Ithilien, Harondor, The Eastern Fiefdoms (Free RP)

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Rillewen

Kaylin - in disguise as Hirilfael of House Luinamath
Merchant Escort

Sleeping like this while travelling was... unreal. There were definite upsides to having a lot of coin and employees to prepare all of this for you, Kaylin learned. Even though she found it extremely uncomfortable to watch others take care of everything for her, she could understand how people who had grown up accostomed to such things, would not think twice about it. She remembered how Firdaus had called this something along the lines of 'not very comfortable', and wondered curiously how the man slept in his own abode. This was almost as lavish as a proper home, after all. All that had really been missing, was the heat of a fire indoors. But the multitude of soft and warm blankets had kept her surprisingly warm, even in the tent.

A grin lit up her face as she questioned how Firdaus would awake after a night of sleeping like normal travellers? Or like a soldier, or a ranger? The man would probably not sleep very much at all, she reasoned. Laughing briefly and quietly, she got up and peeked outside of the tent. Firdaus' servants were preparing breakfast, it seemed. The merchant himself was nowhere to be seen. Pele was already out and about.

Kaylin wondered whether a noblewoman would sleep in or not. Deciding that her invented house were early risers, she set about to prep. Looking in the chest that Zahara had sent with her, Kaylin assumed that her Hirilfael character would not be caught in the same dress two days in a row. She needed different attire. She found a soft green dress that would do nicely, and was glad she had paid proper attention when Zahara had helped her dress the day before. It took her quite longer than she was used to to get dressed, but she managed. Kaylin found a mirror in the chest as well, and used it to pin up part of her now black hair after combing it to a healthy gleam. With a sigh, she assessed her work.

Finishing the rest of her preparations, and packing the rest back into the chest, her stomach was already rumbling. By the time she emerged from her tent, Firdaus had just done the same. After breakfast, they headed out. Kaylin was tiring of the carriage, but suffered it without letting it show. Even when they reached the village, and Firdaus wasted no time to start trading, Kaylin/Hirilfael remained in the carriage a bit longer. Although she did plan on getting out and exploring the village just a little. She wondered whether there would be much to be seen here.

Pele's voice coming from outside of the carriage was not very surprising, especially since Firdaus' attention was wholly claimed by other things at the moment. Kaylin grinned. "Hello, ms Ranger," she greeted her captain and friend quietly. "While he has said nothing wrong on the surface, when I read between the lines..." she hesitated, but not for long. "I am getting the impression that he has dealings with some people who are not entirely on the up-and-up, if you know what I mean, and that he is now looking to make additional connections, which those people would not be very excited about. That is why he enlisted the help of the rangers." Kaylin frowned. "It makes me feel like his usual contacts might be rather dangerous? Why else try to get your help, after all... I think you had best stick around, no matter what he ends up saying later."

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Arnyn

Merchant Escort

Tirdinen Duinion

As the party entered the village, Duinion took a look around, somewhat curious what a man like Firdaus would be doing in a somewhat small village. Though he was glad it wasn't very large, he couldn't help being surprised. He would have expected him to be heading to some large city, so he wondered what there was in this little village that would interest him. Ever since learning who the merchant was that they were escorting, his imagination had been racing with ideas about what he might be up to, why he wanted rangers to come along, and what lay in store for them when they reached their destination. He felt more than a little uneasy about it, and not knowing made things all the worse.

He remained seated on his horse as he took a look around the village, his bow close at hand should there be any trouble. His hazel eyes darted around the streets, watching for any threats, but so far, all seemed normal. He reminded himself that the man really had no particular reason, that Duinion knew of, to want to kill off any rangers, or lead them into some sort of ambush, but still he couldn't ease his mind about it. He glanced around after a moment, in search of Pele. For a moment, he couldn't see her, and suddenly felt a twinge of worry, wondering... then he spotted her near the carriage. Most likely trying to get some info from Kaylin, he figured, and breathed easier.

His gaze drifted up to the rooftops, trying to think of all possibilities, yet he saw nothing to indicate any immediate threats. Hopefully, there were none, yet he still couldn't shake the feeling that there was a good reason to be worried. Perhaps it was only in his head, and the fact that he disliked being in a city, no matter how small it was. He let out a slow breath, trying to relax. With any luck, the merchant would conclude his business here quickly, and they'd be back on the road, away from this place.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn , @Rillewen
Merchant Escort

While she listened to what information Kaylin had collected, Pele's gaze searched the immediate surroundings both to evaluate any possible dangers and out of simply curiosity of not having been here before. It looked like a simple village, a cluster of wooden buildings around the main square; and on their approach she had noticed a couple of outlying farms hidden behind the trees. She wondered who in this small village could even afford to buy Firdaus' stuff. Perhaps the leaders, or chiefs, or whoever headed the affairs at this place.

"Hmm. I am not sure I like the sound of this, but suppose we'll see..." she responded to Kaylin's news. Pele was not oblivious of the fact that there were people in the White City who were engaged in shady business, though she suspected that it all was much more complicated than she was aware of. Such things could not be upheld without a strong network and hierarchical structures, and most likely links and influence among higher circles of nobility. It would probably be a matter to be handed over to the City Guard, at the end.

Meanwhile it seemed that Firdaus had successfully sold off some of his merchandise, and was now receiving the payment from a relatively well-dressed inhabitant of the village. Pele moved away slightly from the carriage, though just a couple steps and made a show of tending to her horse. She sought out Duinion with her gaze to ascertain his position, and made eye contact with him, giving him a slight nod and a smile in recognition of his vigilance.

Satisfaction was clearly visible on Firdaus' round face, when he returned to the carriage, jingling the pouch with obtained coins merrily. He had managed to extort a price which was rather too high for a batch of fabric which was not necessarily of the highest quality, even though even the lowest quality he had was much better than anything the common villagers would have ever touched in their lives.

"Even small places like this can yield fruitful earnings," he said contentedly, when he had climbed back into the carriage to join Hirilfael. "The cart will be empty enough to receive new fabrics which you will be able to inspect and see whether you like them." He paused, while he quickly re-counted the coins just to be sure. "I have agreed to meet my new contacts in a tiny inn a little ways out of the village on its other side. Will you come with me? I will ask the Rangers to wait for us here, though... no need to advertise the particulars of my business to them." In fact, he had intended to send them off after arriving here, but it would only be too suspicious. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have protection on the way back as well.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Rillewen

Kaylin - in disguise as Hirilfael of House Luinamath
Merchant Escort

She nodded when Pele said she didn't like what she'd reported. Even though she had nothing tangible - yet - she was perturbed, and Pele seemed to pick up on as much. It might not really be Ranger business, but they were here now - at Firdaus' request - and so they would have to deal with at least the happenings on this trip. Nor could they turn a blind eye if the merchant indeed proved to be dealing with characters who were on the wrong side of the law.

As Firdaus was concluding his business with someone from the village who would afford his wares, Pele moved away, and Kaylin casually fully retreated back into the carriage. She reverted back to Hirilfael and adopted a bored look the moment the merchant returned. "Hmm," she reacted coolly at his first words, only showing mild interest when he said she would be able to inspect the new fabrics he would be receiving. At his question, she finally deigned to look at him. "Why, yes," she said, as if it were only logical. "I did also join you on this trip to see how you do business, did I not? While I approve of what I have seen and heard so far, it would be remiss of me to ignore the reason for your trip in the first place."

She raised an eyebrow at him, then. "You will ask the Rangers to wait for us here? While I understand your reasons, based on what you have told me earlier, do you really think they will conform to such a request, after coming all this way?" She folded her hands, searching Firdaus' expression. "Or is your confidence rooted in some unexpected skill at manipulation, in addition to your skill at trading?"

[Karis Ziranphel]

Ranger Thûllir Bregedýr
Solo Scouting Mission - Ithilien
Early Spring.

The dark and resinous conifers towered above Thûllir as he walked quietly over fallen needles and yet gave him a feeling of security instead of diminishing. It was good to once again walk these woods and familiar trails, and although he kept a wary eye out for signs of passing that were out of place, Thûllir could feel a peace settle on his shoulders along with the weight of his pack. These woods were a different home than the warm stone cottage he had left, and the cold drizzle both made him miss those rooms terribly, and did not dampen his spirit. He had spent years walking these woods, and it was in some ways the same and yet different to know that the great enemy had been defeated. There were still dangers, but he didn’t expect to encounter any large force. More likely a handful, or ones and twos, if any. Manageable numbers.

Thus, his bow remained bare in his hand, with the bowstring coiled and tucked safe and dry inside his coat, although the safety ties on his sword had been removed. Here, a day's walk from the great ruined city and still far from the mountains, he had already moved off the main road to the crossroads and had chosen to follow trails known only to the Rangers. The signs he followed were small and would be easily passed as meaningless to one not versed in the craft.

He could perhaps risk a small cooking fire this night if he found sufficient dry sticks, as the forest would filter the smoke and disperse it so as not to betray his location, but once in more open areas he would not often have that luxury. He had packed enough dried and seasoned foods to sustain him through fireless nights, but it was never something he particularly looked forward to. These woods would be his abode for several more days, but his goal was the mountains to the north, where he would be able to see greater distances but also be open to harsher climes.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Arnyn

Merchant Escort

Tirdinen Duinion

Duinion kept his distance as he saw Pele go to speak with Kaylin, whom he had still not officially met. This whole trip seemed, so far, to have very little reason for them to have needed to come. He didn't know what reason Firdaus had for asking rangers to accompany him, but he was sure there was some sort of ulterior motive. He had been thinking hard on it the whole time they had been traveling, and he could think of very few explanations, other than he had some sort of nefarious plan to lead them into some trap. He had no intentions of being caught in any traps, despite whatever skills he had in making such things, himself.

Once Pele had left from talking to Kaylin, Duinion moved closer to the captain, to have a word with her himself, frowning a little. "This village seems a bit... out of place, for a client of FIrdaus' to live here." He cast a glance around, wondering if there was some sort of front for some shady business, but then why would the man request rangers to come along and risk exposing something like that? The whole thing seemed baffling, and he hoped perhaps their disguised comrade would have gained some sort of information that might be helpful. "Is there any news? What's Firdaus doing here?" He wondered, keeping his tone low.

The idea of providing protection for the very man who nearly ruined his life... it was difficult for him, but he tried his best to push aside the thought of WHO it was, and simply remember his oath to protect the citizens of Gondor.. regardless of who they might be. Still, he couldn't put it out of his mind, the knowledge that the man had lied and conducted his business dishonorably in the past, and it was very likely he was up to no good, even now.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

Her voice had automatically taken on a lower volume as they'd reached the edge of East Osgiliath. "It's a shame Duinion is so guarded with his knowledge." It was an opinion she shared carefully, seeing that Duinion was a fellow Ranger and thus a comrade in arms - but she couldn't help herself to form opinions and voice them. "But it sounds like you are going to find your way around that particular obstacle just fine." She grinned. "How... street smart of you."

Kaylin paused at the ruined entrance to the city, where it lead into Ithilien. "Well... I suppose one of the first things I could tell you is that the forest has its own way of life." She gestured at the trees. "By that, I mean... of course the trees and the plants, and the animals living there... but it also has itw own smells, its own sounds." She looked at Eryn. "And we are foreign to those. The forest tends to know that, and adjust accordingly. Animals scutter off, away from us - and as a result the area we are in sounds different. To a Ranger at home in the woods, used to blending in and not causing much of a disruption - if any - such a tell is key to knowing whether others are nearby. Others who are not at home here, like they are." She gave Erynneth an apologetic smile. "Unfortunately I am not yet as adept as you might have hoped. I am better than I was years ago, and perhaps I've made most of my progress in the past months, even - but I have a long way to go yet. My more useful skill set mostly lies elsewhere. I'm not sure how much I could teach you at the moment."

"But I didn't drag you out here with the objective of teaching you," Kaylin excused herself. "Rather with the objective of showing you. Your memories needed updating." She nodded at the treeline. "Do you want to go first, or should I?" she laughed.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


Gazing around at the ruins around her, Eryn nodded slightly, agreeing with Kaylin. "I think he's still hoping I'll forget about all this ranger stuff, and do something else." She rolled her eyes. "He'd probably like me to stay working at the dairy farm, milking cows the rest of my life. Selling milk and cheese and butter in town..." She shook her head and paused along with Kaylin at the entrance. They were at the edge of the ruined city, on the brink of entering the forest. She caught her breath in excitement, nodding slowly to the things the ranger was telling her. Her dad said things like that too, only with a lot of added cautions about how dangerous it was. He never used to do that, until that time she came out here on her own...

