[The One Ring] The Marsh Bell

[JoeNotCharles]

[sblock=OOC]
[MENTION=51930]fireinthedust[/MENTION]: Hooray! You're back!

Shadow Lore works like all other traits: you can do 3 thngs with it.

1. If you're making a roll (such as Search to search an area, or Lore to see what you know about a subject) and your Shadow Lore is something you could use to help, you can declare that you got an ordinary success automatically, without rolling. You won't get an Advancement Point since you didn't roll, though, and you can't get an extraordinary success this way (only by actually rolling and getting 6's).

2. If you succeed at an actual roll but wouldn't get an Advancement Point (for example if you already have a point in that category, or if I say it's too trivial), and your Shadow Lore would help, you an use it to get an Advancement Point anyway.

3. If something happens that I say is too hard to roll, but you think your Shadow Lore would help, you can get a roll anyway. (You: "Can I roll Search to see if I can track the wraith?" Me: "No. It's a wraith. It's not part of the physical world. It doesn't leave tracks." You: "But I have Shadow Lore!" Me: "Ok, then you can roll Search to spot strange signs of its passing that would be mysterious to the common man.")

You can see exactly what Shadow Lore applies by hovering the mouse over it on the live character sheet at The One Ring - Online Character Sheet. It's... actually a bit vague, so I'll expand. Shadow-Lore is specifically for knowing about creatures and designs of Sauron and Morgoth (the Balrog was originally a servant of Morgoth, Sauron's master who was defeated in the First Age). I'll stretch it to include all sorts of wraiths, wights and other undead, too.

So to look for signs of dangerous creatures, make a Search roll (target number 14). If you want to automatically succeed, you can invoke Shadow Lore to say that you automatically find any signs of servants of the Enemy (which would include orcs). But you would miss signs of common animals, since those aren't unnatural creatures of shadow.
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[fireinthedust]

Vardolas uses his knowledge of all things of the darkness; indeed, that's all he's searching for, using that strange sense of the enemy that developed in the recesses of his mind...

[sblock=ooc] yep, invoking for an auto-success. I'm not looking for animals, that's not hte issue. If we can't find dwarf tracks, then finding the shadow is what I can contribute.
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[FourMonos]

Riggins digs in the fire and searches around the camp.

 

[JoeNotCharles]

[sblock=ooc]Ack, how has it been 5 days since I posted last? Very sorry, I kept thinking, "It's been, what, 2 days since I posted to Marsh Bell? That's the longest I can leave it - don't have time now but I'd better post tomorrow." And then thinking the same thing again the next day.[/sblock]

Alas, Riggins' search is unsuccessful.

Vardolas considers what he knows of this area: the area around the mouth of the river was always swampy, but nearly two thousand years ago, when the Shadow fell on Greenwood the Great and men began to call it "Mirkwood", fell things and strange mists entered it. Though it is not as dangerous as the southern regions of Mirkwood it is still a perilous place, and when trading caravans crossed it in times of old they went well-armed and tried to travel quickly.

What keeps the marsh from being impassible is that it lies on either side of a river of clean, running water from the falls at the Long Lake. This untainted water should be easy to tell apart from the stagnant pools and smaller, brackish streams that meander through the swamp, and it is likely to attract fewer unnatural beasts. It's very unlikely that the Dwarves would leave the wide river, and hopefully they would choose to move quickly to get through the area as fast as possible, rather than stealthily.

Armed with that knowledge, you decide there is nothing more to learn here and it is time to push onward. You scramble into your two boats and begin to row southward down the stream, which flows sluggishly but is still easy to follow within well-defined banks. While Kurin spies out the way ahead, alert for any choices of direction that need to be made, most of the rest peer at the passing terrain, alert for any

Most of the mist has by now burned off in the morning sun, leaving you with a clear view of the river banks overgrown with hanging creepers, and shadowed by stunted trees and fields of tall marsh grasses higher than a Dwarf's head. To your right the marsh stretches away nearly to the horizon, until it reaches the distant dark green line of trees that is the edge of Mirkwood. To your left, the marshes spread out over only a few miles before reaching the foot of a line of hills.

[sblock=Map]

You're at the northern tip of the Long Marshes, on the river which runs down their eastern side.
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[sblock=OOC]
We had previously decided on these roles:

Guide: Kurin
Scout: Orin
Hunter: Authiel
Lookout: Borin, Hobnob, Riggins, Vardolas

Anybody want to change these now?

Assuming not: it will take 5 days to trace the dwarves' progress through the swamp. (Normally it would take 4 due to the terrain, but back on page 7, Kurin and Vardolas both failed their rolls to help plan the trip, leading to the trip being extended by 2 days for following their bad advice. This is balanced out by the good planning of Hobnob, who had the highest roll with 18, reducing the trip by 1 day.) Since it is spring, you need to make a test every 5 days (or portion thereof) to see if you become fatigued. So only 1 fatigue roll each is needed. We'll roll this on the 5th day.

