A killer in Bree

Breelands Weather

The mid afternoon autumn air is cool but pleasant around you. The sky above is a glorious pale blue with only specks of white cloud floating around.

Grassy Meadow

Here, north of Bree proper, a rolling field overgrown with grasses and wildflowers, dandelions and berry-bushes spreads west of the road north. Here and there a small tree provides shade on the mounds of grass, ample coverage in the heat or the rain for one to sit and enjoy the open space. South and east a large hedge has grown up, blocking the view of Bree.

Contents:

Thari

Obvious exits:

East

[Frarin] The afternoon is clear and brisk this day, with a chill in the air despite the blue skies above. Here in the grassy meadow just to the north of Bree, a firm breeze blows the tops of the brown grass, still damp from the previous snow, and whistles through the empty branches of the few lone trees.

It sings also in the halter of the grey pony who transgresses the meadow, creating a silver tinkle as metal strikes metal. And lastly, it brushes aside the edges of the heavy cloak that hugs the shoulders of the pony\'s rider. But Frarin seems unconcerned by the breeze, wrapped as he is in his winter cloak, with hands gloved and a wool scarf about his neck.

He comes from the distance, heading south towards Bree at a slow trot as if returning from an afternoon ride.

[Thari(#31038)]

Another dwarf comes riding from the south, pony walking sedately. The dwarf\'s head is tilted back as she looks up and over at the hedge-- the yellow hood slides back enough to reveal that it is Thari, if her gold-streaked and short beard were not enough of a hint.

Perhaps something catches the corner of her eye, for she glances north, up the meadow. \"Ho, Frarin Forli\'s son!\" she cries out gladly, then taps the side of her pony to urge it into a trot toward him.

[Frarin] The distant grey pony and rider continue their trot through the wide meadow, though Frarin raises his hand as well when Thari cries out to him. \"Hail, Balur\'s child!\" he calls back once he has neared some. He comes closer still and eventually slows his mount to a brisk walk. Looped around the horn of his saddle are his two walking sticks, but he seems to ride with relative ease.

\"Good afternoon, Thari,\" Frarin says with a small smile, tugging at his beard with one hand as the other grasps the reins of the good pony Barim. \"What brings you out of Bree this day? I thought merely to enjoy the clear weather myself, and give Barim here some well-needed exercise.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

\"Oh, about the same,\" Thari says, smiling wider than Frarin does. Her pony is still allowed to trot until she is closer to him. \"I\'ll be honest with you, it\'s a bit of a bother to have such a aching limp, and I\'ve taken to using a cane when I\'m alone.\"

She looks away at this confession for a moment, but slows her mount to a walk. She pulls back the reins when her pony is beside his and then glances back to him with a smile. \"It\'s been a long time since I\'ve had such a lingering injury.\"

[Frarin] \"Oh indeed,\" Frarin says with a knowing nod, still smiling as he brings his pony to a halt beside Thari. \"I have not walked without support for...\" He pauses, considering. \"For over four months now. I think I am beyond frustration.\" And at that he gives a soft chuckle, patting the two supports hanging from his saddle. \"Beyond stubborn resolve as well, it would seem. I walk with these most of the time.\"

He glances back to the the hedge and Bree for a moment, thoughtful, then looks again to Thari with a light shrug. \"Still, I think perhaps they do little real good anymore. The bones are set and I fear they have not realigned properly. And what of your own hip? Does it ache only? One of the healers told me that a permanent limp after a broken hip is all too common, alas.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

Thari\'s smile switches to a stern frown. \"I thought that you were only still healing!\" she says, almost scoldingly. \"Do they think you will need walking-sticks your whole life? This cannot be so. May I?\"

Without waiting for a response she leans over to reach beneath his cloak for his hip. Only belatedly, it appears that the part of her that is his potential mate battles the part of her that is his healer, and so she hesitates, hand perhaps an inch away from touching him.

