Tol-in-Gaurhoth XLIX - At the Source of Darkness

[Macalaure]

Many months the learned and the reckless ventured north, far into the uncharted and snowy mountains of the farthest Forodwaith. At last they reached the remains of what was once Utumno, now a devastated landscape of pits and craters filled with ice. In ruin lay all the mighty walls and doors, destroyed in the victory of the Valar many ages ago.
It was difficult to find an entrance in the frozen debris, and they might have been forced to turn around and go back, had they not two rangers leading them who had searched the place before. Eagerly they climbed through the broken stones that half-covered what once was a tunnel covered by many feet of earth.
Had they been less eager, and more wary, maybe they still would have decided to turn again - for as they passed into the darkness, a dark shape passed over the faint stars of the breaking night. At its sight, maybe the learned would have found wisdom again and the reckless would have come to reason, but it did not come thus.

*~*

Utumno was exceeding deep, and once its pits were filled with fire and great hosts of the servants of Melkor. Now, no fire burnt save the torches of the adventurers from the south, and no evil being seemed to linger there anymore. The deeper they climbed, the less the cold became, and soon they were taking off all garments they brought against the eternal winter. They were looking for the deepest hall, where they deemed the secrets of Morgoth to be hidden.
The light of the torches flickered on the walls of the tunnels and stairways and once they left the wrecked paths behind, the fire revealed the ghastly figures carved into the stone - gruesome faces and devices of torture. Some noticed shadows that did not seem to move with the fire, but on their own. Doubting their eyes, they remained silent.

*~*

At last they reached a vast hall from which no further tracks outwent. One last door they saw on the other side, and they were drawn towards it. A single pedestal made of black stone stood there in the middle of a small chamber, and on it lay only one item glimmering as if a dark fire burned from within, and red gems hemmed into its round shape. They had found what they had been looking for. The one thing with which they thought the marring of the world could be undone.

Morgoth's Ring! one exclaimed.

Morgoth's Ring! in others followed in wondering voices.

Morgoth's Ring! all joined.

It's only a metaphor....

Shhhh!

*~*

Now that wehave what we came for, let us seek the way out again. I fear these forsaken places are not as deserted as they seem. Rikae advised and was agreed with.

I do not recall how long we have been journeying these dark and timeless corridors, with all the wrong turns we took and dead ends we encountered, but it will take many... Days and Nights... until the sun will shine on our faces again. Mac explained.

And if some things still linger in this maze, now that we hold their old master's treasure, they might come to hinder us. Who knows what powers still linger here - at the source of darkness. Rikae cautioned their group.

But even the two travelled rangers would not have guessed that the powers they were wary of listened to their very words and already waited to take their turn, once the first Night fell.

*~*

[Macalaure]

There are 2 wolves, 4 cobblers, 1 seer, and 1 cobbler assassin.

Wolves and cobblers work like they always do. The seer sees a cobbler as an ordo. The cobbler assassin chooses one villager to assassinate every night. If a cobbler is chosen, that cobbler is eliminated. If the target is not a cobbler, nothing happens and the assassin will receive no further information. Seer and assassin cannot communicate during the nights.

In case of a tie, the last to receive the final vote gets lynched.

There are no retractable votes

Deadline is 8pm GMT.

Game will start August 18th.


List of Players:

Feanor of the Peredhil - visionary whose visions lean toward the abstract
Shastanis Althreduin - loner roane
Formendacil - snowbird
Kitanna - phantom's business partner
Eönwë - seller of pointless fakes
Nerwen - treasure-seeker
Kath - unemployed bum
Nilpaurion Felagund - aged tale-seeker
Durelin - eccentric, misanthropic archaeologist
Brinniel - junk collector
Gwathagor - warrior librarian
Nogrod - pointless philosopher
Lalaith - absent-minded professor
A Little Green - blind astronomer who sells stars at the stock exchange
the phantom - obtainer of rare antiquities
Thinlómien - marine zoologist
Groin Redbeard - dwarven miner
Mithalwen - factotum

[Macalaure]

Having an uncertain feeling of danger, the expedition hasted through the dark tunnels as swift as they may. A lot farther did they come than Rikae and Mac expected. On their way to the deepest hall before, their often eccentric, absent-minded, and pointless group had wasted much time obtaining rare antiquities and collecting junk. At last the rangers made them halt, for the aged among the loremen started to lag behind.