"Can I?" She asked with a slight grin, hopeful. She moved forward cautiously, almost as if expecting the towering trees to close up before her like a wall and shut her out, but they stayed still. The girl laid a hand on the trunk of a nearby pine, then tilted her head back to look up at the tops. "Wow... it's so tall." She breathed softly, awed. Last time she was here, so many years ago, she didn't get to see much, as it had been dark and a bit foggy, and she'd been too frightened and anxious to take the time to look around any. "It smells so... fresh, out here," She looked at Kaylin with a smile. "No wonder Daddy loves it here so much." She found herself almost whispering, and wondered if that was silly, but as beautiful as it was, there was also something a little imposing about the trees standing so tall above her, that made her hesitant to speak very loudly. Almost like being in a library, only different.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

She raised her eyebrows a little, a smile on her face as she watched Erynneth 'meet' the forest of Ithilien. Shaking her head, she almost rolled her eyes. What was it with people and woods? Thûllir, Duinion apparently, and now Erynneth? Kaylin sighed quietly. They were pretty, she would not deny that, and they could be calm, very calm... but seriously. For her, the main draw was that Thûllir loved them so much. Being in woods with him made her see why he didn't mind living in the city with her.

"Yeeees, well..." she said quietly, unsure of whether she would be ruining some kind of magical moment for Erynneth. "The smell is nice." She could agree on that much. City smells weren't always so... fresh, as her friend had put it. Kaylin shrugged with an amused tilt to her lips. "You people and your forests." It might struck Erynneth as weird that Kaylin didn't quite get it, but Kaylin had always been a soldier, not a ranger.

Meanwhile, she did end up taking the lead, taking Erynneth with her in between the trees. They could have just walked the road through the forest, but Kaylin felt like Erynneth needed to experience Ithilien a bit more. Her friend seemed to enjoy it too much to stick to the road. Taking Erynneth about fifty yards away from it, as a start, the ranger then set a course in the general direction of the crossroads. From time to time, she could catch glimpses of the road still from their new position, but she also started using tree markers as they went, to make sure they didn't veer off course.
"Since we are here... I suppose we can cover some theoretical stuff as I let you explore a bit. Do you know what the first things are that you should do if you ever get lost in a forest?"

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen , @Arnyn
Merchant Escort

She had procured a sugar cube for Temper, having packed a plenty of various treats for her horse, and he had taken it from her hand with a satisfied snort after trying to get to it for a while as Pele teased him and kept moving her closed hand out of his reach.

"I doubt he would sell much here," Pele responded to Duinion, turning towards him when he expressed her doubts about the whole matter. "But it seems that his purpose is rather to establish dealings with new suppliers." She kept her voice low so as not to be overheard by the merchant in question, or any nearby villagers. "It is possible that his current contacts might not be happy with the fact; and they might be rather unsavoury individuals. It seems that he has not disclosed any further useful details, so we'll just have to go on this." Pele rubbed her horse's neck while he inspected her pockets for any more treats, and then added: "Can't say I really like the feel of this all."

Meanwhile, within the carriage, Firdaus had stored the received payment away, and now fully turned his attention to conversing with his companion.

"Yes, of course... It would be silly not to participate in the process after travelling here," he admitted and smiled, his fleshy cheeks almost hiding his eyes. "I'm afraid I do not have any great manipulation skills, not over the Rangers, but I can do my best to convince them that they can remain here. At any rate, it is worth a try and better than having to explain my ways of business to them after to find that they might not like it that much either." He wrung his hands nervously, looking out at the mentioned Rangers. "We might stay at the inn over night and then meet up here with them in the morning to travel back. That is, if they are agreeable."

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Rillewen

Kaylin - in disguise as Hirilfael of House Luinamath
Merchant Escort

"So you mean to meet these potential new contacts today, and return by nightfall?" she questioned without thinking, her practical side taking over for a moment. Although it might not be too out of character, perhaps she ought to and something more... in line with the persona she had created. "It is all the same to me, Master Firdaus. I cannot imagine that the comforts of an inn in a town like these surpass the basic comforts you have already proven you can provide." Hirilfael fixed a strand of black hair that hadn’t been out of place to begin with. "And the more efficiently you conduct your affairs, the better impression you will make on me." She allowed herself a slight smile at that, as she had seen some nobles do back in the city.

"I have no experience with Rangers," she added, gesturing vaguely. "I fear I will be of little help in your endeavours to have them wait for us here."
So she clamped her hands again, and observer the merchant, and both Kaylin and Hirilfael were curious as to how Firdaus would try and obtain his goals.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


Eryn giggled lightly at Kaylin's reaction. "You're the one who said you wanted me to see how unscary it is, remember?" She grinned and tilted her head back to look up at another tree, and another, until she nearly tripped over a branch on the ground, and then a slight dip in the ground. She decided to stop looking upward, and focus on looking down at where she was going. Kaylin's question brought her to a pause as she took a moment to think of what sort of answer she was looking for. "I guess, you'd look for water. So you'd want to go downhill, since the water always goes downward." She answered thoughtfully. Though her father hadn't exactly taught her a lot, she had heard some things like that so often she knew it without giving it much thought.

Climbing up onto a fallen log, she balanced with her arms out on either side, grinning happily as she pretended to be much higher up. "Also, keep an eye out for edible plants and stuff that's safe to eat, in case you haven't got any food with you, or it isn't enough." She paused and looked up, wondering if it would be hard to climb one of those big, tall trees. Hopping down from the end of the log, the girl tried to remember anything else that she might have learned, even subconsciously. "I can't really think of very much else," She sighed. "I haven't managed to learn as much as I'd like."

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Merchant Escort

Tirdinen Duinion

"New suppliers," Duinion muttered thoughtfully. "No, I don't like this too well either. Is he cutting out the old suppliers?" He wondered. Perhaps the man had been dealing with crooks and was now trying to go straight, but they didn't want to let him? He had to admit, he didn't know the man terribly well, he only had the one past experience to go on, but it had definitely left a 'bad taste in his mouth', so to speak. He found it difficult to imagine Firdaus trying to do things honestly, but people could change... so he tried not to judge him just yet, difficult as that was for Duinion.

"And to think, I was eager for this mission," He muttered with some amusement. "Where do you suppose he's heading next?" He truly hoped it was not going to be to a large city, but he didn't mention that out loud. Scanning the streets and shops nearby once more, he wondered whether they would know if they saw these old suppliers who might be a threat. Wouldn't they just blend into the crowd? Or would they stand out? He tried to remember if he'd ever seen any of these people in the very brief time he'd worked for Firdaus' father, but he doubted it. They didn't come to Minas Tirith, after all; the merchant went to them. He might remember a few names, however, if he thought back hard enough. If it was important.. "Captain, do we have any idea who these old suppliers might be? Would it be of any help if we could learn that information?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

She rolled her eyes again. "Yes, yes - I wanted you to start feeling more at ease in these woods, not to start worshipping them." Kaylin chuckled when Eryn almost tripped over a branch. Listening to her friend's response to her question, the red-headed ranger slanted her head in thought while Eryn climbed a log.

"Well... Water is important, yes. It's one of the first things you should think about. Not the very first." She picked up a branch and gently swatted Eryn on the head. "First thing you do is stop and think, Eryn. Always! Even when you're an experienced ranger like your dad, you need to stop and think to some extent. The less experience you have, the more important it is. Don't go by instinct if you haven't honed them yet by training and experience." She tapped the end of the stick against Eryn's head again and meanwhile led her farther into the woods. "Think it through. Where do you think you are? How far away are you from others? Do others know where you are? Are they expecting you back by a certain time? What are your supplies? Are you tired? Are you hurt? The answers to all of those questions should factor into your first decision: are you going to stay put? Or are you going to move? If you are staying put, is it safe to make noise so people can find you easier, or should you hide because it is dangerous territory?" She took a break from talking, to let her words sink in a bit, but kept them moving.

"If you had come out here on your own, and I had remained in Osgiliath to wait for you and was expecting you back at a certain time... Given your current experience, I would prefer for you to stay where you were if you got lost. Moving could mean you would be venturing farther and farther into the forest. I might not find you then before you fall prey to hypothermia, or dehydration, or an aggressor. Not moving... keeps you closer. It would much increase my chances of finding you. And therefore, increase your chances." Kaylin tapped the branch on her own head. "Always think it through."

She grinned, then. "Maybe you want to say - well duh, Kaylin. Obvious much? But I still feel like that it needs emphasizing. Panicking would be the worst thing to do. Impulsive reactions would probably be the second worst - and I'm an impulsive woman, so I got it drilled into me quite well." A shrug.

"Someone like your father would hardly need to think of that anymore. Or he would, but likely wouldn't give much conscious thought to it anymore. My husband is an experienced ranger and I know for a fact how much of a stickler he is for telling people where he will be and when he is expecting to return. Whether he is going alone or with others, even." She had to think back on their little adventure to the desert for a moment.

"But to get back to the subject of water... You are right: water is important and you would try and go downhill to find water. Food is important too, though less so than water since you can survive longer without it. More important than water even, however, is shelter."

They ventured on, as Kaylin told Eryn about exposure to cold and heat and the importance of the right clothes, the ability and tools to make a fire, and so on. They talked about how you could survive a couple of days without water - up to a day or 3, depending on how hot it was and how much you were sweating - but how if the weather conditions were bad and you didn't have shelter, exposure could get you in as little as a few hours.

When the sun was high in the sky, Kaylin pulled them over for a break, looking to grab something to eat. They settled against the bark of an impressive pine, and forgot about survival for a while as they joked around and chatted about nothing and everything. When they'd finished eating and were simply enjoying the greenery around them, Kaylin blinked, and a frown started to form on her face.

"Eryn," she spoke, much more quietly than before. "Do you hear that?" A bad feeling crept up on her, and she got even quieter when she continued. "When did the forest start sounding like this?" Rather than any strange noises or sounds, it was rather that the forest had gotten... much more quiet. Kaylin quickly gathered her things into her pack whilst looking around, and checked to see whether her shortsword was clear in her scabbard. Hopefully, she would not need it.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


"OH, right," Eryn replied, feeling sort of dumb for not having thought of that. Some stuff, she'd heard her father say so many times, it hardly seemed needed to say out loud, so it hadn't occurred to her to mention that. But of course, Kaylin was right, and she nodded as the ranger went on to explain a variety of reasons for why. A lot of those, she'd heard before, but some she hadn't. She couldn't help feeling, yet again, that her father had withheld a lot of things from her. She was eager to learn more, even if Kaylin wasn't as familiar with forests as her husband, or Eryn's dad.

With the thought in mind that she would want to be able to find her way back, if necessary, Eryn tried to pay attention to the forest as they went deeper and deeper. Trying to take notice of any landmarks that she might be able to refer back to, if she should have to find her way again. But it was difficult, as it was easy to begin to think the trees all looked alike. They weren't though, she thought, as she observed two oak trees that were completely different. And there were two very tall pines there, that looked much alike, but then just a ways over to the right was another pine tree that looked totally different. But would she recognize them, if she came upon them again later?

She still had a vague idea of which direction to travel, if she should have to navigate her way back, but put those thoughts aside for a while as she enjoyed lunch and some friend talk with Kaylin. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the piney scent, and the stillness, until it was broken by Kaylin's hushed question. She opened her eyes and looked at her, then glanced around. "I don't hear anything." She replied, puzzled, until it clicked. "Oh.. that's bad, isn't it?" She frowned, and her voice dropped to a whisper, suddenly feeling uneasy. How long? Eryn swiftly thought back, trying to recall. Just a few minutes ago, she had been watching a squirrel dart up the tree trunks, leaping from one branch to another. A couple of birds had been chirping up in the branches nearby, but then, one of them had said something funny, and they'd both burst into laughter. She didn't remember seeing or hearing any birds or squirrels or anything, after that. "It's not been all that long," She stood slowly and picked up her bow from where she had set it aside to eat. "What is it?" She wondered, anxious as she glanced around for some sort of threat.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

"Stay low," she whispered when Eryn got to her feet, and Kaylin gestured for her friend to lower back down into a crouch. Scanning thier immediate surroundings from her own crouching position, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary - yet. She motioned for Eryn to follow her to a spot where a pine with low-hanging branches and high shrubs would hide Eryn from view from most sides. "I'll go see if I'm being paranoid or not. Meanwhile, you stay here." Wanting to reassure her friend, she added: "Don't worry. My instincts work much better in the city streets than in between the trees. It's probably nothing." Kaylin turned on the balls of her feet, still staying low herself. She looked over her shoulder back at Eryn. "Remember what we talked about. No free-balling it now, Eryn. I won't be long."

