Elendor
The Pretender Chronicles: Ambush and Capture
Ranger Amrundirn seeks to capture a Southron to find out the truth about Ceredir, but things don't go as planned.
Sort Date: no date set
Location: Crossing of the Poros
Game Date: January 26 3047
IC Time: NIght
Description: Crossing of Poros River, Narakshi Camps
To the north the Poros spreads out in its wide banks, forming what looks to be an easy ford. At night, the south bank of the Poros river is strewn with tents and pavillions lit from within. These camps are as active as during the day, more so as the occupants often sleep through the greatest heat. But once the warmth has left the dry land and the wind has picked up after dusk, most of the tribe retreat to their tents and pavillions for meals, music, stories, and gaming. Only during the coldest part just before dawn does the encampment settle down for a few hours of silence.
The Harad road here has become almost impassable with the loose herds of animals milling around everywhere. They are carefully tended by mounted and armed outriders who watch alertly. Long-legged dogs also roam the camps individually or in packs, quick to give alarm if strangers come near.
Twilight on Mersday, Day 26 of January.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 20:55:43 MDT on Sun May 31 2009.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
Dusk settles over the crossings of Poros. Few clouds drift over the blackening sky and stars glitter in the west, while clouds overhanging the far eastern horizon are rimmed with gold, but otherwise stained red as hot coals. The sun is gone all but for a fading brightness.
"So then..."
The voice rising over yonder is soft, quiet. A whisper of a whisper. It stems from the figure crouching in the reeds, north of the crossings, near the very brink of the river. His attire is humid, earthen hues and grey, from tip to toe, but not fully wet he must have been present for a long while. 'Tis Amrundirn the Ranger. "You asked for your purpose here, and here it is--..." He pauses, with a sharp glance over his shoulder on the other man.
"Are you listening?"
Ceredir:
In the wavering reeds of brown and green is the second man, similarly clad, equally hidden. Black gauntlets separate his garb from the Ranger's though, as does his relative youth of about 20 years. Ceredir's brows furrow as he frowns, turning to look first at the Ranger, then back across the river.
"Listening?" he whispers, trying to match his voice to the sound of the wind along the river and in the reeds. "Sir, yes..." He is hesitant.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
"I need answers."
The Ranger's gaze remains om the other for a while. "The same as those you have given. One of them-..." He nods his head southward, and his glance follows suit, "-...shall answer." He lifts a green hand to push some straws aside that obscure his view, and continues: "We'll capture us a southron. Come, quietly now."
He treads then, with care, towards the south and whatever lies thither.
Ceredir:
"Answers?" Ceredir's frown does not lessen, but he does nod in understanding as the Ranger continues. He stops a moment to check the dagger at his belt, then follows Amrundirn in silence.
[Azradi(#20135)]
It has been many months since the Gondorian forces - both southern and northern - withdrew from the Poros. And yet the Haradrim, or in this case, Umbarean garrison keeps a vigil upon the southern bank of the dividing river.
The ford is guarded by swarthy men bearing the sigil of the raven. A watch fire burns on the southern bank. And oddly, two dignitaries of the City of Corsairs happen to be present. One of these is Azradi anAzulada, sister of the Pretender to the Gondorian throne. Armed and armored as she is whenever away from the protective walls of Farside, she stands clearly in the light - a cluster of Farside's guardsmen, standing off to one side. She speaks to the second dignitary. "Still no word of them venturing this far south. What you met with deep in their territory is the only encounter, aside from their ships, that has been reported."
"I find it strange, after so many years of constant assault, and I find it as equally troubling as I do advantageous."
[Eruphel(#20109)]
The other dignitary is awash in her own shadow, the blues of the reflected darkening sky clashing with her olive skin tones to make her look nearly black, with the warm glow of the remnants of light striking only her back. What womanly curves there might have been are armored and padded away to obscurity. But her feminine voice marks her as such.
"As do I." she breathes. "Either they believe Lord Alphros' claim, and are loathe to strike, or they don't, and are preparing something big. Or maybe they do, and are preparing something big nonetheless."
[Azradi(#20135)]
"Or they are weak," grins the Corsair lady. "As the Captain of the Variyah, I am inclined to just raid and raid while the prizes are plump and easy but as Lord Alphros' second, I want to know for certain if they are as weak as they seem or if they are organizing some formidable opposition to my brother's plans even as we speak."
