"As you say. I will enter." says Findegil, trying to keep any disappointment or frustration from his voice.
Entering the halls of the King Thranduil, Findegil is dazzled by the architecture and decoration. The walls and halls merge stone and wood intricately and seamlessly. Water and light delicately fill the walls with warmth and noise.
Findegil finds the halls fairly abandoned considering the number of elves that he sees. Cereidh simply sees home. You, Baldor and his son sup with Thranduil and his court for two nights.
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Anar, Krogen and Mal settle down in the caves below to guard the ponies.
Cereidh will often leave early to bring food back to the rest of the party; she doesn't conceal that she's doing this but, if pushed, will cite that she's always been a member of the Court very prone to leaving for her own business in the Greenwood anyway.
She's evidently enough wistful for Legolas' return. She's perfectly civil with Thranduil - perhaps more civil than Lindar and Thranduil are used to, in order not to make things more difficult for her companions - but despite their familiarity with each other they're not close.
She encourages Findegil to stay and make himself at home.
Cereidh, Baldor and Findegil are treated as honored guests by King Thranduil. A man of Minas Tirith was unknown in the halls of the elven-king, so initial impressions were alright.
Cereidh spent the two days shuttling food and luxuries to the companions in the caves below.
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After two days, Lindar and some other Elves escort the company out of the caves by a secret route, and bring them some miles down the Elf-path. This part of the wood is not so oppressive; the path is lined with beeches, and sunlight filters through the trees to dapple everything with green gold light. This region still preserves the beauty and peace of Greenwood the Great.
Lindar warns that the company will soon enter more perilous regions, and he gives them one key piece of advice – don’t leave the path! The path is mostly clear of trouble, but the same cannot be said of the woods to either side.
Cereidh's supplies enable Feasts Fit for the Kings of Ancient Times. Game is plentiful, herbs, mushrooms and root vegetables seem to spring up out of nowhere along the company’s path, or the cook brought exactly the correct amount of salt and pepper. For whatever reason, the company’s meals during this journey are a thing to be anticipated with joy, and to be remembered for days after.
Cereidh shrugs. "Again, my apologies - I'd suggest you try and set aside your offense, though, as soon enough we'll be going perilous close to much worse things than the Doorstep and I don't expect any of us will have the energy to nurse grudges should they notice us."
Cereidh is otherwise in a high fine mood to be someplace she almost considers more her home than Thranduil's halls.
"Maybe one day the elves will begin to trust men again however we have ourselves only to blame"
"So long as that word is calm, I'll leave Lindar to handle it. And should you remember to keep that word calm, we might even have what venison in addition to what I'll catch in the way back!"
Cereidh turns to look at Krogen with a keen curiosity. "It's rare enough to hear that, especially as a Wood-elf, and a steward of a forest Men fear so fiercely. What's brought you to this understanding?"
Lindar and Cereidh have led the company to the point where the Enchanted Stream crosses the Elf-path. They brought you across by boat – the ponies are temporarily relieved of their load – and the Elves warn the non-Elves not to drink from the stream. Once your feet are firmly set on the path, Lindar bid you good luck and vanishes into the shadows of the trees. The company is now on your own and face a long journey. The road from the Enchanted Stream to the Forest Gate is 160 miles.
The darkness of the forest weighs heavily on the company’s spirits.
Mal appears untroubled by the looming Shadows of the Mirkwood.
Cereidh assumes the role of Guide with enough confidence to shunt out anyone else who's interested, accidentally.
Despite how her confidence doesn't waver, she already seems self-absorbed and keen on her surroundings.
Cereidh starts to withdraw into herself more than you've yet seen on the journey. It might just be that she's absorbed in her duties and what she sees as her land.
Findegil takes Cereidh's advice and makes himself at home, and tries to help Baldor and his son make a good impression. He makes a point of sharing tales of Minas Tirith and the glories of lost Osgiliath. And he encourages any elf who wishes to see Gondor to make the journey, perhaps even to join arms against the Shadows who threaten the White City.
Findegil does not want to be anything less than open and honest about both his desire for friendship among the Free Peoples, and that Minas Tirith would welcome allies.
Once it is time to leave, Findegil will bow deeply to King Thranduil and say:
"My thanks for your hospitality, Elven King. I would now depart as a friend, hoping to return."
At the start of the journey, Findegil is in good cheer. The Halls saw good company and wonders.
But the shadows of Mirkwood are long, and deep, and start finding chinks in the walls of his heart.
