats attacked her and she swatted them away. “Reminds me of all the mosquitoes back home by the lake in the summertime…” Her mumbled words were thoroughly disgruntled and she applied the ointment liberally to every exposed inch of skin. Reeking of lavender and thyme, she steered her attention to Pele’s drawing and studied it.

“I think I’ve got a better idea what to look for now though I wouldn’t mind having someone near who knows better than me. I’d hate to collect a bunch of the wrong stuff. Do we take the leaves, the flowers or the whole plant?” She cast a nervous glance around at the others, wondering who among them might know before traipsing off to go in search of this most precious plant.

Team Tarawen and Lailyn
ABAR horizontally off the R in TRIED (Double Word)
ABAR = 1+3+1+1=6 + 10 (ME word) = 16 x2(DW) = 32

“Here belong monosyllabic nouns; and disyllabic nouns with a long vowel or diphthong in the final syllable, such as puh, breath; abar, strength, endurance, fidelity; batan, road, path.”
-HoME Volume 9, Sauron Defeated, Part III The Drowning of Anadune (vi) Lowdham’s Report on the Adunaic Language

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 107 points
*T R N R R U I*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 177 points
*O I T I I D G*
Pele Alarion and Ambivalent Octopus - 104 points
*E S J Q L O BLANK*

@Pele Alarion and @Ambivalent Octopus you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Having found some medical gauze in the Master Healer's wagon, Afird, with the help of some string, had cut the gauze and put together some make-do Gnat Hats. The dwarf already had an ear twice its size from the insect bites and a swollen eyelid. The Gnat Hats provided protection, although visibility was somewhat blurred. Looking down to not trip over a tree root, stick, or rock in the woods was best.

"If anyone would like to use a Gnat Hat, I have made quite a few. Mind, be careful, for visibility is not as good while you wear it." He grinned at those standing around, appearing quite comical in his Gnat Hat , his beard and hair tucked into it making not only his ear and eye twice as big, but his head too.

Gazing at the drawing Pele had made of the Athelas herb, whilst enjoying the lavender and thyme (love the smell of thyme) scent that was wafting off Ljúfa as she covered her exposed body parts with ointment, he frowned. The drawing could be any number of plants that he had seen in the woods. He reckoned, like Pele said, once a herb was found, it would be easier to identify it. Also, he had heard that if one was to crush and bruise the plant, a pungent fragrance emitted from it, and one would feel refreshed and strengthened.

Making his way carefully into the woods, he began to look around. Shortly, he came to a small swampy spot in a clearing. It appeared that it was used for grazing, for there was deer dung about. He also spotted some mushrooms growing. The cap was a reddish-brown, with a white to yellowish stem. He knew that not all mushrooms were indigestible and could be quite deadly. These mushrooms, though, appeared edible. Bending down, he picked several and tucked them into his pocket for a quick snack when he needed one and began his search for the herb once more.

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Pele Alarion]

Pele applied a generous amount of ointment to her hands, neck and face, and also snatched up one of Afird's Gnat Hats, though she fastened it to her belt to be used if gnats were not driven away by the scent of ointment.

"Well, mostly leaves," she responded to Ljúfa, as she made sure to have her knife, a pouch, and a flask of water all lined up neatly on her belt as well, looking as if she was about to make the belt the thing that holds all of her possessions. "Though if you do not mind digging around, you could try and take the whole plant, root and all. I wouldn't mind planting some in the gardens for easy access. If they would grow there, that is."

