Radagast set out on his rabbit-drawn sled, back to the south, the way they'd come. He was unconcerned about how many would follow for he knew that there would be others who would join. Dark things were stirring throughout Arda, and Radagast feared what Gandalf had surmised was true. The fear was mostly that what it had taken to defeat Morgoth would be needed again.

If Sauron had somehow returned, he wouldn't be destroyed the same way again.

That was Gandalf's path. He was always better at that sort of thing. He, Radagast, protected the animals and plants of Arda; that was what he did best. The Ents were important to Arda. He couldn't imagine what the world would be like without them, but as no Entlings had come into being for so long, eventually the Ents that still lived would be gone and that would be the end of Ents. Lost long ago, everyone thought that the Entwives had been destroyed by Sauron. He'd destroyed the gardens where they lived, that area now known as the Brown Lands where nothing grew any more. The Entwives could have been captured, enslaved, as some speculated. Other said--hoped--that they'd fled further east, away from the threat of Sauron, perhaps even back to where all things had been birthed.

Treebeard and others had searched for the Entwives for centuries, yet no trace of them had been found. Until now. It wasn't beyond dark magic to have somehow altered a tree to resemble an Entwife, at least for the purposes of forging the amulet with a sliver of her. But would that have been enough to draw enemies directly to the remaining Ents?

He did not believe that for a minute! He could feel the spark... perhaps only an echo of a spark... within the amulet. They had lived two seasons ago, strong and vibrant... somewhere. He would find them! He did not know if they were beyond returning, but perhaps the Ents could go to them. If there was someplace the Entwives thrived, could not the Ents thrive there as well? Men had no interest in the Ents, even the Elves thought little of them. And Dwarves? Pfah! Only the Hobbits actually liked the Ents.

The rush to save the Ents had been quick; this journey would not be so swift, probably long and arduous.

"Best get to it then," he muttered to himself.


I'd forgotten how long it can take to make up a character for this game! So my revised plan is to start everyone off in their own thread for a few posts as your character sheet is finished before introducing you into this thread. That way, it's not so chaotic!

He was anxious to get to it, but he knew that rushing into something blindly could be downright fatal. Not that he'd done such a thing before since he wasn't dead yet, but he'd come close.

With his rabbits pulling his sled, he could easily outrace his companions, particularly the Dwarves Borjnen and Borun. What would have been the point?

He had no idea how many or who would be needed for this monumental task, so he'd sent out the call to the Keepers, called in favors, made requests.

"What do you know of the Brown Lands?" he asked Lady Isile and Bjornen.

Keeping up with odd man was not nearly as much of a chore as it would have been for most dwarves. On the other hand Borjnen was a not different from most dwarves. With his axe on his back and and large stone in his hand he carried on, better to be prepared than not.

Hearing the question clear enough, "Aye, very little. The general location, maybe."

It had been a very long time since I traveled through it but nothing is standing out at the moment.  I was very young. she replied as she tried to think of anything she could remember.

"One would almost thing the Brown Lands are where I live... or perhaps should," Radagast replies. "I've been to them, but never entered. Nothing lives there, which is why it is all brown. There is nothing green there. It was painful just being that close."

"We shall head for the East Bight. I've told others to meet us there, though it isn't clear if they will join us. There are too many dark things througout the land these days, so some may have to tend to other things."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:43, Thu 14 May 2015.

Okay. Had a rough week. A bit under the weather, but mostly just a wave of chaos swept over everything, so it's taken me longer to get everyone introduced than I was expecting.

I'll starting inserting the new characters in the next day or two.

Nodding her head she was ready to depart and head to the East Bligt.

At first she wasn't sure as to fly overhead and keep a watchful eye or to walk the roads with the party.

The Ents had been in the Mirkwood, north of the Old Forest Road. This isn't all of them; some are in Fangorn Forest. By the time of the events chronicled in Lord of the Rings, these Ents will have moved there, too, at least partially because of the darkness in Mirkwood.


