The western sky has taken on the hue of deep blue and the star's tremble palely in the last moments before they leave sight for the day. The trees as Gilrowen looks up at them have taken on the aspect of black lace against this rapidly lightening background and they begin to sing as blackbirds vie and chatter to one other. Lorien, the Dream Flower awakes into a new day as she paces toward the opening of the mine shaft.

Laying down her pack at the lip of the entrance she looks about her as the clearing begins to grey into existence. Neither gowned or apronned this morning, she is clad in breeches and sturdy clothes of blue and grey as if ready to go on an expedition - pressing her lips together she looks about her again and waits.


From the open maw of earth, a voice echoes forth:

"Gilrowen mellon! Good morning!" The deep man-voice grows less mysterious as a golden head emerges, followed by the rest of a miner. "Come! The Minister Lothdaimoth is here as well. He wanted to see the same place you are interested in." He already starts back towards the mine, as if daylight is not so comfortable to him as the embrace of Arda's depths.


Down in the cave of the mine, air pushes against rock, through crevices and cracks, against elven figures - as if the very earth itself is breathing. Small lanterns bloom yellow against the darkness, but their light is swallowed up so swiftly by the vast impenetrable black of the tunnels and shafts. One such figure pauses as his name echoes down the long entrance hole and looks back towards the pale shimmer of light that marks out where the mine ends.


Noises emerge form the shaft, faint at first and the mirdan turns expectantly to see .... the Minister Lothdaimoth. Could she see herself, would she think her mouth gaping like a fish, funny? Recovering quickly enough she greets him, "Mae govannen," yet the rise in her voice turns it almost to a question.


The shine of Anor is the greeting of each morning for the Knight of the Order on the routene patrol. Legarwin o nos Aderthad takes in the deep scents of the air as he travels quietly leading Knight-Bachelors and Squires with him explaining different details while giving his opinionated advice. He wears his cloak lightly with the hood pulled down revieling his gleaming hair and facial features to the light. He watches a Gilrowen o nos Aderthad is informed to make a trip to the mines where he rarely goes. he speaks a quick ,"Mae Govannen," before she disappears.


Close to the mine stands Tiridor, idly wathing the occurances. He has been ordered to watch the mine, what for does he not know. It is not like him to question orders, or reasons for orders, and this is no different, and thus he stands. Taking his job seriously, he has not made a move or changed his face at all in an hour or so. But somewhere in his head ponders the thought, 'Who would run away with a mine anyway?'


Cavarnofinwe clad in all grey with his hood down as well takes in everything that Legarwin is telling him. Noticing every detail. He looks about the area taking in all of scenery. He returns his glance to Legarwin noding as he explains the details. Upon ariving in front of the mind he stands alert on his guard and awaits for any other orders that might need to be given.


Lights bob and dance in the mine, and the same yellow-haired miner that greeted Gilrowen plucks up a light that shines silver hands to rake earthen walls. This accompanies him a ways, then disappears along with him as he descends the main shaft.


The voices clear and one of them is... Gilrowen? Lothdaimoth grins a little, his face stretched oddly gremlin-like by the shadows and lights of the lantern he holds. "Mae govannen, mellon," he calls back. "You are here as well? I thought you had gotten the ore you needed..."


Difficult to see well in the bobbing flares of light; Gilrowen tries to look into the owner of that voice's face... but sees but parts of his face, strangely lit, "But we only took enough for a sample. But the Master and I were more than happy with the results." Curiosity lilts in her voice as she asks, "But what brings you here, of all places cousin?"


Timbers shift and creak, and the earth groans a little somewhere deep inside. Lothdaimoth looks up, holding his lantern high as he walks. "I heard that the mine was unstable in places, though shored up," he replies. "We wished to know what might need to be done - if it will need to be abandoned, or rebuilt, or..." his voice trails off, replaced by a slow dripping of water in the darkness beyond.


Cavarnofinwe walks up to Tiridor, "How are you doing mellon? It has been a while since we've talked last. This is my first assignment. I hope I do well and make you all proud." He turns his head towards the mines and returns his gaze to Tiridor.