With that she aimed for a small opening what could be a meadow behind the line of trees, thinking that it could be just as good a place as any to search for athelas.

~~~~~
Team Frost and Pele would like to play

BLOCKS vertically, using B of BAT and C of CHAINED, also using BLANK as K
BLOCKS = 3 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 0 + 1 = 9 + 5 (MEB) = 14 x 2 (DW) = 28

Quote: Out jumped goblins, big goblins, great ugly-looking goblins, lots of goblins, before you could say rocks and blocks - Over Hill and Under Hill, the Hobbit

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Morel - 107 points
*T R N R R U I*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 177 points
*O I T I I D G*
Pele Alarion and Ambivalent Octopus - 132 points
*E J Q O K V F*

@Fuin Elda and @Moriel you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

You think we look pretty good together
You think my boots are made of leather (well, they are!)

But I'm a substitute for another dwarf
I look pretty tall, but my boot heels have morphed
The simple things you see are all complicated
I look pretty young, but I'm really dated, ai...

(Substitute) your lies for fact
(Substitute) I can see right through your whiskers, Mac
(Substitute) I look fine, but I am not of Durin's pack
(Substitute) my fine mithril coat is really made out of scrap

I was born with a wooden spoon in my mouth.
The north side of my mountain faced east, and the east was facing south
And now you dare to look me in the eye
Those dragon tears are what you cry
It's a genuine problem, you won't try
To work it out at all you just pass it by, pass it by

(Substitute) me for him
(Substitute) my ale for Dorwinion
(Substitute) you for my mom
(Substitute) at least I'll get my washing done
*Substitute by The Who*

Singing with total abandon, Afird finished his song with a few last, "ai's," then popped another mushroom into his mouth. The mushrooms were quite tasty, and for some reason, they made him feel very happy and reflective. He had come to think (since he started eating the mushrooms) of the group of herb searchers as 'his group,' to protect and look after. After all, they were all females, except for the stableman (Kamion) with his sword and dagger whom the dwarf hadn't seen in a while, and the ladies needed a male figure to be there when things went wrong.
Chewing on a mushroom, he picked up a spring flower and began to examine it with special care. It was such a small and delicate little bud. The dwarf wondered if the bud had a mother, a father, a sister or brother? Was it all alone in the woods? Lost in his deep thoughts, he casually reached into his pocket, withdrew another mushroom, and put it in his mouth.

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Morel - 107 points
*T R N R R U I*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 177 points
*O I T I I D G*
Pele Alarion and Ambivalent Octopus - 132 points
*E J Q O K V F*

@Fuin Elda and @Moriel you have 48 12 hours to make your play. Good luck!

I shall give team @Fuin Elda and @Moriel another 12 hours because I forgot the i in Moriel's name (darn mushrooms) and I am sure she didn't receive a notification.

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Raisins]

Fuin for her part was happy for the use of the thyme and lavender putting a bit on her hands and a bit on her face where she was the most susceptible to the biting flies. She felt for Afird with his swollen ear and eye from the biting pests. She found a small plantain plant and plucked its leaves and tucked them away once they were clear of the gnats she'd offer to turn the fresh leaves into a poultice for him, no point in exposing him to more bites after all.

She heard Pele suggesting that it might be nice to take a whole plant back and Fuin couldn't help but think that was likely a good idea. After all if more plants could be grown in the healing gardens then less time would be needed being spent hunting for athelas outside of the city. "Did we bring any hand tools for digging?" She asked as she slipped be into the trees looking for the elusive herb.

Team Fuin and Moriel Would like to Play TUNA using the A of of Aeglos

1+1+(1*2)+1 = 5 +10 (ME specific meaning) = 15

It will not be long before he drives you forth from Tuna! - Of the Silmarils, The Silmarillion

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Morel - 122 points
*R R R I E L O*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 177 points
*O I T I I D G*
Pele Alarion and Ambivalent Octopus - 132 points
*E J Q O K V F*

@Tarawen and @Lailyn you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Pulling as hard as he could, for he had been so absorbed with the tiny bud and reflecting on a flowers' beauty, that he forgot to bring a spade. Hence, yanking with all his might on the plant that he was sure was the herb they were looking for. He had come upon it whilst having eaten his pocket's worth of mushrooms. He felt so alive and invigorated that he assumed it was the herb and that the area must be full of the plants.
Unable to budge the plant, he raced back to the others as though he had wings on his dwarf boots and called out.

"I believe I have found the herb!! Can I get a second opinion?"

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Marceline]

Tarawen

No sooner had Tarawen charged into the woods than she was swarmed by a cloud of small, biting insects. “Ick,” she mumbled, brushing a hand across her face to clear the bugs away. She retreated and found some of the group donning hats made of thin, wispy fabric - she recognized it as gauze on closer inspection.

“Those look perfect,” she said to Afird, who had offered the hats around. “I should have waited to put one on before rushing off!” It would be a relief to hunt for the evasive athelas plant and not worry about being bitten all across her face.

