Seeking Adventure Beyond the Wall
by Andi Newton
Inspired by the adventures of Goose Goslin in the world of LOTRO
The son of a travelling merchant, Goose inherited his father's wanderlust. Even as a young boy he ranged across the countryside surrounding Combe, hiking to Archet one day, wandering to Bree the next. Despite his parents' pleas and admonitions, he couldn't stay home. Adventure traveled on the wind, and he had to follow.
That yearning for adventure led Goose to join the Bree Watch as soon as he came of age. But his daydreams of deep forests, tall mountains, and volcanoes of fire soon met the dull reality of life as a watchman on the city's walls. Though his commanders ordered him to stay close, Goose balked at being tied down.
He learned to be wary what he wished the day that bandits ambushed his company on a routine patrol to Archet. His commander, a capable man named Ward, fell quickly, leaving the troops in disarray. Though Goose rallied the men, the bandits, armed with bows, retreated to the trees where they picked off the remaining watchmen at their leisure.
Rescued from the bandits' dungeon by a Ranger named Amdir, Goose faced a choice: return to Bree and his post at the wall; or follow Amdir to Archet and aid the Ranger's quest. Despite the bloodsoaked bandage on his shoulder and the loss of his fellows-in-arms, for Goose the decision was easy -- Archet, adventure, and whatever lay beyond the wall.