Meeting with a Stranger

East Road - Barren Lands
A weary road lies beneath your feet and the lack of sounds of life make it even more so. No trees guard you from the wind and weather though thick brush and thicket make the road sides less than pleasing. To the south, low hills with little but clumps of brush and a rare stunted pine do little to ease your spirit.
Contents:
Ovor
Danuf
Rhifaroth
Dwarven Camp
Obvious exits:
West and East


[Rhifaroth(#27282)]  
    Early morning upon the plain, late yesterday's storm having soaked the land with rain, wind, and lightning. By comparison, it is a clear, sweet, damp summer morning with lingering cloud cover.

    Amid this, still some distance off, a tall man is traveling. Grey clad with bowcase over his back, he is not upon the road but out on the open plain. The gently rolling land is very flat here with exceptionally little cover, no scrub to speak of, just endless early summer grasses.

    Having already sighted the wagons upon the road, the man's ground eating, easy jog has slightly shifted to begin to bring him not just westwards, but also canting back south towards the road. As he nears, still some distance out, he pauses to stand and look carefully, wary.

[Frarin] The caravan of dwarves marches steadily along the road, some with eyes downcast, others with gazes alert and ready. Many of the group are mounted on small, sturdy ponies and some walk, but oddly, although not equipped as a company of soldiers, there is little to indicate this to be a merchant's caravan. The wagons and packed goods so often associated with such travellers are few.

Near the head of the column of trudging dwarves is one clad in red, with a blue tinted war hammer at his side. He leads a ragged grey pony behind him, but walks with eyes roving the road ahead. With a sudden dark expression, his eyes fall upon the distant figure of a man watching the company. Others among the dwarves soon spot the figure, as well, and slowly the caravan comes to a lumbering halt.

[Rhifaroth(#27282)]  
    Watching the caravan for several minutes... then then the man alters his course further to take back up his ground eating jog, loping easily over the land and now coming straight on towards the dwarves.

    As he comes within almost hailing distance, his pace slows to a walk for a bit longer, still watching the wagons and those with them. Finally, still some distance out but easily within hearing, he stops, "You keep on this road, you shall find something most unpleasant ahead."

[Ovor(#20753)]      Another Dwarf in the column, as the caravan slowly comes to a hault, begins to look around himself upon seeing the figure in the distance, he frowns and swings his hammer from his foot to his shoulder. This is Thane Zinbar not riding a pony however.

    As the manling speaks, his frown deepens. "Unpleasant? This whole trip has been unpleasant." This is muttered into his beard before he speaks loudly. "Identify yourself, manling... and then tell us what rests ahead!"

At the man's approach and called greeting, many of the company turn amongst themselves to talk, their low voices soon creating a low grumble about the caravan. The dwarf clad in red, on hand upon the hammer at his side, comes forward to the Thane's side, dark eyes glaring intently at the man. "That is our hope, Stranger, to find the unpleasant prescence that harries this land. Who are you? One of the Rangers who know this land?"

[Rhifaroth(#27282)]  
    The stranger does not name himself, but he turns his head to look back at the direction he had been coming from himself. His strangely marked face looks back to those who speak among the Dwarves, his own grey hood up to dim the contrast of his dark hair against the surrounding plain, "Then you shall meet them, soon. Their General is dead, but now they have a new one."

    After a moment the tall man frowns, his recently ruined face still marred with a bright red, healing slash that bi-sects the length of it, "You would meet them in the open, with no cover? There are many hundred of them. More have joined them to swell their ranks, with warg riders."

[Frarin] "We would meet them, period," says the red dwarf, deep voice raised to carry towards the stranger. "We were three weeks in Bree after bringing news of this host's approach, with no news for our own after. But their general is dead?" and here the dwarf's voice rises slightly, as do his brows. "The one clad in a red cape?" He pauses, looking to Ovor and lowering his voice. "The man speaks truth, my lord. If we have indeed at last met these orcs, this is not the place for such a meeting." And again, calling to the stranger. "You speak as one who has intimate knowledge of this host, which we have been craving for a month now. Know you of any others in this country who would seek to destroy the orcs? Or is our company alone again?"

[Ovor(#20753)]      "Which is why we need to meet one of those Rangers. We need knowledge of the land that is only gained by a lifetime spent amongst it." The Thane's words are quietly murmured to the red Dwarf before he sighs slightly. "Yet, we will fight where we fight. We may not have a choice in it, after all... but if they are seeking a new general..."

    He falls silent for a moment, looking back to the stranger, eyes narrowed slightly. "Ay, indeed. Are the Dwarves going to fight for this land alone, or are there manlings that are willing to fight?"

[Rhifaroth(#27282)]  
    Having eased closer still, so not to have to raise his voice to carry so far, the man stands quietly listening and resting from his long run as the dwarves converse. Still, he keeps some small distance, watching them before his own pale grey eyes slip to scan the land around them again.

    His attention returns as quiestions are put to him, "The one they called Maagh is dead - his flesh consumed by his own. We managed to grieviously wound him, Aye. At the Last Bridge, which is now impassable."

    To the other questions the man smiles thinly, "You of the Lonely Mountain are not alone in this, no. I go ahead to meet others, but we are few." The man pauses to consider how much he should say, then adds, "West of here are hills. Some might gather there, once the Host has come further across the plains." It that a sharing of plans, or a suggestion?