She gave Ljúfa and Pele a smile. “I’m glad we’re all here together! It was quite good of our leader to put this little trip - and these hats! - together.” She did not stay long to look at the drawing of the leaves, for she had long ago learned from her father of athelas and its many uses. Before she could return to the woods with her new protective headgear, their dwarven leader raced back out of the trees, shouting that he had found the plant.

“I would be glad to take a look with you,” Tara said. “Anyone else care to join?”

Team Lail and Tara
We will play the word IDON vertically off the N in TUNA.
IDON = 1+2+1+1 = 5+10 (ME Bonus) = 15*3 (TWS) = 45

Quote: “Ēphal ēphalak īdōn hi-Akallabēth.” - HoME Volume 9, Sauron Defeated, Part II, The Notion Club Papers

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Morel - 122 points
*R R R I E L O*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 222 points WOW
*T I I G T U E*
Pele Alarion and Prometherion - 132 points
*E J Q O K V F*

@Pele Alarion and @Prometherion you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Afird grabbed Tara's hand and led her to the plant that he was sure was the herb they were searching in question. If he could have, he would have tied the wings of a Magpie to Tara's feet so that she could go as fast as his winged feet, but alas, he did not have the wings of a Magpie, only the stems and bits of wilted mushroom that had made him fly in the first place.
As he neared the spot where he had tried desperately to pull out the plant that positively was the herb (because of feeling so invigorated and clear-headed at the time), he discovered that it was only a weed in a boggy spot, full of mushrooms spores. He felt his winged feet drop to the ground. Blushing a bright red, he looked at Tara and said.
'I was positive that this was the herb. I felt so invigorated, I had no doubt. Put it appears I have been flying too high with my feet winged and all and mistook this weed for the real thing."
Reaching into his pocket, he took out the bits and stems of the remaining mushrooms and looked at them. Then with a flick of his hand, he threw the bits into the muck, having decided that his days of flying high just brought bad luck. Afird glanced sheepishly at Tara. He hoped that she didn't think he had lost a screw or two. Clearing his throat and composing himself, he said.

"Shall we try our luck in a different spot?"

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Baphởmet]

Team Pele and Frost

Playing JOKE horizontally underneath TUNA with the E placed underneath the T thus also creating TE

JOKE = [8 + 1 + 5 + 1]x2 (DW) = 30
TE = 1 + 1 + 10(ME bonus) = 12
Total = 42

“A laita te, laita te! Andave laituvalmet! Praise them!” – The Field of Cormallen, ROTK

“Oh that would be excellent!” Vipsania had not wanted to admit that she was only tangentially aware of what athelas actually looked like. She was about to start studying when the buzzing insects appeared. They only appeared one at a time (which was bad enough) but before she knew it, there was a swarm of them. She gladly took the ointment from Pele and rubbed it generously on her exposed skin. Not for the first time, she wished she’d brought a shawl. She groaned, took a long look back at the city, and shrugged. There was nothing for it now, the only thing she could do was endure the little bastards until the end of the day. It wouldn’t be that bad, right? She smacked a bug that had begun to get a little too friendly on her cheek. “Blech,” she muttered under her breath. Thankfully, there was work enough to distract her. With a slow inhale, she calmed her mind, putting the bugs and their annoying biting habits aside. She was barely aware that she’d been given a hat, but she dutifully put it on and followed Pele (the only woman she actually recognized from the Houses of Healing). It was time to get dirty. Too bad Ystr wasn’t here to see her get covered in dirt, grass stains and white stars knew what else. She smiled despite herself.

[Pele Alarion]

For some time Pele stood, listening to Afird's loud singing, and then shook her head: no matter how beautiful the song, it was loud enough to scare all birds and animals away from their near vicinity.

"There are enough tools to equip us all," Pele responded to Fuin and climbed into the cart to fetch one of the big boxes that contained small shovels and similar items. "Here!" she flipped the lid open, took one shovel and a pair of scissors for herself and offered a shovel to Fuin as well.

Then the Dwarf appeared, all excited, and claimed that he had found athelas. "Did you now?" Pele questioned, though she had no reason to doubt him, and hesitated a while, as she looked after him and Tara. It seemed to her that Afird was acting a bit unusual, though perhaps it could be expected from someone who had been dancing on the table at the pub...

She followed after the two, a bit slower, still struggling to put her tools somewhere on her belt or in her pockets so that she could free her hands for work.

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 122 points
*R R R I E L O*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 222 points WOW
*T I I G T U E*
Pele Alarion and Prometherion - 174 points
*Q V F F S W O*

@Fuin Elda and @Moriel you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Afird could see that Pele was following them and waved at her. He was glad that she would be close behind if he happened to discover another plant. His last blunder with the weed in the guck had him blushing a bright red from his bushy eyebrows down to his chinny chin chin. It seemed that the mushroom he had been eating was causing him to have some hallucinogenic episode. He was a little more settled in his skin now, but he still just wanted to smile and admire the flowers. That wasn't a bad thing, come to think of it.

