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[en] The English RPG Forum => RPG Library => Thema gestartet von: Walküre am 14. Sep 2016, 18:55

Titel: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 14. Sep 2016, 18:55
This is a game that concerns the canonical and pivotal conversations between Galadriel and Melian, while the former was a guest of Elwë and the Maia in Doriath, the millenary guarded realm of Beleriand.

After a first visit, Galadriel was mesmerised by the hidden and protected essence of that legendary realm, whose those said properties would later be recognisable both in Lothlórien (magical defence) and in the Halls of Thranduil (hidden halls and caverns); she also got very much enchanted by the powers of Queen Melian and her sacred rule over her people. These were the main reasons of the Noldorin princess' decision to stay in Doriath as a stable guest (she would also have her first encounter with Celeborn too, being him a Sindarin prince at the court of the king). Unlike the Houses of Fëanor and Fingolfin, the sons of Finarfin were friendly welcomed due to their common blood ties with the Sindarin royal family: Finarfin's spouse is Eärwen, daughter of Elwë's brother Olwë (king of the Teleri of Alqualondë).

The conversations of such two mighty characters were always wide-ranging and deeply emotional, encompassing both the sad fate of the Noldor in Middle-earth and their memories of their past in Valinor. The farsighted Maia had realised, in time, that Galadriel and the Noldor as a whole were carrying a heavy burden, and so she managed to have the princess of Tirion tell her about the darkening of the Blessed Realm, the theft of the Silmarils and the Noldor's arrival in Middle-earth to reclaim them. Galadriel, though, had not had the heart to reveal the other obscure side of the story which referred to the infamous Kinslaying and the consequent Noldor's exile from Aman. That aspect would be unveiled after some time, provoking the wrath of Thingol as he discovered that many of his own kin had been massacred by the madness of Fëanor. Galadriel would nonetheless be permitted to remain, given that her presence was source of appreciation and joy among the people of Doriath, and that she had by then become the beloved scholar of the Queen.

It's night. Finarfin's sons and their escort are riding to the hidden borders of Doriath, sensing clearly the great magnitude of Melian's defence. The King and the Queen are awaiting their guests in their vast halls.

(http://img08.deviantart.net/7d94/i/2013/120/0/9/to_the_menegroth_by_steamey-d63kwqv.jpg)
A Noldorin delegation is welcomed at the doors of Menegroth



Participants allowed: DieWalküre, Fine and VectorMaximus
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Fine am 15. Sep 2016, 21:38
The tall trees whispered to her. The leaves on the wind spoke soft words. The grass beneath her feet sent messages to her conscience. Nature all around her was alive.

Melyanna of Aman, servant of Yavanna, queen of Eglador, tóril of Doriath. Melian the Maia.

She bore many names, but more than her name, people always remembered her voice. Her singing was alike to the nightingales beneath the starlight of the Elder Days. And that was how Elwë had found her in the magical forest of Nan Elmoth, ages ago. Before the Shadow had returned.

Swiftly she strode through the woods, listening closely to the tale of the trees all around her. They were still in turmoil over the arrival of Anár and Isíl, the two great lights in the sky that had suddenly begun to appear some time ago. Sharp pain Melian had felt during the hour of darkness, when the Two Trees died, even though she had not dwelt within Valinórë's guarded walls for a very long time and even though the Sundering See separated her from it. But as a Maia of Yavanna, and thus, nature, she had a deep connection to all living beings, be they small or large, and trees were no exception. And when Sun and Moon first rose, she knew that the last offspring of the Two Trees had survived, and was glad. But for everyone else living in Beleriand, this new source of light was surprising, strange, and took time to get used to.

Arriving at Menegroth, she quickly passed through the large gate. The guards bowed their heads in deep respect. Her raiment, a elegant yet suitable lime dress, flowed around her as she passed through Thingol's great hall and found her dearest sitting on his ascendant throne.
"You have returned, fairest of all beings," he greeted her warmly, a light shining in his immortal eyes.
"Words I bring from the trees. A fateful arrival is drawing near," she spoke, taking her seat at her king's right. "Your kin are approaching, o great ruler of Beleriand. I will allow them passage of our borders, if you wish so."

After the dreadful battle that ravaged Beleriand during the Shadow's return to Ennórë, Melian had created a magical barrier, named Melian's Girdle, around Elwë's realm, so his people would never have to fight again if they did not wish to do so. None could pass beyond the Girdle without the Maia's permission, unless someone were to come who wielded greater power than Melian.

Her far-seeing eyes and foresight perceived many things. The Noldor, who had given chase to the Shadow, were espied even before Fëanor and his sons could make landfall at the coast of Hithlum. She had learnt of their victory over the forces of darkness, and of Fëanor's demise, even before word of these events reached Thingol's secluded realm. And now new messages had been brought to her senses: A second, and larger group of exiles, bravely crossing the Helcaraxë in the far north had entered Beleriand, bringing the rising sun with them. And among them were some who were kindred to Elwë, children of his niece, Eärwen of Alqualondë. They drew near to Doriath. Melian could feel it clearly, as if witnessing it with seeing eyes.

"I do, queen eternal," he responded. "My kin shall always be welcome in this realm of ours. Verily, their tale of their travels from Aman will be a most interesting one. I greatly anticipate this meeting."
She heard more in his words than he could express. It was obvious to her that Elwë desired to reunite with his family he had not seen for three long ages and the Sundering Sea between them. The King wanted to know what Eärwen's children looked like and what personalities they possessed. With them having a noldorin father, Melian was unsure if Elwë's expectations would be fully met. But even though she could perceive some doom that hung over the Noldor, something they brought from the undying lands with them, she also saw that it did hang less heavy upon the children of Finarfin. Her mind at ease, she bent the girdle to her will and allowed them passage into Doriath.

"They will arrive in a few days," she said softly.
"Then we shall greet them here, within my halls. Let us welcome them as relatives long lost, and let our reunion be most glad!" answered the king.
Melian took his hand, tenderly holding it. "So be it, my beloved. So be it."
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 28. Sep 2016, 22:44
The Princes of Tirion and their valiant escort passed swiftly through the Crossings of the Taeglin, and then ahead past the woods of Brethil. The Moon shone vividly at the centre of the dark vast sky, whose stars were the clear symbol of the Queen of Arda's will to prevent the obscurity of the mortal lands from extinguishing even the smallest hope of the people of Middle-earth; even though their ancestral far light had often proved not to be enough to frustrate the malicious plans of the evil creatures lurking in the shadows, the remnants of Laurelin and Telperion put outright terror in the hearts of such beasts and of all the servants of who sits on the Iron Throne, inside the infamous fortress at the edges of Beleriand (lying near the perennial ice of the World). A type of ice originated millennia ago, which not even the two new lamps of the Valar could have managed to melt. Such hostile place was thus chosen to be the seat of Angband and of the colossal Thangorodrim towering in tyranny over every peak but Taniquetil itself.

Only those frozen wastes, lost in the tales of the Elder Days, connect the mortal continent with the holy lands of the Archangels, via the deadly pass of the Helcaraxë. No mortal has ever trodden those forbidden ways, nor has it ever managed to reach their perilous vicinities. Even among the immortal, it is said that the Ainur only may pass it safely.

It is exactly that deadly passage which stood between the revengeful Noldor and Middle-earth. An immense test for the Houses of Ñolofinwë and Arafinwë, whose blessed lineage didn't spare them unspeakable losses. But the longing for vindicating their kin was a very alive of a burning flame, alongside the secret desires to command some of those free territories beyond the inviolable chain of the Pelóri. Retrieving the stolen splendour of the Noon of Valinor, now part of the Enemy's iron crown, was absolutely paramount.

In the wild breeze of Beleriand, Nerwen and her brothers Findaráto, Angaráto and Aikanáro were leading the Noldorin expedition, with the light of Aman still on their angelic faces. The Princess was riding very fast alongside her kin, veiled wholly in white yet wearing a bright golden armour, just slightly visible beneath the veil; the other Eldar were armoured equally and of the true fashion of their weapons very few in Middle-earth could have precisely guessed the origin. Although immersed in the liberty of the outer world, there was little time for lingering there and inspecting the newly-discovered wonders of the mortal continent, lest their fast passing attract some of the fell beasts the Eldar were by then used to fighting. Many times were they told about the relentless Evil hiding on the other shore of Belegaer, but the Noldor had never fully comprehended the measure of the Enemy's capabilities until the battle of Lammoth and the greater parallel Battle Under the Stars. The Dark Lord had shamefully retreated within his stronghold, but the host of Curufinwë/Fëanáro achieved that sad victory at the cost of losing its legendary leader. Ñolofinwë, on the other hand, witnessed in the Lammoth the terrible death of his beloved son Arakáno.

Nerwen's mind was in that moment a stormy sea of nostalgic memories of the sanctity of the supreme Valimar or reminiscences of the tragic events she had had to get through until then. Her father Arafinwë and her mother Eärwen had refused to disobey the Powers and thus disowned the exile; with great sorrow, her ambitions had led her apart from them, though her brothers were there with her (and this comforted her immensely). Her House had not sworn the infamous oath that had won the hearts of many, and the later atrocious kinslaying of her mother's kind proved how far Fëanáro's resolution could go. However, albeit loathing him and his House (divining that a just retribution would have ultimately been the judgement of their madness), she did stand up during the turbulent assembly of the Noldor in Tirion and advocated the intransigent line against the Enemy of the World (consequently facing, at her profound dismay, the fate of the sorrowful exile). Contrary to the creator of the Jewels, she didn't blame the Lords of Aman for the misfortunes that took place in Valinor, and no way, as others of the royal family viciously hinted at, did she believe that the very Archangels had trapped the Elven kind in their golden gaol to contain its powers.

Unfortunately, the curse of Mandos had not permitted the existence of a 'third way' in that turn of the tide for Arda's history. Those who decide to flout the Powers' authority, even if moved by the best intentions, shall nonetheless experience the bitter destiny of the banishment and their censure. Nerwen knew that the Valar too had been terribly displeased to enforce such harsh measures, and she always hoped in the depth of her heart that one day they would finally grant forgiveness to the princes and kings that had chased the traitor Vala in his domain. With the Enemy in mind, she felt that there nonetheless was a legitimacy in her family's deeds and remembered when she had slain some of the Enemy's abominations in the Lammoth (fuelling her fiery heart with justice and just revenge). She had never seen Orcs before that moment.

Then, Findaráto spoke: ''We have entered Doriath, my brothers.''

As soon as she entered the forest of that hidden realm, she instantly felt freed from her burdens and in a completely enchanted environment. Nerwen could clearly sense Magic and the real magnitude of the magical shield that embalmed that broad land. They knew that the High King of their mother's kind had Melyanna as spouse, a Maia of the people of Vána and Estë, endowed with formidable powers. The Ainu's essence permeated everything and mirrored how the joyful inhabitants of Valinor would often lead life throughout the Blessed Realm's evergreen fields or sacred dwellings, with the only difference that the safety of that realm contrasted heavily with what lay outside its guarded borders (as an intense luminescence immersed in the darkness of uncertainty). The desire to meet the source of that prowess increased exponentially in her, and she herself perceived that the Maia was eagerly waiting for such occasion too; willing to disclose the fiery heart of the proud princess.



DieWalküre: As it's written in the Silmarillion, the Noldor of Aman spoke the solemn Quenya, while the Elves of Beleriand the fluent Sindarin. Millennia had passed since the departure of the Eldar who decided to accept the invitation of the Valar and the Grey Elves who remained in Middle-earth. Their languages thus evolved in a substantially different way during the Years of the Trees.

Therefore, it wasn't always easy at first for the two kinds to understand each other properly. I stuck to the names in Quenya just to represent that this language was the Noldor's own language. I will use the Sindarin counterparts of those names as the game progresses, when Galadriel gets used to living in Doriath. As a Maia, I guess that Melian won't have any particular problem in speaking the language of Valinor.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Fine am 29. Sep 2016, 11:42
Melian stirred. She had felt the new arrivals cross the bridge outside Menegroth, the waters of Esgalduin rushing through the crevasse below them. The Maia extended her mental reach towards them. As the guards of Thingol's palace bade the Noldor halt, she beheld everything, as if she were among them in person. Melian witnessed how the Elvenking's wardens struggled with understanding what the Princes of Tírion were saying, since their words were the words of the Blessed Realm, not those of Middle-earth or the Elves of Twilight. But were they not both Quendi, "Those Who Speak"? Thus, Melian softly reminded her guards that these arrivals were expected and to be lead inside the great hall of Elwë. And so they did, taking from them the mighty steeds that had borne them all the way from Hithlum, where the Noldorin High King resided, and leading their steeds to the stables nearby. Melian's guests then crossed the gates and entered the Thousand Caves of Doriath.

She stood, in eager expectation of the news the Noldor might bring. Melian of course saw much, but her reach did not extend beyond the Sundering Sea or the icy wastes of the North. She did, however, feel a certain sense of fate, or doom even, hang above the heads of the noldorin exodus from Aman, and dearly desired to learn of its cause.

