Professor Vesca
Good News Everyone!
[x] Of the Orcs under your care?
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
A Light from the Shadow (Tolkien CKII)
- Thread starter ganonso
- Start date
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[X] Of the Orcs under your care?
[X] Of the doings of the Shadow and the actions of the White Council?
[X] Of the doings of the Shadow and the actions of the White Council?
- Location
- Versailles
[x] Of the Orcs under your care?
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
Oh I am slain!
Wynaut?
- Location
- Tatooine
Oh man, I'm still absolutely loving the sheer LOTR-feel of ganonso's story posts. 
[x] Of the Orcs under your care?
[x] Of the People of Durin?
These seem like the best first topics to talk about among leaders. Show that he really wants to get the Moria situation right.
Then maybe segue into the doings of the Shadow and the problem of the Rings afterwards?
[x] Of the Orcs under your care?
[x] Of the People of Durin?
These seem like the best first topics to talk about among leaders. Show that he really wants to get the Moria situation right.
Then maybe segue into the doings of the Shadow and the problem of the Rings afterwards?
ganonso
Compulsive Quest Starter
- Location
- PACA France
Vote Tally : A Light from the Shadow (Tolkien CKII) | Page 48 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.3.2
[x] Of the Orcs under your care?
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
No. of Votes: 10
Shador
auduni
ctulhuslp
DragonParadox
lavanderjasmine
néocorvinus
Professor Vesca
Terrabrand
UbeOne
Walkin' Man
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
[X] Of the lands, you traversed and their deserted state?
No. of Votes: 4
Finagle007
Dirk93
Night_stalker
prince84
[X] Of the danger of the Rings
[X] Of the doings of the Shadow and theactions of the White Council?
No. of Votes: 4
Ian Drash
cl20
Karion
veekie
[X] Of the doings of the Shadow and the actions of the White Council?
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
No. of Votes: 3
Aburg7
Artemis1992
M3lk0r
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
[X] Of the Orcs under your care?
No. of Votes: 2
Karmic Acumen
Nikandros
[x] Of the Orcs under your care?
[x] Of the People of Durin?
No. of Votes: 2
Oh I am slain!
Jax
[X] Of the Orcs under your care?
[X] Of the doings of the Shadow and the actions of the White Council?
No. of Votes: 1
Random Member
Total No. of Voters: 26
##### NetTally 1.7.3.2
[x] Of the Orcs under your care?
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
No. of Votes: 10
Shador
auduni
ctulhuslp
DragonParadox
lavanderjasmine
néocorvinus
Professor Vesca
Terrabrand
UbeOne
Walkin' Man
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
[X] Of the lands, you traversed and their deserted state?
No. of Votes: 4
Finagle007
Dirk93
Night_stalker
prince84
[X] Of the danger of the Rings
[X] Of the doings of the Shadow and theactions of the White Council?
No. of Votes: 4
Ian Drash
cl20
Karion
veekie
[X] Of the doings of the Shadow and the actions of the White Council?
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
No. of Votes: 3
Aburg7
Artemis1992
M3lk0r
[X] Of the danger of the Rings?
[X] Of the Orcs under your care?
No. of Votes: 2
Karmic Acumen
Nikandros
[x] Of the Orcs under your care?
[x] Of the People of Durin?
No. of Votes: 2
Oh I am slain!
Jax
[X] Of the Orcs under your care?
[X] Of the doings of the Shadow and the actions of the White Council?
No. of Votes: 1
Random Member
Total No. of Voters: 26
Rivendell Part 3
ganonso
Compulsive Quest Starter
- Location
- PACA France
Rivendell Part 3
That's the second time you are called "Istar" of Nienna. Before talking with Mithrandir and Curunir you could not understand what the term really meant. Now you know how, in order to counteract Sauron, the Valar sent five Maïar in the mortal lands. They were clad in mortal flesh and ordered to never confront the Shadow in their full power. A sensible precaution, considering what happened the last time the Powers went to war against the kingdom of Morgoth. It's a title who could suit you, for Nienna has indeed given you a vestment of human flesh in addition to your redeemed form. Yet their mandate is not yours for you have chosen to seek more than Sauron's unseating. Let those who always walked in the light content themselves with the destruction of the wicked. You, who were with Melkor before he became Morgoth and aided in the great Marring must heal the world and the people you so grievously abused. You can do nothing less. And in this task, you need help. Elrond is one of the greatest masters of healing still present in Middle-Earth and his lore would be a great boon in your efforts. So you speak even if you know it will provoke the crowd who remembers the atrocities wrought by the Orcs in times gone by.
