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| 15. Wind-Singers Volume I: The Hunt; Cellindien and Ioristion search for artifacts in ruins across Eriador | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 23 2014, 08:00 PM (1,307 Views) | |
| Ioristion | Jan 7 2015, 08:54 PM Post #81 |
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Chapter LXXXII: An Unforeseen Journey Ioristion charged out of the Vale of Imladris. He pressed Vanya to charge as fast as he could. The sun shown through the heather as the wind hissed on the High Moor. He journeyed for many hours, sighting nothing. Suddenly, he glanced ahead: a pack! He swiftly dismounted, grabbed it, and opened it: there was Cellindien's cloak of gold. NO! Something has harmed her! Ioristion scanned the horizon. There were no signs of her at first. But as he looked down, he noticed hoof-prints still present in the dirt from foul weather, and they were recent. Calmly Vanya. The horse was calm. Their bond was growing. They maneuvered down the Moor. Soon, they came to the Ford. The trail continued across it, and up a rise to the left. They continued. They traveled for an entire day on the road that rose up and down through the hills. They paused at several places and Ioristion pondered the meaning of the missing cloak. He wondered at it. Was there a storm the night before? They passed beneath a ruined gate and then down into Tal Bruinen. The frogs were crooking in the shallows. The gorges rose high on either side of the Bruinen. Vanya drank for a long time and was refreshed. Ioristion had rationed water through the flasks. They alternated, resting at times, and continuing. Ioristion felt tempted to sleep, but not with his sister in danger. A new reserve of energy had awoken within his fea. They were fortunate so far. Ioristion had brought a sword with him just in case of wildlife or other dangers. The second day did not improve the search. The gorge continued without any signs. A rainstorm came, the same that Cellindien was caught within. Ioristion hid beneath his cloak, the thundering rain falling off of it. On the third day, the ground was muddy in several places. Ioristion tracked her, noting her footprints. They were getting closer. Edited by Ioristion, Jan 7 2015, 09:00 PM.
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| Ioristion | Jan 10 2015, 09:27 AM Post #82 |
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Chapter LXXXIII: Ghosts of the Past "Adar! Adar!" Cellindien was becoming angrier with each passing moment, angry, tired and confused. "Luingil! Where are you?!" She drew her sword again, waving it at the air as if expecting an enemy to materialize at any second. "Luingil!!!" Ioristion dismounted. He had journeyed for three days on the winding road that tread above the Bruinen, its waters silently flowing below. There were fresh tracks, leading to the west. He followed them for several hours. It appeared as if she had slowed down. He walked cautiously, as Vanya walked beside him. Suddenly, he saw a bedraggled, ragged wanderer ahead of him. Cellindien gave no sign of seeing him, dropping to her knees and letting out a roar of frustration and anger. "LUINGIL!" "Cellindien? My sister... is that you?" "Why do you cry out for your father's name?" He knelt down as well, assisting her. He could tell that it was her. She spun around at the sound of his voice, brandishing her sword at him before letting it fall to the ground slowly. "Ioristion... what have you done? You should not have followed." He cast his head down wearily, "You do not understand. My family does. I told them why before I left. You have no idea what you were seeking, or what it could do. But I know..... "I wish I could have stayed at home.......... I wish we were all in the West, and all of it over....... but it is not. Now, why were you crying out that name?" "You know, and yet you take the risks anyway..." She pushed herself to her feet, searching for her horse and walking over to it, feeling for her water skin and taking a long draught. "He has returned..." She pushed back the grey hood that had obscured her face. It was pale. Not a single moment of doubt pierced inside Ioristion's heart, "Impossible. Melimwe saw the Yrch cut him down. There was nothing he could do." "You left something behind." He revealed the cloak. She remained unconvinced, "No, he stood there. I saw him and heard his voice... My cloak? I brought it with me... tied it to the saddle." Edited by Ioristion, Jan 10 2015, 09:27 AM.
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| Ioristion | Jan 10 2015, 09:27 AM Post #83 |
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Chapter LXXXIV: A Tragic Revelation Ioristion thought pensively, "What could........ Melimwe healed us, so that was not it. What was it....... the ruins? Nay, Findekano drove the spirit away....... He awoke from his thoughts, "I found the sack lying in the High Moor. It must have fallen unbeknownst. I feared you had encountered danger." Cellindien frowned, stepping forward to take the cloak from him and run her hands over the golden fabric. "I thought that it was secure. I would not have left it willingly." Ioristion smiled, "I know. I am thinking.......... Luingil is dead, yet you claim he is alive........ I think you are seeing visions...." The seeds of doubt were planted in her heart, "How do you that he is dead? He may have survived. Rostor was sure that he saw me cut down." She frowned, reaching up to rub the shoulder that had been struck by Guldrambor. "And yet I saw him alive..." She closed her eyes. Small tears ran down Ioristion's cheeks. He was not insensitive: "Luingil was slain and trampled. He could not have made it through the escape passage alive at all. The entire Tum-Laden was filled with foes. Do you not remember?" She nodded gravely, "Yes, I remember." He continued as a lingering weariness grew steadily in his eyes: "Guldrambor had cursed Rostor to his Doom..... and he had done so in the form of Maeglin, a vision, an apparition........" Cellindien frowned and sat down heavily on the ground. "Valar... Valar help us..." Edited by Ioristion, Feb 18 2015, 05:52 PM.
