Vardalain, the boy is infected, no two ways about it. You are certain of that.
"The Orcs would not want to be seen," says Baronar, "or else I would already KNOW that the Witch-King intends to take Baronar! He is hiding a small army in the Downs! A small army is all he can manage this far, he cannot support a large one, but instead he attacks us with vile disease to make us weak! They will be coming any day now, I am sure of it."
"It cannot be possible," says Gorlim. "When did this disease start?"
"A little over amonth ago," says Baronar.
"There you go," says Gorlim. "Even if the Witch-King learned of our misison, we only LEFT last week! How could he va epossibly have known that he needed to attack Baronar a month before this business started?"
"I don't know the ways of the Witch-King," says Baronar. "But everything points to that being the case."
Gorlim thinks things over.
"We HAVE to save this place," says Gorlim. "We need men. And we need a cure. Fast."
You can see the problem now, Vardalain- the disease is almost intelligent, thwarting any cure you can provide. You cannot cure it- you would need to know more about its fundamental nature. And you cannot; you simply are not good enough in that area.
But... you know people who are. One person, in particular.
"Less than a thousand men I would think," says Baronar. "But I can manage barely fifty fit men to defend."
Actually, you only have about 40 in total, Argentis, including yourselves- affter the losses at the Downs.
Vardalain, a dispatch to Lord Elrond would have to be carried in person. If you want to learn from him, you will need to go yourself. But he won't send forces- he won't even send them to Arthedain. To Cardolan? Not a chance! Besides, it is too far for a force to arrive in time, even an Elven one.
"I can get a relief force from Arthedain," says Gorlim. "We should be able to spare a few thousand men."
"That will take too long," says Baronar. "Even on the road. We cannot survive a siege with so few men!"
"But if the Elves can provide a cure you will have more men," says Gorlim.
"But... not enough.., and Rivendell is far..."
"But the Elves are fleet of foot! And enough men could be cured to hold until I get back!"
"Maybe," concedes Baronar. He looks uncertain.
Anyoe can reasonably chose to go to Rivendell. The Elves have a bit more resonance if they try. Vardalain HAS to go, but he might be intertested in a bodyguard? The route to Rivendell is far from safe- it's the same route you guys took out here in the first story!
Gorlim and Annphor will ride back to Fornost to get a relief force. There is no need to accompany them.
Those of you, if any, that stay behind will have to help prepare the defences.
It being a siege, it is hard for it not to be compared with the Hornburg, though by that logic I cannot do any fight that does not seem LIKE one from the books! However, the differences are notable. Your attackers have no heavy siege equipment, they are depending on the weakened state of the garrison. You are not backed up against a mountain, so there is no guaranteed slaughter with a loss. And no army is going to arrive in the middle of a fight and save you- instead, you have a timetable to hold out until that relieving army arrives. The enemy simply won't bother any more once it does, so they will most likely try BEFORE it does. You will have to win any assault on the fortress with your own manpower.
So, who wants to do what?