Abibi 1st November 1641 My homecity, Tul Harar, is the last bastion of independant resistance in the Sirayn to the rule of Akhorakhil, the Blind Sorcerer, one of the Ulari of old, the Ringwraiths, returned from the grave of their master's death. Despite our valiant efforts, our straits are dire and so we must seek aid elsewhere in Middle Earth. Hence we have sent out embassies to the corners of the earth to seek allies against the dark powers and information that may help us resist. I am part of an embassy, led by a Haradic nobleman, send to the North. We journeyed through the ruined land of Chy, through dread Khand and past the great valley of Gorgoroth, up through the great plains and then bore north-west towards the Sea of Rhun. By chance we went too far south and west, and have ended up in Esgaroth. Here for the first time we have met men who are free from the dominion of the shadow. From here we must reassess where best to head to gain information. We know from our magi in Tul Harar of 3 great centres of learning and power that stand against the strength of the Shadow - Osgiliath, capital of the Numenorean kingdom of Gondor, Annumias, capital of the Numenorean kingdom of Arnor (although we hear rumours that it has fallen on evil times), Rivendell, where dwells Elrond Half-Elven, loremaster of the Firstborn. Abibi al-Harari ibn Furasi Grimbold 16th November 1641 I, Grimbold of the Beornings, invite the men of Esgaroth, Dale and the Lakelands to join me in a new enterprise. Those of you whom are by nature bold and adventurous are invited to come south with me into the hills of the Greenwood and found a new town, under the rule of the king of Dale. Here I have a fort, built by the Westermen of Old, that stands upon a hill above a lake of clear water. Here I propose to build a burg surrounded by a wall of stout stakes felled from the abundant forests that stand about it. Here every man that follows me shall have as much land as he can plough, if he is prepared to hold it. The lands about are not settled but we shall have a secure fastness and can eradicate what traces of dark creatures remain. All those that wish to claim their lands and live in freedom and plenty must swear to follow me and be my thegns. They must come with spear and axe, shield and jerkin. In return for fighting in my shield wall, they shall have shelter in my burg and freedom to farm their own land, free from encumbrance. Applicants should come to the Golden Swan tavern on the night of the new moon. David 23rd November 1641 The following wish to join you: 3 young Beorning men (2 are brothers and distant relations of Grimbold) 4 Northmen (each is 30-40 years of age), with wives and children (bbg,gg,ggbbb,gggb) 1 Dwarf offers you his services as a paid mercenary (rates to be agreed) 3 Northmen women (two are young widows (29, 38), one is single (19) and is a competent scout) 6 young Northmen (16-26) 2 Woodmen (25,30) You are also visited by an agent of the local administration who informs you that you will be required to pay an annual tax to the King of Dale who's "protection" you will enjoy - exactly how practical and manifest this protection will be is debatable. You will need to meet with the local administrative officer in order to register your claim to the keep and the surrounding lands. Discussion with locals indicate that there are no other Orcish tribes in the immediate area of the keep you have attacked. However the Blodrum-Hai (people of the bloody skull) do have a number of other settlements in the forest. Their exact numbers are unknown. David 1st January 1642 It is the onset of Winter, and here the winters are hard. The men from the south feel the keeness of the north wind and it chills them to the heart. Much of the autumn was spent making the fort habitable. The stench of the orcs has still not been purged from the place, and for a while many preferred to sleep outside in tents rather than suffer to stay in the place. However, all are now installed in the keep permanently. The downstairs rooms used by the orcs have been used for storing lumber for the time being. The only exception is the kitchen with its magical fire. This has been a real blessing. The upstairs rooms have been gutted and made habitable - these thankfully the orcs did not use. Falathar, Framrahil and Elassa have all been practicing weaponskills whilst Abibi has focussed on magic. Of the two scouts sent north to learn about Angmar, only one has returned. His companion was slain by an orc northwest of Mirkwood. There is a large Orc fortress known as Mount Gundabad there which the scouts were unable to pass safely. The ruler of this fortress is known as The Ashdurbuk. Some say that Gundabad is a client state of Angmar which is further to the north and west. Angmar itself is ruled by a cruel