SCENE 1: North to Eldanar

[Telcontar]

"Hail Dirnhael! Lord of the House, son of Númenor, and scion of the Elendili, I seek hospitality within your home so that within its walls we may speak of the light of the west and lessen the burden of our exile. Master of grass and stone! Come thee down and speak with us! We have traveled far and bring news."

Celdrahil smiled, "Ever should there be winches above the houses of the Dunedain! Grow! Grow! And be filled with children and absent of shadow!"

[sdrotar]

Dirnhael didn't even need to turn around - such formalities could only come from one person that he had associated with.
He signaled above for the work to continue momentarily with Ginnar, and clambered down.

"Welcome," he greeted the men with a smile. Durgil, his brother-in-law, looked pleasantly hale.
"Your sister will be pleased that you're visiting," he said, clapping his hands upon Durgil's shoulders.

To Celdrahil, he offered a formal (of course) handshake - to his knowledge, the man knew of no other way to interact. Over time, if he were to stay in these lands, Dirnhael hoped to relax his tongue a bit. "Ask, and it is yours, of course, if I can provide," he said. "I assume you approve of the changes we've made?"

He laughed for a moment. "The hardest part was removing Methilir's stench. But, as you can see," he said, motioning to the newly green surroundings, "my lady's touch overcomes a great many things."

He eyed Madoc questioningly, but without suspicion. "If you travel with these men, you are as welcome here as they are. I am Dirnhael." He looked at Celdrahil and cleared his throat. "Oh, um, Knight of Fornost, Captain of the something-or-other, and holder of some other titles that I don't use unless I absolutely have to," he said with a knowing grin.

"Won't you gentlemen come in from the sun? We'll share some ale, and stories from the road."

[Nolmir]

Madoc immediately took a liking to Dirnhael as he made little of his titles. It was a refreshing change from Celdrahil's formality.

"Many thanks for your welcome Dirnhael, but we might not be able to enjoy this meeting as we'd like. I have an urgent message for you, from a friend by the name of Gandalf." Madoc reached inside of his tunic, producing the scroll.

"I'm afraid it is of bad tidings," he added, as he glanced around to the men who had accompanied him, trying to gauge their reactions. "I did not tell these men the message for fear that it could fall into wrong hands; I thought it best to give it only to you," he hastily added, hoping to avoid the kind of reaction that Durgil and Celdrahil had displayed to his stubbornness.

[Telcontar]

"Your good fortune in the service of the King should not be mocked lest it fade away. Your manner will change soon enough when you have sons around you that will have to make their way in this world." said Celdrahil with a smile. He put his hands up, "No lessons from me today." Celdrahil then said quietly to Dirnhael, "This man rode in haste from the south and bears a message for you. It should be seen too quickly."

[Telcontar]

  looks like i missed the boat on that last one. it should go before Madoc's response.

"Mithrandir!" Celdrahil's smile was gone like a warm day on the mountains. "This I think should not be discussed about or read in the open."

[sdrotar]

These may need re-assembling within the scene for purposes of dialogue.

"Your good fortune in the service of the King should not be mocked lest it fade away. Your manner will change soon enough when you have sons around you that will have to make their way in this world." said Celdrahil with a smile. He put his hands up, "No lessons from me today."

"My services were never offered to the King, but to the people of the West; it was for that reason that I departed from fair Cardolan, my friend," he replied, more sternly than he intended. He softened as he continued to speak. "Though I am certainly grateful that the King appreciated them, for otherwise I would not have my magnificent bride; my treasure above all others. I do not mock such titles; I merely have little need for them, for they do not define me."

"Perhaps it is your manner that may eventually change," he said to Celdrahil with a warm smile, "for holding station above others sows distrust and serves only to divide Men and assist the Shadow that ever seeks to destroy us all. Better to risk trust amongst our fellows than to live in an ever-shrinking and darkening world, I should think."

Dirnhael may have become a noble by his deeds, but at heart, he knew he would never be considered one of their kind. And that suited him well enough.

***

"Many thanks for your welcome Dirnhael, but we might not be able to enjoy this meeting as we'd like. I have an urgent message for you, from a friend by the name of Gandalf." Madoc reached inside of his tunic, producing the scroll.

"I'm afraid it is of bad tidings," he added, as he glanced around to the men who had accompanied him, trying to gauge their reactions. "I did not tell these men the message for fear that it could fall into wrong hands; I thought it best to give it only to you," he hastily added, hoping to avoid the kind of reaction that Durgil and Celdrahil had displayed to his stubbornness.

Dirnhael's smile faded. The wanderer had shaped his life before, and every time they had met before, it was for the most dire of reasons.
He took the parchment, and quickly nodded in thanks to Madoc. He then tipped his head towards the home, still under construction.

"Come with me," he said. "I shall retreat my quarters to read this missive while you refresh yourselves."
He looked concerned as he spoke next.
"The words of the Gray Pilgrim carry the utmost weight in my house. I presume we will all speak in short order."

[tomcat]

Once alone, Dirnhael unrolled the scroll and saw the thin flowing handwriting of Gandalf the Gray.

Dear Dirnhael,

I hope this letter finds you well. T'is been almost two years since our last meeting on the frontier of Rhudaur and Arthedain and so much has been done, yet still so much to do. I extend my warmest congratulations to you and your new wife - strong will your line be!

