((The following takes place after all the events of The Great Horse Rescue and immediately following The Widow's Walk))
The dead have a funny effect on people...each confronts them a little differently. The party stepped through the doorway and walked resolutely the first few leagues along the weathered stones of the Dimholt Road. Now as they approached the river of dark dreams they were each lost in their own thoughts.
In the vanguard, Annabette started idling rolling a small ball of flame between her fingers while Addie seemed both both in awe and a bit frightened. Rhavanielle seemed unconcerned while Eduwiges was profoundly shaken, mumbling to herself a sort of mantra.
Behind them, Stoic Nethrida was visibly nervous. Both the location and her eventual destination had her dread the situation at hand... And what was to be. Calidis did not seem troubled by the chill of the air or the dead yet the pendant about her neck glowed in the dim light.
Bringing up the rear, Hawke and Cyndwin were both focused on getting to the other side of this darkness while Xanderian was more at ease, having walked this road many times...but was both reassured and troubled by what she knew awaited her, and what news she would bring.
Ahead of the group on the path a hooded figure seemed to rise up out of the darkness, a black cloak, speckled with grave dust, about it's broad shoulders. The silence that had seemed to pervade the group's bones was broken as the wraith began making unearthly moaning noises...."Goooo back....mortal fooolllsss.....UNLESSSSSSS.....UNLESSS you have groggggg....then leeaaveeee the grog.....and FLEEE...BIITTCHHEESSS...FLEEEEEE!!!!!' AOOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW"
The party just stared....more confused then frightened by this odd nazgul. The wraith was continuing however, one hand raising for dramatic effect to point at them. 'BBOOGGGGGEEDDDDDDYYYYY-------BBOOGEEEDYYYYYY...DOOONNNN'TTTT MAAKKEEEE MEEEE KICCKKSSS YOURS ASSSEESSSS'
Addie tilted her head. "Boogedy boogedy? Seriously?"
Xanderian sighed as Eduwiges gripped her arm, concerned by this foul spirit. The huntress knew her sister's games well. "Banshee....enough....we may be pursued and cannot linger here.'
Addiela nodded in agreement with Rian, though just a little relieved that Xanderian had spoken and broken the strange spell, "Aye, you could shrill a bit more to make a more convincing namesake, Xandilif."
Xandilif the Banshee, Champion of Dol Amroth cursed and flipped back the hood on the moldering robe she had stolen from an open tomb, wiping ashes from her eyes. 'Dammit Monk, I was just getting going. You are ALL fecking late" On the front of Lif's horse sat what appeared in the bad light to be a blonde haired hobbit lass...with very sharp teeth and dog-like ears. The "Hobbit" was singing to itself in a harsh rasp. It didn't seem to like this road any more then the party did.
As torches were brought forward, Calidis just stood there in the darkness, looking thoroughly confused, but the others were now reacting with various levels of annoyance.
Annabette snorted, clearly unimpressed by this 'ghost', "Were we on a schedule someone forgot to mention?'
Xandilif looked the party over, before her eye fell upon Rhavi and she spat. "Well well well, look at the antique....I heard about you, Princess Runaway.
Raising an eyebrow, Rhavanielle said, 'Oh? And what did you hear? And who from?'
Lif shrugged, pulling off the moldy cloak and dropping it at her feet. "Who else...my idiot sister..though she thinks you are all frightening and mysterious..well boogedy fecking boogedy'.
Nethrida stepped in, 'Mayhaps... It would be best to conclude any further matters after we pass into the Vale beyond these mountains...we are in a rush.'
Nodding as the others hurried down the dark path, Xandilif greeted the Gondorian. 'Hiya Nethrida...don;t worry babycakes, you got time..the noose is being kept warm for ya...GUURKKKK!' The elf bugged out her eye and gripped her throat, making choking sounds until she was lost in her solitary laughter to the joke.
Addiela glared at Lif as she stepped around her, "And your head will be in it as well if this fails, banshee.."