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| Ioristion | Jan 10 2015, 09:28 AM Post #84 |
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Chapter LXXXV: A Grotesque Realization Ioristion sat down sadly beside Cellindien as the cool night air blew softly on their shoulders. He tried to connect the stories, with wonder and doubt within his heart, "This is the only other case in which I know one has seen one of the dead who is not truly there......... So, where could this have come from...... You lost the cloak, and began seeing your father.... or what appeared to be your father.... did you sleep these past few nights?" She spoke sadly. "He called me daughter. Not as he once did, in anger..." She shook her head. "I have been unable to sleep." Ioristion shook as the realization dawned on him, "Neither did Rostor when he claimed he saw Maeglin! Not sleeping..... it grants power to it..... and the cloak protected...... let me try something. I did not sleep so much either these past few nights." He took off his cloak and placed it on the ground beside them. He waited for several moments, wondering if Rostor would suddenly appear from behind a rock. "Nothing. Although I feel gravely fatigued...... still nothing. Let us think about this. Presume, with me, for a moment, that your father is dead, and that Guldrambor's powers are manipulating you somehow. Where could they have come from.......?" Cellindien rubbed her eyes wearily. "I cannot say... unless it was from the very beginning..." Ioristion entered into deep thought, "There was a look on Melimwe's face...... an expression of doubt. I wonder if he truly healed us completely." Cellindien groaned. "My cloak, please..." He pointed on the ground beside her, "You already have it." "Where...?" She looked about, then realized that she had let it fall to the ground beside her. "These cloaks must have protected us.... from any unforeseen after-effects. We must take care to avoid long spasms of sleeplessness...... and we must wear these at all times, even if beneath our outer clothes, folded down our backs...... it seems my conversations with your sisters have proven themselves more necessary than I could imagine....." "And if, by some strange way, Luingil survived..... I will protect you from him. Only time will tell. If you do not see him by the time we reach Hollin Ridge, then I will have guessed correctly." "Very well." She stood and removed her grey cloak, putting on the golden one before covering it with the grey. She smiled ruefully. "You would protect me from a Swordmaster, brother...?" Ioristion smirked, "I may not have to. We will see....." It was difficult to read her face when she spoke: "I hope that you do not have to try." "If there could have been some measure of peace between you and your father, I would have seen it be........... a part of me wonders..... No matter. We will see. I know how else to determine this..... you must have senses now." Ioristion slipped his own cloak into his pack, "I violate my plan..... if I am right, I should be seeing someone in Eregion." "And I will maintain the watch while you rest. Try to sleep...... we should wait several hours." Cellindien raised an eyebrow. "You would maintain the watch without your cloak?" Ioristion smiled, "Yes. I will do this. It is the only way to truly know....." "I am weary. If you should wander off as I sleep in the night, how would I know?" Ioristion smiled without deeper or clearer practical thought, "Vanya will warn you if I do. She is an intelligent horse." And so Ioristion lay backward against the cliff, and began his watch. |
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| Ioristion | Jan 10 2015, 09:29 AM Post #85 |
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Chapter LXXXVI: Along the River For several long hours, a great fatigue swept over him. He battled his senses. He tried to remain conscious. He drank some water from his flask, and endured. In time, seven hours had passed them by. Cellindien was reluctant, but she was exhausted and soon feel asleep, unaware of her brother's struggle. He heard the sounds of the crickets chirping, but little else. Even the horses slept soundly. Ioristion nearly laughed inside himself, "Vanya cannot warn her if asleep...." He drank more water. When he reached the eighth hour, and night was yet to come, he began to waver. He held steady, remembering some of Findekano's teachings. He aroused the horses, gently, and turned to shake Cellindien. "My sister.... you have slept for eight hours. And it is good. Come, we must continue." Cellindien woke instantly, her hand going to the dagger at her belt, but she instantly relaxed when she saw who was there. "Ioristion... you have seen nothing?" She stood and stretched, marveling at the peace she felt from resting beneath the cloak. "Nothing so far." He tiredly mounted his horse, "Let us press further south." They journeyed for another three days. Ioristion was stubborn. He insisted that he maintain the watch on the first night. He was weary, very weary, and nearly lost consciousness. He finally fell into the elvish sleep for an hour, but his horse awoke him, as if by command. He avoided sleep. He spoke little. He was insistent when questioned. The gorges slowly crawled past them as they galloped, pausing to rest for the horses at several spots, but they continued. The great cliffs atop which stood holly trees slowly approached, and soon they found a shallow portion of the Bruinen. They crossed on horseback, and then they began to climb, ascending the hills, and soon they were high up along the cliffs that rose steadily higher, until at last the holly trees had reached the level of their eyes. Their red berries glimmered strangely in the light of the morning sun. Ioristion rubbed his tired eyes, "This is a strange sight...." "I have not cast my eyes...... madness aside, ......this sight....." Cellindien looked to him in concern, bringing her horse beside his. "....we dwelt here long ago, far further south, but in this land....." Edited by Ioristion, Jan 10 2015, 09:29 AM.
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| Ioristion | Jan 10 2015, 09:30 AM Post #86 |
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Chapter LXXXVII: The Hollin Ridge They passed through the northern woods of Eregion on a journey of several hours. Ioristion seemed driven to find something. They found themselves riding nigh the Hollin Ridge. The sun was pointing west when they began to scale the Ridge. They reached the pinnacle. The lands of Eregion swept before them. And the Sun began to set. Suddenly, Ioristion paused. He gazed in front of him to see an ellon, meditating, with copper-hair flowing behind him. "Wait a moment.... this cannot be...... I see an ellon with copper-hair in front of me......... Macil, is that you?" Cellindien stood in quiet awe, taking in the sight. It was no wonder that Rostor had chosen to settle in this land. The apparition turned and looked at him, and Ioristion stood, marched forward, and swiped at the air with his hand. He was gone. "Yes.... my sister..... I was right. He is gone." Ioristion took the cloak out of his pack, feeling it soothe his weary spirit. "Have you seen Luingil?" Cellindien stood in shock, watching Ioristion. "Brother... I have not." "You saw him...? You saw Rostor?" "We are both affected then, for I saw Rostor just now..... I expected to. Yes. It is as I suspected. A trace of the poison