Southern Spy
Slugen Crowfoot was a wanderer. He rarely lived in one place for long but journeyed from clan to clan, from village to village, trading gossip for meals. No one knew where he came from; his story changed every time he told it. He would claim to be the exiled heir of a chieftain south of the Isen or the last survivor of a hill-clan slaughtered by Orcs in his childhood. His accent shifted easily and gave nothing away. The hillfolk regarded him with suspicion and never offered a warm welcome, but they rarely turned him away. He was friend to none and foe to none. The only place he never went was the village of Dinum. Years ago the inhabitants drove him out, calling him half-Orc and a spy, blaming him for the disappearance of a number of women, abducted by Orcs and never seen again. The villagers were right. Slugen was indeed a servant of Isengard, tutored by Saruman and sent forth as a secret emissary. Slugen gathered information as he traded it and sowed whatever seeds of mistrust and doubt that his master wished to plant among the Dunlendings and the Orcs. Most often his rumours and reports served to drive the hill-clans together against the lowland villages and especially against the hated Rohirrim. He told many a tale of Eorling treachery and cruelty to those who wished to hear. Slugen did his best to appear harmless. His dark hair was unkempt, his clothes dishevelled. He flattered others as easily as he lied. His true heritage and mission were closely held secrets for he knew to disclose them was invariably death at either the hands of the Dunlendings or his master.
References[]
- The One Ring - Roleplaying in Middle Earth - Horse Lords of Rohan