The Golden Hall of Meduseld

[Beren One-Hand]

*The great eagle was none other than Glaustar, who landed at the Golden Hall at the beginning of this tale.  The eage gave Stargeld a look of respect and gave him his attention, stating: "Your journey was not out of our sight, oh great wiseman.  For during the past number of months the eagles have been in a restful and meditative state atop the Misty Mountains.  We are glad of your summons, and are ready to serve you in whatever way possible."*

*Stargeld still with awe in his eyes, stared widely at the great bird.  For even among the Istari, the wisdom of the eages were accounted for as attaining to the very epitome of wisdom.  "Glaustar, your reknown reached my ear years ago in Umbar, my headquarters for much of my time in the East."  Stargeld spent a considerable amount of time explaining the recent happenings concerning the Company.  Glaustar was especially interested in the quest of Beren and Vearg, and their journey to destroy the Witch King in Dol Guldur.*

*Meanwhile, the two warriors gave their thanks and farewells to the kind folk at Feil.  Tanour offered to guide the duo through the swamps that lied between Feil and Dol Guldur.  For since the evil forces had reoccuppied Dol Guldur, an impassable swamp was created to deter those who might try and launch an attach upon its fortress.*

[Wolfchild]

*"I know these swamps" said Vearg, startling both men for she had not spoken much that morning "I know them well. To that end, I know how to get to Dol Guldur. I loathe myself for it, but after Lune and weeks spent hiding in the forest, I returned here for one last time. It would begin my slow betrayal, and ultimately conclude what happened in Morgul. He stations wild snipers amongst the hillocks, united in hatred with arrows as quick  to draw and hit the target as the strike of lighting. So expertly skilled are these, that the victim will not be able to utter a final sound, or realise the fatality of their wounds until it is too late. Tread with extreme caution, my friends. There are too many ways to die here". As she spoke her words, the tone of Vearg's voice became rougher, harsher, and deeper overall. Her eyes and face were black with hatred, but of what was indistinguishable.*

[Beren One-Hand]

*Glaustar let out a call to his brethren, for them to come to him and to aid these weary travellers on their journey northward to the halls of Thrandul . . . *

*"It seems you know more about these lands than even I," stated Tanour.  Tanour continued: "Legend has it though, that these swamps bear an even more dangerous enemy.  A similar creature to the infamous Watcher at the Waters supposedly lies here - placed here by the dark forces.  We wil not have anywhere to run, as solid ground is hard to find in these swamps.  And if, and when we actually make it out of these swamps, we will be in sight of the tower of Dol Guldur itself.  It seems as though we embark on a more perilous journey than we had thought.  Lets hope the knowledge of these areas by myself and Vearg, and the powers of Beren will serve us well.  Or all will surely be lost!"*

[Wolfchild]

*As the travelers trudged through the marsh ground, all began to feel the effects of this environment, as soon all became wet, muddy and cold through the approaching midday, which dawned on them darkly, an odd thing considering the time that it was, well before sunset. There was utter silence surrounding them, and only the attempts of their footfall to conquer the boggy terrain to break it, even though they all tried to keep as quiet as possible. But the increasing strain put upon their limbs and joints was exceeding to a point that it became painful to endure, and the trio found themselves resting after two hours on ground that seemed stable enough. All were exhausted and physically drained, and there was still at least two thirds of the swamp left to cross, which was agony to even think about.

Keeping her voice close to a knarled tone that would have well suited her past self, Vearg set it upon herself to point in the directions of vague hillocks in the distance "They have snipers there, I am sure of it. They take advantage of the good ground to see out across the swamp, some even keeping falcons or other predatorial birds by them, to hunt down the unfortunate. We could try to go round and avoid these more obvious ones, leaving our bodies at the mercy of those better hidden, or otherwise must devise some other tactic so that we do not become corpses before we have even reached our target. What say you, men?"*

[Beren One-Hand]

*"This are difficult choices we face," replied Beren.  "Undoubtedly, if we choose to venture close to the hillocks, we will face the snipers, one way or another.  Heading in that direction, the advantage lies in the hands of the snipers.  For they will be able to pick us off one by one, probably before we can see them.  The dark and shadowy nature of the swamp would make it difficult for even an elf to see the hiding places of these snipers.  The other option, which I am sure either of you knows, would put us into harms way again - near the Watcher of the Swamp.  He would be a handful for the three of us.  But if we can get him to come out of the water, we will need to focus all our attention on getting in as many head shots as possible - whether in the mouth or forehead.  My advice is that we avoid the hillocks.  Although survival would not be impossible going that way, I foresee that one will lose their life in that path."*