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Raisins]

Fuin was pleased to see that Pele had indeed brought shovels. "Absolutely brilliant thanks!" She said with a smile taking the shovel offered by the Gondorian healer though for the moment it didn't look like they had actually found the elusive plant quite yet. She wandered looking for the plant, wondering if perhaps it was out of season for it to be blooming perhaps making it harder for them to find it. She'd never actually found it growing outside of Imladris and the Abad Nestads gardens there of late.

Team Fuin and Moriel are playing ORIOLE

Using the O in Joke for the SECOND O vertically

ORIOLE = (1+1+1+1+1+1)*2 = 12

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 134 points
*R R R A U A T*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 222 points WOW
*T I I G T U E*
Pele Alarion and Prometherion - 174 points
*Q V F F S W O*

@Tarawen and @Lailyn you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

With everyone looking for the herb, Afird was certain that someone would spot it soon if indeed it grew in this neck of the woods. If he remembered correctly, most perennial herbs were like weeds in the wild. Some common medical herbs with less virtue than Athelas, like Burdock, Yarrow with is white, yellow and purple flowers, Wild Bergamont, Dandelion (their yellow manes were already a bright yellow in the sunlight) and Jewelweed also called Touch Me Not because of its delicate orange flower head that explodes when touched, could be seen already sprouting up. Most wild herbs were starting to grow. It was spring, after all, and the season was beginning...

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Lailyn]

Ljúfa declined the generous and clever Gnat Hat in favour of her own jaunty green hat for both practical and aesthetic reasons. She was already armed with the lavender-thyme tincture and, in the folly of youth and vanity, she would not be caught dead wearing one. Undaunted by the gnats, she took a small pair of shears from Pele’s tool kit to complement her small trowel and trailed after the others.

She hummed Afird’s song under her breath, finding it stuck in her head. It was a nice tune even though she didn’t believe in ‘true love’ for even a second. Just seventeen years and Ljúfa was already a cynic. She slyly pocketed some of the mushrooms Afird had been enjoying and edged closer to him to whisper, “d’you think those mushrooms have any monetary value?” Ljúfa may have left Lake-town behind (and gladly so) but all those childhood lessons in money-making schemes were hard to shake.

Team Tara and Lail play: (new word edited in)
TIER horizontally off the R in Oriole: 1+1+1+1=4 +10(ME word, see quote) =14*2(DW) = 28

"ar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulë;
ar sindanóriello caita mornië"
- Farewell to Lorien, Fellowship of the Ring

---

Old rejected play (see ooc thread)
Team Tara and Lail play: - old rejected play (see ooc thread)
URGI horizontally off the R in Oriole: 1+1+2+1=5 + 10(ME word)=15 *2(DW) = 30
Also creating ITE vertically: 1+1+1=3
Total: 33

The use of the affixed elements -u and -F finally to mark gender (or sex): as in karbu 'stallion', or urgi 'female bear', is in fact probably a close parallel to such modern English formations as 'he-goat', 'shebear'.
-HoME Volume 9, Sauron Defeated, Part III The Drowning of Anadune (vi) Lowdham’s Report on the Adunaic Language

It's a statement by the Universe of where you are in the Universe, and the Universe can't be tricked by a surname with ite stuck on the end, nor by any such abracadabra.
-HoME Volume 9, Sauron Defeated, Letters from the Notion Club Papers

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 134 points
*R R R A U A T*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 250 points
*I G T U P O A*
Pele Alarion and Prometherion - 174 points
*Q V F F S W O*

@Pele Alarion and @Prometherion you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

The sun was much warmer now. The season was getting on. No one had yet found the 'ATHELAS' plant. The dwarf scratched his chin and wondered if they would have to move to a new location. Looking over at Pele, he was about to ask her opinion when the strong scent of lavender filled the air, and he heard a whisper by his ear, "d'you think those mushrooms have any monetary value?" , Afird turned so see the young lass, Ljúfa, looking down at him. With a smile upon his lips and in a dramatic whisper, he responded to her question.
"Ai, to the right kind of people, it might be—people who want to escape the challenges of everyday life. I did not realize the potency of the mushroom. I was only looking for a snack."

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Pele Alarion]

It seemed that Afird had not found athelas, which was a pity; but Pele did not let it discourage her from the hopes of finding at least one plant. She lifted the branches of a birch to peer under it, though with the corner of her eye she noticed all the suspicious actions with the mushrooms.

"Don't you get yourselves knocked out!" she called to Afird and Ljúfa. "I might consider not resuscitating you and leave you here for wild boars to munch on!" While her words might have sounded threatening, and there was a fair warning hidden within, her blue eyes held a light touch of amusement at the whole affair.

Having scolded the pair to her heart's content, the healer returned to searching under the trees to see whether anything of value could be found.