We must rest for tonight, to save our strength for the coming days. said Mac.

The adventurers quickly prepared something approximating a camp and it did not take them long to fall asleep after they had lied down. But around them, there were things that needed no rest and no sleep. They had slept an unwholesome sleep for ages, and now they desired nothing more than to take revenge upon the thieves that stole their old master's highest treasure.

When all were sound asleep two of these dreadful spirits entered the bodies of two of our heroes, corrupting their minds and, with the remnant of the evil power still abiding in the deeps of Utumno, altered their bodies. Henceforth at night they took the form of werewolves, willing and able to slowly slay those who sought to exit from their realm. The beasts woke, bared their teeth, and withdrew to a corner to plot how to best reach their goal.

*~*

But more happened during this night. Other sprits, of less potency, descended into the minds of four more. They did not have the power to rule over them, or even their bodies, but they confused their hosts and dreams entered their thoughts that they had never dreamt before. They saw each other, though the vision was too blurry and dark to reveal a thing. Then, before their eyes, they saw the Dark Lord himself, awful to behold, and they fell to their knees in awe.

What did you come here for, into my abide? his voice asked, but none dare answer, for suddenly their plans made them felt like traitors.

This is the last realm in Arda that is free of the arrogance and deceit of the Valar. Here, you do not call upon their names. Here you curse them! Tell me now who it is that you worship!

In terror and faint voices they replied: Melkor!

That is right. You are here at the source of darkness, and only darkness is worshipful here, and only darkness has power - and it was power that you came here for, power to undo my work?

Master, forgive us, we erred.

How shall I trust you? Maybe if you speak to me the words that my servants swore to me of old, I shall believe your vows.

And so they spoke:

Death to light, to law, to love!
Cursed be moon and stars above!
May darkness everlasting old
that waits outside in surges cold
drown Manwë, Varda, and the sun!
May all in hatred be begun,
and all in evil ended be,
in the moaning of the endless Sea!

And then they were revealed to the deadly plan. Yet, they did not learn of the identity of the two accursed ones, for Melkor's trust knows strict borders.

*~*

But even more dreams were dreamt that night, and those were of more beauty. One of the adventurers strayed through gardens of green and of colorful flowers and old trees, and peace came to his heart. At the time that he felt most glad and fulfilled, a gentle voice spoke to him.

I apologise to interrupt your joy, but I have called you to walk in my garden for more a more important reason than your enjoyment. You and your group are in the most dire danger! Foolish you were to seek for the secrets of the one I do not name. Now evil has conspired against you to bring you to your bitter end. Inside the evil dungeon even my power is restricted, so among all of you I can only grant one this gift. Henceforth, for as long as you should still live, you may walk in my gardens every night, and you shall wake up wiser than you fell asleep each time. May this wisdom help you and your friends.

Then the voice fell silent and did not answer when our adventurer asked for its name.

*~*

Another one of our heroes was allowed to stray in Lórien's gardens, too. But Lórien had no gift of his own to give to this one when he spoke to him.

Welcome to my gardens, weary wanderer. I have called you to walk in my garden tonight, for there is somebody who seeks to talk to you...

Alright, can I speak now?

Yes, you can. He can hear you now.

Just like this?

Yes Oromë, please, just go ahead.

Well... *ahem*... so... You were foolish to come to that place! The power of Morgoth will never undo the deeds of Morgoth. Only more suffering you will bring into the world, and first onto yourselves. The Valar have decided to come to your help, in the measure that we are capable of. You shall receive a hallowed weapon of mine. It is invisible to anybody but yourself, and it will kill anybody who pretends a fair face, but does not support you inside their hearts. It does not slay the utter evil or good... are you sure he can really hear me?

He heard everything, and hopefully understood it as well.

That is good. Now, to end this, what do I have to pre... *clack*

*~*

Night 1 begins. Wolves: plot. Seer: dream. Others: sleep.