*The three travellers continued their rest and pondered the words of Beren.*

[Wolfchild]

*After rest, the group felt little more refreshed, but they realised they could not linger anywhere here for long.  They set off and began to head slightly westward of the hillocks, with the intention that they would make space between themselves and the snipers in doing so. After another strenuous hour, the small patches of land that had once been clear to distinguish between the marshy water faded out, giving way to a larger body of water surrounded partly by a brutal looking rock face on the furthest side. It was indeed wide enough and deep enough to store the thing they all feared, the Watcher, which unnerved them, and as a faint ripple streamed seamlessly across it for a brief moment, all became more and more concerned. With the dark now enveloping them all, Vearg drew her bow*.

[Beren One-Hand]

*The three travelers started to become quite weary from travel, but needed to keep thier wits about them, as falling asleep would serve to sign their death warrants.  For if this Watcher was anything like the one near Moria, then the divided Company would be hard pressed.  Beren observed the readiness and awareness of Vearg, as she prepared her battle stance, with bow cocked and ready before himself and Tanour.  It seems she is full of surprises, and has faced many strange enemies in her time.*

*Beren and Tanour made ready, bows cocked and eying the water like hawks.  And within mere seconds of that swift stream of movement within the water, arose something both mighty and terrible.  The Watcher of the Swamp revealed itself.  Its head was grotesque and ugly.  Its many tentacles shot to and fro, forward and back, and whipped around grasping desperately at the three warriors.  Looks of fear expressed themselves on the faces of the three travelers.  But there was also courage.  For Beren and Vearg had faced their share of enemies in their travels.  Beren fired a shot beneath the creature, wounding its underside.  All could hear the creature let out a shiek of pain.  But it appeared that his shot was not of the mortal kind.  For this only enraged the Watcher more.  And the Watcher snatched Beren's bow and his quivver, tossing them far behing him into the mirky waters of the swamp.  Beren, then in a fury of rage and courage, took to his sword, and began slicing off the limbs of the Watcher.  And it seemed as though the Watcher would attempt to mount Beren and swallow him whole, when Tanour drove his long spear into the underside of the creature, forcing it to fall back.  But his was not enough.  And during this malay of fighting Vearg was herself aiming for the tentacles, rarely missing.  But finally the Watcher made a final charge, stirring a whirlwind of water and force toward the warriors.  It seemed for a moment that all three would be defeated and that the quest would be lost.  However, Beren, one-handed, swung from a tree branch and stabbed the creature in the back.  The Watcher cried out in pain, but still was not mortally wounded.  The Watcher then knocked Beren aside, tossing him into the swamp.  And Beren could not be found by the other two.  The Watcher, thinking its victory would be soon at hand, grabbed Tanour with many of its tentacles and squeezed the life out of him.  Vearg looked with anger as she heard the bones in Tanour's body breaking.  The Watcher then dropped the lifeless carcass of the waterman beside a tree, for feasting later on.*

*Vearg versus the Watcher, is what things amounted to here.  The other two had been defeated, or so it seemed.  And the Watcher layed his final assault upon Vearg.  One could not easily discipher what was what during their epic fight.  For all was in chaos.  Tentacles flying.  Water splashing.  Shrieking and crying that would send shivers up your spine.  But amidst the chaos and confusion, a single arrow had been fired straight into the mouth of the Watcher.  And almost simultaneously one could see Vearg holding the bow, and cursing the creature in wolvish: "Ag nacuur, core deculeon!"  The Watcher wreathed in pain, falling back into the water, to never arise again.  Vearg, wolf rider and heroin, had defeated the infamous Watcher.*

*Meanwhile, Tanour, beaten and broken, moaned in the distance.  But where was Beren?  How far had he been thrown?  The thought of Beren drowning, haunted Vearg.  But she knew not where, or how to find him.*

[Wolfchild]

*The sense of pride that was brought by the death of the Watcher was short lived, as Vearg struggled to see where the beast had flung Beren in it's moment of rage. She ran to Tanour, whose body was immersed in blood, and her eyes cast a tear at the sight, for it seemed like his final moments were close at hand. "Hold strong, Tanour, I will return" being the only words she could muster at this stage. Though the frail and pain-filled moans from Tanour caused heart wrenching grief to hear, she needed to know where Beren had been cast so that both their injuries could be assessed, and most importantly, stop him from drowning if he had been cast into the water. Her eyesight was trained to unmask the darkness (a benefit perhaps, from the black days) but still it was difficult to discern any signs of movement. She looked to the tree where Beren had stabbed the creature before it tossed him aside, following the images as they replayed in her mind to where he could have landed, though approaching the ground, he was not there. She looked ahead, and marks in the earth began to unfold. It seemed that he had not been knocked unconscious, as would have been assumed, but that he had tried to get up once again, and failed in the process...but where was he now? Time was slowly ticking away.

