Whispers on the Barrow Downs

[Telcontar]

Celdarhil patted the ivory horn at his side and smiled, " You'll know if Ithilien has need of aid. Edrahil that which you percieve may be of better aid to us than what we can see. I tell you all plainly this place is off. I have stood long watches on the borders of the enemies abode of old and I have not felt the trace of it here in the north until now."

Celdrahil raised his spear to the sky and the rising sun shown like fire off of its leaf shaped point as he addressed the hills.  "The valour of the Elendili is not spent, as was spoke of old by Hurin I shall say again, the day shall rise again!"

The horse of the knight lept and Cedrahil with head high, alert for dangers seen and unseen,made his way into the hills sure in the fact that the others would ride behind him.

[tomcat]

And so the hour was spent in search of the lost.

The companions broke up into their three groups as instructed by Durgil - one set moving directly up the old trail and the other two taking a position north and south. Each group fanned out from the other beyond earshot but not that of visual range, especially for the Elf - Edrahil's sight was keen and could see to the far distance, as was the nature of his people.

They covered the distance quickly for they all wished to make their way south, and soon came to one of the many broken ridge lines of the downs. The ridge itself showed the bare stony earth though it was crowned atop with the same green and lush grass upon which they rode. The trail continued up the small cliff, switching back on itself once to allow for an ease of climb. Whomever had made the trail - or was it once a road - could have easily gotten animals or small carts up the switchback. As of yet, there was no sign of any lost merchant, family, or other traveler - nor was there sign of beast of burden which might have run from the broken wain.

It was Nain and Durgil who had been riding the direct path and soon they were joined by their other four companions who found the ridge impossible to mount upon horseback. Time was pressing and so it was decided that Edrahil, due to his farsight, would follow the switchback up to the top and see what he could see.

Once atop the ridge, Edrahil placed his slender hand over his brow to shade from the sun. His clear voice called down, "It is another distance, though not great, but beyond lies another ridge of the Barrow Downs and atop that next ridge looks to be a wooded grove. Within appears to be the remains of a broken tower. Do you wish to continue?"

[GandalfOfBorg]

"Might as well.  It's why we came," offered Durgil.

[Telcontar]

"We undertook the search for people, if we pursue the sights of every ither ridge we will not be back upon our path.we should not tarry too long."

[tomcat]

Edrahil listened to the discourse between the two men below, "In this I would have to agree with Celdrahil - we pursue an unknown to an unknown. We would not know it if we found it, unfortunately, especially with the potential that what we seek is no longer alive and would make no signal. Still, it is only an issue of time and that has always been the concern of Men. If we were to push on, we would make the tower within less than an hour of the sun's movement."

A wind stirred of a sudden and it held a chill. In all of their hearts a feeling crept and caused the gooseflesh to rise. It was not fear that seemed to fill them, but a sense of hatred.

[GandalfOfBorg]

"If this is a lair of nothing, then so be it, I would be wrong.  But ruined towers as we've encountered tend to be the domain of evil and being not far from the road bodes ill for any traveller."

[Stefan]

"Might as well deal with it now as later after more folks meet what menace lies there."

[Telcontar]

"We are wasting time. If we are to ride to the tower than let us do so. If not, make for the road."

[sdrotar]

"Let us go, but quickly," Dirnhael said. "If there is nothing obvious amiss, then we should return to our path south and move with haste."

[tomcat]

The companions now rode together the remainder of the way to the old tower that the Sindar had seen. They came to another ridgeline of the downs, but this one was easy to navigate, even on horseback.

A grove of trees stood a distance to the east and before it sat the remains of a fortress. An earthen dike was built up in a circle around  the broken tumble of an old tower. The companions could see where the dike had been overrun at places, its palisade broken and thrown down. They rode within the confines of the dike, through a gate, and into the fortresses yard. Old stables and outer buildings were torn down and burnt with evidence of a few wagons, or carts, overgrown with grass and weeds. A stone-ringed well sat amongst the ruin and clinging to its outer side was the decomposed body of a man.

Edrahil rode up to the body having no fear of the spirits of men. The body had not been here long, the dried flesh tight on a grinning skull. Carrion birds had picked at the flesh, eating the soft parts that they had been able to get to, but no other signs could be seen of animal consumption. It was as if only the birds had been willing to enter this place. The dead man clung to the well, his bony fingers still gripping into the cracks between the stones. In the mage's mind came a vision of pursuit and in his heart welled the frosty grip of terror.

The others watched the Elf make his way to the corpse, but they took interest in the surrounding fortress. Celdrahil looked at the architecture of the fortifications and wondered if this were the work of the Dúnedain, for surely it was not alike to the stoneworks of the south. Of course the Dúnedain of Arnor did not have the mountain quarries to create such fine fortresses as Minas Anor or Minas Ithil, or even the likes of Osgiliath, but still they were Dúnedain and their works were sound. Dirnhael and Durgil knew this old fortress to be one of the many towers that had ranged the Weather Hills and frontiers of Cardolan and Arthedain, until the former's fall and the latter's recession. It, like many others, had probably been destroyed in the last battles of Cardolan against the forces of the Witch-king when even the grand Tower of Amon Sûl fell. Over the last two hundred years, wanderers, rogues, or even some petty lords may have taken residence here - hence the broken, overgrown carts - but even they had abandoned it to time and the new fear that seemed to clutch these hills.