"We have spies from among their own," Azradi sighs, shaking her head, "but no intelligence as of yet."
The Farside lady glances around at her own men, then says quietly to Eruphel, "Walk with me a moment along the bank."
[Eruphel(#20109)]
"Actually...I have a piece of paper, meant for Alphros. When I nearly died, it slipped my mind, I suppose. But it is in Seaward Tower. And I haven't the slightest idea what it says." Eruphel says almost guiltily, turning away from the group to move toward the river.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
So then, the pair of Ithilien draw near the watchmen from the east.
Amrundirn pauses then, eyeing warily the figures ahead -- and marking the two that depart the fireplace. "Up the bank, quick!" He hisses, and does so himself with some manner of haste.
Ceredir:
"Tis the two women I told you of!" Ceredir answers in a harsh whisper as he follows behind the Ranger. He draws his dagger before he, too, scrambles up the bank, keeping a close eye on the two women as he does so.
[Azradi(#20135)]
It is not until Azradi and Eruphel have left the light of the fire behind that the former speaks again. "You do? Who gave it to you?"
She sighs, and adds: "I wish you had told us this before. But I understand, you were gravely injured and things have hardly been calm since you recovered - for anyone in Umbar."
[Eruphel(#20109)]
"I /am/ sorry, Azradi." Eruphel says. "I would offer the excuse that I was told to give it only to Alphros, and I have not seen him, and therefore have not remembered. But that would not be true either." The darkness and her deep skintones help hide a blush. "I had it from the husband of your...houseguest."
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
Only then, when lowered to the ground some paces above the sand shores, does the Ranger draw his weapon. Very slowly.
His brow is troubled now, eyes narrowed, as his glance passes from Ceredir to the two southron women. And when he breathes an answer, it is scarce any more than that a breath. But a dry one. "How fortunate..."
"They must be silenced, and quickly. Wait until they pass."
Ceredir:
The darkness hides the nod that Ceredir replies to Amrundirn with, but he whispers one word to acknowledge the plan of attack.
"Sir."
The Master Scout stays low to the ground, staring toward the women, hardly daring to breathe at the turn their conversation has taken. His eyes slide to Amrundirn, then back.
[Azradi(#20135)]
It is too dark to see her expression, but puzzlement is clear in Azradi's voice when she asks: "It is not true because he did not tell you to give it only to Alphros or it is not true that you forgot about it?"
She continues to walk along the narrow riverside path - made by generations of Narakshi.
[Eruphel(#20109)]
"It is true he told me to give it to Alprhos, and it is true that I forgot. But it is not true that I have not seen your brother since returning. I should have remembered then." She pauses, and looks out at the river. "While we are here, I should let go my water."
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
One might not hear the green hand touching Ceredir by the shoulder. And, one might not see a gleam of distant fire upon the longsword as its bearer stirs. But the sound of it is clear enough grasses bent and broken, boots scraping upon the soil a rapid succession of fleet steps.
Yes, one would definitely hear it. And one would definitely percieve the moments clearly.
And Eruphel, whom Amrundirn lounges for with one outstretched hand to silence a warning call, would see it most clearly of all.
Ceredir:
Close behind the Ranger follows Ceredir, who runs to keep up with Amrundirn. Only the Master Scout heads toward Azradi, and he, too, has a hand outstretched, as if the first thing he will try to do is silence the woman's call for help.
[Eruphel(#20109)]
Eruphel is reaching for the tie on her trousers, looking down at the smoothly running water. She hears the shuffle of reeded grasses, and pauses, glancing in the direction of the sound, only to find a hulking shadow popping up from the riverside, a formless blob of blackness, which suddenly congeals into a man. She gasps and jumps, throwing up her arms to ward off the attacker, and tries to drop down quickly to avoid the grasp and roll away.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Laughing, Azradi replies to Eruphel. "It is easy to let things slip when speaking with my brother. It always seems to me that I have more things to discuss with him than time to do so."
She pauses when the other lady does, gesturing to the river. "You do not care for the..."
The sound of men rushing in the darkness causes the Farside lady's hand to fly to her hilt. She begins to turn towards the noise. Her instincts appear to be to defend herself first, yell later.