Cavarnofinwe's greeting sends a smile to the serious face of Tiridor for a moment. "I am sure you will." he says. "Your heart is true, your fea is focused and you can take an order. I am absolutely confident that you will make us all proud. But I'm afraid to disappoint you. I cannot see that anything out of the ordinary would happen here today."


Knight Legarwin moves to where the Knight-Bachelor Tirdor stands on duty. "For I find great joy in being in your presense Squire Cavarnofinwe for you will have many patrols like this." He hears bits and pieces from the mine and asks a question from a full sentence that he had heard from the echoing rock. "How does the mine appear from your vantage point? It can only stand for som long before needing a revamping of form." The Knight studies the hole of the rock himself to make his own evaluation.


Drip, drip, drip...

The mine smells like rain, and metal, as dirt grinds loudly underfoot.

A long moan sighs tiredly from the tunnels.


Cavarnofinwe he smiles at the compliments, "I'll do my best sir. And I hope your right. I hope everything goes well on their expedition." He hears Legarwin address him, and bows at the compliment then let's the two carry out there work while he keeps watch.


Hurring upstream, a sight of a small gathering greets Aerwaen's eyes by a large mellorn tree. Hurrying over she sees elleth's known to her. Saluting respectfully to her Order mentor Knight Legarwin, she smiles to the party. "Mae Govannen, Knight Legarwin, Cavarnofinwe, Tiridor, what goes here?" Pulling the hood down off her head, she examines what everyone seems to be fussing over for herself.


Echos multiply and mutter in the shaft as the mirdan follow the shifting lights ahead of her. The mutters seem to grow as if a hundred voices were trying to speak to her. Scraping ahead, a shuffling of boots and she watches as Lothdaimoth places his lantern at the lip of a hole and turns to follow the miner down a ladder.


A rumble sounds, soft at first but growing, echoing up the dark mine shaft, bouncing off rocks and rolling out into the still dawn air where Knights and Squires wait and watch. There is an ominous silence. A wind of cool damp air rushes out, laden with rockdust and a bare second later, a roar resounds from within. Rocks slide and scrape against each other, timbers scream beneath intolerable pressure and give way, and then all is silent again.


The question from the knight surprises Tiridor a little, for not often is he asked for his opinion. It takes a couple of seconds to answer. "One can never be sure with mines." he says, but adds truthfully, "But I have none but little experiences with them, and have not seen enough to compare. I suppose that those edhil, being reknown for wisdom, would not travel into a mine with risk of crashing in on them."


As Tiridor speaks to that of Legarwin's question, a wind of dust and cold air, hit the faces of the Order members as they stand outside in discussion. Stepping back in suprise, hearing the creaking and crashing below in the dark, Aerwaen looks at the faces of those around her.

"Who was in there? Tell me that no one was in there, for I swear I heard caving in..."

Dust gathers in her eyes as she turns away from the plunge of cold air thrown at them, and rubs at her eyes, looking back in confusion.


Cavarnofinwe looks a little startled for a split second then snaps out of it. He looks around to his other kin to see what their doing, but decides he'd better not act before his superiors do. So he waits and stands at attention.


Deep within, the moan grows until it seems an angry roar at these elves who dare prick Arda's flesh. Dust fills the air ere the walls and floor start shaking, lanterns swaying wildly as elves cry with panic. The walls lean against their timber supports until these snap, and the ceiling would join the floor.


Suddenly, a terrible sound is heard and leaves no doubt that something terrible is of the doing. "I could be wrong, of course." Tiridor, who is closest to the mine, looks shocked, but moves up towards it in a matter of a second, waiting for Legarwin to issue an order.


A prickling at the back of her neck stops Gilrowen once as she follows down the ladder after Lothdaimoth, one booted foot after the other scraping on the slightly damp wood and grit. The air unaccoutably seems to move around her as she reaches the bottom and the light seems to blur as....dust powders the air. The muttering of voices disappears for a few instants only to be replaced by an more ominous rolling voice and high pitched cries as timbers loosen in place and begin to dance.


