The Dwarves are led by Haro son of Tamin. He is 3rd level. The others are Frenin, Krenin, Ganil, Dumin, Janin, Drogan, Hartur, Bammar & Tumin. (They have 15 ponies for themselves and 20 packhorses.)
Negotiations are heavy and fierce, the dwarves bring up minor points along the way, agreeing to dig the latrines, build the fires, and supply food for the people as long as Ghân supplies the fodder, shoe the horses and a dozen other small things that add up. They also include the guarantee that if something happens before spares horses are acquired, they will put a rider on a draft horse. They agree to the conditions of passage through the woods. They bring the price all the way down to 72 GP and 9 silvers or 8GP +1 SP per party member. (They did seem to genuinely enjoy the barter. Ghân helped to make them happy)
What does the party charge Lorliana for escort to Tharbad?
Lorliana asks, “Where is the party is going after Tharbad? It must be off road or you would be escorting people to Bree.
Please start thinking about a marching order and watches. Most roads allow for 3-4 wide, the forest will be single file. Keep in mind there are spare ponies and many pack horses and ponies. The dwarves have 5 spare and 20 pack. Gwaelur has 2 pack ponies and Miron has a pack horse.
For watches, Lorliana will be mostly useless. The Dwarves will take the dark watches with up to 3 dwarves at any time and some overlapping.
Try to put the 3 spellcasters on the final watch if possible. They will need to alternate their studies and meditations. Thoroncir should probably therefore be on first watch. Curunauth can take any watch, but I would not count on him as being a good watch stander.
Thoroncir would be glad to take the first watch. Given what we’ve heard about Curunauth’s easy distractibility, he should be paired with a more reliable PC watchstander.
How about this as a marching order:
Gil-Gandel
Thoroncir, Gilraen
Deor, Ghan
Elfstan, Angelica Mulligan
Curunauth, Lorliana
Gwaelur
Haro and the Dwarrowparty
Spare mounts
Theogrim
Miron
Where we have to go single file, the second person listed on any line would drop behind the first.
Your marching order does not take advantage of going 3 wide. Elfstan is currently riding with Gil-Gandel on Cúran. That will change at Edoras.
The Dwarves offered to place the lightly armored in the middle of their ranks. Example, Deor could be surrounded by Dwarves and pack horses.
The names are simply an attempt at Dwarven style names, knowing the Norse roots that Tolkien used for the Longbeards of the Khazâd . It is possible that one is female, but you probably will never learn one way or the other.
By the way, technically Khazâd refers to all seven houses of the Dwarves, but I will often use it to refer strictly to those of Durin’s house. which are properly known as the Longbeards.
What I’d change straight away, anyway, is to put Miron at the front - he’s a Ranger, I’m not. But I’ll come up with a full M.O. and watchbill shortly, I was just waiting for the negotiations on who’s coming to finish.
As to what we should charge Lorliana and her question about how far we’re going, I’d ask what she’s willing to pay and then bargain her up a few GPs; obviously we’re not trying to make a fortune off her. And I’d just tell her we’re headed for Rivendell, unless Gilraen thinks that would be inadvisable.
BTW, would it be useful to get a letter of safe passage from Prince Eldarion, just in case? Probably never need it, but it might come in handy for those unwilling to recognize the authority of either a Princess or a Knight-errant of Gondor.
Gilraen sees no problem with letting Lorliana travels with us to Rivendell.
If you tell her that part, she will offer you 90 gold to travel there with you. “It is all I can afford as I need money for a second horse and the return trip some day.”
The Prince letter would be worth little more with such people than Thoroncir’s & Gilraen’s word and Leaf of the White Tree clasps.
The Dwarves are pleased to meet such excellent guard animals as Anca and Fang. Drogan seems to be especially interest in Brownie and his language. It turns out that Drogan is a Raven friend and fadcinated by our feathers friends.
Lorliana looks frightened by both canines but very interested in Brownie. She goes on about how Owls are among the smartest and wisest raptors that have not learned to talk and then a long spiel about the relative intelligences of birds.
While the party’s preparations for the journey to Rivendell enter their final stages, Sir Thoroncir asks Princess Gilraen if she would care to have dinner with him at one of the White City’s finer taverns, and attend a play.
Minas Tirith has a lively theatrical scene. Now on stage, he learns, are the heroic drama Earendil’s Last Voyage, the allegory Leaf by Niggle, the comedies The Elf, the Dwarf and the Tipsy Barkeep and The Three Simpletons, and the tragedies Huan and the Werewolf, Tar-Miriel’s Unanswered Prayer and None Still Remain. What would she care to see?
Gilraen would prefer something light but finds the The Elf, the Dwarf and the Tipsy Barkeep too foolish and paints our close friends as mere caricatures and not characters. The The Three Simpletons is all violent comedy and falls for laughs. So perhaps Earendil’s Last Voyage would be best.
Ghân realizes two things in his talks, Drogan has a genuine love of birds and his knowledge is gained first hand. Lorliana’s is almost completely book and scroll learning and she is wrong in many of the things she is saying. You can correct her in many of her false impressions as one of Radagast’s students.
**I need a decision or more interaction with Lorliana concerning her fee and if it is to Rivendell. **
I’m alright with telling her, but cautioning her to keep it quiet- there’s no sense in advertising our destination. Actually, given the level of skepticism we’ve shown her, I’m kind of surprised she trusts us so much.
Ghân will politely tell Lorliana the truth. He doesn’t want to upset a travelling companion.
Ghân suggests to the party that we ask Lorliana for a small fee to Tharbad and say we will help her find an escort to Rivendell once we reach Tharbad.
The only reason he doesn’t want to tell her is that if she is captured, she won’t reveal our future plans.*
*it’s not paranoia if they are out to get you!
With Curunauth being absent minded, I’m sure he’s not going to keep a secret of our destination very long. It will probably be obvious once she figures out who he is. I say we tell her the truth and take what was offered for pay without serious haggling (don’t want to offend the dwarves if we don’t haggle at all).
Gilraen, “No, no, the classic is fine. I understand it is more traditional than the version I am guilty of knowing best. The one that Bilbo and my Dad worked up in Rivendell.”
**We still appear split on Lorliana and once that and watches and marching orders are done, I think we can finally close out this thread. **
Gwaelur will break the tie on the side of truth. He also suggests that he take the frontguard position. Both because he can guard the party well and soak up a lot of damage, but also because we are traveling with Dwarves and it would look a little better if he was out in front.
Oh yeah. The scouts should do their thing and actually lead the way. (Guess we are down to Mirion and Gil- Gandel.) I was just hoping to take point for the guards. Again it’s all the same in the end, but it looks good for me and the party if I am up front.