Ceredir:
Ceredir does not use his blade as he rushes forward. Instead, he runs full force toward Azradi to try to knock her off her feet, though likely he will fall with her, too. Some words are whispered roughly as soon as he is close enough.
"It is Ceredir, Captain. There are only two of us. Will do my best to get you out alive."
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
The swarthy woman proves elusive. Or the ranger too old and worn for these sorts of struggles: he can not be far shy of half a hundred, surely. In any case he misses his mark taking a step into the space where Eruphel until just recently stood.
He turns about, late in following her movements, but overtaking them quickly raising his sword to the ready. But he doesn't strike.
"Hold!" He urges quickly and rather quietly, a hand uplifted with the palm towards Eruphel now, as if to soothe a wild thing "I have not come to fight you."
[Azradi(#20135)]
Azradi has drawn perhaps a foot of steel when the Gondorian man rushes her. Quickly, she lets go of her hilt and tries to grab either of his arms, attempting to control her fall and bring him down with her - twisting if she can, so she is not pinned beneath him. "Nitir!" she cries in surprise - oddly.
Ceredir:
Both his momentum from the forward rush and the grasp of the Southron woman's hand on his arm send Ceredir tumbling into the dirt and reeds by the riverbank, though he does not fall on top of the woman nor does he drop his dagger. He scrambles about instantly as he lands, though Amrundirn's words make him freeze and stare at the Ranger from where he is now sitting.
"I do not know what he is up to." More harsh whispers--or is the Master Scout just breathing hard from falling. "He knows too much, is asking too much. Help me?"
[Eruphel(#20109)]
Rolling onto her feet, a dagger flicks into Eruphel's hand as she crouches, facing her opponent. But as he moves toward her quickly, she turns on her heel to flee. Only the speed in which the ranger catches up keeps her from crying out for guards, as she cannot afford the breath. With him hard on her heels, she reverses the hold on her dagger, and blindly swings her arm behind her, hoping to get lucky.
[<#20135>]
In answer, Azradi struggles to her feet and draws her scimitar. "He won't leave here free, or perhaps even alive," she says in a low growl, preparing to run after the fleeing pair.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
The daggerblade scrapes against the outstretched hand, and it is in turn thrown aside. But whether it pierces the leather gauntlet or no, it does not hinder Amrundirn's pace. The mask that hides his face produces a sound not unlike a snarl.
"Fine then."
He lunges forward with great effort, swinging the pommel of his sword at Eruphel's head.
Ceredir:
"Amrundirn!" Ceredir calls out, getting quickly to his feet so that he can follow Azradi. "Flee! This is madness! Their guards will be on us!"
[Eruphel(#20109)]
The dagger is knocked from Eruphel's hand, and she gives it no more thought, crying out for help from the watch. But the sound is scarcely left her lips when she is knocked sideways by a hard, metal object to her temple, which makes her crumple to the ground in a tumbling heap.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Brandishing her scimitar, tall Azradi runs after her friend and the Ranger that pursues her. She does not yell for help yet, possibly for fear of alerting her free presence to the Gondorian before she can prevent him from hurting the Seaward lady.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
Halting thus, the Ranger looks a moment toward the fire over yonder as intent a stare as can be made in a heartbeat, 'ere he drops to one knee, swordhand grasping at the fingers of the other gauntlet and removing it. This hand settles upon the temple where he made his mark oddly.
All the while he does not look back, despite Ceredir's call.
Ceredir:
"Amrundirn! Go! Go now!" Ceredir is a few paces behind Azradi--though not near enough to strike her. "Go now! While you can!"
[Eruphel(#20109)]
Dazed and laying sprawled in the crushed, fragrant grass, the Seaward Lady is...alive, and even conscious, though Eruphel's eyes are unfocused and her hand movements seem undirected and random. She rolls her head from side to side, looking wide-eyed at everything, but what she might see seems doubtful. But with every moment she is recovering, and suddenly her eyes focus on the ranger's face above her, and her brow furrows.
[Azradi(#20135)]
A tall figure comes upon the crouching Ranger, tall as many Gondorian men even. But there the resemblance ends for this looming figure, for the blade-flat that comes swinging towards the side of Amrundin's head is curved and the voice that now gives forth a yell is a woman's. "Farside to me!"
