Elendor
Dwarf at the Gates
Torerl and his companions arrive at Bree and request entrance. A simple request - but nothing is ever simple for the Breeguard ...
Sort Date: no date set
Location: Bree, West Gate
Game Date: May 3048
IC Time: Evening
Description: West Gate(#5535Rnto)
A large hedge fences Bree in to the west. Running to and from the hedge is the Great East Road. Set off on the north side of the Road is a small lodge. A faint light emanates from the doorway of the lodge. A great gate is inset where the hedge meets the road. The gate stands closed. To the east, lights from houses on Bree-hill twinkle in the night.
Obvious exits:
West Gate leads to Bree, Outside the West-gate.
Gatekeepers Lodge leads to Gatekeeper's Lodge.
East leads to Great East Road.
================================== Bree Time ==================================
Real time: Sun Nov 08 14:22:48 2009
Bree time: Nighttime <23:08:24> on Trewsday of Spring - May 23,1448
Moon Phase: Last Quarter Moon
Breelands Weather
The nighttime spring air is cool but pleasant around you. The sky is clear and the moon shines brightly.
===============================================================================
[Torerl(#16733)]
Spring fades away slowly, only to be replaced by the warm embrace of summer. Much like spring, the day is fading here in Bree as well, and the begin to appear in the curtain of night. To the west the sun sets silently, sinking into the sea beyond the horizon, but out of the setting sun rumbles a pair of wagons. Each wagon is sturdily built, and pulled by a pair of oxen, who don't seem to mind the weight of the wagon's themselves. Slowly they make their way towards the West Gate of Bree -- their rumbling approach like that of a coming thunderstorm.
Aphria is simply sitting around and enjoying the evening. The teenager looking off into the sunset as it slowly sinks below the horizon. She seems to be quite comfortable in her little spot to sit down. But as the wagons are approaching it attracts her attention and she looks over towards them with a curious gaze.
Those wagons rumble closer, their iron shod wheels digging deep into the road, and those commanding the wagons are revealed to be Dwarves. They pull up just short of the western gate, and a dwarf with a ruddy beard leaps out of the driver's seat of the wagon. He lands heavily upon the ground, and stumps quickly towards the gate, and gate guard. "Evening," he states more then greets in a gruff voice to the Guard. "We'd like to enter Bree." Again a statement of purpose, more then a polite request. The dark eyes of Torerl stare outwards from grim features, and his brow furrows heavily as he awaits the guards response.
There is the creak of wood and the grunts of personal effort as the wide double gates spanning Bree's thorny hedge begin to swing closed. Has Torerl's request gone completely unacknowledged?
But then one gate, the western one, halts and a sweating bald head pokes round it. "What's all this, then?" demands the stout figure who emerges, fingering officiously at the Breeguard badge pinned to its tunic. And then, twisting round to speak to someone behind him, "Archie, there's some /Dwarf/ out there."
[Aphria(#17221)]
Hearing the gates actually start to close gets Aphria leaping to her feet as well! The teenaged girl practically squeaks as she realizes she might get locked out at this rate. "Wait! You forgot about me!" She calls out desperately as she starts to run towards the door, waving her hands and almost tripping in the process.
[Torerl(#16733)]
As the gate begins to close Torerl's brow furrows deeper -- if that was even possible. "Well, I'll be a goat's mother..." He begins to growl under his voice until the gate stops, and the Guard comes out fingering his badge. The Miner squints his eyes to look at the badge. "Not just some dwarf!" He exclaims harshly. "I am Torerl son of Aain from the Blue Mountains, at your service." He pushes back his hood and bows his head slightly -- though what service he mit provide is questionable.
A sharp, snappish response comes from within Bree's gates. "A Dwarf? Highly irregular. Tell him to come back tomorrow. It's a minute past sunset."
The stout, balding guard swipes nervously at his forehead. "But Archie ..." he protests, while doing his best to stand straight and look .. well, official.. under the Dwarf's squinting gaze. "Uh - at your service too," he murmurs doubtfully, without actually doing anything useful like opening the gate wider.