"Welcome," she said in the tongue of Valinorë. It was one single word, spoken softly, not loud. But everyone in the great hall heard it, resounding in the back of their minds. The Princes stopped for a moment, but she gave them a gentle smile and invited them to come closer. Elwë rose from his seat, and together the ruling couple of Doriath walked slowly towards their noble guests.
They met in the center of the great hall, beneath a spot where starlight was shining through the cave's ceiling. And so it was that Elwë first encountered the children of his niece, Eärwen of Alqualondë.
"My kin," he spoke. Melian noticed an untypical excitement about him, for most of the time Elú Thingol did not show much emotion other than kingly grace or content. "I take it your journey has been safe? Many beasts yet roam Beleriand, even after the great victory in the North my scouts report of."
"Indeed," replied the eldest of Eärwen's children, who seemed the quickest to adapt to the tongue of Doriath. He then gave the king the full tale of their travels through Beleriand.

Melian watched and listened, asking a question here and there, but otherwise did not take much part in the discussion between her husband and the Princes' leader. Her mind was extending towards the others, who where silent most of the time - out of respect for their brother and the king, she conducted. She easily perceived their names, of quenyan origin, but for her, it was the simplest task to give them a sindarin shape: Finrod, the eldest, Angrod and Aegnor, the second and third sons, and -
Her thoughts came to a halt. "One is missing," she said.
"My son Artaresto stayed behind for now," replied Angrod.
"Why is that?" asked Elwë. "Surely he is as impressive as the rest of his family? I wish to see him as much as I wished to see all of you, my dear kin."
"Most assuredly, noble Lord," said Finrod. The exchange between him and Thingol continued, and Melian turned her gaze upon the last of her guests.
Rays of sunlight or even a shimmer of a light even older than that seemed to gleem in Nerwen's hair, but Melian noticed the maiden's observing view and beyond that, the not so safely contained wild nature of her heart and desire to learn more about the magic that was infusing the very air in the land of Doriath. This encounter was strangely exciting for Melian herself, as it seemed fated by a will even greater than her own. She waited until the conversation faded and then invited Nerwen to take a walk with her through the palace.

"Let the Lords speak of war and the troubles of the world," she suggested. "But come. I would show you Menegroth, and the power that exudes from it, the one that forms the barrier you crossed when you entered my realm. I see in your heart a great desire to learn of magical things of this sort, and would gladly give you some insight in it."
She extended a gentle hand and waited for Nerwen's response.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 3. Okt 2016, 19:39
''Her Majesty Melyanna, it's the utmost honour to be granted the privilege to stay within the safe borders of your realm. Indeed I was greatly mesmerised when I sensed the magnitude of your shield. I could never forget the holy nature which permeates the blessed shires of our past dwelling. A portion of that power is truly kept throughout the halls and woods of Doriath. Its real extension I still don't comprehend completely, but my heart would surely be much glad to learn more.''

Then, the sudden nostalgia of the Blessed Realm struck the Princess and her thoughts were thus made blue, as regret and sadness merged themselves in one sole sigh. With slender tears slowly coming down from her sea-like eyes, Nerwen recalled the imperious inscriptions carved in the colossal golden Arc at the entrance of Valinórë, at the end of the narrow Calacirya and of the green Eldamar itself. Those sacred words were inscribed both in the language of the Eldar and in the mysterious tongue of the Ainur. Nerwen thus sang some of the main passages at the Queen's presence.

Zitat
Thou shalt enter the domain of the Powers of Arda. Be it a wise Maia or a mighty Vala, its rule thou shalt obey.

Across golden halls and evergreen fields, a holy power the eternal life of this realm sustaineth. The untrodden paths of Valinórë throughout many places shalt take thee. The flourishing Pastures of Yavanna their divine wheat shalt offer along with many of her green creations, the luxuriant Woods of Oromë many beasts hideth, in the Gardens of Lórien may the grey Estë the toil of thy heart cure and Irmo kind dreams thy sleep assure. Of Vána the ever-present Spring is the most beloved gift and Nessa even the fastest deers in the wild outrunneth.

The golden Valmar at the centre of all, of its great wonders surely thou were told. The Thrones of the Kings and the Queens lie not afar, upon which they decide the fate of ours to be. Ezellohar of Laurelin and Telperion the hallowed seat is, and the Two Trees we much bless for anything growing their radiance needeth. The skilled Aulë is father of many things and of crafting the true master is. The valiant Tulkas proud in his halls resideth, the Champion who the Dark Vala eventually won.

In the blue depths of Ekkaia Ulmo dwelleth and all the waves of the seas he dominateth. Námo within the caverns of Mandos silently remaineth and from his hidden Gaol none may escape, while Vairë the long History of the World in tapestry weaveth. Nienna near the very edges of Arda wandereth and by the sad westernmost shores for the wounds of the World she mourneth.

Manwë and Varda the entire Eä rule, and from the apex of the supreme Oiolossë every mortal deed and heartfelt plea they see and hear. The King all sorts of winds commandeth alongside every flying creature of the Air and the authority to lead upon him only was bestowed. Snow-white Varda, the most beautiful, of all Light the source is and since the obscure days even the darkest lands her ancient Stars in the firmament with hope enlightened.

Forswear any doubt and fear, thou willing to live in such bliss, for no evil is to be found within the mighty Pelóri.

Melyanna smiled of pure joy at the sound of those words, which were sung in such a fashion that only Lúthien could have mirrored or surpassed, if not that the daughter of the Queen had never had the privilege to live in Aman and even see Valinórë in its then lost Noon. The Queen thus gently bowed, as if she wanted to thank the Princess for having brought in the halls of the Telerin King a bit of what lies beyond the Sea. Though it was for brief moments of profound contemplation and reminiscences of the past, something of that kind had not taken place for centuries in Doriath, as someone from the West had not walked Beleriand since the Great Journey of the Eldar.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 15. Okt 2016, 21:24
''Gentle Queen of Doriath, I have always had the uttermost love and respect for anything within the mighty Pelóri and the immortal realms on the shores of Aman. Her Majesty may thus understand what a wound was for my heart to leave those blessed shires, but I would have never taken such tough decision without a just reason; my family was moved by very defined intentions equally. We all suffered immensely through the perilous journey we had to face, across hostile and deadly paths which only thy kind, fair Melyanna, had trodden until then, in obscure past times.

I am now under siege by many diverse emotions. Some are old, incredibly old, and some are new, of a sort I never experienced so far. Old as the profound nostalgia of the eternal day we used to live in while residing in the magnificent Valinórë. New as the fear of a painful death, amidst the unceasing battles of Beleriand; I personally dealt with the abominations thy people call 'Orcs': the kind of ours, Eldar, horribly mutilated and turned into a ruthless instrument of the Evil. New as the liberty of riding free and loose throughout Middle-earth, going past lands that only under the Elven rule could really flourish in splendid kingdoms, worthy of the Noldor's wide-ranging arts.

If we can really hope to mirror the Immortal Lands in Beleriand I do not know, nor have I ever completely trusted akin promises, yet I feel I am progressively falling under the spell of this mortal continent; of its dangers, possibilities and contradictions. Of the bliss of this guarded realm, made perhaps even more blissful as it's immersed in such wildness and fierce resentment. The infinite dilemma between a joyful immortality yet imperturbable and immutable, or of an adventurous existence among the bittersweet feelings of life yet plagued by the sorrows of uncertainty.

May I ask thee, my Queen, this: does nostalgia ever make thee long to behold the wonders of the Blessed Realm one last time? The evergreen fields lit once by the kind silver of Ibrīniðilpathānezel or the colossal palaces of Valimar?''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Fine am 21. Okt 2016, 09:01
Melian's mind pondered the question for a moment while she lead her guest through the dimly lit hallways of Menegroth, and onto a secluded balcony from where one had a great view over the trees and forests of both Neldoreth and Region.
"I do not long for Valinórë, even though it was my home for many an age," she replied. "When my master, the High Lady of all that grows and lives, sent me into Ennórë, or Endor, as my people call it, I feared I was to enter a dark world, without light or joy. But as I got to know it and learnt of the wild, untamed beauty of this land and I first thought of the possibilities it offered, I was enchanted by it. Here, far away from the strictly ruled lanes and gardens of Valinórë, I was given the chance to shape and refine this place as I saw fit - within the bounds of the powers that fairest Yavanna bestowed upon me. And even when I was just beginning my travails here, teaching new songs to the nightingales of the lightless forests to the north-west, a fateful moment arrived. It was the moment I met him - Elwë, highest of the Elf-lords of the Third Kin, the light of the Two Trees shining in his eyes. It was in that moment that I truly decided to stay and relinquish the light of Valinórë for now. Now, do not mistake me for a traitor or one who has forsaken the Old West, for I have not. My ties to the Secluded Realm are still in place, but it will be long before I return there."

She paused and let her gaze wander across the star-lit sky above the trees. When she spoke again, the tone of her voice had changed, with a sad note now added to it.
"With the return of the great Enemy, who now sits to the north of this realm, not even five-hundred leagues away, a new responsibility has taken charge of me. My beloved's kin are now my kin as well. I must do what I can to keep them safe, withhold the foes you described from entering the forests within the girdle I created and give the wisest council to Thingol Elvenking that I can offer. My thoughts do not turn to Valinórë often. Something terrible must have happened there if the Black Foe of this World was allowed to escape from captivity. Even now I can sense that your people were not sent by the Lords of the West to aid us against this new threat, although at first it seemed like that was so. Nay, there is something else... something shrouded in mystery and hidden beyond the wild waters of the Sundering Sea."

"Let me ask you this, my most welcome guest," she continued after a short moment. "Why do you speak of Valinórë as if you long to be there, as if it is something you desire to go to, and yet you are here, in Ennórë? My heart tells me many things, Nerwen, and it tells me that your words do not reflect the deepest of your emotions. Is it not so that you felt hemmed in within the firm bounds of Valinórë? Do you crave for a land to call your own, to shape it as you see fit? Why did you leave the Realm you call Blessed, if you did not fully enjoy your life there, and still speak ever so highly of it?"
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 31. Okt 2016, 11:20
The royal Elda turned her gaze to that vast sight over the balcony and then seemed to understand something of the hidden veil that was the shield of that realm. Her Elven eyes beheld afar, very afar, through the green world embracing those halls, Melyanna's defence. A very impressive of a shield it was, but even more it was sustained by the Queen's will to safeguard her kin and repel any fell spirit away. Nerwen didn't manage to think about a mightier force which could have broken that sacred barrier if not the Enemy himself. Or someone else of the very Queen's kind, or even a fate superior to the Ainur themselves? And the reminiscences of the Enemy eventually brought her back to Melyanna's question; a question not of ill-curiosity or censure, but instead of deep preoccupation.

''My desire to rule over some of this free continent's lands is adamant as Her Majesty's will to defend her people. This I could never deny. But what led to my and my own family's sudden departure from the immortal shores of Aman is also due to gruesome events; terrible facts that, I fear, already shaped the World in a different fashion from the one we were used to in the ancient days of Arda.''

The atmosphere in those halls shifted rapidly to a grim and sad cloud of past remembrances. Memories ever painful for anyone who bore them. And Nerwen got very unease, yet staunchly determined to get rid of that burden.

''Thou divined well, fair Melyanna. It all began with the release of the Captive. When the Enemy had eventually been set free from the unbreakable gaol of Mandos and readmitted at the Powers' court in Valimar the golden. If only they had known that the Evil had thus been given the chance to devour the Light from within! A growing illness which started propagating discord and resentment among the joyful inhabitants of Valinórë.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 3. Nov 2016, 01:00
''Disguised as a regretful pilgrim, he was soon permitted to tread the paths of Aman all. Not confined anymore in the golden halls of Valimar. The Enemy wandered for very long time in search of piety and comprehension; someone who could grant him amnesty for all the sorrows he had caused in Manwë's kingdom. The Powers had in fact (not without divergences within their solemn judgement) decreed to free him from the chains of captivity, though they would never trust his intentions again. Melkor's schemes were thus directed to the Eldar who had accepted the sacred invitation to reside in and in the surroundings of the Blessed Realm. The fair Vanyar showed staunch resolution in turning his deceiving offers down, as they thoroughly despised the one who had dared to claim Middle-earth as his own dominion and attempted to harm the Firstborn since their very first awakening. They lived in the heart of the very Valinórë, and lit were they by the eternal day which used to be within the Pelóri; the lure of Melkor had simply no effect. On the other hand, my mother's kind was deemed too weak to fulfil the Evil's purposes. The Teleri of Aman fancied greatly their joyful solitude on the shores of the Sea, even if that meant renouncing the light that enlightened only what lay beyond the walls of Valinórë. Any desire or trace of resentment was totally alien to them.