Kaylin took a deep breath and straightened her legs, surveying the woods all around them before straightening her legs and moving to a nearby tree to only straighten her back there. Just in case it would be necessary, she released her shield from her back, put her left forearm through the straps and held it at the ready. She didn't draw her shortsword yet - she wanted her right hand free for the moment.

She took Eryn's location as a starting point, and worked outward in an expanding circle around it. About 40 yards away from her friend, Kaylin heard the clanking of metal. Mentally, she swore. Perhaps they would be friendly, some hopeful part of her mind offered. But something stronger told her that wasn't the case. She lowered herself again, slowly moving through the trees and the thicket, until she found a spot with much cover that would allow her to watch in relative safety. She waited, her hand near her brace of throwing knives.

When they came into view, she mentally cursed again. Profusely and extensively. Orcs.

What were the odds of encountering them here? Relative close to Osgiliath, in the light of day, even. They did mostly keep to the shade the trees provided, but didn't they prefer to move at night? The sun was out, even though it was cloudy. Were they that desperate?

If so, that wasn't good, either.

First she spotted two, niether of which seemed to be carrying a bow, and that was good. She should be able to handle two by herself, as long as she could avoid a stroke of bad luck. But then... another came into view, who was carrying a shortbow, and then a fourth - and even a fifth. Kaylin gritted her teeth. They were heading into Eryn's direction, but would have to pass her by first.
Kaylin debated what to do.

Go back to Eryn now and try to outrun and evade the orcs before Eryn and herself were discovered?
If they spotted her moving away, they would surely follow and then she had lost the element of surprise, however. Orcs could be tenacious creatures, and they were too far into the forest to try and make for open ground so the sun would slow down their pursuit. Plus, one of them had a bow. She didn't like being pursued by an enemy with a long ranged weapon.

Attack the party now, on her own, using the element of surprise and trying to take down as many of them as she could?
She could try and get the orc with the bow first. If she was successful there, that would grossly reduce the threat. But she didn't have a straight path between herself and the orc in question, and she didn't have a bow. She was limited to her throwing knives. And what if they got the better of her? She was one, they were five. What chance did Eryn have then?

Her instinct was always to fight. Not flight. But thankfully she had the presence of mind to think it through before she acted. Slowly, quietly, she retreated. Back to Eryn. Who would hopefully be waiting right where she had been told to do so.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


Immediately, Eryn ducked lower when Kaylin said to, though she kept a good grip on her bow. Her dad hadn't taught her much about forests, but he'd taught her plenty so far about bows, and one thing he said often was to always be prepared. She kept it ready to use while she was out here, just like he would do. She tried to move as quietly as possible as she followed Kaylin, and ducked down behind the boughs of the pine. Her heart was racing, and she wondered whether it was some sort of prank or something, but dismissed that. She didn't know Kaylin all that well yet, but something told her she wouldn't pull a prank like this.. if she was wrong, well, the joke would definitely be on her, but it was better to play it safe and laugh about it later, than to make light of a serious situation, and regret it.

Nodding as Kaylin reminded her about her promise, she watched her friend disappear from sight, and tried to listen for any sort of noises. Kaylin seemed pretty good at moving stealthily, and she didn't hear anything from her. Eryn could hear her heart pounding so loud, she feared it would give her away if there was a threat nearby. Taking slow, deep breaths, she struggled to stay calm and not panic. Kaylin would return in a moment, she hoped. Only a small handful of times had Eryn ever disobeyed an order from her parents or other authority figures, and this was definitely one case where she knew better than to disobey.

Several possibilities raced through her mind all the while... wolves, bears, bandits... and all sorts of things that could be heading toward them. She even thought of orcs, but halfway dismissed that because as far as she knew, they didn't usually come out in the daytime. She hoped that Kaylin would return and say it was nothing. Counting the seconds as best she could, the girl didn't hear Kaylin approaching until she was very close upon her, and then jumped slightly and reflexively raised her bow, relaxing only when she saw that it was, thankfully, only her friend. "What is it?" She whispered, her nervousness intensifying as she saw the look on the ranger's face. There was definitely something dangerous, or she wouldn't look like that.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

She shook her head when Erynneth asked what was going on. Kaylin put her free hand on her friend's shoulder and looked her in the eye as she whispered: "Stay calm. And with me. Unless I tell you to run." She gently but decisively took Eryn's upper arm and guided her away from her hiding space. "Five orcs," she said in a thick whisper. "On my tail." And between us and where we need to be, damn it. "One bow." Kaylin looked over at the bow Eryn was gripping tightly. It was strung. Good. They might need it at some point. Kaylin could hardly believe how unlucky they were. There had been so little activity in Ithilien of late, especially so close to Osgiliath still. Not to mention it was the middle of the day. And then there were five, and they had a bow.

It had taken time to sneak back to Eryn and they couldn't be that far behind. They needed to be quick and quiet if they were going to have any chance to outrun them. But actual running those close to their enemies was out of the question at the moment - Eryn was wearing mail and Kaylin wasn't about to risk the orcs picking up on that sound. If they weren't paying attention, they might not hear, but... In addition, the tricky part was that their enemies were right in between their own position and Osgiliath. Kaylin wasn't about to go to the road and give them a clear line of sight, either.

They would have to make a roundabout movement to get around the orcs but still head for Osgiliath. Kaylin wasn't about to take Erynneth farther into the woods now. Where there were five... there could very well be more. And she wasn't about to head too far into the direction of the river either. Getting stuck between the Anduin and a small band of enemies wasn't appealing. Still, she didn't like not being able to actually increase the distance between them.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


Eryn almost couldn't believe her ears when Kaylin finally told her what was so scary. Orcs? She had thought those didn't come out in the daytime. She even cast a swift glance upward, as if to confirm to herself that it was still daytime, but apparently these were very bold orcs. She didn't need to be told twice to stay with Kaylin. She didn't actually know a whole lot about orcs, nor was she at all eager to see one for the first time. She'd heard enough horror stories to know they were scary and dangerous. She knew that her father's friend Addhor had lost his leg because an orc ripped it off... not that her father told her that grisly tale. She'd heard it elsewhere, but it was enough to make a shiver run down her back.

As she hastened along with Kaylin, Eryn was well aware of how important stealth and silence was.. she'd heard tales, whether true or not, that orcs could hear and smell prey from long distances. And humans were prey to them, she was aware of that. Keeping her gaze glued to the forest floor before her, she took great care not to step on anything noisy like dry leaves or twigs, though it was a little difficult, at the pace she had to keep up with Kaylin. Once, she nearly got her bow tangled in some underbrush, but saw it just in time and avoided it.

She wanted to ask Kaylin where they were headed, and how far away the orcs were from them. Were they trying to get back to Osgiliath? Or were they heading someplace else, safe from the orcs? She had a lot more questions, but this was definitely not the time to be asking questions. She bit her lip, worried about how far away they were from danger, and couldn't help thinking her father would be frantic and furious if he knew about this... all the more reason to never EVER tell him about this... assuming they got back home safely and there was no reason to have to tell him anything.

Suddenly, a soft gasp escaped her as she felt a sharp tug at her hair, followed by a rustling of leaves, and a little crack that made her catch her breath and freeze, eyes going wide. What had grabbed hold of her? She had a mini-panic moment, thinking an orc had come up behind her and grabbed her hair, but then, risking a peek back, she saw that it was only a tree branch that had gotten caught in her hair, then a part of it broke off. Feeling a little frantic, she tried to get her hair untangled from the broken-off branch, so it wouldn't be dragging or getting caught on anything else... all the while praying that the noise hadn't been loud enough to draw the orcs' attention.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

Kaylin was worried, and so she rushed. She was tense and was going through scenarios in her mind, so she could be prepared if they happened, and so she didn't stop and think about how easy or how hard it was for Erynneth to both keep up with her and do it quietly enough at the same time. In Kaylin's mind, they weren't going very fast - Erynneth's mail couldn't make too much noise, after all. Even though some muted sounds were inevitable.

They heard the orcs from time to time, now off to their left somewhere. They were almost far enough to their flank that Kaylin considered stopping and hiding until they were far enough away. That might be safer than continuing on and risking...

It was right then that Eryn gasped, the leaves rustled and a branch snapped audibly. Kaylin froze to a halt and looked at Erynneth with big eyes. She saw the branch stuck in the girl's hair and Eryn's efforts to get it out. And she also heard the orcs. The tone of their foul tongue had changed. They sounded... excited. And from the sound of it, they had changed directions. Heading their way again and moving fast - probably to investigate if the sound had been nothing, or if it would make for their next meal - or simply some good sport.

Outrunning them unseen seemed less and less likely. They also no longer quite had the element of surprise. And once the orcs actually saw them, and their weapons, any last sliver of possible surprise would be lost to them forever.

Kaylin made a snap decision. The wrong one, perhaps. They would only really know after the fact.

She held out her hand. "Bow and some arrows," she said. "Now." She held up her shield in return. "You take this. Protect yourself. Hold it but don't put your arm through it." If she needed it back fast, she wanted to be able to just yank it from Eryn's hands. "You stay three paces behind me. At - all -times."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


Yanking the branch from the tangles of her hair, Eryn winced slightly... it hurt, but she'd get over it. Assuming she lived long enough to get over it. Her pulse sped up, hearing the orcs' voices. They'd heard her. She cringed inwardly, knowing it was her fault that they had become alerted to her and Kaylin's presence. If only she'd been paying more attention... but there was no time for those thoughts. Kaylin had requested(more like demanded) her bow and arrows. Eryn paused for half a second, her first thought 'but I might need them', before realizing the weapon would probably be more effective in the ranger's hands than in hers. She thrust the bow toward her friend, her other hand fumbling for a moment with the quiver, before pushing that toward her as well, struggling not to panic.

The shield was rather unfamiliar, just as awkward as the maille had been. She wasn't sure exactly how best to hold it without putting her arm through the straps, as Kaylin had ordered, but she nodded and backed a little ways from Kaylin, wondering what Kaylin had in mind, and how they were going to get out of this. The girl felt a little uncomfortable, not having any sort of weapon to use, should the orcs get past Kaylin.. but she mustn't think like that. Kaylin would fight them, and everything would be alright. It had to be. She took a slow, deep breath and tried not to be so scared, reminding herself that if she did join the rangers, she might end up fighting stuff like this all the time. Only difference, of course, would be that she'd have some training to know how to handle it if that happened... unlike now.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

She took the bow, handed off the shield and slung the quiver over her shoulder. "Stay calm, Erynneth," Kaylin whispered as she looked for a position between the trees and the underbrush that would mostly hide her from view. "It is - very - important to stay calm. You are doing great." Nocking the arrow on the bow, she tested the draw.
There was no guarantee that she could keep Eryn safe, but Kaylin thought she would be able to. Five both was and wasn't a lot. If she could pick some off with Eryn's bow first, it should be manageable. She just couldn't risk five orcs getting too close to them - not when Eryn hadn't been trained to fight. Kaylin couldn't fight five enemies and sucessfully keep them away from Eryn at the same time.

Her blue-grey eyes were scanning the trees, looking for the orcs. She was hoping the one with the bow would have taken a forward position - not that the creature would do that if it had half a brain...
When the first orc came into view, disappointment sunk in her stomach like a heavy rock in still water. She readied the bow when the second orc came into view, and then she suddenly saw all of them intermittently, depending on which of them were in her line of sight and which of them just happened to be walking behind a tree or tall bush. Kaylin gritted her teeth. She couldn't aim properly at the one carrying the bow, which displeased her immensely. Yet she couldn't wait forever. Their numbers had to be reduced before they got too close. She drew the bow and aimed.