[Frarin] "Even off the plains would do," mutters the red dwarf to the Thane, speaking quickly under his breath. "To confront such a host in this land, even without their former general, is suicide. We ventured so far only for lack of all other information." His eyes go up and to the west, where the distant hills are out of sight. "If we travel as quickly as we did from the High Pass, we might have some hope of being overtaken in the hilly country more favourable to our numbers. The old tower at..."

But the comment is broken off as the stranger speaks again, and the dwarf's eyes narrow in thought. He steps away from the road, towards the man, seeming to survey the strange markings on the man's skin now that he is closer. Suspicion lingers in the dwarf's gaze. "Others, say you, Stranger? Are you a friend of the elf we encountered upon our arrival at Bree? Others does not imply a host to equal the army that approaches. Our company is but forty in number. Do you and your compatriots intend to defeat these orcs of the mountains in the hills to the west, or merely to delay them?"

[Ovor(#20753)]      "Then we make for the hill country at all possible speed wounded on ponies while the rest of us jog. Only short stops... our constitutions shall be tested in this." As the red Dwarf steps away from the road, the Thane falls silent, looking around for a few moments before his eyes go back to the stranger.

[Rhifaroth(#27282)]  

Standing at ease, the bearer of news from the east watches the dwarf that comes boldly from his companions to study himself more closely. There might be a hint of a smile at Frarin's caution.

    "We are few, as you surmise. But even a few might sting well, if planned carefully. Including your own." Lips are pressed into a thin line and then the tall man is careful of which words he chooses next, "There are elves among us, yes."

    To Frarin's last question, the stranger's tone grows grim, "They must be stopped." But, the man does not elaborate on when, where, or even if they can.

[Rhifaroth(#27282)]  
    The stranger does add, "It might be wise to share council, as I do with you, to jointly organize our few resources. But you must choose for yourselves."

[Frarin] The red dwarf, for indeed he is called Frarin, studies the man for a moment more. The suspicion lingers still in his gaze, but the Thane's words behind him do not go unheeded, as Frarin's tipped head indicates. "Yes they must," he says firmly. "Our company hoped to be of greater use delaying this army than waiting in Bree, even if that use includes our lives. We give them willingly."

A glance back to the Thane and the rest of the company and the red dwarf nods to the man. "Quick actions and quick alliances must need be in this time. Consider the dwarves decided, we go to the Weather Hills to the west. I am called Frarin, what do you council our company, Stranger, since you seem to know the land and the situation better than the dwarves?"

[Ovor(#20753)]      A slight smile flickers onto the Thane's face. "Ah, another sensable manling. I had thought them to be all but non existant on this side of the Mountains." He steps off the road, now, chuckling softly as he walks towards the stranger, pausing beside Frarin. "If you do indeed know land and situation, Stranger, then we have much to discuss."

[Rhifaroth(#27282)]  
    There is a silence, as the Dunadan considers this request. He turns his head to look upon the plain again, eyes slipping back to the east for a moment, "They move slowly... two days, maybe from this position, less if they double their efforts. The new General is ... in haste."

    Looking back upon Frarin, the man adds, "If you thought you could move quickly enough," and there might be doubt in his tone here, "Harrying them and removing their daylight shelters before they have crossed the plain would be ... helpful. This we work upon ourselves to hinder them. But there are many warg riders among them."

    With a frown, the man finally concludes, "I am not familiar enough with your folk, or your methods, to council you on what you should do. But at least you are better informed, perhaps."

[Frarin] "Our ponies do not willingly go near the wolves of the mountains," says Frarin, laying an almost protective hand on the muzzle of the grey pony he leads. "And our folk are not accustomed to mounted attacks. Nor are we silent in our approach unless trained to be so, and there are none with such experience in our company." The dwarf breaths deeply, shifting his stance as if impatient to wait upon the road now that news of the army to the east has been gained.

"Dwarves can attack quickly, but not silently or while mounted against wargs. My lord," he continues, looking to the Thane, "We could prepare the bottleneck you have suggested in the hills to the west, while this man and his comrades delay the army." He turns back to the man. "What say you to that, Stranger? Delay the enemy long enough for our company to prepare a bottleneck in the hills, then we attack the host's flank. You and your comrades can attack from the rear. This might make our combined forces appear greater than they are."

[Ovor(#20753)]      The Thane snorts at the mention of 'mounted attacks', shaking his head slightly. "We Dwarves do good on our feet... especially when we have a horde of foes in front of us." An almost feral grin from Ovor before he nods. "Yes, that would work well. Someone shall have to hold them at the bottleneck, of course..." The Thane frowns for a few moments before nodding to himself. "And both flanks will need to be attacked... and the manling and his allies can attack the rear. Catch them between hammer and anvil."

[Rhifaroth(#27282)]  
    Listening, the man does not interrupt, though the Dwarves say essentially his own thoughts on the matter. When they have concluded, he smiles thinly, politic, "That was... more or less my own assesment."

    To the suggestioned plans concerning the hills he nods, "It is not my decision to make, but I think it wise."

    It would seem that the man does not wish to linger overlong, so near to the road. His tattooed right hand shifts his bow and quiver case upon his back and then he begins to turn away, back towards the north and west, "I will pass on your plans to the others, so that they will know your intentions. If they deem it needful, one of us will be in contact."

    So concluding, the man gives the dwarves a respectful inclination of his head, then begins to move off, picking up his former ground eating lope.

[Ovor(#20753)]      The Thane nods. "Excellent! And if you see that Ranger... Restless, I think his name was, tell him he still needs to see me if he wants my payment to him!" A few moments pass before the Thane gives a slight snort of amusement, shaking his head slightly as he walks back to the caravan, Frarin in step behind him.