The Journal of Furin Firebeard aka The Adventures of Furin and Glaín

[timppako]

1st Day

We arrived at Shire. It is strange how these little hobbits have many little problems that they seem uncapable to solve. Perhaps it is their affliction to food, idle resting or constant gardening. My brother-in-law got drafted to the service of a local sherrif, to deliver mail! I was very delighted of this and remembered to tell it to him every now and then when we were searching for the right hobbits to receive their mail.

We also apprehended a local notorious mushroom bandit. The local law enforcers were completely powerless (or too full from their last meal) to catch him. Well we tracked him down and found out that he was only a little youngling. Poor boy, I think his mother does not feed him enough or else there would be no need for him to steal mushrooms. But then I wonder will hobbits ever get enough food to eat.

Ah! We also visited the former house of mr. Bilbo Baggings! It seemed that somekind of relative of him lived there now and the master himself had left. We did not bother the young man any further, just admired the place where it all begun. To think that so small and humble residence was the starting point of a journey that led to the death of Smaug the Golden and resettlement of our belowed Erebor. If I ever meet mr. Bilbo Baggins in my journeys, I will pay my respects to him in full.

Tomorrow we will look into a rumour that a band of goblins have been sighted in Shire. I doubt that we will find any, but at least it will keep Glaíns spirits high for a while. I do hope that we will find at least one filthy goblin we can bash around. It would make him most happy.

PS. No sign of Them

-FF

[timppako]

2nd Day

This morning we headed out to do some goblin hunt in the Shire. I had my doubts that we'd find nothing bigger than a badger (these hobbits seem to get scared of anything). We started by asking local hobbits about if they'd seen any goblins recently. They were clearly shocked about our questions. Clearly even the idea that there would be goblins in the Shire was very frightening to them. I find it most interesting that they have managed to stay alive in here. Surely the Enemy does not know about them or else... I dare not to think about it.

Well, meanwhile Glaín got into an argument with a filthy hobbit that involved some wild rumours about a monster and a challenge of our courage. Naturally Glaín accepted the challenge and so we went towards the ruins. They were in a middle of a swamp, full of bloodsucking crearures, small and large. And the ruins were in a state of total decay. Built by human hands they had crumbled in the hands of time. Well we found some strange things in there and even a few goblins! (how happy it made Glaín). Well it is enough said that we showed those hobbits what dwarven bravery meant! It was such a beautiful night that we decided to walk to Bree. We could find no trace of them, perhaps in Bree...

-FF

PS. Glaín has gotten it in his head that I must prove my battleprowess to him. He constantly reminds me how I should fight. By Mahal's Beard! Why do I need to prove myself to him?

[timppako]

3rd Day

The good weather did not last for long. Soon heavy clouds gatherd above us and it started to pour water on us. Well, we made it to Bree in the morning rain. It had left Glaín in a foul mood (I happened to enjoy the rain, especially combined to the Sunrise, it reminded me of watching the rainclouds roaming on the plains near Erebor) but his spirit was lifted a bit when we noticed that the local smith was a dwarf named Alegard. We had some very good conversations about recent happenings around Bree. Master Alegard asked us to deliver few goods for him, so that he would not have to leave his forge (it seems local people and travellers are keeping him very busy). Well, naturally we accepted to help a kinsman and Glaín was more than willing enough to carry everything. I'm so glad that Mahal has blessed me with such a strong and helpful brother-in-law.

After helping master Alegard we happened to stumble upon two very shrewd and unpolite persons. They dared to compare us to hobbits! What arrogance! I got a little steamed about it, called them troll droppings, but luckily Glaín was there to calm me down. Bah! The race of Men is most definitely on the decline.

Our encounter with the men (one of them was a woman, I think she said her name was Aine) left us in a foul mood. Glain, especially, showed his anger when we were left alone, cursing their manners with me. Lucky for us we heard that local militia had some problems with goblins and the prospect of goblin hunting raised our foul mood, so we joined them in the hunt. They were no match for our combined forces, even as those local militia really did nothing (sigh), and soon we had them on the run.