and evil sorcerer known as The Witch King. He makes war continuously against the men of the region to the west of the mountains, known as Arnor. Two further scouts were sent southwest to Lothlorien, but have not yet returned. It is unlikely they will do so before the spring. No attempt has yet been made to make contact with the wood elves in Northern Mirkwood, although Shoofir is convinced that he has seen one spying on the fort. You have also learned that there are woodmen living in the forest to the south. The are thought to be friendly. David 14th January 1642 It is now mid-winter, and in recent weeks there have been a number of worrying incidents. Livestock has gone missing, and lights have been spotted in the forest at night. Only Helegond and the Beornings have ventured out to investigate, but have found nothing. In the last few days the lake froze over and you have relied on water from the well in the cellar. Lights have now been seen on the lake too. David 1st February 1642 The Winter has been hard. Anharad, the wife of Bardic (one of the Northmen) caught a fever and died a few nights ago. Bardic is contemplating returning to Esgaroth with his children. The cattle have little to eat, as there was insufficient hay to store over the winter. All are looking thin and weak. The lights have been seen less frequently in recent nights, but there is still an opressive feeling amongst many of the retinue. The Haradrim have spent much of their time in the kitchen (with its magical fire) in a desperate attempt to keep warm. Last night Shoofir came back to the fort in some excitement after his routing scout of the surrounding area. He said that he had come face-to-face with two wood elves who were watching the fort. Although they shared no common language, he was able to understand from them that orcs were on the move nearby. Later that same night the watch was alerted to movement below the main gate, although no one could be seen. When dawn came, an object could be seen affixed to the gate. Later inspection showed it to be the head of an elf. Shoofir confirmed that it was probably one of the two that he'd meet earlier. A crude and bloody note was pushed into the mouth. It read, in Westron TRESSPASSERS, THIEVES, ELF-FRIENDS. LEAVE THE CASTLE OR YOU WILL BURN. Falathar 4th February 1642 It is indeed true that the winter has been hard on our group of adventurers. The winter chill is being felt within everyone's bones and most of the new settlers have found it hard to leave their ramshackle dwellings to forage for food and wood. It has now been accepted by all that moving to such a place at the tail end of Autumn with the winter chill about to begin was probably not the best course of action. Nevertheless, most of the settlers have very little to go back to and are determined to keep their new land and make something of it. Framrahil and Helegond (being the largest in my retinue) have felt more at ease than the rest of the group and have been hard at work chopping wood and hunting rabbit, deer and other such animals that venture out at times like these. However, there is very little food to go around and the hunters have had to venture further and further away to 'bring home the beef'. They have gladly shared what they could with the settlers and are now on a first name basis with most of them. Hagbold has been making himself very useful by using benign magic to sense prey in the vicinity and pointing the hunting parties in the right direction. He has also ingratiated himself with the settlers by using bonding spells to assist them in building sturdier dwellings (as well as rolling up his sleeves and getting a but 'mucked up'). His plan to build a Tayee temple however, was not greeted with much enthusiasm. The Haradrim are not keen to try to convert the locals and have insisted that they be left to make their own spiritual decisions. Falathar has only just recovered from a terrible influenza which seems to have afflicted him at the end of his training period. It is perhaps probable that the combination of a weakened immune system (due to the intense training), the onset of winter and the possibility of orcish pathogens in the air that led to his sickness (at least that is what Hagbold seems to think). Merath has been at his master's side for the better part of three weeks during Falathar's illness and has been there to feed and wash his master when required. His devotion has begun to win Falathar over and, while he has not yet completely accepted him, he is beginning to contemplate keeping Merath in his service on his own merits (rather than as a favour to Framrahil). Shoofir has perhaps been the most useful member of all of Falathar's retinue. His speed, stealth and eyes in the dark have allowed the settlers and their protectors to know almost