Vearg quickly paced ahead, but stopped suddenly at the drop leading to more swamp below finished the story of Beren's struggle. She could just see his slumped form over a small patch of land within another great area of water, though not as vast as that which had just been fought amongst. His arms close to his face, shielding him from the fall, and his head loosely amongst reeds and more of the water surrounding, he gave no signs of life. Vearg would not let this man be lost so easily, and not least since she had journeyed with him for so long, and his trust throughout proving the greater bonds of friendship to be stronger than stone. Climbing with haste down rockfall nearby, she came to the water and attempted to wade through it, even though as she came closer to him, the sand beneath her sunk, and water closed in around her chest. Taking him from underneath the arms, he was pulled to firmer ground, though his eyes were closed as if in sleep. "Beren!" Vearg exclaimed, but he gave no signs of being alive. "Beren, speak! The Watcher is defeated...speak, open your eyes! Do not die now...not now, not here! Think of Xenophahx, think of the company...what we set out to do! Our time should end defeating Angmar, and maybe even Morgoth, not here...please Beren, live...wake up!" the tears turned to sobs as Vearg was overcome with despair in a moment of loneliness and panic. She had not felt so since the battle that sealed Lune's fate, watching Tsyeni come so close to death, mercy as his last companion.

After unknown minutes she had almost given up hope, thinking both her companions dead from a creature sired on hate, and one of the few people who trusted her fully lost at that. But Beren twitched suddenly. Vearg had to look twice as she thought she could see his eyes flicker, and then almost burst into tears herself again, as slowly, his eyes opened, and he spat out water in a fit of coughing, before making sense of the world around him, and slowly smiling at the wild woman covered in a variety of scars and Watcher blood, kneeling beside him. "Bless you, Beren One-Hand, welcome back to Middle Earth! Do you think you can walk?" She asked, faintly, and a quick nod meant helping him to his feet and assisting him up the rock way to where Tanour lay still, unmoving now. She lay Beren nearby making sure he was able to rest or sit up, and went to Tanour now, whose groans had faded to whimpers now in the dark. "Tanour" she whispered "Tanour?"
"Vearg" a crippled voice answered. "Vearg...Wolf Rider, your shot has brought down the Watcher, and has saved me from a longer death than would have befallen me otherwise...for that, I thank you..."
"Thank me not, Tanour, for it is the effort of us all that made the creature's demise possible. You are amongst those worthy of thanks here too, friend".
"Aye, that may be true" He croaked once more, "But the world grows blacker now, and blacker than all the dark of Angmar can muster. Maybe it will be brighter where I go..."
Vearg looked Tanour over, but the sight was not one to dwell on, It was clear to see that his injuries were truly fatal, and her expression and the falling tears showed it. "Somewhere there must be, Tanour...somewhere. Don't struggle now, brother...j-just rest, breathe deep. There's a place beyond this world, light, free, peaceful...none of this fleeting conflict or black shadows in the deep. Look towards the light, leave the darkness behind. Dwindle on it no more."
"Death comes like nightfall” Tanour’s voice had lessened to that of a whisper “Tell me of what is beyond this mortality…did I not hear you once say the name “Awle”, Vearg? The life you have made drifts in tales around Middle Earth from time to time...but I die now, friend, is it this Awle that awaits me?”
“Well…yes, to those that know of him…he is believed by the wolves to be the great leader, the first alpha, and the most noble of creatures to walk this land in an age. But…he died in the last of the wars with mankind, sealing his fate to protect his children, who swore that wolfkind would continue with his noble words at heart. I watched this war, refusing to fight for my own species. I do what the wolves bid me to do now…and Awle is what you would call a guide. According to his ancestors, the kingdom beyond the clouds is pure tranquility…they sing out in great bands, the howling…beautiful. Sunsets are eclipsed by the fullness of the moon over great green meadows, around which the ancient woods grow and hide the packs in quiet shadow, guardians themselves in life. There are humans, but there is no fighting, not between themselves or wolf. Each lives with one another in perfect unity…and with one so courageous as yourself, Tanour, they will hold you in their highest regard”
Tanour let out a hacking cough, but smiled at Vearg, saying “I can see the stars…” though the look in his eyes faded somewhat, as his eyelids drifted into their eternal slumber.*

[Arwen005]

*finally arrives from bree*
hi! mind if i join in?