is still within us, influencing our senses of reality..... these cloaks alone protect us." She stood at his shoulder, resting a hand there. "We have been in greater peril than we knew." "Yes, we have. He used to meditate here...... it was here that I met him. Rostoriel stood not far to the east, when I beheld them for the first time. And there," he pointed to a rocky hill far to the southwest, "Were the walls of Ost-en-Edhil, where we dwelt. And......" he spoke sadly, "My mother perished there.........." Cellindien sighed sadly, sitting beside him. "Brother... you have deprived yourself for too long. Rest now, and I will keep watch. You cannot face this place as you are." "I long wept for her in Lindon...... she fell in the invasion. Adar......." Ioristion halted, "You are right. Thank you." She sat beside him as he reclined. The stars glimmered, glistening in the night. The sepuchral earth stood amidst them. The wind rustled softly through the branches. There they floated, glistening in the sky, the same stars that had cast their sacred light upon the old realm, with its golden domes and spiring towers, its marbled streets and pleasant roads, the laughter of children and the singing of songs, the dancing and the mirth, all gone, all passed, all washed away by the tides of shadowed gloom, all for a small, golden ring, that bound them all to doom. "Thank you." She lowered her voice, watching him soberly as he rested. "You have freed me of my father once again." Ioristion fell asleep and dreamed of pleasant dreams, wrapped within the safety of the cloak. He slept for eight hours. After he had rested Cellindien woke him gently, calling to him. When he arose she nodded and followed him once again. He opened his eyes, "That was good...... thank you." It was still nightfall. "Let us descend, and find what we may find." |
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| Ioristion | Jan 10 2015, 09:32 AM Post #87 |
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Chapter LXXXVIII: Beneath the Ruined Past They traveled onward for three days, and the land was silent. They proceeded as they had, alternating between watches. Not a single ruin was in sight. But Caradhras yawned beside them. As they journeyed, Ioristion spoke: "My mother died because Celebrimbor had granted a hidden task to my father. A task that he undertook too willingly, not realizing the risks. He hid some of Celebrimbor's exalted tomes in Hadhodrond, but was never able to seek for or recover them...... and now Hadhodrond has become Moria....... He once taught in a school that was held amidst a great many other things, in Minas Elendur...... and it was in Minas Elendur, or rather, in caverns beneath Delotham, that I found Findekano in my madness......" When they finally reached the mountainside, they found the ruins. "Be careful within, my memories are scattered of this place....... before we search Ost-en-Edhil, I want to see......." He tied the horses gently outside, bidding them to be calm. He grabbed a flask of oil from his pack, and several torch sticks, packing them carefully in a sack. He took one out, striking flint, and lighting it. The torch blazed beautifully. He did it to a second stick, which Cellindien took. As Ioristion slowly opened the door before them, he bid caution: "This place has seen much sorrow......." But then several memories struck him swiftly, and his legs were carried away at the same hastiness as his mind. They rushed through the labyrinthine halls. In the shadows they caught glimpses of ruined pillars amidst star-lit pools, and ancient frescoes painted on the walls, many of them depicting landscapes. Shadowed ridges with wizened holly trees. They took heed of the rubble that littered the floors. Ioristion seemed to be following something he knew. He was remembering his time with his father. And he remembered that there was a strange door hidden in the lower halls. They found the entrance to a dark stair plunging into the abyss. And they plunged into its depths, through the shadows of Delotham. When they reached the easternmost section, Ioristion spied a hallway ahead of them with much structural damage. When they reached the middle of the hall, he turned east, placing the torch carefully nearby, and then he started shoving at several large, ancient rocks. "Move them, I think this is concealing the door." Cellindien set aside her shield and weapons and heaved at the rocks, gradually helping to clear the area. He heaved and heaved and then, suddenly, he fell forward as the rocks collapsed. He fell into a black and empty space. Blacker than Delotham. Ioristion coughed, but tried not to speak too loudly, "Sister......." Cellindien cried out as he disappeared, lunging towards him but unable to catch hold as he fell. "Ioristion! Brother, are you hurt?" "I was correct," he whispered, as he gradually stood, wiping away the dust, "I am fine... come through.... and bring the torch... I should have told you in advance............ my father spoke of a strange door and I had seen it...... there must have been a concealed entrance that was hidden from the Dark Lord, a passage for more secret trading...." He whispered, "Let us not rest for too long. We do not know what dwells hither. I must remember what Adar told me, if we are to find the lost tomes he vowed to recover...." The torch had fallen to the ground as Cellindien tried to grab him, but mercifully it had not gone out. She retrieved it and climbed after him carefully. "An entrance...?" A strange and terrible light glowed within his eyes: "Yes..... these are the Mines of Moria." Edited by Ioristion, Jan 10 2015, 09:40 AM.
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| Ioristion | Jan 14 2015, 06:43 PM Post #88 |
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Chapter LXXXIX: Into the Deeper Dark "Yes..... Hadhodrond....." Ioristion whispered. "Whisper, at all times..... I have heard that dark forces may have conquered this realm......" It was reported in Dwarven history that Azog the Defiler ruled these halls....... and many more Yrch may dwell here still...... And..... there is the legend. Some speak of a Shadow, some deadly foe that conquered the Mines to begin with.... no one knows what it might be, but the Naugrim call it "Durin's Bane." Cellindien shuddered, feeling for the rock wall beside her in the dark. "Then why... you did not tell me that you intended to come here..." Ioristion continued dusting off his robes, "I must do this for my father. Alas, alas, why did I leave Findekano behind in Imladris...... It is why I told the story, of his lost books in Hadhodrond..... my mother died because of them. We must find them somehow..... I confess." He brought forth a map, bringing it to the torch-light, "My father mapped where he hid them. I took it from Minas Noldorion, just in case. I knew not that we would actually be here. But come, quiet. We must be cautious. Listen for any sound other than our footsteps. We must keep our swords at our sides. Tread lightly......." "I expect, it will take us one or two marches. Let us go before we lose our nerves. Shall we?" "You say quiet, and yet talk..." Cellindien's whisper was tense. "I do not favor traveling underground, brother... it is only fair that you know. Is there any other way?" "I am afraid not..." Cellindien sighed, shifting uncomfortably and loosening her sword in its sheath. "Then lead on..." Edited by Ioristion, Jan 14 2015, 06:43 PM.