In the end of the day we had a misfortune to stumble upon a man called Bill Ferny. He was despicable fellow and I have nothing good to say about him. We both made it very clear to him to never approach us again.

Finally we stayed in the Prancing Pony inn where the innmaster, called mister Barlimar Butterburr, offered us very decent food and he had even some dwarven ale! We were very happy about it, even though I think mr. Butterburr is a bit... forgetfull fellow, so to speak. But nonetheless he is a very decent fellow and I'll be surely someday spending another night in the Prancing Pony (well, it is also the only inn in Bree).

PS. We were constantly plaqued by rainstorms. It took us quite long to clean and oil our weapons and armour. And we heard nothing in here so far. Perhaps tomorrow, we must be patient someone is bound to know something...


PPS. Glaín took the battleprowess thing a step further and left me to fight alone against the goblin chief. And he watched and commented my fighting beside me! I had to yell to him to get him to help me. I hope he does not do it again. He also constantly nags to me that I should act as a dwarf should! Am I not a dwarf! What in my demeanor is so different an un-dwarvish?! He starts to sound like my dear wife... How I miss her...

-FF

[timppako]

4th Day

We woke up early this morning and it left Glaín in a foul mood. His mood sunk lower as he found his breakfast below his standard so he decided to exchange some words with the Prancing Pony's chef. Luckily I did not make out a single word they were saying in the kitchen, but I did hear the sound of something breaking, more than once. I think the cook, Ramsi I think was his name, was not overly taken of my brother-in-law's words.

After that incident we happened to meet a fellow travelling kinsman by the name of master Gamsi. We talked quite long, exchanging news and rumours and found out that he had just arrived from Tharbad. It seems the orcs are causing some troubles in there too. By Mahal's Beard I hate all orcs! Will the world ever be free of them? I doubt it.

He managed to hurt my feelings again. He starts to sound more and more like old papa Kûn every day. "Don't do that!", "Keep your head high, son!" and "Act like a proper dwarf!", were his favourite words to me. He was a harsh teacher, but I still remember every time we sat together by the fire and he started to tell his stories to me. Perhaps I will someday tell my stories to some youngling. Oh! about Glaín. I forgave him, for he is what he is and I'll never expect more of him.

We headed east of Bree where we found a band of orcs keeping camp near Weathertop. We managed to surprice them by the cover of rain and they scattered before us. We followed few of them to a small lair and managed to hit them hard before they knew what was happening. Ah! the sight of Glaín throwing his axes as I was chanting our warsongs! He looked so serene, as that was what Mahal made him for. On our way back his spirits were high and it was my turn to listen as he sang a few songs of Khazad-dûm. As we returned to the Prancing Pony for the night, he did not anymore think there was something wrong in his food...

Ps. I'm glad I put some extra oil on my armour as it rained heavily all day. Surely tomorrow the clouds will scatter and sun will shine.

-FF

[timppako]

5th Day

Another rainy morning in Bree. Soon this place will be one giant lake. Well at least the rain washes all the dirt away from the streets. I was to find out that Glaín was satisfied with the food this morning. I think the cook also was glad of it.

After a hearty breakfast we headed towards the local tailor. It seems that we are planning to stay a bit longer in here, so better to look like a proper dwarf. Poor lass... We must've almost driven her mad by the way we explained all the details and colours we wanted. We wanted to be sure that we would not be mixed to another clan. I'll never forget the sound of her sigh when we were finally adequetly satisfied and left her shop.

