Highday, 5th of Wedmath, Year 1417 Shire-reckoning
The Lich Bluffs, Somewhere in the Enedwaith
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| Tombs in the Lich Bluffs of the Enedwaith |
The morning was still and fair, but it was quite warm, even in the early hours, which meant the day would likely be hot and uncomfortable. Such a clime was fitting, however, considering the explosive debates of the evening before: Nephyn and Lagodir hardly acknowledged each others' presence while Gaelira, and I spoke only in brief sentence fragments for fear of upsetting the tenuous silence. Drodie, indelicate as ever, hummed and sang snatches of some Dwarvish ballad while we marched, oblivious to the tension. Dunland was proving to be perhaps the greatest threat to our Company's cohesion yet, as Lagodir of Gondor sneered at its people while Nephyn (at least partially descended from that land, though I believe only she and I remain alone among the Company in being aware of this) insisted his treatment of the inhabitants was unwarranted. We had come over many leagues and through many dangers to reach Dunland in hopes of finding Edgerin, the mysterious and elusive ex-Seeker, to learn what we might from him concerning our adversaries. Yet now, after only three days, we were headed back north -- back out of Dunland.
My mind began to wander as we walked. How strange it was, the net of intrigue in which we now found ourselves! Mallacai had been deposed as leader of the Seekers of the Seven Stars, usurped by the enigmatic Inar, who blamed us for Amarthiel's rise to power in Angmar. Amarthiel herself apparently had dispatched her agent Izarrair to dog our footsteps as we traveled southward, yet he himself seemed to be on some other errand. And over all of this hung the still unresolved murder of Luean, our old friend and companion -- there was some evidence to suggest that Inar was behind it, but that evidence was circumstantial at best. I sighed audibly and hoped Gaelira's old friend would be able to shed some light on all of this confusion, but for the moment we were headed the wrong way: the shifty fixer Enro Smuin had revealed to us that someone by the name of Iargandir was responsible for placing a bounty on our heads, and so we were going to confront him about it. That path would take us back into the southern reaches of the Enedwaith known as the Lich Bluffs -- a name which was not at all to my liking. I sighed again and felt a hand laid gently on my shoulder.
"Do not despair, Padryc." It was Gaelira, and she spoke low enough that only I could hear her words. "I, too, am displeased at turning aside from our plain path, but if we are able to learn anything of value from this Iargandir then it will be time well spent."
"Ah, so Elves really can read thoughts after all," I replied with a grim chuckle, "That's exactly what was on my mind, as it happens, and I certainly hope you're right. But to be honest I can't say I'm completely unhappy to be leaving Dunland behind, even for only a short time -- I think that land has done more harm to this Company than all the foes we've faced so far, save perhaps Guloth himself."
"It is not the land which does the harm," she corrected me, "It is, rather, pride and stubborness, fear and loneliness that drive a wedge between friends. Still, such ailments can be cured and we must hope for something that may bring reconciliation. We cannot afford to become splintered now -- nothing wholesome has made its abode in the Lich Bluffs for many a long year, and I do not know what we shall find there."
Those cheerful words were met by the sudden appearance of steep cliffs rising to either side of the road in front of us. Our path ran on between them, looking very much as if it had been carved into the plateau by a rushing river ages and ages before, but was now become a dead and dry defile.
"We have come to the Bonevales," said Gaelira. "Let us go straight on through them and stray not from the road."
This we did, but it was a disturbing trek. It took almost five hours to pass through that region and nothing about it was pleasant. There were many side-paths leading away from the main road which ran into deep, shadowy ravines, but I thought I could hear strange noises coming from within these, and we hurried past them. The cliffs to either side, meanwhile, frowned upon us so that I became alarmed: I kept expecting them to come hurtling down on us in a rush and a fury of smoke and stone, and so we would all be buried alive there, forgotten until the end of Time. We tried to quicken our pace, but there was a strong wind blowing southward through the passage which slammed into our faces and bodies with such force that our progress was slowed. I screwed up my courage, leaned into the gale, and struggled on.
And so it wasn't until nearly the third hour after noon that we finally emerged into the southernmost region of the Enedwaith on the other side of the cliffs. The grass-lands rolled up to greet us and the road continued to run away before us, but to either side were low hills, brown and dotted with stony mounds. A cool breeze was rushing down on us from the Misty Mountains to the east. Normally, I would have been grateful for any such relief coming from the snow-capped heights after a day's long march in middle of summer, but there was something uncanny about that wind. It felt stale, as if it had been just been released from the depths of a tomb. I looked at the openings which spotted the hillsides with disdain.
