A Long Night

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A Long Night

Postby Lirandel » Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:51 am

He saw Kellidir and Candil walk towards the Jail in Bree. Their orders given. He sighed and looked at the nearby well.
His thoughts was a blur as he began turning the wheel and as he grasped the bucket of water, he drank deeply then let the water spill over his head; like dousing flames on a campfire. He closed his eyes savoring the moment of shock as the ice cold water hit his face. He procured a clean cloth from one of his smaller bags and began wiping his face with it, hiding his wearyness behind the gesture. It had been a long night...

Why in all the Valar's Grace and Might had Beodric seen it necessary to allmost kill the woman. It was not her fault. Or was it...

He sighed and opened his eyes. He was alone, the stars above his only companions. In the distance he could hear the guard conducting their duties keeping the village safe. He nodded to himself.

Beodric had this coming. He first wounded Felaion because of his reckless behaviour. Then he almost killed a woman. He has had a hard time taking orders. And the list goes on and on. He had this coming...

Lirandel eyes became more weary.

Perhaps... Perhaps. I am not good enough... Why am I kidding myself. I am no leader. I never was. I am Mornereg. How can I even think to understand the ways of these Men of Gondor, Rohan and Bree-Land... Why do I sacrifice so much for so little in return. All I want is to save this world... My home... Are our goals not the same...

He Looked down into the well, his shadow's reflection could be seen in the dark water and behind it the stars twinkling silently.

Why do I feel despair. Why am I so tired. Why do they not understand... All these questions... Still no answers...
Havent we shed blood together, laughed together... Become friends... Why dont they understand what needs to be done... Am I alone, kidding myself... Have I deluded myself that I could teach them, and in return they would honour the Thorn's principles...


His face became sad, the strength leaving his shoulders.

Have all my intentions turned to nothing but ash and endless dust.

Lirandel sighed, watching as his wet black hair formed drops of their own plummeting down forming circles in the dark water below.

Why do I feel so alone... Sayvara... My Fire... Adjanah... They dont understand, Neither is Elf born... No Elf can aid me...


He turned slowly his wet hair covering his weary brow, leaning his back towards the well, his stance changed. Gone was the composure he normally carried. Instead the Captain looked weaker than ever as he slid down to a sitting position his back against the well's firm bricks.

How can we even hope to make a difference, when my own men constantly screws things up for us. Are men that weak of heart. Can't I learn them to be focused, a unit... To be like me...

He sighed again resting his shaking head in his hands.

And what is so good about you Mornereg... You killed your own wife did you not... To honour your oath to your King... What is so good about you...
"Boots to asses... Or Imps out the airlock." -Antora Kel - Trooper Vanguard
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Sayvara » Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:52 am

(( Sayvara's thoughts after the messy evening... ))

Sayvara sits down on a bench, allowing herself to take some time off. Putting her armored gloves on the bench next to her and taking off the shoulder guards. As she lets out a deep breath, the words of captain Maerinda rings truer than ever.

Always know this cadets: the most difficult command is not that of lands, armies or regiments. The most difficult to lead are the few... the unit... where you know everyone, where you hear everyone's voice, where you feel every stab to your friends as if they were given to you as well.

A dozen people... a dozen wills... a dozen voices. You can't give everything to everyone. You can't force yourself upon a dozen strong, competent and willfull people. You have to negotiate, deal, trade... compromise. Why can't Lirandel see that?!

Because he is an elf... of course. They have their ways... humans - and dwarves... and hobbits - have theirs. Once you are set in them, moving mountains is easier than changing them. Elves - in their perfect little world - are not used to strife, weariness, the fear of death, the absolute joy of life. They live forever... they don't have a limited time. Humans have to make every second count... because if you spend it wrong, time is lost. Humans will always have opinions about what you should do. Even if they don't think about it, their limited life makes them prone to be opinionated. They won't always be right... but they will always be having thoughts.

Lirandel had a little bit of insight into that. After all, that's why he hired her to lead the Thorns, didn't he? But he doesn't get the full picture. He was raging this evening. Hitting Beodric; yelling at the Thorns; not listening to her. He is the leader... and that puts her in shackles. Disproving of his decisions would show a split front... the leaders would not be united. She can't oppose him openly in front of the others.

Or can she?

For a moment she conciders the options. This isn't the army. This *is* a small unit... and there are *no* higher superiors. By showing openly that she supports the individual Thorns she would gain their respect as a leader. Lirandel would be pushed back a bit but the Thorns would stay together. From there she could fulfill his wishes by letting him govern through her.

On the other hand... what would it do to him? What would it do to them as a couple? What would...

She sighs again and puts her face in her hands. Her head is starting to ache. She gathers her belongings and gets up from the bench, heading for an inn. She needs food... rest... a good stiff drink. She hasn't had too many yet this week, has she? She thinks back, counting... and startles. That many?! Just a glass of wine then. That should be allright... for this time. Only this time...