[Wolfchild]

We could bring you in as a new character, but it would have to be relevant to the current plot, and so you may not get a proper chance to say your piece for a while, unless you want to be one of the company traveling to Mirkwood.

Also, owing to the course of why and how we are here (the swamps outside of Angmar) it is difficult if you just appear from Bree like this, forgive me for any rude implications, because we already have Seilauni and Anuminor coming from the same location and are still 'in transit' as it were. But similarly, you could join their story in the Prancing Pony if you so wished to do so.

[Arwen005]

awwwwww...i came all the way here..i don't wanna go back....

[Wolfchild]

If you wish to contribute, you must maintain you language to that of Tolkien, or a heavy RP format. Colloquialisms and near impossible 'appearance's' like this, although feasible, are technically not suited to the current events or general storyline, and you have not yet introduced yourself as a character involved in current events from the beginning, such as we have. This makes it very difficult for you to be included at such a late stage, so if you are set on being involved, I would reccomended introducing yourself as a new character to the company heading to Mirkwood, or to Seilauni and Anuminor, as suggested.

[Beren One-Hand]

I fully support what Wolfchild has said.  I encouraged people to join in this storyline at the beginning, and initially a few did.  But as has been the case for most of the story - it has only been Wolfchild and I.  This has worked really well, and I am not sure that anyone else could really join in at this time.  As Wolfchild also said, you could take a look at the characters in "The Prancing Pony" who are in transit.  But it seems this thread is more for the reader.  Another idea is that you could start your own thread, from scratch, and then shape and mold it how you would like.   

[Beren One-Hand]

*Beren, although weak, battered and bruised from the fight with the Watcher, began to feel strength returning to his limbs.  Manwe himself, prior to sending Beren back in mortal form, gave him many powers, one of which was the ability to heal himself quickly.  He could be killed, but was more similar to those of the Eldar, except more powerful, and he was given the ability to withstand a greater amount of punishment and pain.*

*Beren, with the strength returning to his body, began to stretch out his arms, and rise from his bed of tree roots and mud.  And the only thing that crossed his mind was his respect, thanks and adoration for Vearg.  Without her aid and help, he might have drown in the swamp.  Being able to heal oneself is one thing, but when you are submerged under water, and unconscious, such a gift is obsolete.  Beren, now standing on his two feet, looked into Vearg's eyes and said: "Thank you my dear lady.  I owe you my life."  Beren approached Vearg and gave her a warm embrace.  "Since my loss of Luthien many months ago forever, my heart has tried so desperately to resist falling in love again.  For with Luthien, the heart break was too great.  How could the Valor allow us both to return to Arda, only to cause fate to swing against us?  Oh the Valor.  Blessed they are indeed.  But this hand I could not see.  Until now.  It seems for me - being deified and back from Valinor brought me into a world not fixed by perfection and endless days, but into a world of possibilities and joy.  Now I would not have done things another way.  I will declare my love for you Wolf Rider, even if you do not feel the same.  Either way, I have released my passion, and we will fight together against the Witch King in the days that follow.  If I should die then, at least I shared my heart."*

*For Beren, this was hard to say.  But any true epic would not be the same without two people finding each other, no matter how impossible to odds.  Whether one came back from the land of the gods, and another was the epitome of redemption . . . *

[Wolfchild]

*"Beren, what things you have experienced in life are known to be both the most wonderful, and at the same time the most turbulent- for you have seen such times as no man should, most importantly the loss of a loved one at the bidding of a creature consumed within his own hatred and sadistic brutality. Even then, when it seemed like your heart would as good as break forever, you have proven to those around you that there is nothing stronger than your most pure of souls, upon which the Valar themselves cannot contend. For an eternity it seems, I have wondered this Middle Earth with a conscience that once was as black as ash, speculating at the true meaning of what it is to be forgiven. Throughout this journey, and indeed my life since Morgul, I have wondered if there is any that can truly see beyond this past that burdens me so often, and yet constantly you have done so, fighting for me even when there is none left to listen. For that, I must thank you, Beren. In the North, none know me as well as you do, not even my own family. I have tried for a lifetime to conceal who I was, but it is useless to pen myself away in a land where I exist only to hide from the rest of it, leaving the world to its endeavors and clashing of armies. I cannot keep hiding any longer, nor do I intend to. Your love is shared Beren, and it always will be. There is none other that I could give my heart to more"*