[Frarin] \"Well I will not be healing my entire life,\" Frarin retorts with a frown to equal Thari\'s. \"It has been three months as of tomorrow, the bones are more than set. A bit of exercise will do no harm. And no, I will not walk with a stick all the rest of my years. That much I refuse, at least. But a limp? Only time can tell.\"

He shifts his shoulder back slightly as Thari reaches out to check his hip, pulling back the edge of his cloak. But when she hesitates, his brows come together. \"Go on then,\" he grunts impatiently. \"You /are/ still a healer, I trust?\"

[Thari(#31038)]

\"There\'s no need to be like that, Frarin,\" Thari says testily. her hand drops to his injured hip and she begins to rub it hard, to feel the shape of the bones beneath the flesh. \"Yes, it\'s--\" she drops her pony\'s reins on his neck and leans closer to the silversmith, reaching for his good hip, which she presses as well.

A moment later she releases him and straightens, face gone red from the cold presumably. \"Well it\'s knit wrong and there\'s no mistake about that. You must overcome this,\" she says briskly, \"and you will if you work at it.\"

[Frarin] \"I mean to,\" Frarin replies with a nod, having said nothing during Thari\'s examination. \"Still, it is only a hip, is it not?\" This he says with a smile, the brief impatience gone now. \"And I can still defend myself well enough, even with a limp.\"

As if to make his point, the silver merchant pulls Barim away from Thari slightly and leans forward, kicking both boots from their stirrups. The right leg swings up and over the pony\'s rear end, then, holding hard to the saddle, Frarin gently lowers himself to the ground. He comes to land on his right leg with only a small grimace. Unlooping one of the walking sticks from the pommel of the saddle, he takes it up in his left hand, using the other to hold his reins. \"There,\" he says, looking up to the Thari. \"I can dismount easily enough. There is no physical limitation other than pain now, and that is forgotten easily enough in battle. Do not worry yourself, Thari.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]      From the direction of the north gate of Bree there comes the rumble of voices. More aptly, one voice rumbles (and seems to be making threats that involve manlings and a hammer) while the other seems to be taking a more neutral tone. There can be no doubt that the rumbling voice is the Thane Ovor who else makes threats like that?

Indeed, it is the Thane and the Captain of his Huskarls that enter the field, though if they notice the other two Dwarves they give no sign at the moment their own conversation (some might say argument) taking their attention.

[Thari(#31038)]

\"I am not worrying,\" Thari contradicts. She peers over Barim\'s back to watch Frarin. \"Of course you will overcome it. I am sure that before the winter is gone you won\'t be even using those sticks anymore. You are a very hard-working and strong dwarf.\"

A quick smile flashes and is gone again. Thari looks over her shoulder at the sound of voices and watches the Thane and his Captain.

[Frarin] \"Mmm,\" is Frarin\'s only reply to Thari\'s compliment, though he does offer a small smile to the healer, and there is a hint of his being pleased in the expression. But his attention is likewise momentarily stolen by the sound of arguing voices that emerges from Bree. Frarin turns, one hand on Barim\'s neck as he looks over the pony in the direction of the town. The two figures are set against the darkness of the hedge, but clearly visible in the sunny atmosphere.

Glancing back to Thari, Frarin raises his voice and lifts a hand towards Ovor. \"Hail Thane!\" he calls across the meadow, as much to give greeting to the two approaching dwarves as to alert them to the possibility of their argument being overheard.

[Ovor(#20753)]     Indeed, once the call of the silver merchant is heard the arguing Dwarves fall silent the Thane\'s head turning quickly to see who it is that has called. For a change, his hammer is secured on his back rather than resting on his shoulder. Both Dwarves shift their path to bring them closer to the other two and the Thane speaks once he is closer.

\"Hail and well met Frarin, Thari.\" Rumbles the Thane, the Huskarl Captain nodding respectfully to the other two Dwarves in lieu of speaking. \"I trust all is well?\" An eyebrow is arched a moment by Ovor as he asks the question.

[Thari(#31038)]

\"Good afternoon!\" calls Thari. She spends a moment or two urging her pony to turn about so that she might face the others. She bows while mounted. \"What brings the both of you here?\" She allows herself a glance toward Frarin.