Then we happened to ran into a man who called himself Yastan. He was a rather common man, but there was something dubious in his eyes. After a while he dared to ask our help in a matter of local graverobbers. The mere word graverobber made our blood run hot, even though it did concern only human graves. Nonetheless the dead should not be disturbed, unless the most direst of need. He needed some time to prepare himself so we sat in the Prancing Pony waiting for him. And there we were suddenly approached by two elves. Why did they chose us is beyond me. What I heard from their talk they were siblings, a brother and a sister. The sister's name was Aislinn and I never caught her brother's name. Perhaps their meaning to choose us came clear when they started to call us unmannered! Unmannered, us! We were not the ones who hid their faces behind hoods! We were not the ones who crept behind them as one talked to us! We were not the ones who locked up the soon-to-be King under the Mountain into a cell, from which he had to escape inside a barrell! We were not the ones who came to their door claiming a part of their wealth in wich we would have no right to. Luckily Yastan came and we left with him. (Perhaps we were too harsh to them. We were quite upset by the tought of graverobbers when they came to us. Perhaps they were only trying to be polite. Next time I must try to remember this)

We managed to find the robbers and surpriced them when they were sharing the loot. There was a brief fight, where one cursed bandit managed to slip his blade under my mail. I let him taste my mace. Glaín and Yastan quickly drove the others away. I hope they learned their lesson and keep away from robbing graves.

When we headed back to the Prancing Pony, Glaín noticed my wound. The look on his face was so concerned. He must still think of me as a youngling. I told him that it was nothing serious that a good rest would not heal. I hope this does not lead to more "proving myself to him"-situations...

Ps. No news at all. We must decide tomorrow where to seek them next.

-FF

[timppako]

6th Day

A small miracle awaited us when we woke up! It did not rain! Well the sun was not shining too, but our spirit was lifted slightly. We had the honour to meet this most gentle and enthousiastic little hobbit during our breakfast. He talked to us and introduced himself with good manners, so we invited him to eat with us. (With him and Glaín gulfing up all the food I was lucky to have some myself.) He proved to be quite extraordinary hobbit also, having secret dreams of adventuring life. As we spoke he heard that we were heading south towards Tharbad and asked to join us. We thought that it would be enough of an adventure to him and accepted his company.

And so we started our journey under the grey and sunken morning sky. We did not get too far when it started to pour down on us again, but master Perry's company cheered us both and we sang some dwarven travelsongs for him. There we walked in the rain when Glaín noticed a thin trail of smoke rising behind a hill near the road. We were hesitant to present ourselves for we knew not were there enemies or friends. Master Perry went to take a peek, for we thought that he'd be not easily seen. How delighted we were when it turned out to be a dúnedain camp! It is always good to see members of so noble house. We presented ourselves and were accepted to their camp with great hospitality. Master Perry was most happy when they gave him a bowl of warm rabbit stew.

The dúnedain had also some troubles. It seems something has been stirring in Barrowdowns recently. They asked our help and we gladly gave it to them! That place is truly unnerving. It reek of foul magic. We searched part of it and found many things that concerned us. As the sun started its descent we decided it was best that we headed back to Bree to rest and prepare ourselves better and then come back in the following day. It was long in the night when we arrived back to the Prancing Pony and how delighted we were when there still was some warm soup left. I hope master Perry will still be willing to go back there tomorrow...

-FF

[timppako]

7th Day

Our thoughts were dark as we woke up early. Our minds were sunken even lower when we could not find master Perry. Perhaps our first visit in the Downs was quite enough for the little hobbit. And we cannot blame him. Things are so different outside the Shire. So we ate a quick breakfast in silence and were on our way.

I will not go into detail what we saw in the Barrowdowns, for I do not wish to taint my journal with them. The most alarming thing is that I almost fell in there. If Glaín would've not carried me out of there, those Downs would also be the resting place of my bones. And what a shame that would be for my family! He carried me all the way back to the dúnedain, where one of them helped to heal my wounds. Strider I think his name was, a curious fellow with a stern and serious face. They were most alarmed of our findings in the Downs, but also thankful of our help.

Glaín was very worried of me for the whole night. They say he barely left my side and fell asleep in the early twilight hours of the morning, and that is how I found him - snoring heavily beside me by the already faded campfire...

