Five figures stepped into the ruins of the once great tower named Barad Eithel. They entered the ruins of Fornost through the gate waded through small wetlands that had formed just outside of the tower. Four of the visitors were clearly half-orcs by the way they walked and acted. The figure that walked in the middle of the group was shouting commands to them: “Loot the bodies! If you find any rings bring them to me, you can keep the rest as long as you can carry it!” The voice came from none other than Tidhelm, who was now wading through the shallow and murky water. The smell of decay was all around them as they pressed on further into the Ruins.
Yet something caught the old man’s attention just before they headed into the next corridor. One of the orcs was still twitching and making short gasping breaths. The old man spoke to his lackeys before he stepped closer: “We got a breather!” The man towered over the small excuse of an orc before bending down. The gurgled voice of the Blogkun-Hai could be heard softly while Tidhelm kneeled next to him, holding the Orc’s right hand. “Help me! Give me some grog…we did everyth-“ The plea of the Blogkun-Hai tracker was cut short when the old man felt the finger of the orc and forcibly ripped it off the hand. The wounded tracker didn’t had the strength to give out a shout of pain anymore. The old man removed a blackened copper ring from the finger and placed it in his pocket, letting the finger fall in the water. Tidhelm placed his leather boot on the orc his exposed neck and said softly to him: ”No more excuses. Your task has been completed.” A quick kick with the heel did the rest. The Blogkun-Hai were no more.
Jim Cotton laid down his pipe when he saw his gracious investor appear again out of the light fog. He was with those four queer men again yet it was not his place to question them. The man of Bree asked: ”Like we told you not? The whole inner tower has been collapsed. Me and my friends will search another place in the city for you next, the sooner we pay you back, the better not?” The old man stood before Jim and simply said: ”That won’t be needed, Mister Cotton. Your purpose here has come to an end.” The treasure-hunter looked at Tidhelm with some shock in his eyes, even so much that his brother who was first seated by the fire stood up as well. The other man spoke with quite some anger in his voice: “But Mister Greenhand! How else could we pay you back for the coin that you have lend us to start searching the old city?! We will never get out of that debt!” The old man simply smirked and looked at his armed half-orcs who stood next to him. “I do not think you will. Boys, take care of them.” It was far from a fair fight.
Mary was cowering in fear behind a nearby barrel. They killed them! I got to hide! Got to stay hidden! Yet not soon after, a cruel and harsh hand grabbed the poor woman by the neck and dragged her out of the open. Mary cried out in horror when she saw the ‘man’ before her. A large mout hand nose yet squinty and small eyes. The half-orc spoke to his master: “Found the last one of those rats! May I have the honour?” The hatchet that the thug was carrying was coming closer to Mary’s face yet before he could give the final swing he was stopped by Tidhelm, who grabbed his wrist in mid-swing. The old man pushed the thug away with a simple movement brought the woman back up her feet with little effort. Tidhelm spoke in a comforting tone to the young woman, like a grandfather to his granddaughter: “Calm, calm. These brutes will not harm you. The fate that those two befell is unbefitting for a woman like you. Do not fear.” The woman stopped cowering a bit and looked at the man’s face. His features were kind and his eyes soothed the nerves. “Th-anks….Can…I just…walk away now?” Tidhelm simply nodded and took his arms of Mary. The woman took a step towards the exit before standing still again. She brought her hands to her belly, feeling the fabric of her shirt. The cloth was getting very moist and when she looked down she saw the reason. The glint of steel caught her eye even before she guessed what has befallen her. The old man took sheathed his dagger again and whispered softly in the woman’s ear in the same comforting voice: ”What is the matter? You just told me that you wanted to walk, not? Start walking!”
The five figure looked out over the fields of Fornost. A single spot could be seen moving in the distance, towards the South. The sceptre is buried beneath a tower, the Blogkun-Hai of the master are slain and another investment ruined. Tidhelm took a step forward and looked up at the evening sky while the half-orcs were inspecting their new loot. The stars were already starting to appear. “It will be a clear night. Let’s ride out and see how far she made it.”