"Lord Elrond of the House of Ëarendil, I thank you for your hospitality but I am not an Istar. The White, the Grey, the Brown and the Blues are untouched by corruption." At least that's what you think, you realize you don't know what happened to Allatar and Pallando at all. "I walked in the Shadow and thus must work for my redemption. In this endeavor I rule what remains of the Orcs of Khazad-dum and will lead them into the light."
[Roll
41+100: Crit Success]
There are a few, let's be frank, more than a few whispers in the crowd. These whispers quickly become shouts of incredulity, for the thought that the Orcs will be redeemed seems absurd. How quickly have these elves forgot that Nienna mourn for all that Morgoth marred and that includes his servants as well as his victims. Besides the two categories are not so distinct as many of his creatures were born into pain and agony, raised in the darkness and then unleashed in a world that didn't know them. You are very interested in Elrond expression which do not show the same hatred than the members of his court. Yet he lost much to the hands of the Orcs. You know his wife Celebrian journeyed to the uttermost West after enduring grievous torment in the caves gnawing the Misty Mountains. Yet when he speaks, he do so after demanding silence and obtaining him. He turns his eyes to an elf at his side before asking a question you are sure he knows the answer.
"Erestor. What do the Laws and the Customs say about the Orcs?"
"Both Law and Customs say that, even in times of war when they are but fingers on the hand of Morgoth Bauglir, we must spare the Orcs who cry mercy and treat them as we would with other prisoners." He adds without prompting: "While this case presented itself but a few times for the Orcs believed we would torment and eat them if we took them alive, I can recall a handful of survivors who were nursed to health. None of these lived very long for the power of Morgoth seemed necessary to their continuous well-being"
To be fair you think it also had to do with the fact that the Valar forsook Middle-Earth until the War of Wrath and thus didn't bother with interfering with Morgoth's essence. You promptly answer that none of your charges has in two years shown any signs of weakening. Besides they are the most part children and elderly as you slew those who fought against the Dwarves. The Elves of Rivendell are thoughtful at that remark. You understand why: In the First Age of the world and even before that, all Orcs that were non-fighters lived in the caverns of Angband where they either worked or bred at your command. Even the Firstborns who can remember Beleriand would be hard-pressed to remember an occasion where Orcs were not hostile. Yet nearly all can remember cases where they took villages of Men faithful to the Dark Lord and in such occasion, they spared civilians if they could. To your surprise it's Gandalf who speaks then:
"Friends! While we are all here fighting the Shadow, we must take care to not become what we fight or our war is in vain. If we are ready to believe one of the Valaraukar, one of the Balrogs who sacked Gondolin, who killed Féanor and many with him, who stood guard at the side of the Marrer himself, can find redemption, why would the Orcs, mortals being of less sin and foulness be unable to?" He genially smiles: "I for myself will see Khazad-Dum where the Dwarves and the Orcs live side by side after such a war. Perhaps this act of healing and compassion will have more bearing on the world than we would think."
Elrond does not smile for he is nearly lost in thoughts but he declares himself ready to help you in your quest. Yet he warns that, in his opinion, healing the Orcs will surely results in them becoming Men anew for after the Elves, it is the Second-Born who make the bulk of the Orcs' ancestry. The lord of Rivendell is ready to try his arts on some of your charges, if they are willing to do so but you see in his mind he cannot imagine, for the moment, another outcome than the partial reversing of the changes Morgoth wrought in their bodies.
Fortunately, you are able to convince Elrond to receive you and Mithrandir in private before you can speak of your second problem. One that is all the more pressing when you consider Rivendell is the second bastion of Light preserved by a Ring. You don't know where is the third but…
[Roll
29+71:100: Eyes of Shadow]
"It is strange. I thought that Curunir was the Chief of the Council and the authority in the matter of the Rings. Is he aware you wear such a jewel?"
Indeed, at the finger of Mithrandir, you see it. A band of gold with a ruby shining like blood. Strange you didn't notice it before for its nature is kin to yours. It is Fire like you were before you stained your essence with shadow. It is not like the two others who protect sanctuaries. No you understand that the wearer of this Ring can kindle hope and banish despair, have dominion over the will of the Free people and feed its flames. It is a dangerous weapon. But then, Sauron cannot be allowed to touch one of the Three, let alone bring them all in his dominion.
"It was long decided that the Ring of Fire would be more aptly used in the hands of a traveler rather than add to Orthanc's might" That is not an answer, Gandalf. "I am more surprised your eyes perceive the Rings at all. Radagast doesn't see them." You sense Elrond's eyes peer into your skull as you answer perhaps less diplomatically than you should.
