Session 04: Threat of the Storm, The Traveling Begins
November 5, 2965…
Captain Percy Skyhawk looked between Fred and Harry, “Go on, and take Lenny back home so he can sleep it off. I will have no more trouble from the three of you. I care not who your father is, if I need to, I will find a prison to throw the three of you in, so that you disappear forever.”
Harry and Fred made their way down the stairs, their gaze never leaving Maethordan. When the door opened and Fay and Barnabas stood there, Lenny suddenly shouted, “There she is!” he gestured, the slurred words falling out of his mouth. “The witch. She’s the one who vexes us all. She is the reason Bree has fallen on ill times. People around her die and vanish! Ask her! Ask her,” he shouted.
“You had best take him away quickly,” Captain Percy Skyhawk warned them, “before I made good of my promise.”
The twins dragged Lenny away, all the while, he continued to scream, “She’s a witch!” until his screams faded into the rainy night.
Percy looked, “Ellwin, good to see you. Stirring up trouble again, I see,” he jested.
Ellwin, who had not fled, refused to leave Lodin against three people, though he knew not what he would have done if a fight had erupted, laughed nervously, “Yes, well, you know me, Percy, one for trouble.”
Captain Percy Skyhawk shook his head, “My apologies. Those three of been trouble for quite some time. Barnabas, if they are in need of a room, I will cover it for the night,” Percy offered.
“Taken care of already, by Master Gandalf, sir,” Barnabas replied.
Even as the rain fell, Captain Percy Skyhawk’s eyes widened, “Ah, friends of Master Gandalf. No wonder those three were drawn to you. I love Master Gandalf, but the folks he calls friends, do tend to have the worse luck at staying out of trouble.” He coughed, “I will keep watch tonight around the inn and assure those three don’t return.”
Maethordan observed Captain Percy Skyhawk before speaking, “I got the request from one of our captains who took the request in person from Gandalf himself, my name is Maethordan and I am a Ranger of the North. Your appearance was a timely Captain, thank you otherwise it may have got bloody."
Captain Skyhawk nodded, looking at Maethordan. "It is good to meet you, Ranger of the North. Though many in Bree are suspicious of your kind, I am thankful for your watchful eye. While I am able to keep an eye inside the walls of Bree, I know you and your kind have kept an eye beyond the walls of Bree and beyond."
He smiled and looked behind him, standing timidly in the shadows. "My arrival was thanks to Teelia," he gestured to the waitress who had served them at the Prancing Pony.
He then looked to Barnabas, "Barnabas sent her to fetch me. I am glad I was able to arrive before things got too messy. Those twins are quite a bit of trouble and had things escalated, dealing with their father would have been troublesome for everyone." He shook his head; he was clearly upset that the twin's father had repeatedly assured that his sons would not land in Bree's jails - and if they did - it was for a short time - and much scolding. He smiled again, "I promise you, Bree is normally quite quiet."
Lodin stood up straight with respect. "Well, I apologize for not introducing myself sooner, I tend to be of a one-track mind," as he looked at his pants that had torn a little more from the burst at Lenny.
"I am Lodin, son of Brodin, come from the east to seek trolls and other large evils to slay, at your service. " Lodin bowed. "Sorry to draw such attention. Captain, this is a dagger wielded by the drunk boy, I think his name was Lenny?"
He handed the dagger to the Captain hilt first. "Furthermore, he mentioned a cart of weapons they were trying to move. It sounds like this was more than just a crime of opportunity. From my experience, thieves, even horse thieves, don't pick hard fights, only easy ones. I had hoped we might question them before sending them away. It may even be an insurrection with a cart full of weapons."
Hobart had kept his eye on the three troublemakers, even long after they vanished beneath the darkness within Bree as thunder rolled across the skies, before stepping out of the shadows, his stern gazed transformed back into a wide smile, “Well, blessed by the elves we must be! What a sight that could have been! Thank goodness you arrived when you did.”