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| Ioristion | Jan 14 2015, 06:54 PM Post #89 |
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Chapter XC: Through the Deeper Shadows Before them stood two broken walls, as if they were clobbered through in haste. Ioristion wondered if the Naugrim had dug this tunnel during their counter-attack in the Fall of Eregion, to save what Noldor they could, before hastily sealing the passage. It struck him as even more valid than a trading passage. But he remembered the door. What was this before the door? He did not have time to ponder. They passed through the shadows, up large stairs, and through passages in the dark. The air was clean but unsettling, and they passed many archways and tunnels. There were many falling down and rising up, or opening straight into an abyss. After a rest, they continued, up high and treacherous paths, until they came at length to a larger archway. They had traveled for many hours. They passed beneath the archway, entering into a smaller chamber. In the dim light of the flames of their torches, books could be seen in many volumes on the shelves, in dust-laden volumes of faded ruby, emerald, and sapphire. Many were also covered in simple umber bindings. Ioristion whispered, "We have marched for many hours. But this is the place. Now, to find them." Cellindien stared at the shelves in mixed wonder and horror. "But how...?" He gazed at the map, and carefully pulled another parchment from his sack. He read Auruiron's notes carefully. "They are very old. But the elvish texts themselves are longer-lived than ordinary parchment, with the aid of powers brought from Aman." Cellindien lifted her torch, making sure to keep it a safe distance from the tomes. "Did he give you anything else? A description of the bindings, perhaps...? ...Or complete directions..." She groaned and sat down on the floor. Ioristion muttered, tracing his fingers on the dust-laden volumes, "Five shelves up... three across..... it is hidden. Mellon Feanorion." He saw a brief glimmer on one of the texts. He reached for it, "Yes... this is one of them." He placed it in his sack carefully. "We have them, my sister. Take the parchment and search the other shelf quickly. He noted it in shelves and columns." I do not want goblins or Yrch or something even more foul to discover us in this room. We need haste." He found another. There were ten altogether. Cellindien got to her feet and took the parchment, following its instructions to search. Ioristion had already memorized several of the keys within his mind. He found another. After some time she nodded, pulling a tome from the shelf and laying it aside before moving on. "Here, Ioristion, another..." "Good. Keep searching. Five to go, and my father's vow to the Mirdain will be fulfilled." After more searching, he found the sixth and seventh missing tomes. The eighth and ninth Cellindien found. Ioristion reached the section of the shelf according to the cypher. The tenth was missing. "How can this be....." |
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| Ioristion | Jan 14 2015, 07:06 PM Post #90 |
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Chapter XCI: In Pursuit of the Last Mirdain Ioristion whispered, muttering, "The most important text of all...... missing? We cannot abide by this......" Cellindien gathered up the books that she had found and crossed the room to meet him. "How can it be...? We are in a ruined and pillaged underground hall... that we found nine is astounding." Suddenly, there was the sound of a rumble of stone in the distance. Ioristion motioned to hush, "What was that noise......" Ioristion's shoulder bumped into a nearby shelf. He moved carefully toward the archway, "I thought I heard.... a rumble...." Cellindien nearly dropped her books at the sound, her heart pounding in her chest. "I do not know... We should not stay here. We should get out. You said yourself it was full of enemies..." They waited for several, long moments, but they did not hear any further sound. Ioristion hastily muttered, "I do not know either. But we have no choice, but to press on. Adar told me that his old librarian friend among the Naugrim kept a hidden trove in the winding passage that leads toward the eastern halls. We must move carefully." Cellindien shuddered again, casting a wary look about her before following him. A thought struck Ioristion: The torches! But he remembered Fareon's words, concerning what became of his cloak when Agarwaenor touched fire to it in the Halls of Thranduil so far away. He grabbed a portion of his cloak, and covered his torch with it. He whipped back his cloak. The torch remained aflame. The tears of the Vala protected the cloak from harm, for their substance, though now dry, did not dissipate, for it was divine. It defied what should have happened, and it was miraculous in its defiance. It was beautiful. Ioristion covered both torches with the cloak, the cloak did not burn. But now the darkness was as black as pitch. Ioristion brought forth a wooden stick, which he used as a staff. He gently let it touch the ground before them, and was careful not to lean upon it. He detected the edges of the abyss. They maneuvered carefully with their feet. They fled carefully down nearby ramps of marble outside the arch. It became clear that they were high up on some form of a raised platform, the abyss yawning to their east and north. They followed along rocky crevices. The path wound round till it halted at the face of a cliff. But to their left were stairs, descending deep into the shadows. The stairs circled round at several turns at rectangular angles, until at the bottom, a ramp pressed forward into the darkness. The darkness was everywhere. It reminded him of Guldrambor's darkness, but it did not feel the same. The dread was missing. Suddenly, Ioristion's ears perked up, as they pressed closely against the wall to their left, "I sense something nearby, to our right. I do not know what it is. But let us dart past softly, and hope nothing will follow us." They pressed forward again. Whether they had passed a hole of goblins or the encampment of a horde of Yrch, he did not know. But he sensed danger far to their right. They pressed past a low arch, and then up several flights of stairs, and suddenly found themselves on a large bridge extending to an even larger archway. "I do not hear anything. I think we are safe for now...." Cellindien wondered, "Was it yrch, do you think?" Ioristion whispered cautiously, "If it was, then they might have caught our scent. In which case, our swords would be clashing by now. I....I do not feel safe this far out in the open. Come, let us press on." Cellindien: "Yes... and you are sure... you know where we are?" Ioristion glanced carefully at the map, withdrawing one of the torches from his cloak carefully, and without a large amount of light: "We should be coming upon... three passages soon." Edited by Ioristion, Jan 14 2015, 07:06 PM.