-FF

[timppako]

8th Day

The morning was cloudy and gloomy as we woke up. The wound in my side still ached, but it did not bother me so much. But Glaín continued to worry about me. As we were offered some breakfast we were approached by a man named Lance Kerrigan, one of the rangers. We exchanged news and it turned out that he had just returned from his journey to the Iron Mountains. It seems there had been a minor attack by the easterlings, but the guards in the Mountains were not surpriced! The threat of the easterlings seem to grow day by day. I fear they might be planning something greater, but they will find our guards alert and our walls impenetrable. We also discussed with master Lance about our "problem" and he promised to help us in our search. After midday we packed our things are headed south towards a city named Tharbad.

As the Sun started to set we arrived to Tharbad. The walls were hastily built and so were the buildings. The smell of garbage and waste filled our nostrils as we made our way through the gates. Why do people live in such filth is beyond me. Can they not build things properly? Luckily the local smith was a kinsman who offered us his hospitality for the night.

-FF

[timppako]

9th Day

Master Lance came to us with another ranger with him. He told us that he had been looking for us and that he brought news with him we might want to hear. It seems that someone had came to their camp few weeks ago, talking something about an ambush and a caravan. But he had used such a foul language that they had forced him to leave their camp. Master Lance told us that he had headed towards Tharbad. So naturally we started to look for this being and finally we found a tavern in the southern part of the city where they recognized him by our description. What we heard in there convinced us more that that being cannot be a dwarf! For he had behaved in a manner unthinkable for a dwarf! Who and whatever this being is, he might have information we need and know we knew where he was heading from Tharbad…

So we started to ask what would be the fastest way to travel to a northern land called Forochel. We found out that a ship would soon sail to there, but it would not leave yet. The thought of travelling in a ship turned Glaín’s face greenish and I must admit that I also have my doubts that I will not enjoy it either. So all we have to do now is wait untill that ship is ready to sail…

-FF

Ps. The dwarf we met in Tharbad had unbelievably mannish manners! He insulted my family in ways that left me speachless for a moment and I felt my blood roaring for justice in my ears! We left master Lance there to talk to him nad walked away, before we did anything we might regret later…

[timppako]

10th Day

The ship was not ready to sail yet, so we decided to stroll through the countryside. Glaín found out that Nûr was with the caravan and is now mad at me. We’ve not talked much about anything since that. How can I explain to him how embarrased I was and afraid to tell it to him. But now I have to live with this situation and endure his silent treatment. I think it will not take too long for him to start talking to me, but I’m afraid it will be yelling for a some time…

The morning was pretty and the Sun shone upon us in the clear sky, as we strolled through the countryside. It surely lifted my mood, but Glaín has never thought much of nature. Soon we entered upon a macabre scene: dead cattle and people scattered around a devasteted farmhouse! We quickly rushed upon the scene and found the marks on the bodies still quite fresh. And suddenly we found a woman sobbing over a dead man’s body. How it teared my heart to see someone grieving like that. She told us that something big had attacked them in the night, killed everyone it found and then just few hours before sunrise left. We promised her to find that beast and take revenge on it. Luckily it had left easy trail for us to follow and they lead us to a cave near by. We readied our weapons and entered and found a disturbing sight: a troll was there feasting upon the corpses! Our anger burned red hot as we attacked the beast! It fought back with viscious strenght, but we stroke it down and made sure it would never bother a living soul anymore. I do not know how much comfort the woman took from our news. The Sun was setting as we left the farm after we helped her to bury her family...

-FF

[timppako]

11th through 17th Day

We started our long trip to north as the ship raised it’s sails in the early hours of morning. The journey was long and hard for us. Glaín spent most of the time under the deck, but I spent some times on the deck watching the as the coastline gradually changed into a frozen wasteland. But I could not bear the ships swaying for long and always had to go down below. We did not talk much and when we did we talked mostly about finding this Ezra.