The quick movement of Legarwin is almost on instinct. He gives a loud call of an owl signaling to all who know that there is a need for assistance as he turns to those who are with him. "Remove smaller rocks first that can be lifted by one alone and start on the outside. We don't need an avalanche on those who have been caught inside." He knows who are in the mines from the sound of the voices and knows he must step up and rescue them. As Squires appear, he repeats the same orders to them adding more detail on what should be done. He himself finds work to be done and does it diligently.


Lanters flicker, flames bending over before the rush of air. Some vanish in that second, but a few - so few - grow again. Lothdaimoth flings up one arm against the falling rocks and his own lantern smashes to the floor.


Cavarnofinwe he salutes Legarwin in response to the orders then runs over to the caved in mine and starts removing small rock by small rock from the outside. With the tension of his muscles flexing as he works, he gets the rocks systematically so they won't cave in further.


This work has already been started by Tiridor by the time more arrives. He starts to furiously take up rocks and cast them aside, as he starts working his way inside. He stops for a moment, looks up and sees that a few really large rocks are in danger of falling in, and take a bunch of smaller ones to support the largest, it supports the other ones that seams imminent to fall. He looks at the others as his muscles work overload, as he is not at all strong for a guard, but is relying more on excellent agility. He calls to Legarwin. "If... we get an opening, I request permission to go in there and check for survivors." he says.


The world beneath grows quiet for a moment, aside from a few stray pebbles bouncing around. Someone coughs, and then groans at the effort.


Setting to work on Legarwin's orders, Aerwaen moves to the side of the entrance, starting to brush away rocks, then moving onto bigger ones. She is not very strong and it soon starts to show, but she digs her gloved hands in and moves rocks away from the entrance.

"I wish to go also Knight Legarwin, only if you should so permit."

She sets her eyes back to work in front of her.


A rain of grit, a sprinkle of fine rock, a deluge of pebbles seems to fall out of the sky. Then, a blast of air and the mirdan feels herself knocked to the ground and as she is completely blinded by the wave of darkness and sound that rolls down the shaft.


"There will be survivors, hopefully all, for this was a close in and not a land slide." Legarwin gives a nod taking a step back for a moment to see where other rocks can be removed from it to create an opening lange enough to fit all out. "If we remove a corner, that should be enough room to be able to move freely. The first proority is to get the survivors out then reopen the mine." He becomes silent finding where he can use his plan.


Not another second passes before Tiridor spots an opening in which he can skip in. He lights a lantern he finds that is still intact, and adds some of his own fea's power to light further, as he starts making his way down the ladder. When comming down, he ducks a place that is bulging down dangerously. "Hello?" he shouts. "Anyone around? Help is here!"


The initial rockfall is easily broken through and ahead of Tiridor, the main entrance shaft stretches bleak and empty. The timbers here are still sound, though dust sifts down through the dark air.


Aerwaen follows in after Tiridor, and stands at the top of the ladder. Getting down onto her knees and then onto her stomach, she peers down into the darkness of the hole. She coughs at the dust and rubs at her eyes but watches Tiridor carefully climb down with a sway. She waits till he is far enough down the ladder and sets herself around onto it, holding steady at the top.


Raising her head Gilrowen wonders who is making that strange sound and as she shakes her head - the voice becomes hers. A thin stream of dust seems to be falling and the grits makes her cough which she hears echoed in another cough. Something is stopping her from moving and it hurts to breathe suddenly, in a creaking voice she calls out, "Loth....


There is another stirring in the utter blackness near Gilrowen. "My lady mirdan, is that *cough* you?" The voice is not Lothdaimoth's but a miner. Fumbling among the rocks, he crawls cautiously nearer, patting the ground ahead of him in search of his companions. From a distance, a faint cry is heard, and he freezes, lifting up his head and calling back. "Help! We're down here..."

His own cry is swallowed up by the deadening rockfalls, but a thin whisper still reaches up to the entrance. A whisper that might very well have been mistaken for nothing more than the air itself.


Aerwaen makes her way cautiously down the ricketty ladder, murmoring softly to Tiridor.

"Tiridor, don't shout please! More rocks could fall from the noise..."

Her eyes have adjusted to the darkness now and she can see better, looking down towards the ground in the dark. A faint murmor and then a cough, and speech. She hurries down the ladder as fast as her legs will take her, but carefully. She sets lightly down on the ground, almost tripping on a rock. Using the ladder to steady herself she looks around. A voice a little higher than a whisper comes from her.