[Rikae]

Rikae and Mac took turns guarding the entrance of the chamber the group was sleeping in. Would they have devoted more of their attention towards the inside of the chamber instead of the outside, maybe this story would have ended right here, but they were oblivious to what happened to some of their fellows inside. The wolves, on the other hand, knew two rangers would be able to thwart all their effort. They needed to go.

Mac was sleeping soundly, and Rikae quietly hummed a tune of old.

A thousand years ago, or maybe even 33
the ancient fraggles wrestled with a strange catastrophe
every time they wandered down a certain tunnel lane
one by one they disappeared like bubbles down a drain
a darkness closed around them and they never came again

A squeeking sound interrupted her song. Something was there....
Rikae nudged Mac awake, and expressed the foreboding that they would never leave this place alive. He casually remarked:

It's not so bad!

Seeing Rikae looking at him strangely, he added:

Well, I'm not saying I'd like to build a summer home here, but the carvings are actually quite lovely.

Suddenly, a dark shape moved into the passageway before them. Instantly, they were on their feet, skewering it repeatedly with their swords until it collapsed on the stone floor. The light from the chamber beyond fell on the creature, revealing it as nothing more than a rat of unusual size.

From the sound it made, I assumed it would be something even bigger - a werewolf, I feared. said Rikae.

Mac replied: A werewolf? That is more than unlikely, even in this place. What should it have done all this time? On what should it have fed? Rats? I doubt th...

No more words came out of Mac's throat, for huge fangs pierced it from behind, took his breath, and killed him. Rikae, at almost the same moment, was grabbed and her mouth shut by a large and hairy paw. The cruelty of what happened then is beyond this storyteller to recount.

*~*

Late did the members of the expedition awake. They expected to be woken by their two brave rangers and they walked around calling for them, but no answer came. Only when they stepped outside the chamber they saw what became of them. The floor was filled with pools of blood. Blood covered the walls as well. Tiny pieces of two human bodies lay all over the place. Then they looked up to the ceiling and thus horror was taught to them. For there, written in the blood of their victims, the werewolves wrote the words.

Calli lelyal ostosse!

All held their breath in dreadful awe. Only Formendacil spoke up:

Heroses going in the city? What is that supposed to mean?

It's supposed to be "Heroes go home! came a voice from behind.

Everybody turned around in an instant.

"Who said that?"

No word was uttered.

This is ridiculous. Formendacil protested. What is "Calli" supposed to mean? Plural of "Callo" is "Callor"! And "lelyal" is in the completely wrong form. We are given an order, so the imperative has to be used: "á lelya"! "Osto" makes the least sense of all! If it's supposed to mean "home" it has to be "mar"! And since we are told to go there, the allative case has to be used, not the locative: "marra"!

So enraged Formendacil was, that he took some of the blood inside the pools and drew the correct phrase upon the wall. Slowly the others backed away from him...

*~*

Dead:
Macalaure and Rikae (mods) - killed by wolves and turned into faulty quenya in Night One

Alive:
Feanor of the Peredhil - visionary whose visions lean toward the abstract
Shastanis Althreduin - loner roane
Formendacil - snowbird
Kitanna - phantom's business partner
Eönwë - seller of pointless fakes
Nerwen - treasure-seeker
Kath - unemployed bum
Nilpaurion Felagund - aged tale-seeker
Durelin - eccentric, misanthropic archaeologist
Brinniel - junk collector
Gwathagor - warrior librarian
Nogrod - pointless philosopher
Lalaith - absent-minded professor
A Little Green - blind astronomer who sells stars at the stock exchange
the phantom - obtainer of rare antiquities
Thinlómien - marine zoologist
Groin Redbeard - dwarven miner
Mithalwen - factotum

Day 1 has begun. Everybody talk!

[Nogrod]

Finally Nogrod the pointless philosopher walked forwards and addressed the others.