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
"Be still," Says Amrundirn, removing his hand as Eruphel comes to -- sufficient evidence the blow was not too harsh -- on a firm low voice. "What is the truth of Ceredir's captivity in Umbar? Who d-..."
Farside. Quick feet behind. A blade hewing the air.
He has only the time to halfway turn his head ere -- with a WHACK! -- he tumbles to the side, having caught the scimitar on his brow above the rim of his leather helm or below is hard to say.
Ceredir:
"Take him..." Ceredir says breathlessly, running up next to Azradi in time to see the Ranger fall. "Take him...either to his death or as your captive, but he cannot come back to Gondor. Not if you still wish me there as the sworn man of Lord Alphros."
[Eruphel(#20109)]
In Eruphel's state, Amrundirn should have started the quick interrogation with, "how many fingers am I holding up?" and worked his way up to the more complex questions. She just looks at him blankly, for the brief moment he hovers over her, before she sees the sword of Azradi...nearly in slow motion, swing by and bat him off her. But she does have the presence of mind, at least, to roll over and stagger to her feet, but when she should be assaulting the man, she just stands there for a moment or two.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
The Ranger lies motionless.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Roughly, Azradi pushes the unconscious Ranger onto his stomach, dropping her scimitar into the grass, she drops to one knee, which is placed firmly in against his back and reaches to bring his arms behind him.
The sound of running feet comes near as the first Farside guards reach the scene. Azradi glances up to the dazed Eruphel, then to her men. She rises from the prone Ranger. "Tie him and bring him to the garrison. Ceredir, come with us."
And as her men follow her orders, the Farside lady retrieves her scimitar and moves to help the Seaward Lady, "Are you alright, Eruphel? There is a healer in the garrison." Gently she urges the lady forward along the path that leads back to the watch fire.
Eruphel(#20109)]
"Oh yes...I would just like to rest..." Eruphel says, moving slowly back toward the fire and the garrisoned troops beyond. "I'll be fine later." After that, she says little more, but goes directly to her own tent.
Ceredir:
At the approach of the Farside guards, Ceredir has the good sense to sheath his dagger and show both hands, empty of weapons, to the approaching soldiers. He watches impassively as the Ranger is tied up, his expression behind his mask hardening, though that shows only in the hard line of his mouth. And then he nods at the Farside woman's words, following along with her.
To the north the Poros spreads out in its wide banks, forming what looks to be an easy ford. At night, the south bank of the Poros river is strewn with tents and pavillions lit from within. These camps are as active as during the day, more so as the occupants often sleep through the greatest heat. But once the warmth has left the dry land and the wind has picked up after dusk, most of the tribe retreat to their tents and pavillions for meals, music, stories, and gaming. Only during the coldest part just before dawn does the encampment settle down for a few hours of silence.
The Harad road here has become almost impassable with the loose herds of animals milling around everywhere. They are carefully tended by mounted and armed outriders who watch alertly. Long-legged dogs also roam the camps individually or in packs, quick to give alarm if strangers come near.
Twilight on Mersday, Day 26 of January.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 20:55:43 MDT on Sun May 31 2009.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
Dusk settles over the crossings of Poros. Few clouds drift over the blackening sky and stars glitter in the west, while clouds overhanging the far eastern horizon are rimmed with gold, but otherwise stained red as hot coals. The sun is gone all but for a fading brightness.
"So then..."
The voice rising over yonder is soft, quiet. A whisper of a whisper. It stems from the figure crouching in the reeds, north of the crossings, near the very brink of the river. His attire is humid, earthen hues and grey, from tip to toe, but not fully wet he must have been present for a long while. 'Tis Amrundirn the Ranger. "You asked for your purpose here, and here it is--..." He pauses, with a sharp glance over his shoulder on the other man.
"Are you listening?"
Ceredir:
In the wavering reeds of brown and green is the second man, similarly clad, equally hidden. Black gauntlets separate his garb from the Ranger's though, as does his relative youth of about 20 years. Ceredir's brows furrow as he frowns, turning to look first at the Ranger, then back across the river.
"Listening?" he whispers, trying to match his voice to the sound of the wind along the river and in the reeds. "Sir, yes..." He is hesitant.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
"I need answers."
The Ranger's gaze remains om the other for a while. "The same as those you have given. One of them-..." He nods his head southward, and his glance follows suit, "-...shall answer." He lifts a green hand to push some straws aside that obscure his view, and continues: "We'll capture us a southron. Come, quietly now."
