MANY MEETINGS

[wildestmods]

MANY MEETINGS
The fortunate thing about the path to Rivendell is how easy it is to find the way there after a point. The great river Bruinen, too difficult to cross at most points, intersects the road, forcing them to scout up and down the river to find the road, which leads to the shallow ford across.

The only problem with taking the road is that it's being watched. They hear the screeching of the Nazgul, enraged that they've made it so far with with none of the Morgul blade victims succumbing to their injuries.

They come pouring down the road behind them as they make their way over, dividing into threes so that a wall of black-robed nightmares start to cross the ford.

"Come back! Come back!" they call, beckoning towards the injured. Those that are close to turning will feel the compulsion to come to them, their will challenged by the strong will if many nightmares. "To Mordor we will take you!"

But the second the last of them crosses and gets far enough up the bank, there is a great rushing sound of water and the river churns with foam. With a mighty road, the river widens to almost twice its usual width in an instant. A wave of rising water surges down the river, then another, and another, piling on top of each other. The third wave drags branches and detritus and even entire small trees.

The Nazgul scramble back to the other bank behind them, but the rising waters and widening river are too quick for them. Their feet get swept out from under them and the entire group of Nazgul get swept off down the river, black robes disappearing under the foamy waters.

Then there is one path forward - finally - to a place of rest. They take a winding path, turn around a stone wall, and see...

THE LAST HOMELY HOUSE

The Last Homely House rises up in a valley filled with many waterfalls, gleaming in the early afternoon light. An intricate set of buildings, with spiraling wood on the railings and awnings sits on the edge of a cliff, the water flowing through many channels and bridges.

The path eventually turns into a stone bridge, that leads to several large circular stone areas, large enough to allow them all to stand together. Many stairs lead up to the halls proper.

Those that are far gone, close to succumbing to the shard will now have icy blue eyes and pale skin, and the Elves and the great halls ahead of them will glow with a painful, blinding light. They'll also find those of their comrades with holy powers or holy weapons glow with a similar light, though somewhat dimmer. Only the holiest among them glow as bright or brighter than the Elves.

The Elves are beautiful in a way that seems otherworldly, moving with grace and purpose, a light almost seeming to come off them even in the eyes of those not afflicted with blade shards.

They come running down the stairs towards them. Some are armed guards, some are not. The ones that aren't armed are already in coarser silks with little white aprons tied over top. They are healers - though none have the same abilities as their Lord - and they expect bloody work to lie ahead of them.

"They have arrived, like the human said they would." Gary had run ahead, an entire marathon, to get Little Cato to the Rivendell faster. "Notify Lord Elrond and inform the healers! Gather stretchers and carry the wounded to the healing halls. Make haste! The ones injured with Morgul-blades have little time to spare!"

"Tell the kitchens to start preparing food, and tell the quartermaster some of them may need new clothes shortly. Also notify Erestor, he said he'd talk to the others to arrange for baths."

Stretchers are brought down and Elves immediately start trying to get the injured into them. They seem to have no issue carrying even the heaviest among them, and bring larger stretchers for the larger members of the squad.

But there's a bit of tension as they're being loaded into them.

The guards wind up on edge as they stare down the group.

"There's something wrong. The human said nothing about this. Some of you have a fell air about you." They place their hands on their sword hilts but don't draw their weapons yet. "We'll tend to the injured regardless of what we can see of their true nature, especially since they have little time and can render no harm in their current state, but the rest of you need to explain. What are you?"

OOC DETAILS
❧ Threadjumping free-for-all post. Characters can threadjump to their heart's content, comforting the injured before they're carried off and trying to work through this spot of tension with the Elves. The mods will occasionally tag in with the Elves. Treat this like a network post where people can threadjump to their heart's content.

Comments

[Closed to Kon or Dick, if interest]

[the_hit_list]

[ Tim’s eyes wide and icy pale, like he’s gone blind and the color’s been sapped away. He might’ve been managing with support until the river, but he fights with what little hell he can muster when they reach the Bruinen and the Nazgul beckon him to Mordor. There’s not much thought involved, just weariness and ache and the stubbornness that he has to stay here and protect them that keeps his gasping ass from prying his helper’s fingers off and dragging himself to the wraiths a although he does grab at their hands.

The stairs are too much for him - even the stonework is bright and self-made. The halls are blinding and the elves supernovas. Tim’s eyes shut when the Last Homely House came into view, and he’ll stumble on the road and stairs as many times as he has to rather than admit he can’t manage anymore. He hasn’t said anything in hours, if nods and grunts and huhs don’t count.]

[ OOC: If you’d also like your character to deal with Tim prehealing, shoot me me a message here or on Plurk. ]

[konman]

[He stumbles one time too many.]

Nope. You're flagged on the self-sufficiency, dude. We get it, you're a badass.

