TCOS Campaign – Chapter 1 Part 2
Tracking the bandits
“Straight over the ruins. That seems likely.”
The Knights of Eriador were providing aid to the mayor of Bree-town, investigating the kidnapping of a prominent citizen, a doctor by the name of Haspulto. The previous day had led them from the scene of the kidnapping, the doctor’s home near the High Stair, to here, an ancient, lonely corner of the town. They were standing in a bastion in the ruins of an ancient Arnorian city. The inner wall adorned with an ancient crest, and the outer one breached in such a way that it would have allowed an easy escape to the kidnappers. It was here the two Knights who were to follow the trail today gathered: Kethenyr, and Leothross.
Leothross bent over the broken edge of the wall at these words.
“Here!” He pointed out to Kethenyr, “I do believe this is a mark of a climbing hook.”
Kethenyr nodded, “In that case we will have to pick up their trail along the wall.” He looked out over the more modern hedge that surrounded Bree, and remarked, “I think we will be able to pick it up outside the hedge.”
It took a few minutes to reach the spot on the wall, for there was only one legitimate entrance in that part of the city. They had to skirt the ruins north, leave by the West Gate, and then retrace their path on the outside of the hedge. In addition to the hedge, Bree-town was surrounded by a sort of ditch, and beyond that a makeshift wooden barrier. On the south side of town, the trench was as good as a moat, but here, on the west edge, it was little more than a depression. Nevertheless, they skirted along the bank of it, keeping an eye out for signs of the kidnappers in the softer soil in its bank. Finally they reached a point in the wall, nearly opposite that of the breach in the inner wall.
Kethenyr spotted it first. He waved Leothross over to the spot, “Here, look. Someone has forced their way through the hedge.”
But they would still would have had to cross the wooden barrier. The two Knights wasted no time in skirting along the barrier till they could cross it themselves.
Once on the other side, they retraced their steps, again, on the other side of the barrier. The ground was much softer on this side, and it was likely that tracks would be found. Finally they found something, right beside a boulder that must have helped speed the escape. Leothross bent down studying tracks. Kethynyr paused for a moment, then, squinting his eyes in the midday sun, and asked, “Can you tell where these tracks lead?”
Leothross studied the tracks, and following with his eyes an imaginary path they may have taken, he looked for more signs. He murmurs, “They were here, but now the hard part. It looks like they started out west.”
“Good, lead the way. I’ll scout around and keep my eyes open while you focus on the ground.”
They made it to the top of the rise, when Leothross let a short sigh escape, “Kethenyr, I can’t see anything on this hard soil. Perhaps a bit farther out. Do you think they kept heading this way? Towards those ruins perhaps?”
Kethenyr moved in that direction, toward softer ground. He spotted something and gestured, “Here, Leothross. I think we might have picked them up again… somewhere to the north-west now. I will keep the tracking duty, you scout the surroundings?”
He nodded, and continued scouting up to the next rise. He called back, “Well, I see nothing here. But they probably wouldn’t change directions too many times. Best bet is to keep going a little.”
“We are reaching the Greenway, let us hope they have not taken it anywhere. Try and see if on the other side the tracks continue.”
Leothross paused on the close side of that road, and took stock of the path they had followed. It did seem to lead to the road, but bandits such as these would not risk being seen on it. They hoped.
Kethenyr finally called out to him, “We are on the right track. See these couple of tracks? They are deeper than the others, and they keep the same distance from them the whole way. They are carrying someone. Let us press on.”
“Wow. Nice catch.”
The pair continued following the tracks until they reached the little creek that ran to the west of Bree-town. Kethenyr then stopped, and gazing at the ominous hills around the old barrows, said, “They must have used that. And it worries me, do you know where this trail is leading to?”
“Of course. The old bridge. They would have had to cross there, I bet. Aye, the bridge leads to a path that leads many places… but mostly the Barrow Downs.”
Kethenyr nodded briskly and said, “Let us cross the bridge and be wary of those ruins. Swiftly and with care.”