And so it eventually followed that, out of the three kinds of the Eldar, it was my own which served the Dark Vala's propositions well. Something I am deeply ashamed of, regardless of the fact that my father and my House didn't fall prey of those treacherous words. The valiant people of Ñolofinwë too managed to acknowledge the falsehood of the ill-parlance of the Enemy. But, I must earnestly confess, most of the Noldor were nonetheless moved by those speeches; and even if some rejected the premises of that disgraceful discourse, it's undoubtedly true that the flame of ambition was nourished significantly in all our hearts.

But the main victim, yet guilty at the same time, was Fëanáro himself. Melkor won the craftsman's doubts by helping him and his people in grand deeds of craftsmanship, sharing a sort of knowledge that only the mightiest of the Ainur could know. His untruthful friendship was only aimed at conquering the confidence of the greatest of the Noldor and the ones who used to attend his presence. The time was then proper to start the slow and subtle poisoning of their minds. As the rotten weed which is ought to be eradicated from gardens, he started propagating his malice at the expense of us all. The Enemy lied and lied again. Fëanáro and his people were somehow convinced that the Valar, lest the Noldor achieved enough might to flout their holy authority and take control of Middle-earth, had caged them in Aman and forced them to dwell in their immortal realm. A sort of golden gaol, behind whose joyful eternity lay the will of the jealous Powers to contain their guests' ambitions via vigilance and tyranny. The apex of that evil design was reached when they were told that weaker Children of Ilúvatar would replace the Eldar and rule over all mortal lands; a voluble race that could be easily controlled as the Valar's own dummy.

Therefore, initial voices of discontent began to be heard throughout Kôr. Voices that soon turned overt and loud. The limit was breached when Fëanáro threatened to kill Ñolofinwë in front of Finwë himself, blinded by anger and false suspects. Those acts had violated the peace of Aman and were then too manifest not to be ultimately dealt with. The Powers summoned Fëanáro in Valimar and Mandos punished his actions with a temporary exile in Formenos, while unveiling the real intentions of Melkor and the fallacy of his lies. The Blacksmith thus realised how he had been played by the Dark Lord and made the Evil's merest instrument, yet his heart was ever burning in resentment towards everyone and everything seen as an obstacle to his and his people's right to rule. But the storm seemed to have been placated a bit and things were slowly returning to normality; the imperturbable and customary normality of those blessed shires. During his expiation in Formenos, Fëanáro was granted the permission to participate in one of the great festivities of Valinórë, to draw a definitive line regarding the past happenings and to make sure that harmony was restored again among the Houses of the Noldor.

But upon an unfortunate series of events, our destiny was already determined. The Noon of Valinórë was about to end, and the end was the worst one could have ever foreseen. The Enemy had by then fled from the Blessed Realm to escape the wrath of the Valar and had hidden himself in the unguarded vastness outside the inviolable walls of Valinórë. Many times had we been warned by thy people, my Queen, of the perils and dreadful dangers that the very Aman may put one in front of, across the lands that were solely lit by the Stars of Varda the snow-white: the frozen wastes of Araman in the north up to the deadly ice of Helcaraxë, and the long dark shores of Avathar in the south. Immersed in the darkness of those ancient times that embraced Middle-earth too. It was in fact in the obscurity of Avathar that Melkor had sought refuge, knowing that a very gruesome entity had those eerie lands as its lair. After the tragedy which had struck us by surprise, we were informed that it was an unknown Maia who had been lurking in Aman for millennia, feeding herself from the near gleams of the Two Trees. A horrible monster that had grown within the immortal continent, unbeknownst to the rulers of the West. Ungoliant was her name. The creature had never dared to contest the Powers' authority, fearing their fury; not until the coming of the Dark Vala.

The epilogue of the story is not difficult to guess, I presume. The Enemy and his auxiliary climbed the forbidden peaks of the Pelóri and pierced all defences. While the Ainur and the Eldar were gleefully rejoicing and celebrating the wonders of the evergreen Blessed Realm, the two reached Ezellohar and destroyed the greatest masterpiece and deed ever created by the Valar since the beginning of Arda itself. Melkor hit the Two Trees and Ungoliant absorbed their life from their wounds, getting unthinkably colossal. Valinórë was abruptly darkened, and the eternal day which we had lived in with bliss vanished in just a moment, never to return. Agony and desperation took us, whereas the Powers were trying to understand what terrible fate had marred their realm. But what we all experienced after was probably even more unspeakable: Ungoliant, in the fashion of an immense spider, started wreaking havoc everywhere, as her unceasing hunger compelled her to devour anything of light. Neither the Valar's guards nor Tulkas himself succeeded in stopping her from unleashing her enhanced powers against them.

I will never forget that horror. Ungoliant used the light she had devoured to produce black webs of pure darkness. A totally unnatural kind of darkness. Some sort of 'dark light', alive and disruptive. That darkness seemed not just to be the mere absence of light, but rather its own very nemesis. It was, as I sensed, as if anything of joy, love and life had been erased from the whole world. Her Majesty was there, when the One disclosed part of his Plan in timeless and ancestral eras. Thou was there, Melyanna, when most of what is was conceived. How is it possible that events present us such terrible challenges to withstand, and such horrific enemies to face?''

Then, Nerwen interrupted her speech and sat down in one of the benches placed in that balcony. Language left her for a while, and slender tears began to come down from her rosy face.



Kôr is the ancient name of Tirion, dwelling of the Noldorin royal family in Aman.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 4. Nov 2016, 00:20
When she got over that moment of discouragement, Nerwen continued to tell the sad fate of the Noldor and of all Eldar of Aman after the death of the Two Trees of Valinórë.

''We were then completely lost and hopeless. The radiant source which had been giving life and light to the plains of Valinórë was killed in such short yet tumultuous moments. Darkness came and veiled anything under the circles of the skies of Arda. The Darkening of Valinórë had thus become a true and terrible reality to cope with. Varda's lights shone even more vividly in those times of agony, remnants of a very far past which could have never been obscured by any malicious device. But they were not enough to restore the eternal day we had been used to until then. We thus realised that our precarious condition had been made so much akin to the one of those who inhabit Endórë, if not that the Valar were still beside us and that the immortal property of their enchanted realm depended solely on them only.

When the winds of Manwë had blown away the remaining shadows of Ungoliant and swept the land clean from her filth, the outcome of the battle was eventually manifest to us. The ghoulish prowess of that creature had caused slaughter and terror among the ranks of the guards of the Blessed Realm. Oromë, riding his mighty steed Nahar, gathered the sentinels of the borders with his horn Valaróma, which resounded much clearer than ever in that void of hope and consolation. They started the hunt for the two guilty of that atrocious crime, but both Melkor and Ungoliant had already fled away. More importantly, Laurelin and Telperion were no more. Their poisoned and withered ruin lay lifeless at the gates of Valimar. The Powers summoned an emergency council in Máhanaxar. Sat on their golden, silver and diamond-made thrones, their thoughts were all connected and it was as if their will were a single thinking unity. They decided to try everything they could to save their greatest masterpiece: Nienna mourned for the sad destiny of the World and her tears washed away the remnants of Ungoliant's poison, purifying the dead Trees, and then, once all wounds were cleaned, thy Queen, Melyanna, sang to bring them back to life. But Yavanna's arts, regardless of their inner sanctity, were of no usage at all. The Powers therefore got grips of the inexorable verdict that events had presented. Their greatest masterpiece was forever gone, and so the era of Arda that was based on its perennial cycle.

At the feet of the thrones of the Ring of Doom, the Maiar and the Vanyar of Valinórë were mourning in silence for the lost bliss; my kind was there too and it followed those tragic moments with increasing apprehension. But a forlorn hope somehow remained. If Fëanáro had handed his dear Jewels to the Valar, they could have maybe broken them and so released the holy light of the Trees that was captured in them. The Two Trees could have been revitalised completely and given new life. Things would have followed a totally different course, and I would probably not be here now, narrating this sorrowful story to Her Majesty. Finwë's eldest son, although torn inside by the love for his creations as all craftsmen are, was about to bend and accept the request of the Powers.

No one could imagine that everything was to worsen so dramatically. An emissary from Formenos in fact showed up and informed us that the Enemy and his ally had directed to Formenos itself, reaching the dwelling of Fëanáro and of his beloved father during the exile. Finwë was assassinated and the Silmarils stolen, along with many other treasures. Fëanáro, then, stormed out of the council in fury and his heart was all an implacable fire. In the following hours, the situation escalated so rapidly and it compelled my entire kind to make a definitive choice that would reshape our fate in an unpredictable mould. The de facto new High King of the Noldor moved to Kôr, violating the ban of Mandos which was still valid, and addressed all the three Houses and their royal princes. His words erupted as flames, imperishable and untameable. The very spirit which had drained her mother's forces centuries before. There were fury, anger, resentment, pride and thirst for a cruel revenge. Amidst that chaos, I too intervened among my royal kin and advocated the cause of my people, though absolutely deprived from the aggressive connotations that were widely welcomed by most of them. I honestly believed, as I do now, that the Noldor's might ought to be given the chance to find alternative ways to project its own extraordinary potential: the pure freedom of Middle-earth and its vast lands that could flourish well under our rule, in spite of the uncertainty we find ourselves in and of the battles we may fight.

Yet Fëanáro's plans were gradually being unveiled. He attacked both the Rulers of Aman and their atavistic Enemy. In his folly, even the Powers were to be accused, because he thought they had foolishly freed the Evil from his just punishment and allowed it to plot against the Eldar; he just couldn't bear anymore to comply with another higher authority. He yearned power and liberty of action. The very Silmarils were his major obsession though; the greatest symbol in Arda of his unmatchable skills, which could not be mirrored by Aulë himself. The Jewels were then in Melkor's hands, and that was an unforgivable insult to him. A very sufficient of a motivation to lead the Noldor out of the immortal borders of Aman, electing the way of exile, and to sustain the immense burden of that choice. Fëanáro thus opted for indissolubly tying the destiny of his House with the retaking of what was unjustly stolen, but he couldn't predict the horrible consequences of such adamant oath. An unmerciful oath that would not show neither reason nor magnanimity to any opposing his path. It eventually doomed his fate and, as I fear, it shall provoke many atrocities again, until its complete fulfilment or the death of those who took it.''

Nerwen stood up and with a feeble voice spelled the words of that infamous oath, in which she and her House (alongside Ñolofinwë's) had fortunately never taken part.

Zitat
Be he foe or friend, be he foul or clean,
brood of Morgoth or bright Vala,
Elda or Maia or Aftercomer,
Man yet unborn upon Middle-earth,
neither law, nor love, nor league of swords,
dread nor danger, not Doom itself,
shall defend him from Fëanor, and Fëanor's kin,
whoso hideth or hoardeth, or in hand taketh,
finding keepeth or afar casteth
a Silmaril. This swear we all:
death we will deal him ere Day's ending,
woe unto world's end! Our word hear thou,
Eru Allfather! To the everlasting
Darkness doom us if our deed faileth.
On the holy mountain hear in witness
and our vow remember, Manwë and Varda!
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 5. Nov 2016, 00:14
''Thou may immediately understand, fair Melyanna, how a solemn oath sworn to Ilúvatar and with the two supreme Rulers of Arda as witnesses is an unbreakable one. An ultimate promise of vengeance that will inevitably lead those who took it to victory or to the saddest of the fates. An eternal punishment and a neverending thirst for blood: because vengeance taints even the hands of the purest with blood. Blood which often belongs to innocent ones.''

Her speech was interrupted by a very long sigh. Tears seemed again to find their way out, but they were instantly contained by the Princess. Nerwen was resolute to conclude such hurtful tales. At least, resolute to narrate the events she had chosen to tell in front of the Maia.

''Now I start realising the magnitude of the immense pain we caused to the bright Valar, who had always cared for us in the sincerest and most affectionate way. The Powers were all extremely aware of the terrible wound that had been inflicted to my kind, but waging a sudden war in Middle-earth was something they were in no way prepared, for their cunning Enemy had conceived his schemes long time before and his servants had been restlessly waiting for their master's return: the forces of Valinórë could have not had the time to launch a full-scale attack and hoped for a rapid conclusion, considering also that the guard of the Blessed Realm had been lowered considerably after the past war for the sake of the Quendi and when Melkor was gaoled in Mandos for three long ages of the Trees. The Powers thus invoked order and time to develop an effective strategy. Justice had always been paramount for them, and justice indeed was at the heart of the good wars they had fought since their coming in Eä. Yet Fëanáro's purposes implied wars of senseless violence and slaughter, having his mind obscured by the darkest wrath. No one within the borders of Arda could have then convinced him of the contrary.