/S
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Haelewulf » Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:36 pm

((After Wulf left the Jail, he mounted up to ride off, but was delayed by Kelli. While they spoke, Draerex rode up behind him and shot him in the back, then loosed a shaft at Kelli which she caught on her shield. Draerex fled on horseback, pursued by Emberyn. Beodric came outside, having refused to go to jail and had apparently had his decision ratified by Sayvara. Wulf, thoroughly furious and disgusted with the Thorn and Beodric in particular, told him to begone, and Kelli had similarly harsh words for him, as his actions had seen Wulf shot, beside all the other grief caused. Beodric rode away with an apology. Emberyn returned a short while after. Bizarrely, Draerex returned shortly after her. At this point, Wulf, who was being treated by Kelli, was noticed by the guardian Waldur, who he had beaten in single combat outside the gates of Bree. Waldur, believing Wulf to be a man of honour, pledged his aid to him upon his defeat, and stood in the wounded Wulf's place to challenge the assassin to single combat. After a LONG time, in which the assassin said NOTHING, Emberyn held Valenia at swordpoint, Cataniel escaped, tried to rescue Draerex who refused it, Draerex fled, and Waldur went to the Pony to carry word of the events to the self-styled Knights of Gondor. Emberyn took Valenia (now a prisoner of the Thorn) to the Pony to announce a bounty on Cataniel and Draerex, while Kelli and Candil took Wulf to the Comb and Wattle, to treat his wounds. This very brief sum-up is to catch up anyone who left before the events described, for the purposes of any write-ups from those of us who entered late in the game. For those of you I wasn't around to witness, write-ups expounding your tales would be appreciated! :) ))
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Haelewulf » Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:45 pm

((Later that night...))

Wulf's shoulder was a sea of pain as he lay awake, face-down on the bed. The agony raging in his wound was nothing to the rage in his mind, bitterness and anger billowing across his consciousness, obliterating any hope of healing sleep.

Damn them... Fools, brigands... a lynch mob with an insignia!

Feondwulf's laughter came drily from the back of his mind, growing in strength as his "brother" basked in the fury seething through their shared body.

Indeed, brother... I finally begin to see the attraction of your association with them!

Wulf gritted his teeth, both against the pain and against the mocking of his former self.

Feondwulf's laughter dwindled to an unpleasant chuckle, his voice now withering in its caustic sarcasm.

My, but you do choose your companions wisely, do you not. Indeed, I doubt that even if I'd had free run of this body, I could have picked a group to sink you so far into despair!

Feondwulf's chuckling gave way to outright laughter once more.

Shut up!

Feondwulf's laughter died instantly, his "voice" coming hard and angry through Wulf's mind.

Disappointed, are you? Remember that it was YOUR fool's mercy that allowed them the freedom to do this! Had they been killed or incarcerated as that Emberyn suggested, you would not be wounded! More importantly, they would not be free...

Wulf closed his eyes, the truth of the words hitting him.

As he lay there, he began to drift into a troubled sleep, his loss of blood coupled with the exhaustion of the day finally taking its toll.

He found himself atop a hill, the sky and all around him obscured by rolling clouds, tinged with red. Instinctively reaching for a blade, he found himself to be naked and unarmed.

A figure appeared from the mist, clad in armour as red as the clouds that seemed to spawn him. The figure fixed Wulf in its gaze as it approached, and again Wulf beheld himself, yet not himself, face to face.

This time, however, the differences between Feondwulf and himself were starker. Feondwulf's eyes were tinged with the same red that dominated this eerie place, and in his face was none of the warmth or concern that characterized Wulf. A cold and unfeeling arrogance permeated every facet of the armoured figure, and Wulf shuddered inwardly to think of this being controlling his body.

Feondwulf gestured to their eldritch surroundings. "Welcome, brother... to the Hell I have occupied since your "healing" in Rivendell." He spat the word "healing", his lips twisting bitterly.
Wulf stood warily, his eyes suspicious. "Why have you brought me here? And why am I naked?"
Feondwulf raised an eyebrow, chuckling coldly. "Brought you here? Your mind is full of anger, full of violence. This is the place those emotions are born... here, in your mind. You are here because who you are is here. Especially now." Feondwulf turned and began to move away, gesturing for Haelewulf to follow him. "Your nakedness is because you have yet to learn to disguise yourself from your own thoughts... where as I, with years of hiding from you, am adept, to say the least."
Haelewulf cautiously followed Feondwulf from the hilltop, the mist billowing back around them. Feondwulf seemed to pay it no mind.
"Where are you taking me?"
"A place you must see to understand," Feondwulf replied cryptically.