Leothross climbed the hill, and crouched to remain hidden behind a piece of crumbled wall.
Kethenyr followed, keeping his crossbow loaded and ready. Seeing nothing, Leothross continues to look along the length of the wall. There, on the other side, were a few piles of horse manure. Raising one sleeve to his nose, and waving Kethenyr over with his other hand, he points it out, “Well, no people. But it would appear that their horses stood here for quite some time.”
“A well thought plan indeed. They might be off to a good head-start.”
“Yes. But their tracks should be easier to see…”
“Well said, let us not despair. Even if they have gone a long way, we can spot their tracks more easily and catch up with them quite easily. The Brandy Hills are sadly a refuge for many such outlaws. I am fairly certain they took him into one of those hideouts.”
“That is likely. They left in a hurry.”
As he spoke, Leothross began following them north at a fairly quick pace. He finally paused in a valley on the other side of the Great Road, and asked, “What do you think Kethenyr? Where are they headed?”
Kethenyr looked around at the open hilly territory they had reached, and gestured to the northwest, “My guess is over those hills, a bit more to the west. The Greenway to the east is quite well patrolled, and there are guard posts to the east.”
They finally reached the top of a knoll and looked out at their prospects.
Leothross turned to Kethenyr, and said, “I feel we are getting close now. Even if they do not have any more allies out here, the two of us will not be able to handle them. I will turn back for reinforcements. Then, we can take them.”
“Right. Be quick, we could be close indeed.”
The rescue
Just outside the western gate of Bree, two warriors meet. Badges on their armor mark them as members of the same order, and it appears they are preparing for a battle.
“Greetings Anglaraen! Are you ready for this? The Bree watch is coming out the gate as well, I see. Let's ride quickly, the captive has been out there for over a day.”
The other bows, “Yes, Oronir, sir. I am ready. Let's ready our horses to ride along with the Watch to that camp.”
“We will try the western entrance. That appeared to be our best approach, at last scouting.” As the two ride to the East with the watch, Anglaraen gestures to the sky, “Oronir, I see some scouts ahead… and that strange raven nearby, circling above you and keeping pace with the horses. We'd better hide by those trees until it is gone, I think.”
“It's still hovering… don't like it much, but let's concentrate on crossing this patch of plains. Keep an eye on that bandit scout over there.”
She nods, “I will.”
They continue on, finally dismounting their horses and proceeding on foot. They stealthily creep from tree to tree, keeping to the shadows while approaching the western entrance to the bandit camp. Meanwhile, the rest of the watch had ridden on, heading for the eastern entrance.
“It seems the scout has gone back to their lair,” Anglaraen reports, “but I can spot more bandits behind those trees!”
As they approach, the raven they had seen earlier rested on a tree just ahead of them.
Oronir looked troubled. “It's that bird again. What is it doing? In all my hunting I have never seen such weird behavior.”
“Neither have I, sir!”
They pressed on for a few minutes, but the bird kept flapping from tree to tree just ahead of them. Finally, Oronir pointed to a rise, “Let's fall back to that hill there, we can build our strategy.”
They arrived at the top of the hill and took up a post beneath a large tree. Oronir studied the camp entrance, “This seems like a good vantage point.”
Anglaraen agreed. “Yes. We can study their movements and a part of their camp.”
Still, the raven followed them. It also roosted in a tall tree, just a ways off from the tree Oronir and Anglaraen stood beneath.
Oronir pointed to it, “Anglaraen, can you see what that bird is up to while I scout this bandit entrance? Shoot it if you think it's a spy bird.”
“I could say it seems it's following us, and I really don't like it. I could try to hit him with my javelin, but it has a short reach and I wouldn't like to draw attention to us.”
“You are right. Hey… Anglaraen.. psst. That bird is hovering over someone.”
Sitting beneath a short tree is a bemused looking elf woman. As the two warriors approach, she waves to them.
Oronir gestured a warning, “Stranger, please keep low! It's crawling with bandits out here.”