The shot flew into the arm of the foremost orc, who cried out in pain and anger. Kaylin wanted to curse vehemently, but instead she kept her silence and nocked another arrow while the orcs were getting riled up. She wasn't used to this bow, which wasn't helpful, but at least now she knew how it handled itself. Kaylin breathed in, aimed - and released as she breathed out. The front orc fell, her second arrow sticking from his throat. Not wasting time, she readied a third arrow, and aimed for the orc who was carrying the bow - a clear shot had presented itself. She could feel her heartbeat in her throat.

Breaaaathe. Release.

The bow-bearer dropped to its knees, snarling. It was satisfying, and she was relieved, but the other three had meanwhile spotted their location and were dead sprinting toward them. If she tried to get another with the bow, the others would surely get within melee range and Kaylin wanted to avoid any orcs at all in Eryn's close vicinity. She turned to step over to Eryn, kept moving and indicated for the girl to come with her with a head tilt. Meanwhile, she grabbed her shield from the girl with her left hand and gave her her bow and then her quiver back. "We run now," Kaylin said decidedly. "Together. Give me your hand!" It would help Eryn keep her footing and would allow Kaylin to steer her more easily into one direction or the other.

Her own stamina was excellent, so she would not easily get winded. If Eryn could keep up, and the orcs didn't close in on them further, they were likely to get tired sooner. Besides, the Ranger needed some time to think on what would be her best next move. She had eliminated the one with the bow, and none of the three remaining orcs had gone back to grab the weapon. As long as they didn't get within melee range, they would be fine. Ideal would be if they passed a spot where Kaylin could tell Eryn to hide while she took care of the three others.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


With the shield gripped in both hands, Eryn ducked down by some bushes, her heart racing wildly. She forced herself to take slow, measured breaths. Stay calm. The girl tried very hard to remember everything her father had taught her, little as it was, and anything she might have heard or learned from her friends, like Nal and Kaylin. She hadn't spent much time yet with Kaylin to have learned much, and her father had certainly not expected her to end up in a situation like this... and with any luck, he wouldn't EVER find out. Still, she had a little amount of knowledge to draw from, having heard stories and play-acted various things in the past, growing up. Above all, she knew to stay quiet, but her thoughts raced with trying to sort out what she would do if things took a turn for the worse and Kaylin wasn't there to protect her. All she could really do, if that happened, was run, right? Although, it suddenly returned to her memory that she did have a knife.. not that it would do her much good but it was better than nothing. Just in case she had to run again, Eryn quickly worked on tying her hair back into a quick bun, so it wouldn't get caught on anything again.

Peeking around the edge of the shield when she heard an ugly orc voice yell sharply nearby, Eryn watched anxiously, and was relieved to see that Kaylin had shot it. And immediately after, another orc fell from one of her arrows. Yay! She felt a slight sense of relief at that, but of course, the two young women were still outnumbered, so it would be premature to start celebrating just yet. She caught a glimpse of the remaining orcs rushing toward them. Her eyes widened, wondering how they were going to fight off all three at once. Swapping the shield back for her weapons, Eryn fumbled briefly with getting the quiver clipped onto her belt, then grabbed Kaylin's hand as she ran along with her, trying her best to keep her bow close to her body so that it wouldn't get caught on anything. If it got damaged, or lost, they'd be in much worse trouble than they already were.

Thankfully, Eryn was fairly used to running. Ever since she was little, whenever she'd finish with her chores or lessons or whatever, and be free for the day, she would run outside as far as she could go. Initially it was simply for fun, for the joy of being outside and in the open air, but when she decided she wanted to be a ranger, she began to push herself to run further and faster, trying to build up her endurance, so that she'd be able to keep up with the others. Running in an open field, however, was a bit different to running in a forest with sticks and stones and underbrush and brambles, but she gripped Kaylin's hand tightly and kept up the best she could, trying to watch out for trip hazards or things that might twist her ankle. This would be the worst possible time to have a misstep.

Adrenaline, and fear of the orcs that pursued close behind them, caused her to not even notice when she was out of breath. Somewhere in her mind, she thought that Osgiliath, or the river at least, ought to be right up ahead by now, yet it seemed that they were miles and miles from anywhere. Like in a dream when you see your destination ahead, but the path to it keeps stretching longer and longer so that you think you'll never reach it. She wondered if that was where they were heading, and if the soldiers there would be near enough to help them, or maybe the orcs would catch up to them before they got there. At least they had weapons; Kaylin had her small sword, and Eryn had her bow.. she should still have twenty-one, maybe twenty if Kaylin had fired more than the three she saw her use. A tiny part of her lamented the loss of arrows, figuring she'd probably never get them back, but the rest of her mind pointed out that it was silly to even care about that, right now.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

At least Erynneth turned out to be a good runner - that was one thing they had going for them. Kaylin was actively looking for a place where she could tell Eryn to hide out, but everytime she spotted one that might do, they had ran past it before she could act and the window to hide her friend without the orcs possibly seeing it, had closed.

In thought, she swore every time. She kept it in, however, to save air as well but mostly not to alarm Erynneth any further than the entire situation already would!
Something flew past her head then, a ways above her left shoulder. That called for a verbal curse, and at the same time she was thankful she had 'borrowed' the mail from the armory for Eryn. Throwing knives would bounce right off, at least - they didn't have the range or power behind them to do much damage, and none at all when mail was involved. And that was a huge comfort. Kaylin let go of Eryn's hand and moved to the girl's other side, raising her shield to cover Eryn's neck and head from behind. Yet, while that was a nice thought, it proved to slow her down too much to justify the choice for long. And then a sharp sting to her left lower back cut off her thinking for a brief moment.

The jolt seemed to coincide with the realization that she wasn't wearing any mail herself. Which had been a habit as a soldier, but which she had abandoned when becoming a ranger. The throwing knife hadn't gone in deep at all, however, and their run made it drop to the grass after a few paces. The small wound shouldn't be too much of a problem and could be looked at when they were safe. "Keep looking ahead," she called out to Eryn, who was a few paces ahead of her due to the raised shield slowing her down a bit. Kaylin lowered it again, deciding it was more dangerous in a way to keep it raised like that than not to do so, at which point she felt something else hitting her lower back, on the right this time. Kaylin grunted. That didn't feel like a throwing knife. It felt larger, and it was staying put. Other than the sharp pain when it hit her, though, the adrenaline was keeping her from feeling the rest.

This meant they couldn't just keep running. Their enemies might be running out of weapons to throw, but they also may not. And Kaylin needed to be in good enough shape to defend her friend and take them down. "Eryn," Kaylin exclaimed, her voice level and decided. "Stop - stay in a ten yard radius and YELL if you see one coming for you --" at this, Kaylin sharply turned and headed straight for the nearest of the three orcs. There was no time to check the knife in her back - nor the wound. And until she could do that, it was probably best that it stayed where it was. Kaylin just hoped none of the orcs would twist it, push at it or pull it out... Best not to give that too much thought.

Shield in one hand, her free right hand went for the shortsword at her belt. The orc was too close by the time she started drawing the blade, so Kaylin used her shield to deflect the creature's attacking blow and as she drew her shortsword, unceremoniously knocked the pommel into the orc's face in the arc of her draw. She completed the upward movement as the orc's face was forced upward, and then changed the angle of her sword blade down - down and back slightly, to savagely strike and cut it across her opponent's face. Her eyes were already looking for the other two.

One was heading straight for her, the other was trying to go for Eryn. "Eryn, RUN!" Kaylin yelled. The orc was rather too close for the girl to prepare and shoot her bow, and Kaylin would rather the girl didn't get involved in melee. Kaylin ducked under the second orc's short spear and left him behind, heading for the third orc who was going for Eryn.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


Unaware of Kaylin getting knives thrown at her, Eryn continued to run, all of her focus currently on not tripping or loosing her footing. And not running into a tree or anything. She idly thought it might have been a good idea to have changed into something besides a dress before setting out, but she hadn't really expected to be running at full speed through the forest with orcs chasing her, when she set out from the farm yesterday. So it was with adventures, apparently, she couldn't help thinking.

Suddenly, she heard Kaylin utter something, a curse of some sort, told her to stop. Fear for her friend, that she might have tripped or been grabbed by orcs, flashed through her mind and she cast a swift glance over her shoulder, reassuring herself that Kaylin was still there, not on the ground or anything. Her friend had told her to stop, but it took her several paces to actually do so, putting her around the distance Kaylin had said, then she spun around.. she HAD to see what was happening. Plus, she was a bit winded.

Everything happened very quickly, after that, although at the same time it almost felt like time slowed, somehow. She saw two orcs heading for Kaylin, the third hidden from her view by some thick foliage and bushes to one side of her. She caught a glimpse of the knife handle sticking out of Kaylin's back, and froze for a moment, fearing for her friend, but also for herself. Almost before she gave herself time to think about it, she grabbed an arrow from her quiver, swiftly aiming for the second orc that she could see.. Kaylin was attacking the one, and this one wasn't far behind. Eryn couldn't take as much time to aim as she'd like, and let the arrow fly almost as soon as she had pointed it in the orc's direction, and instantly felt a flood of worries wash over her. She misjudged the distance... it flew lower than she meant it to! Also, in her haste, it went a little off from the center of its body where she'd wanted it to go... but then she saw the orc stumble as the arrow hit its leg, instead!

Before she had time to think or feel anything about that, she heard Kaylin yelling at her to run, and looked up... then suddenly saw the third orc. It was right up on her! Yikes! With a startled gasp, she ducked swiftly as the monster was swinging its weapon toward her, and darted around to the far side of the tree before taking off at a run again. Somewhere in her mind, a memory popped up... a memory of her father mentioning something about weaving or zigzagging among the trees. She tried to do that, hoping it would make it harder for the orc to throw anything at her, and also hoping maybe she might lose it or something. But what about Kaylin? She worried about her friend, and risked a quick glance over her shoulder to try and see where Kaylin might be, or if the orc was still chasing her, or what.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

Part of her mind told her to chuck her shield at the orc going for Erynneth, but the rash idea was swiftly silenced by reason. It would be too hard to do it properly while still holding her sword and running, and she couldn't stop running so she couldn't sheathe her sword. And dropping her sword was not an option she wanted to entertain. "Hey!" she yelled at the orc, hoping to get its attention, even as tried to move as fast as she could manage with the blade in her back. At least she knew by now it hadn't hit anything vital, no organs, no major artery - or she would be down on the ground by now. And she still had the full advantage of adrenaline caused by the fight and her concern for Eryn. She firmly ignored anything else as much as she could. Dispatch the enemy first. Worry about the wound later.

She couldn't quite get to the same speed as the orc, however, and realized that she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much farther. With a resigned sigh, she forcefully threw her shortsword at the orc's legs ahead of her and drew the long knife at her hip instead. Her sword made the orc stumble and fall down, and Kaylin was insanely grateful for what seemed to her like their first stroke of actual luck. She caught up to the orc just when he was scrambling back up, and wacked him over the head with her shield to bring him back to his knees in disorientation, before slicing the creature's throat. Blood sprayed from the wound as the orc's heart kept pumping a while yet, and Kaylin's leathers partially stained red. She was breathing hard now and turned around just in time to block the last orc's spear with her shield.

"Eryn!" Kaylin yelled, though she wasn't looking at her friend, to draw her attention and so she wouldn't keep running and either get lost or possibly run into someone else on her own. The slight distraction combined with the orc's attack, made Kaylin lose full awareness of her surroundings. As she stepped back to maintain a proper fighting stance, the heel of her boot got caught on the second - now dead - orc's arm, which had stretched out to the side as he'd fallen over just a moment earlier. Kaylin lost her footing, and remembering the knife that was still partially in her back and how lethal it would be to fall down on it, she grunted as she worked to twist her torso and fall on her right side instead. That, too, hurt like hell. Her eyes misted over involuntarily.

She couldn't get up in time, nor could she use her knife - she was leaning on the arm holding it. She raised her shield to protect herself and kicked hard at one of the orc's kneecaps.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


Despite how much Eryn liked to run, she was pretty sure she'd never run this much at one time, ever. And definitely not with some terrifying orc right on her heels. Her lungs were burning and her side was starting to hurt a bit, and she didn't know how much more she could keep running. But she also knew if she didn't keep running, it would catch her and she didn't even want to think about that. Her brief glance hadn't shown her where Kaylin was, nor where the second orc might be. The one she'd shot in the leg. With any luck, he was hobbling around and unable to walk. But somehow she doubted that.