"Who's down here, talk and we will follow."


Cavarnofinwe follows Aerwaen down and waits while she looks around. His eyes adjust to the darkness and it gives him a feeling of much discomfort. He waits for Aerwaen to procede before he moves forward.


Tiridor hears the call, and closes in, quickly down another ladder. The voice of Aerwaen, issuing a warning, is albeit a little late, as his own voice has rumbled off some more rocks that falls from the ceiling. One hitting his knee, and he makes a grave grimace of pain, but doesn't let this stop him. With a slight limp he continues. And suddenly, he sees a pile of rocks in the dim light, under which lays the body of an elf, Lothdaimoth. The fallen elf doesn't move.


The voices multiply but are strained and no longer echo but fall deadly in the dust laden air and sound of shifting rock. Sound behind her and she tries to turn her head only to stifle a groan as pain climbs to a screech to match the the tortured wooden mine supports. One voice then calling for help and another calling her name, eyes tightly closed against the air that hurts so she breathes, "Yes, I am here."


Rocks pile up higher and higher beyond the small circle of light cast by Tiridor's lamp. Shadows jump and shift on the stones, revealing and concealing by turns. The motionless figure of the Minister lies near Gilrowen, a dark trickle oozing from a gash on one temple. One hand is flung out to his side, the other lies twisted beside him, and his legs disappear beneath the heavy jagged rocks that fill the farther end of the tunnel.


Aerwaen sees Cavarnofinwe safely to the ground, steping back to allow him some space. She hears faint words and looks down to see a pile of rocks, and an elleth laying under them.

"Cavar...here, quickly".

She murmors as not to raise her voice in the echo of the mine, to send more rocks crashing down upon the injured and the party. She steps cautiously and trips over a rock, falling to her knees near the head of the elleth.

"We are here, do not worry. We will help you up, do you feel able to walk if we get these rocks from your body?"

Aerwaen's own face a little pained with the throbbing in her ankle, she tries to look hard into the dark to see what her and Cavar will have to deal with to get the elleth free. A name she still cannot put to the face.


The miner tries to jump to his feet in relief as help arrives, but crumples back with a stifled cry. Carefully, slowly, he pulls himself up again, hands leaving smears of blood black against the rock wall.


Cavarnofinwe walks over to the miner and helps him support himself to try and ease his pain, "Do not fear. We shall have you out of here as soon as we can." He then looks to Aerwaen, "Tell me what you think the best course of action would be to take and I'll help."


"Loth... are you alright? What ..." and a cry of pain cuts her off, she turns her head stifling a yelp as pain blooms along her ribs. The timber pinning her seems heavier and it is more difficult to breath than just a few minutes earlier. Laying her head down on a rock she calls again, "Loth?


"It is.. my ankle," the miner says, teeth gritted, words punctuated by a gasp. He reaches out gratefully for the support offered, wincing as his lacerated palms touch fabric.


Aerwaen's eyes start to see a large timber beam pinning down the elleth.

"Cavar, help me with this please, we have to get her unpinned so we might figure out a way to get her up the ladder".

Straining she shuffles on her knees and smiles reassuringly in the dark.

"We are going to move this beam from you, let us hope this will free you..."

Aerwaen slips her hands under it, all the way up to the elbows, and tries to lift it, waiting for Cavarnofinwe.


Without given a second of thinking, Tiridor starts to move rocks covering Lothdaimoth out of the way, and suddenly spots Gilrowen. He steps over to her. "Are you okay?" he says. "We will get you out of here." He rushes back to the pile of rocks now covering Lothdaimoth and throws aside the rest of them, freeing the fallen elf, bends down to see if he can be moved without more harm done. After a moment, he decides to better move, motions for miners to follow him and shouts to Aerwaen. "You! Take lady Gilrowen with you! You are responsible for her getting out." His voice tells that he lays great deal in this, one of his kin, who has saved his life, is getting out of here.


Far away - or at least it seems far, though sound is so deceptive, it is difficult to tell - a crack of wood sounds sharply, and rocks grind against each other. But here where the desparate rescue goes on, only a small pebble is knocked off balance, bouncing to the floor.