Then we arrived to the frozen lands of the lossoth. There was ice and snow as far as our eyes could see. There was a small trading camp where the ship anchored. Dried fish and seal meat hung everywhere and their smell encircled us as we walked into the camp. The local folk were generally decent and welcomed us with hospitality. As they offered us their generosity we asked about Ezra from them discretely. They had not seen anyone who would fit the description we knew of him. Glaín turned out to be very fond of the meat and drinks they offered and indeed they were good! So there we sat and exchanged songs and tales long into the night.

The next morning they approached us with some disturbing tales. A group of them had travelled near the mountains and encountered some terrible two legged beasts. The beasts had scattered their group and only few of them managed to travel back to the camp. The locals seemed to get very afraid of these news and not even the worry for their lost comrades would not make them go and search for them. We promised to help them, find the lost kinsman and take a look of these strange beasts.

The mountains were close and the weather was favourable to us. As we arrived at the foothills we started to look for any clues of the group, looked for tracks and searched for any cave we found, for they are a good place to seek shelter from the weather. It did not took long as we went into a cave where we found hastily built barricades that were badly broken. It was quiet in there, only the wind howled behind our backs as we readied our weapons and entered the cave. Inside we found bloodmarks and other marks of battle. And soon we found the dead bodies of the lossoth. They must've tried to defend themselves against the beasts, but their efforts were in vain. Our spirits fell a little, but now at least we knew what happened to them. We built a stony grave for them and said little prayers to ease their passage. As we were leaving we heard something moving near the entrance of the cave. We advanced cautiously, but we were still supriced as a huge bear lunged at us! It must have smelled the corpes and was after an easy meal and now we were caught between it and it's meal. We cut it down quickly, I was not happy about it, but it left us no other choice...

We continued to look for any marks of these beasts, for now we both were filled with a burning desire to revenge the unfortunate lossoth. It took few hours for us to find another cave and this one had strange tracks around it. We knew we found what we were looking for and charged in yelling our battlecries! We took the strange dog-like beasts in surprice and cleaved them down very quickly. The beasts wore strange symbols on their crude armours. It was unknown to us so we took one with us, to show it to the lossoth. We left the bodies to the wolves and started to head back to the camp under the darkening, starlite sky...

-FF

Ps. I feel Glaín is slowly forgiving me my mistake...

[timppako]

18th Day

We arrived to the camp in the early hours of morning. The journey under the stars was amazing. How there were beautiful lights dancing in the sky. Even Glaín was impressed by them! We told our sad news to the lossoth and they grived for the loss of their kinsman, but they did not have high hopes of their survival in the first place.

We showed the mark we found to a man called Nildar, who was their loremaster. He did recognize it as a mark of an ancient enemy, who lived in the north and warred against the Kingdom of Arnor. Angmar it was called. The Free Peoples had long ago vanquished the evil from the north, but not before it destroyed the Kingdom of Arnor. This was very disturbing news to them, for they feared the return of the evil. Nildar told us that not far away from the camp there was a old tomb where, according to legends, are some servants of Angmar buried. They were very afraid that those foul creatures are from that tomb and would mean the return of evil and oppression to their people. We were moved by their fear and promised to go and take a look at this tomb.

So we took a quick rest and replenished our supplies and then we were again on our way. The weather stayed clear and we were able to travel fairly quickly. We were travelling in a small valley when Glaín suddenly heard growling ahead of us. Wolves!, he cried and we managed to prepare ourselves before two of them were upon us. Glaín quickly stroke down one and then the other ran whimping away, when I stroke him with my mace. As we were leaving the place a young cub appeared and my heart sunk. It seems all the wolves were trying to do was to protect their cubs. As we tried to carefully approach it, it ran away. “Well nothing can be done now”, said Glaín. “Let the nature take it's course”... And so we moved on, but our hearts felt slightly heavier...