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| Ioristion | Jan 14 2015, 07:24 PM Post #91 |
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Chapter XCII: The Approach of a Shadow of Despair They turned through the archway to their left, and then to their right, beholding a large and empty hall, with stairs rising into the darkness at its end. They turned to the right again, and passed down several stairs. They exposed their torches yet again. The three archways could be seen, and another passage to their left. They had run far and were in grave need of rest. They turned into the left-passage and found a spacious chamber with a black hole at its center. "Moria," Ioristion muttered, "Black Pit." They stayed away from the onimous hole and rested, eating what rations they could. Then Ioristion took the watch. In time, they switched, and Ioristion slept. They had been in Moria for a day and a half when they decided to continue onward again. Ioristion turned to the passage furthest to their right, "This should lead us to the old scholar's trove...." The passage pressed forward into the shadows. The caverns rose to their left and right, in cave-walls, or in great Dwarven architecture. The yawning, winding passage. They tread on for less than half an hour. Ioristion whispered, "Careful now, it is only part of the way through." Suddenly, Ioristion raised his hand to sign of halt, "Stop......" A great wave of dread suddenly tore through him. A great Shadow of darkness yawned before them. It was all black and shadow. Nothing could be distinguished ahead. They did not know how far away the source of the dread now stood. They did not know if it was further down the passage or directly standing there, yawning before them in its terror. "There is something dreadful beyond this arch......... what is this....... I feel as if some powerful, overwhelming force is bearing its gaze upon us......." Cellindien had slowed a few paces behind and came to a stop, her hand shaking as it went to her sword. "We must leave... we must leave now... Brother..." Ioristion cried aloud, "It is worse. I do not want to know what it is. Pretend Gondolin is falling again, !!!! Run!" Cellindien stood frozen for a moment, her eyes wide. Then, suddenly, she whirled around and began to run at breakneck speed. They ran fast through the vaulted halls and caverns, and turned down a passage to their right in their haste, Ioristion yelling, "The shadow pursues us!" Cellindien stumbled after him, tripping over loose rubble in the dark. "A-Ai!" They passed through several skinnier corridors, hoping it would not be able to pursue. They burst up a set of stairs that flew upward and then to their left. They were gasping and nearly out of breath. Then they found themselves above the high stair of the empty hall they had seen before they turned toward the three passages. They huffed and ran, hoping to beat the Shadow to their only escape. They darted passed the three passages direction, and did not pause to turn and to look. So deep was their dread. Then they turned right instead of left, through several harder caverns, and across the face of the head of a fallen statue of a Dwarf. Then they climbed up several paths and turned east. By now they had journeyed for hours, running, with all the strength within them. They reached a safe landing and halted. Ioristion gazed behind them, gasping. Never before had he run for so many hours. It was as if all of the old training of the Last Alliance had returned to him. "Whatever it was..... we seem to have lost it for now. And the torch is burning low, even with Imladris oil. We rest for now. If we feel the dread again, we run." Cellindien was shaking and pale, her hair hanging loosely about her face. "...Gothmog... it was like Gothmog revived..." Ioristion was startled at her suggestion, "It cannot be........ the War of Wrath conquered....... it reminded me of something else. Of Yucalwe's descriptions of........" Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Guldrambor in the Mines! We are not ready for him, clearly." "It was like...." Cellindien coughed, breathlessly. "It was like him... I know what I felt." Ioristion sighed, "A dark and lonely place this is, I wonder if...... why did he come from the East.... he is hiding here, I see..... so he is hounding his prey once more. They must be warned. I felt it, too. But I have only felt that dread in one other place of late........ we felt it back home." Cellindien shuddered "We must leave, brother... we cannot face this." Ioristion still did not believe her suggestion: a Balrog. He muttered, "When the shadow threatened to swallow us. It cannot be anything more than this. Of course Guldrambor would masquarade as a........ We must. Now, as to our other concern....." |
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| Ioristion | Jan 14 2015, 09:19 PM Post #92 |
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Chapter XCIII: Thunder in the Deep And they heard the sudden sound of a rolling "Doom." It came far in the distance to the east. "What was...." Doom, doom. Doom doom doom doom doom. Ioristion cried, "Yrch! Run!" Cellindien staggered after him, taking several paces to regain her balance. They ran for several more hours, fatigued, but pale at the thought of becoming surrounded by Yrch scimitars. The drums doomed further in the distance as they ran, but they were ever present, all of the way back to the secret passage. They burst through it and back into the cellars of Delotham. Ioristion was in a deep sweat. "Quick! With all of our might, we must seal this entrance!" He immediately began restoring the heavy rocks and boulders, one by one, "We will need more than this. We need larger chunks of rubble from the side-hall." They found a great slab of stone. "Help me!" Cellindien spoke wearily, "Ioristion... anything we can move can surely be moved by a horde of yrch... Let us flee, flee now!" Ioristion gasped and stammered, "This will halt them, quickly! We must not let them spill into Eriador! A horde of Yrch marching on Imladris. If they do not know about this entrance, they will not try to move anything. Quick!" Cellindien groaned and bent her back to the work, struggling to lift the stone. They heaved at the stone, carefully bringing it over, laying it across the entrance with the boulders. Ioristion gasped, "More boulders!" Cellindien followed his example, loading stone upon stone over the opening. The entrance gradually became covered from top to bottom. The slab covered it in its entirety. The boulders further protected it. By the time they were done, they had covered half of the hallway with a mountain of stone. The boulders and slabs were large, and difficult to move individually. The sounds of the drums in the deep slowed, until one last rolling doom. Then, it was silent. Ioristion collapsed from weariness, gasping, "I thank you, my dear sister...... we did it...." Cellindien groaned and fell to the floor near to him, nearly senseless from exhaustion. "We... we must move from here..." Ioristion slowly struggled to his feet, painfully, "Let's hold each other and move, so they will not hear us......" |
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| Ioristion | Jan 14 2015, 09:20 PM Post #93 |
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Chapter XCIV: Into Findekano's Tomb They walked slowly and painfully through the ruined halls. No sound could be heard. Yet Ioristion felt a great relief within his heart, knowing that Imladris was now safe. He murmured, "No one in Imladris must hear of this...not even Lord Elrond...." The torches slowly entered into their final phase, though of Elvish make they were. They limped their way slowly through the ruined halls, until an opening to their left revealed an ancient chamber with two beams of sunlight shining through crevices in the rock. The walls were worn with dust, and seemed strangely natural. They entered and Ioristion sat down, "I know this place......" Cellindien moved toward the light gratefully, sitting down in its beams. Ioristion gasped slowly, "I feel..... a great horror..... and a pain of guilt in me........ This was the room.... my sister...... six thousand years of confinement..........it was here I found the Staff in my madness......" Small tears began to flow down his weary cheek. "And if only I had explored this place....... when Adar was here, when I came.......... I might have found him then.......... all he had was these four walls. That was it. The beams of light became his sole contemplation........ "This room...? Findekano's prison..." Cellindien got up painfully and went over to him, embracing him. He heard Findekano's voice in his memory, remembering what he said: "For I have come to love the light of the sun.... the fair breeze blowing through the trees....... and the sound of birds." Ioristion smiled, "My sister......... we endured........." By a sudden impulse, Ioristion reached into the sack. He pulled out a tome that accidentally fell into it when it was knocked by Ioristion's shoulder. The tenth book. Ioristion smiled widely, "It was there all along..... and by pure accident, we have it......" Edited by Ioristion, Jan 14 2015, 09:24 PM.
