Beongarn's departure

Beongarn was looking out of the window into the night, only a few houses in Hookworth had still some fires lit. He loved this view, it always calmed him down.
He would have never thought that staying in Bree would change his life so much - but it did. It was in Bree where he met some of the knights, and joining the Order gave him a new purpose. The life he lived for such a long time, traveling through the lands, seemed to have stop. Here in Hookworth he found a home and a new family.

But did he really think his past would not catch up? He shook his head and turned away from the window, walking slowly around in his large living room, the only light coming from the fireplace and one of the candlestands in the corner. "Yes, I did, didn't I?" He said out loudly. A little chuckle came out when he thought how naive this was. The past always manages to hunt someone down, even after such a long time.

He took a seat in front of his table, which was full of maps and letters. One parchment, however, was on top it, rolled out. He read the content for probably the 100th time.

Information wanted about the whereabouts of Beongarn

Underneath was the drawing of the face of a much younger Beongarn, but you could still recognise him even after all these years.

Who was looking after him? This must have been about something a long time ago, but even now he cannot imagine who would like to find him. "Well, no one who is still alive" he said quietly.

He watched at the flames in the fireplace jumping up and down in a fight to stay alive and not to die when his mind wandered back to the day he was informed about this parchment a few weeks ago. He was glad that he still had informants around from his previous life - he knew it would pay off one day. And it did.
He got a message from an informant in Evendim, who found it. This must have been where it started, Beongarn thought. He done quite a bit of work in that area, and he made some enemies there, but he dealt with them at the time - or at least he thought he did.
Unfortunately his informant was not able to find out who was behind out, as he killed the person carrying the parchment - he had to defend himself obviously - though it was a shame.

A long sigh escaped Beongarn. If the parchment was only showed around in Evendim it might have not been an issue, but nonetheless he advised other informants and friends to keep their eyes open - if more appear he had to know it.

His hope that this was contained to one area was deflated very soon - when he received a message that a man was snooping around in Bree. It was just a matter of time this person would find out where he lives now - he was often enough in Bree. Thankfully he knew that the most obvious targets to provide information in the tavern were friends. His work for the order, and the fact that he helped a quite few folk in Bree provided some privacy if required. But how long would this work if coins are offered. More and more people have arrived in Bree, and most are desperate for coins to survive. The increased activity of brigands who filled their ranks with desperate men was just one sign of this.
He had to act, so he used the service of an informant he really didn't like - Rufus. He was a shady character, Beongarn suspected he was involved in some dodgy business, but he was the best for finding information - or people.

Beongarn got suddenly up again, starting to walk restless arund the room. The whole thing didn't work out. His mind wandered back to the night when he was in the Pony with some of the Order, when Rufus appeared in the Pony. Beongarn was not happy to see him in that place, especially with people from the Order having a drink. It was not wise to be seen with someone like Rufus. He managed to get to one of the back rooms to talk to him, but his mood didn't improve when Rufus told him that he found the guy snooping around, but he was not happy to wait around to be questioned and fled.
Thankfully the Pony was busy, and the noise of the patrons talking and singing prevented that everyone heard Beongarn's angry voice. Rufus was supposed to find him, not to approach him. 'You better find him now before he gets to the one who is looking for me. Do that, or you will regret knowing me, do you understand me?' Beongarn shouted, hitting the wall Rufus was leaning against. Rufus widened his eyes, surprised by the sudden outburst of Beongarn, whom he never saw angry. It became clear to him this was not an empty threat. 'I will...yes, I will find him. Have I ever not delivered what I have promised? I won't start now.' He tried to sound confident, but there was clearly some concern in his voice.

'Why did I do that, threatening him? I killed him that night' Beongarn said quietly, stopping suddenly in front of the fireplaces, staring into the flames. He was suddenly shivering. He didn’t hear any news from Rufus for a week and he he got quite angry at him again. Until a messenger arrived in Hookworth, a man Beongarn knew from Bree, someone who knows about the connection between him and Rufus. He had only one short message, but it was enough to worry Beongarn: Rufus was found dead outside of Bree.

It didn't take a genius to understand what happened, Beongarn was sure of it. Rufus tried to find this person again, and it seems he was successful. It also showed that the person behind that search was serious, and didn't stop at murder. And this worried Beongarn. Did this endanger the safety of Hookworth, the Order, his friends? He couldn't be sure. And in an instant he made a difficult decision.

He walked back to the window, watching at the village that looked so peaceful and safe between the hills. "I have to leave to find out who is behind it - I have no choice" he said quietly, as if he had to convince himself. He knew the Order would be in good hands with Brywyn. He also decided that he will not share the reason for his leave - it is better that way. He never talks about his previous life after he left Dale anyway, and it might be better this way.

Reluctantly he turned around, staring at the parchment. He suddenly grabbed it and threw it into the fireplace. While watching the flames consuming the parchment, growing happily to extend their life a, he started to plan his departure...