He treads then, with care, towards the south and whatever lies thither.
Ceredir:
"Answers?" Ceredir's frown does not lessen, but he does nod in understanding as the Ranger continues. He stops a moment to check the dagger at his belt, then follows Amrundirn in silence.
[Azradi(#20135)]
It has been many months since the Gondorian forces - both southern and northern - withdrew from the Poros. And yet the Haradrim, or in this case, Umbarean garrison keeps a vigil upon the southern bank of the dividing river.
The ford is guarded by swarthy men bearing the sigil of the raven. A watch fire burns on the southern bank. And oddly, two dignitaries of the City of Corsairs happen to be present. One of these is Azradi anAzulada, sister of the Pretender to the Gondorian throne. Armed and armored as she is whenever away from the protective walls of Farside, she stands clearly in the light - a cluster of Farside's guardsmen, standing off to one side. She speaks to the second dignitary. "Still no word of them venturing this far south. What you met with deep in their territory is the only encounter, aside from their ships, that has been reported."
"I find it strange, after so many years of constant assault, and I find it as equally troubling as I do advantageous."
[Eruphel(#20109)]
The other dignitary is awash in her own shadow, the blues of the reflected darkening sky clashing with her olive skin tones to make her look nearly black, with the warm glow of the remnants of light striking only her back. What womanly curves there might have been are armored and padded away to obscurity. But her feminine voice marks her as such.
"As do I." she breathes. "Either they believe Lord Alphros' claim, and are loathe to strike, or they don't, and are preparing something big. Or maybe they do, and are preparing something big nonetheless."
[Azradi(#20135)]
"Or they are weak," grins the Corsair lady. "As the Captain of the Variyah, I am inclined to just raid and raid while the prizes are plump and easy but as Lord Alphros' second, I want to know for certain if they are as weak as they seem or if they are organizing some formidable opposition to my brother's plans even as we speak."
"We have spies from among their own," Azradi sighs, shaking her head, "but no intelligence as of yet."
The Farside lady glances around at her own men, then says quietly to Eruphel, "Walk with me a moment along the bank."
[Eruphel(#20109)]
"Actually...I have a piece of paper, meant for Alphros. When I nearly died, it slipped my mind, I suppose. But it is in Seaward Tower. And I haven't the slightest idea what it says." Eruphel says almost guiltily, turning away from the group to move toward the river.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
So then, the pair of Ithilien draw near the watchmen from the east.
Amrundirn pauses then, eyeing warily the figures ahead -- and marking the two that depart the fireplace. "Up the bank, quick!" He hisses, and does so himself with some manner of haste.
Ceredir:
"Tis the two women I told you of!" Ceredir answers in a harsh whisper as he follows behind the Ranger. He draws his dagger before he, too, scrambles up the bank, keeping a close eye on the two women as he does so.
[Azradi(#20135)]
It is not until Azradi and Eruphel have left the light of the fire behind that the former speaks again. "You do? Who gave it to you?"
She sighs, and adds: "I wish you had told us this before. But I understand, you were gravely injured and things have hardly been calm since you recovered - for anyone in Umbar."
[Eruphel(#20109)]
"I /am/ sorry, Azradi." Eruphel says. "I would offer the excuse that I was told to give it only to Alphros, and I have not seen him, and therefore have not remembered. But that would not be true either." The darkness and her deep skintones help hide a blush. "I had it from the husband of your...houseguest."
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
Only then, when lowered to the ground some paces above the sand shores, does the Ranger draw his weapon. Very slowly.
His brow is troubled now, eyes narrowed, as his glance passes from Ceredir to the two southron women. And when he breathes an answer, it is scarce any more than that a breath. But a dry one. "How fortunate..."
"They must be silenced, and quickly. Wait until they pass."
Ceredir:
The darkness hides the nod that Ceredir replies to Amrundirn with, but he whispers one word to acknowledge the plan of attack.
"Sir."
The Master Scout stays low to the ground, staring toward the women, hardly daring to breathe at the turn their conversation has taken. His eyes slide to Amrundirn, then back.
[Azradi(#20135)]
It is too dark to see her expression, but puzzlement is clear in Azradi's voice when she asks: "It is not true because he did not tell you to give it only to Alphros or it is not true that you forgot about it?"