[Frarin] With his usual somber expression settling comfortably into place, Frarin offers a bow to Ovor as he and the Huskarl Captain approach. It is still a somewhat awkward action, given the walking stick, but deep and respectful nonetheless. \"Indeed, very well, lord,\" Frarin answers, coming around so that his pony does not stand between him and the others. \"I have been seeing that my ponies are well exercised. They have been idle some many months now. And Thari was preparing to do the same, I believe, she has only just come from the town.\"

Frowning beneath his beard, the silversmith tips his head forward slightly and lifts his brows, tentatively continuing, \"And I trust all is well with you as well, my lord?\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     A grunt comes from the Thane as he shakes his head slightly. \"This business with Norli still has me...\" Here the Thane trails off a moment before speaking again. \"Wrong footed, shall we say we have found little so far.\" It seems the Thane does not feel the need to mention his threat earlier in the argument. \"We came here so our... discussion would not be overheard by the manlings in Bree. At least, no more that needed to be overheard.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

Thari\'s shoulders slump just a little as Norli\'s name is spoken. \"The poor lad,\" she sighs, for possibly the fiftieth time. She does not dismount as Frarin does, but nudges her beast a step or two closer to Ovor and his Captain. \"What is being done about it? Is anything more known?\"

[Frarin] Nodding as Ovor explains, Frarin grows solemn, dark shadow tracing their way beneath his eyes and about his mouth. He is silent for a time, glancing back to the Bree as the Thane mentions being overheard. But he nods after Thari. \"Indeed, is any more known? I have made some inqueries about the town, but to little avail, as you might expect of Bree.\"

He waves absently towards the hedge. \"But you are not alone, Thane. There are many in our company who have felt on edge since Norli\'s death. It does not bode well, what with what we found at the scene. Difficult to explain.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"Oh, there\'s a perfectly sound explanation for it: a manling.\" The Thane growls, shaking his head. \"Little. I have had my Huskarls questioning and listening but we have found little. You would think the people of Bree would be more willing to help us in this matter, if for no other reason then one of them is likely responsible.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

\"You know, I\'ve been thinking that we ought to be talking to the Breefolk women as much as the men,\" Thari says rather suddenly, nearly interrupting the Thane. She starts to dismount on the right side of her pony, who moves sideways a little at this unconventional treatment.

\"They look weak and almost useless sometimes but I\'ve been thinking, and maybe they\'re slyer than we\'ve been crediting them for.\"

[Frarin] Frarin\'s frown deepens still as the Thane growls his frustration, though the merchant does offer a conciliatory nod. \"If a citizen of Bree is responsible for Norli\'s death,\" he rumbles, \"then that is likely all the more reason not to be helpful on the matter. Not to protect that person, perhaps, so as much as to put off the thought of one of their own being a murderer. You have seen for yourself how the town despises the unusual.\" His brows come together, however, as he adds, \"And yet we should not be so quick to assume and to accuse Bree of harbouring a murderer.\"

\"Eriador is a vast land with few settlements and the number of lone men who roam it we do not know. It might very well have been a passing bandit. And there is still the matter that Norli was not robbed. Why would a Breeman kill a dwarf if not for money?\" But as Thari mentions the possibility of considering women as much as men, Frarin offers her a quizzical expression. \"What makes you say that? Human women are not dwarf women. They may be sly, perhaps, but killers? She would have to have had experience in the matter to take on a dwarf with Norli\'s experience, even if he was drunk.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"Because if Norli had been robbed we would be doing much more than asking questions, Frarin.\" The Thane rumbles, glancing back towards the town for a moment. \"While if they were to wait until we left and then paid a visit to where he was burried...\" The Thane lets the thought trail off into silence before flicking his gaze to Thari, an eyebrow arched slightly.