"Barrows!" I murmured, "It figures that Smuin would send us into a place like this. And just where is Iargandir supposed to be, anyhow? Enro called him a 'death wizard,' so I don't suppose he keeps a nice little house with flower-beds and a duck-pond somewhere well away from all this."
"The Lich Bluffs," said Drodie as he looked around with distaste. "No, little hobbit, I don't suppose he does either. I don't like the idea of sticking my beard into every one of these foul holes any more than you do, but I also don't like walking around with a price on my head. If that is what we must do in order to find out why Iargandir wants us dead, then that is what needs must."
And that is what we did for most of the remainder of the day. We decided to start with the hills to the west of the road -- not for any particular reason, but simply because we preferred to have the intrusive wind blowing at our backs rather than into our faces. After about two hours of searching, however, we found nothing which indicated an inhabitant of any living sort. I found the whole ordeal downright miserable, but Gaelira was inclined to be optimistic.
"The great majority of these barrows are tightly sealed," she said, "Which is as it should be. One could hardly say the same of the Barrow-downs to the north, yet those tombs lie very nearly on the threshold of Bree itself. It is well that same pestilence has not found its way to these resting places."
"And yet we find no sign of our quarry," said Lagodir. "Let us search the eastern hills."
We crossed to the other side of the road and resumed our search. By that time, the Sun was deep in the west and the orange tinge of day's ending was already beginning to creep across the heavens. We moved quickly, for none of us wished to continue searching the barrows after nightfall, and already the howling of wolves could be heard, distant and mournful. We had just finished examining another of the baleful tombs when I suddenly felt Nephyn's grip on my arm.
"Everyone remain still and do not look up," she said quietly, but the excitement in her voice was palpable. "We are being watched from above."
"Where?!" cried Drodie and he immediately looked upward, heedless of her warning. I rolled my eyes at the Dwarf's lack of subtlety, but once he had given us up, the rest of us looked as well.
"I see! I see him!" I said. "Look there -- up above us on that hilltop! He ducked out of sight just now."
"There is a path leading thither," called Lagodir as he sped away, "To the north, behind this belt of trees! If we move quickly we shall have him."
I made to follow the Gondorian, but Nephyn caught me by the collar and pulled me southward.
"This way, friend Padryc," she said softly. "There is another way up to the south -- you and I shall be the jaws of our little trap as we snare our prey between us."
So it was the two halves of our Company converged on a single spot amidst the rocks and trees. A tall, slender figure was there dressed in the strange ceremonial garments which might have belonged to some Dunlendish shaman or witch-doctor, but his head and face were masked by a swaddling cowl. He regarded us steadily and with a calmness which showed no desire to flee. Lagodir stepped toward him and drew his sword.
"Hold, stranger," Lagodir called to him. "Who are you and what is your business in this land?"
"I would ask the same of you," came a muffled voice. "Such a strange company stands before me! Man, Woman, Elf, Halfling, and Dwarf travelling together in fellowship? Such things are not often seen here in the wind-swept hills of the Enedwaith. Will you not tell me of yourselves?"
"We will ask the questions, friend," answered Lagodir as he took another step forward. "Speak! Who are you that skulks about the stones of the departed? Your name is Iargandir, is it not? Speak, or I swear by the Winged Crown you shall not leave this hilltop alive."
"Iargandir? asked the voice. "I have been called by many names in my long life, but never have I heard that one." And with that the figure removed his mask.
"Minasse!" I cried joyfully. "Well, of all the people -- what on earth are you doing here?!"
"Mae govannen!" the Elf exulted. "I must ask you the same! I have been seeking you ever since we parted ways near the Doors of Moria, but I thought you were still many leagues south of me. Have you, then, found Edgerin already? What did you learn from him?"
"We have not found him yet," said Gaelira, "And our path has wound much since we parted. But there is time enough for that tale later. Tell us of yourself!"
"Yes!" cried Nephyn. "What happened? How was it you never came to Rivendell?"
