Relics of the Third Age: A Lord of the Rings Quest

As much as I wasn't looking forward to this journey, I knew what my duty was. The people of Nurn needed help to deal with the Orc problem, and Gondor was the most sensible place to go to ask for it. After King Elessar's recent conquests we didn't have an easily crossed land border with Harad anymore, and trying to get help from Khand or Rhun would've been a much longer journey with incredibly uncertain prospects. Especially when there was no guarantee either of them would've helped us: from what little Tigkiz had said about the Easterling Emperor she used to serve he seemed a lot more likely to hear a plea for aid as a sign we could be easily conquered.

Not that Elessar might be much better. Maybe he would try to put a nicer face on it, but what difference would that really make? We were inviting Gondor's soldiers to Nurn. How long would they protect us without asking for anything in return? Assuming we didn't just give Elessar the crown out of gratitude.

The people of Nurn needed leadership. I understood why a lot of them didn't want to give up any of their freedom after they'd been enslaved, but we'd gone too far in the other direction. Every village managing their own affairs and relying on volunteer militias wasn't enough to deal with problems like the Orcs. Even if we could keep them at bay, without a proper army, it was only a matter of time before one of the kingdoms on our border tried to take us over. Either through outright conquest, or by presenting themselves as a liberator and protector like Elessar would probably try.

I sighed and nudged my horse onward. As much as I hated being stuck with only my own thoughts for company, there wasn't much else to do while crossing the Gorgoroth Plateau. It wasn't like I could admire the scenery when it was just a seemingly endless expanse of desolate flatlands in every direction, only broken up by mountains on the distant horizon.

My eyes flicked behind to the distant specter of Mount Doom. It had been quiet ever since the big eruption ten years ago, barely even recognizable without the constant plume of ash pouring from the mountaintop. I certainly wouldn't complain about actually being able to see the sun while I traveled across the plateau. There was even some proper greenery now that the plants weren't constantly being choked out by clouds of volcanic ash, even if it was just scrubby grass and a few bushes.

At least the open terrain meant I should be safe from any ambush by Orcs, not that many were likely to be lying in wait looking for lone travelers. There'd been a lot of debate about whether to send me on my own or with an escort, but in the end the council settled on just sending me. Our militia was stretched thin enough without taking away a dozen of our best fighters to go with me, and I could travel a lot faster and quieter on my own. A large escort would probably just make the Orcs think we had something worth stealing.

Guards wouldn't have had much symbolic value either. They would've looked like exactly what they were: farmers armed and armored in whatever we had on hand. They wouldn't look very impressive compared to Gondor's Fountain Court Guard, or the old Black Guard of Barad Dur. Uniforms and ceremonial armor were pretty much the last thing on anyone's mind in Nurn, we were too busy just surviving.

Still, it would've been nice if I could've dressed up a little to match my role. The gate guards at Minas Mor—Minas Ithil would probably think I was just an ordinary traveler rather than an envoy from Nurn's ruling council.

I suppose that couldn't be helped. Even if we had a bunch of fancy silks to dress up in, spending a week crossing the Gorgoroth Plateau would probably ruin them. Not to mention fancy clothes would make me look like a target worth robbing if any Orcs noticed me. I would just have to count on my noble blood and refined manners to convince everyone of my station.

It would be interesting to see Minas Ithil again. We'd lived there for the first year in Mordor, until my parents rose enough in the ranks to relocate to Barad Dur. Would my old childhood home still be standing? I'd heard the Gondorians took the city without too much of a fight, so it would probably be fine?

I'd lost everything in the destruction of Barad Dur. Even the clothes on my back and shoes on my feet had been ruined tatters by the time I got to Nurn. The knife I'd gotten from my mother was the only thing left from either of my parents. I had nothing left from my father, but he'd been stationed in Minas Morgul during the last days of the war. I knew it was incredibly unlikely that anything had survived the decade since, but there was still a chance I could find some kind of memento to help remember him...

---

Those Gondorian bastards had burned it all down.