"My eyes are accustomed to the working of the Shadow. As Sauron's thought went into these Rings, it marked them in the Discord." You gesture to silence Elrond's objection before it is uttered. "I don't doubt Celebrimbor was convinced his masterpieces shone with their own light. But as Féanor forgot where he took the light of the Silmarils, his grandson forgot who taught him the craft of the Rings. Still they are instruments of the Shadow and their passing will be good for the world."
"Thus, none of what we built will endure." Elrond sighs. "We will diminish, go into the West, leave the lands of our birth and leave them to the Secondborn. Will the defeat of Sauron even bring us joy?" He looks at you: "And what will become of your charges if you succeed in your work? Will they take boats with us from the Havens? Will they stay and inherit the world we have prepared?"
You don't know the answer. Yet as you examine the two Rings together and hear the faint whisper of the Discord, you perceive something you didn't see in Nenya. You see a thin thread, a nearly unheard tune. Yes, the Three must be less corrupt than the others for the call is nearly unperceptible but you don't doubt some compulsions will be stronger.
"He calls them," you realise; "The Lord of the Rings call his creations to his side." Ignoring the faces your companions make: "I could find him if I listened carefully."
Gandalf's expression suggest it would not be the wisest course of action.
Discovered: Gandalf has the Ring of Fire
Gained: Elrond is ready to assist in healing the Orcs or at least assess how they were changed
Gained: Elrond and Gandalf are aware of Sauron's calling the Rings
New Learning Option: Try to divine Sauron's location.
That's the second time you are called "Istar" of Nienna. Before talking with Mithrandir and Curunir you could not understand what the term really meant. Now you know how, in order to counteract Sauron, the Valar sent five Maïar in the mortal lands. They were clad in mortal flesh and ordered to never confront the Shadow in their full power. A sensible precaution, considering what happened the last time the Powers went to war against the kingdom of Morgoth. It's a title who could suit you, for Nienna has indeed given you a vestment of human flesh in addition to your redeemed form. Yet their mandate is not yours for you have chosen to seek more than Sauron's unseating. Let those who always walked in the light content themselves with the destruction of the wicked. You, who were with Melkor before he became Morgoth and aided in the great Marring must heal the world and the people you so grievously abused. You can do nothing less. And in this task, you need help. Elrond is one of the greatest masters of healing still present in Middle-Earth and his lore would be a great boon in your efforts. So you speak even if you know it will provoke the crowd who remembers the atrocities wrought by the Orcs in times gone by.
"Lord Elrond of the House of Ëarendil, I thank you for your hospitality but I am not an Istar. The White, the Grey, the Brown and the Blues are untouched by corruption." At least that's what you think, you realize you don't know what happened to Allatar and Pallando at all. "I walked in the Shadow and thus must work for my redemption. In this endeavor I rule what remains of the Orcs of Khazad-dum and will lead them into the light."
[Roll
41+100: Crit Success]
There are a few, let's be frank, more than a few whispers in the crowd. These whispers quickly become shouts of incredulity, for the thought that the Orcs will be redeemed seems absurd. How quickly have these elves forgot that Nienna mourn for all that Morgoth marred and that includes his servants as well as his victims. Besides the two categories are not so distinct as many of his creatures were born into pain and agony, raised in the darkness and then unleashed in a world that didn't know them. You are very interested in Elrond expression which do not show the same hatred than the members of his court. Yet he lost much to the hands of the Orcs. You know his wife Celebrian journeyed to the uttermost West after enduring grievous torment in the caves gnawing the Misty Mountains. Yet when he speaks, he do so after demanding silence and obtaining him. He turns his eyes to an elf at his side before asking a question you are sure he knows the answer.
"Erestor. What do the Laws and the Customs say about the Orcs?"
"Both Law and Customs say that, even in times of war when they are but fingers on the hand of Morgoth Bauglir, we must spare the Orcs who cry mercy and treat them as we would with other prisoners." He adds without prompting: "While this case presented itself but a few times for the Orcs believed we would torment and eat them if we took them alive, I can recall a handful of survivors who were nursed to health. None of these lived very long for the power of Morgoth seemed necessary to their continuous well-being"
To be fair you think it also had to do with the fact that the Valar forsook Middle-Earth until the War of Wrath and thus didn't bother with interfering with Morgoth's essence. You promptly answer that none of your charges has in two years shown any signs of weakening. Besides they are the most part children and elderly as you slew those who fought against the Dwarves. The Elves of Rivendell are thoughtful at that remark. You understand why: In the First Age of the world and even before that, all Orcs that were non-fighters lived in the caverns of Angband where they either worked or bred at your command. Even the Firstborns who can remember Beleriand would be hard-pressed to remember an occasion where Orcs were not hostile. Yet nearly all can remember cases where they took villages of Men faithful to the Dark Lord and in such occasion, they spared civilians if they could. To your surprise it's Gandalf who speaks then:
"Friends! While we are all here fighting the Shadow, we must take care to not become what we fight or our war is in vain. If we are ready to believe one of the Valaraukar, one of the Balrogs who sacked Gondolin, who killed Féanor and many with him, who stood guard at the side of the Marrer himself, can find redemption, why would the Orcs, mortals being of less sin and foulness be unable to?" He genially smiles: "I for myself will see Khazad-Dum where the Dwarves and the Orcs live side by side after such a war. Perhaps this act of healing and compassion will have more bearing on the world than we would think."