Voices and light and hands, the mirdan lies unable to do more than nod for the moment.


Cavarnofinwe looks to the Miner, "I shall return for you shortly." He goes over to help Aerwaen and starts to lift the beam on a 3 count when she is ready.


Pale, very still, Lothdaimoth lies unmoving. One leg juts at an unnatural angle, it is clearly broken. The cloth covering the other is torn and soaked dark with blood.


"One...two...three". Aerwaen starts lifting at the beam over the elleth as Cavarnofinwe helps. The manage to move it and get it a little higher than the elleth on the ground. Aerwaen makes a shakey stand to her feet from her knees, and steps around carefully, making sure not to stand on the elleth. "Drop!". She lets go of the beam as it thuds onto a pile of rocks, then looks back towards Cavarnofinwe. "Let's get her up".


The thud of timber on rocks starts a slither of sand and dirt from the roof.


Cavarnofinwe drops th beam when Aerwaen does, and helps Gilrowen up without putting any strain on the Lady.


Tiridor mumbles to Lothdaimoth. "I am afraid this will hurt a bit." He then, with one movement of strength that is almost surprisingly large for the somewhat frail stature of Tiridor, throws the uncouncious ellon up on his shoulder, supporting the broken leg with an arm. He looks over to see how the others are doing. "How is it going?" he mumbles quietly. "Tell me when you are ready, and go ahead. I'll follow."


A voice says up, obedient to the voice the mirdan tried to rise and hears the voice that she heard earlier, a strangers voice that groans with pain. Panting she lays still again. More sand trickles to join her on the ground and the air moves aroubnd her stirring the dust.


Just outside the pale yellow circle of lantern light, the miner supports himself against the wall. Long shadows draw themselves across his face, beneath the jutting eyebrows and along the chiseled nose. Beside him, the rock face glimmers beneath a layer of water, with darker stains edging downwards. Then he pushes himself away and limps over to Cavarnofinwe and Aerwaen. Each step brings a wince to his face, but he ignores it. "Help her," he says through gritted teeth. "I can... walk."


Pain seeps through Lothdaimoth's veil of unconsciousness and lines his face. Limp as a ragdoll, he hangs loosely in Tiridor's grasp.


"Oh by me, alright Cavar. I will take the elleth, you take the miner is this possible?"

Turning back to the elleth quickly, Aerwaen relays the change in plans.

"I will be taking you up the ladder myself, while Cavarnofinwe takes that of the Miner. Are your legs okay? I saw the beam across your chest, so I will treat you as suspecting of broken ribs. I appologize in advance for any pain you endure, but it shall only be for a little while, this I promise."

With a smile she puts out her arm for the elleth to latch onto, with intentions of heading for the ladder.


Cavarnofinwe waits for Gilrowen to latch onto Aerwaen, then he intends to steady her up and support the remaining weight when they are ready to go up.


The warmth of an arm and a voice, Gilrowen shivers under the contrast in temperature between them trying to rise and unable to reply coherently for a moment. "I...I..yes." Breathe returns quickly and she gets to her knees.


Helping the elleth to her feet, Aerwaen looks to Cavarnofinwe.

"Let us move her carefully, I think she may have broken something, ribs perhaps, her breathing is shallow."

Whispering as not to disturb more sand or rocks or beams, they carefully step their way over the rocks and debry to the Ladder. She whispers to the elleth.

"Alright, a name I will put to your face once we are out of the dark, but here we go. Find strength on the ladder, and know that we are right behind you, fall again into this darkness you will not."

Smiling as if to reassure, not knowing if it is seen in the dark, Aerwaen helps the elleth by putting her own arm out onto the ladder, as if to provide some support or stature for her to take hold of. She looks back to Cavarnofinwe. "You go up next mellon, I will follow. Do not let her fall...".


OOC Here, Gilly had to leave, and asked me to pose her out of the mine, so any defects in posing are mine and not hers. :)


A muffled groan emerges from the mirdan's lips, but she takes hold of the ladder to pull herself up. "Ohhh... I.." Gamely she tries again, sweat breaking out on her forehead, and manages the first rung and then the second. Pausing to rest, every limb quivering, it is a few minutes before she has gathered enough strength and courage to continue. One by one, slowly and painfully, the rungs of the ladder are conquered.


