Black Webs, Dark Heart

[Eclecticon]

I'll take the fatigue points. 

[GandalfOfBorg]

Ooc: Use the Honeycakes.

[tomcat]

Okay, Tom - that begs the question - will you also take the Fatigue points or spend another ? Let me know.

Also, I left the story off with your decisions. How do you want to try and cross the river in front of you? Do you even want to? The longhouse is across the river - are you guys going to investigate?

The story is in your hands to continue.

As for the river - it is about 15 yards across and looks about waist deep - but it is moving fast.

[Telcontar]

Ooc: yeah i'll burn the point.


"Firewatcher, we crossed no major stream coming here. My thought is crossing one will move us in the wrong direction. Since all water flows down should we not follow it?"

[GandalfOfBorg]

  Yes, use the Hope.

[Eclecticon]

Arbogast regards the river with suspicion.  "And go where?" he replies.  "In the vastness of the wood, there may be entire valleys that Men have never seen, nor Elves in thousands of years.  If we were to follow the river, I could not say whither it would lead us." 

The river thus dismissed, he regards the longhouse upon its hill, sitting silent and patient as a tomb.  Though it lies dim and silent, and no smoke rises from its hearth, nevertheless it holds forth the promise of shelter, and perhaps protection from the denizens of this realm.  Given all that has passed since the Fellowship crossed the Dusky River, the Fire-watcher immediately suspects at trap.  And yet... it is so obviously a potential trap that it seems somehow beneath a thing so terrible as Tylquin the Weaver to set it. 

Before anyone can respond, he changes the subject.  "Yonder lies a house that ought not exist, for we tread the paths of Mirkwood's very heart, and no race of Men ever built such fine dwellings in this country.  But it is of old rumour among my people that a ghostly hall can be found beyond the Dusky River, sometimes for weal and sometimes for woe, and never in the same place twice." 

He fixes the companions, tired, hungry and dispirited, with as level a gaze as he can manage.  "Here is what I suggest.  If we ford the river, we may examine the hall more closely.  The foe that stalks us is ancient, and knows Mirkwood like no mortal Man ever will.  We might wander in a cursed dream until we died and never know, for not a single detail in her woven visions would seem false.  But she has never been known to cross the Dusky river, nor to venture close to the halls of Men, and her approximation of our dwellings would be crude.  If we find anything amiss in the construction of the longhouse, then we shall know that we are deceived.  If all appears as it should, then we may have come to a place of safety."

[Telcontar]

"Well that settles it. I'll not work for Sunstead, gold or no."

[Telcontar]

Hathcyn scratched at his beard and looked at the hall, or the remaisn of one.

"I do not like it. They say you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar and in this case we are flies that do not desire to be caught. I have no recolletion of this riveer or this building from my night travel either."

The northman held no great desire to cross another river. Distnat now was the memory of his bath when they left the road. The clean cool water of the Anduin was nothing compaired to this morass of black water and tangle. Not quite under his breadth Hathcyn continued to murmur.

"What people would live in such a cursed wood and call it home?" The tall man kicked idealy and spitefully at a tree root near at hand. "Where is the sky in this dismal place?" 

[GandalfOfBorg]

"We go and we go together.  Inaction is worse than action now," says Grimbeorn. "Better to find out the truth as it is instead of wondering."

[Eclecticon]

Arbogast nods his agreement and, hefting his pack over his head, begins to ford the river.

[Telcontar]

"Dont be hasty. Have we any rope so that we may anchor you Firewatcher?"

[Eclecticon]

Aaargh, this again! 

All Arbogast has come with, apart from basic necessities, is...

1d12 : 7, total 7

1d6 : 6, total 6

1d12 : 4, total 4

... and...

1d12 : 5, total 5

1d6 : 1, total 1

1d12 : 11, total 11

[Eclecticon]

A lousy wooden box of matches and a meagre wooden pole that barely supports a blanket as part of a lean-to.

On the other hand, he's travelling with three companions, all of a Martial standard of living.  The likelihood of one of them having enough rope to anchor a wading man seems pretty high. 

[tomcat]

Paul, that is the first time you lost me on a roll! 

What did you roll for - the equipment you might have on you?

I will go with the same assumption that someone has a length of rope.

I do want Athletic tests, nonetheless. The rope will give each person an additional 2 success dice.

TN 14 athletics by PC

Anar 1d 1d12 : 11, total 11
Rolled 3d6 : 2, 2, 3, total 7

Arbogast 2d 1d12 : 9, total 9
Rolled 4d6 : 2, 2, 1, 4, total 9

Grimbeorn 3d 1d12 : 3, total 3
Rolled 5d6 : 1, 2, 5, 4, 2, total 14

Hathcyn 2d 1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 4d6 : 1, 6, 1, 4, total 12

Amaswinta 2d 1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 4d6 : 2, 3, 4, 4, total 13

[tomcat]

RESULTS

• Anar loses his footing and is sent down river before being pulled back by the rope. He suffers 5 loss from being drowned and hitting rocks and roots.
• Arbogast crosses the river  (no AP left for movement)
• Grimbeorn crosses the river  (no AP left for movement)
• Hathcyn crosses the river    (did not roll a great success minimum for movement AP)
• Amaswinta crosses the river