Hobart reaches his hand out, almost cutting off Lodin. "Captain Skyhawk! As always, nothing gets past you! Sorry for stirring up so much trouble! We'll be out of your hair soon!" Hobart laughs and shakes the captain's hand with both hands.
Percy seemed as if though he was about to say something to Lodin, when suddenly Hobart grabbed both of Percy’s hands and shook them. Percy raised an eye brow, recognizing Hobert, and said, "Hobart," Captain Skyhawk laughed, shaking the messenger's hands. "Are you the one who delivered Gandalf's message to these fine people? Or are you a part of this too?"
“In the thick of it,” Hobart smiled, coyly.
“Naturally,” Percy smirked. He took the dagger from Lodin, now that his hands were free from Hobart’s over enthusiastic handshake. “You are not to blame for the trouble,” he said, addressing Lodin’s comment. “The three of them have a history. The twins are sons of someone of some influence here in Bree who manages to keep them out of our jails," Percy growled with some frustration.
"Lenny, on the other hand - his father is useless,” Percy’s voice was less angry and almost sad, “A drunkard like Lenny, that poor boy never had a chance of being anything other than what you saw. As for the weapons," Percy nodded, "the twins have made threats against myself, and other Wardens of Bree. We've kept our eyes on them - as much as we can, while they're in Bree. If there is truly a stock of weapons they're in possession of, it's outside of Bree, I believe. Perhaps in some cave or hillside. I know you're friends of Gandalf, and his friends tend to, as I said, get dragged into trouble. Let me know if you find any evidence of these weapons if you do travel outside of Bree."
Fay and Barnabas, who were still standing in the doorway, exchanged glances. "I am sure you do not get to warm yourself with more than soup and ale while on the road,” Fay whispered to Maethordan, “Tea can help. Where is it you came from? You make it sound as though that is where we will be going." Her voice was low, like a ghostly whisper, nearly drowned out by the sound of the rain tapping the wooden walls of the Prancing Pony.
Barnabas, turned his head, "I can barely hear you above the terrible thunder. What was it you were asking me?" He glanced down, "Ah yes, the tea. Well, knowing you were friends of Master Gandalf I got the special tea for you. That tea, if it is to be believed, comes from Elves - they call it Lasgalen. Nob, who knows Master Baggins of the Shire, was given this tea for me to use. But being from Elves, you can imagine, I only use it for special occasions and special guests! Yourself included!"
Fay smiled lightly at Barnabas but felt a shiver chase down her spine. She quietly returned inside the inn and returned to their table, reaching into a small bag at her wait, and pulled out her embroidery. With the skilled hands passed down from her mother, she continued to work on the pattern of a fox chasing a bird.
Maethordan’s gaze had followed Fay as she returned to the inn, before turning his attention back to Percy. "The Rangers know Bree and trust it as friendly,” he said, “so there is no need to defend your town to me. I think I will take my leave and retire to the inn. Thanks again."
Percy nodded to the Ranger as he turned and left, returning to the Inn. Maethordan quickly spotted Fay, seated back at their designated table, sewing and moved quickly and quietly across the room. In low tones he said, "One of the ruffians called you a 'Witch.' Why would he do that? You must excuse my bluntness, but we Rangers take such issues seriously."
Without glancing away from her embroidery, Fay muttered, “Should we follow a Longshanks into the woods because he happens to show up at a table?” The sarcasm in her softly spoken words were as thick as cool honey.
She cleared her throat and added, “I would think a Ranger would know better. I am what I am, as you are what you are. There is no rhyme or reason to how one views another other than the actions we take and the darkness in others that would perceive it as ill.”
Maethordan considered her words and looked back at her coolly without rancor and said, still in a low voice, “My apologies, I did not say that these opinions were true or just, merely observing that they were said. They are unfounded I do not doubt, but in my line of work, it pays not to assume things. If you were, to say, have advanced knowledge of plants and their uses, this knowledge would be very useful indeed and would explain why some may misconstrue a connection to witchery. You have my apologies.”