But the Queens and Kings of Aman were also moved by other reasons to renounce the usage of their might; reasons that reveal indeed their utmost piety and profound love for the Children of Ilúvatar they are to safeguard. As they had eventually decided to go to war to free the then newly-awakened Firstborn from the absolute dominion of Melkor on all mortal lands, they ultimately refused to harm the World again for the sake of the Aftercomers who are supposed to awaken soon, whose weaker nature could never bear a destructive confrontation among the Ainur. The Valar took instead immediate counter-measures to secure their holy realm, which had been attacked in its very heart; vigilance was doubled and a host was deployed around the evergreen plain that embraces Valimar. The pass that is the only conjunction between the two continents was about to be interdicted for all and thoroughly patrolled by the guards of Valinórë. The peaks of the Pelóri were made even higher and mightier, so that no creature of any sort could have violated that wall again.

While the Powers were strengthening their defences, the majority of my kind chose the way of the exile from Aman, flouting the recommendations and heartfelt pleas of the Ainur. The Noldor who preferred to obey and remain gathered around my father Arafinwë, from whom I and my brothers departed with the greatest sorrow. He now reigns as the king of Kôr of many towers. The bold House of Fëanáro eventually took the way of the Sea, as ghoulish circumstances permitted, whereas the valiant Ñolofinwë guided us throughout the frozen wastes of Araman, until we were obliged to pass the Helcaraxë and faced a challenge that only thy holy kind had withstood before then.

The rest of the story is already manifest to thee. Our royal kin has now established in Beleriand and we shall try to honour the dignity of our lineage at all costs. Yet it's a matter of continuing dismay that we are now divided from the ancient West; now that the Hiding of Valinórë has been completed and isolation became the Valar's major deliberation. The very Belegaer is now enchanted and forbidden to any wishing to cross those waters. I greatly fear that forgiveness won't be granted until the very end, at the turn of the tide of this new age. I'm nonetheless sure that the solemn Manwë and Varda snow-white will never forsake the ones in need completely. Their two new Luminaries now shine day and night all over Arda; the last remnants of Laurelin and Telperion that the love of Yavanna managed to save from death.

I apologise if this long narration has displeased thee in any way. I won't deny that other happenings are still to be revealed, but if Her Majesty desires to ask that I unveil them now, that would be a reason of suffering for my heart, not ready yet to undergo such test.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Fine am 12. Nov 2016, 07:56
"Grave news indeed," whispered Melian. In her mind, she could see it now. While Nerwen had been retelling the events that led to her people's exodus from Aman, clear images of what she had witnessed had sprung up all around Melian, whose vision was extended and the veil of uncertainty was lifted. But more than just Nerwen's words were revealed to her. Melian's visitor had spoken with passion and emotion, and that had told her more than Nerwen might have realized.
"Dark is the fate of your kin," she said in a hushed tone. "This oath - hastily it was sworn; and doom it will bring, even to this fair land, I fear. A dark fate, yes, but I will not deny that it is the blades and shields of the Noldor that now safeguard Beleriand from the black shadow that sits to the north. And yet - mighty Feanor has not survived to reclaim his treasure, for I know that he perished in the very battle that took place soon after he and his sons first set foot on the shores of this Ennorath. His sons must surely now see the error of their ways, but an oath of this gravity will bind and haunt them forever."

She paused for a short moment and studied Nerwen's face closely. There was something yet untold, something left out from the tale of the Darkening of Valinor, something the elf-maiden did not yet wish to speak of. But, Melian decided not to pry. Surely, Nerwen would speak of it when she was ready to do so, when she had decided to trust Melian with it.
"You have told me much, my dear visitor - not everything, but that was not to be expected of course - and I thank you for these news, as dour as they may be. I understand now, why the last children of the Two Trees rise in the sky and blind out the starlight my people love so much, and why the mighty Noldor have come to Beleriand. Great sorrow you bring with you across the icy bay of the Sundering Sea, and a veiled doom hangs above you that I cannot seem to decipher, but I will let that rest for now. You must be tired, my dear."

She felt a presence approach the balcony on which the two conversants were standing, and turned around. A young handmaiden had appeared, bowing her head deeply before the Queen of Menegroth and Doriath.
"Forgive me, High Lady," said the girl reverentially. "The exalted King sent me to inform you and your noble guest, that the banquet will be starting soon."
Melian gave the maiden a graceful nod. "Thank you," she said, then turning to Nerwen. "The feast my King has prepared in honour of your brother's arrival will be a welcome refreshment, wouldn't you agree? Let us make our way there swiftly. It is not far."

Stepping away from the balcony, she led Nerwen once more through the vast halls of the palace until they came to one of the smaller rooms, where Elwe and Nerwen's brothers were already expecting them, sitting at a large table filled with dishes of all kinds. The Elvenking's banquet was now ready to begin.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 17. Nov 2016, 13:04
Such a lively and warm feast was it! The two monarchs had also been joined by the royal court of Doriath. From time to time, minstrels pleased the guests with jubilant songs and poems of past events; one of the most recurrent themes was the circumstances of the encounter between Elwë and Melyanna, about which superb rhymes were sung. Everyone seemed very comfortable in that joyful context and words began to flow from each participant's mouth. Words of gratification, tales and varied opinions on the most diverse topics.

Nerwen was often asked about her golden hair. The legend underlying her golden-silver locks had presumably spread across Beleriand too, when the Noldor had set foot on those mortal shores. Many were just conquered by the hair's own radiance: some maidens wept at the sight of that light. Someone even dared to say that they had then been given a feeble reflection of how the late Two Trees would fill Valinórë with life and hope. A vision denied to the Sindar, as soon as they had elected to remain. A prince, named Celeborn, made his way to the Noldorin princess and praised her beauty with the kindest attributes. Nothing, not even the worst news from the outer lands of Middle-earth, could have maybe broken that harmony. Those were really merry moments. And merriment had by then been so alien to the Noldor.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 16. Mär 2017, 14:41
Findaráto was involved in a very lively talk with the Sindarin monarch, yet every exchange was always characterised by the greatest reverence towards each other. The topic moved from the perils of the guests' terrible misadventures to the geopolitics of Beleriand. That feeble balance which the arrival of such mighty force from the westernmost ends of the World could have destabilised utterly. No one could have in fact foreseen what was bound to happen; how events would unfold themselves.

Elwë, who had until then enjoyed the hegemonic position of his realm in those territories, was profoundly preoccupied and doubted that those who were wise would be capable of constraining the actions of those who were not. Arafinwë's kin was not his main concern, of course, for the boldest and toughest kinds of the Noldor belonged to the other two families that had reached those immortal shores. The whole magnitude, pride and might of that lineage, which had been wisely governed and guided by the rule of Finwë within the walls of Kôr, was in that moment free to wander loose throughout the wonders of the Free Continent. Free to punish the perpetrators of the Darkening of Valinórë and of the theft of their precious Jewels. Who could have discerned their true intentions? Who could have foretold which boundaries and laws they were ready to violate, in order to achieve their ambitious goals? A grim shadow of doubt surrounded the king, for there was only one thing that terrified him the most alongside the Evil's schemes: the ruthless resolution of a Noldo.

ELWË: ''Noble and wise son of Arafinwë, your heart and deeds could be purer and brighter than the greatest jewel carved from these halls, but it's not you whom I desire to parlay with. I shall accept guarantees, if I hear them coming out from the mouth of one of Fëanáro's kin. Only then shall I lay down my reserves.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 31. Mär 2017, 00:33
FINDARÁTO: ''His Majesty certainly knows that neither I nor my family could command or dictate the will of our kin. From their part, may I assure you that the wise sons of Arafinwë hope as much as His Majesty does that a viable agreement will ultimately be found among our noble intentions. Only, if His Majesty permits me, I would counsel one not misjudge gallantry and indomitable resilience, for these very virtues carried us across the deadly Ice and unleashed upon the Evil a power no one had ever experienced before.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 31. Mär 2017, 14:29
ELWË: ''I had the privilege to get acquainted with the temperament of the Noldor since the first days of the Eldar, gentle and wise prince of Aman. Although I admit that so many differences characterise the Houses of your kin, the flame of Finwë and of his dynasty I could hardly ever misjudge. Tales, whispers and words have reached my ears. It seems that vengeance for a terrible crime and the will for a just retribution are not the only reasons that set the Noldor in motion.

I, my people and the friendly Elves of the woods have trodden the paths of this mortal soil for very long time. Not only is Middle-earth the battlefield of two great forces that have always been contesting each other, but many of its vast lands and territories are yet to be claimed and ruled by whoever dares to seek for dominion over this wide wilderness. Free from the authority of the Powers, but subjected to the constant peril of death and destruction. And I think that one, even in the most blessed kingdom or in the calmest continent, might at some point feel the need to depart from a sacred yet confined space, at the cost of suffering much toil and unspeakable sorrows. But I wonder who could really desire to forsake eternal bliss, if not resentful victims or ambitious lords.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 23. Apr 2017, 15:39
FINDARÁTO: ''His Majesty certainly knows, as I imagine, that toil and much strife we too faced during our journey from the westernmost ends of the World. The endless clash between those two forces is a reality we have always been acquainted with as well, although we were dwelling within the safe perimeter of the Powers' domain. Surely, as akin minds work together and cooperate, I guess we shall soon determine the just course which is to follow from the recent events occurring in Beleriand.

May His Majesty be assured that comprehension and good will are the sole purposes of this visit of ours.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 23. Apr 2017, 15:57
ELWË: ''And I would never doubt the words of such a wise and noble guest. Yet my experience has taught me many things along the long years of my permanence in this mortal continent. May this be clear and naught misjudged: benevolence shall be given and shown, but with the solemn assurance that one's own plans and schemes shall be known by all parts involved. This I demand be done. That's the king's will.

Now, kind guest and friend, tales narrating the excellency and splendour of your arts seem to have gone past lands and seas, up to the king's ears. You would honour me and my court as a whole, if some of your legendary music were to be heard throughout these broad halls of stone and marble. Let us please ourselves with such a marvellous harmony of sounds and colours.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 28. Apr 2017, 00:48
And the king's request the wise Noldo fain fulfilled, for he hoped to kindle magnanimity and mercy in Elwë, whose amicable courtesy hid many doubts and fears. Yet the melody of the wisest of Arafinwë's kin might have perhaps succeeded, when others had instead failed to bend the adamant attitude of the Sindarin patriarch. Inviolable defences, made of suspicion, calculations and the other characteristics that often pertain to the greatest rulers.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 28. Apr 2017, 17:29
''Beloved brother, I'm sure that each guest would rejoice at your pure music. Undimmed, and said to be even able to move what may not be moved. We shall gladly halt our talking and listen.''

Nerwen gifted his wise brother with the most radiant of the smiles. At that moment, when merriment appeared on the princess' visage and as her hair seemed to emanate an akin bright aura of happiness, it was as if the banquet hall were reflecting all that radiance and spreading it in all directions. Such a special happening, in an environment that had remained almost secluded until then. And seclusion nourishes indeed fears and anxiety. Might Findárato's melody move the proud yet weary heart of the king? Melyanna stood up and remained silent, even though a witty eye would have sensed that hers was joy too, and not just the desire for sung words to be shared.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 1. Mai 2017, 17:20
FINDARÁTO: ''How could I ever let your wishes down, kind hosts, siblings and noble court of these halls. Never has something been dearer to an artist than having the right occasion to share the wonders of your own skills. Therefore, if songs and harmony are what you would fain be pleased with, I shall offer thee the finest and fairest lines. In hopes that these lyrics of mine will do only good, let yourselves be transported by memories of what has been or by the infinite and colourful mazes of fantasy. Whether remembrances and old reminiscences of the past could cause one to weep or even mourn, this I do not know. Nor could I foretell how influence on future events my melody will boast. Listener, open the gates of your being, so that the thread of time, deeds and emotions can move even the unmovable.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 4. Mai 2017, 10:54
Zitat
In the bliss of Aman we were born, proud and strong lineage of a so noble kin, of which much is sung and we still sing,
Thou might not believe the wonders we dwelt in, for Finwë had led his people there and had been made our own High King,
Between the fairness of the beloved Vanyar and the sea-affectionate Teleri we used to stay, in Kôr immortal, where naught is grey,
The smith-Vala taught us the grandest arts, so that the mightiest things we could craft and fashion, while for many of us adventures throughout Valinórë were a pleasant foray,
Until the seed of discord among the gallant Noldor was planted and resentment the peace started marring.

Envy, anger and much hatred, from whom thought the Powers the Eldar in a golden gaol had confined, to restrain their might and under a yoke have them,
When peace was to be again, the darkest night on all descended, as the eternal day of the Blessed Realm terribly ended,
And the brightest jewels in Arda were cowardly stolen, causing also the sorrowful death of our own mighty ancestral monarch,
An infamous oath was sworn and naught might make his author the flames of vengeance forswear,
Most of the Noldor then deadly perils and dreadful challenges withstood, in order to return to the mortal shores and our legacy retrieve, yet unsure we are, whether success in the end we shall have.