And then a moment later, the orc wasn't right behind her anymore. She didn't question why, but tried to push herself to keep going.. to get more distance between her and it. Then, suddenly, Kaylin's voice rang out, calling her name. Eryn stopped as fast as she could, and turned, her eyes widening as she saw her friend on the ground, shield raised, the orc looming over her. Without thinking of anything but what seemed the only obvious thing to do, Eryn snatched an arrow from her quiver and drew back, though this time, she took a second.. then two.. to actually aim more properly. Especially since Kaylin was so close, she definitely didn't want to miss.

Her arrow almost seemed to fly in slow motion for a moment, before it struck the orc. It wasn't where she'd wanted it to hit, but it was close. The orc, interrupted in mid-attack with its spear, growled angrily as the arrow hit its shoulder, making the orc stagger to one side from the impact. 'Oh no!' Eryn thought, trying not to panic as she saw that the arrow didn't kill it. She whipped another arrow out and onto her string, swiftly drawing. Snarling, the orc seemed undecided about whether to go after Eryn or finish off Kaylin first. That was good, it gave her a few more seconds... 'Breathe..' Eryn reminded herself, which was easier said than done after all the running she'd been doing, but she tried to relax and remember all the things she'd learned from her father. There was no wind, thank Eru, and she knew from her first shot how much she needed to adjust her aim. The orc raised its spear to throw toward Eryn. She took a slow breath, then released the string, and watched her arrow zip through the air, holding her breath.. and then let it out in a sigh of relief as the arrow stuck deep into the orc's throat.

To her, it seemed that everything stopped and stood still for several heartbeats (hers was racing very fast right now) before the orc finally dropped to the ground. It took her another couple of heartbeats to convince herself it was truly dead, and put back the third arrow that her hand had automatically grabbed, before running to where Kaylin lay on the ground. Pushing the orc's body aside, out of the way, she knelt down by Kaylin, terrified that her friend might be about to die. "Kaylin! Are you... you aren't... Oh, please be alright!" Eryn's eyes were wide, and she wasn't sure how she could keep from panicking when she wasn't sure what to do to help Kaylin.. what if the knife had pierced her heart or something? Or a lung, or liver, or... what if it was poisoned? Or what if... no, she had to stay calm, don't think about those things! "What do I do? Should I get a healer? Where would I find one?" Were there healers among the soldiers at Osgiliath? Could she find her way there, if she had to?

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

She kicked the orc's kneecap just as Eryn's first arrow hit the creature in its shoulder. Kaylin peeked from behind her shield as the orc was raising his spear, and she noted it looking ahead instead of at her. Kaylin's gaze wanted to follow the orc's, but she knew better than to take her eyes off an enemy that close, and so she watched as one of Eryn's arrows pierced its throat. It was a disturbingly satisfying scene to Kaylin. The creature fell on the grass; thankfully not on her. She scanned their surroundings, to make sure she heard no others. While all those she had seen before was now dead, she wasn't making any quick assumptions. When all stayed quiet for a while, she dared to let relief set in.

The adrenaline would fade sooner than she would like, she knew, but that was fine. She was just glad they had both lived, and that Erynneth was unharmed. In the meantime, Eryn had found her way to her side, and Kaylin looked up at her as the girl started rambling. Kaylin put down her shield and raised her hand at her friend's questions. "No reason to panic just yet, Eryn," was the first thing she said. "Sure, I have a knife stuck in my back, but I should be fine." She grunted as she turned a bit more and placed both hands on the grass to push herself up. "Let me try and get up on my own." It would let her stop moving more quickly if certain movements hurt. Getting up was... not pleasant. But she managed.

Looking at Eryn, she figured she might need to explain a few things. "I should be okay. If the knife had hit something very important, I wouldn't have been able to run or fight. So, good signs. We had best not pull it out; or I could bleed out. If we manage to get back to Osgiliath fairly quickly, the knife stays put until we have someone with basic first aid knowledge and some suitable supplies to put pressure on the wound, clean it and wrap it up." She hoped there would be people at the ruined city who could help. There should be. One would assume.

"Could you get my shield, Eryn? And my sword." She pointed them out. "I would rather not bend forward." She couldn't, would be a more accurate description. But there was no need to make Erynneth any more worried than she already was.

A dull pain started to spread through Kaylin's lower back; a sign that the rush from the fight was wearing off. She also started to feel a small rivulet of blood escaped the space between her skin and the knife. She had moved to much, running and fighting. "We should hurry," she indicated, trying to keep her voice calm. Deciding to cut the shortest path to the road, first, Kaylin started them off without much further ado. If she lost consciousness at some point, it would be best if Erynneth could just follow the road.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn , @Rillewen
Merchant Escort

Pele watched Firdaus get back into the carriage with a corner of one eye, as she listened to Duinion's comments and questions. "Well, the thing is that I don't know anything about his old or new suppliers, or how he conducts his business," she said with a sigh, searching through her pack for some treat or other. Coming up with a half-handful of raisins, she popped them in her mouth before Temper could snatch these from her. Seeing that she did not share the snack, he did bite her arm, even if it was done gently enough. Just enough so that she would feel regret for not sharing.

"Kaylin has suspicions that not everything is clean there, though," she continued, tapping Temper on the nose with her fingertips. "I'm afraid we won't have enough time to find out anything until later - unless he suddenly has a wish to share details with Kaylin. Else we best be ready for anything and everything." She paused a bit, wondering why Firdaus had not ordered the carriage to be on the move yet. "He sort of hinted this village was the final destination, so..."

Meanwhile Firdaus cast a rather anxious look outside, fidgeting slightly. "Depending on how the meeting goes," he said, rubbing his chin. "We might either return here or stay in the inn on the outskirts of the village for the night. And it is true, their best comforts are sort of lacking, so should be just comforts without 'best' attached." At this he rolled his eyes somewhat impatiently.

"Well then. I best see what I can agree on with those Rangers," he huffed and puffed, climbing out of the carriage again and ambling his way over to where Pele and Duinion were.

"Rangers," he began, keeping himself well away from the horses. "I have a meeting to attend, a bit away from the village. Could we agree that you wait for us here meanwhile?"

When the merchant addressed them, Pele turned towards him and thought his suggestion over with narrowed eyes. "So... you want us to protect you, and now you want to leave us here? How exactly are we to do our duty when we can't be with you to protect you, Mr Firdaus? Should something happen, you would have an excellent reason to blame us if we were not present."

As soon as Firdaus opened his mouth to argue, Pele raised her hand. "We are going with you. We are not interested in the details of your business, as long as we can keep you in our sight." Technically, this statement was only half true, Pele thought to herself, a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. She did want to know whether his business was clean, and if it was not - she'd make sure there were consequences.

The merchant wrung his hands, looking between Pele, Duinion, and Kaylin all in turns. "But... I have certain conditions for business. Besides, I only need you to keep watch on the road to scare off any robbers."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


Eryn took a shaky breath as she tried to force herself to calm down. Now that the scary stuff was all (mostly) over, she had only her friend to be frightened for, but Kaylin assured her that she should be fine. Was she really, though? Eryn wanted to help her get up, but Kaylin asked her to let her get up on her own. Biting her lip, Eryn moved back a bit, watching anxiously, ready to jump forward and help her if she should prove to need the help. She began trembling a bit as the adrenaline wore off, and gripped the handle of her bow tight, the other hand pressing her quiver against her side, trying to hide that her hands were shaking.

Nodding in reply to what Kaylin said about the knife and how it should stay in her back until they found someone with experience to be able to treat it properly, Eryn tried to make note of that, trying to store the information away in case she needed it later. "Shield.. sword, yes, of course." She was eager for something to do, more specifically, something for her hands to do, and hastened to grab them from the ground, although she couldn't help stopping for a few seconds to stare at the ugly monster that had been pursuing them. That she had killed. It seemed unreal. She almost couldn't believe it, but there was no way this was a dream, it was far too real.

"We should hurry,"

At Kaylin's words, Eryn tore her gaze from the dead orc with a shiver, and fumbled to figure out the best way to carry the shield, bow, and sword all at once. In the end she slung the bow across her body, her head and one shoulder between the string and bow, with the string going diagonally across her chest. That freed up both hands to carry Kaylin's sword and shield, and wondered if she ought to offer to carry her pack for her too, but that might be hard to get off without disturbing the knife, so she didn't suggest that.

Hurrying to catch up with her, Eryn tried to focus on taking deep, slow breaths, to calm down from all the excitement and fear. "How far away are we?" She wondered, speaking very quietly as she walked along with the ranger, as if some part of her feared to speak too loudly and draw attention of any more lurking enemies. Thank goodness, she saw the road nearby, and hoped that meant they weren't far at all. But then, there was a boat, right? Would she have to row them to the city ruins? Or would they be able to get there on foot? Maybe Kaylin would be better off sitting in a boat while Eryn rowed. She looked around, trying to find some sort of landmark that might give her some sort if insight as to their whereabouts, but nothing here looked familiar.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Merchant Escort

Tirdinen Duinion

"I can help provide some of those answers, Captain." Duinion muttered, just loud enough for Pele to hear. "Though my information will be..rather outdated." He offered a wry smile at that, before giving a vague explanation, "I worked for him when I was young, before joining the rangers, twenty-something years ago, when his father was the owner, and he only a partner in the business." He shrugged. "I don't remember a whole lot, and I didn't work for them very long, but I.. may remember a few names of the suppliers they had then, if I put my mind to it..." He paused, glancing over and watched as the man approached them. "As for how he runs his business.." He frowned. "I can tell you a bit about that too... later." He went quiet as Firdaus came within hearing distance.

He watched the merchant's face closely, both as he was speaking, and as Pele was speaking. Trying to get an indication of what was going on inside. Was he trying for some deceit? Was he nervous? Duinion wasn't the best at reading people, but he was clearly upset when Pele insisted that they would be going with him. Duinion kept a neutral expression, but inside he was most definitely amused. "Your meeting is away from the village, you said," He spoke up after a brief silence. "Who's to say there won't be robbers lying in wait for you between the village and this meeting place?" He pointed out, firmly keeping the smirk off of his face. "We wouldn't want anyone stealing from you, now would we?" This was said with only the faintest hint of hidden meaning. He couldn't help that. It was too ironic, after all, that the man who'd once accused Duinion of stealing from him had now, unknowingly, "hired" him to prevent him from getting robbed.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Rillewen

Kaylin - in disguise as Hirilfael of House Luinamath
Merchant Escort

She figured that noblewomen could be just as curious as normal folk. And so Kaylin followed Firdaus out of the carriage this time, and stood closeby when he spoke to Pele and Duinion.

Watching the three Gondorians with mild interest, Hirilfael listened to the words that were exchanged. Firdaus was rather direct, which made her wonder. Was he really this unskilled in the arts of conversation, while his contacts were... probably... shady, at best? Then again, she would imagine that unsavory contacts would appreciate someone who lacked such finesse - then he would prove an easier pawn to them. Easy to manipulate, and unlikely to turn on them. And if he would turn on them... Kaylin's eyes flicked around them. Then it would be easy for said characters to find out about it. Firdaus clearly wasn't subtle.

Pele was obviously unwilling to let Firdaus out of her sight. Duinion, too, used logic to try and dissuade the seemingly fickle merchant. Yet Kaylin feared Firdaus might not go through with his plans - or that these new contacts would not show themselves - in case Pele and Duinion came with them. An idea struck.

"Excuse me," Hirilfael offered, in a disinterested tone of voice. "I do not profuse to know much of the Rangers of Gondor, but I have been told by Master Firdaus that he was the one to ask for your help and you were not exactly enthused with the request. Be that as it may... You have indeed accepted his request and now here we are. You have done exactly what Master Firdaus requested: you kept him safe on the way here, and he is meeting with a new supplier just on the other side of the village. Of course he will expect you to guard us on the way back to the White City, but he as your client sees no danger whilst in this village and its immediate surroundings." Her eyes found Pele's. "Would you not be happy with a short reprieve? Besides, you would only be a short distance removed from us." Would Pele understand that Kaylin meant for them to agree, but follow them anyway, hidden from sight?

