Black Rider in Rhiovad

Black_Rider

You see the figure of a man, huge and menacing, with the proud bearing of a warrior-king. Yet somehow this is something more than a man, something deadlier and fearsome, and glancing at him you unaccountably feel a thin, piercing chill. He is swathed in a long black cloak, with enveloping black robes beneath. On his hands are black gloves, and high black riding boots cover his lower legs. Indeed, nothing of his flesh can be seen for his thick raiment of black cloth. Even his face is hidden, his head shrouded in a high and all-concealing hood, with only the blackest of shadows visible within.

Yet at times you see within the darkness the deadly and strangely reddish gleam of terrible eyes, eyes that are bright and merciless. In those eyes is all that you should ever know of fear, an overwhelming and instinctive panic, the urgency of death, cold and hungry. Here is unmistakeable danger, power beyond any mere warrior, and terror barely restrained.

Outside Riavod

The large stone walls that surround the city are before you. The stones have been worked by slave labor so that each stone fits perfectly with the stones surrounding it. Here in front of the entrance to Riavod a large arch forms in the wall and a deep tunnel bores its way through. Two square towers flank the tunnel. Each tower is three stories high, jutting slightly up from the wall. There are arrow slits on the second and third floor of each tower. There are also a number of arrow slits in the wall above the tunnel.

The walls of the city seem larger in the light of the day. Soldiers are around this area lining people up to enter the tunnel. The wide open area is crawling with people coming in and leaving the city. Some merchants are here stopping the villagers and making deals with them even before they enter the city.

Contents:
Guard Detachment
Obvious exits:
North, Entrance Tunnel, and West Road

Middle-earth time is:
Daytime on Sunday, Day 28 of May, 3013

You walk into the City.

Beginning of Shakh street

This area contains a large tunnel that connects the outer wall and a wide street. The street is made of stones, shaped by slave labor to fit tightly together. The road here is considerably wider than the tunnel, easily allowing two wagons to fit side by side with any pedestrians.

In the daytime the area is crowded with people coming in and out of the city. Merchants come from the outer villages and abroad, city dwellers traveling away, army men on duty watching the public.. the area is usually a sea of people.. To the immediate North are stables for horses, while the army barracks sweep out to the South..

Obvious exits:
East, Stables, and Entrance Tunnel

Fenith comes from the east.

Fenith has arrived.

FENITH

You look upon a cold figure with eyes dark brown switching from black to soft brown that seems to be as cold as ice and as hard as rock. The face is beautiful but no happiness is seen and no smile, he doesn't seem to have shaved for a while as he is having a short trimmed moustache and beard around his mouth and chin. Around the face there is a frame of shadow black hair that reaches down just under his ears. The face is hard as stone and seems to be cut out of a mountain. Over his body he wears a white shirt, dirt, blood is seen on it. The shirtsleeves ends just a few inches after his shoulders revealing strong muscled tough arms. The legs are covered with soft brown hide. He is also wearing black riding boots that reahces his knees. The hands seems to be used of using the handship of swords and other weapons, though on one of his dark skinned fingers there is a silver ring with roses carved in the the ring. A black leather belt is places around his waist and in the belt a thin and sharp dagger is seen.

The tunnel and the wide courtyard beginning Shakh Street bustle with morning crowds, with men and women and children on every conceivable errand. But one among them stands out, and it is not difficult to see why. A hard-eyed warhorse as black as midnight steps out of the tunnel. Sitting astride it is a mannish figure, tall and powerful, completely enveloped in black robes and a great hood, and strangely chilling to behold. As tightly packed as are the crowds, this rider seems to be given an easy berth.

Fenith stands along the wall and notices the dark figure sitting on the black warhorse. He feels a chill moving through his spine. He shudders slightly and shakes his head to get rid of the feeling. But he knows that something is wrong with the black rider. As reflex he places his hand on his dagger for protection, but it's useless and he knows it by some reason. He glances once again over the rider with dark eyes, as the darkest night. He makes no moves but stays standing against the wall with his hand on his dagger ready for anything unusual.

The powerful black warhorse steps slowly along the street. Its rider seems to look directly ahead, nearly still except for the motions of his mount, hardly moving, and somehow incogruous in the light of the spring morning. Strangely, he passes by the stables without a glance.

You head eastwards..

Shakh Street

This street leads off to the City Gates to the west, and deeper into Riavod to the East. Several post-lanterns dot both sides of the wide, well-worn street. To the South stands a fair-sized building with a few small, mostly clean windows. A sign hanging over the large door reads "The Lonely Merchant." There are a few other nondescript buildings here, all apparently closed to the general public, since no one seems to be going into them.

Wagons clatter through the street, some heading for the business side of town, others on their way out. A steady flow of foot traffic comes from the gates of the city, and there are a few soldiers scattered about the place, keeping a wary eye out for trouble.

Obvious exits:
Lonely Merchant, East, and West

Fenith comes in from the west.

Fenith follows the large warhorse with an interested look, he tries to keep himself hidden behind corners and shadows as quiet as a mouse, and as agile as a mouse. Though as he moves around one of the corners he sees the rider, and he makes one misstake, he places his foot on a dry branch making a cracking sound that is as loud as a thunderstorm in Fenith's ears. He stops and swears low for himself where he stands just a few feet behind the dark figure.

The strange black rider continues along slowly toward the east, deeper into the city, seeming to ignore everyone and everything around him. His great horse clops along on one side of the road, avoiding the traffic of lumbering wagons. His passage earns a wary stare from the nearest soldiers, hardened men who then laugh doubtfully at their own inexplicable fear.

You head eastwards into the intersection.

Intersection of Shakh and Ash streets.