Aphria's flapping diverts him somewhat. "Easy there, miss," he reassures her, "noone said anything about leaving you out in the dark. There's a little door, see?" He points to the (still half-open) gate he'd been hauling, where indeed the outline of a smaller door can be seen.
"For ingress of persons," comes the sharp, snappish voice. "/Not/ wagons."
[Aphria(#17221)]
Aphria gets a sheepish look on her face at that. The panic just made her panic for a bit! That's it. She ends up tugging at her dress and blushing a bit too. "Sorry." She smiles, "Not used to this gate, always go out the south one to go to Archet and all, but this one has a good view too I've found since I started at the Pony.
[Torerl(#16733)]
The stern countenance of Torerl turns positively stone-like. The Dwarf's frustration mounts, and he appears as if he were about to explode -- then sighs loudly. "I thought the gate closed at dark, and it certainly still seems to be light out." He grunts quietly, turning back towards the Wagon. "Maugr, maybe we should press on to Archet tonight. They might be more friendly, and welcome our coin and goods there." The Dwarven miner calls back to the other Wagon's driver.
"I .. er .. um." The stout, bald-headed guard doesn't know quite where to look when Aphria starts tugging at her dress - but the girl's smile is winning. "It does, too," he agrees with her, beaming. "I always like being on at this gate. You can see /everything/."
Like trains of Dwarven wagons reaching back into the dark ... He stares at those miserably, but then inspiration strikes. "Oh, no, Masters, you don't want to do that," he tells Torerl and his companions, sounding genuinely shocked. "Archet's a tidy way. /Much/ too far to travel tonight. It's just that .. ah .. I'm afraid there are rather a number of you, and not much space in the town for wagons. Dwarves normally camp just outside the gate. But once you've settled, of course you're very welcome to enter town if you're seeking to sup at the Pony. I'm sure the young lady here can show you the way." Aphria is shot a pleading glance.
"Weapons," comes the snappish voice. "Henry, you dolt, you forgot to mention the weapons!"
[Aphria(#17221)]
Aphria nods in confirmation of that. "Ain't really much to do at Archet either. No real inn or anything. Just a small village really." She explains. "It's why I had to come to the big city here in Bree to work." Yes, for Aphria? This is the BIG city. She then looks back to the man, "It's a really good view, can't blame you for liking to work here. I don't always see much from the inn, but get to meet lots of people that way at least. But suppose you get to meet a lot of people too."
[Torerl(#16733)]
Their luck begins to turn! Still facing away from the Guard, a smile spreads across Torerl's lips -- though it is hidden from view. "Well, I suppose we can camp out here." He grumbles in a low voice, turning back to face the Guard. "But only if you'll let us in once we get our camp set up. It'll be after dark by then, and we'll be hungry. I've been waiting for a good meal here at the Pony for days. Maugr there is not a very good cook!"
Torerl's dark eyes turn to Aphria as she addresses him. "I see," he says quietly. "Well, what is in Archet? You're not by chance from the Chetwood are you?"
Poor, harried Breeguard. He listens to Aphria, fingering at his collar, then tells the girl eagerly, "You can come down here any time you wish, miss. Especially when I'm on. I-"
"Henry!" comes the barked reprimand, and he falls silent, flushing.
Torerl's words send him sweating. "Of course," he assures the Dwarf hastily. It wouldn't do for Bree to lose trade, now, would it? Then, taking a deep breath, he launches into a recitation that sounds rote-learned. "Um .. about the weapons. Mayor Ferny wishes to show that Bree respects its visitors, and trusts them to behave honourably and decently within its walls. Visitors are of course welcome to store their weapons at the gatehouse, but those who wish to keep them on their person may do so for a small administrative fee of twenty coppers per day."
[Aphria(#17221)]
"Ain't the Chetwood no sir dwarf." Aphria responds to Torerl. "Just the woods. Not much more than a few lumberjacks and such like me father. Nice little town. But ain't much there. We all have to come to Bree to get things a lot you see." She seems to feel like she's particularly wise in talking about this. But she really just looks like the wideeyed teenage girl she is.