Alas, when one has sworn revenge, innocent ones could too suffer and succumb, for the plague is implacable and all with never-ending grief consumes.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 4. Mai 2017, 11:12
Zitat
In Beleriand, thus, we greatly endeavour and struggle,
To punish the treacherous foe and win the ultimate battle,
As menacing clouds gather and furious storms may be seen across the horizon,
Light and Darkness their entire prowess in the final contest shall throw,
And so we hope and Manwë pray, to be with us in the toughest hour to come.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 5. Mai 2017, 17:03
Some of the guests were overwhelmed by emotion and sadness, while the majority, albeit having been enchanted by such lyrics, remained still and in doubt, lost in the vastness of their thoughts. The king himself seemed initially to show some kind of empathy for the tragic narration that had just been sung, even though emotion left rapidly space for an intense meditation. The only one of that merry court who was standing impassive was Melyanna herself, conveying the impression of a genuine curiosity about those tales, of which she had had knowledge of via Galadriel's words.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 10. Mai 2017, 23:39
While the court was still mesmerised by such superb composition, the daughter of the monarchs rose from her seat and spoke to the wise son of Arafinwë the Fair. She was Lúthien Tinúviel, who was thought to be the fairest Elf-maiden treading the paths of Arda. It's not clear where that judgement had originated, nor do we know whether the Eldar who dwelt in Middle-earth were conscious that there might have been fairer beings on the other side of the sea, living in bliss and close contact with the mightiest forces of the World. The Princess of Tirion had had indeed them wonder and interrogate themselves whether her beauty could have surpassed the one of their beloved Sindarin princess. Yet akin comparisons would certainly be spoilt and improper for the case, for the will of competition didn't belong to the immortal kind; at least, not in the fashion of those ill-conceived sentiments of mortal gents, which cherished glory and hegemony above all. But Lúthien did keep something special and otherworldly in her being, and Nerwen had exactly felt that the princess' gentle heart hid the most powerful and noblest strength of all: an infinite love, destined to bend anything on its way and the impossible deeds to make possible. Never had the royal Noldo perceived such warm and ardent flame. A flame which naught burns, but all nourishes and kindles.

LÚTHIEN: ''My ears could never have heard a finer song, wise prince. My father never did anything so well as to invite our noble relatives here, within the halls of Menegroth. Even in toil, grief or peril, the approaching shadow shall never take away from us the consolation of our music and the honour of our words. Under the darkness of the past perennial night, the people of Beleriand learnt to cherish the merest things of good in one's own existence and to worship even the humblest ordinary custom of theirs. Music, love, laughter and joy. Naught is greater than them and these mighty pillars of life shall never vanish in the midst of Arda's tumultuous thread of events.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 11. Mai 2017, 11:28
FINDARÁTO: ''Gracious princess, thy kind praise fills my heart with immense jubilee and pride. Thou have truly grasped the core and spirit of the lyrics the Eldar had been composing since the beginning of their history. I too love the mortal breeze and winds of this great continent, as things here seem to have endured and experienced many struggles, although resilience is what has finally resulted from this strife. A rough beauty that ages in time, as if everything knew that all might change or be shattered by sudden tragedies. This sad yet honest conscience I find in every corner of Middle-earth; be it on your joyful visages or in trees and mighty stones upon the highest peaks. We had our fair part of misery, my lady, and ice and malicious fire much taught us and our spirits shaped.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 11. Mai 2017, 11:49
Nerwen joined the friendly talk between the two. Interested and genuinely curious to exchange thoughts and wisdom with the fair Sindarin princess.

''Fair Lúthien, how could one disregard the truth and noble intent of your speech? I would fain listen to thee for hours and days. You spoke with such sincerity and kindness. A pure heart and disinterested love; this I have always yearned and longed to possess, even though my story has taken me on different and untrodden paths, for I do not deny that I also desire the strength and majestic rule of our kind, in Kôr full of palaces or on the slopes of the Holy Mountain of the World. In many ways the Elven kings of Aman govern and their immortal subjects lead, yet we all kneel in front of the Powers, whom the inhabitants of the blessed continent must obey. Don't the wilderness of great fields or the mystery of thick forests move the feelings of the people of Beleriand? Unscathed and untamed territories, in which someone proud and valiant ought to restore the order.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 11. Mai 2017, 12:36
LÚTHIEN: ''Gallant princess of Aman, pride and desire are constant sides of oneself that all shall cope with in life. Whether it takes a century or 1000 years to get through the challenge, this I couldn't foretell. My heart nonetheless tells me that even the doubtful shall eventually find his way across difficulty. At every piece of the mosaic and at the simplest shades of a portrait we should all rejoice. Common and spontaneous acts of gentleness bear the greatest significance, and they often make me weep in joy. Yes, I do weep.''

The Sindarin princess offered then the most radiant of the smiles, to which Nerwen responded with reverence and a sincere smile too. It was hard to tell whether the legendary hair of the Noldorin maiden overshadowed the splendid appearance of the fair Lúthien.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 11. Mai 2017, 15:55
ELWË: ''The greatest luck befell within my domain, as the fairest maidens among the Firstborns please my court with their outstanding presence, and the wisest princes of the immortal shores have been here gathered. Now, with the conclusion of this banquet approaching, let us continue our talks and meals, and may music soften dismay or sad thoughts!''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 12. Mai 2017, 11:29
But music couldn't relieve the princes of Aman from their heavy burden, and the truth was fighting with more vigour to come out, for gentle souls are not likely to hide and not used to deception. Some shades of discomfort and sadness marred then the radiance of their fair visages, still blessed by the light of Valinórë. And the Queen of Doriath noticed it, because a Maia senses pain and grief more than anyone else but the Powers.

How long would Elwë be left in the obscurity of ignorance? When would the king have knowledge of the blasphemous slaughter of his own kin?
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 18. Mai 2017, 00:11
The banquet was to be concluded in a moment. The pure melody of the prince had pervaded anything within those vast halls of stone, although sadness had not fallen on the guests, but rather a more serious and aware atmosphere. The king seemed not too much moved by such narration, for he knew that only something of grand magnitude would lead the Eldar far from their blessed dwellings; yet it ought also to be noted that his interest began to wander around the idea of three splendid jewels, guardians of a light that no longer was and whose fashion not even a Vala could have mocked. Then, Nerwen got closer to her wise brother, in doubt and feeling terribly guilty.

NERWEN: ''Why will we not confess our crimes against the king's kind?''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 18. Mai 2017, 08:33
FINDARÁTO: ''Because, my beloved sister, we ourselves have committed no crime. We undoubtedly bear a grave responsibility on our shoulders, and I doubt someone else would reveal the tragedy, other than us only. Truth and sincerity have always been the lighthouse of our acts, and I have no intention to forswear our own principles. Not now. Yet the current moment would be improper, while so much joy is filling this stone-carved palace. They will know about the sorrowful fate of their kind, but only in the just hour.

I can't divine what the response of the king will be. His fierceness nonetheless suggests that a terrible wrath might be ahead of us.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 18. Mai 2017, 09:29
NERWEN: ''I wish our people never had to experience such strife. And destiny made it so that the burden of revelation would depend on our judgement. Very little are the actual murderers keen on telling; that is a very disgraceful of a sin. As it often befalls, the innocent shall try to mend what the guilty left marred, lest more evil be in the proximity to our deeds.

The Queen of Doriath is kindly interested in our struggle. There could never be anything ill in her will; her desire to ease my spiritual suffering is inexorably tied to the atrocity that occurred, of which she does not have knowledge yet. I couldn't tell how long she is to be left in obscurity. I sense it is a matter of time, before she manages to unveil what is hidden, for one shall never succeed in keeping secrets with a Maia.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 18. Mai 2017, 12:17
FINDARÁTO: ''Alas, we have very little control of our fate, my gentle sister. The fairest of our immortal kind know this well, as words from the Powers had reached their ears.

One doth not have might over what shall be, yet much thou can and do, when will is kindled and thy heart pure.

This I tell you, noble Nerwen. We may have departed from their grace, but we shall never depart from their superior wisdom, for the judgement of the Powers goes beyond matter and time itself.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 19. Mai 2017, 11:06
NERWEN: ''And I shall bear your words in the depth of my heart, brother. And may the forthcoming days be sunny for the mighty Noldor of Middle-earth, the majority of whom just cherishes grace and desires retribution for a grave sin.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 23. Mai 2017, 09:38
ELWË: ''We have ultimately come to the end of this merry feast, my noble attendees. I thus command it be over. And I also ask that all of you be ready to return to your own residences. Tomorrow, your grace permitting, we shall go hunting and wandering throughout the vast green of my realm. The Queen doesn't foresee any menace or cloud that could hinder our propositions. Our guests from the westernmost ends of reality will have the chance to see much and my lands explore. I doubt there is a so lively of a wilderness along the blessed shires; one that could mirror these forests. But naught is that wild within my rule, sons of Arafinwë, for anything may live in liberty and solace; yet our liberty is not at all chaos, nor anarchy. Ours is a guarded kind of liberty.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 23. Mai 2017, 09:54
AIKANÁRO: ''Thy majesty, very little is wild within the walls of the Pelóri, which none may breach nor violate; at least, this we all thought until the fading of light. Yet Oromë has broad woods in his government, with them boasting the widest variety of beasts and plants of any sort. He would invite the princes of the Noldor in those forests, to hunt and at the sheer nature rejoice, for akin spaces are not the norm in the realm of the Powers. And the inhabitants of Aman do prefer order and rule, for very far they are from the wonders of this mortal continent.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 23. Mai 2017, 10:01
ANGARÁTO: ''A mortal continent, in which peril hides and darkness nurtures the most terrible of his fell creations. A mortal continent, for which we elected departure and exile, abandoning rectitude and the love of many of our kind...''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 23. Mai 2017, 10:12
FINDARÁTO: ''A mortal continent, in which we also long to have justice and to preserve the remnants of our past. A past that belongs to any Elda or Firstborn left in the shadow. Of the relic of the primordial light we are now in search, which is the grandest deed of the authoritative Powers beyond the seas, who deeply care for us and whose dismay is for me the heaviest of the burdens.

But we shall not flinch from our duties, until foes get the proper retribution and our case is finally vindicated at the altar of history.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 24. Mai 2017, 23:54
The guests are progressively leaving the banquet hall, where the feast had just been merry and very serene. A guard approaches the king and informs him of the outer regular patrols. The monarch arranges new dispositions and takes advantage of the occasion to address the princes of Aman.

ELWË: ''Conduct inspections even along the western perimeter of the woods. We can't solely focus our defence on the menacing North, despite the return of the Dark Lord on his iron seat. Beasts of the wildest breed are seen wandering not far from our borders, each day. They have probably come from the rough mountain passes. Giant spiders have started inhabiting the pits of those hostile ways. But I have come to know something else, my subject: horrendous monsters are gathering in the ravines nearby. Creatures of the night they are, and the Queen perceived that a ghoulish demon could be their puppeteer. I want to discover more of this, soon.

Turning to the Sons of Arafinwë.

Do not dread, my guests, for my guardians have been patrolling those forests for more than 10 centuries. Endurance is our strength, our arrows fly swiftly while tearing the wind apart and our axes are enchanted by magic, hard as diamonds and bright like the far stars. Naught happens without me noticing.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 26. Mai 2017, 19:41
FINDARÁTO: ''Eerie woods, wasted plains and foul creatures lurking in the shadows of this mortal wilderness. I suppose that only a nasty force could bring about such threat, my Lord. And I also feel obliged to present apologies, for my conscience now deems my kin responsible for the darkness awakening, another time. The dilemma and our greatest preoccupation will hereafter be the ways and devices to defeat our enemies. An Enemy who always lived in hatred and resentment for anything but himself. And the Noldor have lost their brightest flame too; the grandest commander. The craftsman of what we are now desperately seeking to retrieve from Morgoth. The legacy of the Noon of Valinórë; of our noon as well.

I hope concerted actions shall soon be arranged. All the Firstborns will probably be required to participate in the great contest approaching. We need be ready.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 27. Mai 2017, 00:08
ELWË: ''Wilderness is not to be found, Prince, where rule is strong and one's mind sure. We shall unite forces with you, yet benevolence and good will must be attributes of the rest of your kin too. It's imperative. Thus I command and this I strongly desire. You, guest from afar, shall soon discern what truly characterises the nature of my kind: an indomitable temperament, but quiet and strongly oriented towards endurance. The same blood that flows in your veins as well. We are the Teleri, who land, shore and forests have as residence, earning affection from the world and longing for peace only.''

The banquet comes finally to its end. Stories were told, songs sung and wisdom shared. A warm assembly within the halls of the underground palace. The Princes didn't have the heart to confess the greatest crime that had led to the curse of their family, without them having had any part in the vicious slaughter. Truth would soon be discovered, they unanimously sensed, even though they weren't keen on creating disunity and anger yet, for all Elves needed and craved unity more than ever, in that particular moment. Resentment would come later.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 29. Mai 2017, 00:22
Galadriel summons the memory of her beloved parents, far from their kin and considerably anxious about the fate of the quest.