Day 1:

As you enter the marshes, boating becomes difficult, as dangling branches and submerged roots make for unexpected obstacles. The guide (Kurin, unless you decide to switch) must make an Athletics test, TN 14. If he fails, everyone loses 3 Endurance as you must enter the cold water to free the boats when they get stuck in the mud, or from a tangle of dead boughs.

Everyone acting as lookout may make 2 Awareness rolls (TN 14) to see if they spot any danger.

Everyone acting as scout (currently just Orin) may make 2 Explore or Search rolls (TN 14) to look for signs of Balin's passage. (You may want to change some lookouts over to scout.)

And every hunter (currently Authiel) may make a Hunting roll (TN 14) to see if you catch enough for everyone to eat today - if you fail, you eat from the supplies you're packing instead.
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[Iron Sky]

Authiel slips off into the marsh silently and is gone for most of the day. Towards evening, she returns with a young stag slung over her shoulder. As she sets it down, she runs her hands across its body, fingers lightly brushing its fur.

"Geheno nin Aras, estee. Rim hennaid, mellon, noro go hul, bado go Belain."

[sblock=Elvish]Forgive me deer, find rest. Thank you, friend, run now with the wind, go to the Valar.[/sblock]

She smiles and looks to the hobbits. "There may be enough for even you to eat your fill tonight, my little companions."

The smile doesn't fade, but does quirk slightly as she looks at the dwarves. "And my large companions as well."

OOC: Edit: oops, had everything but the rolls.

[sblock=Hunting 14]1d12(9)+1d6(5)=14. Does the first successful roll in a group give you an AP or do I have to invoke a trait? If so, I'll invoke Mirkwood-lore since we're near Mirkwood and this is Authiel's stomping grounds.[/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]

[sblock=OOC]
[MENTION=60965]Iron Sky[/MENTION]: can you link to your rolls?
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[CaBaNa]

I'm just saying, if we had a proper boat it would be much faster transporting our product, resulting in better service to a wider area, with fresher pipe-weed. Hobnob continues his conversation with Riggins, all the while keeping his eyes open for possible signs of their quarry.

After being presented such a fine meal as venison, Hobnob licks his lips and smiles widely, At least this trip has kept us well fed and in good company.

As the day passes Hobnob becomes more and more absorbed in searching for signs of the dwarves passing, finally pulling out his pipe, and quietly puffing away as he became lost in the passing scenery. He watched for signs of picked medical herbs, or herbs that may have been used to season food or water, any sign that the dwarves had been picking wild vegetation. Hobnob even looked toward the banks, searching for muddy tracks that would be left if the dwarves overturned their own boat.

In searching for signs of danger that the dwarves may have run into, Hobnob inadvertently begins predicting possible dangers for their own group. The Hobbit often calling out before a particularly strong current, or large rock became a true problem for the fellowship. Eventually Hobnob's focus shifted entirely from searching for the dwarves, to identifying possible hazards they may have encountered, and the group could encounter in the future.

OOC: Two successes on awareness, the second having rolled a six on the success die.

 

[FourMonos]

Riggins continues the conversation with Hobnob during the initial portion of the boat ride.

"Aye, Hobbie, you may be able to save some time on a river transport, but you accept certain risks. You could suffer water damage to your merchandise. You may experience delays due to weather... there is nothing more dangerous that hobbits on a rapidly traveling river... and that isn't to say anything of the potential of thieves or ruffians on such a trip... course you can't always avoid those."

A glance at the elves and their almost statuesque presence reminds Riggins to be more attentive to this particular journey. He gets his father's bow out and ready and watches carefully for any signs of unusual sounds of the swamps... or lack thereof as the case may be.

[sblock=ooc] missed the first roll, got a Gandalf on the second! [/sblock]

 

[JoeNotCharles]

At nearly the exact same time, Hob and Riggins spot a ripple in the water moving against the current. But it is Hobnob who spots the second lurking mass below the water, right in the spot you would have steered to avoid the first. You frantically pull back on the oars and the submerged creature passes you by, a slimy fin the length of your boat sliding out of the water and then vanishing.

[sblock=OOC]
I'll roll for anyone who hasn't posted their rolls by tomorrow.
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[CaBaNa]

After the close call Hobnob pats Riggins on the shoulder, As usual, your wisdom rings true. On that note, Hobnob taps his horn for effect, winking at no-one, We may want to redouble our efforts in looking out for our own hazards, and in searching for the missing dwarves.