Elrond does not smile for he is nearly lost in thoughts but he declares himself ready to help you in your quest. Yet he warns that, in his opinion, healing the Orcs will surely results in them becoming Men anew for after the Elves, it is the Second-Born who make the bulk of the Orcs' ancestry. The lord of Rivendell is ready to try his arts on some of your charges, if they are willing to do so but you see in his mind he cannot imagine, for the moment, another outcome than the partial reversing of the changes Morgoth wrought in their bodies.
Fortunately, you are able to convince Elrond to receive you and Mithrandir in private before you can speak of your second problem. One that is all the more pressing when you consider Rivendell is the second bastion of Light preserved by a Ring. You don't know where is the third but…
[Roll
29+71:100: Eyes of Shadow]
"It is strange. I thought that Curunir was the Chief of the Council and the authority in the matter of the Rings. Is he aware you wear such a jewel?"
Indeed, at the finger of Mithrandir, you see it. A band of gold with a ruby shining like blood. Strange you didn't notice it before for its nature is kin to yours. It is Fire like you were before you stained your essence with shadow. It is not like the two others who protect sanctuaries. No you understand that the wearer of this Ring can kindle hope and banish despair, have dominion over the will of the Free people and feed its flames. It is a dangerous weapon. But then, Sauron cannot be allowed to touch one of the Three, let alone bring them all in his dominion.
"It was long decided that the Ring of Fire would be more aptly used in the hands of a traveler rather than add to Orthanc's might" That is not an answer, Gandalf. "I am more surprised your eyes perceive the Rings at all. Radagast doesn't see them." You sense Elrond's eyes peer into your skull as you answer perhaps less diplomatically than you should.
"My eyes are accustomed to the working of the Shadow. As Sauron's thought went into these Rings, it marked them in the Discord." You gesture to silence Elrond's objection before it is uttered. "I don't doubt Celebrimbor was convinced his masterpieces shone with their own light. But as Féanor forgot where he took the light of the Silmarils, his grandson forgot who taught him the craft of the Rings. Still they are instruments of the Shadow and their passing will be good for the world."
"Thus, none of what we built will endure." Elrond sighs. "We will diminish, go into the West, leave the lands of our birth and leave them to the Secondborn. Will the defeat of Sauron even bring us joy?" He looks at you: "And what will become of your charges if you succeed in your work? Will they take boats with us from the Havens? Will they stay and inherit the world we have prepared?"
You don't know the answer. Yet as you examine the two Rings together and hear the faint whisper of the Discord, you perceive something you didn't see in Nenya. You see a thin thread, a nearly unheard tune. Yes, the Three must be less corrupt than the others for the call is nearly unperceptible but you don't doubt some compulsions will be stronger.
"He calls them," you realise; "The Lord of the Rings call his creations to his side." Ignoring the faces your companions make: "I could find him if I listened carefully."
Gandalf's expression suggest it would not be the wisest course of action.
Discovered: Gandalf has the Ring of Fire
Gained: Elrond is ready to assist in healing the Orcs or at least assess how they were changed
Gained: Elrond and Gandalf are aware of Sauron's calling the Rings
New Learning Option: Try to divine Sauron's location.
No kiddin' Gandalf.
I really love the writing for this quest by the way. It is a wonderful story.
fasquardon
UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This sounds like the same thing that got Saruman.
- Location
- Pallet town, Kanto
Yeah let's not try to get to the final boss right now let's try to make our legacy in moria.
- Location
- The World
I love our roll modifiers.
Whatever they are.
Whatever they are.
ganonso
Compulsive Quest Starter
- Location
- PACA France
There were none. Of course there was no chance of you losing the Diplomacy roll considering :
You have 41 Diplomacy
What happens to surrendering Orcs is clearly stated by Tolkien
Where you were lucky was the Learning Roll to notice Narya.
- Location
- The World
So the +100 was basically just a stacking bonus from prior diplomatic overtures to Lothlorien and Orthanc?
Speaking of the Character Sheet, I notice that "Atoner: +5 Learning and Piety" gained after Nain Curunir wasn't added there and our stats haven't been upgraded to match.
