Queen Auraya woke early and went to the tavern
for breakfast, where she spied Imin bent over his scrolls in a shady nook. She
ordered a glass of wine with her porridge and was making her way over when a
scream from the village square interrupted her. Everyone looked to her.
Attempting to look calm and reassuring, the Queen walked briskly out into the
morning sunshine.
The square was packed. It seemed
everyone had flocked to the scene immediately and it took Auraya a few minutes
to make her way to the front. When she got there, she found a dwarf pinned to
the Founder's Tree at the centre - by a spear which could only have been
crafted by an orc. Worse still, she recognised the dwarf to be her friend, Susan Calvin.
Feeling the blood drain from her face,
Auraya went to see her friend Thes Elf who appeared to have taken
command.
“What happened?” she asked, willing her voice to remain steady. Thes moved off to a less crowded area where a young
elf was sitting, looking shaken. At the sight of the Queen, panic rose in his
face but Auraya gave him a grim smile of reassurance. Thes sat next to him and
gently spoke,
“Hali, meet Queen Auraya. She’d like to hear about what happened here. In your
own time.”
Hali sat quietly for a while and Auraya
wasn’t sure he was going to speak. Eventually, he did.
“It was.. awful.” He whispered it like a secret. Looking at him, she saw a mix of grief and terror. She knew his face reflected her own.
Shakily, he continued. “She was.. looking for you.. your
Majesty. The spear came from nowhere. I.. I.. I was closest.. she grabbed
me.. made.. me promise..” Hali was getting visibly more shaken as he went on. It
was cruel to make him relive things but she had no choice. Taking his hand, she
motioned for him to keep going.
“She said 'T-t-tell.. the Q-q-q-queen. Orcs are.. orcs..
orcs are.. hungry. You've been.. infil.. trated' then.. then..” And with that, he fainted. It had told her absolutely
nothing new but that the dwarf had traveled to warn her was something. It
meant she had friends - friends on the outside who would risk their lives for her and her
elflings. She stood in the centre of the square and faced the crowd.
"This is a tragedy we did not expect. The dwarf who came here was brave, noble and a credit to her race. In the following weeks, we will all be forced to follow in her example. Some of you may not feel up to the task. Some of you may be scared. When those doubts creep in, remember the dwarf Susan. Remember how she died, delivering a message to save us. Do not let such a sacrifice be in vain!" Auraya paused, surveying her people for the effect of her words before dropping the ruthless truth on them.
"The person who did this, the one who murdered our friend Susan and brother Aglardir, was one of us. Living amongst us are orcs, disguised as elflings. I do not know how they have managed it but they are here. They could be your neighbour, your friend, the elf stood next to you right now and we must seek them out to bring them to justice! Keep your eyes and ears open everyone. Two nights from now, we shall vote for whom we believe is a traitor. Do not fear, my elflings - you have nothing to hide. We will find the orcs!"
Shaken, Auraya returned to the tavern - she could really use that wine. Walking in, she saw a newcomer in the process of purchasing a house. Her instincts were to mistrust him and guilt rose as she realised how ridiculous that was since new elflings were coming to Beleriand all the time. Taking a deep breath, she walked over and extended her hand.
"Greetings, welcome to Beleriand. I am Queen Auraya. You have come at an unfortunate time but I do hope you'll enjoy your stay here."
[Specials:
Master Orc
Alignment: Orcs
Special Action: Eat an elfling o.O
Description: Truly the most hideous and evil orc. The Master Orc has power over all others. Whilst they do not have to obey him/her, the other orcs will generally vote as told to by their leader and will definitely hunt by his/her side. The Master Orc has been known to eat orcs who do not obey orders (in addition to elflings, stray dogs and the occasional squirrel.) Should the Master Orc be killed, command will be assumed by his/her second in command.
Agent
Alignment: Elves
Special Action: Spy
Description: Trained by elven rangers in the art of stealth, the Agent chooses a suspect and watches their dwellings for signs of activity. Whilst the Agent will not know whether the suspect is out on business of good or ill, he/she can at least eliminate the innocent from his/her line of inquiry.
Mage
Alignment: Elves
Special Action: Cast protective spell
Description: The Mage is adept in ancient arcana and travels to the dwellings of an elfling each night, casting powerful protective spells over them which will injure any orc who tries to attack. The Mage can only cast on people when they are at home. Inhabitants who leave their dwellings have a 50% chance the Mage will turn up before they head out.
Seer
Alignment: Elves
Special Action: Vision
Description: The Seer is particularly gifted and has a vision of each attack. The visions are often hazy but will provide clues to the identity of the Master Orc.
EDIT:
Error |
You are only permitted to send 10 Private Messages per hour. You have exceeded this limit. |
Most people will have had a message telling them their role. Don't panic if you haven't, it's coming!]
Edited by Auraya - 02 Jan 2013 at 12:24