Middle-Earth Role Playing Campaign

Soon a new problem surfaced: four of the horses were lying on the ground, weak and listless. At Bauglir's suggestion, Araquenval took used the bridle given him by Fael-Linnis to ask his horse what the problem was.

"I am feeling a little under the weather today," the horse replied acerbicly. "You are certainly not going to be riding me today!"

"I'd like more information than that," said Mîriel when Araquenval relayed the message.

"I shall ask," said Araquenval. Turning again to his horse, he asked, "How bad do you feel? Are you hurt, or ill?"

"Ill, Ill," the horse replied. "My stomach is churning. As if I had eaten some bad grass. But the grass I ate yesterday seemed no different from the rest. I drank down at the river yesterday, too. I wonder if that was the problem."

"Sis, can you cast a spell to detect--" Luinár began.

"No!" said Mîriel sharply, then added quickly, "I'm sorry. I could give some attanar to the horses--two doses for the sick ones, and one for the well ones as a preventative. Araquenval, can you let your horse know, so he won't spit it out?"

With a little encouragement from Araquenval, the horses accepted the moss. There was no immediate change in their condition, but Mîriel did not expect there would be.

Dennenor was feeling somewhat responsible for Mîriel's predicament, for it was on his insistence the night before that they cast spells on the parchment. Approaching Araquenval, he asked him for the olorkorna, then disappeared with it into his tent.

With an entire day ahead of them in their campsite, the others set about making it defensible. Bradlegar stood watch while Bauglir and Araquenval cast spells to create five earth walls about the camp's perimeter. Dennenor came out of his tent three hours later.

"And what have you been able to accomplish?" asked Bauglir. "We've been doing something useful."

"So I see," replied Dennenor, surveying the earth walls, nodding approval. "I have used the olorkorna to aid me in pondering our situation, and especially Mîriel's."

"But was it useful?" asked Bauglir.

"I believe it was. With the help of the dreaming stone, I saw the river that is below us now, and I floated above it, heading south. Past this forest the land was much the same as we have seen, bare hills with the occasional stand of trees. A tributary I saw that came from the east, but I passed on by and continued my southward travel. I came to another great swamp, like the one we skirted the other day, and beyond it the river turns to the west.

"So westward I followed it, until another river joined it from the east, and both continued south. Not far from there is a small town. In my mind I got a strong sense I should be finding this place, for there is help available there."

They digested this for a few minutes, then Mîriel asked, "By chance was this town surrounded by an earthen bank?"

"Yes," replied Dennenor. "How did you know?"

"I saw just such a village in the death's tale spell I cast on the body of the man that hung in the tree on that terrible hill a couple of days ago. I would not be surprised if they are the same. It seems as though our fates are bound together. I say we should head there, and be thankful to Dennenor for finding the way."

"It would be good to be able to stop and take a rest, without the constant worry of being attacked at any time," said Luinár. "I agree: we should find this village. As Dennenor says, there may be help there for my sister, and we may even be of assistance to them."

"Possibly Orcs go there, too," added Rhôn.

"Perhaps," said Dennenor. "Their trail did go south, and that seems as likely a destination as any."

The afternoon wore on into evening. Bradlegar found the caltrops Dennenor had been carrying with them all along, and set them up in a cluster north of the camp, outside the walls. They kept their usual watches that night. The precautions taken during the day proved unnecessary: nothing attacked them during the night.

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Guided Tour

Day 28: Warm Weather Travels

Day 26: Black Night, White Wolves

MERP Campaign #2: Index

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Based on events played to March 13, 1998. Accesses since September 30, 1998: