[The One Ring] The Marsh Bell

[Voda Vosa]

"Perhaps, or perhaps they had to leave fast. A dwarf never cuts a knot, unless he has to. Perhaps something was after them..." murmured Kurin, giving an appreciative look at the cut rope, as Hobnob points it out.

 

[JoeNotCharles]

The hobbit picks through the campfire. "I'm not a tracker. Anyone have any idea how long ago they were here?"

"Last week they were here," says Holti, who has lingered to watch you as the rest of the villagers depart. "Five days ago. No, six now." He frowns at the cut rope. "I don't know why they left in such a hurry, though. I come down here sometimes to make sure the stair is still in good repair, and I've never seen anything menacing." He looks out over the swamps apprehensively. In the distance you hear the long croaking call of a frog.

[sblock=OOC]
Riggins, roll Search to see if you find anything in the fire - TN 14.

Anyone who wants to look for tracks, signs of where the boat went, etc, should also roll Search, TN 14, and mention exactly what you're looking for (or where you're looking).
[/sblock]

 

[Iron Sky]

Authiel examines the area for signs of whatever made the dwarves flee, but finds nothing.

[sblock=Search Roll]1d12(6)+1d6(1)=7. Fail.[/sblock]

[sblock=Authiel]Name: Authiel Silivrenniel Culture: Elf of Mirkwood Standard of Living: Martial
Cultural blessing: Folk of the Dusk Calling: Warden Shadow weakness: Lure of Power
Specialties: Mirkwood-lore, Woodwright, Shadow-lore
Distinctive features: Hardened, Keen-eyed
Body: 5 Heart: 3 Wits: 6
Body (favoured): 7 Heart (favoured): 6 Wits (favoured): 7
-Common Skills-

• Awe: 2 Inspire: 0 Persuade: 0 AP: 0
• Athletics: 3 Travel: 1 Stealth: 2 AP: 2
• Awareness: 2 Insight: 0 Search: 1 AP: 0
• Explore: 1 Healing: 1 Hunting: 1 AP: 0
• Song: 2 Courtesy: 0 Riddle: 0 AP: 1
• Craft: 1 Battle: 2 Lore: 3 AP: 1

-Weapon Skills-

• Bow: 3 damage: 5 edge: 10 injury: 14 enc: 1
• Sword: 1 damage: 5 edge: 10 injury: 16 enc: 2
• Dagger: 1 damage: 3 edge: G injury: 12 enc: 1

-Virtues-:
-Rewards-: Woodland Bow
-Gear-

• Mail shirt enc: 12
• Cap of iron and leather enc: 2
• Buckler enc: 1

Endurance: 25 Starting Endurance: 25 Fatigue: 19 Hope: 11 Starting Hope: 11 Shadow: 0 Armour: 3 Headgear: 1 Parry: 6 Shield: 1 Damage: 0 Ranged: 0 Wisdom: 1 Valour: 2 Experience: 0 Total Experience: 0 [/sblock]

 

[JoeNotCharles]

Alas, the stony shore is too hard to have preserved any footprints or other markings for Authiel to find.

 

[CaBaNa]

Letting his inquisitive nature take the better of him, Hobnob makes a bold suggestion, Why don't we search the area, and wait out this fog?

The hobbit doesn't wait for an answer jumping straight for the rope, he picks it up and examines the evidence more closely. You say this area is generally safe, and Kurin assures us a dwarf wouldn't cut a knot unless he must. Hmm... Hobnob weighs the conflicting assertions, he takes a long draw of his pipe, rolling the rope in his hand; clearing his mind of everything but the evidence at hand.

Holti, I'd like your village to have this, thanks for your hospitality. says Hobnob as he stands from his contemplation. The hobbit retrieves about a days worth of his own pipeweed, a considerable amount indeed, and gifts it to Holti; gauging his reaction.

After a few moments pass, Hobnob begins again My cousin and I are setting up to expand our fore-fathers trade here, and if your village would look favorably upon us in the future as well, we'd be greatly honored. The young Hornblower wanted to leave a good impression on possible trade routes, and assumed this enough to guarantee a celebration from the small village. At the same time he was looking for signs of guilt or untruth from the villager.

[sblock=OOC]

Using search on rope to determine as much as possible from that small piece of evidence, specifically; was it actually cut, or did it snap. Does it appear that the boat was full or empty upon being cut from the line, or would the stake not be able to support that kind of weight.

(Invoking trait Smoking for search, as Hobnob will be using it for clarity of mind, and concentration.)
EDIT: GANDALF! WOO!

Using insight to scrutinize Holti.
15 vs Holti
with a 6 on Success!

[/sblock]

 

[CaBaNa]

OOC: bump

 

[JoeNotCharles]

The hobbit doesn't wait for an answer jumping straight for the rope, he picks it up and examines the evidence more closely. You say this area is generally safe, and Kurin assures us a dwarf wouldn't cut a knot unless he must. Hmm... Hobnob weighs the conflicting assertions, he takes a long draw of his pipe, rolling the rope in his hand; clearing his mind of everything but the evidence at hand.

The rope fibers are stretched slightly - Hobnob, being from the Shire, doesn't have much knowledge of boats, but he's seen the same type of strain on carts pulling heavy loads. It seems like the boat was loaded fairly heavily. But the rope didn't snap - it was definitely cut cleanly by a sharp knife. Which suggests that it was Borin or Óin who did the cutting - no dwarf would ever carry a dull knife.

What Kurin said has the ring of truth - Hobnob is certain that the dwarves did feel that they had to leave in a hurry. Which means that either Holti is lying when he said that it was mostly safe here, or perhaps that the dwarves wanted to leave the village behind in a hurry... they would have been wearing bright gold and dressed richly, as envoys to the King of the Eagles - a tempting target for the impoverished villagers. Were they worried about thievery? But Holti and the elders seemed so open and friendly, Hobnob hates to think ill of them.

Holti, I'd like your village to have this, thanks for your hospitality. says Hobnob as he stands from his contemplation. The hobbit retrieves about a days worth of his own pipeweed, a considerable amount indeed, and gifts it to Holti; gauging his reaction.

Holti's mouth stretches open in a wide grin. He bows deeply in thanks and sniffs at the pouch's rich aroma. "Thanks for your kingly gift!" he cries. The hobbit is certain that he is being utterly sincere. These men are clearly not thieves.

So why would the dwarves flee so quickly? Perhaps it is only usually safe, and they were surprised by some marsh creature... Hobnob sucks on his own share of weed as he ponders.

The rich pipeweed fills his lungs and puffs out, swirling around the hobbit's head until he is wreathed in his own cloud of mist. As he contemplates the eddies in the smoke, Hobnob is struck by how easy it is to see patterns there, as if little capering figures were dancing around his head. The mists of the marsh trick the eye in almost the same way.

Of course - Holti said it was safe here, but the dwarves didn't know that! They rushed down to make camp without stopping to speak to the locals. They must seen shapes moving in the fog, and whether it was a rare beast that ventured close to the village, or just phantasms, they would have felt threatened and departed as hastily as possible.

[sblock=OOC]
1 AP in Perception for your Insight roll. And then a second in Perception for your Search roll invoking Smoking. (If I'd done it the other way around, you'd only have gotten 1 AP for succeeding at Search with or without the Smoking trait, and then Insight wouldn't get another because it wasn't a very difficult task and you didn't invoke a trait... Funny how that works.)
[/sblock]

Holti accepts Hobnob's offer of trade as gladly as the pipeweed, and hurries off up the stair to bring the news to the elders. They will look for you on your journey back - if you return.

Now that you are alone on the landing, do you have more investigation you want to do, or are you ready to launch your own boat into the swamp?

 

[CaBaNa]

After Holti departs, Hobnob shares his opinion of the situation, hoping the others would have something to add to his concept.

 

[Iron Sky]

"If they were in a hurry, then perhaps we should make haste as well," Authiel says, checking the boat over to be sure all is well with it.

[sblock=Authiel]Name: Authiel Silivrenniel Culture: Elf of Mirkwood Standard of Living: Martial
Cultural blessing: Folk of the Dusk Calling: Warden Shadow weakness: Lure of Power
Specialties: Mirkwood-lore, Woodwright, Shadow-lore
Distinctive features: Hardened, Keen-eyed
Body: 5 Heart: 3 Wits: 6
Body (favoured): 7 Heart (favoured): 6 Wits (favoured): 7
-Common Skills-

• Awe: 2 Inspire: 0 Persuade: 0 AP: 0
• Athletics: 3 Travel: 1 Stealth: 2 AP: 2
• Awareness: 2 Insight: 0 Search: 1 AP: 0
• Explore: 1 Healing: 1 Hunting: 1 AP: 0
• Song: 2 Courtesy: 0 Riddle: 0 AP: 1
• Craft: 1 Battle: 2 Lore: 3 AP: 1

-Weapon Skills-

• Bow: 3 damage: 5 edge: 10 injury: 14 enc: 1
• Sword: 1 damage: 5 edge: 10 injury: 16 enc: 2
• Dagger: 1 damage: 3 edge: G injury: 12 enc: 1

-Virtues-:
-Rewards-: Woodland Bow
-Gear-

• Mail shirt enc: 12
• Cap of iron and leather enc: 2
• Buckler enc: 1

Endurance: 25 Starting Endurance: 25 Fatigue: 19 Hope: 11 Starting Hope: 11 Shadow: 0 Armour: 3 Headgear: 1 Parry: 6 Shield: 1 Damage: 0 Ranged: 0 Wisdom: 1 Valour: 2 Experience: 0 Total Experience: 0 [/sblock]

 

[fireinthedust]

Vardolas shakes his head, rubbing his chin. I fear I'm not much of a trail-finder, and I fear I'm not an expert on human motives either. Are we worried the humans captured the dwarves? I wonder, then, why they didn't try to capture us as well. We're as likely a group of targets, I suppose, what with the good hobbit's pipe weed and our master dwarf's bag of coins.

Perhaps it was something other than those marsh men. I wonder...

Vardolas starts looking about in his own way.

ooc: How does Shadow Lore work? If I wanted, for example, to look for signs of orcs or other creatures that could have taken the dwarves; could I roll Shadow Lore?