Caged!

[tomcat]

From Wiseman on previous threads:

Everything that was going on around him, as they were stuck in the stockades, started to wear at his patience.  They were going about their normal day-to-day life and the company was holed up in a prison without any reason as to why. The elven scout stood and approached the door, being sure to watch the guards so as to move out of the way of a stray spear, if the situation arose.

"Why are you holding us here!"  Seriand shouted so that many could hear, he wanted an answer and he wanted to be freed of this tiny prison.

The Sindar's shout was noticed by the Dunlending folk, each taking pause at their daily chores to look in the direction of the stockade. Even a flock of birds took to the air, excited by the echoing cry, but then the settlement went back about its business.

Many of the Company members had spent the better part of the noon hour examining the settlement to see if there was any weakness or opportunity for escape. Fengel watched as a group of men-folk sat about a fire and held a discourse, among them was the two elders and the Dunlending claw-faced warrior, although little could be heard. The group of men would occassionally glance towards the pen that held the Company and make gestures, but none approached.

The day drifted into the afternoon and still none made any notice of the captives, but then the claw-faced warrior stood from the counsel that had been going on for a better part of the day. He walked over to a large dog that lay on the ground, leashed to a hut. He began to feed it the remains of some meats that he had not eaten. As he did, an elder spoke out and the voice brought the attention of the Company to him...

"Quo-ola, ee la noe." The elder pointed to the stockade.

The warrior slowly stood, obviously unpleased at the request [or order]. He walked back to the fire, grabbed a few food items off of the wooden platter that the Dunmen had been eating from and put it in the bowl in his hand. He then strolled slowly to the stockade fence and with a look of disdain, tossed the platter on the ground amongst the companions... some of the food spilled off into the dirt.

Dirnhael looked down on the food; stale looking bread, fish - parts that it seemed no one of the Dunmen wanted - and what looked like pork or beef fat. He was hungry, but there was nothing about the scraps before him that looked appealing. He would not eat the fodder of these people...

Edrahil had been looking about as well, as his mind wandered through Elven dreams. He stared at one hut that sat some yards away from the rest of the village. There was no activity around it. Was it a home? Was it abandoned?

[Palandil]

OOC: So I guess Fengel did not find any weakness in the stockade, or the guards?

[tomcat]

OOC: So I guess Fengel did not find any weakness in the stockade, or the guards?

OOC: Hey Paul, yes... the stockade is nothing more really than a very simple picket fence, almost a corral. It would take nothing to hop it or break through it. The guards are there with spears in hand and a bad demeanour... you can attempt to push past them or fight them. Your call, but that is the situation as it stands.

Doug

[Palandil]

Fengel too looked upon the scraps with disdain.  He approaches Dirnhael, "How much longer should we wait and let our fate rest in the hands of these...", Fengel pauses and looks out toward the Dunmen with disgust, "men?  If we do not know their intent by nightfall we should make an escape.  Do you think Durgil will be up for it?"

[sdrotar]

Fengel too looked upon the scraps with disdain.  He approaches Dirnhael, "How much longer should we wait and let our fate rest in the hands of these...", Fengel pauses and looks out toward the Dunmen with disgust, "men?  If we do not know their intent by nightfall we should make an escape.  Do you think Durgil will be up for it?"

"I'm not sure," he said quietly while looking back at Durgil.
Dirnhael didn't enjoy the cage any more than any of them, but something told him that they were not in immediate danger, and he expected Nain to be following.
Besides, potentially fighting hand-to-hand again a village of armed men didn't seem like the wisest course of action to Dirnhael.

If they were to escape, they'd need weapons - and preferably their own.
Perhaps if - when, he reminded himself - Nain arrived, he might be able to help them in that department.

"Patience, my friend," he said to Fengel. "The time will come soon enough."

[Palandil]

Fengel did not feel comfortable waiting for their captives to decide what to do.  No he was a man of action.  However if Dirnhael felt that it wasn't nescessary to make plans of their own yet, then Fengel would resign himself to the Dunadain's wishes.  "Let's not wait too long to plan our own fate Dirnhael", he said respectfully.  Fengel knew though that if their fate was death then he would go down fighting to the last.  With an unsettled feeling he found a place to sit and rest a while, his strength would be much needed he felt.

[sdrotar]

Fengel did not feel comfortable waiting for their captives to decide what to do.  No he was a man of action.  However if Dirnhael felt that it wasn't nescessary to make plans of their own yet, then Fengel would resign himself to the Dunadain's wishes.  "Let's not wait too long to plan our own fate Dirnhael", he said respectfully.  Fengel knew though that if their fate was death then he would go down fighting to the last.  With an unsettled feeling he found a place to sit and rest a while, his strength would be much needed he felt.

