9/3/2008
================== Eldarin Calendar <in Sindarin> ===================
IC time is: Midday < About 12:39 PM >
IC day is: Orithil <Moon-day>
IC date is: 29 Firith <Fading>
Moon phase: New <HIDDEN>
Earendil: Gil-Estel is not visible.
IC year is: Loa 20 o Yen 22, Nelandran o Endor <TA 3044>
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RL time: Wed Sep 03 17:13:20 2008
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Anduin East Bank
The roaring river passes by to the west, though it widens here across unerodable rock, and compared to the mighty maelstrom it becomes as it travels further south in the distance, it is shallow enough that the waters can be forded. In the middle of the river there is a huge, flat topped rock approximately sixty feet high which breaks the current. The startings of a village begins along the road that leads from the ford to the east. The road is scored with the marks of feet and hooves. To the north and south the village rises into a thriving community.

Daylight shines down on the west-east road, warming the road and land with the light it sheds. People can be heard milling about in the village to the north and south.

The murky sky is overcast and dreary. The midday autumn air is warm and slightly humid around you. The moon is not visible.

Contents:
Galharth
Valdi
Nioniel
Niinaeth
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It's another dull day.

The cloud cover continues from east to west, hardly a change in how thick or thin it is, always casting the same grey pall. By the river bank, optimistic fishers cast their nets and poles out, hoping to catch some food for the day. Woven baskets sit at the side, some stacked high, others nearly empty. Occasionally talk and laughter break out.

Valdi mumbles on from the Carrock, sniffing at some herb he clasps in his hand. Then he slips it into his pack and stands, leaning on his staff as he turns toward the river. Giving a wry glance around for anyone who would care, he strokes his scraggly chin and then takes off his wooden boots, setting them aside as he rolls up his pants and wades in the freezing waters.

Stepping towards the river, a puff of wind sends the teal robes of the Tailor dancing around Galharth's feet as if they held a life of their own. Adding color to the event, his silver hair also flutters with the burst of cool air. Colorful and fair, the firstborn seems almost out of place along the river bank. "It seems the river silently lures many a folk into it's waters." Says in common to the Beorning now wading into the cold waters. Folding his arms over his chest, he clicks his tongue, "Inviting though it seems, and as curious as I am, so few of your kindred speak, and I speak not their tongue."

From behind a stone outcropping, a young elleth with honey-coloured hair watches the fishermen timidly. Her deep blue eyes widen as Valdi wades into the frigid water and she herself pulls the folds of her silvery grey cloak tighter about her slender frame. The speech of those nearby is alas meaningless to her, and she watches the others, including Galharth, the master tailor she knows so well, with all the timidity of a deer from afar who cannot hope to understand what others speak.

"It's a temperment, not speaking much." Valdi's back seizes up when he hears the voice far more than it had reacting to the cold riverwater. He turns around slowly, stepping away from where the fishers' nets are cast. He walks up, leaving his heels in the water, before he speaks again. "They probably wouldn't speak to you if you knew how to speak our tongue. They might be surprised though." His gaze drifts to the stone outcropping, but he doesn't appear to see anyone there. A smile begins to appear. "It would amuse me."

The right corner of his mouth rises in a half smile, and amuzement dances in the Craftmasters eyes. "Would you teach me a few phrases, if only to amuze your kindred? And I in turn would be glad to be a source of entertainment." Galharth says softly. Stepping back, so to avoid any dropplets of water stirred up from the breeze dancing over the rivers surface, he turns enough to catch sight of Nioniel. Unfolding his hands he sweeps his left towards the Seamstress. "Perhaps you'd care to even teach my friend as well. Two sources of entertainment." Glancing back to Valdi, he smiles. "I am Galharth, a Tailor among my people. "Forgive me for not introducing myself, nor asking your name before I ask a favor of you."