NERWEN: ''Father, mother and all gentle friends whom we left behind in the journey. Nostalgia seems now stronger than ever. I may see you, in my dreams of sorrow and regret, lone rulers of a less lively city. On the throne of Kôr, ye shall indubitably bring wisdom and relief for those who remained. Shall we meet again? This I yearn with unceasing conviction. I foresee many things ahead of us, yet the thread of time is much intricate for my mind to come to a decisive response. But I longed freedom, mother, of the kind one may not find either within the Wall of Valinórë or by the diamond-like harbours of thy family in Eldamar. Father, lands I desired to be in my government, as the Powers govern shires, water, air and beyond. My siblings I would not fain have let depart from my company. Forgive me, father, if thou now bearest grief and preoccupation. However, the radiance of Aman shall never part and my locks are the testimony of bliss before the darkness. May my love reach you across the sea, which now is clouded by eerie mists, so that the ignorance of the West shall be for us an additional struggle to suffer.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 5. Jun 2017, 12:10
And ignorance was in fact part of the punishment for the rebellion that the proud Houses of the Noldor had decided to start. The ignorance of anything that now occurs on the other shores of Arda. No news, no message and no solace could have then gone beyond the enchanted curtain that the Powers had summoned around their blessed domain and its waters. The two branches of that noble lineage, those who remained and those who left, now live divided lives in two divided continents: the three Houses struggle in the wilderness of the newly-found Beleriand, while the wise Arafinwë sits on the throne of Kôr, having been designated as the king of all Noldor of Aman. Lone of the three great brothers who had the heart to forswear sedition and elect loyalty. It is not clear whether his kin could ever reunite with their father; this could not be told, because anger is still among the Eldar, desire too and the western Lords are unfolding the consequences of such a terrible act. Rebellion is not the sole cause. Slaughter there had been as well, and for this the perpetrators would be bound to ask forgiveness, once the guilt would be cancelled and purified via the most terrible expiation.

Meanwhile, magical mists descended on the sea, which now none could see through or journey unspoiled. The Powers made their mountainous walls even higher and rougher, alongside the forbidden ice that unites the two continents getting even deadlier, so that only a Maia or Vala could have trodden that path. There was no way left for the Noldor to return to the bliss of Aman.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 10. Jun 2017, 14:42
On the shores of Beleriand, on the western ends, every attempt to send envoys to Aman failed miserably. None returned and the concealment of the Undying Lands becomes more evident as days pass. Dismay and regret begin to breach the gallant hearts of the House of Fingolfin (Ñolofinwë), yet still they are resolute to continue the mission and rectify the wrong that was made to them. But the resilient leader, now supreme High King of the Noldor, wants to entrust some words to the wind, in hopes that they will reach the Lord that all skies and breezes commands.

ÑOLOFINWË: ''Toil, only toil and deadly perils we have hitherto encountered. Desperation mingled with great sorrows. The loss of pure and gentle souls. The betrayal of the one who was supposed to lead us all; he instead chose to be blinded by revenge, abandoning his fellows on the frozen outskirts of the Grinding Ice, which none but the Ainur may go through unspoiled. He now mourneth in the grey Halls of Mandos. His pride vanquished and his ardent will waned...

Now, we must carry on the struggle. The Evil must be defeated and all its wrongs must be remedied. I don't ask for piety nor for a sudden forgiveness. Wrong my kind did too, and of this we shall pay the high price. Only, may His Majesty on the highest peak know that all we do is for a cause we do deem just. The retrieval of the legendary gems: of my kind the legacy and of your grandest labour the testimony. The last testimony that light was once only within your sacred walls. Pray, that light might still serve for the rebirth of what was unjustly destroyed. Should the Jewels be in our government again, I shall give them back to you, Powers of Arda, for to you only they belong.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 11. Jun 2017, 21:29
Zitat
ÑOLOFINWË: ''All-Powerful Regent, we invoke thee in need and despair,
With thee only our true faith resteth, in death and toil,
My hope believeth, this plea of ours shall reach thee via thy breezes,
Upon the highest peak of Arda, where all thou beholdest and Snow-White Varda heareth.

I beg for thy pardon, King of the Powers beyond the sea,
Guilty we are of terrible crimes and thy rule we have foolishly forsworn,
Lone our kind the mortal shires now guardeth,
We shall perhaps retrieve the Jewels and the Dark Vala eventually defeat.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 12. Jun 2017, 23:30
Even the High Elves of Aman need rest after a long journey and such a lively banquet. Rooms are naturally assigned to the guests. Nerwen is given a room in the most external halls of the palace, from whose windows one may behold the wonders and vigilant solace reigning in the forests of Doriath. From one of these windows, she has some words to hand over the fresh air of the night.

NERWEN: ''Far we are. A sea divideth us. Deadly ice in the North. The way seemeth to have been shut for any repented soul that could be willing to travel back. And challenged I am too, mother of silver composure. Torn inside I am, for the love of our dear we cannot sense, if not through imagination and vivid reminiscences. I hope all is faring well, upon the thrones of Kôr which to you now belong, beloved parents. Yet my flame is nonetheless nourished by the breezes of this mortal continent. Freedom. Much freedom, that sometimes maketh thee feel new sensations and an unknown force, to the point that I may not continue talking about it. How could all these wonders manage to survive without any rule or order that them commandeth? Beauty always findeth a way, albeit in great peril and in hostile fate. This Middle-earth taught me; the flower that blossomed in adversity ought to be cherished and greatly defended.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 14. Jun 2017, 14:05
GALADRIEL: ''Hither we went, after indescribable perils. Death among our dear kind and beloved gentle faces that take their last breath in this world. Sad, unceasing and implacable the march across the frozen surfaces of those deadly ends. The path which the mightiest of the holy kind only may pass unspoiled. I never imagined that our blood could have resisted such fatigue. The Elven kind is probably apt for the unthinkable quests. And hoping to conquer back what was unjustly stolen, from the hands of the Evil incarnated, is indeed a thought that most of the wise Eldar would dismiss. Yet we are moved by our adamant determination and gallantry. The gallantry of the one that knoweth piety and acteth for justice; no matter the consequences. And the rule of Kôr of many towers we desire to establish over this wilderness of voices and memories. Only the ingenious Noldo might give a reason to sheer lands and a shape to what shape doth not have.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 14. Jun 2017, 16:37
But rule is found in purity and good will, my Princess. A spirit of gentleness and justness that some of the Noldor lacked. Don't you remember, proud maiden, the curse that was cast and the oath that was sworn? They shall chase the Blacksmith's House in perpetuity, until those gems are in their possession or the impious souls that spoke those words have their own life taken, mourning in desperation and regretting vengeance. Many deeds and events are still on the horizon of time; sorrows that are yet to poison the gardens of the Eldar in Beleriand. There is a common foe that all ought to contest, in alliance and unity, for naught could stand on the immortals' way. But the weed of discord grows fast and spreads across the land. The control of these lands is a too much ardent of a desire for some to give up resentment and join the fight. Who has the dominion of those three bright jewels shall determine the fate of the Hither-Lands. Only, should the Jewels be destined to disappear or in inaccessible places to be kept, what will eventually be of Beleriand?



Hither-Lands refers to Beleriand; another name with which those territories are known. The title reflects the perspective of the people of Aman, to whom Beleriand is the closest ('hither') mortal land.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 14. Jun 2017, 17:06
Mandos, in the mysterious halls of his realm, in the westernmost shires of Aman, has been informed of the pleas from the other shore by Manwë and Varda. He has some answers.

MANDOS: ''Regret and grief? I know that ye suffer now, Noldor. Your fiery hearts, rekindled and burnt by your longings, begin to understand. A Vala would not ignore forgiveness and repentance, yet the hour is still early. Ye have not drunk yet the glass of tragedy which your gruesome deeds caused. Ye ask in vain. Proud Noldo, hearken, salvation shall come at the latest time, when a herald of the Children of Ilúvatar shall beg our pardon for thee and the mortal blood. Until then, more thou art to face and survive.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 16. Jun 2017, 22:53
Nerwen reminisces her old days in Aman. Especially, she recalls her occasional forays out of Valinórë's walls, in the pearl-made harbour of her kin, under the starred sky and among her beloved relatives. She composed some lyrics.

Zitat
NERWEN: ''Soft breeze from the outer shires,
A mortal breath that this haven only reaches,
A gift which is not granted within the bliss, beyond the mighty Walls of the Powers,
Tales, grand deeds and the wilderness' spirit I may feel, brought by the wind.

Maybe, on the other shore one day I shall be, to meet the adventures that me for long awaited.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 4. Jul 2017, 18:06
Another reminiscence of the princess. A talk with her mother Eärwen, daughter of the Lord of the Teleri of Aman, prior to the Darkening of Valinor and the rebellion of the Noldor.

Zitat
EÄRWEN: ''The wind is changing. I may feel the breeze of the outer shires, in which all must undergo death and the destiny we deem unfortunate. Yet I believe something else maketh such precarious fate desirable for those who are subjected to it. Those who shall be subjected to it. And even our noble kin feeleth and senseth the decay of the mainland, albeit their eternal life which hath naught less than our own. Aye, I feel the wind is changing indeed. It is getting more impetuous, and I dread, my daughter, that it might take thee away from me, someday. For, sometimes, storms on what lieth in those Hither-Lands may be much revealing; it may signal that things are not boding well for us too. Hither, within the defence of the Powers. And stories have already reached my ears, that malaise is creeping among the Noldor of Aman. Bitter resentment and hidden frustration that menace the peace of the inhabitants of the hallowed lands beyond the seas. An illness is growing bold from within, in thy and thy brothers' heart. Longings of many sorts and diverse nature.

Sundering waves, is this what ye long to tell me? Your voices tell many stories and different from one another. They say that water might unveil what is to be, yet I am at a loss. I may not divine the future. The waters seem to be rendered more obscure and less clear than before.

Daughter, thou would disclose thy mind with thy mother, wouldn't thou?''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 5. Jul 2017, 23:18
Zitat
NERWEN: ''Mother, on the shore of the sea, may this certainty rest with thee, that great love for my kin I shall always have, and every time for the sake of our kind's noble nature I shall fight. What I deem wrong. What I deem unjust. Enemies and the foul creatures under the starred sky of the outer world, if I may ever have the chance to make this encounter, I shall combat. For my principles I shall wield the sword and my might unleash! Unto the end of the ardent passion, and until my ambition hath finally waned and vanished away.''

Nerwen holds her mother in a warm yet somber embrace.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 11. Jul 2017, 00:06
Zitat
EÄRWEN: ''Much I dread of thy journey and the path thou hast set thyself on. And fain I would see thee forswear sedition and within the walls of Kôr remain. But thou hast thy own choice to make, in good will and confident spirit, for my love is too great and never shall I chain my kin where they don't desire to stay. Only, may these words of mine be ever in thy mind. Do not ever forget the wisdom of the West, and be the reminiscence of the lost bliss always in thy heart, when darkness seemeth triumphant and the solitude of the mortal shires is about to sway thy conscience. Yet, I tell thee this as I am plainly sure, amidst fear and nostalgia thou shalt probably find love, and kindness and grand deeds. May my love and the one of our House reach you, my sons, even beyond the sea, where hard tests and wonders await your coming. Farewell, my daughter. We shall meet again on these shores of diamond and pearl, at the end of thy adventurous voyage and very long peregrination across the ways of this world.
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 23. Jul 2017, 16:26
The long mental voyage of the Princess has ended. She is alone in her wide room in Elwë's hidden palace. It's night.

NERWEN: ''Mother, the sole remembrance of your visage is cause of solace for my weary heart, even if weary among the mortal ways of the continent I am certainly not. I would fain have a word of comfort from you. I would fain have a word of counsel from my noble father who now reigns in Kôr of many towers. I would fain behold both of you, my beloved parents. But the breeze of this world keeps me here and much excited for anything which befalls within these ends. I long to do much more here, and much is yet to be done by me still. I sense that the grandest number of unthinkable possibilities is ahead of my kind; of our kind. We just have to seize the just opportunity and take our fate in our own laborious hands. Hands that have given life to wonders across the sundering waves. It is not the time to fudge away from our duties; the Evil we have battled already in the very realm of the Powers. The Eldar shall battle it again along the shores of the Hither-Lands, our new home and dwelling. I pray with the utmost concern, that all the smearing tales and mistakes which brought venom to the Houses of the Noldor won't hinder our path again, now that we ought to remain united and staunchly beside one another.

It seems that the bright luminescence of Varda's oeuvres is somehow covered by thick clouds. I shall head out of the hidden ways of this palace for a moment; I need hear the melody of the outer winds and see more clearly the immortal light of the perennial skies.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 26. Jul 2017, 15:49
While on her way to the gardens of the outside, Galadriel meets the Queen of Doriath in the halls of Menegroth. Her radiance, even in the shadows of the night, is utterly an otherworldly spectacle, worthy of the tales of Valinor.

