Long Lost Leaves

[Aikanáro]

It was not until they were far enough from the others to guarantee that their conversation would be private that Tabrîl answered. 'It is for us now to see that this group is kept from harm,' she explained. 'I know the way to guard a camp such as this, but it is not something one can do alone.' She went on to explain to Nami the system she intended to set up between them and any others that were both capable and willing, to have at least one at all times patrolling their borders and to ensure those busy with other duties were adequately provided for. Tabrîl spoke in her usual abrupt manner, but it was clear that she was familiar with this sort of procedure and assumed Nami was too.

'You spoke rightly,' she added, once her plans has been set out, 'to say there is no shame in this sort of duty. In truth, there is honor in it, even if it is unlikely to bring glory. Yet there is something else I would discuss with you.'

She stopped then, stepped in front of Nami and turned to face her, and addressed her in softer tones. 'I do not share your fear of the tunnels, and so I will not claim to understand it. But this I would have you know: fear is distraction. And for a warrior such as you are, such as you would be? It can prove itself a costly distraction indeed.'

Tabrîl was uncertain whether this would mean anything to Nami, she was uwindi, after all, but she went on, 'It is necessary that you forget your fear, that it pass over you. You cannot hold in mind both fear and true focus, one you must let go of.' The reasons behind Nami's apprehension were unimportant to her, but the effect it had upon her was not.

'It is not my concern,' she added, 'whether or not you go underground. You are perhaps more useful to me here - but not if you cannot forget these worries of yours, as that will lead only to inattention and error. You asked for my assistance with blade technique, but I tell you this must come first.'

This was more than Tabrîl had said since meeting up with the company, and she felt more than a little uncomfortable, to speak to this strange elf this way. She could guess how one of her own people would answer her, but uwindi were unpredictable, and she knew her advice might not be listened to, or even taken in the spirit in which it was intended.

[feawen]

Nami listened closely to what Tabril said, she nodded her approval at the plans for guarding the others, it was a sensable and good plan and Nami agreed to help.

Nami also listened as Tabril talked of her fear. Unlike Quickleaf, (although she know he ment well) Tabril was trying to make her confront it just stop it effecting her so much. Nami stood silently while Tabril spoke and then for a few moment after.

"It is not a thing that has effected me overly much until recent times," Nami managed a small smile, "and i will not subject you to the story. But it shall not effect my work here, i will not allow it. The problem is mine to deal with, it is about time i stopped stopped hiding from it. My worres will not effect the others saftey.

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl nodded. 'You will deal with it as you see fit,' she agreed. It was not for her to tell Nami to do one thing or another, much as she might wish to. 'It only appears to me that it would go easier for you, were you to forget.'

It was not as easy in these circumstances as it would be somewhere more familiar, this Tabrîl had learnt. Among these uwindi it was becoming a constant struggle for her to maintain focus, to put aside thoughts of home and reflections upon her situation. Yet Tabrîl was m'had'i, and there was no other option for her. She had to trust.

That might be a help to Nami, she realized, and so she spoke further. 'I do not know how it is among your people. For mine, however, there is comfort in the assurance that it is safra'il. That-' she frowned slightly, trying to find a way to explain that for which there was no exact translation. 'That there are those with more knowledge and more wisdom than us guiding events, that all is as it should be, and so is well, even should we not see it.'

For Tabrîl, it was the knowledge that her in'kasha was aware of her plight, had even told her to follow the group of uwindi. She did not know from where Nami might find strength, but if there was a chance that she could, it was worth saying to her.

[feawen]

Nami sighed slightly, "To forget the event is to forget something very dear to me. But it matters not, the past, as with the dead belong together. To be remembered but not to have an effect on the living world, something which i have not been doing." Nami wondered slightly why she was telling this to someone she hardly know, where only a few hours ago has been so rude to Quickleaf, a friend who she trusted.

As she listened to Tabrils words Nami remembered something her father had told her long ago,

"Ours is not to wonder why" She muttered, looking up she smiled at Tabril, "Thank you i will think on your words. Though i can not see a time when i go down it to them dreadfulled evil halls, the thought of them shall not effect my work above ground."

[Aikanáro]

'I am glad to hear it,' Tabrîl answered. 'As I said, I will have need of you here.'

She paused, thought for a moment. Of Nami's fears she would say nothing more, not unless she was asked for further advice or saw evidence that they were in fact affecting her more than she admitted. It was not her intention to pressure the elf into disclosing her past, it was not relevant to her now.