She continues to walk along the narrow riverside path - made by generations of Narakshi.
[Eruphel(#20109)]
"It is true he told me to give it to Alprhos, and it is true that I forgot. But it is not true that I have not seen your brother since returning. I should have remembered then." She pauses, and looks out at the river. "While we are here, I should let go my water."
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
One might not hear the green hand touching Ceredir by the shoulder. And, one might not see a gleam of distant fire upon the longsword as its bearer stirs. But the sound of it is clear enough grasses bent and broken, boots scraping upon the soil a rapid succession of fleet steps.
Yes, one would definitely hear it. And one would definitely percieve the moments clearly.
And Eruphel, whom Amrundirn lounges for with one outstretched hand to silence a warning call, would see it most clearly of all.
Ceredir:
Close behind the Ranger follows Ceredir, who runs to keep up with Amrundirn. Only the Master Scout heads toward Azradi, and he, too, has a hand outstretched, as if the first thing he will try to do is silence the woman's call for help.
[Eruphel(#20109)]
Eruphel is reaching for the tie on her trousers, looking down at the smoothly running water. She hears the shuffle of reeded grasses, and pauses, glancing in the direction of the sound, only to find a hulking shadow popping up from the riverside, a formless blob of blackness, which suddenly congeals into a man. She gasps and jumps, throwing up her arms to ward off the attacker, and tries to drop down quickly to avoid the grasp and roll away.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Laughing, Azradi replies to Eruphel. "It is easy to let things slip when speaking with my brother. It always seems to me that I have more things to discuss with him than time to do so."
She pauses when the other lady does, gesturing to the river. "You do not care for the..."
The sound of men rushing in the darkness causes the Farside lady's hand to fly to her hilt. She begins to turn towards the noise. Her instincts appear to be to defend herself first, yell later.
Ceredir:
Ceredir does not use his blade as he rushes forward. Instead, he runs full force toward Azradi to try to knock her off her feet, though likely he will fall with her, too. Some words are whispered roughly as soon as he is close enough.
"It is Ceredir, Captain. There are only two of us. Will do my best to get you out alive."
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
The swarthy woman proves elusive. Or the ranger too old and worn for these sorts of struggles: he can not be far shy of half a hundred, surely. In any case he misses his mark taking a step into the space where Eruphel until just recently stood.
He turns about, late in following her movements, but overtaking them quickly raising his sword to the ready. But he doesn't strike.
"Hold!" He urges quickly and rather quietly, a hand uplifted with the palm towards Eruphel now, as if to soothe a wild thing "I have not come to fight you."
[Azradi(#20135)]
Azradi has drawn perhaps a foot of steel when the Gondorian man rushes her. Quickly, she lets go of her hilt and tries to grab either of his arms, attempting to control her fall and bring him down with her - twisting if she can, so she is not pinned beneath him. "Nitir!" she cries in surprise - oddly.
Ceredir:
Both his momentum from the forward rush and the grasp of the Southron woman's hand on his arm send Ceredir tumbling into the dirt and reeds by the riverbank, though he does not fall on top of the woman nor does he drop his dagger. He scrambles about instantly as he lands, though Amrundirn's words make him freeze and stare at the Ranger from where he is now sitting.
"I do not know what he is up to." More harsh whispers--or is the Master Scout just breathing hard from falling. "He knows too much, is asking too much. Help me?"
[Eruphel(#20109)]
Rolling onto her feet, a dagger flicks into Eruphel's hand as she crouches, facing her opponent. But as he moves toward her quickly, she turns on her heel to flee. Only the speed in which the ranger catches up keeps her from crying out for guards, as she cannot afford the breath. With him hard on her heels, she reverses the hold on her dagger, and blindly swings her arm behind her, hoping to get lucky.
[<#20135>]
In answer, Azradi struggles to her feet and draws her scimitar. "He won't leave here free, or perhaps even alive," she says in a low growl, preparing to run after the fleeing pair.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
The daggerblade scrapes against the outstretched hand, and it is in turn thrown aside. But whether it pierces the leather gauntlet or no, it does not hinder Amrundirn's pace. The mask that hides his face produces a sound not unlike a snarl.
"Fine then."