I never would've expected them to completely raze the city. What was even the point of so much wanton destruction? Even Orcs would've at least left the useful buildings standing. The Gondorians hadn't left a single stone of Minas Morgul standing. Why? Even if they hated us that much, it had been their city once.

In place of Minas Morgul's high stone walls and grand central tower, all they'd bothered to build was a simple wooden fortress surrounded by a log palisade. It was a shockingly poor replacement for the city they'd despoiled.

I wanted to scream. To tell these monsters all about the beautiful city they'd desecrated, but for the sake of Nurn I needed to...


No.

I would put up with a lot of things if they were necessary to help my people but there were some things I just couldn't tolerate. If I let this pass, how long would it be before the Gondorians decided to start burning Nurn to the ground too? Would they destroy everything we'd built over the last decade just so they could rebuild it in their image? Replace all our hard work with a new set of slave hovels for the glory of King Elessar? I would not, could not, tolerate these ruiners and despoilers getting away with their crimes. We didn't need Gondor's help if they were just going to cause more destruction than even the Orcs would.

Was this what Elessar did to Umbar too, after he conquered it? Had he destroyed every single place I'd ever lived? Did he intend to reduce all the world outside of his kingdom to ruins, and then proudly boast of the era of peace he'd created?

I marched up to one of the gate guards and got straight to the point. "Who is your commander, and where can I find them?!"

The Gondorian blinked and surprise and hesitated a moment before hesitantly pointing towards one of the buildings within the crude fort. "Um, Captain Anborn is in his office right now, but—"

I stormed past the minion without another word, ignoring the man's shouted protest. I wasn't going to stop for mere words, and if he tried to lay hands on me I would welcome the chance to strike him down. I wouldn't kill him, but the Gondorians deserved a few split lips and bruised faces for enacting this atrocity on the beautiful city of Minas Morgul.

I threw the door to this Captain Anborn's office open, finding a bearded brown-haired man of middling age sitting behind a desk going over paperwork. His eyes widened slightly at my entrance and one of his hands dipped below his desk, probably seeking out a hidden weapon. The guard behind me called out. "Sorry, Captain, I tried to stop her but—"

"So you're the captain?" I snapped out.

"I am," he answered calmly while waving the guards back. "And who are you to—"

I stood up straight and tall, so there would be no mistaking who he was dealing with. "I am Arphazêl of House Shakalzôr. Daughter of Abrazân, Captain of the Horse for the Morgul Host, and Aglaril, Lieutenant of the Morannon. At present, I am the chosen envoy of the ruling council of Nurn, but today I speak as a daughter of Numenor who demands to know why the glorious city of Minas Morgul that stood for thousands of years as a testament to my people was subjected to a degree of ruination that not even an Orc would dream of inflicting!"


The slap of armored feet against the floor, a muttered oath, and the stink of a Gondorian soldier approaching from behind was more than enough warning for me to move before the man could lay his hands on me. I quickly stepped out of the way of the lumbering brute's clumsy charge, grabbing the arm extended towards me to yank him off balance while one of my feet hooked inside his leg. The quick redirection sent him stumbling past me until he tripped and crashed down onto the captain's desk, breaking through it and scattering paperwork all over the office.

Judging by the shouts coming from behind me several of the other Gondorians saw me defend myself from the completely unprovoked attack. Naturally they were going to side with their comrade against me. My hand had started towards my sword when Captain Anborn rose to his feet and barked out, "Stop!"

Everyone froze, including me. When several seconds passed without violence Anborn took a deep breath and spoke calmly. "Soldiers, return to your posts. Miss Arphazêl is here as an envoy from our friends in Nurn, and I will not have it said that soldiers under my command manhandled an envoy from one of our allied realms, regardless of the circumstances." He turned to me. "Miss Arphazêl, if you would please join me in my office so we can have a polite and diplomatic conversation, I would be most thankful."

I clenched my teeth and forced myself to remember why I'd come here in the first place. "Very well, captain. We will speak."