Last edited:
ganonso
Compulsive Quest Starter
- Location
- PACA France
Nope you have 41 in Dip and the roll was a natural 100
- Location
- The World
Oh, so that's it! I was a bit confused because most other quests I read place the roll first and only then whatever modifiers are involved.
Blazinghand
O cursèd spite
- Location
- California
Yeah, this would be a bad idea.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
He was using a Palantir, IIRC.
I like to think we're a bit better then that.
Lord of Dreams part 1
ganonso
Compulsive Quest Starter
- Location
- PACA France
Lord of Dreams
You sleep.
That's not new, even as a Valarauka, you needed to sleep sometimes, indeed you spent most of the time following your flight from Angband's ruin. This is different. You gathered the most promising of your students, as well as the elders of the settlement and then partook with them of the strange mushrooms you found. You were upfront with it too. The plants would guide their consciousness, making them journey through the ether to face their fears, regrets and hopes. You urged them to meditate on Irmo, lord of dreams and master of Lorien. You hope their dreams will help them reconnect with the great Music of the world. You took the same substance as they did, fearing neither introspection nor the judgement of the Powers. Lorien is the only one who can receive you and you see no harm in submitting yourself to his gaze.
Your eyes are close but soon you see. You see the world in its youth when it was still being shaped. You are in the great sea of ice who would hold Utumno the great. It's beautiful in a way. You see the frozen waves and the underground flames next to each other, the great rocks molded by the fury of Morgoth into towers and look-out. Your gaze is keen enough to see through stone and ground to embrace the manifold caverns. Yet they are empty, not full of the loathsome life and hideous blasphemy Morgoth filled them with. For a moment you ponder what would have happened if Melkor had decided to work alone with your order, sculpting stone and ice and fire, making palaces and sanctuaries. That would not have happened of course. Beauty is nothing without spectators and neither Melkor, nor any of you would have been content with mastering the inanimate. Yet perhaps after a time the other Powers would have come to see your works and found a place for their brother. Or perhaps not, you don't think you ever understood your master after all. For a time you are lost in thoughts.
Then you see him
You didn't see this form since an eternity. For he doesn't appear as he looked even before the Darkening of Valinor, as a black knight great and terrible. He is huge like a giant. His body seems a sculpted armor of ice depicting forms that never were covering a skin of red fire. No, you recognize know the pattern of the armors, vines spreading and coursing around flowers made of gemstones. He wears a crown of black gold in which three stars are inlaid. His cloak is of starry knights Where his skin is not burning, it is of obsidian so pure you can see yourself in it. His hair fall like a river of flame on his shoulders. His eyes shine with colors who don't exist.
At his belt hang Ghrond the Hammer who crushes mountains.
Seeing him like this, like he was and yet not like he was, make you remember why you followed him so long ago, even in the Timeless Halls were none of you where clad in flesh.
[] Love, it was love. How could you not love Him? He was, even before the world was the most sublime of all Eru's creation, endowed with all powers and all majesty. He was power and wisdom true but it paled with the chance to simply be with Him, at His sides as he shaped the world to make it a mirror of his beauty. You loved Him and you love what He made, the ice falling in deadly shards, the fire coming in scarlet ribbons. Your nature was of fire, as befitted your passion but for Him you took the mantle of night and embodied the contradiction of elements, as best as you could.
[] To be in the presence of Melkor, was to know wisdom. Of all the Aïnur he seemed the most wise, always rushing to answer the questions of the Allfather, always eager to teach what he knew, to share what he thought. When he made the Discord, you didn't think of evil but you simply followed the teacher you chose. If he decided to go against Eru's overt design, there must have been a reason, some secret plan you weren't privy off. You followed him on Arda for you believed in his wisdom and he shared with you many things on the working on the world, even secrets taken from the Void during his lonely errands.
[] Melkor deserved his name in the beginning. He was indeed He Who Arises in Might, the Strong. Even in the Timeless Halls his nature expressed itself and to be in his presence was to know power, was to feel as being in the presence of power, shaped by it, even more strongly than in the presence of Eru. You wanted to be part of this power, to feel as he felt. When he declared his rebellion during the Music, you admired his resolve. He stood straight against the Father's rebuke and that was enough. You descended with him in Arda and took a form of power, fit for being a vessel of physical strength and destruction. As he was stronger than you even in the very end, you didn't think of questioning him.
Even as you see him, you see the world changes, becoming harsher and harsher. He changes too becoming the giant of black steel and blazing fangs, with madness in his eyes and torment in his hands, you remember all too well. His smile becomes the smile of torment, nearly a scream as he fills the land with dread. You see him fall and you fall with him, the dream showing all stages of the rising of the Shadow and your service to it. There are so many things you regret now, but one stands in particular.