~~~~~~~
Team Pele and Frost would like to play

OFT vertically, using T of TIER

OFT = 1 + 4 + 1 = 6 + 5 (MEB) = 11 x 3 (TW) = 33
Total = 33

Quote: "Many are the strange chances of the world," said Mithrandir, "and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter." - Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, the Silmarillion

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 134 points
*R R R A U A T*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 250 points
*I G T U P O A*
Pele Alarion and Prometherion - 207 points
*Q V F S W E Y*

@Fuin Elda and @Moriel you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Surprised by Pele's sudden threat, Afird looked down sheepishly, his face instantly flushing. He had no idea about the mushroom. It all had been an accident. But still, he felt embarrassed that he acted foolishly under its effect. As he listened to the Master Healer's warning, his eyes downcast and glancing up only briefly at Ljúfa, he noticed a dark thicket under some trees. There appeared to be some plants growing there that he had not seen before.
As the Master Healer finished her lecture and returned to her searching, Afird bowed politely to the young lass and moved towards the thicket. As he approached, he could see that the plants had long leaves. Carefully he reached out and plucked a leaf from the plant. Rubbing it between his fingers, he was suddenly felt his mind clear and calm. He thought, at first, that maybe it was a lingering effect of the mushrooms. But no, this was a more pleasant and wholesome feeling. Optimistic that he had found what they had been looking for, he turned to the group and called out.

"Bring your shovels and your burlap sacks!! I do believe I have found our special herb plant!!"

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Afird Splitax]

UPDATE
Fuin Elda and Moriel - 134 points
*R R R A U A T*
Tarawen and Lailyn - 250 points
*I G T U P O A*
Pele Alarion and Prometherion - 207 points
*Q V F S W E Y*

@Tarawen and @Lailyn you have 48 hours to make your play. Good luck!

Afird knelt in the wet earth, gently stroking the long leaves of the herb. Everything he had done thus far seemed all worthwhile. His departure from his home in the Blue Mountains to help his kin, Drifa, on her soul-searching pilgrimage. His incredible journey to The Stone City (the first dwarf from his clan to do so, he believed). His meeting up with such wonderful, caring folk on this quest. He felt invigorated.
Sighing in a deeply content manner, he looked up suddenly and wondered why the spades and sacks had not yet arrived. It was time to cultivate this precious herb. The season was getting on. The sixth month of the Gondorian year, Nárië (May), was approaching its end. It was time to start digging in the dirt and bringing the herb home.

edit: fixed team Tarawen and Lailyn's score

[Marceline]

Tarawen

Tara found herself plunging back into the trees, led by Afird’s strong grip on her hand. In the dwarf’s eager haste to retrieve the borderline-magical herb, she barely had time to register whether or not any of the others had decided to join them. Within a few seconds, though, she could hear footfalls a ways behind them, and knew that at least one person had decided to come have a look.

Once they reached the fabled spot, Tara looked around. She scratched her head, for there was no athelas to be found. There were tall weeds and leafy fronds sprouting from the ground, and mosses clinging to the nearby trees, but no athelas. Judging by Afird’s newly flushed cheeks, he had reached the same conclusion. “Don’t fret,” she said kindly. “Mushrooms can make optimists of us all!” She laughed when the dwarf threw several mushroom bits off into the nearby mud. “No harm done, and we’ll find some elsewhere, no doubt.”

Soon enough, some of the others had caught them up: Ljúfa, who scooped up the discarded mushroom, and Pele, who scolded both the young woman and Afird in her kindly way. Tarawen was highly amused by the exchanges about selling the mushrooms - so amused, in fact, that she did not notice when Afird bounded off again toward a shady thicket until he cried out again.

“Aha!” Tara exclaimed. She joined him under the trees and peered at the plant in his hands. “This looks far more likely than those weeds did.” It did indeed look as though they had stumbled on the medicinal herb at long last. She wondered what they would do with their little harvest. Would it be sold alongside the special mushrooms Ljúfa had pocketed? Donated to the Houses of Healing? Perhaps some of both?

Team Lail and Tara
We will play VIG vertically off the V in GROVES, also forming ASIDE.

VIG = 4 + 1 + 2*3 (TL) = 11
ASIDE = 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 6 + 5 (quote bonus) = 11
TOTAL: 22 points

Quote: "Don't leave me behind!" said Merry. "I have not been of much use yet; but I don't want to be laid aside, like baggage to be called for when all is over. I don't think the Riders will want to be bothered with me now. Though, of course, the king did say that I was to sit by him when he came to his house and tell him all about the Shire." - The Return of the King, "The Passing of the Grey Company"