Elendor
The Pretender Chronicles: Captive
Ranger Amrundirn of Gondor is marched, a captive, into Umbar.
Sort Date: no date set
Location: Umbar
Game Date: February 2, 3047
Description: [+TIME] Middle-earth time is:
Early Evening on Hevensday, Day 2 of February.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 20:13:16 MDT on Tue Jun 02 2009.
Rath Castamir
To the north and south runs the golden-paved Rath Castamir--south towards inner Umbar, and north towards the Harbour Gate and the bay. The black-paved Rath "Sanga" runs to the west, and the red-paved Rath "Anga" arcs to the east. During daylight hours this is perhaps the busiest intersection in town, with merchants and sailors hustling between the docks and their places in the city. Three small shops, one a massage parlour, another an unmarked building, the last a Shipping and Navigation shop, line the street.
The sky is clear and the sunlight shines brightly. The early evening winter air is cool and dry around you.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Reddish light casts an eerie, almost surreal glow upon the streets of Umbar as the sun begins to set in the West. The traffic on Rath Castimir has yet to ebb and is unlikely to do so until the wee hours of the morning when none but drunks and cut-throats roam the streets. Sailors and Corsairs are the chief patrons of this part of the city and a group of them files in from the Harbor gate now.
Azradi anAzulada leads this group of Corsairs and among them can be found two Gondorians - one of whom is in chains.
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
And even though so restrained, he holds his head higher than his captors, his back is unbent and his gaze where ever it wanders is unflagging, cold and grey. Presently it remains fixed dead ahead, as he treads along in silence, accompanied by the chiming of his bonds.
Amrundirn of Gondor seems as yet unbroken.
Ceredir:
Unfettered by chains, Ceredir of Gondor walks free among this group. Unlike the first time he walked these streets, the Master Scout now moves with more confidence--his head, is up, almost proudly like Amrundirn's. His eyes roam the buildings, the sailors and Corsairs here--and he seems proud in his bearing. Yet he also stays carefully out of the way of the Ranger.
[Azradi(#20135)]
The tall Corsair woman slows her pace to fall abreast with the captive Ranger. "Welcome to Umbar, Amrundirn," she says, her tone rather conversational. "This is your history. The street you tread is called Rath Castimir."
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
"Is there also a Rath Eldacar?" Answers said Ranger with a query, but his tone in turn is distant. It focuses, as does his glance in turn, on the present the next moment, however, as he looks at Azradi out of the corner of his eyes. He says dryly: "Forgive me if I do not thank you, the pleasantries are far too sparse for a welcome."
Ceredir:
"Rath...street?" Ceredir asks, stepping up his pace so that he comes up on the other side of Azradi. "But Castimir? I don't understand?" From his expression at Amrundirn's reaction, it would seem Ceredir also doesn't understand the Ranger's response, but he bites his tongue and tries to hide his confusion.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Laughter answers the Ranger. "Do you think to rattle me?" Azradi asks, turning to smile at her captive. "I am not from Umbar - nor the Castimiri. I do not share their prejudices."
"And I am terribly sorry you find my pleasantries so sparse...," the Farside lady begins, and then stops to stare at Ceredir in surprise. "You do not know your own history?"
A grizzled man stops to glare at the party as it passes nearby, his baleful eyes fixed strongly on both the Ranger and Ceredir. He shouts something in Haradaic to the two men, spitting on the ground. The Corsairs guarding Amrundirn cast a wary eye at the man, but do nothing to intervene.
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
There is a slight upward curve to Amrundirn's mouth, and a brief one. As he turns his head fully to face the southern woman, and lightly bows his head, it fades.
"It is a story of betrayal, from before the ending of the time of Kings. Castamir, I guess, is much revered-..." He pauses, glance shifting to the grizzled man. And it fixes upon him, stern and level.
"What did he say?"
Ceredir:
"I..." Ceredir starts, reddening at the Captain's expression of surprise. "I know some of our history..and what I have been able to learn. But.." He shakes his head and avoids Azradi's gaze. "I was never taught it properly," he says bitterly.
Though he warily eyes the local man, Ceredir also looks almost relieved as the focus is drawn off of himself. He stares at the grizzled man, then with a sudden gasp, turns to Azradi.
"Nelladel? She is safe? She is here?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
"His daughter was killed in the Poros campaign," Azradi replies, neutrally - glancing to the old Haradrim man. "He wishes you a long and painful death - both of you."
"When I first arrived here," she continues, smiling wryly. "I heard similar insults because they thought I was of Gondorian heritage. I often went veiled because of it."
"Castimir and Eldacar vied for your throne," she explains to to Ceredir without turning her head. "Castimir lost and he has his people retreated to Umbar. Until then, Umbar had been part of Gondor."
"And yes, your wife is fine," she adds.
