Slavers camp - round 1

[Eclecticon]

Niiiice!  I'll make a Riddle roll, but I might defer too Bandy for the Courtesy.  I don't want to screw this up for the group.

Rolled 1d12 : 5, total 5
Rolled 3d6 : 4, 1, 4, total 9

Can I also make a Healing roll too judge how badly she's hurt?  I'm not going to approach any closer - just do a visual check.

Rolled 1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 3d6 : 3, 5, 5, total 13

[GandalfOfBorg]

Courtesy -  1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 1d6 : 2, total 2

[GandalfOfBorg]

Maybe it was their current mission or maybe he was just softening, but Grimbeorn attempted to help yet he was still a brusque brute from the Wilderland.

[Telcontar]

Courtesy roll. Text to follow.

Rolled 1d12 : 12, total 12

Rolled 3d6 : 5, 2, 2, total 9

[Eclecticon]

Am I right in thinking that the 'comprehension' test is an individual one?  If so, Grimbeorn can use Anduin-Lore to make some sense of what this woman is saying.  Bandy can use Lore without too much trouble.  Rorin may need to use Riddle as well. 

[Telcontar]

Lore for comprehension

Rolled 1d12 : 10, total 10

Rolled 3d6 : 2, 4, 3, total 9

[Telcontar]

The Halfling listned intently to the woman as she spoke and gestured. At first it was all a jumble, but then the Hobit startted to catch a word or two. Then Bandy went through some mental gymnastics as he followed a trail of reasoning and unnderstanding to make out what she said. The language had roots in other languages and stories that the Hobbit had heard since coming east of the mountains. The language shared a common root with the old tongue of Rhovanion.

"Wit haen ge nay hearm geong wif." [we mean you no harm young woman]

The Hobbit was sure that the words were not exactly right but he figured the intent was close enough.

"Ealdomen," and he pointed at the Woodman and Beoring, "sceatha Yrch. Wit come to redeem the Aelfwif."

The Hobbit stood with his bow resting on the ground and spit on the dead Orc when he spoke their name. He hoped that if his words did not bring understanding then at least his actions would.

He took a bit of lembas and offered it to the woman.

[tomcat]

Am I right in thinking that the 'comprehension' test is an individual one?  If so, Grimbeorn can use Anduin-Lore to make some sense of what this woman is saying.  Bandy can use Lore without too much trouble.  Rorin may need to use Riddle as well.

Hey Paul, yes. That is exactly right.

The comprehension tests are necessary to understand her dialect, even though she may throw in common (Westron) words, and it is on an individual character basis. The Courtesy is for her to not be afraid of you guys and that can be achieved by one PC.

[tomcat]

Hesitantly her hand moved and then reached out to snatch the food from the Hobbit. The Hill-woman scooted back even another few feet, as she smelled the Lembas, only to decide it was safe and then gobbled it down. Arbogast could see that she was famished and that her wounds, though cruel, were relatively superficial. As long as she avoided any major infection, they would heal with a minimum of scarring.

Bandy's words were comprehended and she replied, "So, you come for the She-Elf? She is the one that helped me to be free. Her name is Ruithel and she has aided others to escape, too, although I do not know how far they were able to get. The hills here are cruel. If not for you, I would have gone no farther, but I made too much noise when I made my run. The yrchs sat around the fire, but one heard me as a pulled away from the others." [her italicized words mean that it is still in strange dialect and only PC's with successful Lore, Riddle, or Song tests can understand.]

[Eclecticon]

The woman's accent is thick, and Arbogast surmises that the tongue of the Vales of Anduin is only of passing familiarity to her.  He hopes his own is comprehensible. "Wir wæron geásæd þæt þær céast wæs betwēonan se yrchs' forwastas.  Cunnan þú áht ymb þys?" 



"We were told that there was strife between the orcs' chiefs.  Know you aught of this?"  Man, Old English is fun.   

[tomcat]

"I know nothing of this," she answered Arbogast. "But orcs brought me here yesterday and met up with the host of goblins and orcs that held the Elf, along with a few others."

She paused for a moment and then began again, while staring off.

"My people have never had challenge with the orcs and goblins of Gundabad. We are few in number, but they have always left us be. Perhaps it is the allegiance my forefathers showed to Angmar centuries ago. But days past, they raided our camp. Took children and women. We followed in pursuit but were waylaid. I was separated from my clan and soon captured and brought here. I do not know where the children were taken...

Back at the orc camp, the leader looked in the direction the Hill-woman had run. Where were his folk? They should have been back with the female.

He looked to the campfire, "Alright you maggots! I am taking my lads to see where that woman has gone. Nothing else better happen by the time we're back, or somebody is losing their head! Ya got that?"

There were snarls and grunts from the goblins, but they did not dare test the orc leader's strength. Some had already seen what his cold iron could do.
You guys know without having to test that the children she might be speaking of is not the same ones Esgalwen led south. The children you freed were definitely folk of the vale.

[Eclecticon]

Conscious that a large party of orcs remains close by, Arbogast cuts her speech short.  "Our thanks.  Now, more such as these will come soon, and we must move or be discovered.  You will likely be safest with us." 

He quickly glances at the faces of his companions.  Grimbeorn and Bandy appear to have followed the conversation, but Rorin, though stoic, has clearly not comprehended the tongue of the Vales.  "We will explain when we can.  For now, we must leave this place.  Perhaps we can set an ambush for the orcs that are sure to follow in search of these." 


I think we can all guess where the children were taken. 

[Telcontar]

Bandy shrugged. " My bow is ready. I concede the making of tactics to others "

[Eclecticon]

Arbogast surveys the field, such as it is.  There is no time to hide the slain goblins, but the nearby hillocks might be used to isolate any further enemies from each other.  Swiftly but quietly, he directs the fellowship away from the site of the skirmish. 



I'm a little pressed for time today.  Can I use my Cunning feature to find a place that will give us a chance of surprising the oncoming orcs (or at least not be caught out in the open with a bunch of their dead kin)?

[Telcontar]

The Hobbit quickly glanced over the dead goblins and orcs to see if anything important caught his eye. Any unique items of kit, or extra arrows. Then he looked about to see from which directions the vermin would come and where he could best be to shoot them down with his bow.