The sun sat at noon as they looked around. Dirnhael spurred himself to where Edrahil observed the dead man. The Sindar spoke at his approach, "I think this may be our lost merchant. Have any of you seen evidence of other folk here?" A silent shake of the head. "It seems that he clutches the well-stones, as if to hold on. But to what? Or why? What pursued him?" Edrahil turned to Dirnhael, "Do you remember an evening we spent hidden in an old barn in a ruined town along this road. Ruffians threatened us from outside until a greater fear came along and attacked them. There was also the time, just a year or so ago when we aided the townsfolk of Bree in finding a small child whom had been taken by shadows from these hills. These things are not the spirits of Men, although they house themselves within the remains of your dead. I fear that a rumor of that terror lies over this tower - daylight keeps it at bay, but perhaps too much time should not be spent here."

[Stefan]

"Do we bury him or build a pyre?"

[sdrotar]

Dirnhael nodded at Edrahil's comments; such nightmarish memories were impossible to forget.
But the activities of the dead in this accursed place did not concern him; only the motives of the living.

"Let us bury him," he replied to Nain, "and with due haste. I have no desire to remain here, nor draw attention to ourselves with flame."

He was nevertheless relieved that they had found the victim, and set out to find a suitable plot.
Decency was its own reward; one of the few things good men could truly offer to separate themselves from those that wished for only chaos.

[GandalfOfBorg]

Durgil nodded solemnly and helped with the preparations.  No further words were needed nor did this place encourage them.

[tomcat]

The merchant's body laid to rest, the Company moved back to the road and began the day's travel south. With the time lost, it was decided between them all that they would push themselves well into the evening to make up the distance.

And so they rode.

They were tired from plodding under the bright sunshine and welcomed the waning of the day and the oncoming cool of dusk. The stars shone overhead when they at last entered the town of Arnach. Its empty homes, barns, and businesses were like ghostly shapes along each side of the road. For three of the companions, this place was immediately recognizable - a place where they had had to hold out against a band of rogues that hunted along the North-South road. Fengel pointed to the old barn and house where they had taken residence to weather a storm, only to be terrorized by an unknown fear. The evening had ended with rogues besieging their position and Edrahil chasing them off with his arcane talents.

Dirnhael looked to the barn and the rising hill behind it. In his mind came the memory of the shadow that had stood there, backlit by the flash of lightning, its desiccated arm dragging the still form of what had to be the youth that the rogues were seeking. It had only looked upon him and Lûnduf as it toiled with its prize and the two of them had been petrified with fear. Dirnhael had felt this terror many more times since then, and though his heart had grown strong he still feared such things.

The companions pushed through Arnach and rode to a place just south of the town and there they set camp.

In the morning, they silently rose and continued on - two days later the Companions looked out across the flat plains of northern Cardolan, the Barrow Downs left behind them.

[tomcat]

needed travel tests:

TN = 20 miles -2 walking pace -2 easy ground (road) -5 on horse +5 barrow downs effect (stressful, discomforting) = 16
Degree of success determines the number of Weariness levels suffered: 3 on a disastrous failure, 2 on a complete failure, 1 on a failure, 0 on any success. Also, if a Disastrous failure is rolled, the character must stop there and then, too exhausted to keep going for that day. Roll 2d6 and subtract it from the TN to determine how many miles were actually covered before the character needed to stop.

Sleeping in the Rough - getting rest on the road, under the sky, can be difficult. I will also need a Survival test TN 10. The result will determine: ANY PC success on this test will allow for a good night's rest (a good camp was set) and thus remove any weariness sustained by ANY PC from the travel above; EXCEPTION: a disastrous failure rolled by ANY PC will add one level of weariness to themselves due to insufficient rest.

Day 2
[tabular type=4 caption="Day 2: travel and survival tests (I only rolled survival tests until success)"]
[row][head]TESTS[/head][head]Celdrahil[/head][head]Dirnhael[/head][head]Durgil[/head][head]Edrahil[/head][head]Fengel[/head][head]Nain[/head][/row]
[row][data]v Wear TN 16[/data][data]11 (wry -1)[/data][data]12 (wry -1)[/data][data]11 (wry -1)[/data][data]16[/data][data]17[/data][data]11 (wry -1)[/data][/row]
[row][data]Survival TN 10[/data][data]1[/data][data]17[/data][data]n/a[/data][data]n/a[/data][data]n/a[/data][data]n/a[/data][/row]
[/tabular]

Day 3
[tabular type=4 caption="Day 3: travel and survival tests (I only rolled survival tests until success)"]
[row][head]TESTS[/head][head]Celdrahil[/head][head]Dirnhael[/head][head]Durgil[/head][head]Edrahil[/head][head]Fengel[/head][head]Nain[/head][/row]
[row][data]v Wear TN 16[/data][data]9 (wry -2)[/data][data]14 (wry -1)[/data][data]9 (wry -2)[/data][data]15 (wry -1)[/data][data]16[/data][data]11 (wry -1)[/data][/row]
[row][data]Survival TN 10[/data][data]5[/data][data]14[/data][data]n/a[/data][data]n/a[/data][data]n/a[/data][data]n/a[/data][/row]
[/tabular]

Day 4
[tabular type=4 caption="Day 4: travel and survival tests (I only rolled survival tests until success)"]
[row][head]TESTS[/head][head]Celdrahil[/head][head]Dirnhael[/head][head]Durgil[/head][head]Edrahil[/head][head]Fengel[/head][head]Nain[/head][/row]
[row][data]v Wear TN 16[/data][data]7 (wry -2)[/data][data]12 (wry -1)[/data][data]8 (wry -2)[/data][data]18[/data][data]15 (wry -1)[/data][data]15 (wry -1)[/data][/row]
[row][data]Survival TN 10[/data][data]3[/data][data]22[/data][data]n/a[/data][data]n/a[/data][data]n/a[/data][data]n/a[/data][/row]
[/tabular]

I know that we work advancements based on current level and chapter, but I am rewarding all of the PC's with 1 point of Renown for this scene. No one will 'know' what you did to put the man to rest, but it will 'reflect' in your character's presence (in the subtle ways of Middle-earth).