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

"Not that far," she replied. Soon their boots were walking on the road itself, and Kaylin tried to estimate how far away they would be. "At our former pace, we would only be an hour or so away." She wasn't at all sure she would be able to keep that up, however. She would try.

With a faint smile, she looked over at Eryn. "At least you are unharmed," Kaylin stated with a happy tilt to her words. That had been very important to her - her prime objective - and the two of them had managed that much together. "And you proved you have a steady head on your shoulders when it comes down to it." The way she sounded, she may as well have had a skip to her step. Not that this was at all the case. Kaylin was actually moving rather carefully, and a bit stiffly at that, in her attempt not to dislodge the knife.

Sensing Erynneth might be a bit overwhelmed despite of how well she handled herself, considering, Kaylin continued in a light manner of speech. "Can you row, Eryn? If not, you shouldn't need to. It's the middle of the day and we can call for attention. The sentinels on the west bank will likely spot us before they hear us, and can send someone over to help if need be." Now Eryn basically knew everything she needed in case Kaylin's lights went out, without Kaylin giving her obvious instructions. They were walking on the road in the proper direction, and Eryn would know what to do if the boat was gone or if she couldn't row. While Kaylin didn't feel that bad at the moment, she was starting to get increasingly tired. That couldn't be a good sign.

As they progressed along the road, Kaylin started to feel like she sometimes did when she had a day off, had eaten a big lunch and was lounging in the sun afterwards. She didn't speak much anymore, focusing instead on staying alert - or at least awake - and keep putting one foot ahead of the other. When the edge of the ruined city came into view, Kaylin was relieved, but she also found it that much harder not to let herself slip away. "There it is," she mumbled, audible enough. If they didn't have a proper healer at Osgiliath, they were going to have to figure out a way to keep her from bleeding more, so she could get back to MT. But, being a positive person, Kaylin didn't doubt it would work out somehow. Not that she was looking forward having to walk back the way to the White City with that wound - but she'd been through worse.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


The sight of the road was a welcome one, and Eryn couldn't help hoping that it wouldn't take long from here to reach the banks of the river, which would lead them to the city ruins where she knew there was help. And hopefully, someone with medical experience. But Kaylin's estimation of how long it would take had a slightly discouraging effect. An hour.. at their former pace. She was aware they were moving slower now, and she worried about Kaylin. Sticking close to the injured ranger, she was prepared to help her along if she should start to slump or appear to need support, but for now she refrained, unsure whether Kaylin needed the extra help or not.

"Row?" She glanced at Kaylin, then thought about that for a moment. "I don't know, I never tried before... it couldn't be too hard though," She decided. She'd seen Kaylin do it, and it didn't look as if there was any sort of trick to it, just stick the oar in and move it through the water to propel the boat forward in the direction you wanted to go. Right? She nodded in relief to hear that the sentinels would be there, and would spot them. She glanced at Kaylin. It occurred to her that she might be telling her things that might be necessary to know, in case... she didn't know what exactly, and didn't want to think too hard about it. But she appreciated the knowledge, just in case 'just in case' did happen. "Are there any sort of passwords or anything I should give them, if they want to know?" She asked with a slight frown, trying to think of anything else that might be good to know.

The further they went along, the more Eryn tried to pay attention to how Kaylin was doing, and how she was acting. The quieter she became, the more worried Eryn grew, and she tried to periodically ask her questions about this or that, some important, some not so important, but mostly just to try and help keep her alert, worried she might pass out or something. And then she didn't know what she'd do, as she wasn't certain she could carry or drag her the rest of the way, especially not without making her injury worse. At last, though, she heard the wonderful words mumbled from Kaylin's lips; "There it is."

Eryn looked ahead, having been watching Kaylin with growing concern, keeping one hand lightly hovering out near her friend in case she suddenly fell over and Eryn had to try and catch her. She was relieved to see some signs of Osdolen not far ahead, and hoped some sentries would be near enough to come help them. She considered calling out, but remembered there was a river to cross, first. Right? Besides, what if there were more dangers lurking and she called their attention to them, instead of the sentry's?

She wanted very much to run ahead and find a boat, but feared to leave Kaylin's side, just in case she did fall over. Or worse, backward, onto the knife. Trying to force herself to stay calm, she tried to remember where they had left their boat, and spotted the pillar that she'd observed when they first left the boat. "It's not far, our boat should be right over there," She told Kaylin, glad to be so near at last. And there was their boat at last, right where they'd left it. Hopefully, rowing wouldn't be too difficult, she thought with some nervousness as she held onto the boat, trying to keep it steady for Kaylin as she climbed in.

Dropping Kaylin's sword and shield down in the bottom of the boat, Eryn started to climb in after them, then paused, realizing she'd have to push the boat off of the ground before she got in. After a bit of effort, she managed to get it fully into the water, climbed in with a little difficulty, and then grabbed the oars. "Don't fall asleep or anything," She glanced worriedly toward Kaylin, doing her best to propel the boat through the water toward the city, but worried that Kaylin might pass out before they got there or something. That would likely be bad, she figured, though she knew very little about anything medical.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
Ithilien

When Eryn said she'd never rowed before, Kaylin figured it was fine. They could just call for help and someone could come over to their side of the river to help out. She didn't comment on it while they were still walking, focusing on keeping herself moving and keeping a watchful eye on the treeline on either side of the road. If anyone was looking, they would spot them easily - a thought Kaylin didn't like to entertain at the moment. Yet, the road was their best option.

Eryn spoke. "It's not far, our boat should be right over there."
Thank Manwë. "Good." The dull pain was spreading but fading at the same time, and a mild throbbing sensation joined the party. Kaylin wasn't sure what to make of it: was it getting better or worse? It was doing something, that was for sure.

Climbing into the boat was more challenging than Kaylin would have hoped, but she hid it as best as she could from Eryn, who was holding the boat in an attempt to keep it steady for her. It was clear to see Eryn was very worried, and she was probably right to be... but that didn't mean Kaylin couldn't try and ease some of that concern. As she tried to maintain the facade that she was doing just fine, she didn't pick up on Eryn's inexperience with the boat and she momentarily forgot about her friend's earlier comment.

"Don't worry, I won't fall asleep," she reassured the girl with a convincing smile. She wasn't at all sure she wouldn't, but she was definitely going to give it everything she had.

As they set out on the water and Eryn attempted to row, the current soon pulled at them and the boat veered off course. Kaylin blinked and suddenly remembered Eryn had said she'd never rowed before. "Crap," she muttered, and raised an arm into the air, looking to the location on the west bank where she knew the sentinels would be positioned. "Heya!" she called out loudly. She gave Eryn an apologetic look. "Not to dump on your skills or anything, but we are going to need some help if we're not to end up too far south." Her blue-grey eyes went back to the west bank. "Some help over here, please!" Her voice didn't carry all that far at the moment, but whether they could make out the words wasn't all that important. She just needed to draw extra attention to them, so they would notice their predicament sooner rather than later. They would be able to see their little boat veering off and Eryn's not so successful efforts at correcting their course... and they would be quick to intervene, she was sure. They would know who they were; they were a recognisable pair and they had just come through their post, after all.

Holding back a groan, Kaylin drew a deeper breath and gave Eryn a lopsided grin. "You know, you could probably convince your dad to teach you how to row. It's not linked to fighting or danger - it can actually save you from danger. It just so happens to also be a useful Ranger skill."

Meanwhile, the sentinel had clearly seen how they weren't getting where they wanted to go. There was activity on the other side of the river and soon another boat was pushed into the Anduin. As it came closer, two individuals came into view. One of them was Baerden, the second a man they had seen at the breakfast table that morning.
"What seems to be the problem, ladies?" Baerden asked as they pulled up alongside them. He was clearly about to make a quip, but reconsidered when he saw a pale Kaylin who wasn't so much as touching the oars. Instead, he frowned. He seemed to draw some sort of conclusion before either Eryn or Kaylin could answer. He reached over for the nearest edge of their boat. "Alright. Eryn, you get in this boat; Torgen will row you back to shore. I'll row your boat."

While Baerden held the boats together, Torgen helped Eryn switch over. Baerden hopped from one boat into the other with deceptive ease. On the way back to the west bank, both Baerden and Torgen got the story of what happened out of their boatmates. Once they arrived, Torgen first helped Eryn ashore and then the two men helped Kaylin out. "We have someone here who's kept several of us alive after silly and serious accidents alike. I'm sure he'll be able to help in some way."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Erynneth


The first stroke of the oars seemed to go well enough; it moved them slightly away from the bank. The second wasn't too bad, but by the third and then fourth, the current caught hold of their boat and Eryn discovered that it wasn't quite as easy as she had expected. Soon she was struggling, and was glad when Kaylin started calling for help. She hadn't thought it would be that hard! "I'm sorry, I'm trying," She apologized, not minding at all that Kaylin felt it necessary to call for help. She nearly lost one of the oars in her desperate attempt to keep the boat from going into a helpless spin in the swift current. Thank goodness some help was on the way already, for it was swiftly becoming evident that she was 'in over her head' so to speak.

Kaylin's comment brought a slight smile, but Eryn was so focused on trying to keep from losing control of the boat, she didn't bother with a reply at this time. She had no idea whether her father would be able to teach her about boats, but there weren't a lot of places where a boat could be used near where they lived, at least not that she knew of.
"What seems to be the problem, ladies?" At last, help had arrived!
"Please help!" Eryn replied hastily, trying her best not to panic or become frantic. It was getting harder by the minute, however. Once Baerden grabbed hold of their boat and took charge, she let out a sigh of relief. All she had to worry about for now was not falling overboard as she moved into the other boat, which seemed a very likely possibility for a moment, but thankfully Torgen provided her with aid, and soon she was settled into the other boat. She was more than content to rest in the new boat and let him do the rowing.

The tale of what happened seemed to rush out of her mouth before she quite gave it much thought, the fright of the ordeal still very fresh in her mind. She was concluding her account of the battle when Torgen drew their boat up to the shore, and grew quiet as the man helped her onto dry land again. She wanted to do something to help Kaylin, but the two men were helping her out of the boat, so she just stood back, out of the way, watching anxiously. She felt a little helpless, and it reminded her of that time so many years ago, when her mother died, and she'd been helpless to do anything then, either... although she had gone to fetch a healer, and her father. "Will she be alright? Is there anything I can do? I could run and get your healer, perhaps?" She suggested, eyes wide with worry. Eryn wasn't sure where this healer man might be, but if they told her, maybe she could go and bring him to Kaylin instead of Kaylin having to be brought to him.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn , @Rillewen
Merchant Escort

"Ah, it has been a long while since you were in touch with him, but still..." Pele had noted with interest at Duinion's shared hint of past experiences. She'd have to ask him more about it and see if there was anything that would still be relevant after all the years.

For the time being, she could see that their unwillingness to let up on guarding him and his precious wares made Firdaus rather unhappy. His eyes bulged slightly as he tried to come up with some reason to counter the arguments presented by the Rangers. So it was that he breathed a sigh of relief when Hirilfael spoke up in support of his cause.

"Really. It is not like we'll be going out of the village," he claimed. "And I do not expect the process to take more than a couple hours of heated debates to come to an agreement that I need for business."

Pele would be in no mood to relent to any merchants in matters strictly under her discretion, especially when the said merchants had been able to annoy her by their arrogance and lack of what she would consider normal people skills. It seemed he had those only towards important people that he could make use of. Yet, when Kaylin joined their conversation, she did her best to read between the lines and then stared Firdaus down in thoughtful silence until he began fidgeting nervously.

"Well... Fine," she eventually said, deciding that Kaylin probably had learned something which required them not be in plain sight of that planned business meeting. "We might have a meal somewhere meanwhile in that case, on a condition that you send word should you need us." Pele looked at Kaylin, and her eyebrows rose for a split second, and a small smile appeared on her face. "Though do not consider this a standard practice, Mr Firdaus!" she turned back to the merchant with a warning. "We do not take our assignments lightly."

He seemed to pay no mind to anything else but the fact that he was now rid of the presence of Rangers which he had so craved for the road. "We can proceed to our meeting then, Lady Hirilfael," he bowed ever so slightly to his prospective customer.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Rillewen

Kaylin - in disguise as Hirilfael of House Luinamath
Merchant Escort

She nodded minutely to Pele. Kaylin wasn't planning on being a hero and doing everything by herself, should something go wrong. She might be impetuous, but there was a difference with idiocy.