Xandilif agreed, falling into step behind her. 'Ain't that always the way, Horsegirl? C'mon...I got a picnic spot chosen. Real nice, with not too many ghouls. So...was Rohan fun?'
Addiela snorted sarcastically, 'Lovely as always..'
Xandilif nodded, continue to push to get a rise out of the blonde woman. 'How's Mommy?'
'Her charming self, as always..' Addie's voice was tightly controlled as they arrived at the doorway, carved of grim basalt.
Xandilif looked around at the group. "OK, everybody got everything ya come in with?' then stepped through the portal. As the mist cleared, she spoke again while the others squinted in the sudden starlight. 'Welcome to feckin' Gondor. Now, what went wrong in Rohan?'
Eduwiges breathed a sigh of relief to be out of that cave. She wiped the cold sweat from her brow and breathed deep before lighting her pipe, her hands shaking just a little. Once the smoke was billowing she passed it to Hawke who took it gratefully. He picked a bad time to give up smoking.
Anna leaned close to Addie, watching the elf, now clad in crimson plate armor. "Who is this clown again? And what gives her reason to question us?"
Addiela tried not to smile, 'She's Xanderian's sister. Most of us have met her before.'
Meanwhile Xandilif looked them over again as she swung up on her horse. 'Elbereth's knickers you are a motley crew...and who's the poncy lateborn secretary?' She inclined her head towards Anna as she road past her, the Bree woman snorting indignantly.
Annabette had had enough and snarled in Sindarin, "Screw you and your poncy lateborn crap, woman." but Xandilif did not seem to hear her. This certainly surprised Addie, who had been waiting for a fight to break out between the two. Instead, Lif rode beside Rhavanielle serenely.
Rhavanielle smiled at the far younger elf, 'A motley crew? You fit right in, a puppy that barks too loudly...'
The Banshee smirked back at Rhavi..."Yeah, i can't argue that, fossil....So...WHAT went wrong in Rohan...my best bet is Horsegirl here went wrong, am I right?"
Rhavanielle looked away stiffly, 'Nothing went at all wrong.' Xandilif laughed again, clearly not believing a word of it.
Eduwiges shrugged off Xanderian's warning squeeze, and rode closer, 'Watch your tone banshee or I will help you sing higher. We have been through too much to bandy words with such as you.'
The Banshee gawked at the tall, pale haired woman for a moment, then laughed. 'Rohan went VERY bad indeed huh? C'mon, Greyhound, don't get your scanties in an uproar...we can hunker down in Morlad and take stock.'
-----
An hour or so later as they rode into the courtyard of the little border town of Morlad, Xandilif swung off her horse and helped dropped the odd, blonde figure onto the ground. "Go play, hobbit. Ahhh Morlad....like Bree but even more boring" she exclaimed, then looked at Calidis who was carefully climbing off her horse, looking deeply unsure. "It'll be alright, blackbird..really it will."
Calidis blinked a few times at being called a blackbird. "... Ummm....Well met. I am Calidis."
Rolling her eyes, Eduwiges moved up to protect the smaller elf. "It is Night Eye, not black bird.' she snarled resentfully.
Xandilif nodded...and half turned to Eduwiges, looking her tall form up and down..."Good lord but Rian does like the Rohan girls, don't she. How the feck does the Monk tell you all apart?'
As Eduwiges bristled, too offended to respond yet, Xandilif ignored her and looked at Addie again. "Now...straight up..how bad was Rohan?" She sought the blonde's eyes so Addie looked straight at her.
"We accomplished our goals. And have you made arrangements here as Xanderian said you would?" The odd hobbit suddenly scurried up to hide behind her, and snarled at Eduwiges.
Calidis tilted her head a bit as she looked at the blond wigged, sharp toothed little creature. "Did she say this was a hobbit...I am not so sure it is a Hobbit...."
The Banshee tilted her head. "Your goals, huh?' You bite that Apple, Horsegirl, or just tongue it a little, nice and ladylike? You got Riders on your tail, I can smell it on ya...for what?'