He lunges forward with great effort, swinging the pommel of his sword at Eruphel's head.
Ceredir:
"Amrundirn!" Ceredir calls out, getting quickly to his feet so that he can follow Azradi. "Flee! This is madness! Their guards will be on us!"
[Eruphel(#20109)]
The dagger is knocked from Eruphel's hand, and she gives it no more thought, crying out for help from the watch. But the sound is scarcely left her lips when she is knocked sideways by a hard, metal object to her temple, which makes her crumple to the ground in a tumbling heap.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Brandishing her scimitar, tall Azradi runs after her friend and the Ranger that pursues her. She does not yell for help yet, possibly for fear of alerting her free presence to the Gondorian before she can prevent him from hurting the Seaward lady.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
Halting thus, the Ranger looks a moment toward the fire over yonder as intent a stare as can be made in a heartbeat, 'ere he drops to one knee, swordhand grasping at the fingers of the other gauntlet and removing it. This hand settles upon the temple where he made his mark oddly.
All the while he does not look back, despite Ceredir's call.
Ceredir:
"Amrundirn! Go! Go now!" Ceredir is a few paces behind Azradi--though not near enough to strike her. "Go now! While you can!"
[Eruphel(#20109)]
Dazed and laying sprawled in the crushed, fragrant grass, the Seaward Lady is...alive, and even conscious, though Eruphel's eyes are unfocused and her hand movements seem undirected and random. She rolls her head from side to side, looking wide-eyed at everything, but what she might see seems doubtful. But with every moment she is recovering, and suddenly her eyes focus on the ranger's face above her, and her brow furrows.
[Azradi(#20135)]
A tall figure comes upon the crouching Ranger, tall as many Gondorian men even. But there the resemblance ends for this looming figure, for the blade-flat that comes swinging towards the side of Amrundin's head is curved and the voice that now gives forth a yell is a woman's. "Farside to me!"
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
"Be still," Says Amrundirn, removing his hand as Eruphel comes to -- sufficient evidence the blow was not too harsh -- on a firm low voice. "What is the truth of Ceredir's captivity in Umbar? Who d-..."
Farside. Quick feet behind. A blade hewing the air.
He has only the time to halfway turn his head ere -- with a WHACK! -- he tumbles to the side, having caught the scimitar on his brow above the rim of his leather helm or below is hard to say.
Ceredir:
"Take him..." Ceredir says breathlessly, running up next to Azradi in time to see the Ranger fall. "Take him...either to his death or as your captive, but he cannot come back to Gondor. Not if you still wish me there as the sworn man of Lord Alphros."
[Eruphel(#20109)]
In Eruphel's state, Amrundirn should have started the quick interrogation with, "how many fingers am I holding up?" and worked his way up to the more complex questions. She just looks at him blankly, for the brief moment he hovers over her, before she sees the sword of Azradi...nearly in slow motion, swing by and bat him off her. But she does have the presence of mind, at least, to roll over and stagger to her feet, but when she should be assaulting the man, she just stands there for a moment or two.
[Amrundirn(#29212)]
The Ranger lies motionless.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Roughly, Azradi pushes the unconscious Ranger onto his stomach, dropping her scimitar into the grass, she drops to one knee, which is placed firmly in against his back and reaches to bring his arms behind him.
The sound of running feet comes near as the first Farside guards reach the scene. Azradi glances up to the dazed Eruphel, then to her men. She rises from the prone Ranger. "Tie him and bring him to the garrison. Ceredir, come with us."
And as her men follow her orders, the Farside lady retrieves her scimitar and moves to help the Seaward Lady, "Are you alright, Eruphel? There is a healer in the garrison." Gently she urges the lady forward along the path that leads back to the watch fire.
Eruphel(#20109)]
"Oh yes...I would just like to rest..." Eruphel says, moving slowly back toward the fire and the garrisoned troops beyond. "I'll be fine later." After that, she says little more, but goes directly to her own tent.
Ceredir:
At the approach of the Farside guards, Ceredir has the good sense to sheath his dagger and show both hands, empty of weapons, to the approaching soldiers. He watches impassively as the Ranger is tied up, his expression behind his mask hardening, though that shows only in the hard line of his mouth. And then he nods at the Farside woman's words, following along with her.
Players: Amrundirn,Ceredir,Azradi,Eruphel