"Good," Hirilfael responded to Firdaus with a slight smile. "I must say, your affairs do seem to go smoothly. In Dol Amroth, discussions like these tend to take half a day," she sighed. "This is much more efficient. If everyone around Minas Tirith behaves as such, moving back to my home some day might be a difficult adjustment indeed."

Hirilfael got back into the wagon and Firdaus gave his servants directions to the inn he kept speaking about. Then he climbed back in. Kaylin wondered if it would not be more opportune to sit at the front of the wagon, to guide the servants to the right spot, but perhaps it was very easy to find. Or perhaps they had already been there in the past.

The inn was quite nice for a faraway village such as this. Accommodations seemed basic, yes, but the place was clean, well maintained and the barkeep was friendly. As Hirilfael, she had a cover to maintain, however. Kaylin gave Firdaus a thin smile. "Rustic," she commented to him alone. "Do you recognize whom you are supposed to meet, Master Firdaus? Or are they yet to arrive?"

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Merchant Escort

Tirdinen Duinion

Duinion kept quiet(having given only a slight nod in reply to Pele) as the Merchant seemed to become upset at their reluctance to leave from guarding him, as he'd requested. He tilted his head slightly, watching curiously as the man's eyes bulged and he seemed at a loss for words. He wasn't used to not getting his way, and that reason alone made Duinion want to keep refusing to cooperate. But their fellow ranger, disguised as nobility, spoke up in favor of him. Duinion's eyes flicked toward her, wondering why, and guessed there might be some reason why it would be better that they let the man do as he wanted. At least they had her working on the inside, he thought with some satisfaction.

In the end, of course, it was Pele's decision, and he gave a tiny nod indicating he accepted her decision, once she had given it. He thought it good that she had made him wait, as if she were thinking it over for a moment. Watching them return to the wagon, he waited a moment until he was sure that Firdaus was out of earshot before turning to Pele. "Seeing as we seem to have a couple of hours to kill.. shall we go and get some lunch?" Some part of him worried slightly about what sort of people the man was intending to meet with, and whether Kaylin would be safe, but he reminded himself that she was a ranger, and probably well capable of fighting and protecting herself, should the need arise. And besides, they currently believed her to be simply a rich noblewoman, and a potential customer. They had no cause to want to see her harmed.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn , @Rillewen
Merchant Escort



Firdaus had not expected that the Rangers would agree to the new arrangements so quickly, but he was happy that Hirilfael's voice had swayed them in no time. "Ah, not everything can be achieved so quickly," he said. Perhaps soldierly people were not so into sophisticated discussions as the tradesfolk usually were. He did not mind this turn of events in the least though, since now they could attend to what really mattered.

"Well, yes... not awfully fancy," he spoke back to Hirilfael in quiet tones when they had arrived. "But this is the best we could find this far out of the city." At least he had managed to talk his new contact in agreeing to an inn rather than meeting right in the middle of forest, at least to discuss the terms of trade. "Is there anything you would like to eat and drink, m'lady? I can't vouch for much else, but at least they have meat and beer of passable quality." He could get his servants to make much better food, but he supposed that it was decent to order at least something from the establishment, and he had done so in the previous couple times and earned the innkeep's favour.

There were almost no other people here, and he shook his head in response to the question if the person he was supposed to meet was here. But then he spotted a man descending from the top floor where a couple rooms were available for rent. "There he is..." He took a couple steps towards the man, a big smile plastered on his face. "Well met, my friend!" He greeted "This is Lady Hirilfael of house Luinamath; she is interested in very high-quality fabrics, and came to see the available offers." He then turned to Hirilfael, "This is Mardan... of the South."



Pele watched the two get into their wagon and move off, and then turned to look at Duinion with a slight head tilt.

"We will just have to eat what we have in our packs, Duinion, if we will have time," she supposed that he did not catch the hints Kaylin dropped, but then perhaps he did not know her too well to read all the subtleties. "We follow them and take positions just out of view so that we are at hand, should something go wrong with the whole thing." With that she mounted, and nudged Temper into walk to follow the way Firdaus had taken. She let them get out of view at first assuming that the inn should be somewhere on the main road, and they would see the wagons by it either way. Expecting Duinion to follow, she did not turn to check on him, and instead observed the surroundings in a leisurely way.

It did not take much time for them to come within a view of the wagons which had been stationed by a two-storey building with a signboard depicting an owl. "Let's get off..." she dismounted and led Temper off the road where some trees and bushes marked the meeting point between the village and the surrounding forest on its other side. Having walked some distance into the wood, far enough not to be seen from the road, she secured the horse to a young tree loosely, and then motioned for Duinion to follow her back closer to the building. She chose a cluster of leafy bushes and knelt behind it, peering through the branches.

"Can't see much inside," she told Duinion quietly, and then watched where he would position himself. The servants had made themselves comfortable in the cart with what little had remained of unsold fabrics, though she imagined Firdaus would be highly upset at them taking such liberties. There were no other people to be seen on the street, and the windows did not allow much to be seen from the hiding place, though it seemed to her that she could spot a few vague shapes of people moving inside.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Merchant Escort

Tirdinen Duinion

Listening as Pele explained, a slow smile came to Duinion's face as he understood the true plan. "Ah... "Not far removed from us," of course," He recalled the words now, and it made far more sense. He nodded, approving of this plan better than the one he had thought they were doing. He, of course, had never actually met Kaylin, aside from briefly in her disguise, and so had very little knowledge of her. Following Pele's lead, he mounted his horse and kept him at an easy pace near Temper. His gaze swept around as they rode, studying their surroundings, watching for any sign of bandits or other hidden foes who might be lying in wait just off the road. He saw none of these, thankfully, and heard nothing out of the ordinary, either.

Once they had tied their horses up and moved closer on foot, he paused to study the inn ahead, and the position of the wagons, wondering how close he could get to it without being noticeable. Pele had stopped to crouch behind some bushes, a natural barrier to shield her from view, but as she said, she couldn't see much. Moving carefully, he moved a little further, closer to the inn, trying to find some angle where he might be able to see inside. The wagon blocked part of his view, so he maneuvered around so that it didn't, moving slowly and stealthily through the woods, where he was most at home. A fallen tree just ahead looked like a promising hiding spot, so he made for it, pausing to gather some mud from the ground. This he applied to his face, using it as a sort of glue to hold some bits of leaves and moss onto his skin, helping him to blend in better.

Reaching the fallen tree, he found that it was a perfect blind to hide him from view, while allowing him to look through the gaps in the branches and leaves. Once he had found a spot to crouch behind the trunk, he gently moved a cluster of half-dead leaves aside from the branch that stretched above him, and could see partially into the window. Not much, of course, but he hoped to be able to see something of use. Some part of him hoped that, if Firdaus was attempting some sort of criminal activity, he might be able to catch him at it, and besides that, he just felt better being able to keep an eye on the ranger's comrade in case she needed any help, though he didn't know her. With his eyes locked onto the window, he kept very still so that he would simply appear to be part of the tree, if anyone glanced out that way.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Rillewen

Kaylin - in disguise as Hirilfael of House Luinamath
Merchant Escort

There weren't much people present, which made sense. It was not a typical time of day to frequent an inn, since it was neither mealtime nor evening. Regardless there were several occupied tables. A couple or two and a few loners were spread out through the main room and a three-person party was sitting close to the exit. And now, Firdaus and Hirilfael had entered. With Mardan of the South now joining them, they would made the second party of three.

"Greetings, Mardan of the South," Hirilfael spoke with that Dol Amrothian tilt to her words. "Shall we sit?" Without waiting for either of the men to take action, she made her way to a nearby table. It was intentionally chosen: not far from the exit and with a clear path to it, but with an empty table between theirs and any other of the occupied tables. One of the windows would have a good view of their table, also, in case Pele and Duinion were positioned well for it. Hirilfael positioned herself next to a chair that allowed her to watch the door as well as the other patrons. Behind her, in her blind spot, all tables were currently empty.

She cast an expectant look at Firdaus, clearly waiting for him to pull out her chair for her.


Dagen

He'd arrived early that morning and had taken a room at the inn. His cordial nature had earned him a few conversations with the barkeep so far, so he did not feel too alone despite his days on the road. Dagen was a young man, in his early twenties, with a boyish face and dressed for travel, and he'd found the beer more than satisfactory here. As he'd told the barkeep, he was on his way back to the White City.

When a fat, sweaty-looking man dressed in rich fabrics entered, followed in by a pretty woman who was even more expensively dressed, Dagen raised an eyebrow. An unlikely pair; they did not seem to match, nor did they look related. He stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles as he sipped his tankard, casually watching as the strange pair met with another man who'd just descended from the rooms above.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn , @Rillewen

Merchant Escort

It appeared that the lady among them was the most decisive and had quickly picked a well positioned table for them where they could conduct their discussion. A content and subservient smile on his face, Firdaus bowed and hastened to the chosen table to pull out a chair for Hirilfael and bowed once more looking rather like an oversized rooster pecking up grains as he did so. Then he waited for Mardan to take a seat before doing so himself.

"Your best drinks and some meat for three, please!" he ordered after snapping his fingers to catch the attention of the serving personnel which consisted of a young woman tending to those present at the establishment. "Anything else?" Firdaus looked questioningly at his companions, thinking that if they didn't like his choice, he'd just get more to eat and drink himself.

Mardan frowned somewhat impatiently. "Should we start on our business?" he suggested. "Negotiations might take a while, and I would prefer for us to come to some sort of conclusion today." While he saw that Firdaus obviously had money to order food easily, and the lady looked rich as well, he needed more proof that his efforts in providing the required goods would be profitable. "What do you offer in return for my goods, Mr Firdaus?" They had only agreed on a meeting and some very general terms, and Mardan was eager to set down details.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Rillewen
Merchant Escort


Kaylin - in disguise as Hirilfael of House Luinamath


Dagen

Hirilfael gave Firdaus a polite smile before sitting down and putting one hand over the other in front of her on the table. "Nothing else for me, thank you," responded to the merchant's question. Mardan was getting straight to the point, which Kaylin greatly appreciated and, as she had let Firdaus know earlier, since her chosen persona did the same, it was easy to conjure a pleased smile on her face.
When Mardan asked what Firdaus offered in return for his goods, Hirilfael looked expectantly to Firdaus.

Meanwhile, Dagen continued emptying his tankard of ale. Nice and easy. He made sure to enjoy the drink as he watched the proceedings. Although his eyes wandered though the whole inn regularly, they kept getting drawn back to the fat man, the rich woman and the man they'd clearly come to meet. He pondered on who the woman might be.
There had been no intelligence to suggest that the fat merchant would bring anyone else other than one of his servants.
Be that as it may, the merchant was clearly entering some sort of negotiations with the other man.

When Firdaus did not immediately offer a reply, Kaylin thought it might be best if she could relocate the meeting and discussion to a less... enclosed space. She assumed.. or hoped.. that Pele and Duinion would be outside somewhere. It would be much better to return there rather than to stay cooped up in here. If Firdaus' regular business contacts would try and waylay this new connection of his, she'd rather it happen outdoors. "Why. I am certain Master Firdaus would never stipulate terms without actually having seen these goods. They are supposedly of the highest quality, but surely it would not sting your honor to have them inspected, first and foremost." She took a sip of the drink that had arrived in the meantime. "Where are these goods of yours?"

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn , @Rillewen



Merchant Escort

Food was Firdaus' weakness as proven by the meals his servant prepared on the way here, the voluminous size of his body, and the glint in his eye when drinks and food arrived. This was the very same reason he was distracted from entering into negotiations properly. He considered the answer while he chewed on a bit of meat he had already stuffed into his mouth, and found that Hirilfael already had a response ready. It made him wonder if she could make for a good business partner rather than just a customer, and he stored the thought away to be explored later.

"Well," he said after having swallowed his morsel and wiping fingers on a napkin. "Lady Hirilfael is right. It would be good to see what you are able to provide in person before I offer any prices for discussion."