'I will take first watch today,' she continued at last, 'and you second, if you will, and we shall see this evening if any others are able to keep night vigil, or if we must see to that also.' She gave Nami a slight smile before turning to walk off, feeling there was no more that needed to be said between them for the moment.

[feawen]

Nami nodded as Tabril walked off. The bright sun shone though the tree's hitting Nami's face making her smile. The light of the day would always chase away the nights fears. As for the thoughts night brought Nami would just have to deal with them as they came. Nami walked back to the camp, sat down under a tree and picked her book back up. By the looks of it Tabril would keep her busy most of the day, which would leave no time to think on her thoughts, which was good.

[orithil]

"I see" Hedrim said quietly half to himself "Well, shall we proceed?"

[Coffeehouse]

Hedrim and Quickleaf approached the desolate ruins on the mount of the naked hill, Dol Guldur. The sun was shining brightly in the skies and the shadows from broken pillars and ruinous walls were only slits on the warming ground, a remnant of a darker past.

Reaching the summit of the hill, the two of them followed a short staircase down to a flat, dirty platform which lay bare in front of the entrance to the underground. But here light seemed to fade, and the ominous darkness drenching down into the underground made Quickleaf flinch.
"Savour the daylight Hedrim, for none pass through these hallways but the shine from our torches" and they lit them up and passed in, and down beneath the ground.

Making their way inwards, the air thickened, and made them breathe heavier. The unmistakeable smell of death still permeated the walls, the floor, and soon their clothes. As much light and goodness Galadriel had cast upon the evils of Dol Guldur, certain things would never pass away.

But Hedrim and Quickleaf continued, until they reached two crossing pathways, one leading further eastwards, another taking a sharp turn northwards, and they took the latter as Radaghast had informed them of the library due north.
"Be prepared, be watchful" Quickleaf whispered, and off they went into ever darker shade of black.

[Ingwe]

Ingwionis was bored at the moment. He wanted to talk. "Hey, for those who went into Amon Lanc. What does it smell like in those halls?"

[orithil]

Hedrim took one last breath of fresh air then followed Quickleaf down the tunnels "This place smells of evil" Hedrim said. He held his sword loosly in one hand and his torch in the other.

[Coffeehouse]

Hedrim and Quickleaf made their way into northbound corridore. The floor was faintly visible from the glow of the torches and they could spot rocks and bones, broken shields and shattered blade, strewn around.

As they thread down the way, it seemed to dip slightly downwards and carry steady down into the base of Amon Lanc, deep inside it. The hosts of Dol Guldur would be wise to keep their hallways and rooms hidden from the reach of the sun, from the watch of living things, in the abyss of the dark.
"We must not stray too far Hedrim, for the ways to get lost are more than many, and our chances of being found rather small" Quickleaf whispered, partly as a warning, half-wittingly.

After not too long they seemed to have found the end of the corridore, which now was met by a tall, arching entrance, and inside, what appeared to be a large room, with two new pathways leading further, northwest and northeast. Gently waving his torch around, Quickleaf tried to get an eye on the room, but they were standing now at the centre, and the gleam of the torch cast only a faint light on the walls, the high ceiling.
At a closer look the two realised the room was mostly ribbed of any inventory, the stone floor was cold and naked, the walls were bare, but the air was heavy. Death, Rot.

Quickleaf held his torch up and spoke,
"We'll split up. Look carefully, but watch your step. Malice still hangs in the air.. it tastes bitter on my lips"
Hedrim gave a silten nod and went about searching down the northwest passage out of the room, looking for clues as to the whereabouts of the library, Quickleaf took the northeastern way.

[orithil]

Hedrim strode down the passage moving his torch from side to side illuminating the corridor, after about two minutes of walking he stopped, there was a door to the left of him, he drew his sword and slowly turned the knob. He threw himself inside and a creature flung itself at him, he swung his sword and decaptitated it.

He knelt down near the body, it was only a skeleton, nothing more, it was wearing remanents of tattered elvish clothes but stripped everything. Hedrim sighed "foul creatures" he said to himself. He stood up and began walking around the walls of the room, it was a torture chamber, one of many Hedrim supposed. There were many skeletons hanging from shackles, he decided to leave the room, he stepped back into the corridor and shut the door behind him. He took out a copy of Radagasts map and drew and labled what he'd found.

[feawen]

Nami was pulling up blades of grass absent mindedly, and although she was not very musical she started humming something that sounded like a lulaby. Nami frown, where had she heard that before?