The elf crawls over to the tree that the two hid behind and murmured, “Well met.”
Anglaraen asked, “Who are you, stranger?”
The elf replied, “Ah, you may call me Flidias, for that is my name.”
“And, what are you doing here?”
“Me? Well, I was travelling to Imladris when those ruins there caught my eye.” She gestures to the ruins up the hill. “As I came this way this… camp caught my nose. I am curious what it is, and why it is out here.”
Anglaraen, meanwhile, whispered to Oronir, “I don't trust that elf!”
Oronir simply replied to Flidias, “Curiousity can be the end of a lone elf woman as yourself.”
“I admit, the wilds can be dangerous for anybody, especially lately. And I am certainly not a seasoned warrior such as yourself.”
“Well, the road is long and full of dangers,” Oronir added, “Bree, however, is not far and can bode you safety.”
“Bree?” Flidias questioned with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
“A human settlement, Flidias. But, if I may ask, you have traveled far on your own?”
“But what are these doing out here?” Flidias persisted, meaning the bandits, “if Bree is so hospitable?” She then added with a chuckle, to answer Oronir's question, “ I have. Quite far.”
Anglaraen again whispered to Oronir, “I don't know much of Elves, but this one seems even odder than the rest!”
Oronir nodded discretely to Anglaraen as the elf continued speaking. “And what are you two doing here?”
Oronir replied, “We are here on a most dangerous mission. Our armed company is on the other side of that hill. It's a bandit hideout and they are holding a kidnapped person there, a citizen of Bree.”
“Oh?” the elf asked, as she removed her pack and set it beside her. “Well, why would someone do such a thing?”
Anglaraen added, “These roads are not as safe as they were once, you should be more careful, elf.”
“Should I? I shall be, thank you.” She nodded, still looking bemused.
Oronir studied this elf, confused at how such a one could have made it this far without trouble. Anglaraen also watched her closely, the more so as she spoke to the mysterious crow softly in elvish.
Oronir finally spoke, “If you have any experience in combat, your help is welcome. We may even need medical assistance. But we need to act soon. Our company will start moving in soon.”
“Perhaps I shall lend what aid I may. I still do not know why someone would kidnap another person.”
Anglaraen looked at Oronir perplexed by his offer. She replied to the elf, “It seems that you don't know much of what happens in the lands of men, then.”
The elf giggled, “No, I was merely passing through.”
Anglaraen snapped, “There's nothing to laugh about!” The elf replied only with a smile, but Anglaraen turned to Oronir, “Sir, I wouldn't like to have also this… burden for us to worry about.”
Flidias then asked them, “So, what are your names? Neither of you look to be from this land. I wonder why you would be here mounting a rescue of someone in a foreign land?”
“My name is Anglaraen,” she returned abruptly, “And we have our buisnesses in Bree-land, or better, we care about this land.”
“Well met, Anglaraen. That is honorable, to say the least.” She began riffling through her pack, but still spoke. “Do you know many of the firstborn?”
“First… what? Do you mean the elves?”
The elf chuckled, “Of course, I do.”
Oronir broke in at that moment, “I hear the signal. We have to move.”
“Later then. Let us rescue this princess, or whomever it may be.”
“Doctor.”
“Oh? Perhaps these brigands only need medical attention. We shall see.”
Oronir and Anglaraen readied their weapons and armor for battle as the elf spoke to her raven in elvish and sent it off.
“Care not to become a burden, Elf,” Anglaraen warned, “I wouldn't like to have to save you too amidst all these brigands. Keep a low profile and hide by those trees, while we get closer to their camp.”
Flidias chuckled, “Lead on shield maiden.”
The raven circled a few of the guards ahead, distracting them with his caws. Anglaraen readied her javelin, but the distraction was complete. “Move quickly while the guards are distracted. We can pass them by.”
Moving carefully, they were able to slip by undetected. But these guards were not their only problems. Flidias tapped Anglaraen on the shoulder and pointed ahead of them. Anglaraen whispered back to Flidias and Oronir, “More guards ahead. I fear this time your crow may not be of use.”