“It is, as you said,” she whispered. “I had the misfortune of losing my father to the sword, and my mother and grandfather to the fever. I have spent my youth growing up and studying with my grandfather and his herblore, before the fever took him.”
Watching Fay, followed by Maethordan, going back into the Prancing Pony, and watching Hobart speaking with Percy, Lodin shrugged and turned to Ellwin, "Master Ellwin. If you don't mind I think I'll go get my sword from my room, just to be careful." He left it unsaid that he wondered if there were any more ruffians lying in wait.
Ellwin, who is not wholly unaccustomed to ruffians and drunkards (though Barnabas usually stopped the drinks flowing and gently removed troublemakers - from time to time, they were problematic - but as Captain Percy Skyhawk said, it was - overall, peaceful in Bree... but of late, things seemed to be intensifying. Ellwin cleared his throat, realizing his mind had wandered and with a slightly bleached white face, as the rain grew stronger, said, "Yes, well, that might be a good idea, sir."
Lodin quickly entered the Prancing Pony and a quick scan of the inn revealed that Maethordan and Fay had returned to their table.
Still, inside the inn his senses were still out of sorts from the adrenaline and he barely controlled himself as a sudden hand shot up or a person got up from their seat and turned towards him.
Reaching his room, which Gandalf had kindly paid for, he unlocked it, and took two long, slow breaths to slow his nerves. He saw his long sword and quickly strapped it on. He noticed his shield and hesitated a moment but decided it would make him look paranoid.
Even though at this point he was paranoid, he left it alone. He also noticed his purse of coins and slapped his forehead. What did he intend to pay for the clothes with, not having any money on him? He grabbed several silver coins from the purse and hurried back to the entrance of the Prancing Pony, not wanting to keep Master Ellwin waiting in the rain any longer. As he arrived, descending the stairs, he said, "Shall we?"
Ellwin glanced at Lodin as he re-emerged from the Prancing Pony, a fine blade strapped to him. He heaved a deep sigh, admittedly more comfortable now. He looked to Captain Percy Skyhawk, "We are headed to my shop for clothing for the young man," he explained, gesturing towards Lodin. "Hopefully the twins and Lenny are of no more trouble this dreary night."
As Lodin and Ellwin walked, there was awkward silence. Ellwin wasn't sure what to say - he certainly had not expected trouble coming out of the Prancing Pony. Thunder rolled ominously across the sky and finally Ellwin said, in an effort to break the silence between them and not think of how dark the thunder had just sounded, "You're not from around here, as the twins and Lenny noted. Master Gandalf summoned you here." He wasn't asking anything, he was speaking just to speak out of nerves. They walked for several hundred feet, passing several homes and stores, before Ellwin gestured to his store front, The Greenway. He walked up and unlocked the door and gestured for Lodin to come in, even as he entered and lit several lanterns positioned around the tables.
Clothes in various states of creation and repair hung on the walls, draped on tables, as he began to rifle through them. Ellwin glanced up at Lodin, looked him up and down one more time, this time with the lantern's light, and finally pulled out some clothing. "This should fit you," he said proudly. The clothing were earth-brown and grey in color. "It's not much to look at, but it should be comfortable."
Lodin looked around for somewhere to change.
Ellwin pointed to a room that has a wooden door ajar. "Sorry," Ellwin shook his head, still rattled by the earlier event. "I have already forgotten my manners, and that you're not from Bree. The changing room is there."
Lodin made sure the front door was locked and then heads to the changing room. After he was done he returned to Ellwin old clothes in one arm and 3 silver coins in the other hand.
His pants were hanging properly, but the shirt was a little scrunched up under his leather armor from hurrying to get redressed. "Maybe you can make something useful from these old rags." He handed the clothes to Ellwin and continued. "I know you said you would collect from Gandalf for the clothes, but knowing him, who knows when the next time he comes to Bree will be? I'll likely see him sooner than you." Lodin left out that he didn't intend to collect from Gandalf and handed Ellwin the 3 silver coins continuing, "For the trouble, both after hours service and the danger my presence brought to you."
