USH'S LORD OF THE RINGS GAME PART 3- The Tournament and the Traitor

"Perhaps I could take a patrol out of the Baranar garrison. Surely freeing up your borders is worhth the absence of twenty men, briefly?" Darvan asks, "Unless it really is mist that's keeping people out."

"My dear fellow, it would take weeks to simply search the Downs with just twenty men, and you would need many times that number to secure it, and even if we took an army there, anyone there would simply flee and return later. It's not worth our time securing it; men are badly needed elsewhere."

Yup Mists are eeevilll.....
I'm not going to the Downs, no way no how...
I'll play that in game and talk Darvan outta that...

hmm ok, we need to find out what exactly is going on there, without really going there. The threat is real, we know that, but what it is nobody seems to know.
I'll ask.

"What exactly IS the threat that would require an army to secure the Downs?"

"Well, we believe that whole army that attacked Baranar hid itself there; that gives an idea of the potential scale of the issue.

"Not that the Witch-King is going to spare that many Orcs in Cardolan that often."

"Well, as you say then. If they are so few and far between, why is travelling there any more difficult that travelling anywhere else?" Darvan grins, "We must seem very inquisitive over a matter surely so reasonable as this.
"In fact, I have had another problem nagging at me; I've been itching to go hunting, yet I find that all the good hunting land is owned by the Lords - and I have not yet got accaquainted with them. Obviously, I would be happy to join any parties of Lords, or their children, that would allow me to accompany them, and I was wondering if perhaps you could make some introductions for me?"

"My dear fellow, because the Orcs have been known to use it, and we are not in the habit of recommending travel to areas the Orcs have been known to use! They are... ill-tempered people.

"And you do know *I* am a Lord, don't you?"

"If indeed you call them people at all," Darvan comments darkly, moving away from the topic, "Of course I am aware of that fact - I assumed, though, that you would be a tad busy with all this trouble to go hunting, and I would not want to be so rude as to ask you for that."

"AH well, during the Tournament this is indeed true. unless you want to go gallavanting around the entire of Arthedain, I think you should remember that the Lord's estates are located all around our realm. This is the capital. The lands around here are all the King's!"

"Ah. And he is a busy man. Would I have to directly enquire to him for permission? Or perhaps some of the younger lordlings go hunting, and it would be possible for me to tag along?"

Lordling? Oh my...

"You would definitely need the personal permission of the King for that. Not that anyone is going hutning during the Tournament!"

"Damn. Well, can I offer my help in any way to prepare the tournament itself?" Darvan asks, "I am feeling somewhat restless, and it is growing to annoy me."

"And I thought you Elves were such mellow people! Well, you could help show some of the new arrivals around."

"I would be glad to. Normally, I suppose, we are calmer - somehow I feel fired up. All this talk of orcs parading freely about the countryside unnerves me. And with the tournament upcoming I feel like I should be practicing, but I haven't got a fencing partner."

"*Sigh* Some elves are mellower than others... I guess it depends. I think that in order to make my motives more clear, I should tell you that the Lady Galadriel notifyed me of rumors of some very odd, even sorcerous activitys in the downs, possibly involving the Witch-King, and she would like to know of any truth to these rumors."

"Yes, well..." says Gorlim, nervous at the mention of the infamous Witch of the Golden Wood, "it's not for me to comment on any rumours she has heard. If there are any 'sorcerous' activities anywhere, I am sure you Elves are far more qualified than I am to make such comment, certainly since Malbeth died."

(should I know Malbeth??)

You have not heard of him.

(Are Darvan and Palidan in the same conversation?)

"Malbeth?" Darvan enquires, "Who's he?"

(Or; )

"I do not really know this fair city either, unfortunately, and a guide would be welcome, of course."

Oh, you have been here for a few months; enough time to knwo your way around.

"Malbeth the Seer," says Gorlim. "He had great powers of foresight. He advised the last three generations of Arthedani Kings, but sadly died last winter."

"Really? Interesting, was there anything, Unusual about his death?"