\"Frarin speaks true... however, the manling women may know more than the men I would imagine they overhear much, especially if they worked in the Pony.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

\"Well I don\'t know,\" Thari says, her chin held high. \"Probably just that woman the other night made me think of it, and some of the ladies here seem to be very angry. None of the races treat their women as honorably and respectfully as we do, you know. And Norli\'s axe-arm was near useless.\"

She sighs though, and her shoulders drop a little again. \"You\'re right. I can\'t imagine how a human woman would overpower a dwarf as strong as Norli even with his injured arm.\"

A long pause, and her brows draw together. She touches her axe while looking at Ovor. \"Grave-robbers. I hadn\'t thought of that. And we have so many buried here, too!\"

[Frarin] Frarin looks from Ovor to Thari as each speaks in turn, but he is silent, almost brooding. Certainly he does not look pleased. \"Better that they could have been buried in stone, as is our custom,\" he mutters, more to himself than the others. \"Still, let us think on it. Norli was killed in the wild, or as good as. It was mere chance that brought Hal to discover his body at Combe Stream. Had he been killed near town, where his discovery would have been fairly swift and his burial soon thereafter, then perhaps the possibility of a grave robber would be logical. But it might have been weeks before he was found, if ever.\"

Frarin speaks low now, assembling his thoughts aloud as he looks at the ground intently, eyes glazed over in thought. Then with an intake of breath, he looks up and frowns. \"What if he was robbed, but not of all he owned? That has been the most troubling part of this whole affair for me. That he was killed, I think we can most of us agree. And not accidentally. But if he was murdered, why leave his valuables behind? The rings perhaps, those are identifiable. But the money? What if some was taken and some left behind, to make it appear he had not indeed been robbed?\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"But if the killer is a manling of Bree and he did not wish it to seem so, would he not kill him in the wild?\" The Thane\'s voice is quiet now as he looks at Frarin the Huskarl Captain seems to be keeping watch. \"We would have searched when we noticed him missing, no? We would have found him I have little doubt... but, I think it would have worked out either way for the killer. If we find him and burry him, it is just a visit to his grave. If we do not, then the killer simply returns to the body.\"

A few moments of silence from the Thane before he speaks again. \"It did seem that his purse had fewer coins then it should have, but I can not say for certain I do not know how much coin Norli carried regularly. But why only take a few coins rather than all?\"

[Thari(#31038)]

\"To make it seem as if he was not robbed at all,\" Thari answers Ovor promptly. \"As Frarin said. Maybe whoever slew Norli wished to protect the Breefolk and rightfully feared the wrath of the dwarves.

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"The Breefolk are the most obvious suspects, so such a course failed.\" The Thane growls, shaking his head. \"The fact alone that he was not robbed of his rings and coin points to the fact that it is a manling from Bree if it was some wandering thief they would have been taken.\"

A brief pause as his gaze flicks to Thari. \"But why would the murder wish to protect the Breefolk? We are not here to do them harm we came here to help them... a choice that I am very much regretting.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

\"Even a murder can have family and little ones,\" Thari growls. She loops the reins behind the pony\'s neck and limps a step away. The beast begins cropping grass from the ground. \"They never thought we had saved them. Perhaps this is more of the same. Kill the useless dwarves, steal their gold.\"

[Frarin] \"Aye, I agree now,\" Frarin puts in, nodding to Ovor. \"A passing bandit would have taken all of Norli\'s things without thought. Even his axe. Whomever committed this act likely suspected they would run into his kin, thus explaining the attempt to create the scene of an accident where there had in fact been murder.\" He breathes deeply as he thinks, but he frowns still and shakes his head.

\"Very well then, we have established it was very likely someone here in Bree, or one of the outlying villages. But that brings us no further towards deciding who. Likely someone in need of money, but that includes half the town. And who is to say if anyone but the killer knows the doer of the deed, he may have struck alone. In which case our questioning would still be fruitless.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"If the killer does have a family, he was not thinking of them when he killed Norli. And he had hope that the Bree authorities get him before I do.\" A brief pause from the Thane before he nods. \"My Huskarls will double their efforts, focusing on the outlying villages.\" Here the Huskarl Captain nods.