This is a large open intersection. The street going North and South appears to be almost as heavily traveled as the one leading East and West, although it seems slightly narrower. There are lanterns on posts along both streets, but they are spaced a bit farther apart on the north-bound street. There is a large wooden board mounted on a post in the center of the intersection, where the King's proclamations are posted.

Off to the South you can make out the tall stone walls of the arena, and to the North a trail of smoke rises, as though from a forge. The traffic seems a bit heavier to the East and West, but the street going North is very busy as well.

Contents:

The Head of State

Obvious exits:

East, South, North, and West

Fenith comes into the intersection from the west.

Fenith has arrived.

The black warhorse comes to a halt upon reaching the crossroads. The rider seems to turn slowly, looking northward for a moment before turning and looking southward.

Fenith makes a sigh of relief as the figure doesn't seem to have noticed him. He continues to sneak after the dark rider, though now he isn't certain why he is even following this figure wich seems to filling him with fear and coldness, as he keeps his eyes at the back of the rider he feels as cold as if he was standing naked in the middle of a snowstorm. He shudders and places his eyes on the ground. He doesn't see where he moves and walks into a large looking brute who screaming out. Fenith looks up and runs aside ending up next to the rider.

After a long moment the black rider turns and looks upon a man standing near him, the dark-eyed Fenith. Within the black shadows of the rider's hood the man seems to glimpse the glitter of wicked eyes. But the sudden sense of shuddering cold comes neither from the cruel eyes nor the rider's hard and unnatural voice.

Dark rider sitting atop huge black horse hisses, "Approach and speak to me, mortal man. Art thou courier to the Easterling Chieftains?"

Fenith staggers backwards holding up his arms in front of him for protection as he feels how his whole body gets cold, the feeling moves through his spine, and he starts to tremble by fear as a lonley leaf on a tree fighting against the wind as he hears the words from the dark figure, he opens his mouth but no words are heard, he quickly licks his lips before he tries again, he succeds and a few staggering words are heard from him "No, M'lord. I am no courier to the chieftans..." he silences as he seems to be trying to find words "I haven't even meet the chieftans m'lord." he silences ending up looking in the ground.

The black rider stares at Fenith, his hard eyes growing only harder as he witnesses the man's reaction. "If not, then art thou spy of distant Dale? Why dost thou follow me?"

Fenith trembles even more now where he stands. He seems to be grabbing for words but no words is heard from him. He just stands shaking on the street by fear. He suddenly speaks out with a trembleing voice "No, I am no spy.....you just look strange....I wanted to find out who you are m'lord." he silences and moves backwards again with small staggering steps until he ends up against the wall of a house and is pinned down. He tries to removes his eyes from the figure, but he fails.

The black figure seems to laugh softly, an icy shuddering sound bearing little mirth. His eyes lose none of their cruelty as he stares still at the retreating man. "Is it so? Then know this: I come from black Mordor to hear tidings of the East."

Fenith nods towards the figure and speaks out agains with a stronger voice this time, though fear is heard in the words "And no I know m'lord, I won't follow you anymore." he silences and removes his eyes from the figure and continues to speak "You have any need for me my lord?" he silences and moves his eyes back to the figure feeling the cold spreading through his body once again.

The black rider regards Fenith in silence for a moment.

The dark rider hisses, "If thou would be of use then tell me this: where may be found the chieftains who now rule Rhiovad and the lands of Rhovanion?"

Fenith shakes his head and shame as he has no answers to that, he speaks out with a low voice towards the rider "M'lord I have no idea, I don't deal with the chieftan's buisness, all I am trying to do I to survive on the streets." he silences as he terrified of what he rider might do with him since his answer won't please the figure.

The dark figure hisses again in slight anger. "Waste not my time with bandied words, foundling. Be of use if thou would leave to feel again the warmth of this day. Who commands this city? Or is even that beyond the grasp of thy thought?"

Fenith lifts and drops his shoulders and seems to have caught some courage now, the voice is sturdy but still fear is heard in the words "I don't know, and I don't care until they disturb my buisness." he silences and understands that he was foolish when he spoke out in that tone and tries to move backwards but he is still pinned down against the wall.

The dark rider leans closer, and his grim warhorse snorts hatefully and takes a step nearer to Fenith and his wall. The rider's eyes, glinting before in the darkness, now seem to flash, angry and cruel and red. For the first time it is as if the will of this rider is bent upon Fenith, and the sense of it is as cold and breathless as death. "I can make thee care, little man. My errand is of import beyond the misery of thy life."

Fenith nods towards the raider and shakes by fear again as that lonley leaf struggling against the wind. He continues to nod and speaks out with a trembling voice "I understand m'lord.." the words ends up in silence as he breathes hard and heavy, just as if every breath he takes would be his last in this world.

The rider leans back slightly in response, and the stifling cold seems to lessen. But his horse still stands dangerously near. "That is better," hisses the rider. "Now use thy brain, foundling, and find a way to be of use to me. Thou hast delayed my errand enough."

Fenith stops the heavy shaking and breathing as the cold seems to lessen, but with the voice he answer fear is still heard "M'lord, I can run errands for you." he silences and stops to breath as he hopes that his answer will please the dark rider.

The rider pulls the reins and the great black horse takes a clopping step away from Fenith. "Very well," hisses the figure in a hollow and scornful voice. "Then pass this night in the streets before the palace. If I have need of thee I will find thee there. Spend this day learning what thou may of the chieftains and where they now abide."

Fenith nods towards the figure and starts to move away with slow steps as he makes a bad bow towards him and speaks "I will find information and I will be at the streets before the palace my lord." he silences and moves quickly away on the streets trying to cover as much ground as possible between him and the dark rider. He vanishes away to the north.

The laughter of the black rider shudders softly again before he turns and rides along the city streets.