Anborn helped the soldier I'd tossed through his desk limp out of the building, shutting the door behind him and turning to face me. "To answer your question, Miss Arphazêl, Minas Morgul was demolished on King Elessar's orders. Whatever the city once was, serving as the home base of the Nazgul for a thousand years left it corrupted. Even after destroying it entirely, our food spoils faster than it should and something in the air turns men towards their darkest impulses the longer they stay here. For that reason, I will not hold your conduct against you. Now, what brings an envoy of the Council of Nurn here?"

I had my doubts about his claims, I'd lived in Minas Morgul for a year as a child without any trouble. Though I suppose there was no point arguing with him about it. At the end of the day he was just a minion following Elessar's orders. Even if I could convince him that the destruction of this great city had been a pointless act of cruelty, it wouldn't change anything. I had to focus on the real reason I was here.

I waved for him to sit behind his ruined desk, and waited until he was settled before taking one of the unoccupied chairs for myself. "I come on behalf of the Council of Nurn to discuss our ongoing troubles with Orcish raiders. They have become a greater problem for us in recent times, no doubt because Gondor's cleansing of Ithilien is putting pressure on the Orcs and ultimately driving them deeper into Mordor and towards our lands."

We weren't actually sure if that was why the Orcs were becoming more of a problem, but I wasn't going to give Gondor the benefit of the doubt. "Since the problem is ultimately being caused by Gondor's actions and King Elessar pledged to defend the freedom of Nurn's inhabitants, it only seems fitting that Gondor provides us with aid in resolving the matter."

"I see." Anborn sighed and shook his head. "I am saddened to hear that the people of Nurn are struggling with Orcish raiders. However, I am afraid there is little I can do to aid them in that matter." He held up a hand to cut off my response. "It's not a question of willingness on my part, but capacity. I command a company's worth of soldiers to hold the pass, and will only hold this post for another month before rotating out. Prince Faramir changes the garrison and commander of the Minas Ithil fort once a season, and keeps the force here as small as possible while still holding the entrance of the Morgul Vale. As I said before, it is ... dangerous for men to dwell too long in this place."

I grimaced at the inevitable conclusion. "So you don't have the men to help us, and even if you did as soon as they got to Nurn they'd be called back as part of the rotation." And whoever replaced him would be in a similar position, if the Gondorians were superstitious about the Morgul Vale and kept the force there as small as possible and only deployed for a short period of time. "In that case, I will need to speak with your superior."

"I agree," Anborn answered with a nod. "I can have spare two men to escort you to Prince Faramir in Emyn Arnen, or even King Elessar in Minas Tirith if you would prefer." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Though I must warn you that any further incidents are likely to result in you cooling your heels in a prison cell rather than pleading your case for Nurn's aid. The royal court in Minas Tirith will not brook any insult to our king."

"Of course," I ground out, trying and probably failing to hide my annoyance at his words. I knew he was right, no king would allow me to insult him in front of the entire royal court, but the thought that I'd have to be polite and respectful to the man who'd razed one of my homes to the ground and conquered another one grated.

Perhaps it would be best to go to Emyn Arnen, then? Faramir was the Prince of Ithilien, so he should have more than enough authority to send some of Gondor's rangers to help us deal with the Orcs. Unless Elessar said no. So maybe I should just cut out the middle ranks and go directly to the king, then?

---

Where Will Arphazêl Go?

[ ] Minas Tirith to Speak with Elessar
I might not like the heir of Elendil, but he is the King of Gondor. If I'm asking for Gondor's help, talking to the man in charge will get better results than asking any of his underlings for help. I'll just need to make sure I keep my dislike of him and everything he stands for under control so there won't be another incident like what happened here.

[ ] Emyn Arnen to Speak with Faramir
The Prince of Ithilien is a bit closer and probably more aware of the situation than Elessar would be. He's also not tied to the line of Elendil or responsible for the conquest of Umbar, so I don't have as much reason to hate him. Even if I convinced Elessar to help us he'd probably delegate most of the work to Faramir anyway, so it might make more sense to approach Faramir directly.

—

I've also been working on character entries for important side characters like Tigkiz. One minor headache, I haven't found a good image for Tigkiz yet. If anyone comes up with one, that would be cool.