\"I hope to have this finished before we depart... Norli deserves it.\" The words are quietly murmured by Ovor before he glances to Thari, a slight grin twisting his features. \"They will discover that Dwarves are far from useless when we track them down.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

Thari places a hand on her injured hip and rubs it unmindfully while watching Frarin and nodding in agreement as he speaks. She even, oddly, seems to smile a little, but this dies before she glances back to Ovor. \"We must be careful,\" she says, and there is something awkward and hesitant in her voice. \"I want Norli avenged, I do, but we must not punish the Breefolk more than really needed. I am loathe to think that we would come all of this way, lose half of our folk to save them, and then end up waging war on them ourselves.

[Frarin] \"And Bree deserves better than that,\" Frarin adds after Thari, glancing at her with approval. Then, looking back to Ovor, \"You know my mind, lord, though you do not share it. I am still glad that we chose to come west to Bree, even if we have had no gratitude in return. But Bree\'s inaction should not lead us to jump to conclusions as we seek for Norli\'s murderer. Thari is right, we have not lost all we have only to turn on those people that we lost it for.\"

Barim nuzzles at Frarin\'s back and the silversmith pauses to raise a hand to the pony\'s velvet nose, thoughtfully rubbing it. \"So we make our queries quietly,\" he continues, looking now to Bree. \"And not to cause offense. We should seek for one who has been poor, yet suddenly better off of late. Surely the gossip at the inn will yield some possibilities.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"I will do only what I must. No more, no less.\" Is the Thane\'s quiet response before he nods slightly. \"Quiet queries are best we do not want the murderer to flee before he is captured... and, yes, the inn will be good to gather information. I can promise you two that if you come across information that leads to the killer, you will be rewarded by my own hand.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

\"That\'s a good idea, Frarin, to look for someone whose fortunes have changed.\" Thari nods. She takes a step toward her own pony, who has been wandering some distance from the dwarves. \"A reward\'s a good idea, too. Perhaps spread it among the Breefolk. They would be eager for the money!\"

[Frarin] \"Perhaps too eager though,\" Frarin warns with a dark look. \"We would have an endless supply of informers. And who is to say if the murderer would not be among them, feeding us false information? I say we leave the matter to our own company. But that is your decision, my lord.\" Falling silent for a time, the silver merchant heaves a heavy sigh of a sudden, eyes moving towards the west now. \"If we are to find the guilty party though, we shall have to do so soon. The first snow is already come and if we are not gone from Bree soon, then we shall be forced to remain for the winter. Know you when we are due to depart, Thane?\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"Too many informants and too much false information. I would rather pay a select few after seeing if their information is correct rather than paying them up front. Though, yes, most of this will be dealt with by our own company.\" A few moments of silence from the Thane as his brow furrows in thought.

\"I cannot say. I have not heard anything I will speak with Master Gimli when I get the chance.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

Thari limps painfully toward the pony, upright but slow. She catches the reins and begins leading him back to the other dwarves. \"It almost feels as if we are abandoning poor Norli to leave him now,\" she comments, eyes on Frarin.

[Frarin] \"Indeed,\" Frarin rumbles quietly, glancing to the healer as she looks at him. Then, heavier this time, he repeats the word as his gaze sinks to the ground. \"Indeed.\" Frowning, he raises his eyes again, this time to Ovor. \"Perhaps it might be best to stay in Bree, after all, my lord. It would be a hard journey to Ered Luin in any case, with the snows already begun, and we would need to leave in early spring if we are to make it home, accounting for the possibility for delay.\"

\"If you desired more time to investigate the death of your clansman, my lord, I for one would not argue against it. We are sure to return to Bree again, perhaps then we might see the halls where our Lord Thorin found haven.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     The Thane shakes his head slightly, running a hand through his beard. \"No, we go this winter to the Ered Luin we have been too long without real ale. It may snow but we will be going through the Shire, so we should not have many problems. As much as I would like to catch the killer, we have been away from Dwarven halls for too long.\"

A slight sigh from the Thane as he turns his gaze towards Bree. \"We will see what we can find. If we come up with any useful information we will investigate until we leave we can follow up once we come back through.\"

[Thari(#31038)]

\"It would be nice to be in a dwarf-home again,\" Thari confesses, low. She palms her pony\'s nose as she rounds to the beast\'s right side. \"I love the road, I do, but once a year or so it\'s nice to be able to walk alone without feeling guilty or wary and to wear a skirt and have even strangers in taverns call me \'lass\'.\" She half-smiles and then gives a grunt while heaving herself upon the saddle.