Aerwaen watches the steady procession up the rungs of the rickety ladder, carefully pulling herself up onto the first rung as Cavarnofinwe and the elleth make their way up quietly. The ladder shakes a little but the pain of her ankle is forgotten, giving way to relief as they climb higher towards the light of the caved in opening. Rays of light hit the ascend, as they reveal dusty air and the dark dank smell retires to its depth of fallen darkness. Slowly but surely the are almost at the top. She looks back down to the hole, her eyes still seeing much in the dark.

"Tiridor...tis safe to start climing". Her words echo lightly as her breath disturbs the dust, her eyes water from it making itself resident in her sight.


Swaying nearby, his own face drawn and pale, the still-anonymous miner stands on one foot and waits. The small party creeps up the ladder, and he moves to follow, glancing back once at where Tiridor still stands carrying the unconscious minister.


Cavarnofinwe continues to follow Gilrowen up with vigilence keeping his eyes peeled on her.


The knight-bachellor follows the others closely, waiting for them ascending the ladder, to see if they get up okay. He has to release Lothdaimoth's broken leg to be able to take a grip of the ladder with that free hand, and as quickly as he can with the weight upon his legs and one arm, he looks down at the miner.

"Can you go on your own, or do you want me to come down and get you?" There is an encouraging smile upon his face as he starts to ascend the ladder, listening after an answer.


"I can make it." The words are short, but then the miner pauses and looks back one more time. In the fading lantern light, the frown on his face can barely be seen. But at last he turns again and begins to haul himself up the ladder. And indeed, here he gets along better, for arms can easier take the place of a foot. "There were none others in this shaft," he says, pausing for breath. "None that I know of. The Master had no fears for the rest of the mine."

He peers into the well of blackness below and listens to the quiet drip drip drip of water. "I thought we had braced it well enough here as well... I was wrong." With this admission, he resolutely turns his back and continues up the ladder.


Tightly drawing an arm around one of the topmost rungs in the ladder, Aerwaen puts a hand on Cavarnofinwe's back, to steady as the top pair make their way over the lip letting down into the mine. She pulls herself up the three remaining rungs and scrambles onto the dirty ground, rolling on her back. She pants and then sits up, looking at Cavarnofinwe and the elleth.

"Are you two alright?"

Not waiting for an answer, she scrambles onto her stomach, peering down the side of the ladder. With the light of the hole they made their way through now returning her grey eyes to adjusted sight, she strains to see those on the ladder, and that of the Miner following.

"You are almost here Tiridor...".


Gilrowen collapses gratefully to the ground, and sits there. Her arms clasp her sides, gently, and she breathes quickly and shallowly.


The knight-bachellor struggles the weight of the minister and the pain pounding his knee, but he slowly works his way upwards, taking a moment to offer Aerwaen an appriciating smile and a nod, then he makes the last few remaining outbursts of will force and gets to the next level. He carefully puts down the minister on the ground and offers the miner a supporing hand to pull him up the last one or two rungs, already getting ready to continue. Again, he takes the time to smile to the two squires. "Thank you." he says to Aerwaen.


Aerwaen sighs with relief as the whole party, including those of the injured now resides at the top. She turns to Cavarnofinwe, her good mellon.

"Mae Govannen! I did not get a chance to say hello, but thank you mellon nin... I am fine".

Smiling in full beam, she nods respectfully to Tiridor, and then turns to the unconcious minister.

"Though not my place to say it, but I think perhaps we should get the injured to the field hospital. We linger here too long as it is.."

Looking at the elleth in particular, and worrying greatly for the unconcious minister.


"If you help me up I can walk, I think," Gilrowen says in a low voice, rough with pain and fear. Her eyes dart towards Lothdaimoth where he lays motionless. The small group huddles together in the blackness that is lit only by the dimming light of a single lantern, gathering their strength. Then, Lothdaimoth is lifted again; Gilrowen is helped to her feet and supported; the miner offered an arm. And slowly they make their way up the last ladder and through the short tunnel to emerge at last through the small hole into daylight.