[Kon scoops him up in his arms in a bridal carry, no problem. No protest either, he is very strong and his arms are very big.]

[He notices the wincing.]

C'mon, buddy, you don't want to check out the view? I know you've probably been dreaming of this since you had a level 1 Elf wizard. Strong in you the nerd is.

[He can't really do a good Yoda right now when his voice sounds like it's about to quake apart.]

[the_hit_list]

[ He was doing fine. He didn’t technically face plant, and Kon scooped him up that time before he even took a knee.

But no protest comes, anyway. Kon’s actually one of the least bright things in the area, so please excuse Tim as he tries to tuck his head in such a way that Kon blots out Rivendell. ]

Nnh-nnh.

[ It takes a moment to find his tongue. He has to chirp and prove it’s all okay. If he’s not responsible for walking, he has to do something to stay present. ]

Too bright.

[ After another two audible breaths. ] Half elf. Ranger.

[konman]

[Tim not scoping out the view when it's a fantasy nerd's dream: bad.]

[Tim still managing to be a nerd while only half-conscious: good. Even with the wraith-dom consuming him he's still with it enough to be a dork. There's hope.]

So only half as nerdy as a full Elf then?

[It's weak but it's better than nothing.]

[At least they're here. Kon takes the steps two at a time.]

[The Elves come out, their leader offers aid. They bring the stretcher right up to Kon because Tim being carried makes him one of the least ambulatory now, in a group with people like Loken who've managed to stay on their feet.]

["A morgul-blade wound? Like the child that was sent ahead?" one of the Elf aides asks.]

They got him in the side.

[He registers their leader talking about not letting them all go in but is more focused on getting Tim situated.]

It's gonna be okay, Timbo. We made it.

["You... cannot follow. For now. Until a decision is made where to place you in the halls." The Elf eyes Kon with some mild fear.]

[circusbat]

[Dick's only a step behind Kon, really. Were this back home, he'd never have been able to keep up.]

[But, if this were back home, they wouldn't be in this mess, would they?]

[He crouches next to the stretcher once Kon steps away, bending his head to murmur in Tim's ear.]

You've always been the strongest of us, Tim. No giving up now, little bird.

[He finally notices the look on the faces of the Elves when he stands, exhausted but reaching down for that pool of...whatever it is the Bats have. Some reserve of energy that gets trained into them that lets them keep getting back up when anybody else would have stayed down ten punches ago.]

[It's not entirely depleted, which is how he pulls himself up to his full height, reaching up to place a hand on Kon's shoulder. Absolutely no fear as he meets the Elf's eyes.]

He's with me.

[konman]

[It stings, that they see something in him, something bad.]

[Some kind of rot in his soul. He can feel it festering away.]

[But this isn't the time for self-pity. There's something more important.]

Tim, buddy, you have to let go.

[Tim is still holding tightly to his wrist, something that made Kon have to simply shift to let Dick in close. Kon lets him hold it for a moment - only as long as it takes to use his other hand to brush sweaty hair off his forehead and briefly cup his cheek after Dick's done.]

It's just like an OR, okay? They won't let me in. But I promise I'll be there when you wake up. [He'll fight the Elves on that if he has to.]

[He gives Tim's own wrist a squeeze and wrenches his wrist away. Despite the fact Tim's out of it, it's a tight grip to muscle out of.]

Please. Take care of him.

[The words are plaintive. He knows they're going to. He still needs to say it.]

["Of course," says the Elf, her voice genuinely gentle, despite the vibe she's getting from Kon. "I swear to you, we'll do all in our power to see that he's healed."]

[The Elves heft the stretcher along and quickly take him up the many stairs, their feet light, their strides smooth, as quickly as they can without jostling him.]

[Kon turns to Dick, blue eyes wide and scared.]

He'll be fine. Frodo was in worse shape when he got here in the books and he was fine.

[He says it more to reassure himself than to reassure Dick.]

[circusbat]

[It's fine. Dick doesn't need to be reassured. He's the strong one when it comes to the emotional stuff. He's the one who does the reassuring.]

[Which is why he squeezes Kon's shoulder and, though still serious, manages a wan smile.]

Yeah. Yeah, Frodo was. And had the Ring nearby the whole time, which had to make things worse. Tim's as stubborn as they come, though. He'll be fine.

[Of course, Frodo'd had a full-on king-in-hiding making the brew for his wounds, not an injured teenager who'd needed the brew as much as anybody else and a king of thieves who might only have counted on a technicality. And it had only been Frodo who had needed the intervention of Elrond. Not...not so many.]

[Until they heard more, though, Dick's going to keep being the strong one. No showing the mental calculus he's been doing, trying to figure out how to explain this to Bruce if things go wrong.]

[He's the strong one, and he'll keep doing that for as long as he needs to.]

Come on. Let's find some floor to pull up.