Hunters and Quarries

[Telcontar]

The great long spear of the man was held at his side. Even while mounted it stood tall and almost touched the ground. In the south such men still used long spears to great effect while mounted. In the wooded and broken lands of the Beornings it was not quite so common. Hathcyn knew the way, for he had already traveled it once before as recent as last night. He took but a moment to lean from the saddle and to study the ground.

"They traveled heavy and took no care to their tracks. They shall rue the day that they came here with such reckless abandon and disregard for our folk. The pyre of their death will mark their error. This way! The trail heads east this way."

[Eclecticon]

Cheers.  Nice profile pic, by the way.

[GandalfOfBorg]

Grimbeorn quickly assessed the area and agreed with spearman. "Forward and to their ruin!" he cried.  The saddle wore on him and his men for they were no great armored cavalry of Gondor or horseriders of the far-removed brothers of Rohan.  He yearned for the ground beneath his feet and enough room to swing fell the ancient blade.

[tomcat]

I am just chiming in here, so you know that I am around.

And this is not to be interpreted as an asshole post.

I have no idea where my PC is right now, along with Tate. What started as a three party search plan has turned into a mounted charge to kill orcs and is essentially Beorning-focused.

There were supposed to be two mounted parties, but Matt changed that plan and made the horses available just to the current thread.

Did Tate and I still have leave to use horses to hunt the escaped prisoner? Are we supposed to be chasing the escaped prisoner? Who went north to the Hobbit inn? Are we just riding along in Grimbeorn's entourage?

I will await for clarification.

[Telcontar]

The horses thundered across the grasslands of the river basin. Free of the overbearing nature of their ancient thegn's the gafolgelda who rode with the son of Beorn the great wolfslayer rose their voices in song. The thundering hooves of the horses would not alone announce their coming.

The great voice of Hathcyn Longspear led the men along with the great bass of Harhold Bladechipper.

"Whet the bright steel,
Iron Holders of the Mountain!
Kindle the torch,
Breast Biters of the Anduin!
The steel glimmers not for the carving of the banquet,
It is hard, broad and sharp pointed;
The torch goeth not to the bridal chamber,
It steams and glitters blue with sulpher.
Whet the steel, the raven croaks!
Light the torch, Grimbeorn is yelling!
Whet the steel, sons of the Wood!
Kindle the torch, breast biters of Beorn!

The sword cleaveth the helmet;
The strong armour is pierced by the lance
All will perish before us!"

Strong were their voices, and loud their cries in song.

From his side Hathcyn drew a small ram's horn that had been shaped and wrought to be fitted with a brass mouth piece carved and shaped by one of Durin's sons upon the wood road. He held his spear high to catch the sun light upon its point.

"On folk of Beorn! To death and glory!"

He blew a shrill, low, distinctive blast upon the horn and the singing began anew.

[Eclecticon]

I am just chiming in here, so you know that I am around.

And this is not to be interpreted as an asshole post.

I have no idea where my PC is right now, along with Tate. What started as a three party search plan has turned into a mounted charge to kill orcs and is essentially Beorning-focused.

There were supposed to be two mounted parties, but Matt changed that plan and made the horses available just to the current thread.

Did Tate and I still have leave to use horses to hunt the escaped prisoner? Are we supposed to be chasing the escaped prisoner? Who went north to the Hobbit inn? Are we just riding along in Grimbeorn's entourage?

I will await for clarification.

No offence taken, Doug.  Since the logical place to pick up the orcs' trail was the riverbank, where Esgalwen and Tate were heading anyway, I've assumed that everyone not going north to the inn is now there.  You now have a choice of whether to follow Grimbeorn and his men, and hunt orcs, or head south and hunt a fugitive. 

When in doubt, ask what the man in charge wants you to do...

[GandalfOfBorg]

  I assumed we were all going towards the same place now that the orcs were of immediate threat and that was where your charge was taking you.

[Posterboy]

  Yeah, sorry, I had the same thought as Doug... maybe worse off, as I was sitting around waiting for a separate thread to pop up for Esgalwen and Tate and Company. Re-reading the posts, I see that this was my misread of the situation. My apologies for showing up late to the party.

Tate rode his horse well enough as he followed along with Grimbeorn's riders. This was not playing to his strengths, but the Barding faked it well enough. He had been on his fair share of hunting trips with Kolbeinn north of Dale. The thought of his friend and their present estrangement quieted Tate, while Grimbeorn's men took up their war cries.

  Does Tate need to make a search or hunting check to notice that the fugitive's tracks go a different direction than the orc party?

[Eclecticon]

No - Hathcyn has already seen that he went off a different way, and can point out the separate trail to anyone who cares to listen. 

[Posterboy]

  I'm assuming Hathcyn has pointed it out then. Asking the man in charge...

As they approached the place where the trail of the fugitive split from the orc pack, Tate rode up next to Esgalwen and Grimbeorn. "Lord Grimbeorn... M'Lady, shall we take our leave in order to make a search for the fugitive?"

[tomcat]

"Aye," answered Esgalwen. "Lest Grimbeorn needs our swords?"

[GandalfOfBorg]

"Ride swift to his capture and meet up with us.  He can't be allowed to escape punishment if he or his comrades had anything to do with deaths of honorable men of this land.  His tale must be ere this tragedy be given the justice it deserves."