all of the goings-on in the surrounding area. In addition, and this is strange, he has always returned to the keep with a rather large(ish) sack of root vegetables which he somehow managed to find himself. Framrahil, has assured the group that because of his talent at staying hidden - even for long periods of time - Shoofir has become an expert at identifying all sorts of edible roots and fungi to keep himself fed when unable to venture long distances to hunt. Most of the group are content with this explanation, after all, Shoofir has always shared what he has found. However, Falathar continues to distruct him. The recent blood stained note has focussed the minds of the group and they are preparing to mount a vigorous defence of their new lands. The fact that the orcs had the audacity to murder an elf scout and approach the keep to leave his head as warning has shown them how vulnerable they are. Shoofir has been sent to follow the orc trail away from the keep to find out where they have come from. He has been instructed to not get too close to the enemy but only to gather enough information to be able to report back as to relative size and position. Falathar and Framrahil have been sharpening their baldes preparing for a fight while Helegond has been getting more and more excited as the possibility of battle draws near. Merath, who has a keen eye, has been tasked with keeping a watch over the lake behind the keep and ensure that any suspicious activity from that area is reported immediately. The settlers for their part seem fearful and are looking to us for leadership. We have asked them to temporarily re-locate themselves to the keep where they will be protected and warm. Abibi 4th February 1642 The winter has been colder than we imagined, although those of us of desert nomad upbringing have not found it too cold, used as we are to the bitter cold of the desert nights. It is the soft city dwellers that have had the most problems. The cold has forced us to us the castle itself as a dwelling place, and at present it is large enough for all of us. We have been mainly concerned with building a palisade around the slope below the castle as an outer defense and as a secure field for the cattle - using the vast stable room of the castle for them to sleep in at night; which helps keep the castle warm as well. At least we have no need of wood for cooking with. Bardic's loss has hurt us all and we have buried Anharad in a shallow grave hacked into the stone hard ground - we will raise a proper barrow in the spring when the ground softens. In the meantime, Grimbold and Abibi will discuss a new wife for Bardic with the council of family heads - obviously his children cannot be left without a mother for too long and there must be a maiden of marriageable age within our small community. Grimbold and Abibi will provide the dowry out of the funds that we have from the capture of the castle. Helala has been helping all the community to overcome their illnesses and fevers. She has been saddened by her inability to save Anharad, but she has now redoubled her efforts. Her stock of herbs is running low however and she desperately needs anything that the scouts can find. Hazaral has been teaching bow skills to any of the inhabitants who wish to learn. Grimbold and suggested that everyone should spend a day a week so practicing, more if they can spare it, which many can since it is winter. On other days he has been out scouting with Shoofir or on his own. Now that the orcs have raised their heads and Shoofir has found elves, he is very keen to find where the orcs are based and also meet the wood elves himself. He suggests that we need to follow two courses of action: 1. We need to track the ocs back to their base, and then launch a pre-emptive strike on them to seize back the initiative. 2. We need to make contact with the wood elves and form an alliance to attack the orcs. He will attempt to track the orcs back to their base, with Shoofir if he is willing. He feels that this should not be difficult, since orcs are harldy masters of subtlety and woodcraft. Abibi is also keen to find where the elves are. He will attempt to use his sight projection to find them if they are within range. David 1st November 1641 Abibi has used his sight projection on alternate days (in order to recover his strength) for about 1 week now. His searches have found the following: 1st day No sign of elves. 3rd day No sign of elves. Signs of a rough encampment (probably Orcish judging by the mess) 3km to the West. 5th day No sign of elves. "Rough" encampment has been used recently 7th day (tried at night) No sign of elves. Orcs spotted at the "rough" encampment. Difficult to estimate numbers due to the dark but best guess is 5-10. Larger group of Orcs spotted 1km away moving South West.