Dirnhael could see his friend's frustration. "Save your strength until Durgil is better. We could try to escape at any time and that gives us an advantage. But we won't get far if Durgil is ill, and unpleasant though this my be, we have shelter, food and time for his condition to improve."

And for himself, he thought, his arrow wounds still stinging him.

He still did not know why these men held them, and even less so why they would essentially leave them unsecured. It was an odd arrangement, but the Dunlendings seemed to be trusting them in some fashion - despite their captivity - and Dirnhael wanted to know why.

[tomcat]

OOC: I am not ignoring this thread, but the Dunmen are paying no attention to the stockade other than to keep it guarded. The day will pass like this. You can continue any inter-character dialogue as you want, but I am not going to move it along too fast so that it keeps up with the thread for Galudir and Nain.

Tomcat

[GandalfOfBorg]

Durgil will remain silent for most of the day, lost in his own torturous thoughts, unless conversation is directed towards him.

[sdrotar]

OOC: Maybe we can take an in-game day or two wile the other thread's moving; try some more Healing tests, and in the meanwhile, have our characters learn the guard patterns and possibly ascertain where our weapons are while planning an escape?

[tomcat]

The companions sat in the midst of the stockade as the afternoon sun passed over, all but the Elves sweating but each craving drink. The food that they had been given was for the most part untouched, but they knew that more days like this would make it that the scraps could not be passed up on.

The tall fir trees began to sway as a gust of wind blew across the Dunmen camp and the rustling sound was intoxicatingly soothing. A great bird of prey took to flight, hovering on the swelling winds and scanning the ground below. While Edrahil watched the bird float, he heard the faint sound of tinkling bells on the wind and what seemed to be hushed whispers - the soft voice speaking was most certainly in the tongue of Elves. Edrahil tilted his head to try and listen but it quickly passed. The Sindar noticed immediately that he was not the only one to hear the sounds... his companions were looking about at each other as the winds passed over, their faces each showing something of fear and curiosity. What piqued Edrahil's curiosity the most was the reaction of the Dunmen tribe around the stockade, for it seemed that they too were privy to the whispered calls and chimes.

Around the stockade, the Dunmen stopped working and looked about; some up to the skies, some to the lake, others to the forest that surrounded. All had a fearful look. Even the spearmen that guarded the pen were holding their weapons in a manner to stave off some unkown attacker. Dirnhael watched as the claw-faced warrior (his face now unadorned of his war-paint) ran back into the village's center, as the two elders quickly exited their domed, fur-covered shelter. The babble of talk that commenced between all three, and them suddenly pointing to the stockade told the Dunadan that they were concerned. He also felt that this was not the first time that these people had had this experience.

[sdrotar]

Dirnhael looked to Edrahil, and then to Seriand. He had recognized the language, for he spoke it himself.
"What was that?"

Possibilities began to coalesce in his mind.
They were prisoners, but had not been well-guarded. The Dunmen let Nain go and took the Men... and the Elves.
He could see the Dunmen were unnerved by the voice upon the wind -  and he would have to admit that they were not alone - but he knew the villagers were not the cause of it.

Did the villagers know that they were not, either? Might the Dunmen have been haunted by this voice and been searching for Elves that may have created it? Is that why they were captives?

[Wiseman]

"They fear the voice of our kin."  Seriand said as he looked to Edrahil and tried to think upon the Elven words that had flew through the air like dandelion seeds in a strong breeze.

"We must figure a way to use this to our advantage."  Seriand looked to his comrades and turned to the Dunmen and raised his voice in the Elven tongue.  "Hear that voice of my brethren!  Release us and we shall sway their wrath from devestating you all."  Perhaps adding to their fear would help...

[GandalfOfBorg]

OOC: Is there any possibility of anyone hearing and understanding what the words were upon the wind?  If so,
Language: Sindarin - (4+2)+7=13
Language: Quenya - (5+4)+3=12

Understanding what his new companion is trying to do, Durgil didn't like it.  "Don't do that," he says with cough.  "The fear you instill may lead to them taking it out on us."

[sdrotar]

OOC: Is there any possibility of anyone hearing and understanding what the words were upon the wind?  If so,
Language: Sindarin - (4+2)+7=13
Language: Quenya - (5+4)+3=12

Understanding what his new companion is trying to do, Durgil didn't like it.  "Don't do that," he says with cough.  "The fear you instill may lead to them taking it out on us."

Dirnhael nodded in agreement. Even at best, he didn't really want to be held responsible for negotiating with a spectre...