"Fear not for philosophy will offer consolation to us all. I mean that one should not be afraid of something that isn't plain real and concrete, right? Now can you prove these miss-spelling monsters do exist? No you can't. Maybe the deaths of our rangers are just results of our imagination and they're not actually dead, or maybe the Valar have taken them to their lands and are just trying our faith? Or maybe these are just pools of a random red liquid that pours from the veins of the aghastly halls in memory of the foul deeds and murder commited here millenia ago? Or maybe there is no real world but only your mind that is tricked by far greater powers – or just by this hollow place which wishes to lead us astray? …

Uhh… just a minute… oh yes, our fear is more like pointing to the possibility of those monsters being real and within the realm of possibilities anything... well at least almost anything is somewhat... erm... possible? As creatures able to think we are also able to leave the "here-and-now" and to both remember the past and to anticipate the future… So a major form of fear may arise from the anticipation of a possibility becoming actual. Thence the object of our fear might not be the existence of those beasts and their threat on us here which could be refuted with showing the impossibility of proving the necessary nature of their being, but the possibility of them becoming actual in the future or at least the existence of that threat in our minds. So the absence of their presence doesn’t yet solve the problem then… Now, this is a dilemma. Just a minute…

But a philosopher once said that death in itself is not frightening for it is only our fear of death that frightens us. The things in world happen and are neither frightful or delighting as such - for they are necessary – it's only the emotions and beliefs we attach to things existing or possibly happening that give them their value and our anticipation that makes us fear or hunger for them. So the fear nor it's object are not in the world but inside you all yourselves. It's up to you to decide whether you should be afraid of your own thoughts or not.... or...

Oh my… I seem to have ended up into the side of repressive ideologies that blame the individuals and leave the oppressive system untouched. The reality of evil and suffering should not be forgotten indeed! It is emancipation and enlightenment that we need and not apologies for the necessity and unavoidability of our unjust situation. Let's fight this out and free ourselves as subjects of our own lives and declare our rights against the evil oppressors and the violent system!

But then again: how to fight against violence and oppression that are not actual or present but are merely enclosed in the fear and evil existing primarily within us ourselves as structures of our own thought laid there by the oppressive class and it's cultural hegemony? The fight needs an object as well, the thing we're fighting against – and an analysis as to where this evil arises from and what are its mechanics so that we could outdo its effects? So we should should fight against ourselves first then, beat our inner demons? Gah, I'm afraid I lost my point…if there ever was any, I mean...

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery in any case!

Sorry. I got a bit carried away as well. I'll think a bit more if you allow me..."

[Nogrod]

1. There is evil among us.

1.1. There are two wolves.

1.1.2. There are only two wolves against 16 people.

1.1.2.1 It seems they are not knowledgeable of their helpers but only of each other.

1.2. There are four cobblers.

1.2.1. The cobblers - adding with the number of wolves - can create a lot of havoc in any one voting we make.

1.2.1.1. Many times those cobblerish-souls can be kind of ignored until the last Days.

1.2.1.2. This is not one of those times as it seems they know each others identity and are numerous (look also 1.2.1.).

1.2.1.2.1. Unless I read the narration too hastily as it says only that They saw each other, though the vision was too blurry and dark to reveal a thing.

1.2.1.2.2. The beginning of the sentence states it quite clearly that "saw each other" eg. they know each others identity, but the rest of the sentence kind of puts that in some doubt.

1.2.1.2.3. If the interpretation I made is false in the point 1.2.1.2. then the nasty scenario loses some of its potency - which would be good.

1.2.1.3 The antique-dealer is at least partly wrong. Whatever the interpretation, the cobblers are a major problem even if we agreed that the wolves are our main enemies.

1.2.2. The cobblers' possibilities of creating havoc is lessened a little by the fact that they do not know the identities of the wolves and that is good.

1.3. We have six enemies here.

1.3.1. That makes it one third of our total.

1.3.1.1. The sum total of us will be decreasing Day by Day.

1.3.1.2. It will decrease Night by Night to be exact.

1.3.2. It is a new situation indeed.

1.3.2.1. New situations are challenges that might prove either way.

1.3.2.2. Let's hope this will turn out the good way.

1.4. We may be in trouble.

1.4.1. The greatest peril being that the cobblers may twist an important vote with co-operation in a situation they feel safe enough on later Days.