[Thari(#31038)]

Mounting backwards as she is, Thari is awkward, and she tilts too far forward. Her simple axe slides from her belt to fall to the ground. \"Oh, drat.\"

[Frarin] Frarin smiles at Thari as she reminisces about dwarven halls and the comforts of home. \"Aye indeed,\" he says simply, still with a small smile as he drops his gaze. But as the healer hauls herself up onto her pony, the sound of her axe falling brings Frarin\'s eyes up again in question. As the source of the disturbance becomes evident, he comes forward and leans, slightly awkwardly, to retrieve the dropped blade.

Without a word, the silver merchant makes as if to return the axe to its owner, but he pauses for a moment, examining the simply axe. \"Is this new, Thari?\" he asks. \"It does not look very worn.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"More than nice... I am tired of not feeling good, Dwarf-worked stone under my feet, needless to say of taverns, food and ale.\" This the Thane murmurs quietly his eyes turn back at the sound of the axe dropping, an eyebrow arched a moment at the silver merchant\'s question.

[Thari(#31038)]

\"Yes, it is,\" Thari says. \"Fairly good, too, don\'t you think? Traded it from the other dwarves. Always worth a little extra money if you get good quality for it.\" She waits until Frarin is done examining the weapon before reaching for it.

\"I lost my axe in the last battle. I was dazed, of course, and was only thinking of retreiving one thing from the battleground, and my axe wasn\'t it, I\'m afraid.\" She tucks the axe back into her belt and bows to the both of them, Ovor just as deeply as Frarin. \"Well, I\'m off. Good afternoon!\" Her eyes linger on the silversmith for a brief moment before she clucks and urges her pony to ride south and away.

[Frarin] The silver merchant gives a grunt, though he smiles as well, as Thari speaks. \"Indeed, I am grateful for it,\" he says, then nods after the healer. \"Good afternoon!\" Once she is gone, Frarin gives his pony another idle pat, though the beast has dipped its head to pull at the brown grass. \"I have nearly lost my own hammer once or twice these past months,\" he says conversationally to Ovor, patting the blue-tinted war hammer at his side. \"Both times that we have met that troll, in fact.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     Both the Thane and the Huskarl Captain bow to Thari as she leaves before the Thane turns his attention to Frarin, an eyebrow arched a moment. \"Nearly lost your hammer? Is there no lanyard for you to have around your wrist?\" After a moment, the Thane brings his own hammer from his back, resting the head on his foot. \"My own... I would never lose it. My uncle put much work into it.\"

[Frarin] \"No indeed,\" Frarin replies, likewise drawing his own weapon. And indeed, there is no loop of leather or twine at the bottom of the halt. It is entirely of that strange blue metal, wrapped with black leather. \"Do you, my lord? A lanyard inhibits the movement of the hammer, I find. If I should twist the hammer, the lanyard tightens on my wrist. And if I should change the direction of my swing and reposition my hands, that too is difficult to do with it chained to my wrist.\"

As if to prove his point, the silver merchant reloops his walking stick to the pommel of his saddle to leave both hands free, though he is careful to lean his weight upon his good right leg. Then he takes up the hammer, right hand half way up the haft, left at the bottom. Perfect for a swing from the right. And in one deft motion he switches the arrangement, so that his left hand is at the centre of the haft and his right at the bottom, for a swing from the left. \"Nay,\" he continues, \"I would rather risk losing my hammer than having it impede me in battle.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     The Thane shakes his head slightly, hefting his own hammer in his hands, the iron plates in his gloves ringing gently. \"No, mine does not either. And I would not think to alter the work of my uncle in the fifty years he spent on it, I am sure he must have considered it.\" A few moments pass in silence before Ovor nods and speaks again.