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf made his way down the passage. Left and right were smaller rooms and chambers, of no use to the company, and little did he want to stay around them. There were instruments of torture, weapons of maddening cruelty.
The malice of the dark arts still lingered in the air, still crept along the walls, and hid between the cracks in the floor. Something was not right Something was not yet dead.

But there, suddenly, at what seemed to be the hundreth doorway, Quickleaf spotted sheaves of paper, stacks of thrown about books.
Drawing his sword he stepped inside, without a sound.

High above his head Quickleaf saw feet upon feet with shelves and although the walls were pitch black they seemed to eminate a veil of dust and earth, which hung in the air. The stench of death in the corridore was less foul in here, it was different. Centre-square in the large hall-like room were tables and chairs, and he spotted on the dirty stone floor a set of footprints. He'd seen those before, they were Radaghast's.

But now Quickleaf's torch had begun flickering, growing thinner, so he knelt down and picked up a broad sheet, a manuscript. Dark signs, and odd markings. These were old, ancient papers.. written many lifetimes ago. But it was no map, and Quickleaf knew not what these markings read because they were older than him. It would be up to the wizard to decypher it.

Quickleaf saw the light of his torch grow ever fainter, and so he rose, took the manuscript with him, and set off southwards again to meet up with Hedrim.

[orithil]

Hedrim decided it would be best to head back, he did not want to end up dead in these tunnels, it was not fit for a king. He began walking back at a brisk pace to meet up with Quickleaf, when he saw his light he slowed down. He stepped back into the middle of the room. "Quickleaf, what now?"

[Coffeehouse]

Ahead of him Quickleaf could see the faint glow from Hedrim's torch. They met in the large room they'd departed in, though they saw considerably less now as the lights of their torches were fading. The pitch black engulfed them
"I found the library Hedrim. It is a good distance from here, but I daresay it is not hard to find as the corridore goes straight enough. I brought with me this ancient manuscript, though I do not know what it says, but it may be of help to Radaghast."
He held it up for Hedrim to see but he saw it was of little avail as the ever-growing darkness around them floated like a veil before Hedrim's eyes. Quickleaf's sight may have been the keenest of elvenkind, but even he was struggling to make out the writing, and so Quickleaf spoke
"We should leave before these torches die completely on us." Hedrim agreeing, they set off out of the undergrounds of Amon Lanc, speaking little as both comtemplated the disturbing sight of malice and abyss they'd seen in Dol Guldur's chambers of death.

[Butterbeer]

Barli sneezed...

..the echoes seemed to ripple like ripe Rasberries contemplating vanilla ice-cream...

[orithil]

Hedrim and Quickleaf stepped outside into the light. Hedrim took a breath of fresh air "Well lets take a look at this manuscript" Quickleaf handed it to him. "Well" said Hedrim holding the Manuscript up, "A few of these symbols look familiar, but I can't make out a single word, we should show this to Radagast"

[Earniel]

When the first adventurers set foot in Dol Guldur's underground, an small magical spell was triggered. Small, harmless in nature, and so old it was undetectable to anyone so near to Dol Guldur's menacing aura. Once triggered, it faded immediately, its work done.

Not far from the ruins, but far enough to be safe, something now stirred in an old fox-hole, like a flower that unfurls anew after the first rain of spring.

Someone at last.

A strange creature slipped out of the hole in the ground. Its shadowy shape was uniformely dark and fluid, although it roughly resembled a marten of some sort. It was the same shape and size, but could never be mistaken for a mere animal. Animals touch the ground when they tread. The shadow-marten carefully approached Dol Guldur, the grass and branches only swayed a little as it passed by and through them.

It waited, hiding amidst the ruins. From there it watched the explorers enter the underground. There was no malice in the ghostly marten, only a keen sense of longing and anticipation.

It had waited long for this event. Would its patience be rewarded at last?

[Mari]

After a long and good workout, Ellysa went to get her clothes. They should be dry by now.
When she came near the clearing, she saw that Nami had returned and she looked like her normal self again. Relieved, she picked up her clothes and walked to the stream to get cleaned up. She sat there for a while, staring at the lush green, just thinking of all the things that happened since she joined the company.
Which reminds me, I haven't properly thanked Carnehillion yet!

Quickly she got dressed and then headed back to the camp, looking for Carnehillion. She found him sitting near a tree.
"Uhm, Carnehilion? I wanted to thank you for allowing me to ride with you. And... ehrm, I uhm, I wanted to thank Bahar as well, but..." she trailed off a bit before whispering: "but I don't know how and he's a bit scary."