MELYANNA: ''Princess, thou wanderest lone and silent among the paths of this palace. Art thou sure to proceed this way? I am too heading outside tonight, and I would fain have the company of the Princess of Kôr. After the rising of the new Fires, the night is now embellished by the soft touch of the Moon. It is a great deed, the one that the Power opted to do. The consolation of light shall not abandon these places anymore, for we have dwelt in the darkness of antiquity for too much time. The mortal souls of these ways deserve to be blessed by the warmth of the day, even if it is for determined hours. The Eternal Day of Valinórë may be a lost memory in these days, yet I remember it with vivid images and colours, at the beginning of the lore of this continent. Aye, when the westernmost continent had just been retrieved from the depths of the vast ocean that everything used to encircle. Memories that could never get dim nor pale in my mind, proud maiden of Aman. But I also fancy the solitude of night in Middle-earth. All is quiet along the forests of our domain; nature resteth and nocturnal animals pave their way to the green of the outer places. Such a marvellous ensemble, made even more relevant by its splendid uniqueness in Beleriand. An oasis, in the midst of worrying days for us all.

Please, follow me, Princess. I shall take thee to highest tower of this grand palace, from whence one may see pretty much of what lieth around here. Never hath the beholding of stars been so much gracious up there. I'm sure of this, that heavens shall give good advices and the wisdom one always needeth to change the course of their story.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 28. Jul 2017, 14:24
Melyanna and Nerwen reach the highest spot of the palace. A balcony from which the vastness of the woodland realm of Doriath may be seen clearly and with the most effective of the effects. A true spectacle for the eye and the soul.

NERWEN: ''Such a marvellous sight Her Majesty hath granted me to behold! A lovely realm among leaves and trees; serenity seemeth to reign over these ways and so I stoutly believe, for thy power embalmeth the place and all that is evil and fell is kept well far from thy borders of sacred defence. I now think about the great woods of the Hunter-Vala in Valinórë, where feral beasts dwell and often my cousins thither used to journey for merry sport. But here, Queen of the illustrious kingdom which for centuries hath successfully endured, naught appeareth wild nor of ill-made fashion.

Akin to the Gardens of the Lord of the Dreams, solace is within these guarded ways and it is a very vital of a comfort even for the weary heart. And our heart is indeed weary and plagued by fatigue, although it also showeth fiery determination and an imperative task to fulfil. Our own task, my bright Queen. I would also be denying the plain state of things, if I were to assess that I do not for a moment long to boast an incredible might of the sort of thine. Magic; magic which serveth and never harmeth the innocent one, who his own life in thy hands hath entrusted. I yearn the power to protect lands and safeguard what I deem precious and just. I desire the holy prowess that healeth the injured ones and the one whose mind hath fallen prey of whatever devilry the Evil may dispose of. I would fain like to learn and study the arts and manners of magic, of which I am already acquainted since my beginning in the Blessed Realm beyond the sundering waves of the great sea.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 2. Aug 2017, 00:37
NERWEN: ''The Hither-Lands, my Queen. I love thy lands and the breath of sheer freedom that here I may enjoy. And even if naught is able to go beyond the splendour of the Noon of Valinórë, I feel the adventure that dwelleth hither. It is a very antique of a power. The old, much old, force of destiny, blessed by fortune or marred by the snares of the Enemy. Yet I sense clearly that all wounds which were inflicted somehow served a cause. This hath moulded and shaped the path which now we tread. I'm confident that the almighty One doth anything with a just scope. It is hard to behold, clouded by terror and malice; yet there is a just proposition behind.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 2. Aug 2017, 15:29
MELYANNA: ''Hither-Lands? Is it how the people of Aman named Beleriand, Princess? The lands which you deem, I suppose, near and close to the blessed shores.

It was indeed as you thought. Because the narrow passage that your kind passed was the only way to Aman, yet deadly and forbidden to be journeyed through. But now something has changed in the mind of the Rulers. I may sense it even from afar. In the Ring of Doom they have decided to punish your exile and to seal their continent for indefinite time. None may journey back from the Ice, which was made even harsher and deadlier. Just like none is to take the way of the sea to reach the shores ahead. A thick mist veils those marine routes. And I perceive that a strong spell of sleep has been cast as well. If this is the magic of Varda Snow-white, there is naught we can do to remedy this, being a decree of the Powers an irreversible option, which we cannot oppose. Whether we dispose of numerous means and useful knowledge of things, we cannot rectify this punishment.

And it is a punishment indeed. Because you and your kind, Nerwen, are to expiate crimes and faults. This I feel, and such resolution of Valinórë is thus justified. And I do not believe for a moment that cruelty was ever a quality of the Kings and Queens of my People. Justness and justice, it is true, but never malice nor ruthless desire to provoke mindless pain. Your narration lacks something, Princess, that you are not comfortable to reveal. I understand this, and I have no foremost intention to sway your wind or to force you into a hard confession to make. I shall wait for you. I shall patiently wait for your soul to be ready for the disclosure. Truth and only truth may allow us to prevail, for deception or impartial words are tactics of the Enemy. The bitter savour of the dwelling across these free territories.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 23. Aug 2017, 16:44
NERWEN: ''The Enemy, my Queen? Hath Thy Majesty beheld the world before the world? When all was silent and time did not flow nor hamper the life of the spirits who resided in those primordial halls. I heard stories being told by the spirits of Aman. Not much, but even few hints are precious to be known, I'm sure. The Ainur of those sunny shires narrated that Eä was not in the beginning, along with matter and many of the forces that govern nature and the order above all. They spoke of infinite spaces and of a radiance which naught could render darker nor dimmer in some ways; a light that had dwelt in that paradise for eternity. It still dwelleth there and forever it shall, after all is to be shattered and made anew, unto the very truth shall come forth and free Arda from its constant malaise. Not by the authority of the mighty Archangels, I suppose, for of Arda they are made as well, like the immortal Elda or the loyal Maia that the dispositions of his Kings and Queens obey. What is to happen then, in such an ultimate time? The secret of this question shall not be solved, because the only ones who keep the sole answer are the monarchs of this universe. They won't say nor reveal, waiting for the proper moment to arrive, and if this meaneth millennia or more, it is not proper for the Children to judge.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 24. Aug 2017, 16:31
MELYANNA: ''You hold such impeccable wisdom in your heart, Princess. I now come to understand the fine quality of intellect that your House is very much renowned for. And I suppose you came to know other things of the Ainur during your previous dwelling in Aman, because the angelic kind is not often fond of revealing much in relation to their life before time and Eä itself. And not for secrecy or for other ill-natured purposes, but due to the grand complexity of the world that was prior to our arrival in this universe. And such tales might confound minds or be used by other ones for improper scopes, as many of your fellows believed in the phoney narration of Melkor and his lies could thus spread among the weak consciences which little knowledge had. Yet, Princess, you seem to be aware of much that is mostly imperceptible for the large majority. Conversing with you is thus a source of fascination and good spirit for me, and, these days, the finding of good companions with whom one may speak gets harder each moment passing.

Aye, I was with the One when Eä was not yet. I was with IT, almighty force and ever-burning flame. We resided in halls eternal and still as eternity itself, and every attempt to portray these images with words would probably fail, for one should sense and feel, in order to get into the Angels' mind. And words were never spoken in the One's domain, as all consisted of pure thought and of an infinite stream of ideas. The most various and numerous kinds of ideas, that would then be formulated, shaped or dismissed. I do not know myself whether we rested there for millennia or millions of years; who might determine that correctly? I only remember that birth at a certain moment I was granted, from the immortal thought that reigned over those unquantifiable spaces. Along with the Valar who first had had origin, we were all given the gift of free-thinking and therefore of true existence, whose nature and secret could never be replicated by none yearning such a blasphemous desire.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 20. Sep 2017, 02:11
NERWEN: ''Aye, Her Excellency, much used I was to the company and acquaintance of thy sacred kind. Thy akin spirits have taught me the wonders of piety and wisdom, as much as my mind was able and ready to learn. Among the mazes of the blissful gardens of Valinórë I found wellness and wellbeing only, Queen. Their friendship and vicinity made me love and hold this world in great care; the very world ye have crafted from primordial obscurity, belonging to times of which very little, as thou hast said, might be told. Yet the bonds I created with the Angels of Aman is ever-lit in my heart and not seldom my mind may pass yonder, over the sea, seeking to rekindle my memory with vision of beloved shires and merry friends. Especially, the Maiar of Aman fancied a fine lot the joyful ways of Valimar, supreme city of Arda and dwelling of a large number of jubilant Ainur. And I would too wander and walk thither in the midst of such paradise in the middle of the Blessed Realm; my mother is one of the fair Vanyar who prefer the eternal light of the immortal reign which none but immortal ones hath permission to reside in. Naturally, I have myself beheld the mighty Powers whom all worship and pray in tales. The Archangels who keep Arda and never falter. Naught of them is flawed or could barely seem to be; each of them is king or queen of their own domain blessed and hallowed. The High Ones were endowed with this superior title due to their formidable prowess among the very Valar: governors of what Eä is made of and of what our thoughts guideth. To them only the imperative task was entrusted, which is the defence of these halls under the starred blue, after so much agony and sorrow that thou must have vast experience of. And I saw them, I may recall. Treading the common paths, sometimes, or sat on their diamond-made thrones in the Ring of Doom, at the outskirts of the holy citadel. Thither, they go and assemble; rare is the privilege to enter those majestic places. And I had it, when my wise father was summoned one day for information and counsel. There, they lead the fate of all. There, the thread of destiny is made and sewn. Ultimate judgement is the result of such a titanic assembly of almighty lords. Wrong is rectified and becometh right; punishment is decided and sentenced for whom dareth menace peace and harmony even outside the enormous Pelóri. Perpetrators need expiate a very harsh of a conclusion; ruthless yet ever-just, as ever-just are those who rule the lands which neither wither nor die. Sole case of crime was the Fallen Vala himself, whom I would see in rare occasions, when the end of captivity arrived. He underwent the worst penalty of all, being caged and chained in a gaol under the government of Mandos, and he was not freed from prison unto the passing of three long ages of the Trees. Never hath a single word between us been spoken, and I and my House had declined any sort of parlaying with such a terrible bane. We were right and our wit foretold plain truth. None might ever trust the origin of hell for us all within the realm of Manwë Cloud-Leader and Varda Snow-White.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 5. Okt 2017, 17:43
MELYANNA: ''You have spoken words of wisdom, Princess of Kôr. Vengeance and grudge is so much alien to the Powers. Their command is guided by the most thoughtful and insightful purpose, and never do they intend to deliver senseless punishment without a just cause, for punishment requires a fault. Their mind is clear from resentful desires of any sort, as one would often experience out of the sacred kingdom of the Archangels. None ought in fact to mistake justice for cruelty, for no evil is to be found in any of their imperative decisions. Wrathful they may be, certainly, and furious, when they behold the ruins left by the mayhem originated from the Enemy of Arda himself. Violence, fury and dreadful resolve, yet ever-conscious and right. No way would the Ainur feel pleasure in wreaking harsh havoc or in waging war against their disgraceful foes, unless you are to contest the ones who blessed were and had afterwards elected the hopeless path of malice. The Powers know well and plain, that any conflict has consequences of grave kind on this earth. Earth which mourns and wails for destruction and carnage; always it was so and forever it shall be. This is the law of Eä, noble maiden, to which all must conform.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 11. Okt 2017, 18:58
MELYANNA: ''Aye, you know well and sure, Princess of Kôr, among sharp cliffs and hills. You were not born yet, and neither was my daughter, Lúthien. Far in the past, at the dawn of the Firstborns. A great war had been launched for the sake of your very race. Young race that needed be rescued and saved from the future of darkness under the rule of the Enemy of Arda, calamitous figure and of all evil source. A dreadful conflict, from whence the world came out grievous and critically wounded, for the Powers are not to grant the privilege of mercy so easily. And justness is not to be viewed as cruelty or unexplainable anger, because no anger exists within Valimar, if not for the malice which we loathe. Joy reigns supreme among the ways of the Lit Earldom. Magnificent centre and heart of the realm, this is Valimar the Radiant and Splendid. Its palaces and high towers not of mere stone were made; magic raised those buildings and together them it keeps. The Supreme City was raised when the old Two Trees were still new the world, prior to the coming of the Eldar to the sunny continent of the Ainur. Prior to this age. And I remember bells resounding while felicity spread from the pulsing seat of the Valar's kingdom. The melody of Manwë, our king, and of the other Archangels whom we always worship in our pleas. Diamond and gold, I recall the matter of those shires. I reminisce about the grandness I had decided to leave, dear Nerwen, for joyful things I had to bring to this continent as well, and here another fate, unknown to me, awaited me with lonesome patience.