Addiela motioned around with her eyes and kept the volume of her voice low enough where probably only those closest to her could hear, "I would think that such matters would be better discussed elsewhere, out of the hearing of so many people."
Xandilif did not seem to care about being overheard. "What I am askin' is, is there gonna be an official type paper coming around saying Addiela of whereverthefeck needs to be held and sent back?'
Exasperated, Addie hissed quite matter of factly, "Aye and not just for me. Happy?"
The Champion nodded slowly. 'Yeah...I figured. Another fine mess. Nethrida gonna be mentioned in that paper?'
"Aye," Addie sighed, "Xandilif, all of us will be mentioned."
In response the elf spat. "THAT bad huh? Well, that might make things harder, but we can work with it. Anybody that really matter die?'
Eduwiges sat down on the low wall as Nethrida joined her, her posture slouching in pain from her wounds. Calidis moved to her to try to support her subtly. Anna stood next to Addie, still irritated. Off to one side stood Xanderian, Cyndwin and Hawke. Xan knew there was no point in interfering with her sister, who had her own way of handling situations like this, and Gondor was her territory.
Addiela lifted her chin in a lady like fashion, 'Every life matters, Xandilif, and if it can be spared.. it should.'
The Banshee snorted. "Bah...you might think that, but I know you don't...and the lords of Horseland sure as feck don't. I ask ya again, did ya kill anybody with a name folk will know?"
Addie finally snapped, her voice rising. 'I didn't kill anyone, Xandilif..'
Xandilif grinned harshly. "Save it for the judge....if ya didn't actually bite your apple then we should have a few days grace, unless you are just blowing smoke and you are bloody up to the bodice."
Stepping between them, standing unsteadily, Nethrida put a hand on Addie's shoulder to calm her as the blonde woman clenched her fists, fire in her eyes, 'We were... Charged on suspicion of being part of a cult.'
The elf stared, then roared with laughter. "A CULT??? Let me guess, the Unholy Order of Xanderian's Harem? Ya wrestle to see who gets to be high pristess each night?'
The group stared daggers at Xandilif, with Anna muttering foul things to herself in several languages, as Nethrida finally sat heavily on the wall again next to Calidis.
Watching her, the Banshee stopped laughing, "Hey, Blackbird...you got some way to make Nethrida stop bleeding from that gut wound or you intend to save Gondor the price of a rope?'
This provoked Addie again and her eyes flashed fire again for a moment towards Lif. "Mark my words, if there's more speaking of a rope, I'll be finding one."
Calidis blinked again and then looked over to Xandilif. "... Unfortunately, my profession is not in healing. A-At least not physically."
Sighing, Xandilif nodded and gestured towards a small house near the courtyard. "Let's get her in here then.... anybody stitch her up yet?'
Addiela shook her head, suddenly concerned again "Nay, we did not have those kind of supplies."
Taking charge, Xandilif nodded, "OK, lets all get somewhere less stupid and I will see to it....and the Princess knows we are coming and that I need a favor of her....so we are expected and that is ok....Assuming the Greyhound and your secretary stop scaring me with all those glares...If you got paper chasing you, we should make sure we are just a bad memory around here in a day or two, but we can give ya all a couple days to catch your breath.'
As the group filed into the house, Xandilif looked back at Addie, something like concern in her eyes..."As far as you figure, you quits with all that in Rohan now?
Somewhat surprised to see such a look coming from Lif, Addie quirked a brow for a moment. She pursed her lips as she thought, "I hope so."
The elf nodded. "Good...be quits....you can't go chasing old ghosts forever,...It will kill ya eventually. C'mon..bring Neth...and mind where ya step, I stashed a Magician around here for later."
Lingering back as all others went inside, Xandilif met the eyes of her sister. The two paused and nodded to one another slowly, words unspoken exchanged...and then they stepped into the shelter of the house, after their charges.