Ellwin took the clothing offered to him with a smile. "I can do something with these," he nodded, even as he took the coins. "Thank you. If I see Master Gandalf, and he does pay me, I will use that coin for the orphanage and the school here in Bree, so that that there's hope for those less fortunate to not follow in the steps of Lenny, and the twins." His eyes brimmed with a shimmering tear, before he wiped it away and cleared his throat. "I will go with you back to the Prancing Pony. I left some friends there who are probably wondering where I am," he laughed.
Ellwin locked his shop behind him, greeted by the downpour of rain and the unnerving sound of rolling thunder. Flashes of lightning split the night sky, sending shadows dancing across the wall. People moved quickly through the streets, pulling their hoods and cloaks around them as they each ran for shelter from the rain.
Back at the Prancing Pony, Lodin joined Maethordan, Fay and Hobart; each engaging in some small talk as the night wound on. After several hours, the patrons in the Inn either returned to their homes or returned to their rooms that they had paid for in the Prancing Pony. Lodin, Maethordan, Hobart and Fay were each given their own room and turned in for the night, as some of the last patrons of the Prancing Pony.
The rain had persisted all right, rapping against the wooden walls and the glass windows, followed by the occasional rolling thunder and piercing flash of thunder that would turn the dark night as bright as a morning day for a brief moment.
November 6, 2965…
The following morning, the rain had finally stopped – but dark clouds remained, threatening to release the storm once again.
Everyone gains the benefits of a long rest (if it’s needed). The party can fill in any discussion they had that night, sitting in the inn (before turning in for the night) and discuss any morning activities.
What I will need next is the travel plans as we move and really begin to get the game going!
The members of the Company assume different roles during a journey. A journey role summarizes roughly what a Player-hero is doing for the length of the trip and comes into play when the Company experiences an event.
A travelling Company must cover all four available roles. The same role can be assigned to more than one Player-hero, with the exception of the Company’s Guide.
A Player-hero can take on multiple roles but can only do so with penalties (see further in this chapter) and by doing so cannot provide help to Player-heroes assigned to the same role (see Resolve the Event). Certain features, such as the Warded Lands feature of the Warden, allow Player-heroes to take on multiple roles without penalties (but they still cannot provide help to other companions assigned to the same role).
The Roles:
Guide
In charge of all decisions concerning route, rest, and supplies.
Hunter
In charge of finding food in the wild.
Look-out
In charge of keeping watch.
Scout
In charge of setting up camp, opening new trails.
Now, as you all determine who is going to take what job (or if some of you will double up) – please don’t discuss numbers. Do not say “I have a +2 in travel.” Instead say, “I am good at travel” or “I know the roads well.” If we discuss numbers, it takes it out of feeling natural and makes it about stats instead of the role play aspect of it. Naturally, I can’t stop you all from messaging each other and saying, “I have a +2 on travel, what do you got?” – but ideally, you don’t do that!
Fellowship Points:
4 (1 per player) + 2 (Gandalf) = 6
Fellowship Bonus: Gandalf
You can spend a Fellowship point to roll an additional d20 after a saving throw (but before the outcome is determined), and choose which of the d20s is used.
Eye Awareness: 2
The Map -
Each square is 1 day’s travel.
1 = Bree
2 = Midgewater Marshes
3 = South Downs
4 = The Road
5 = Weathertop
Things to note – in Midgewater, Maethordan’s intro (in Session 1) revealed that goblins had taken up residence in Midgewater.
In the South Downs, Strider revealed that Gandalf mentioned some strange howling coming from there.
This is not to discourage going either of those directions, but serving only as a reminder in case it was forgotten. Only Maethordan would know this information about the Midgewater Marshes and the South Downs, so far.
