The moon cast high into the sky of the mountains of Ered Luin as I lowered my mask and raised my hood. A group of explorers sent on a mission to retrieve relics from a cave found in the Blue Mountains. I was hired to retrieve what they found...
My curiosity was piqued since this was never a location I had never thought of to find something, but there must have been something big enough for them to try and find.
I had been following the group for a while now, watching and observing the different people. A few of them were mercenaries, others hired thugs, and the only two scholars of the group you could tell were uneasy with their new company let alone being so far from their studies. The mission went on as we all traveled deeper into the mountains, their armor clanking so much the Lynx couldn't be less interested in attacking and ran for the hills. Eventually, we all came upon the cave. Even from above, I could smell the stench of what could only be assumed to be death. I stayed above, higher on the mountain watching as they cautiously entered. Going in would jeopardize my cover so I waited outside.
By nightfall, screams echoed through the cave, waking me from my slight slumber. I peeked over my post to see one of three people running out of the cave first before the others trailed behind. A single mercenary, and miraculously the two scholars. Out of everyone those two I didn't expect to see if anything went sour.
Suddenly the sound of heavy, pounding footsteps barrelled behind them.
My eyes widened, it was a cave troll. An armored cave troll.
The merc flipped around and shoved the scholars off to safety before drawing his weapon and facing the giant troll. It swung its mace right at him before he rolled out of the way. One of the scholars was still screaming, and finally, the troll had enough of the sound. While the mercenary was still dodging, the toll flung its mace over and smashed it on them till the sound stopped. The other one ran for the hills, and for the sake of my mission, I grabbed and brought him down to my level, covering their mouth and keeping an eye on our enemy. His eyes, however, were wide in shock at not only someone holding him down but that of my raven mask. He screamed into my hand until I smacked him and told him to be quiet.
The merc fought tirelessly to no avail and inevitably was brought down and slowly dragged back to the cave while he was still gasping for breath. Finally out of sight, the sounds of heavy footsteps gone.
The man threw me off running down to the body of the other and dropped to their knees wailing.
" What did you get in there?"I asked, rather harshly to someone who just lost their friend, but I had a job to do and there was nothing to be done about it now.
" W-what?" They responded, their mind clouded in their grief.
" The relic, what was it?" I continued, his gaze changed to one of hate as he peered towards the ground, next to his friend's hand," This cursed thing! Take it, I never wanted to come here!" he screamed, throwing it towards me. The figure landed in the fresh snow, the blood of the man's friend staining it red. Carefully I took and examined it.
It was something from the dark years, old, hidden. The etchings were faded, and the wolf-like figure was what I held in my hands. That was enough to know what it could have been.
" There were more... We had more, five things in total. But they caught us before we could get out with them..." He whimpered, nodding as I wrapped the figure in a cloth and put it in my bag. I felt for the man, but things like this are proven to happen when people go in without any knowledge of survival. I sighed," Would you like help returning to where you came from? Or at least away from here?" I offered, as it oddly pained me to see the man cry. He didn't reply, I looked around annoyed as I was ready to leave myself, but walked up to him and rested my hand on his shoulder," Come on. There's nothing that can be done. Live for their memory." I said softly, before adding," I don't want them coming back out, we need to leave unless you want a painful demise as well. This is my final offer."
The man shook his head frantically and arose and together we left.
I got him back to Thorins Gate where I stayed beyond to let him walk in alone since I was undercover. And carefully he made his way inside.
I turned, traveling the road and back to my camp by Noglond. I removed my mask and breathed the ironically calm cool air of the mountains.
Once returning, I sat to work out where the cave was and how it correlated to a Numenorean relic.
Upon my research, it was very close and probably connected to Sarnur. The Dourhands.
" Why did my contact want this?.." I said to myself before hearing a twig snap nearby. I put the figure back in my bag and traveled to Noglond to get my horse.
My goal was to reach Gondor ASAP, and hopefully figure out why this was a necessary relic, as my contact has kept me in the dark with most of the details, aside from " Make sure to bring something back."
It's a good find I felt, since most of them were destroyed in the fall. But in the back of my mind I knew it was strange, but hiding the past would be more painful in the event it returned.
Perhaps on my travels, I can find Elisende. She should be able to help me decipher the script and might enjoy the find also in the process. She mentioned she was searching for her husband in Cardolan, maybe we'll meet there.