[Torerl(#16733)]
Torerl considers the offer that the Mayor has given via this guard. He squints his eyes again, and then looks back over his shoulder to his companion. The other Dwarf, with a dark and frizzy looking beard, only shrugs his shoulders. "I think for now we'll leave our weapons with our wagons. Certainly the valiant Bree Guards are more then enough to keep the town safe." He says deeply to the Guard, squinting again for good measure -- as if that will garner them extra protection. If anything they can always break a leg off a table and use it as a club.
This dwarf's stern countenance turns on Aphria once more, and he strokes his beard -- considering all that she has said. "Really? Just a lumber town... Are there any cave's or rock outcrops in this Chetwood?"
"Of course, of course!" The stout, balding Breeguard looks very relieved that these fierce-looking Dwarves aren't about to cause trouble. (One wonders just how much 'trouble' this particular specimen could actually handle.) He listens to the conversation with Aphria, then blurts out to Torerl, shaking his head, "Oh, you don't want to go wandering about in /there/, Master Dwarf. There's funny things in that there wood. Walkin' trees and far, far, worse."
[Aphria(#17221)]
Aphria bites her lower lip. "I don't know." She ends up saying, "I was always told not to go into the woods. Lotsa bad things. Just like he said. Bandits and things that might eat us!" She shivers a bit. "Even told to be careful about going out after dark even around home. I did sometimes since I like looking at the stars. But sometimes there are scary noises and such!"
[Torerl(#16733)]
"Bah!" Torerl spits out quietly, shaking his head with frustration, and even stomps his foot. "Nonsense I tell you. Trees can't walk!" He grumbles to himself again for a few moments, pondering what he might do next. "Well, is there a map of the woods I can get somewhere, or even a guide that knows the entire woods?" He asks then, looking between the guard and the young woman.
Henry the Breeguard nods at Aphria's speech. "The young lady's right," he tells the Dwarf primly. "Not a place for decent folk. And I don't know of any guides." His tone is dubious. "They've found ..." he lowers his voice, "bodies. Missing sheep gnawed clean down to the bones. And every now and then they say some poor traveller ventures in, never to return!" He repeats the ghoulish tale with relish.
From within the gates comes a cross reprimand, "/Will/ you get on and shut that gate, Henry? I suppose you can leave the postern door open ..." This last is said with great condescension.
[Aphria(#17221)]
Aphria looks over towards the Dwarves with a sad look, and then starts towards the door. "Sure you can't let 'em in? I know Nob wouldn't mind some more guests at the Inn and all. And Dwarves always have such good stories! Gates aren't closed yet, and there's room. You could let 'em in, right?" She tries to ask the guards.
[Torerl(#16733)]
"I've cut down plenty of trees and to date none have ever walked away, or ate a single person I know." Says Torerl deeply, his rumbling force extremely sure of this fact. He looks back to his companion then. "Alright, start setting up camp. Make a fire, we can just sleep under the wagon if the weather turns bad." The Dwarf looks back to Aphria and Henry. "We do have the best stories, and I sure could tell you a few." Torerl thumps his chest here hard. "Either way, son. Just shut the gate, and leave that little door their open so we can get in a bit."
Henry shakes his head at Torerl's response. "Well, you would know best I suppose," he mutters, in a doubtful tone that suggests he does not in fact suppose anything of the sort. "I'd better get on with shutting these here gates. Will you show the visitors the way to the Pony, Miss?" he asks Aphria politely (and a little regretfully) - then ostentatiously turns away and makes a great show of shutting the second half of the heavy wooden gate, the little door, which he's already opened, swinging wildly on its hinges as he does. As the 'big' gate slams shut, his voice can be heard in muffled protest, "Now, Archie ..."
[Aphria(#17221)]
"Mmm, Yeah, I can!" Aphria says in response to that question. "I gotta go back there soon anyways. Might need to help a bit more tonight before I go to bed. Especially with new visitors about! If not enough of the waitresses are in too. But I think they will, so I'll just end up helping cooking I reckon." She still seems pretty bubbly.
[Torerl(#16733)] "Good. Good." Torerl says in what seem to be typical low and rumbling tones. "Well, lass... I know my way to the Pony, but I've got to set up camp here." He says crossing his strong arms over his broad chest. "Why don't you run back to the Pony, and see about getting us some mutton and a loaf of bread ready. That way when me and my best mate get there it'll be ready?"