1.4.1.1. If the speculation in 1.2.1.2.1.-3. is right then this danger lessens.

1.4.2. The chances of the cobblers can be denied from them if we are careful and witty enough... and lucky... and the rules favour us.

1.4.2.1. I'd look for nice bandwagons even more closely this time.

1.4.2.2. Especially in the first Days.

1.4.2.2.1. Which throws even more responsibility to the innocents around here for choosing the easy lynch will be exactly the way the cobblers would like to save themselves on the first Days before their time actually comes to perform their ugly duties.

1.4.2.2.2. Differentiating between a lazy / self-preserving innocent and a cobbler will be a task in this situation.

1.4.3. There's no greater light than those of hope and determination.


2. There is much good around.

2.1. There are 12 totally innocent souls against the malice.

2.1.1. Of those twelve two have special powers to help us.

2.1.1.1. Sadly they don't know of each other.

2.1.2. The four lesser evils will be counted as innocents in any tallies if it gets to that point.

2.1.2.1. The mathematical ratio of evil vs. the good is 2 to 16.

2.1.2.1.1. The effect of those four innocent but cobbler persons may twist the voting though (look especially 1.2.1.2.).

2.2. We innocents need not lie or fabricate things.

2.2.1. Forced cases should bring forwards alarm-bells as they are ones the wolves and cobblers need to do.

2.2.2. But how to differentiate those from tests and trials we innocents need to do if the villains want to stay quiet and uncontroversial?

2.2.2.1. A load of people just nodding to each other is the best scenario for the baddies to hide within.

2.2.2.2. And we have six of them trying to hide!

2.2.2.3. Or to be agreeable.

2.3. Let's stay true and sharp.


End of part I.


EDIT: X'd with everything after tp's second post...

[the phantom]

My name is Indiana Jo- erm... I mean, Phantom, I'm an obtainer of rare antiquities, and I'm here to help!

*silence*

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm just here for adventure and loot. I hardly know any of you people. But as I'm ill equipped to deal with two Werewolves all on my own, it is currently in my best interest to work with you guys to lynch them.

First, if I read the signs correctly, there are only two of them! Much nicer than three or four.

Second, they have helpers. But they don't know each other, so the Wolves are bound to kill one of them. And without even trying to we'll probably lynch one. And as that bloke in our dreams told us, we have a Cobbler Hunter helping us, and he's likely to peg one eventually. So forget the Cobblers. The Wolves are the concern here.

A couple of things- why did an unemployed bum come on this excursion. Up to no good I'd say.

And a pointless philosopher? What does he get out of this?

Or a blind astronomer? She's obviously not going to see anything of interest down here.

And neither is a marine zoologist. Very fishy.

I would suspect the absent minded professor's reasons for being here, but I expect she came by accident.

And what's a snowbird doing here? I thought they liked warm weather, not the frozen north. And how does he know so much about languages?

Lastly, what's Conan the Librarian doing here? Shouldn't he be extracting late fees by the point of his sword?

[the phantom]

One more thing- is it really smart for all of us to wear invisibility cloaks? It's really annoying trying to talk to people that you can't see. Plus it seems to me the WWs with their keen senses of smell and hearing suffer less than us from this lack of sight.

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by the phantom

And what's a snowbird doing here? I thought they liked warm weather, not the frozen north. And how does he know so much about languages?

My dear the phantom, it's summer. This is the time snowbirds spend up north.

Though, granted, there aren't mosquitoes in Ariz... I mean, in Umbar.

And it's rather chilly.

Curse those dead Rangers for talking me into this! How am I supposed to get back to Annúminas in time for my motorcad... I mean, my waggon train, back to Ariz... I mean, Umbar? Dying on us like that, really! It's most inconvenient.

As for how I know so many languages? Are you insinuating, Mr. the Phantom, that we men of the land can't handle tough academics? The Valar know we have time for it, sitting there on our tracto... I mean, walking behind the plow.

Besides, I'm Dúnedain. Elvish languages are the only one I can read!

As for why I'm along... I'm a retiree. Sight-seeing tours are what we do!

Now, if you'll excuse me, my senior citizen's bladder ain't what it used to be...