It was in those years, blessed and consecrated by the lost light of the Trees, that the vanquished Enemy was chained and at the behest of the Powers he had to ask for pardon. The others of his akin mighty kind were not in favour of any compromise, for any thought of his was venom for Arda and any act a horrendous crime against all. Then, they decreed that for three eras of the Trees he had to be gaoled, knelt and bound by Aulë's most resilient chain. In captivity, at the border of the very earth, lone and trapped in his own solitude. The most terrible of the punishments to which one could ever be subjected. In no way was it cruel, though. It is just justice and how it must be enforced. And I'm confident that the ban now existing between the two shores shall be in the end lifted for the good. I don't feel like condoning rebellious decisions, noble maiden, yet I see no wicked proposition or furious temper in you and your wise kin. Problems will be solved and bridges be rebuilt, unless others are the faults of the Noldor, of which you have not told all.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 19. Okt 2017, 18:42
MELYANNA: ''No stain of grudge in the divine intelligence which all guides. The chariot of governance is ever-stable and never goes astray from its path. You and your wise kin have little to fear, maiden of honour. I may see it in your eyes. I may sense it in your thoughts. I know this. Your House is not burdened by the toil of guilt, apart from the sad exile that has been your final choice. The route you longed to take. The path that has led you hither, to the shores of the Hither-Lands. Thick mists cover the waters of the western blue now, because this is the absolute decree of the Powers: their holy realm had to be concealed and hidden from your sight. The sight of the exiled kind. The gates of Valinórë must be shut and so shall they remain, until the Valar's design is made manifest. What they wish and want. What should be fulfilled. In which manners the Eldar may remedy their faults and how such terrible oath can be cancelled, for it is now a grave testimony of sedition and a compelling factor that new troubles is to cause. The Noldor must be careful and on the alert: those words of hatred, sworn and spoken at the behest of vengeance, shall be doom for whom has pronounced them. The goblet of grief has yet to pour sorrows over our fate. Grim times are ahead, and tragic. This we are to await. Further I cannot foresee, for none knows all ends.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 27. Nov 2017, 15:53
NERWEN: ''My Queen, thy sight is the sight of the Angels and with thy wisdom of what need be for good I am for the most content. It is indeed an honour to speak such words and predictions in the company of one of the Ainur, blessed and clear from flaws. Future shall test all, at one point of the journey, and it might be that a broader truth will be presented to thee, Thy Majesty. Before such pending revelation, I shall wait and beg for little more time still. My mind hath turned into the dreariest maze and my heart is not up yet to the task of reminiscing what was. Yet, gracious Melyanna, even though I fail at words now and wander in the path of uncertainty, thou shalt be told the tale thou wantest to hear, and then the portrait will be full and complete in its fashion; plain to fathom and see through, with eyes keen and sharp as thine. Lances that all pierce and unveil. He who demandeth shall be given just response. He who seeketh shall find the object of the quest. The mourning maiden is to wail and despair, unto the time of pleading aid and rescue, for the ill-made will be restored anew in the gravest hour of all and the palace shall burn deep, down to the roots, prior to the landing of hope.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 13. Dez 2017, 17:14
MELYANNA: ''Is this what your eyes have seen, Princess? It seems to me that your sight is wider and keener than when you and your noble court had made for the path of exile, here. It is thus true that strife and battle, violence and grief might make one wiser of the world. And you are to see further, joyful maiden. You bear a power in your heart. You harbour yearnings and longings that shall lead your way far and through the meanders of this sad earth of ours. A very grim present. And even now, your words sounded lapidary and plain as the common divination of my People of Aman. You might have foreseen what is to be of these territories beyond the sea. You may have predicted frames and gleams of a future that is still unclear for us all. It is a sign of destiny! It means you were verily meant to experience the bitterness of the ice, so that you would come to the lands of sorrow; in my kingdom, for a pupil I have always desired. One that carries on the legacy of our old wit and the memory of these carved halls. One who is apt for learning the secret of magic and incantations. One that is strong and may endure; and you are strong indeed, Princess, the mightiest of your kin. Despite the fog of doom that encroaches these perilous ways, you saw and beheld the final verdict of all, even though you cannot fully comprehend now. The portrait is still incomplete. Yet, it was the proof I longed for and needed. You are welcome to stay, gracious lady, if that is what your heart wants the most.

In your words, the fumes of the Evil shall eventually cover all, until hope finally comes, but it shall only come via routes of water and sundering waves.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 17. Dez 2017, 16:46
NERWEN: ''It is so, I reckon now. My vision seemed not a maze of mine; maze of thoughts, fears or joys. It was indeed a manifestation of what is to await us all, albeit me failing still to grasp the kernel of such divination. I hope I shall read into my dreams and foreseeing; foreseeing that felt ominous and harbinger of troubles. And thy words have spoken possible fate, my Queen. Are we to suffer and wail at that extent, unto the solving of our plight? I trust the rule dwelling in the blessed lands of Aman; certain I am that forgiveness shall move the hand of the Powers once again, so that the exile will have end for good. And my noble family shall fight fiercely and set out with the firmest will; most of these efforts are to drive our fortunes in tempestuous tides, as are the tides separating us from the continent in which naught is made to fade. Much is yet to be fathomed, I guess, for our knowledge of this new world need be broadened still. Thus, should thou favour my pleasant response, I shall accept the invitation and I thank thee with full gratitude. May thy halls in the stone avail our doing and purpose, for much wit ever aideth those who seek to succeed.

Her Majesty hath granted me the best of the gifts, within the defence of a kingdom of old. Endurance, science and arcane riddles. Joyful spirit and courteous manners inside a palace of might. I praise your mood, people of Doriath. Ye will linger in Arda, I am sure, in memories or tales, even if luck is turned into tragedy and your walls fall down in ruinous sort. I shall bear you all in the fortress of my heart, where lie ambitions, dread and reminiscences of the Eternal Day which is no more!''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 29. Jan 2018, 23:06
MELYANNA: ''Truly, your sight has grown keener since your arrival, here, within my kingdom and in these shires of grief. You saw something that might be. You foresaw a tiny fraction of the future events we are bound to live through, whether it be in good or lesser fortune. And sight is the highest among the powers of knowledge; the veil of doubts shall be pierced by one's gaze and anything that acquires strength in the shadow is to have its woeful schemes uncovered. Ruin shall you predict, from afar, and even when the vision lacks clear shape, you will fathom the founding meaning of such epiphany, beyond the mazes of time as they befall. This is the prowess that is seldom bestowed upon the ones who are not counted among the Angels who were prior to the first dawn of Eä; thus, a very rare of a gift, Princess. You ought to honour that miraculous privilege. And yours is a faculty destined to be rendered greater throughout the ages of the world, for I saw not death nor void in your future being; I did not, wise guest. You are born as strongest of your kin and fairest in equal manner, blessed by a day that ceased not, into the Immaculate Reign that is now forbidden to your court. Also, you were born as maiden of vigour and mightiest in the lore of Aman. And in the ancient lore shall you dwell for other centuries still.

My Princess, your science will be given the chance to get wider and open to the arts of magic, should you elect the staying in our stone-made halls.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 31. Jan 2018, 17:22
Lúthien approaches and joins the conversation.

LÚTHIEN: ''I knew I would find you here. The new Moon shines brighter tonight, as if it knew that many are in need of light, when the shadow is cast upon our shires.

I think not that the coming of your noble kind shall be only plagued by woes, gentle Nerwen. You are the proof that wisdom and a pious soul may indeed change the course of events for the better, and your family is greatly renowned for such splendid qualities even across the sea that once divided our paths. And I suppose we came into the world around the same age, Princess, albeit you being delighted and blessed to have commenced your life in the eternal Day of Valinórë, which I saw not, for Beleriand was as it is today, and clearly I may remember that birds would sing melodies of joy at my passage among the woods of this kingdom. What differed from the present, however, was that the Enemy was safely behind the bars of the gaols of Aman and none would dare think that he could escape one day, after having spread such venom in the very dwelling of the Archangels. And I do sense your pain, grand maiden. I feel how much hard was to take the route across the deadly ice of the world; death-bringing routes, verily, if not for the mighty Powers or kindred spirits. And I may imagine that departure from your beloved parents was the greatest wound you have had to take so far, leaving paradise and heading to the shores of suffering, as the Eldar of the Undying Lands have named our territories. This saddens me, that such a marvellous guest has to undergo the pain and gloomy remembrance of the past, bearing it as heavy burden on the shoulders of innocent ones. Yet, if you say that the Evil had to be chased and hunted down at all costs, even to the detriment of divine trust, I feel like believing such compelling words of yours. Because none better than us know that the flower growing amidst adversity is the fairest of all, although the risk of death is ever-present and good things do remain so, if one is truly ready to protect them. Thus the reason for our defensive means, which are deed of my mother, and the reason why anything of value should be safeguarded behind a curtain of security, whether it be through sharp blades or uncanny spells. And so I may comprehend why your court has deemed it well to pass the border of law and chase the vicious one unto our very place, in order to give just retribution to the worst of the crimes, for the light that once was is now lost and none who beheld it not may again. Beside the reasons of such quest, my sight is not enough keen to pierce that veil of unknown visions and seek for truth, yet I do dream, sometimes, and get the utmost thought that something greater guides our doing and that this new era shall end as you told us, Princess. It shall end with resolution of some sort, good or ill, but a resolution nonetheless. Too many woes create the condition for decisive wars and events, which unfold later and bring about the consequences of one's choices. We just have to pray that all is not to crumble below our feet and that victory shall not be with much tragedy as well. But clear predictions are often vain parlance, at a so early time. We shall try to live through the trouble and survive.

If there is much that ought to be confronted, you shall see that Middle-earth harbours much love too, which is ancient love and perhaps older than your halls beyond the wavering blue. Many Immortals have elected the way of lingering hither, in a wild continent. And their love for the world is as deep as the deep of the sea, as you will have the chance to experience. Our homes on this earth we want to defend and dearest to us are all fond dwellings, built and kept with care, even if everything we made could fall, one day, as though a curse haunts the destiny of our kind, so that naught that is shall resist the test of time, unless it rests safe within the dominion of the Lords of the West, to whom we abide and give our foremost prayers. Only, noble friend, we are not yet to part from these lands of struggle which have lain for millennia under the darkness, without guards but our own strength. Maybe, never shall we be to bid farewell to this land, I fear. Never will we depart from the mystery of this marred shore. Never will we forsake the love we have been sowing until now, before some of the fruits of our endeavour we will have reaped for the good.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 14. Feb 2018, 14:56
MELYANNA: ''My daughter spoke well, princess of Aman. With a girdle I rounded these woods and my power pervades anything dwelling here, in the realm of Doriath. And it shall be so until a mightier force comes forth and challenges mine, for among the Angels I am counted, but not all the spirits of Arda I may command. Foul danger or a fate which cannot be swayed towards a chosen goal.

Yet, a shield these shires needed to have. You have seen the slithering evil that always desires to enter our quiet halls, unnoticed. Spies among the Eldar there are not, but much we fear beasts and other sorts of minions in the thrall of the Enemy. And they may not pass through, however, as the barrier searches in every being's deepest will, so that truth is eventually unearthed from tricks or intricate schemes. In one's secret shall my blessing hear and see, to the woe of fell ones, whose rule is hidden in grinding chill.''
Titel: Re: Conversations in Doriath
Beitrag von: Walküre am 21. Feb 2018, 13:39
NERWEN: ''Gracious maiden, it's always a splendid occasion to speak with thee and folks of thy akin kind. Thou art ever a joy, both for the mind and the eyes, for thy beauty cannot be surpassed by any other immortal maid I have ever beheld across the halls of this world. Indeed, I believe it is so due to the blood flowing in thy veins, which is the blood of the bright Angels governing us and our fate. And thy visage of splendour must really hide an equal potency and wisdom. This I may sense with a quite fair amount of ease and I rejoice at the idea of such noble realm being made even merrier by thy presence, Lúthien of Singing Birds. And I hope that doom, should it actually befall as my and thy words have foreseen, shall spare this kingdom among perils, because the gem that dwelleth in adversity is the fairest of all. And thou and thy people have gifted my kind with the greatest reception possible. One that kings and queens are granted to. I also accept the offer ye have made, and that I do fain.

I would like to remain here, with you. So that I may see the events of this continent unfolding and showing their real colour, which is the right meaning that all hath, at the end of the tale. To see grand armies battling each other for the conquest of soil, and from here shall I pray for our force; may the hosts of the Eldar withstand the challenge and keep the darkness at bay. Until much might is gathered and apt they are for the ultimate strike. The act that is to make the gates of Angband tremble and fall. Before the entrance of hell, whence none hath ever returned, where captives are still held in agony and whither we shall head, one day, for the freeing of this marred earldom of ours. Magic I shall also learn and by the teachings of one belonging to the People serving the Powers and their utmost decree. So that my eyes shall seek new horizons to gaze at, searching through the wonders of this old earth. As long as destiny is willing to permit; as long as the defences of decent ones may hold and bear the brunt. Unto the moment in which terror will be given access to all shires, and this shall be harbinger of a last concluding war.''