A large hedge fences Bree in to the west. Running to and from the hedge is the Great East Road. Set off on the north side of the Road is a small lodge. A faint light emanates from the doorway of the lodge. A great gate is inset where the hedge meets the road. The gate stands closed. To the east, lights from houses on Bree-hill twinkle in the night.
Obvious exits:
West Gate leads to Bree, Outside the West-gate.
Gatekeepers Lodge leads to Gatekeeper's Lodge.
East leads to Great East Road.
================================== Bree Time ==================================
Real time: Sun Nov 08 14:22:48 2009
Bree time: Nighttime <23:08:24> on Trewsday of Spring - May 23,1448
Moon Phase: Last Quarter Moon
Breelands Weather
The nighttime spring air is cool but pleasant around you. The sky is clear and the moon shines brightly.
===============================================================================
[Torerl(#16733)]
Spring fades away slowly, only to be replaced by the warm embrace of summer. Much like spring, the day is fading here in Bree as well, and the begin to appear in the curtain of night. To the west the sun sets silently, sinking into the sea beyond the horizon, but out of the setting sun rumbles a pair of wagons. Each wagon is sturdily built, and pulled by a pair of oxen, who don't seem to mind the weight of the wagon's themselves. Slowly they make their way towards the West Gate of Bree -- their rumbling approach like that of a coming thunderstorm.
Aphria is simply sitting around and enjoying the evening. The teenager looking off into the sunset as it slowly sinks below the horizon. She seems to be quite comfortable in her little spot to sit down. But as the wagons are approaching it attracts her attention and she looks over towards them with a curious gaze.
Those wagons rumble closer, their iron shod wheels digging deep into the road, and those commanding the wagons are revealed to be Dwarves. They pull up just short of the western gate, and a dwarf with a ruddy beard leaps out of the driver's seat of the wagon. He lands heavily upon the ground, and stumps quickly towards the gate, and gate guard. "Evening," he states more then greets in a gruff voice to the Guard. "We'd like to enter Bree." Again a statement of purpose, more then a polite request. The dark eyes of Torerl stare outwards from grim features, and his brow furrows heavily as he awaits the guards response.
There is the creak of wood and the grunts of personal effort as the wide double gates spanning Bree's thorny hedge begin to swing closed. Has Torerl's request gone completely unacknowledged?
But then one gate, the western one, halts and a sweating bald head pokes round it. "What's all this, then?" demands the stout figure who emerges, fingering officiously at the Breeguard badge pinned to its tunic. And then, twisting round to speak to someone behind him, "Archie, there's some /Dwarf/ out there."
[Aphria(#17221)]
Hearing the gates actually start to close gets Aphria leaping to her feet as well! The teenaged girl practically squeaks as she realizes she might get locked out at this rate. "Wait! You forgot about me!" She calls out desperately as she starts to run towards the door, waving her hands and almost tripping in the process.
[Torerl(#16733)]
As the gate begins to close Torerl's brow furrows deeper -- if that was even possible. "Well, I'll be a goat's mother..." He begins to growl under his voice until the gate stops, and the Guard comes out fingering his badge. The Miner squints his eyes to look at the badge. "Not just some dwarf!" He exclaims harshly. "I am Torerl son of Aain from the Blue Mountains, at your service." He pushes back his hood and bows his head slightly -- though what service he mit provide is questionable.
A sharp, snappish response comes from within Bree's gates. "A Dwarf? Highly irregular. Tell him to come back tomorrow. It's a minute past sunset."
The stout, balding guard swipes nervously at his forehead. "But Archie ..." he protests, while doing his best to stand straight and look .. well, official.. under the Dwarf's squinting gaze. "Uh - at your service too," he murmurs doubtfully, without actually doing anything useful like opening the gate wider.
Aphria's flapping diverts him somewhat. "Easy there, miss," he reassures her, "noone said anything about leaving you out in the dark. There's a little door, see?" He points to the (still half-open) gate he'd been hauling, where indeed the outline of a smaller door can be seen.