[] You hate yourself for becoming numb to pain and evil as they occurred around you. You despise your cowardice as you took your rage on lesser beings but let the fire in your heart die. You did not embrace evil wholeheaterdly, at least not in the beginning, but you didn't speak against it let alone act to slow things down, even when Melkor would accept counsel. You renounced the good of the intellect and became a dumb beast, hurting to hurt and killing to kill, with no zeal but numb apathy.
[] You hate yourself for being so easily misled. Melkor was ever the liar you see that now, he lied even to himself. Yet you followed him willingly, ensnared by his promises, dazzled by his radiance. You thought you were being good, perhaps even that you still served Eru's great purpose and were still on the side of the Father's. Perhaps you thought Melkor being a reflection of his thoughts meant your acts were condoned. You spread the lies of Melkor through your actions and your commands, leading at least some souls in the service of the Shadow.
[] You hate yourself for you believed wholeheartedly in Melkor's cause. You understood it perfectly. You saw his thoughts change from desiring the Light to hating it and you changed with him. You understood his rebellion against Eru Allfather and decided to bear arms in his service. No atrocity was enough, no crime was enough to make the creator pay for refusing to let you alter the world to your liking. Melkor deserved your worship, he deserved to have his own world, or at least the crown of Arda and the adoration of the other Valar.
Yet in the Shadow you found something to your liking, something that even now you regret having left. They say redemption is renouncement. What have you forsaken when you listened to Nienna?
[] You long for the power you held in the halls of Angband. For in these lands the essence of Morgoth was in everything and you could shape it with impunity. You regret the rush of power you had in His presence and the capacity to be in His image, an avatar of burning strength while now you must willingly settle things by word and not violence
[] You long for the certainty you felt at Morgoth's side. In Angband His word was law and he didn't leave even his most powerful servants much room to rebel or to move. There were no conflict, no uncertainty, no fear. He commanded and you obeyed. Now even Nienna's mandate leaves you much choices and you confess you are afraid.
[] You long for the absence of the limits you had when you followed the Shadow. You felt as if nothing could constrain you, as you were free to do everything. Melkor was the wellspring of infinite potential and he promised freedom from all limits and all chains. Now you have willingly put yourself in the service of another and gladly so but you still remember the urge to do simply whatever you want.
The scene shifts a last time and you see Morgoth's final fate, a shape of darkness and fire and ice constrained by Angaïnor the great chain and thrown into the Void until the Last Battle. What thoughts fill your head now on the master you so long served. What do you think of Melkor named Morgoth and his final fate? What do you think his future could be?
[] You still love and admire him. Not what he became but what he was, what he could still be. Eru created him as the most powerful of the Ainur and gave him the greater part of all energies. Even wounded and marred, having forsook the power he was given to embrace another, he still commands part of your respect. He could be great again, if only he could simply bow and accept other will than his exist and matter.
[] Even if he amended himself, you cannot see Melkor take the role he was meant to take at the beginning of time. Too much power was squandered for that. Yet he could take a role in creation. Perhaps he could wed Nienna who mourns for what never was and complement her by longing for what will never be. They would not make a happy couple in the strictest sense but them that's not their role in creation.
[] Even as a servant of Nienna you don't think Morgoth will ever seek redemption. The Valar thought so for they threw him into the Void without the possibility to plead his cause. To abase himself before another, even the Allfather is contrary to Morgoth's very essence. He is nothing but the Black Foe of the world now and all traces of his light are but fading memories.
Think of your answers for then the landscape changes and you are taken to the presence of Irmo in the gardens of Lorien.
You sleep.
That's not new, even as a Valarauka, you needed to sleep sometimes, indeed you spent most of the time following your flight from Angband's ruin. This is different. You gathered the most promising of your students, as well as the elders of the settlement and then partook with them of the strange mushrooms you found. You were upfront with it too. The plants would guide their consciousness, making them journey through the ether to face their fears, regrets and hopes. You urged them to meditate on Irmo, lord of dreams and master of Lorien. You hope their dreams will help them reconnect with the great Music of the world. You took the same substance as they did, fearing neither introspection nor the judgement of the Powers. Lorien is the only one who can receive you and you see no harm in submitting yourself to his gaze.
