Lusseriel was sitting near a fire in a village of Dunland, her favorite weapon on her laps and her notebook over it. She clearly didn’t feel at ease leaving her guard down in this area.
Keeping her attention to what she could hear around her, she nevertheless started to write :
“I feel like I haven’t written a thing in too long. But I’ll summarize the last few days here at least.
The other day as we were getting ready to leave Lanuch, we met a new member of our little company apparently. His name is Rolegard Noakes and he’s a hobbit.
A hobbit far from home, but well decided to help, so he’s very welcome.
When Ardirien asked him how he found himself so far from home, Rolegard answered that he could barely remember as so many things seemed to have happened on the road. Fair enough, it’s not like our own company was spared by nerves-wrecking events, and we’re a group large enough that most problems inherent to the road should not have happened to us, so…
I can officially say that during this journey I’ve met more hobbits than in the few thousand years before that.
And I’d love to know how their race came to be. I may try so research that if I survive this journey.
In any case, I’m sure it’ll be interesting to travel with him.
We chatted a bit and alas, I noted that our new friend has a fondness for pipeweed. I tried to be discreet as I took a step back from the stink of it, but I’m afraid he caught me. Oh well, I can’t be the only elf around who dislikes that scent, it’s horrendous.
Andrahir and Ilthirian joined us there, and we chosed a route to travel with the Grey Company. We decided to go through Trum Dreng.
And wasn’t that fun. As I recall we were attacked several times by a cun annun, elhudans,… Whatever else was alive in there. This place is foul.
If it was at all possible I’d vote to leave Dunland to its fate and avoid it altogether.
We met Braigiar on the way, a ranger, and he charged us to scout ahead.
As luck, or lack of luck, had it, as we scouted, we met someone.
I can’t say I trusted him on sight, but we decided collectively to listen to him and follow him. And I was right to not trust him. That man was from a group of thieves, and they were planning to attack a village. They had kidnapped a woman from said village but she wasn’t quite feeling like cooperating and was clear enough about it.
I sort of liked her.
Anyway, we freed her and defended against our dear… New acquaintances.
They were cowards on top of being thieves.
The woman we saved from the thieves invited her to her village, and so we went, and we were promptly invited to stay and eat with our hosts.
All in all it was a warm welcome no doubt but I didn’t quite trust anyone in the village. Anyway, the ranger asked us to lend our help to the village and join the rest of the company when we felt they’d be safe enough.
I chose to do so by offering my services as a messenger. And I’m glad to be able to travel alone, because it took me some times to find the places and people the messages I carried needed to go to.
Not sure anything will really come of it but anyway I went to Galtrev in the hope to find my travel companions and I was directed to a village in the mountains, Tur Morva.
Everyone else was there, theoretically, helping the villagers get ready for opposing Saruman.
I only found Ilthirian, Arcangar and Ardirien there. Everyone else was possibly around, though I couldn’t say where.
Apparently our… hosts have thrown Saruman’s envoy in jail.
Good for them, but I find myself uneasy in this village. But then my sense of unease has only grown worst and worst as we’re traveling so perhaps it’s just a healthy dose of survival instinct that’s making itself known.
It’s just that I can’t help but think that all those warm welcome are suspicious.
The men of Dunland are said to be long to trust outsider. And here suddenly it’s different? The first village we crossed, ok, we helped one of their people so why not. Suspicious still but why not? But the rest…
Oh well, I guess we’ll see if I’m just uselessly paranoid or not.
In any case, we went to talk to Saruman’s messenger. I think it was a mistake, but hey, what do I know.
And that’s when I think Arcangar noticed that annoying little fox following me. I call him Russo, but he’s a little thief for all he looks cute.
As I warned Arcangar :”ignore him, or he’ll follow you around next”.
The man of Saruman had things to say that are more than a bit alarming and could possibly turn the people of Tur Morva against us.
I didn’t quite like it and Ardirien seemed to be thinking the same thing I did.
Arcangar reminded us that he sought to sow discord, which is very true, but the question is more if he’s succeeding or not.
Even if we don’t doubt the welcome of the village’s leader, it’d be easy enough for a contender with enough strength or charisma to dispatch him and take the place. Or for a council to force him to change his welcome and lay a trap instead.
But ah, for now…
Arcangar seems to trust them implicitly. I hope he won’t find himself betrayed for it.
Lheu Brening sent us to check the messenger’s information to Galtrev. I can’t help but doubt that. Why us? He must know that even if the information is bad, we won’t be willing to push him to ally himself with Saruman. Why would he trust someone who’s so obviously involved with the situation as we are?
Apparently Ilthirian had Andrahir’s cloak with her for some reason as we travelled and I'm pretty sure I didn't quite want to know why.
In any case in Galtrev, we received words of Nona being around, and of the Ox Clan being “more brazen in recent days” and that they must have received “encouragement from some source.”
Also that someone has helped Catrin’s little resistance against the Ox-clan. Someone called “Wadu’s ghost”.
Nona had followed us, of course.
Arcangar walked a bit farther from us with a look to Ardirien who followed him and he was going to talk to her, like we weren’t elves and able to hear him anyway, but apparently the fact that Ilthirian and I approached stopped him.
Arcangar didn’t seem too happy but let it go. We went to where Catrin told us to go and wouldn’t you know, we found Nona, everyone was surprised I’m sure.
Oh well, she’s an adult and free if she wants to follow us and help people, it’s her right and no one in the Grey Company has any right over her, so…
In order to obey Lheu Brenin and check the state of the herds, we went to the Starkmoor with Nona.
The first farmhouse we arrived on has been abandoned, and some of the animals have been killed and left to rot in the fields.
At least we didn’t find any body so there’s that, but the fact the farmhouse has been abandoned was worrying.
We should go to the Dunbog, but Arcangar wanted to stay a while and help the people of Starkmoor, which is nice of him I suppose. I can’t say I think that splitting up this way is a good idea, and obviously neither did Ardirien or Ilthirian so we elected to stay.
And Ilthirian seemed to feel slighted by Arcangar’s behavior. Admittedly he’s been acting a bit shifty where elves are concerned and more so with Ilthirian perhaps these last few days, so perhaps she had a point, but that’s definitively not a conversation I wanted them to have in the middle of an abandoned farmland.
When Arcangar gave up and told her to be careful with Andrahir I can honestly say I was considering leaving there and then.
And when it appeared when would continue arguing on Ilthirian’s relationship with Andrahir, whatever it is and whatever she wishes it to be, I decided to do just that. I told them I would leave them to that conversation and would go… Scout to find people I think?
The whole point was to get away from that frankly awkward conversation.
Though I’ll be honest I don’t think I’d leave quite as fast if Arcangar had that conversation with Andrahir…
Ardirien came with me and we left our two friends to their enlightening but definitively awkward conversation that didn’t concern me at all.
I was sure there was the village of Avardin nearby and that’s where I am now… Waiting for dawn.”
Lusseriel couldn’t help a sorry smile when she reread her last few sentences. Yes, speak of awkward situation to be in.
She closed her diary and put it back in her bag and put her hands back on the weapon in her laps. She’d occupy her time checking it over. It needed as much care as her harp after all.