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| Ioristion | Jan 14 2015, 09:24 PM Post #94 |
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Chapter XCV: Scattered Thoughts Cellindien was surprised, "W-what?!" Ioristion smiled widely, "It must have fallen into my pack when I brushed the shelf with my shoulder...... we were concerned only about the first sound we heard, then...." Cellindien groaned and buried her face in her dusty, blistered hands. Ioristion still spoke his thoughts aloud, "I think..... that we shall look at these more carefully, in Imladris...... but not in the Last Homely House. Listen, our father vowed to reclaim these..... we cannot risk Erestor or Lord Elrond or Glorfindel seizing them......And, in fact, it is best that no one become aware of this entrance or of our journey..... it is bad enough that we almost sparked a Yrch invasion...... we do not want others of our kin doing the same....." "Certainly not... and the evil there..." Cellindien shook her head wearily, coughing to clear her lungs of stone-dust. Ioristion continued, "And besides, Adar must be warned. If Guldrambor truly assailed us in the depths of the mountains, with memories..... yours of Gothmog and the feeling of dread from him, and mine of....... of......." Cellindien exclaimed sharply, "Do not!" Ioristion bowed, "I felt the same power of evil, not only in Minas Noldorion when we were poisoned........ but of..... the Dark Lord..... Adar alone. No one else. He will need to see the texts. Auruiron's judgment is such that we will not be foraying into that darkness again. If our Enemy means to show his hand, he will have to come forth from the Mines and do so. We must be all the more cautious now...." "Do we... return to Lindon, then?" Cellindien sighed, thinking of her sore muscles and worn equipment. Ioristion shook his head, "I do not know. We should find rest in Imladris, when we do return........ I will send a messenger-bird to him, as Melimwe did. They are well-trained and capable of traversing leagues, and finding safe places to rest, and food....Either he will plan to remain in Lindon, or to join us. We will see.... let us not worry ourselves with that right now." Cellindien wondered, "And for right now...? Where do we go...?" Ioristion spoke solemnly, "To Ost-en-Edhil. To where Rostor dwelt. It is there that the artifact that propelled our task in the first place may yet be found." Cellindien closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, pushing locks back from where they hung over her eyes. "Very well." Ioristion embraced Cellindien deeply, "....there is one more place within these ruins I want to go first." As they turned to leave, Ioristion cast one final gaze at the chamber.... "Those beams of light....... they are beautiful." Cellindien agreed, "They are... and I am reluctant to leave... but let us do so quickly, so that we may see the light fully again soon." |
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| Ioristion | Jan 14 2015, 09:30 PM Post #95 |
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Chapter XCVI: Where Auruiron Taught Ioristion bowed his head solemnly, smiling at the chamber. Then they departed, and found their way upstairs. They reached Minas Elendur and Ioristion followed the route he had remembered through the corridors. They found themselves in a wide chamber with great windows overlooking the plazas and porticoes below. The room was empty and dust marked the pale-white ruined stones. Ioristion bowed deeply, "This room holds many memories....." He walked across the floor, "Rostor once sat here.... And Adar once taught history lessons here....." Cellindien fingered her cloak, a wistful look on her face. "Why....I can remember it now as if it were yesterday....... when this place was filled to the brim with light.......and splendour...... it was not once as it is now...." Cellindien nodded, "Would that I could see it... as you do..." Ioristion smirked, "I would that I could have seen Gondolin..... as you did....." He smiled, "But we are sharing memories now, making them anew....." Cellindien smiled and laid down her weapons, hesitating a moment before reaching for the clasp of her cloak. A sudden thought tore into Ioristion's revelry: "The horses! The provisions! I have had my nostalgia..... oh..... I was foolish..... they have been there for a day or more, unless something happened..... we must hasten to the gates at once." "Now you choose to think sensibly?" Cellindien laughed. Her fingers and palms were torn from lifting the boulders, but she managed to unclasp her cloak and remove it from her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. "A moment..." Ioristion nodded, "Very well." Cellindien continued, "A day or more... a few more minutes cannot matter... And I am very weary, so perhaps..." Ioristion agreed, not reading her thoughts correctly, "We should rest more, then. Alas for the horses." Cellindien looked around the room, peering into the corners. Ioristion still spoke on, "I would have felt better if we rested outside, knowing what happened....." Cellindien did not flinch in her response, "No... this is where I want to be, if what you have said is true." She sat down. Ioristion still did not think clearly, "Very well, I understand...." Cellindien smiled. "I suppose you do. You wanted the same, after all..." |
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| Ioristion | Jan 14 2015, 09:38 PM Post #96 |
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Chapter XCVII: Painful Illusions They rested for several long hours, and slept without a watch. Ioristion did not truly understand or notice what his sister was doing. The weariness slowly drained away. But Cellindien only feigned sleep, remaining awake despite her weariness. And then, just as Ioristion would wake, her desire appeared. "Rostor..." Ioristion awoke at the sound of Rostor's name. "....where are we? What is the time? Oh....right..... we are here, in this chamber..... did you rest well?" Cellindien stood unsteadily and walked to meet him. He did not respond. "Ai... Rostor..." Ioristion's eyes blazed when he saw what was happening. Swiftly, he grabbed the cloak off the floor and mounted it on her shoulders. "Sister! That is an illusion of Guldrambor's fell powers, it is not him..... Are you mad? If he is near at hand in the mountain, then we are in grave danger........" "I have missed you..." She wrapped her arms about herself. "You must have been happy here, have learned to be happy..." The cloak crossed her shoulders and the red-haired figure disappeared. Cellindien cried out, reaching towards it. A thought burst into Ioristion's mind, "Oh no....... he is awakening the poison in us, tempting us....." Ioristion shouted, "He is assailing us! He is assailing us! He is drawing the poison toward him! We must flee!" "I know it is not real!" She cried out again. "I only wanted to see him... you were here..." Ioristion yelled, "Quick, gather your weapons. Make haste! I was right. He is there. And he is treacherous. He might have paused to let the Yrch pursue, but he regained the chase! Oh make haste...." "I..." Cellindien closed her eyes. Tears were falling down her cheeks. "...I..." Slowly she turned away, gathering her weapons as if in a daze. Ioristion listened to the walls, wondering if he would hear another rolling doom. Or worse. What if the Shadow followed them and tried to burst through the stones of Delotham? Ioristion goaded his sister onward and they made their way through the pillared halls. They stumbled into a room that gave them a sense of dread. It grew. Ioristion paused, "He is here..... no wait, what...." His mind was struck with a picture. A picture in his thoughts. A pale Elf stood there. And he was beautiful. But then his eyes became as fire. There was a Ring on his finger. Its fiery letters glowed brightly. His robes and cloak whipped around him, and turned black, as armor appeared on his shoulders, with a helm pierced with spires. Iorsition shuddered at the thought he did not seem to control. Then the armored figure raised his mace aloft and shifted into a lidless Eye, a black slit, like that of a cat, wreathed in flame. The symbol of the Great Eye. Ioristion stumbled, "We must get out of here!" They ran and stumbled through the ruined halls, the pillars fading in the darkness to their left and right, and finally, they passed a great courtyard, where a gigantic statue of Gil-galad Elven King gazed solemnly at the ground below. Ioristion nodded to it and smiled, and they passed into a familiar set of halls, the blinding rays of the sun piercing the shadows. The light of the sun shined brightly on their departure. Their horses were there. And there, standing before them, an ellon stood, smirking: "Well, late as usual, are you not?" The light of the sun reflected off of Alcano's teeth. Cellindien flung an arm over her eyes as they stepped into the light, shocked by the intensity of the light. When she heard Alcano's voice she let the arm drop. "...Sapling..." Alcano laughed, "You look horrible!" Edited by Ioristion, Feb 13 2015, 09:49 PM.
