* The Place

Dwarven Travel Camp (Buhr Mahrling Group)

Around you is a small dwarven campsight. The campsight is smaller than normal
for Khazad. There is a campfire in the center, surrounded by a number of small
shelters. Though not as large as some dwarven camps, there are sentries on
duty.

* The Characters

Brican

	The fellow before you stands no more than 4 and a half feet tall. He
looks to be quite well bulked, though he does not look to be at all fat. Just
mainly made of muscle. His long white beard, streaked with black throughout,
extends all the way down to his belly. His eyes are deep blue, set well into
his face. His long jet black hair hangs down his back and his ears tend to
stick out just a bit.

	He wears a crimson tunic of fine spun wool, a white axe and hammer
patch sewn onto the left shoulder. A heavier black woolen cloak hangs over his
shoulders, draping down his back. Black leggings and heavy leather boots adorn
his legs and feet, completing his attire with a functional and yet stylish
look.

Gumbart

You see a short dwarf with grey, rugged clothes. His hair is grey and long,
braided and held together by small black pebbles. His beard is long and a bit
shaggy. Two braids are waxed and stretch back to his ears.
This dwarf is wearing travelling clothes: big, strong boots; a dark coat; and a
warm shirt.
He is wearing nearly no jewelry.

*The Time

Middle-earth time is:
Daytime on Monday, Day 5 of October.

* The Log

Making his way from within the merchants wagon, Brican slowly makes his way
down the steps, looking about the camp with with caution, he makes his way over
towards the fire and sits next the wandering merchant already sitting next to
it, he nods towards him before asking, "How are we this morning?"


Gumbart looks up from his cooking over the fire, licking his finger which he
had just used to probe the brown stuff in his small pot. Seeing the newcomer in
his crimson tunic, he wipes his hand, grabs his hat and swipes it before his
knees. "Hello Brican, at your service and the service of your familiy, as
always."

Gumbart grins, as he looks out of the camp at Buhr Mahrling. He says, "Another
quiet day, isn't it?" and chuckles. Quietly, he adds, "All that talk about
spying and all that -- must have been some some guard's paranoid fantasy. I'm
glad we didn't stirr up any trouble."

Brican nods back towards Gumbart thoughtfully for a moment, "Aye, I'm glad at
that, my first merchant trade gone uneventfully, I guess that must be something
you must desire, especially after hearing of your troubles in the past with
bandits."

Gumbart nods, "Aye, the longer I think about it, the more I grow suspicious of
my partners in the Iron Hills. They claimed to have sent the wares, and in the
end I had to write them off as stolen on the way. But perhaps t'was never the
bandits, who knows? It sure pays to accompany my wares personally, for the
moment!"

Brican nods back towards Gumbart, "Perhaps so, I myself can't afford not to
accompany my wares, as I can't even afford to pay any partners. But I suspect
from what you are telling me that they swindled you out of your wares, so they
themselves could take the gold."

Gumbart grips on his cooking pot hardens as he stares into the fire. "I won't
be able to prove it, I won't. To think of it makes me mad like crazy orc! But
no use, I can't storm into the merchants guild in the Iron Hills and give them
their share, right in their face, can I?" Suddenly he relaxes and laughs, "What
a scene that would make, haha!" turning around a looking at Brican.

Brican laughs along with Gumbart for a moment, "I would like to be there to see
the faces of the merchant guild. I will give ye some advice though, I think it
best if you stay accompanying your goods for the time being, perhaps even
getting a hired escourt like we have this time."

Gumbart nods enthusiastically, "Yeah! I'm starting to like this travelling
idea. I think I'll actually start to learn to use a good weapon, too, so I can
save myself one guard, haha! The fresh air and all the new faces are a change
for the better, I say."

As Brican looks about the camp, and onward to the outskirts of Buhr Marhling he
comments, 'I don't trust this town, have you heard much about what is happening
here? We're still in one piece though so that must say something for our
guards."

Gumbart shakes his head, "I didn't hear a thing back under the mountain. You
should know more, you're close to Lord Nori, aren't you? After all, it was
trouble for the Iron Hills in Buhr Mahrling, last thing I heard. Don't know
what happened exactly, however.". Under his grey hair, Gumbart's piercing eyes
watch Bricans face, closely.

As Brican takes a small piece of mutton from the smoldering fire, he takes a
bite with a look of disgust coming over his face, he turns to look at Gumbart
as his eyes pierce towards him, "I am as close to Lord Nori as a servant in the
fields is, He may be my master, but I hardly see him, mostly turned over to his
underlings for training in the merchanting arts."

Gumbart nods, "I understand your situation. I am in the fortunate situation of
being my own master. That makes me a lot poorer than many other people." He
says and points at his plain clothes. "However, it frees me from a lot of
useless scurrying around, if you don't mind my language", he continues, looking
around carefully.

Time passes...

Gumbart asks qietly, "Did my words offend you? I am deeply sorry if they did. I
don't have the right to say such things. It is slander, and I know it." He bows
his head and turns back to the fire, busying himself with the brown stuff he
had been cooking.