After walking for what seemed to Haelewulf to be an age and a half, a huge and forbidding shape suddenly loomed out of the mist. As they approached, the shape became an enormous fortress, its sides mirrored, apparently formed from a single piece of impossibly smooth stone. A mighty gateway stood in the center of the outer wall, yet no gates hung there.
"Behold," said Feondwulf, with a sardonic gesture, "the impenetrable fortress of your thoughts. See how well-defended it is. See how easily it could repel any attack." He chuckled unpleasantly, and led Haelewulf through the open and abandoned gateway.
All about them, different coloured mist roiled and churned. Most prevalent was the red of anger, but others floated just above.
"Where is everyone?" asked Haelewulf, an expression of wonder on his face as he strove to take it all in.
Feondwulf halted. "You are here. This is your mind. Whom did you expect to find here?"
Haelewulf began to retort, but suddenly became aware of a nagging pain in his shoulder.
Feondwulf grinned as Wulf instinctively grabbed for his left shoulder with a grimace.
"Aye, you have found the true beauty of this place. This is where your consciousness dwells. It is here that I dwelt for years, watching through your eyes, feeling through your skin... feel the anger well up inside you now, as it seethes through your mind..." Feondwulf's eyes flickered as he breathed deeply, drawing the red mist into himself, a thin smile etching itself on his countenance.
Haelewulf's eyes flared, and he desperately looked for other mist to breathe. Hovering just above him was a white mist, and he leapt, straining for it, and gasped a lungful before landing alongside his "brother" once more.
Contentment filled him, pushing aside the tendrils of anger threatening to overcome him.
"Lead on, "brother." Let us get to the heart of the fortress. I have no desire to prolong this visit further."
Feondwulf's face suddenly twisted in anger, but in an instant had reverted to its normal cold arrogance. "Very well... we continue."
Their path led them at last to a keep with heavy doors. Feondwulf halted outside.
"Not coming, then?"
Feondwulf's eyes were hooded. "I... cannot enter this place. It is where who *you* are resides... and it is the reason you and I can coexist in this place."
"But what is behind the door?"
"Enter, and discover..."
Haelewulf stretched forth his hand for the door...


"Aagggh..."
Haelewulf awoke, face-down on the bed, his shoulder a sea of pain... but the anger in his mind was ebbing, his awareness of Kelli near him and her love for him, the relief that his wound would heal in a matter of days, the knowledge that the Thorn would support him as he recovered... Contentment drove much of the anger from his mind, leaving but traces.

A new day...


And within his mind, an armoured figure sat on a red hilltop, looking out toward a castle with mirrored sides, and waited...
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Sayvara » Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:47 pm

(( To be honest... I felt I - as a player - had very little track of what was happening and what had happened. All the connectiosn and past events were too much so I didn't know at all how to react to things. So... I'm chickening here and pointing to Lirandel: his call!!! :D

EDIT: Nice writing by the way :D ))

/S
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Adjanah » Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:41 pm

Lovely, all of you. Seems I missed out on a great evening. :)
Special kudos to Wulf for his story...very creative. Great metaphors.
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Re: A Long Night

Postby kellidir » Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:43 pm

read the thread about the event ... you'll be glad you missed it

and nice writing wulf :)
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Felaion » Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:19 pm

Awsome writing, all of you!

Wulf, can I ask... did you get the inspiration for Wulf's split personality from Nikki and Jessica by any chance? (Heroes)
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Saerid » Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:08 pm

No idea what's going on, but good writing once again. :D
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Haelewulf » Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:39 pm

Thanks, guys, glad you like it! :D
Fel: I took the inspiration from a one-off book called Dark Moon more than anything else... although I do love Heroes. :D
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Felaion » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:40 pm

Aha! Cool!

Only it does sooo remind me of that pair! :P
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Lirandel » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:53 pm

Lirandel wanted to show the Thorns that he meant his words "By any means necessary." A Thorn was in peril. And no matter the cause of this peril. The first thing in all of this was to discover the truth and then get the Law to intervene and carry out the sentence. He wanted to learn the lessons of unity and collectivity. What one Thorn does has impact on the whole. But somehow it got lost. In the end he found out that he doesnt understand Humans, dwarves, Hobbits that well. And he is truly in despair now... He feels he has become a scapegoat for all the Thorns individual problems. A easy target for their own flaws. He is weak now. Pray that he doesnt become strong again... (( ;) ))
"Boots to asses... Or Imps out the airlock." -Antora Kel - Trooper Vanguard
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Lirandel » Thu Nov 01, 2007 6:51 pm

Sheesh. Did I write this? It sounds like a whole other person. And whats up with the threat "Pray that he doesnt become strong again?" Damn. *scratches his head* Must have been one of those nights where the Shadow of the character took over my mind. :shock:

Allright. Thats calling a break and a bath for me. Hm and perhaps a pint. Since I have gained my health back. *Roaars*

Hm. Make that two pints and a cig. :lol:
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Re: A Long Night

Postby Felaion » Thu Nov 01, 2007 7:21 pm

Silly boy! :)

Good to hear you'r better!
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