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| Ioristion | Jan 28 2015, 07:54 PM Post #97 |
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Chapter XCVIII: Rebellion at Last "And I suppose you are finding yourself to be completely funny," Ioristion winced. "How did you escape from your mother...." Alcano smirked, "I recovered and I made the journey." Cellindien stared at him. The marks of tears could still be seen from where they mixed with the stone dust on her cheeks, and she was shaking. She pushed past Alcano and walked some distance away. Alcano shrugged his shoulders, "What is the matter with her?" Ioristion shook his head, "She tricked me..... she wanted to see......." Alcano laughed, "What? More ghosts?" Ioristion frowned, "Do not speak so loudly, my sapling of a son. She longs for Macil...." Alcano downcast his head, "Oh......... my noble ancestor........ I want to see him! Meanwhile, Cellindien paced along the stone balcony, her eyes downcast. Ioristion shook his head, "Never mind. It is a cursed and evil thing!" Alcano rolled his eyes, "And Findekano is not? Why, when all the Laws and Customs of the Eldar, speak against such things..... Hir-Elrond no doubt learned them from the Eldar who came from the Undying Lands...." Cellindien turned and shouted back at Ioristion. "You chose to see him! You knew the danger and chose, but you would deny me the same comfort!" Ioristion shouted in return, "I did it to save you! I did it to save you from your father! To see what these darksome powers are...... but they are dark! And to think we did it so close to.............................." Alcano shook his head, "Ada.... were you having dreams while awake again?" Ioristion downcast his eyes, "What do you mean...." "These are Guldrambor's powers....." Cellindien was wild, angry. There were dark circles under her eyes and she shook her fist at Ioristion, ignoring Alcano. "To save me from my father?! What did you prove? He could still be there! But he would not show himself near you, perhaps!" Alcano shook his head, "I think you have not recovered completely from your madness. And you, Cellindien, you are mad too!" Cellindien shouted: "Mad, mad, mad! That is all I hear speak of... perhaps we are all mad! Perhaps there is nothing but madness!" Ioristion sighed, "This absurd bickering in the shadow of...... we must get out of here! He could be in Minas Elendur, sensing our thoughts, right now!" Cellindien angrily muttered, "Ah! We run again..." Ioristion paid little heed to her yelling and mounted his horse, and Alcano did likewise, "We have to go...... now........" Cellindien reluctantly mounted her own steed, but she turned back before leaving, casting one last look at the ruins before following. |
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| Ioristion | Jan 28 2015, 07:55 PM Post #98 |
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Chapter XCIX: The Seed of Discord Germinates They traveled for several days, and spoke little, their downcast and weary eyes searching the barren ridges and dried-up streams and rivers. Meals were spent quiet, and nights were silent. They kept their campfires low in fear of wild beasts. And their rations were running low. Suddenly, the ruins of Ost-en-Edhil spired into sight, and there on the outskirts, they found a ruined manor, its decaying walls reaching toward the horizon, as the grasses and shrubs engulfed them. They dismounted, and Ioristion peered gravely beyond, and stepped solemnly on the grass between the ruined walls. "He......we........we lived here......" Cellindien remained near one wall, leaning against it. She did not speak. Ioristion wandered in the lapses of his faded memories, "This floor was once of marble, and the ceiling high...... great windows gazed in all directions....... this was the main hall....." "A fine hall. Ioristion, we have a job, I believe?" Cellindien drew a short knife from her belt and began to walk along the ruined walls, tapping the stone absently. Ioristion collapsed to the ground, and kissed it, "The object was not here...... this was where Rostor and his family dwelt.... ...I did not take comfort in that mirage, my sister........ it is only an image, a fantasy..... it was not him......." Cellindien turned to him and spoke harshly. "It was an image... more than I have had for thousands of years. It was a face, a face that I lost, that I forced myself to give up... and now, a face that I fear to forget, lost in the confusion of this hunt!" The knife was still in Cellindien's grip as she took a step closer to him. "You were with him... for so much longer. It is not right..." Ioristion sighed sadly, "And then our foe will consume you. Yucalwe told us this tale, but it is foggy in my mind........ but I seem to remember it now........" Cellindien spat out a curse and spun the knife in her hand before returning it to her belt. Ioristion did not relent, "Listen. When the Guardians at Formenos were assailed by the Dark Lord, Yucalwe escaped, forced to flee. And then suddenly, the lights returned. It was as if the Two Trees were born anew..." Alcano sighed, "I can finish it, Ada. The shadows lifted, and there, glimmering in all his glory, stood the one being in all of Aman who first befriended Yucalwe. There stood Amanuiron, beautiful. He beckoned, Yucalwe answered. And as they embraced, Amanuiron kissed Yucalwe deeply on the cheek...... And then, his lips turned to ash, his hair fell away, his eyes became as black as coals, and venomous was his tongue. Yucalwe fought him tooth and nail. He barely escaped alive." Ioristion sighed, "And that is what he will do to you, only worse. He will wear the guise of Rostor and seek to beguile us with it, I know it! Its his foul craft..... What will you do when he kisses you on the lips, and leaves naught but poison in your mouth, impaling you?" Cellindien rebutted, "The Rostor I saw was not there. I felt nothing, and it did not see me. If you think that I will allow any visage to approach me then you take me for a greater fool than I am." The others sighed with relief. Alcano smiled, "Well..... that solves that problem......" Cellindien exploded. "That solves the problem?! The problem? The problem that was not there! I knew what it was that I did, but you pulled me away, denied me what comfort I could take while remaining on my guard! And now you wish to say that all is well?!" Ioristion shouted, "GULDRAMBOR WAS RIGHT NIGH AT HAND! HE WOULD HAVE SEIZED AND RUINED YOU! And all his Yrch and all his drums! Have you forgotten this? Shall we return and test my theory, march right up to the shadow, and ask it to show his face? I think not........... now this confirms that he was there, look at this discord....." "A moment! That's all I wanted! And we had that, outside, while you dealt with your fool of a sapling! But there was no time for I, I who suffered alone for so long! Look at this discord... but it cannot be our