Soon we got near the place Nildar told us and so we started to look for an entrance to this tomb. But what we found were few goblins! We quickly killed them, before they could summon more help, for undoubtedly they were only a small scouting force and more was near. And then the weather turned on us! Dark clouds quickly filled the sky, wind started to howl and snow and ice flew in the air. We started to seek shelter from the storm before it was too late and it would bury us. As we followed the edge of the mountains we felt an eerie precense following us. We saw witchfires burning in the distance and saw dark shapes in the storm and heard foul whispers in the howling wind. Glaín stopped in his tracks and I saw fear in his eyes and felt it also in my heart. But we could not stop or the storm would take us! So I started to sing about Durin the Deathless and the founding of Khazad-dûm and it lifted our spirits and we made our way to a dark opening ahead of us.

When we stepped in we found ourselves inside a tomb! And the eerie presence felt very strong in there. It was the place we were looking for and there was definetly something stirring in there. So we started to carefully make our way deeper into the tomb. There were whispers in the air and shadowy shapes in the corner of our eyes, that were not there when we turned to look. At last we made our way to a room that had strange writings in it and as we started to look into the writing, a hell broke loose! Witchfires burned brightly around us and dark figures lunged against us from the shadows! We were taken by a surprice and tried to make fierce resistance, but the shadows managed to seperate us from eachothers. I felt foul hands touching my chest and felt my spirit been drained from my body. I tried to cry for Glaín, but it turned out to be only a faint whisper and then I fell into the darkness...

For a moment I had felt the urge to let go, to give in to the darkness. But Mahal built us strong in body and spirit! And so through the darkness I heard Glaín's lamentation. As I opened my eyes Glaín was holding my head. I felt burning pain in my chest and everything seemed dim to my eyes. He had managed to drive the shapes away and then found me lying cold on the floor. As he helped me to raise up we saw more shapes gathering in the dark corners of the room. And then we heard the old ceiling crack on moan! Sand and stones begun to fall and we know the tomb was going to collapse! So we started to run as fast as we could. As we ran out in to the raging blizzard we heard evil laughter through the sound of the crumbling tomb. “Begone! Let us be now!”, I cried as an answer to the laughter and then I fell in exhaustion and pain. Glaín managed to pull me in to a ruin of an old tower where he built shelter for the night...

-FF

[timppako]

19th Day

When I opened my eyes in he morning the storm had ended. All I saw was hazy whitness everywhere around our shelter. Glain looked very worried for the snow had covered all the tracks and the cloudy horizon blended perfectly to the white snowy ground. I raised my head up and felt the marks still burning in my chest. Glain looked at me with a worried look, but I mumbled that I'd be alright if I would just get something to eat. So there we hastly made breakfast while surrounded by whiteness.

We examined the place where the entrance to the tomb was, but it had completely collapsed. We both hoped that the stones would contain whatever there was inside. We also feared that this Ezra, who were looking for, might've been lost in the blizzard. So we started to follow the edge of the mountains, for we thought that would be where he would've looked for shelter.

After many hours of walking through the thick snow we arrived at another cave opening. As we stepped in I felt the pain in my chest growing. We quickly noticed that the place must be a part of the same tombs we searched yesterday. Fearing that someone else might've fallen into their darkness, as we nearly did, we readied ourselves and went deeper into the caves. Every step we took made the marks on my chest burn more and when we stepped into a big opening sweat was gleaming on my face from the pain. The walls of the tomb were full of strange writing and decorations in the middle stood a stony sarcophagus with foul crawen images on it. To my eyes the writing seemed to be tengwar, but written in a way that made little sense to me. ”Black Speech”, I whispered to Glain and then we heard something moving! As we turned the sarcophagus had narrowly opened and darkness seemed to pour from it! We cried to Mahal and it seemed to make the darkness hesitate. We lit our dwarven lanterns and raised them high. The darkness seemed to retreat back through the opening. ”This darkness must be undone!”, cried Glain and so we started to unmake the tomb. We broke the sarcophagus and ruined the writings. And everything we found we carried outside to be laid under the arctic sun. We piled all the bones and corpses into one pile and burned them. And they cracked and moaned as the fires licked them and black smoke rose into the sky.