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
"I am not you," Answers the Ranger in turn, and his voice is grown as stern as his gaze, and the crow's feet in the corners of his eyes grow deeper as they narrow. He turns his regard ahead ere long, dismissing the native out of hand, but he says nothing more for now.
Ceredir:
"I will see her soon," Ceredir says, smiling in relief. He allows himself that moment, but it is only for a moment before his attention is given back to Azradi. "Veiled...Nella and I may have to do that, I suppose."
"Your brother, then--he is of Castimir's line? And why does the Rang..Amrundirn say it is a story of betrayal?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
Azradi offers Ceredir a strange look. "How can my brother be of Castimir's line if I am not? We share both mother and father."
"And ask your countryman for the tale," she suggests.
The cluster of Corsairs and their prisoner head east, parting the crowds before them. Soon the golden pavement of Rath Castimir gives way to the red flagstones of Rath Angamaite.
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
The red stones seem tainted by the day's end in wrath though their color must be inherent to whatever forgotten quarry from which they were hewn. Oddly, Amrundirn's mood seems unrelated to either stone nor sun. Calm and proud, for the nonce.
"He is no countryman of mine," He remarks evenly, without laying eyes on the man his speech concerns. "Those bonds are broken."
Ceredir:
"I was confused, sorry," Ceredir says hastily, seeing Azradi's expression. "History..." he shrugs, again embarrassed. "And family lines. I'm not good at either of those things, but my wife, fortunately, is."
A dark expression clouds Ceredir's face at the Captain's suggestion that he query the Ranger, and he shakes his head, agreeing, even, with Amrundirn's words.
"I will ask nothing of the man. I've no wish to hear his opinions on me, for they hold no weight and meaning for me and why should I subject myself to such abuse? But there are others I will ask, given time."
[Azradi(#20135)]
To the left stand warehouses against the outer walls of Umbar, to the right rows of neat but modest houses. From an upper story, a dark-skinned woman opens a window to toss dirty water into the gutter. She pauses for a moment, staring at the two pale men with curiosity. From an alley lurches a man dressed in soiled clothes - a seedy character in comparison to the respectable woman. The street curves slowly to the southeast.
In the distance, a tower of violet hue gleams in the dying light. "Tsk, tsk," Azradi tuts, shaking her head at both men. "You and your ilk are ill-equipped for the complications of life. Blood is blood. You can not undo it."
The young Corsair Captain allows the silence between the two Gondorians envelope her and she says nothing more as they follow the road and eventually come to her home, Farside Tower. There one man is reunited with his wife while the other is installed in a clean but spare cell beneath the tower.
Early Evening on Hevensday, Day 2 of February.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 20:13:16 MDT on Tue Jun 02 2009.
Rath Castamir
To the north and south runs the golden-paved Rath Castamir--south towards inner Umbar, and north towards the Harbour Gate and the bay. The black-paved Rath "Sanga" runs to the west, and the red-paved Rath "Anga" arcs to the east. During daylight hours this is perhaps the busiest intersection in town, with merchants and sailors hustling between the docks and their places in the city. Three small shops, one a massage parlour, another an unmarked building, the last a Shipping and Navigation shop, line the street.
The sky is clear and the sunlight shines brightly. The early evening winter air is cool and dry around you.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Reddish light casts an eerie, almost surreal glow upon the streets of Umbar as the sun begins to set in the West. The traffic on Rath Castimir has yet to ebb and is unlikely to do so until the wee hours of the morning when none but drunks and cut-throats roam the streets. Sailors and Corsairs are the chief patrons of this part of the city and a group of them files in from the Harbor gate now.
Azradi anAzulada leads this group of Corsairs and among them can be found two Gondorians - one of whom is in chains.
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
And even though so restrained, he holds his head higher than his captors, his back is unbent and his gaze where ever it wanders is unflagging, cold and grey. Presently it remains fixed dead ahead, as he treads along in silence, accompanied by the chiming of his bonds.
Amrundirn of Gondor seems as yet unbroken.
Ceredir:
Unfettered by chains, Ceredir of Gondor walks free among this group. Unlike the first time he walked these streets, the Master Scout now moves with more confidence--his head, is up, almost proudly like Amrundirn's. His eyes roam the buildings, the sailors and Corsairs here--and he seems proud in his bearing. Yet he also stays carefully out of the way of the Ranger.
[Azradi(#20135)]
The tall Corsair woman slows her pace to fall abreast with the captive Ranger. "Welcome to Umbar, Amrundirn," she says, her tone rather conversational. "This is your history. The street you tread is called Rath Castimir."
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
"Is there also a Rath Eldacar?" Answers said Ranger with a query, but his tone in turn is distant. It focuses, as does his glance in turn, on the present the next moment, however, as he looks at Azradi out of the corner of his eyes. He says dryly: "Forgive me if I do not thank you, the pleasantries are far too sparse for a welcome."