The second Galharth indicates Nioniel, her deep blue eyes widen into a frightened expression, and the elleth suddenly leaps back behind the boulder and vanishes from sight, the trailing ends of her cloak slipping away like so much a shred of mist on the breeze

"Save that one of many years ago, Adan he was called. He could talk the hind leg off a horse." Comes the softest of voices rarely heard of late in westron. Green as the leaf, shot with silver like dew upon, such is the color of the attire of another present. Her feet bare, toes barely covered in the water wiggling, Niinaeth looks up to Valdi with a slight grin and shrugs, "Willing to teach the language of your kin will win you a quick lesson in one of those I speak, if that is, you know them not."

Valdi notices the elf where he was gazing before, but she melts away before his eyes. "Galharth. I'm Valdi. Master healer and herbalist. And I know Adan." At the proposal he looks ponderous, but when a trade, rather than a favor, is proposed by the newcomer, he lightens up and nods. "I will grant your favor. We will do it thus..."

He clears his throat. "I'll say a phrase in the common tongue. Then I will give its equivalent as we villagers would put it. Then you will repeat the phrase back to me in my language and then yours. Finally, you will translate what you said in your tongue, and if it lines up, that means you've learned it." At admitting such a well-thought out plan, he then laughs. "It's how my apprentices memorize herbs."

Turning to the sound of the Ministers voice, Galharth's brow furrows. "Why would one talk the leg off a horse? It makes little sense for these people to treat horses as such." The Craftmaster says in confusion. The confusion lasts little time as Niinaeth offers the barter. Shaking his head, as if to shake off the confusion, he smiles and looks back to Valdi and nods his agreement to follow the instruction of the Master Healer. "It makes great sense, so clearly this is not the first time you've taught folk such as ourselves in the art of your language."

Pausing only a moment, he tilts his head, eagerly awaiting the instruction. "Where shall we begin?" The Tailor asks.

"Weve met before Valdi, many years to your kin, perhaps 10 or more. In Imladris." Niinaeth comments as she pushes her feet farther into the water, "It simply means Galharth, the person had the ability to. Continual chatter though I admit Ive missed Adan often. He was rather, entertaining." so flow the words from the Ministers lips, as if a calm waterfall, first dammed, was this hour unleashed.

At Galharth's praise, Valdi only shrugs. "Elves are the ones always curious enough to ask." Then he squints at Niinaeth, regarding her closely for the first time. "That's right. Rivendell. I... and..." Tears twinkle in his eyes as his hand goes to his chest, or something beneath it. The healer turns away to cough and wipes his nose before nodding. "Oh, oh, it's fine to see you again... N..." With an effort he remembers the name. "Niinaeth. My mind just went elsewhere," is all he admits. Then he smiles, at first uneasily, then more formally as he gets started.

"Okay. First, a greeting. There are a few ways to say hi, but the one you'll want to use works about equivalently to a 'Hello. How're you?' Nice. Simple." Then abruptly Valdi switches to his native tongue, which comes off with some consonal clashing that nonetheless runs smoothly off his palate. The first time is quickly, casual. Then he says it the second time slowly, exaggerating the sounds. Finally he runs it off quickly. Then he gestures to the other two.

The comments about Adan tell not where he might be, and while it seem clear that there is interest in where this person might be, he asks not. Pressing his lips together it takes him a moment to refocus his thoughts as he glances from Ninnaeth to Valdi.

"Hello. You." Galharth repeats, almost as if his tongue is tripping over itself in effort with the strange words. "Hell to you" he repeats again, and finally "Hello. How you?"

Laughter light as a warm breeze comes from Niinaeth at Galharth's attempt. For her own part the words are easily repeat as she has learned them before from the one she spoke of. Turning her head up toward the Tailor she grins, "Try saying it as if your throat is full of mud. Seems to work for better."