As I watched the smoke rise the marks on my chest burned and I fell on to my knees. Glain ran to me and I grabbed his hand. I felt too weak to move and we did not have anything I could tend my wound with. So Glain had to build a litter where he could pull me to the camp. We took all we could carry and left the rest behind. And so Glain started to pull me under the cold northern sun...

-FF

[timppako]

20th Day

It was in the very early hours of the morning when we arrived back to the lossoth camp. The villagers brought medicines to Glain who tended to me. The burning started to fade as I regained my strenght, but the marks did not fade away. We told what we found to Nildar and he found our news disturbing, but thanked us for what we had did. He had also some news for us, for a group of strangers had wandered into the camp. And with them was a dwarf!

As quickly as we could we went to talk to this dwarf. After we introduced ourselves he told us he was called Eragoz. When we asked had he ever used the name Ezra, he nodded. Our hearts leaped and we started to press him about the caravan. He told us that he had travelled with a caravan that had left from the Lonely Mountain and that it had been waylaid by frostgiants in the High Pass! That the giants had killed most of them, left many to bleed to death and took the cargo and some dwarves with them! We tore our beards in anger and sadness and asked what he knew about Nûr and Glain's grandfather. He told that he had seen Nûr being taken away and then a giant had bashed his head and left him there to die. He woke up in a house of Beornings who had found him wondering senslessly near the Pass. He did not know what had happened to the old dwarf. We felt heartbroken for Hrór and what hope was there now for Nûr in the hands of the giants! But Eragoz insisted that the giants seemed to go to great lengths to capture Nûr, so that they might still keep her alive. So there might be a chance that she is alive! If not then there is always revenge!

We thanked him for his news and asked him to join us, but he declined saying that he has things here in north he must seek for himself. We bowed low again and started to prepare ourselves for another boat journey...

-FF

Ps. I was ashamed that I believed the words of those men who criticized his manners! He was a perfectly decent dwarf!

[timppako]

21st through 27th Day

I swear I will never take another boat ride unless in a dire situation. The swaying of the ship and the pain in my chest was an unbearable combination. Now I understand some of the pain old papa Kûn must've felt with his lost arm. I always remember how he sometimes tried to scratch his missing hand in his thoughts. When he noticed what he was doing he always said: ”The Worm must be gnawing on it again”. Glain did not enjoy the journey either. So there we sat, in our small corner below the deck, planning our revenge.

The captain left us somewhere up the river Gwathló, in a place called Minhiriath. We bid farewell to him and started to head towards Tharbad. To our delightful surprice we met a kinsman on the road. He introduced himself as Remus. He was going our way so we happily started to travel together. As the Sun was slowly starting to descent behind us we happened into a bloody scene! Bloody bodies of hobgoblins lying around in the ground and a bloody trail leading away from the site! Thinking someone might be in peril we quickly followed the trail into a forest nearby. The trail went inside a cave and we rushed in!

Inside we ran into a barricade manned by hobgoblins! They fired arrows on us, but we made a shield wall and started to advance towards them and as we got close enough, we stormed the barricade! They tried to resist, but we left them lying dead on the stony floor. But as we went deeper we met more barricades. We broke through them all. At the end of the cave we found a prisoner! A man whose tongue had been cut out! Curse on all the orcbreed! We freed him and left the cave quickly.

As we were outside we managed to find out that the man had been ambushed by a group of hobgoblins when he was on his way to Tharbad. He bravely fought against them, killing some of them, but they overcame him and dragged him into their lair. We told him that we were on our way to Tharbad and that we would protect him all the way to his home. That was the least we could do for the poor man. And so we walked in silence for the rest of the way...

-FF