Ceredir:
"Rath...street?" Ceredir asks, stepping up his pace so that he comes up on the other side of Azradi. "But Castimir? I don't understand?" From his expression at Amrundirn's reaction, it would seem Ceredir also doesn't understand the Ranger's response, but he bites his tongue and tries to hide his confusion.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Laughter answers the Ranger. "Do you think to rattle me?" Azradi asks, turning to smile at her captive. "I am not from Umbar - nor the Castimiri. I do not share their prejudices."
"And I am terribly sorry you find my pleasantries so sparse...," the Farside lady begins, and then stops to stare at Ceredir in surprise. "You do not know your own history?"
A grizzled man stops to glare at the party as it passes nearby, his baleful eyes fixed strongly on both the Ranger and Ceredir. He shouts something in Haradaic to the two men, spitting on the ground. The Corsairs guarding Amrundirn cast a wary eye at the man, but do nothing to intervene.
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
There is a slight upward curve to Amrundirn's mouth, and a brief one. As he turns his head fully to face the southern woman, and lightly bows his head, it fades.
"It is a story of betrayal, from before the ending of the time of Kings. Castamir, I guess, is much revered-..." He pauses, glance shifting to the grizzled man. And it fixes upon him, stern and level.
"What did he say?"
Ceredir:
"I..." Ceredir starts, reddening at the Captain's expression of surprise. "I know some of our history..and what I have been able to learn. But.." He shakes his head and avoids Azradi's gaze. "I was never taught it properly," he says bitterly.
Though he warily eyes the local man, Ceredir also looks almost relieved as the focus is drawn off of himself. He stares at the grizzled man, then with a sudden gasp, turns to Azradi.
"Nelladel? She is safe? She is here?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
"His daughter was killed in the Poros campaign," Azradi replies, neutrally - glancing to the old Haradrim man. "He wishes you a long and painful death - both of you."
"When I first arrived here," she continues, smiling wryly. "I heard similar insults because they thought I was of Gondorian heritage. I often went veiled because of it."
"Castimir and Eldacar vied for your throne," she explains to to Ceredir without turning her head. "Castimir lost and he has his people retreated to Umbar. Until then, Umbar had been part of Gondor."
"And yes, your wife is fine," she adds.
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
"I am not you," Answers the Ranger in turn, and his voice is grown as stern as his gaze, and the crow's feet in the corners of his eyes grow deeper as they narrow. He turns his regard ahead ere long, dismissing the native out of hand, but he says nothing more for now.
Ceredir:
"I will see her soon," Ceredir says, smiling in relief. He allows himself that moment, but it is only for a moment before his attention is given back to Azradi. "Veiled...Nella and I may have to do that, I suppose."
"Your brother, then--he is of Castimir's line? And why does the Rang..Amrundirn say it is a story of betrayal?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
Azradi offers Ceredir a strange look. "How can my brother be of Castimir's line if I am not? We share both mother and father."
"And ask your countryman for the tale," she suggests.
The cluster of Corsairs and their prisoner head east, parting the crowds before them. Soon the golden pavement of Rath Castimir gives way to the red flagstones of Rath Angamaite.
[Amrundirn(#19036)]
The red stones seem tainted by the day's end in wrath though their color must be inherent to whatever forgotten quarry from which they were hewn. Oddly, Amrundirn's mood seems unrelated to either stone nor sun. Calm and proud, for the nonce.
"He is no countryman of mine," He remarks evenly, without laying eyes on the man his speech concerns. "Those bonds are broken."
Ceredir:
"I was confused, sorry," Ceredir says hastily, seeing Azradi's expression. "History..." he shrugs, again embarrassed. "And family lines. I'm not good at either of those things, but my wife, fortunately, is."
A dark expression clouds Ceredir's face at the Captain's suggestion that he query the Ranger, and he shakes his head, agreeing, even, with Amrundirn's words.
"I will ask nothing of the man. I've no wish to hear his opinions on me, for they hold no weight and meaning for me and why should I subject myself to such abuse? But there are others I will ask, given time."
[Azradi(#20135)]
To the left stand warehouses against the outer walls of Umbar, to the right rows of neat but modest houses. From an upper story, a dark-skinned woman opens a window to toss dirty water into the gutter. She pauses for a moment, staring at the two pale men with curiosity. From an alley lurches a man dressed in soiled clothes - a seedy character in comparison to the respectable woman. The street curves slowly to the southeast.
In the distance, a tower of violet hue gleams in the dying light. "Tsk, tsk," Azradi tuts, shaking her head at both men. "You and your ilk are ill-equipped for the complications of life. Blood is blood. You can not undo it."
The young Corsair Captain allows the silence between the two Gondorians envelope her and she says nothing more as they follow the road and eventually come to her home, Farside Tower. There one man is reunited with his wife while the other is installed in a clean but spare cell beneath the tower.
Players: Azradi,Ceredir,Amrundirn