Krogan looked at Ceredith
"Man is so easily corrupted and has failed the world often. We are a weak race but we can strive to be stronger"
"So can we all; the elves are rarely accorded weak or foolish, but does that not make us even more responsible to reach out and act?" Though she evidently means the words, the topic of the conversation doesn't draw her further from her introspection.
"It would be best if the Free Peoples stood together instead of bickering. We are not so free from danger as some believe."
The first day on the Forest Path, you enter a region where thick spiderwebs criss-cross the path. You must work together to clear their path.
Mal struggles with the spider webs. He gets entangled and wrapped up falling down until he wears himself out.
Distracted by gloomy thoughts, Findegil sweeps with his blade without his full heart in it. And pays for it.
Cereidh forges ahead.
After cutting through the spider webs, Mal finds an excellent place to rest for the night, where the path opens into a pleasant, grassy forest clearing.
Cereidh recognizes this spot as one of the open-air feast-halls of the Elvenking, although this particular field has not been used in many years. A sparkling stream of fresh water runs along the edge of the clearing. Young Belgo throws himself down on the grassy floor and announces that he is much too tired to travel any more that day.
During the night, Baldor the merchant wakes up. He leaves is bedroll and exchanges a few words with Findegil who is on watch, and complains about bad dreams. He is still half asleep, but his mouth is dry so he wanders over to the stream to take a drink of water. Moonlight shimmers on the dancing waters, and what was safe and pure during the day is not always unchanged at night.
When Baldor drinks from the stream, he starts shouting incomprehensibly. "Who are you? Where am I? Where... there is fire under the Mountain! Those fools have woken the dragon! I must find Halla! I... you’ve kidnapped me! You rogues! Where is Belgo? Run! Run! The dragon comes!"
When Findegil goes to help his new companion, Baldor turns and sprints headlong in the forest.
Mal starts awake shortsword in his hand. He sleeps with the naked blade under the edge of his bedroll.
"Findegil, what's happened?" The wild hobbit asks.
As he begins to run after the fleeing Baldor, Findegil shouts back to Mal:
"He has been touched in the head! I will catch him!"
Findegil powers after the merchant, hoping to catch him before he comes to harm.
Cereidh swears vociferously to herself upon waking. "Mal! Be wary! I trust neither of these humans to the Greenwood - or the other way around." While talking she grabs her bow, quiver, and rope, and sprints after Findegil.
If she can, Cereidh will surpass Findegil and tackle Baldor.
Sits up as all the noise penetrate his sleep.
"Whats going on around here?"
looks around noticing the others chasing after Baldor and pushes himself up to aid his companions.
Cereidh makes a vague hand gesture but is already too far away and too winded to take the time to answer him.
Beyond the light of the campfire, Findegil follows Baldor at a walk. His vision extends to the limit of his torch's illumination. After a few seconds, Cereidh gracefully sprints by the knight. She follows Baldor's big deep footprints that even a blind Dwarf could follow.
The three of you stand around the frightened boy waiting for elf and the knight to return. You don't really know what's going on. But, you're able to follow Findegil's torchlight slowly disappear deeper into the forest.
After a few minutes, the ponies begin to scream. When you look over, you see a many-eyed spider the size of a boar preparing to attack a pony that is tethered to the ground.
Findegil stubbornly continues following.
seeing the spider he nocks an arrow and sends it going at the creature.
The giant spider hisses at Krogen and says in Westron. "Run away man or you're next." Then, he shoots a web at the archer, which goes wide.
Mal drops his sword and pulls out his bow. "Ack. Ee's a biggun."
His arrow flies over the spider.
After an hour, Findegil catches up with Cereidh who is searching where the trail suddenly stops, as if Baldor vanished into thin air.
Findegil looks about, urgently seeking some trace of the fled merchant.
And then he points.
"There! Strands of webbing, just ripped free. Baldor must have ran straight into a web, and then taken. I imagine by the web's spinner. We must find him swiftly, Cereidh!"
Findegil begins to run in the direction of the drag marks.
"Sir Knight, might it be you were wiser than I and have brought a torch with you? Not that I want to torch my own home, but to be taken by the spiders ..."
Cereidh knocks an arrow to her bow and follows Findegil.
Findegil thinks of the torch left at the campsite.
"I did out of necessity, my lady Ceredidh, but thought of no spare nor my shield. But I did bring steel, and that and this one torch shall have to suffice.", showing his sword.
Thorgrim of the Red Shield
rorek55