As you know, this note comes in haste for in haste I am, but I fear that Angmar threatens the south once more. I have long journeyed into the north and watched from hiding the doings of the Witch-king. Your efforts at Eldanar were quite effective in blunting his ambitions - this along with the sickness that has affected both ally and enemy alike has made the sorcerer switch tactic.

Through dark sorceries, the Witch-king has drawn from the nether realms foul shadows that he is loosing upon the land. Within Angmar is an ancient shrine to the Nameless Dark-lord of the First Age erected by men of that time who sacrificed and worshipped there. Through this dark portal, the Witch-king has found his solution to his weakened forces so that he might once more threaten Arthedain and Old Arnor as a whole. The shadows take no form, or worse, they house themselves within the living and the dead... walking abominations that are more powerful than any rank of men.

It is in Eldanar where the first secret to defeating them will be found.

You must go there. You must find the Ankh of Morgoth and wrest it from the one who now rules there, a foul servant under dominion of the cruel Iron King! Through this ancient artifact you may find the means to close this insidious gate and thus stop the fell shadows that the Witch-king sets upon you all.

I am to the south now, where I seek council with Saruman the White, one much more wise in my Order. If I can, I will be back to you to aid in this, but for now take those whom you can trust to have strength of heart and courage to face these foes.

I wish you well until our next meeting.

G

[Posterboy]

Ginnar wiped his brow as he watched Lord Dirnhael take leave to greet his new guests. He noted the reaction also of the Lord's servants to the men who arrived.

"Eh, now, lads," Ginnar said, turning back to the work at hand. "Our time of refreshin' will come when we got these stones up top and snug together. Now, back t' work." Picking up a large stone, he continued his exhortation to Dirnhael's men, "We'll make your lord such a defence, that any enemy not shaken by the mere sight shall find themselves broken on it's ramparts."


OOC: Hey gang! Thanks for letting me join in on this adventure. I have left Ginnar outside for the moment, as Dirnhael left him in charge. Hope that was okay!

[sdrotar]

  Oh, geez - I didn't know Ginnar was a PC! 
If I had, I most certainly would have involved him prominently in the introductions and proceedings that I posted. I sincerely apologize and will take steps to rectify that ASAP.

[Posterboy]

  Dude, no worries! I thought it was more than appropriate to leave Ginnar in charge of the men while Dirnhael received his newly arrived guests. Maker knows, these men be needin`ol`Ginnar around or they`d be thinkin`it wise to follow the lords`in takin` some refreshing time.

[sdrotar]

Dirnhael's blood ran cold as he read the paper in his hands.

Orcs, wild men, even dragons - he had dealt with those, but this was something else entirely.
He wished he had Edrahil, his trusted Elvish companion, at his side, or Fengel, his strong right arm for so many adventures.
But such things were not his to choose...

It was clear that Durgil and Celdrahil would be of immediate help within the realm, for if what Gandalf explained came to pass, the royal armies must be raised - but perhaps without fully explaining why, lest panic overtake them. The two gifted speakers would be far more capable of ensuring that the King and his court be... appropriately notified, which likely meant saying less instead of more.
"Then again," he thought wryly, "that's what nobles are best at."

That, however, would only be the beginning.

If the Witch-king was active once more, it was clear why Gandalf had contacted him - the ally of the Shadow had spies everywhere, and only a small fellowship had a chance of escaping his gaze for long. Mithrandir had made that clear to him on multiple occasions - what they must undertake, must be done in secret.

But... "walking abominations that are more powerful than any rank of men"? How could any small band resist such creatures, save avoiding them?
And there, he had his answer.
They would have to be quick, and light, always a step ahead of their foes. This, Dirnhael could do.

As if he had a choice. Like he told the men outside, the words of the Gray Pilgrim carry the utmost weight.

[Nolmir]

Madoc went with the flow as his companions went inside at Dirnhael's invitation, following behind the noblemen.

After Dirnhael left, Madoc asked, "Did he say that he is from Cardolan? I didn't know." He hesitated, then continued. "Do you know why he left? He's obviously accomplished great deeds, by your talk. He could've been of much service to his people."

Something I just thought about... Madoc might know of Dirnhael (or at least have heard of him) since they're from the same region... I'm rolling a recognition test to see if Madoc knows of him. So 2d6+1 (for Dirnhael's renown) =6. So he wouldn't know of him, if my reading of the rules on this is correct.

[Telcontar]

Celdarhil shrugged.

"If its from Mithrandir I doubt its good news."

[tomcat]

I am leaving this open still for PC to PC dialogue, so talk amongst yourselves. I will add new narrative when I feel that the information that you guys want to convey to one another has been done.

[sdrotar]

Dirnhael, his face a mask come back to the dining room, where the men had been able to fill their stomachs after their journey.
He wanted to know more about Madoc, and asked him.

"Mithrandir does not trust just anyone with his missives. You did not know him, and yet you still traveled all this way, keeping it secret and safe until you found me. To what luck do we owe such a courtesy?"

He leaned across the table.
"Tell me, Madoc, of your tale. Now that you have delivered the message, will you return home straightaway?"

He needed to gauge the man, measure him. He was going to need all the help he could get, and if Gandalf trusted him - and thus far, Madoc had proven worthy of that trust - then he could be an ally in the quest he was to undertake.