Flidias murmered something about “Fire,” and began to look around the ground for something. Oronir strategized, “Let's concentrate our efforts on one”
Anglaraen nodded, “I'll take care of the leftmost. Can you handle the one on the right?”
Flidias shrugged, then nodded. They quickly moved to action. Anglaraen wounded one of the guards in the shoulder with her javelin and deflected an arrow with her shield. She charged, nimbly dodged a blow from his axe and knocked the guard to the ground with a swift blow to the leg.
Flidias, meanwhile, had engaged the other guard, but appeared to be having issues. Her crow perched in the tree above, practically laughing at her efforts. Finally, she pulled up her staff, and whirling it about her, leveled it at the bandit. A gust of wind seemed to whip from the staff, but it sailed by him, crashing into the stockade. Suddenly, she buckled over, her hands gripping her thigh. She grimaced as she pulled a throwing knife, then straightened herself to face the bandit. “Ego! Al achan de.” Her voice seemed to boom unexpectedly from her frame, and the bandit hesitated long enough for Oronir to come behind and run his sword into him.
The crow meanwhile, had begun to circle the conflict, keeping an eye out for reinforcements. As the bandit fell, Flidias took a few deep breaths and leans against the barricade and tied a bandage about her leg. Anglaraen ran and crouched beside Oronir against the palisade. “We may stay hidden here until that guard moves… it should be time the Bree watch made their presence here noticed...”
Oronir nodded and pressed himself close against coarse posts, trying to blend in. Flidias limped as fast as she could to the barricade across from the warriors, but she was not focused on them. Her crow had finally come to rest in a tree across the courtyard. She lowered herself to the ground, both to rest her wounded leg, and to stay hidden. As she did, she brushed against the palisade ever so slightly. She froze hoping such a slight noise would easily go unnoticed. It was not to be. A guard just inside the barricade became suspicious and came out to investigate. She shifted and pretended to be asleep, waiting for the guard to get near. But before he made it, he was pierced twice. Once by an arrow in the knee from Oronir's bow, and once in through the back by Anglaraen's javelin. He fell without a sound.
Flidias sat up, and surveyed the body, smiling sadly to herself. The two warriors joined the elf and prepared to enter the camp. The sounds of a battle drifted over from somewhere to the east. Flidias whispered, “To the left,” gesturing to where her crow had settled.
“Do you know how many guards are there?” Anglaraen demanded.
She nodded and held up a fist. No fingers. “They all seem to have fled elsewhere. We should be quick.”
Oronir nodded, “Time is of the essence.”
Flidias raised herself carefully to her feet and began hobbling forward, motioning to the knights to follow. They creep quickly but warily through the camp finally reaching a small enclosed area just below where the crow had perched. Oronir rolled silently past the opening and watched with bow ready for any sign of bandits as Anglaraen made her way inside. She whispered back to the other two, “Clear!”
Oronir nodded, and without losing his focus on his watch, whispered back, “Ok. Try forcing that door somehow Anglaraen.”
Flidias shrugged and steps up to study the lock. She whispers many things quitely in elvish, to no effect. Finally she simply holds it and concentrates on the lock. In a few moments, the lock began to glow orange, then red, then white, and finally it fell in drops to the dirt. Anglaraen stepped back sharply, a startled look on her face, but she did not have time to think about it now. The door swung open and an man sat bound and gagged inside. It was the doctor. Anglaraen motioned to Oronir, “Give me one of your knives, I will free him.”
“Hurry,” he whispered as he handed her the blade.
“We have come to rescue you, can you run? Come. Follow us. Quick!” She urged as she swiftly cut his binds.
The group took off running across the courtyard making for a spot where the palisade was low enough to be vaulted. One by one they managed to jump the barricade and landed safely on the other side.
GM note: I would like to thank all those that rewrote the chat captures so the event is a readable document – Zargadon and Leothross
