Two weeks back, Ivy Clearview was approached by a stranger at the Prancing Pony in Bree. The stranger told her of the group called the 'Great East Road Company' and since Ivy was already doing patrol jobs she decided to join up. First of their list was an expedition into the LoneLands.
Fast forward to 4 November.
Ivy arrived at the companies headquarters in Bree homesteads on her pony called Arrow. After a quick briefing the company set out on horseback (or Ponyback for Ivy's case) for Ost-Thrain. Once at the Forsaken Inn, Deorlaa explained to the party present; a diplomatic minstrel named Erthera, a ranger named Tarnon as officers, a high elf named Raspberrien with a hatred for dwarves, and two beornings called Wolfhall and Kolbjorn who probably ran off in their bear form smelling honey (allegedly); what the task involves. The Dourhand dwarves have often to occupy Ost-Thrain, an old fortress of the dwarves, as their own base of operations. During the war, this could've caused significant issues to the trade and traffic on the east road, as the Dourhands, influenced by Angmar, would often seek to raid and attack the free peoples.
So the party set forth to Ost-Thrain to either dislodge or negotiate with them. Negotiation was chosen first with Erthera chosen to use her diplomatic skills to good use. Well negotiations and diplomatic ways proofed fruitful, it was no small matter. Raspberrien's hatred for dwarves made it difficult and required Erthera to often result to crank up her diplomatic charm. Tarnon generally distrusted the Dourhands, probably due to their affiliation with Angmar in the past. Or probably cause of the shadow in the atmosphere, which gotten to Ivy the most who never had dealings with the Dourhands before. Ivy lived most her life next to the Old Forest in Buckland, where the darkness of the trees scratching Bucklands eastern borders often caused a shadow of foreboding, of wrongness, to creep over the land. And especially during that night when the Nazgul attacked Crickhollow, a strong evil sense of foreboding loomed just before the strike. And Ivy felt the same foreboding just now.
Acting on her feelings, Ivy quickly dismounted and decided to 'not be somuch in the open' as she moved from bush to bush, trying to hide her very pressence, even if seen by the gate guards first. Once negotiations with the Dourhand overseer started, Ivy started to try and make sense of the shadowy feeling, however the meaning remained clouded. She could strike out, knowing the feeling in her heart. But what if it was false, what if it was just the way others where wary that got to her? This stayed her hand. However, she eventually tried to look at a strange looking bauble, it felt off. Off place, off itself. Unreal, and evil. The feeling overwhelmed her and she eventually felt sick, looking away from it. She missed hearing the voting done by the party who just finished negotiations and they moved out. Ivy felt all kinds of wrong about everything here and the moment she mounted Arrow, a burst of vomit released from her mouth, she tried to clean Arrow a bit, apologizing to her pony as she rode after the rest of the party who've speeded forward.
Deorlaa explained later that the bauble was a stone from Mordor and that the Dourhands likely try to build around it like a symbol, regardless of morality, like the Arkenstone in Erebor. However, Ivy still doesnt buy it. All the feelings, the shadow and behaviour of the dwarves, all just adds up to suspicious. However, she wasnt feeling great now to protest and decided to just get some rest at first as the party camped at Ost Guruth.
-tbc