Your eyes are close but soon you see. You see the world in its youth when it was still being shaped. You are in the great sea of ice who would hold Utumno the great. It's beautiful in a way. You see the frozen waves and the underground flames next to each other, the great rocks molded by the fury of Morgoth into towers and look-out. Your gaze is keen enough to see through stone and ground to embrace the manifold caverns. Yet they are empty, not full of the loathsome life and hideous blasphemy Morgoth filled them with. For a moment you ponder what would have happened if Melkor had decided to work alone with your order, sculpting stone and ice and fire, making palaces and sanctuaries. That would not have happened of course. Beauty is nothing without spectators and neither Melkor, nor any of you would have been content with mastering the inanimate. Yet perhaps after a time the other Powers would have come to see your works and found a place for their brother. Or perhaps not, you don't think you ever understood your master after all. For a time you are lost in thoughts.
Then you see him
You didn't see this form since an eternity. For he doesn't appear as he looked even before the Darkening of Valinor, as a black knight great and terrible. He is huge like a giant. His body seems a sculpted armor of ice depicting forms that never were covering a skin of red fire. No, you recognize know the pattern of the armors, vines spreading and coursing around flowers made of gemstones. He wears a crown of black gold in which three stars are inlaid. His cloak is of starry knights Where his skin is not burning, it is of obsidian so pure you can see yourself in it. His hair fall like a river of flame on his shoulders. His eyes shine with colors who don't exist.
At his belt hang Ghrond the Hammer who crushes mountains.
Seeing him like this, like he was and yet not like he was, make you remember why you followed him so long ago, even in the Timeless Halls were none of you where clad in flesh.
[] Love, it was love. How could you not love Him? He was, even before the world was the most sublime of all Eru's creation, endowed with all powers and all majesty. He was power and wisdom true but it paled with the chance to simply be with Him, at His sides as he shaped the world to make it a mirror of his beauty. You loved Him and you love what He made, the ice falling in deadly shards, the fire coming in scarlet ribbons. Your nature was of fire, as befitted your passion but for Him you took the mantle of night and embodied the contradiction of elements, as best as you could.
[] To be in the presence of Melkor, was to know wisdom. Of all the Aïnur he seemed the most wise, always rushing to answer the questions of the Allfather, always eager to teach what he knew, to share what he thought. When he made the Discord, you didn't think of evil but you simply followed the teacher you chose. If he decided to go against Eru's overt design, there must have been a reason, some secret plan you weren't privy off. You followed him on Arda for you believed in his wisdom and he shared with you many things on the working on the world, even secrets taken from the Void during his lonely errands.
[] Melkor deserved his name in the beginning. He was indeed He Who Arises in Might, the Strong. Even in the Timeless Halls his nature expressed itself and to be in his presence was to know power, was to feel as being in the presence of power, shaped by it, even more strongly than in the presence of Eru. You wanted to be part of this power, to feel as he felt. When he declared his rebellion during the Music, you admired his resolve. He stood straight against the Father's rebuke and that was enough. You descended with him in Arda and took a form of power, fit for being a vessel of physical strength and destruction. As he was stronger than you even in the very end, you didn't think of questioning him.
Even as you see him, you see the world changes, becoming harsher and harsher. He changes too becoming the giant of black steel and blazing fangs, with madness in his eyes and torment in his hands, you remember all too well. His smile becomes the smile of torment, nearly a scream as he fills the land with dread. You see him fall and you fall with him, the dream showing all stages of the rising of the Shadow and your service to it. There are so many things you regret now, but one stands in particular.
[] You hate yourself for becoming numb to pain and evil as they occurred around you. You despise your cowardice as you took your rage on lesser beings but let the fire in your heart die. You did not embrace evil wholeheaterdly, at least not in the beginning, but you didn't speak against it let alone act to slow things down, even when Melkor would accept counsel. You renounced the good of the intellect and became a dumb beast, hurting to hurt and killing to kill, with no zeal but numb apathy.
[] You hate yourself for being so easily misled. Melkor was ever the liar you see that now, he lied even to himself. Yet you followed him willingly, ensnared by his promises, dazzled by his radiance. You thought you were being good, perhaps even that you still served Eru's great purpose and were still on the side of the Father's. Perhaps you thought Melkor being a reflection of his thoughts meant your acts were condoned. You spread the lies of Melkor through your actions and your commands, leading at least some souls in the service of the Shadow.
[] You hate yourself for you believed wholeheartedly in Melkor's cause. You understood it perfectly. You saw his thoughts change from desiring the Light to hating it and you changed with him. You understood his rebellion against Eru Allfather and decided to bear arms in his service. No atrocity was enough, no crime was enough to make the creator pay for refusing to let you alter the world to your liking. Melkor deserved your worship, he deserved to have his own world, or at least the crown of Arda and the adoration of the other Valar.
Yet in the Shadow you found something to your liking, something that even now you regret having left. They say redemption is renouncement. What have you forsaken when you listened to Nienna?