Mardan stood without touching any of the food placed before him. "Inspecting the goods is no problem at all," he replied confidently. "I have several samples, and some batches ready to be sold in my cart. I've situated it just off the road behind the southern end of this building." He would have been willing to lead the way, but he saw that Firdaus was not prepared to leave yet. The merchant gulped down the beer to make sure the mug was emptied at least, and looked longingly at the meat. It would have to wait though - he could not inspect the goods with fingers dripping with fat, if he took the meat with him.

Finally he rose, barely managing to press his lips together and hold back a burp, and turned to Hirilfael. "M'lady," he said with a bow once he was sure that nothing but words would escape from his mouth. Then he ambled over to the door and opened it for her with a smile.

While the negotiations could be considered to have started, Pele sat behind bushes and waited patiently. She could only see some shadowy figures sitting and moving around, so she looked to Duinion to judge the reactions on his face to what he could see from his view point. And then, the door of the inn opened, and Pele tensed and leaned forward slightly to observe.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Rillewen
Merchant Escort


Kaylin as Hirilfael --- Dagen

She was immensely relieved when Firdaus agreed to her suggestion, although you wouldn't be able to tell from looking at her face. Even though she still didn't quite know who Firdaus' regular contacts were and just how shady they were, somewhere along the way she'd gotten the impression that something was definitely not right. And since entering the inn, the feeling had somehow increased tenfold. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she was uneasy. Nervous, even. Perhaps it was because she did not know what to expect...

The relief only increased when Mardan rose to his feet without hesitation. He seemed very sure of himself, but also very polite; he waited for Fridaus instead of heading straight for the door. Kaylin sipped her own drink sparingly while Firdaus hurriedly emptied his entire mug. When Firdaus got to his feet, she slowly rose from her own chair. The merchant opened the door and gestured her to exit first. While she wasn't elated about being the first to leave the inn, especially since her doubts about the whole endeavour had increased so much, perhaps it was preferable to the civilians heading through the door ahead of her. She smiled at Firdaus and followed his lead, giving Mardan a nod before leaving the table and walking back outside.
Behind her, Firdaus and Mardan followed.

Outside, Kaylin scanned the surroundings. Firdaus' wagon was still where they had left it, along with his servants. She saw nothing in the bushes or trees, though she knew that didn't mean anything. If Pele and Duinion had gotten her hint, they would be hauled up somewhere in the greenery, most likely. That also meant... that if Firdaus' existing contacts had followed and would try something, they were as likely to be hiding somewhere alongside the rangers. It almost made a shiver run down Kaylin's back.

"You said your goods were on the south side of the building?" she asked loudly. She would prefer Pele and Duinion not to miss them, if she could help it.

Dagen noticed the group leaving the inn, almost as quickly as they had entered. He frowned. There had been talk of inspecting goods and setting prices. He needed to hear more, not simply to sate his own curiosity, but that of his employer, also. With a sigh, he rose too his feet and headed to the window nearest the door, to cast a glance outside. He was still holding his tankard, and watched the trio outside. He didn't want to go through the door right behind them and bump into them. Discretion was still key, at this point.

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen , @Arnyn
-


Merchant Escort

Once they had all gone outside, Mardan responded: "Yes, it is a spot nicely shaded from the sun both by the building and a tree; good for the fabrics to be out of direct sunlight." He did not mention that it had taken him much effort to ensure protection from the sun on the way here, but it was not relevant at the moment, though he could use the circumstance to ask for a greater price, perhaps.

With determined steps, though not with visible haste, the southerner led them around the building to a covered cart. It was perhaps less eye-catching than Firdaus' means of travel, yet well kept and in good working order. He pulled the covers off from one end of the cart, and said: "Silk and brocade here. I know the manufacturers well and can vouch for their work ethic and quality." He watched somewhat anxiously when Firdaus took to inspecting the mentioned fabrics, perhaps hoping that the Gondorian merchant would not stain the precious goods with fingers dripping with fat from the meat.

"Hmm," Firdaus ran the fingertips over the smooth fabric, and then inspected it closely from both sides, looking for any faults. "You are surely aware that I cannot ask from my customers unreasonable price, right?" he looked at Mardan. "So I hope you would not want exorbitant amount for this?"

"Twenty gold per piece," Mardan said, standing next to his cart, feet apart and arms crossed.

"There is not that much fabric per that piece," Firdaus objected, his hands and eyes still busy with fabric. "Fifteen."

~~~~~
As the small group left the building, Pele could catch enough glimpses of them to identify Kaylin and Firdaus at least, though she did not know who the third one was. At any rate, there was no mistaking Kaylin's voice when she spoke loudly enough for Pele to hear the words. She then made eye contact with Duinion and nodded her head in the direction they should move to keep up with the group, after they had left the front of the building.

Leaving her current hiding place and using the cover of greenery, she quietly moved step by step in the southward direction. There was no need to go far, just the distance of the house to find a position which would let her see the group, and the cart. Going down on one knee behind a large tree with a nice collection of its offspring around the base, Pele peered out to examine the new location: as much as she could see of the inn roof first, and then the tree on the other side.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Arnyn

Merchant Escort

Tirdinen Duinion

Naturally, about the time Duinion had gotten situated into a reasonably comfortable hiding spot that allowed him a view into the inn, the merchant and his company decided to leave the room. He held back a sigh, but at least he was awarded a good view of the new man's face as they all got up from the table and headed for the door. Duinion remained very still, waiting as they left. He heard Kaylin's announcement, declaring to the hidden rangers their intended destination, and took a moment to locate Pele with his eyes. He caught the slight motion as Pele gave a nod to indicate they should follow, but about that time, something else caught his attention. He turned his gaze back toward the window, eyes narrowed slightly as he observed another man... watching the small party leave. Who was this?

Duinion kept very, very still, knowing that the least movement could draw attention to himself. She had moved to follow Firdaus, Kaylin, and the other man, but Duinion stayed right where he was. He had no way of trying to communicate any sort of message to her, but hopefully, Pele would get the message just the same; that he couldn't leave his position yet. For one thing, that young man seemed awfully interested in those who had just left the inn, and that made Duinion wonder who he was, and why he was so interested... but also, he couldn't move from this spot without being seen himself, now that the young man was standing there by the window.

Perhaps this was nothing, or perhaps this was some of the trouble Firdaus had been expecting... he decided to watch him for a moment to see what he would do. If it turned out he had nothing to do with all of this, then at least Pele had moved along with the group. Duinion could catch up once he got a chance. But if this was part of the expected trouble... then he thought it might be good to keep an eye on him and see what he was going to do, if he met with anyone, how many there were... and so forth. And if he did meet with someone, Duinion might even manage to eavesdrop on some of their plans, and get an idea of what they were up against. One could only hope, after all, right?

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Rillewen
Merchant Escort


Kaylin as Hirilfael --- Dagen

Hirilfael seemed to have lost some interest in the fabrics. In truth, Kaylin was of course more occupied with watching their surroundings, and while the latter part did not stand out, it was also clear that the noblewoman she was pretending to be seemed a bit distracted. Aware that this would be the case, she turned up her nose. "I will let you gentlemen bite your coins in half," she said dismissively as she was trying to figure out whether there were any visible threats close by.

Dagen had meanwhile dumped his tankard on an empty table and walked outside. He stretched in the sunlight, as if he were a regular patron who had been sitting down for too long and had missed the warmth of the sun. He watched Firdaus' wagon, and one of the merchant's servants grew antsy as he saw Dagen surveying the wagon. The servant in question, a boy of maybe fifteen, spoke with the others and then jumped off the wagon. He gave Dagen a wider berth than he would have given most people and followed in the footsteps of his master. Concerned.

Dagen rolled his eyes and observed the remaining servants a moment longer. When it seemed safe to conclude they would stay put, he slowly moved to the shadows of the building, stalking after the boy to the south side.

As it appeared, Firdaus was indeed trying to do business with this other man. The big man would not like that. Dagen need not ask. He had been sent here to watch the merchant for this very reason: to avoid that the man should seek business elsewhere. Dagen's employer did not take loss of income well.

The boy servant approached humbly and hesitantly, halting but a few yards from his master. "Master Firdaus," he mumbled with a bow. "Do you require anything?" It was unseasonably warm out today, and he knew Firdaus would likely grow thirsty quickly, with all his layers of fat and clothing. And he had been trained well.

Hirilfael watched the boy's approach a bit, then turned into the direction he'd come from. Her eyes peered ahead, but the sun was making it difficult from her current position. Turning back to Mardan and Firdaus, she ventured closer to Mardan's goods as well. Following her gut brought her more or less between the two men as they were negotiating.

Dagen used the shadows to climb the roof of the inn. The group wasn't far away from the building. And he had prepared. Reaching the roof, he dipped down again to retrieve an unstrung bow and a thin quiver hidden beneath the edge of the roof. Weapons had been stashed in different locations. He'd had no shortage of resources or time. He'd known about Firdaus' trip to this place for weeks.

[Karis Ziranphel]

Ranger Thûllir Bregedýr
Solo Scouting Mission - Ithilien
Early Spring.

It had been one week since he left the road near Osgiliath and headed into the woods when he crossed the road east of Henneth Annun. He had traveled first north-east and then turned more northerly, covering long miles under the trees and skirting open glades except to gather the occasional wild herb that grew better in the sunlight. The tips of green things had begun to emerge, and added flavor to his meals and eased the potential dreariness of the miles. He also gathered pieces of dried moss or small branches of dense dried wood to add to his pack so that when he did choose to have a small fire he needn’t spend the initial time searching.
Most nights he had wrapped himself in the bedroll blanket, a thin sack lined with rabbit fur for warmth, and oilcloth to keep out the damp, and slept soundly on the soft ground. Once he had seen signs of recent bear activity with both scat and clawed trunks, and took the time to hoist his pack high in a tree a good distance from where he slept for the next several nights. With no camp chatter or duties beyond his own care, he traveled most of each day, rising early and settling only shortly before dark.

Days had often been warm enough for walking uncloaked, but when he crossed the road and headed up through the steep folds toward the mountains and what used to be the black gate, a late season snow squall had swept in midafternoon to obscure landmarks and coat his face in frost. Aiming for shelter under a large overhanging rock he had marked earlier in the afternoon took much longer than he hoped, and the light fled quickly from the sky. Footing became more treacherous over rocks, and there were fewer trees at this elevation. Thankfully his aim was still true, and he was able to step into the lee of the massive rock and out of the wind before full dark. An old circle of stones on the ground showed that it had served as a shelter in times past, but not recently. There was a short screen of bushes on one side, and he rigged a spare oilcloth to drape from a crack in the rock down over the bushes to provide a half-wall and further wind block to keep the snow from swirling into the space below the overhang. Within minutes the snow began to accumulate against the tarpaulin, and would create good insulation on that side.

Brushing the drifted snow out of the small space after shaking out his cloak and clothes, Thûllir knew he wouldn’t be able to go searching for kindling, and built a small fire from the wood he had gathered over the previous days with carefully tended tinder, and the aid of his flint and steel. He could allow himself a fire for food and warmth where none could see. After a few sips from his canteen, he added the water to his tin cup to heat in the fire, and then went out to pack the canteen full of snow. Returning, he set it by the fire to melt in its turn. His cooking pack contained several small meal mixes, and he drew one of the small linen bags out and then crouched to pour it into the cup after untying the string holding it closed. It contained dried beef, dried vegetables, barley, and some dried herbs and spices, and was a speedy hot meal, even if not as good as one he could cook in his kitchen at home. He added a couple green spring onions that he had just pulled from the ground the day before, breaking them in segments, and gave the whole concoction a stir with a spoon he had whittled.

Thought of home brought the tilt of a smile to his lips. It was likely warm and dry across the long valley before the White Mountains, with this storm only a haze of cloud on the horizon as it broke against the hills. He swiftly laid out his bedroll, and then carefully and quickly changed into drier clothes. He laid his cloak over the bedroll to add one more layer of warmth, and then pulled the simmering stew out from the fire with a wooden handle that gripped the side. Thûllir ate slowly, savoring the warmth and the sustenance of the swiftly cooling food. Finishing, he wiped out the cup with snow and filled it afresh to melt for more water. No need to chill himself eating snow when he could melt and even warm it slightly.
He chewed on a mint infused toothpick before tossing it to burn, and then taking a last swig from the canteen, he crawled into the bedroll and enjoyed the small warmth of the fire until it died out. Thinking of the long road ahead and the home behind, he fell asleep.