So began an exhange of stories which lasted long into the dark hours of the night. We six gathered around a bright campfire to hear of the High Elf's adventures which had befallen him starting the day after the rest of us had entered Moria. The tale was long in the telling and I was unable to write it all down (chiefly on account of this annoying wind that refuses to let up), but I will record here what I did gather from his account.
You may remember that Minasse had suggested we brave the Mines while he return to Elrond with the news of Luean's murder? It seems that Minasse had barely commenced his journey when he was attacked by Moria-goblins which had somehow found their way out into the plains of Eregion. Their numbers were too great for Minasse to overcome on his own, so he fled into the high passes of Caradhras. There, he was able to evade them, for he could endure the harsh snows and biting winds of the heights while his adversaries could not. He came down again once he had judged the enemy had withdrawn, but it turned out the goblins were lying in wait for him. Then Minasse only just escaped with his life, but he was forced to flee far to the west and wolves were upon his very heels. He spent many days dodging them among them holly-trees, but always he was driven westward, out of his intended path.
"At first I thought them nothing more than a common orc-pack ranging for food or slaves," Minasse told us. "But they pursued me with such fervour that I now believe they were dispatched specifically to waylay me. And, while they obviously did not catch me, they did succeed in preventing me from reaching Imladris straightaway."
"I thought I had seen someone slinking among the ruins near Echad Dunnan just before we made to enter Moria," I said. "I wish to goodness now I had said something about it."
"That was most likely a scout of the same war-party which pursued me," said Minasse. "If the orcs knew about your entry into Moria, I fear you must have had an evil time with them once you passed inside."
"No, we did not," said Gaelira. "We encountered no orcs at all while we journeyed in the Mines. I suspect the scout did not inform the other goblins about us because he assumed we would be taken by the Watcher in the Water, but there fortune was with us and we escaped the guardian's ire."
Minasse them told us how he was pursued day and night all the way to the River Gwathlo before he was finally able to shake the pursuit. He did finally keep his word and returned to Rivendell, but by that time the rest of us had already come and gone. So it was that Minasse knew from Lord Elrond all about our finding of the gondath, the destruction of Guloth, and our current task to find Edgerin in Dunland. He had been following us as swiftly as a tireless Elf could, and he had nearly overtaken us. Our sudden detour at the behest of Enro Smuin ultimately caused us to cross paths at last, right here at this very spot!
"Finding your trail has been difficult," Minasse said. "Word about your passing has been easy enough to hear, but unsurprisingly the denizens of this land are not over-eager to chat with a wandering Noldo. I have been obliged, therefore, to take on a more... primitive appearance, and so it is you find me thus arrayed." He looked with disgust at the Dunlendish furs which now hung draped on his slender frame.
"Yes, we have had our own dealings with the charming locals," said Lagodir. Nephyn shot him a withering look.
"But we have had to contend with more than just Dunlendings," I jumped in, eager to change the subject. "There was also that scary horseman, Izarrair."
"Izarrair?" said Minasse with raised eyebrows. "That name I heard spoken among the goblins which pursued me. It seems our adventures do indeed have a link, as I have long suspected. Tell me what you know of him!"
And so we did, but Minasse was unable to shed any light on the Man's purposes, his interest in our party, or even what he might be doing in Dunland at all.
"Evil is on the move throughout many lands," he lamented, shaking his head, "And Dunland is no exception. Even here, in the forlorn hills of the Enedwaith, is the will of the Enemy at work. As close as I had come to finding you, I had resolved to first drive out whatever foulness has infested these hills: the Dead walk here by night and the howls of the Wargs draw ever nearer." I shivered.
"Iargandir?" Nephyn asked.
"I spoke true when I said I had never heard the name," Minasse replied. "But if what Enro Smuin told you was true, then perhaps this Iargandir is behind the unrest here in the Lich Bluffs. I had traced the source of the trouble to a particular barrow not far from here. I think we should investigate; perhaps we shall accomplish two objectives at once."
"But not now, I hope you mean," I pleaded. "Can't we at least wait until sunrise?"
"Yes, we should certainly do that," Gaelira agreed. "The power of evil waxes in the hours of darkness. Let us rest."
And so it was we rested in the glow of a warm fire as the night closed in around us. In spite of the gloom and the constant howling of the wind, I dozed easily. I knew that our fellowship was complete once again, beyond all odds. Tomorrow we would do whatever was necessary to track down Iargandir and then, finally, we would begin to get some answers to our many questions.
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