Brican turns his attention back towards Gumbart, "No I was thinking of
something for a time, I do not take offense in such words as I myself know the
differences between you and I. I sometimes long for a life such as yours."

Gumbart quietly says, "Maybe there is yet a way to gain an incredible
fortune... A daring, incredibly dangerous way to amass the greatest riches
since the days of the old king under the mountain, Thror."

Brican moves closer towards Gumbart as he strains to hear Gumbarts voice,
"Perhaps so, the mountain I heard has been deserted for many generations.",
says in a somewhat louder voice.

Gumbarts voice drops even lower as he continues by the fireplace, "Hmmm, I
think the most important thing to keep in mind is Thror's fate." He gives
Brican a warning glance as he sees a movement back in the camp and bows even
lower over his brown soup he is still cooking over the fire.

Gumbart whispers quietly, "The wealth of such a kingdom must have been won by
unnatural means. I'm all in favor of Durin's blood and that. But come to think
of it, there are rumours, you understand? Powerfull magic at work! And I think
I might know where to look for it."

Brican whispers back towards Gumbart, "But with such magical powers, would it
be safe. I don't mind setting myself up for life, but will we be coming out as
orks or elves at the end of the day?"

Gumbart chuckles. "Aye, sometimes I wonder. But if we don't try to take our own
fate back into our own hands, we'll end just like some poor snaga: poor,
miserable and bossed around." He pauses and adds, "I don't want to bow to the
Nameless one, if you are afraid of that. Never to the Dark One, never!"
gripping his pot fiercely.

Brican smiles for a moment towards Gumbart, "Oh, perhaps we should go looking
for our weight in gold then, but we must have caution, I think it best if we
can find someone who is skilled in protection against these dark arts."

Gumbart nods, "Where we would have to be looking, we would need some fighters,
too. It is unfortunate, but we cannot go on our own. This is way to dangerous
for a party of two." He takes the brown stuff from the fire and starts poking
the coals with a stick, pondering dark thoughts...

As the soup has cooled after a few minutes, Gumbart starts eating. Between two
mouthfull he asks, "Would you know somebody practiced in the defense against
the dark arts? It could be a start..."

Brican shakes his head back towards the Dwarf, "I've not heard of anyone who
has practiced the protection of such, since I myself have lived a sheltered
life since going for my apprenticeship, perhaps a good place to start looking
is in this very town."

Gumbart grins, "Aye, them Easterlings are far to close to the fiend. If we
could find a trustworthy person here, I would be sure that his protection must
be fabulous." Looking at the town from the camp, he adds, "Just look at them,
they must have struck many a deal with the servants of the nameless One, or he
would have strucken long before. Not many people are as trustworthy in their
fight against him as we are, the Khazad!"

As he takes his glass, sitting next to him on the log, he dips it into the
barrel of ale, he turns his attention back towards Gumbart, "Aye, we would be
hard pressed to find a trustworthy person, but we should see if we can find
another trustworhy fellow to help us to find the fellow we need, how about the
Khazad that came with you to this camp, would he not be a excellent choice?"

Gumbart shakes his head, "I don't think so. Perhaps he'll surprise us yet, but
I just met him a few days before going on the trip, so I'm not sure of him. And
he has kept to himself, too. Have you seen him? He comes and goes as he wants,
and nobody seems to know his whereabouts." He closes his eyes, and continues
after a moment, "I remember the day in Longbeard Tavern when we first met, it
was quite a scene, early in the morning, a drunken dwarf shouting and breaking
things, and us two there, talking business, wondering about the preparations
for the trip going on... That's all I know. He's in the pipes business, a quiet
fellow, as I said."

Brican pulls several knots out of his beard as he slumps thinking, "A quiet
fellow you said, then he would probably not be the one for us, we need someone
like ourselves, keen to make a mark on this world of ours. I do not know who to
ask then, but I think it must be a fellow Khazad, who else can you trust?"

Gumbart grins, "Yes! That is the spirit we need, I could not have said it
better myself! And it should be a cousin of ours, that's for sure. I won't
trust no Easterling, Dunlander, not even a Man of the Lake."

Brican says, "There surely must be someone among us who will have the same
vision as us, surely someone. Do you have anyone you suspect might help us?"

Gumbart grins, "Not yet. But I'll look. If you'll keep your eyes open, I'm sure
we'll be able to find a few fellows to take along. And then we'll make a
fortune, haha! At last!" Realizing that he raised his voice a bit, Gumbart
lowers his head again and whispers, "I'll count on you, then. I will have to go
now, there is business in town I have to attend to. We will make our fortune
when all is said and done." He scratches the remains of the soup out of the
pot, swipes it clean and starts to get up.

Brican smiles towards Gumbart passionately, "Yes, I will keep my eyes out for
any people who fit your description, perhaps we can find these bandits along
the path." he says quite loudly.

Gumbart grins and bows, "Your are a good friend, Brican. Always at your
service!"

Gumbart waves and leaves towards his bags, getting ready for another trip into
town.