So after saving the Ents, Radagest led his merry band south by way of the Red Leaf Inn where it had all begun. It was now continuing from there.

As the group reaches the inn, Radagast is pleased to see that he has been joined by others: Anira, Sir Urias, and a card-wielding ne'er-do-well named Jak.

"I would say I am happy to see you, Anira, and Sir Urias, but these are troubling times and I regret having to call the Keepers. No, that's not strictly true. Calling the Keepers for fun and games is always a happy occasion. But the situation in the Mirkwood has grown dire, and it is why I called you that I regret," Radagast begins in his own lengthy way.

"Pardon my manners. Creatures of the forest don't stand on ceremony. I had once heard a sage claim that manners are the grease that makes society run smoothly."

"This is Lady Isile. That there is Borjnen, and that is Borun. Hmmm. Haldir was here a moment ago. Now where has he gotten to?"

"Oh, well. We have formed a fellowship, of sorts, to find and return the Entwives, if that is at all possible. We discovered this amulet that has fibre from them that are less that two Winters old! I believe it was given to the Plaguire so that he could use it to locate the Ents."

"If the Ents are destroyed, it will be much easier to destroy the land and all living things upon it. It boggles the mind to think something would be so foul and dark as to desire that."

"Troubled times are the best times to have friends, Uncle." Urias replied as he dismounted his golden stallion and approached. He bowed to the newly introduced. "Sir Urias, Knight of Dol Amroth, and most pleased to make your acquaintances."

Anira was dressed in dark blue leggings and white tunic with the deep magenta embroidered robe as well as her weaponry, looking every bit the summoned adventurer.  She greeted Radagast by taking his hands and touching her cheek to his, her demeanor like an affectionate granddaughter.  As she pulled back, a tiny flying squirrel peeked out from her golden curls and chittered a greeting of its own to him.

"Whether it is for good or ill, I am always happy to eee you and I more than ready to help," she stated then turned to the others and inclined her head.  "It is a pleasure to meet you all," she greeted them, her tone pleasant and comforting.

Lady Isile looked at each of the newcomers that walked up to the party, she knew none of them but she didn't miss the word Uncle, spoken from Sir Urias.  Or the loving touch from Anira like a young family member.

Were these two that arrived related to Radagast the Brown?   Oh this may be a very interesting family reunion to watch.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both as well, but in a happier setting would be pleasant than to seek the Darkness of the Shadows that plague our lands.

Just as introductions were about to take place , Sky appeared rising up from beneath the earth, by using her Earth Glide spell.

"Hello, I'm Sky for those whom I haven't met yet. I apologize for leaving abruptly, but I had an emergency with family that I had to see to. I hope my absence wasn't too much if a burden on you all?" she said.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:41, Fri 22 May 2015.

Jak leans back on his chair, boots on the table, duster draped across the backrest, sleeves rolled back, revealing a pair of weathered forearms, and hat over his face, obviously snoozing. It had been a long day. First the road, then the orks, then that strange thing with the giant bird. To be honest, Jak almost wished it had just left him with the orks. They'd seemed like the more hospitable of them...
This message was last edited by the player at 21:20, Sat 23 May 2015.

"Uncle-schmunkle!" Radagast smiled at Urias in his usual not-quite-smug but otherwise non-commital manner.

"The rabbits are drinking, then we must be on our way. Could we tarry a day, a week, perhaps even a month? Possibly, but I can't help feeling that the sands of the hourglass are running out."

"We are embarking on a grand quest, Jak. If you are looking for adventure, this is your chance. However, I must caution you that where we go is both dangerous and unknown. There is no guarantee that any of us will come back alive!"


He makes sure everyone has been introduced to each other.

"It is good to have you back, Sky! The others have gone back to Dol Guldur to deal with the monstrosity in the caves beneath the old ruins. I fear it was not alone!"