"For ingress of persons," comes the sharp, snappish voice. "/Not/ wagons."
[Aphria(#17221)]
Aphria gets a sheepish look on her face at that. The panic just made her panic for a bit! That's it. She ends up tugging at her dress and blushing a bit too. "Sorry." She smiles, "Not used to this gate, always go out the south one to go to Archet and all, but this one has a good view too I've found since I started at the Pony.
[Torerl(#16733)]
The stern countenance of Torerl turns positively stone-like. The Dwarf's frustration mounts, and he appears as if he were about to explode -- then sighs loudly. "I thought the gate closed at dark, and it certainly still seems to be light out." He grunts quietly, turning back towards the Wagon. "Maugr, maybe we should press on to Archet tonight. They might be more friendly, and welcome our coin and goods there." The Dwarven miner calls back to the other Wagon's driver.
"I .. er .. um." The stout, bald-headed guard doesn't know quite where to look when Aphria starts tugging at her dress - but the girl's smile is winning. "It does, too," he agrees with her, beaming. "I always like being on at this gate. You can see /everything/."
Like trains of Dwarven wagons reaching back into the dark ... He stares at those miserably, but then inspiration strikes. "Oh, no, Masters, you don't want to do that," he tells Torerl and his companions, sounding genuinely shocked. "Archet's a tidy way. /Much/ too far to travel tonight. It's just that .. ah .. I'm afraid there are rather a number of you, and not much space in the town for wagons. Dwarves normally camp just outside the gate. But once you've settled, of course you're very welcome to enter town if you're seeking to sup at the Pony. I'm sure the young lady here can show you the way." Aphria is shot a pleading glance.
"Weapons," comes the snappish voice. "Henry, you dolt, you forgot to mention the weapons!"
[Aphria(#17221)]
Aphria nods in confirmation of that. "Ain't really much to do at Archet either. No real inn or anything. Just a small village really." She explains. "It's why I had to come to the big city here in Bree to work." Yes, for Aphria? This is the BIG city. She then looks back to the man, "It's a really good view, can't blame you for liking to work here. I don't always see much from the inn, but get to meet lots of people that way at least. But suppose you get to meet a lot of people too."
[Torerl(#16733)]
Their luck begins to turn! Still facing away from the Guard, a smile spreads across Torerl's lips -- though it is hidden from view. "Well, I suppose we can camp out here." He grumbles in a low voice, turning back to face the Guard. "But only if you'll let us in once we get our camp set up. It'll be after dark by then, and we'll be hungry. I've been waiting for a good meal here at the Pony for days. Maugr there is not a very good cook!"
Torerl's dark eyes turn to Aphria as she addresses him. "I see," he says quietly. "Well, what is in Archet? You're not by chance from the Chetwood are you?"
Poor, harried Breeguard. He listens to Aphria, fingering at his collar, then tells the girl eagerly, "You can come down here any time you wish, miss. Especially when I'm on. I-"
"Henry!" comes the barked reprimand, and he falls silent, flushing.
Torerl's words send him sweating. "Of course," he assures the Dwarf hastily. It wouldn't do for Bree to lose trade, now, would it? Then, taking a deep breath, he launches into a recitation that sounds rote-learned. "Um .. about the weapons. Mayor Ferny wishes to show that Bree respects its visitors, and trusts them to behave honourably and decently within its walls. Visitors are of course welcome to store their weapons at the gatehouse, but those who wish to keep them on their person may do so for a small administrative fee of twenty coppers per day."
[Aphria(#17221)]
"Ain't the Chetwood no sir dwarf." Aphria responds to Torerl. "Just the woods. Not much more than a few lumberjacks and such like me father. Nice little town. But ain't much there. We all have to come to Bree to get things a lot you see." She seems to feel like she's particularly wise in talking about this. But she really just looks like the wideeyed teenage girl she is.
[Torerl(#16733)]
Torerl considers the offer that the Mayor has given via this guard. He squints his eyes again, and then looks back over his shoulder to his companion. The other Dwarf, with a dark and frizzy looking beard, only shrugs his shoulders. "I think for now we'll leave our weapons with our wagons. Certainly the valiant Bree Guards are more then enough to keep the town safe." He says deeply to the Guard, squinting again for good measure -- as if that will garner them extra protection. If anything they can always break a leg off a table and use it as a club.