"You are a healer correct Valdi?" she asks before she starts to speak in Sindarin, the same words he used, then oddly switches to yet another language of the elves, knowing Galharth may have issues with the use. "Which do you prefer Valdi? That of Sindarin, which all would understand or the latter, one much older and seldom used by many. Though it does have its shall we say, strength when healing for the first born."

"Close. Two of those three times, I wasn't mortally insulted." Valdi thinks on what Galharth said for a moment, and he nods at Niinaeth's advice. "Just like that." Then at Niinaeth's choice, he pauses, listening in his head to the words just spoken rather than to the obvious benefits. A deep grunt can be heard. Then he tries to repeat the latter one, saying something like, "Hello, you how." "That's my choice," he explains, smiling.

Then he shifts gears. "Okay, we'll try moving on. Just try memorizing the words, but also try to notice how the words work together. Say this one: I want to have a chat and some good mead." Then he moves through his words again, enunciating clearly after saying it naturally the first time.

Peering a moment at Niinaeth, the Tailor shakes his head. "I've made less effort learning languages than I should have, Minister, but I assure you that is to change." he says with an expression of dedication.

To Valdi, his half smile returns, and he adds a soft chuckle. "It is my greatest pleasure to avoid insulting." Galharth says sincerely. His smile does however fade and the student in him focuses as he prepares for his next attempt.

"I want to have a hat and good mud." He says with much effort, again as his tongue dances in places unfamiliar. "Hello, how are you. I want bats and good mood." Coughing he frowns slightly and seems to put effort into concentation. "Hello, how are you. I want a bat and good mead."

Niinaeth falls back on the ground laughing, quick tears coming to her eyes, "I believe this is the most fun Ive had on our journey. Thank you Galharth." she breaths out admist her giggles, "I admit you are far better than Tiridor, who told Adan his mother was a cow to which Adan replied, Thank you, please pass the cheese."

With a turn of her head to Valdi, she simply nods. She did not miss his reaction earlier and it shows in her gentle way of speaking first his language then repeating it with the language of his choice.

"Ch. Ch. Tch. Chat. Chat." Valdi repeats the sound in both Eothrik and common (they not being very dissimilar) and touches his cheeks where they touch his lips, and he stutters out the phrase once more. "That's all you're missing there. It's subtle, and Niinaeth must have caught it." Then he clears his throat again.

"Here's one I hear a lot. 'I need healing!' Of course they would then go on to explain what ailed them, but I'll explain those after." He then does as he did before, repeating it patiently. Then he starts touching various body parts and saying something in Eothrik.

Furrowing his brow, the Tailor's lower lip twitches. "What did I say?" he whispers softly, clearly worried that he offended someone. As Niin explains the errors of Tiridor's efforts, a sly smile comes to the Craftmasters face. "Ah, so not too badly then...."

"Chat... chat.... ccccfhat." Galharth repeats, stumbling over the harsh word and sounds.

Nodding softly, he makes the next effort. "I need healing." He says once, and then louder, "I need healing" and finally with a smile. "I need healing."

"Excellent Galharth. And knowing you, it will come in handy on a regular basis." Niinaeth says as she stand and begins to stretch, "If you wish Valdi I am more than willing to teach you more before we depart." she comments to the man with a wave of her hand, "Think it not for trade, rather one friend to another. I remember your kindness years ago as such I intend to return it in any way possible."

Valdi nods as the offer is given by Niinaeth. 'That's fair. I'll keep an eye out for you. Just ask for the Infirmary or the tavern. If I'm around, I'm probably in one of the two places.' Then he nods to Galharth. 'Needless to say, I've spent enough time dawdling for now. Repeat those words and come to me for more. Try not to startle too many of us, but tell me the stories.' There's a glint in his eyes now, a hint of mischievousness. 'You've already got most of the sounds down, so next time should be easier to figure out. Galharth, Niinaeth.' Nodding to both, he says, "<Eothrik> *******," and repeats it once more. 'Take care,' as he slips on his boots and walks toward the village.