"We rescued the Ents! And discovered that the Entwives still live, though we know not where! Just as the Plaguire used this amulet to find the Ents, so, too, will we use it to find the Entwives!"

"If any of you need to rest a bit longer, then do so, and join us at your own pace. There are others that I have also summoned, and by now they should be waiting for me at the Bight."

"So it is off we go! Hey-o!"

He exits the Red Leaf Inn and steps onto his rabbit-drawn sled, and moments later has dashed off into the Mirkwood to the south.

Jak stirs and open an eye at mention of his name.

"Good to see you again, Wizard. I see you've found yourself a few capable companions. I guess I'll just leave the heroics to you lot, eh? Seem like a capable bunch..."

Rising from his seat, and stretching his arms, he then sweeps his coat over his shoulder, and dips his hat to Radaghast's other companions.

"Pleased to meet y'all. My name's Jak, and well, I'm bit of a drifter really, just along for the ride. Good at this and that, and sure as hell won't slow you down. Hell, I might even be useful occasionally."

---

When they leave, Jak strides casually after radaghast, moving swiftly and surely over the track despite being on foot.

It soon becomes obvious that Radagast isn't about to leave anyone behind. He uses his speed to scout ahead, to the sides and even to the rear as the rest of the party sets off in the direction he went.

She nods her head to great each and introduce herself as well.

When Radagast speaks of leaving she was prepared and invoked a spell that changed her shape into a hawk and allowed her to take flight.

Over head she could see ahead and report to anyone that needs warning

Anira nodded to Lady Isile.  "Yes, happier circumstances would be nice but we take what we can get sometimes."  There was an appreciative glint in her eyes as Sky appeared from the ground.  "Impressive magic, well met," she said and then looked curiously at the silent man reclining, curiosity brimming but she remained quiet so as not to intrude upon his rest.

Even with things so dire, Radagast’s enthusiasm was endearing and since she’d said she was ready to help followed the elder wizard outside.  "Yes, we will find them and help return things to normal.  Well, as normal as possible anyway," she amended and gave Jak a nod as he joined them.  "A jack of all trades, good, and I’m sure you’re being modest," she added as they walked along in Radagast’s wake.

Borun addressed the newcomers.

"Greetings. Any friend of Master Radagast is a friend of mine." Borun introduced himself. "I am Borun Redbeard of the Diamond Heart Academy. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Travel through the Mirkwood goes fairly smooth and quickly with Radagast leading the way, even if he's not seen at every step of the way.

The speed of travel will be at whoever is the slowest, but that's not really significant unless one of you is overly impatient.

A few rest stops are made, but those are only for a few minutes.

By the end of the day, you are all surprised to realize that you've traveled over halfway to the Bight already.

The miasma that hung like an unseen pall over the Mirkwood had been slowly increasing in its gloominess, yet the sun continued to shine as brightly as ever. Sort of. It was like looking through smoked glass. There wasn't anything tangible to interfere with the light, nor did it dull one's eyesight. No, it was as if something had slipped into your mind and began shutting down those parts that affected vision.

Of course, that was nonsense! Yet it was harder to see through the miasma. Oh, it was the taint of Melkoth, but he was not returned. No, it was his spawn, his usurper, his heir. Perhaps a bit of all of those, and still something else that was undefined and undefinable, yet there nonetheless.

They'd made good time, over halfway to the Bight as nightfall approached. He was debating with himself whether traveling at night would be safer than going to ground. Not being able to come up with a firm decision, when he stopped for another rest, he sought the opinions of his traveling companions. After all, it wasn't his own safety he was concerned about, but theirs.

"We have made good time, far better than I would have expected through this darkwood," he began. "I can move quickly, and I can move fast, but I do not rush, nor do I make haste. Haste makes waste. So now I am come to a decision which must be made--camp or continue?"

He pulled out his pipe, which already seemed to be lit, and took a few puffs on it, eyes kind of rolling back in his head, as he waited for the others to respond.