\"Ay, true, repositioning the hands would be difficult, but there is an advantage to having the weapon secured to your wrist.\"

[Frarin] \"Fifty years?\" Frarin repeats, brows lifting. \"How did it come to take him so long to complete? My own I did not know the origin so surely of.\" He holds it up again now, silently running his eyes over the sleek metal and the trim head. \"I purchased it, long ago, in Erebor, but the merchant knew not its origins. It had passed from trader to trader, and then to another, though in my case it was for use. But a fine weapon it is, and it has served me very well. Well balanced, with enough weight at the head to do damage, but not to pull the bearer off his centre.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"Ay, fifty years. He wanted it to be as perfect as he could achieve. The shape and flow of the metal, though I believe most of the time was spent looking for the right runes to be marked upon it he gave it to me when I turned 100.\" The Thane falls silent as Frarin speaks of his own hammer, eyes narrowing slightly as he looks at it. \"Hmm... it does look fine, ay, though I could not say how long ago it was forged. If I was a weapon smith, I might be able to tell.\"

[Frarin] \"The mark of a true smith,\" Frarin nods with a touch of approval, as Ovor relates the history of his weapon. \"As a Thane deserves, of course. And especially for Zinbar, which, if I recall correctly, has historically been a clan of warriors? For my own, I do not seek its age, for it is during its present life that I have known its worth, and that is enough. For some lord of old, I thought it might have been crafted, with its haft such a strange blue, and that is how I call it, The Old Lord, as befits its honour.\"

\"But a hammer is only so useful as the dwarf who wields it.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"That we were. Those few that remain of the original family still try to maintain such, but... well, the majority of Zinbar is now leather workers.\" The Thane shrugs slightly before he nods thoughtfully. \"Ay, it does seem that it might be such, and a good name. My hammer... is simply the Hammer of Ironhand.\" Another slight shrug.

\"That is quite true, as it is with any weapon. It can be crafted by master smiths and perfect of balance... but if the wielder is not skilled, all that is for nothing.\"

[Frarin] The silver merchant nods respectfully as Ovor speaks of Clan Zinbar, frowning thoughtfully at the mention of the dwindling original families. But he says nothing on that note, instead taking up the last thread. \"Indeed, and too many forget that, I fear. It takes diligent practice, and patience, to master a weapon. But with the world as it is, it is not perhaps so surprising that many go forth ill-prepared for the true dangers of the road.\"

He falls silent in reflection at that, but it lasts only a moment. \"I was once thus, though that time is long past. Fortune saw that I learned my trade as well as my defense with no harm while still young on the road.\" Slipping the hammer back into the iron loop on his belt, Frarin then comes around to the right side of his pony and takes the rear and pommel of the saddle in his hands. Then, just as carefully as Thari had some moments previous, he gingerly hefts himself up and into the saddle. A grimace follows and his jaw tightens, but he makes no sound.

[Ovor(#20753)]     With a nod, the Thane secures his hammer on his back. \"I was fortunate to receive instruction in how to wield my weapon while I served in the Huskarls of the previous Thane of Zinbar, in addition what was tought by my father... but any good warrior will always seek to continue to improve himself.\"

As Frarin mounts, the Thane falls silent for a few moments before nodding slightly. \"If you are heading back to the township, I would appreciate if you would send one of my Huskarls with an update on their search. I think I shall stay out here a little while longer.\"

[Frarin] Frarin gives as much a bow as a seated position allows as the Thane makes his request. \"I will indeed, my lord. I mean to return to the stables first, but then perhaps to a drink at the inn. Certainly I shall begin inqueries anew, with what we discussed in mind. Nothing is certain, of course, but I think we might hope to have some luck in our search if we look for one recently endowed with more coin than they should be. Good afternoon, my lord.\"

With a respectful nod to Ovor, the silver merchant clucks and prods the heel of his right boot into Barim\'s grey flank. The pony gives a snort, but breaks into a trot almost immediately. And soon pony and rider are gone, disappeared behind the looming hedge of Bree to leave the Thane and his Captain to their business.

[Combat(#13388)->Frarin]

You train Ovor in war hammer and he learns quickly.