[] You long for the power you held in the halls of Angband. For in these lands the essence of Morgoth was in everything and you could shape it with impunity. You regret the rush of power you had in His presence and the capacity to be in His image, an avatar of burning strength while now you must willingly settle things by word and not violence
[] You long for the certainty you felt at Morgoth's side. In Angband His word was law and he didn't leave even his most powerful servants much room to rebel or to move. There were no conflict, no uncertainty, no fear. He commanded and you obeyed. Now even Nienna's mandate leaves you much choices and you confess you are afraid.
[] You long for the absence of the limits you had when you followed the Shadow. You felt as if nothing could constrain you, as you were free to do everything. Melkor was the wellspring of infinite potential and he promised freedom from all limits and all chains. Now you have willingly put yourself in the service of another and gladly so but you still remember the urge to do simply whatever you want.
The scene shifts a last time and you see Morgoth's final fate, a shape of darkness and fire and ice constrained by Angaïnor the great chain and thrown into the Void until the Last Battle. What thoughts fill your head now on the master you so long served. What do you think of Melkor named Morgoth and his final fate? What do you think his future could be?
[] You still love and admire him. Not what he became but what he was, what he could still be. Eru created him as the most powerful of the Ainur and gave him the greater part of all energies. Even wounded and marred, having forsook the power he was given to embrace another, he still commands part of your respect. He could be great again, if only he could simply bow and accept other will than his exist and matter.
[] Even if he amended himself, you cannot see Melkor take the role he was meant to take at the beginning of time. Too much power was squandered for that. Yet he could take a role in creation. Perhaps he could wed Nienna who mourns for what never was and complement her by longing for what will never be. They would not make a happy couple in the strictest sense but them that's not their role in creation.
[] Even as a servant of Nienna you don't think Morgoth will ever seek redemption. The Valar thought so for they threw him into the Void without the possibility to plead his cause. To abase himself before another, even the Allfather is contrary to Morgoth's very essence. He is nothing but the Black Foe of the world now and all traces of his light are but fading memories.
Think of your answers for then the landscape changes and you are taken to the presence of Irmo in the gardens of Lorien.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] To be in the presence of Melkor, was to know wisdom. Of all the Aïnur he seemed the most wise, always rushing to answer the questions of the Allfather, always eager to teach what he knew, to share what he thought. When he made the Discord, you didn't think of evil but you simply followed the teacher you chose. If he decided to go against Eru's overt design, there must have been a reason, some secret plan you weren't privy off. You followed him on Arda for you believed in his wisdom and he shared with you many things on the working on the world, even secrets taken from the Void during his lonely errands.
[X] You hate yourself for being so easily misled. Melkor was ever the liar you see that now, he lied even to himself. Yet you followed him willingly, ensnared by his promises, dazzled by his radiance. You thought you were being good, perhaps even that you still served Eru's great purpose and were still on the side of the Father's. Perhaps you thought Melkor being a reflection of his thoughts meant your acts were condoned. You spread the lies of Melkor through your actions and your commands, leading at least some souls in the service of the Shadow.
[X] You long for the certainty you felt at Morgoth's side. In Angband His word was law and he didn't leave even his most powerful servants much room to rebel or to move. There were no conflict, no uncertainty, no fear. He commanded and you obeyed. Now even Nienna's mandate leaves you much choices and you confess you are afraid.
[X] Even if he amended himself, you cannot see Melkor take the role he was meant to take at the beginning of time. Too much power was squandered for that. Yet he could take a role in creation. Perhaps he could wed Nienna who mourns for what never was and complement her by longing for what will never be. They would not make a happy couple in the strictest sense but them that's not their role in creation.
[X] You hate yourself for being so easily misled. Melkor was ever the liar you see that now, he lied even to himself. Yet you followed him willingly, ensnared by his promises, dazzled by his radiance. You thought you were being good, perhaps even that you still served Eru's great purpose and were still on the side of the Father's. Perhaps you thought Melkor being a reflection of his thoughts meant your acts were condoned. You spread the lies of Melkor through your actions and your commands, leading at least some souls in the service of the Shadow.
[X] You long for the certainty you felt at Morgoth's side. In Angband His word was law and he didn't leave even his most powerful servants much room to rebel or to move. There were no conflict, no uncertainty, no fear. He commanded and you obeyed. Now even Nienna's mandate leaves you much choices and you confess you are afraid.
[X] Even if he amended himself, you cannot see Melkor take the role he was meant to take at the beginning of time. Too much power was squandered for that. Yet he could take a role in creation. Perhaps he could wed Nienna who mourns for what never was and complement her by longing for what will never be. They would not make a happy couple in the strictest sense but them that's not their role in creation.