mistakes, can it? No, we must blame the evil of others!" Cellindien raised her voice. "VALAR FORBID THAT IORISTION THE WISE MAKE A MISTAKE!" Alcano grew angry, "Your fool of a sapling?! Stop wallowing in this...... our own mistakes?! You know full well that we are naturally inclined toward goodness..... and Morgoth was banished to the Void! He did it.... he did all of it.... he killed the King...he butchered the Noldor..... he did it..... he did it...... and how dare the Valar blame Feanor, while they sat on their High. Ioristion waved his hand, "Enough." Cellindien groaned, pressing one fisted hand against her forehead. "Oh, I very much doubt that it will ever be enough..." Ioristion's next words trailed sadly on his tongue, "My sister...................." Cellindien seems to shrink, her head and shoulders slumping forward. "....Do what you must, Ioristion......" She walked outside of the ruins and sits down on the ground, watching the surrounding area. Ioristion sighed, "We will spend the night hither for now. At dawn, we journey into the city ruins. Then let us leave this accursed land behind us." |
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| Ioristion | Jan 28 2015, 07:58 PM Post #99 |
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Chapter C: The Hunt for the Shadowed Light The night passed quietly, and Alcano held the watch. Dawn came, peaking over the ruined domes, still glimmering faintly with the touch of gold. Ioristion opened his eyes, "Let us finish what we set out to do...." Cellindien rose silently and prepared to leave, sparing only a passing glance for the ruins around them. They passed into yet another set of ruins. The grass infiltrated, consuming the marbled stones that once lined the way through the city gates. It reminded Ioristion of Lindon, and of the desolate ruins of its capital. They passed into a smaller set of ruins. It was here that Auruiron once dwelt. Ioristion sighed, "And hither was my home for a time..... and hither is the only grave. "The grave of my mother..... for here she was slaughtered by the Yrch, whilst my father was sent away long before, depositing the texts that we have found......" Ioristion solemnly kissed the ground, and then began to search the grounds, mumbling Quenya words, searching for something. Cellindien watched him, feeling some of the ice in her heart beginning to melt as he searched. Ghosts and memories could not be trusted, but a grave was something solid, permanent, and real. She approached her brother, laying a hand on his arm. "Brother... I am sorry for your loss." Ioristion smiled sadly, "Thank you........ she would have been as a mother to you had she survived........ why do you think I marched into that war............ retribution was on my mind, in those days...." Cellindien reflected, "It was on many of our minds." Suddenly, he found it. The ground reacted to his words. He grabbed hold of the shovel, and Alcano did as well. They began to dig. Cellindien frowned and stepped back to watch, unsure of the object of their search. The shovel hit stone, and Ioristion whispered words that were beyond hearing. And the stone unraveled. "What is it? Cellindien remained at a safe distance, still wary of any more artifacts or objects of power. Hidden within the depths, a pale gleam could be seen. Ioristion proceeded cautiously into the shadows. "Brother..." Cellindien moved closer and kept a close eye on him and Alcano. He coughed from the dust, and carefully touched the object. There was a surge of power, not seen, but felt. He had never seen it since before the Fall of Eregion. "Sister.... it was concealed here all this time....... the jewel that our father forged, that.... our foe had touched before he fell..... Cellindien recoiled. "He touched it?! Ioristion..." "It was before he was......." Ioristion paused, and thought carefully, "But it was later used by him in order to create discord........ the discord we have felt since Moria...." Alcano sighed, "Ada........ is this the jewel that Alcon claimed as his own making, without aid?" Ioristion looked down, "And Yucalwe detested my father since that moment, on behalf of then-Amanuiron....." Alcano twirled his hair, "Is it wise.................?" Cellindien crossed her arms over her chest, looking from the one to the other. Ioristion grimly smiled, "No, it is not..... but it cannot be left hither, with our foe so near at hand..... Findekano will tell us if it is safe or not. If not, then we shall have it thrown into the sea, submerged with all Beleriand." "So we take it with us, then...?" Cellindien stepped forward and knelt on the ground, reaching for the jewel. "Then let us retrieve it and be on our way." Ioristion surrendered the jewel, "Yes. Let us go. I do not wish to see this land again for a long time." Cellindien shuddered as she felt the power of the creation in her hand, but she did not recoil, instead retrieving a cloth from her pack and covering it carefully before packing it away. "Nor do I." And throughout their final ten days, their rations ran out. They hunted for berries in the Trollshaws, and survived. The days faded and passed, as the High Moor steadily drew closer. And then they ascended it, and after days of heather, the wind hissing, they passed down into the Vale of Imladris, and in time, returned home. Edited by Ioristion, Jan 28 2015, 07:58 PM.
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| Ioristion | Feb 21 2015, 10:19 AM Post #100 |
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Chapter CI: The Sundering Cellindien took deep breaths of the fresh air as she slowly made her down to the secluded riverbank. The spray from the nearby falls cooled her skin and she eased herself down on to the grass, wincing as her tired muscles protested the movement. Alcano shuffled slowly through the swaying grass. He thought of what had transpired the past three days. And long before. The silent road from Eregion. The tensions and the silence. Ioristion's awkward attempts to speak. Cellindien's anger. Alcano's failed attempts at jesting. Alcano was young and did not understand. But a spark had awakened within him. The night before, he had slept in his room alone, the deafening tension of the silence swelling toward his head. He touched the staff. In the dim light of the moon, he saw a vague shadow of an apparition. A calm, gentle voice spoke, "It is the shadow upon them." Alcano had listened in wonder and in awe of the spirit's words, who vanished. Seldom now did he reveal his presence. Alcano remembered all of this as he passed gently through the ferns beneath the fair orange leaves of the trees of autumn, gracing the vale. He wandered on the sloping hills beside the river. The Bruinen surged past him in its torrents. He had spied on Cellindien's movements since their sundering. And he had found her chamber, and her cloak. |
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12:43 AM Jul 11