This dwarf's stern countenance turns on Aphria once more, and he strokes his beard -- considering all that she has said. "Really? Just a lumber town... Are there any cave's or rock outcrops in this Chetwood?"
"Of course, of course!" The stout, balding Breeguard looks very relieved that these fierce-looking Dwarves aren't about to cause trouble. (One wonders just how much 'trouble' this particular specimen could actually handle.) He listens to the conversation with Aphria, then blurts out to Torerl, shaking his head, "Oh, you don't want to go wandering about in /there/, Master Dwarf. There's funny things in that there wood. Walkin' trees and far, far, worse."
[Aphria(#17221)]
Aphria bites her lower lip. "I don't know." She ends up saying, "I was always told not to go into the woods. Lotsa bad things. Just like he said. Bandits and things that might eat us!" She shivers a bit. "Even told to be careful about going out after dark even around home. I did sometimes since I like looking at the stars. But sometimes there are scary noises and such!"
[Torerl(#16733)]
"Bah!" Torerl spits out quietly, shaking his head with frustration, and even stomps his foot. "Nonsense I tell you. Trees can't walk!" He grumbles to himself again for a few moments, pondering what he might do next. "Well, is there a map of the woods I can get somewhere, or even a guide that knows the entire woods?" He asks then, looking between the guard and the young woman.
Henry the Breeguard nods at Aphria's speech. "The young lady's right," he tells the Dwarf primly. "Not a place for decent folk. And I don't know of any guides." His tone is dubious. "They've found ..." he lowers his voice, "bodies. Missing sheep gnawed clean down to the bones. And every now and then they say some poor traveller ventures in, never to return!" He repeats the ghoulish tale with relish.
From within the gates comes a cross reprimand, "/Will/ you get on and shut that gate, Henry? I suppose you can leave the postern door open ..." This last is said with great condescension.
[Aphria(#17221)]
Aphria looks over towards the Dwarves with a sad look, and then starts towards the door. "Sure you can't let 'em in? I know Nob wouldn't mind some more guests at the Inn and all. And Dwarves always have such good stories! Gates aren't closed yet, and there's room. You could let 'em in, right?" She tries to ask the guards.
[Torerl(#16733)]
"I've cut down plenty of trees and to date none have ever walked away, or ate a single person I know." Says Torerl deeply, his rumbling force extremely sure of this fact. He looks back to his companion then. "Alright, start setting up camp. Make a fire, we can just sleep under the wagon if the weather turns bad." The Dwarf looks back to Aphria and Henry. "We do have the best stories, and I sure could tell you a few." Torerl thumps his chest here hard. "Either way, son. Just shut the gate, and leave that little door their open so we can get in a bit."
Henry shakes his head at Torerl's response. "Well, you would know best I suppose," he mutters, in a doubtful tone that suggests he does not in fact suppose anything of the sort. "I'd better get on with shutting these here gates. Will you show the visitors the way to the Pony, Miss?" he asks Aphria politely (and a little regretfully) - then ostentatiously turns away and makes a great show of shutting the second half of the heavy wooden gate, the little door, which he's already opened, swinging wildly on its hinges as he does. As the 'big' gate slams shut, his voice can be heard in muffled protest, "Now, Archie ..."
[Aphria(#17221)]
"Mmm, Yeah, I can!" Aphria says in response to that question. "I gotta go back there soon anyways. Might need to help a bit more tonight before I go to bed. Especially with new visitors about! If not enough of the waitresses are in too. But I think they will, so I'll just end up helping cooking I reckon." She still seems pretty bubbly.
[Torerl(#16733)] "Good. Good." Torerl says in what seem to be typical low and rumbling tones. "Well, lass... I know my way to the Pony, but I've got to set up camp here." He says crossing his strong arms over his broad chest. "Why don't you run back to the Pony, and see about getting us some mutton and a loaf of bread ready. That way when me and my best mate get there it'll be ready?"
Players: Torerl, Aphria, Archie, Henry
