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ramoth13 · 2 years

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Dwarven Princess Disa, the Glorious

Lady Disa is everything that Dwarves and our Dwarven lovers have deserved and not gotten since time began. On top of being a wonderful character, an equal in all measures to the dense and valourous immovability of dwarven men, but best of all, she has PRESENCE!

Gimli nearly stole the trilogy and it was only Aragorns firm kindness and Legolas's graceful rivalry together that balanced his forceful nature in the movies. I was nervous, because Dwarves are a lot (not in a bad way, but even dwarves must admit, they are a lot) and I worried that any portrayal of dwarven women might be a simply masculine portrayal.

But dear Manwë how wrong I was. Sophia Nomvete's Lady Disa swept the room with her power and brazen audacity and I loved every second of it. The way she cut through Durin's hurt straight to his love by pointing out the Tree, recognizing that while Durin's feelings might be valid, he'd regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't fix it, and treating Elrond with love and kindness despite how badly hurt she knew Durin was, because in the end, no matter how hurt he was, he still cared for that tree.

She balances out the crudity of dwarven men not by being elven proper, but by dwarven keen. Oh, she's clever and reads those around her like the Sunday newspaper. She's steady in the way she presents herself, sturdy in the way she balances out the more ridiculous sides of her husband, and absolutely steadfast in her control of the situation.

She makes me believe that had Dwarven women been in the peace talks between the Elven kingdoms in the first age, they might have had peace sooner, one way or another. Because let's face it, she might have been the absolute picture of kindness and hospitality but she also scared me a little. I would not want to be on her badside.

There were few things in this show that I didn't know I needed, but between the friendship of Durin and Elrond and The great lady just being herself...

And the juxtaposition of Disa and the other great ladies of Middle-earth! Eowyn is mighty and must express it in battle, Galadriel is just so amazing and this post isn't about her so I'll stop there, and Arwen, whose power of choice and grace speaks volumes, but only Disa made me feel at home (and a little scared, the looks she gives are terrifying lol).

And to you Dwarven kind out there saddened by the lack of beard... I hear you, truly. But, tell me it was not amazing seeing a real Dwarven princess be an actual legend on screen? I think the Dwarven legendarium deserves this wonderful woman and just like Elrond's reception by the lady herself, it was such an unexpected joy.

#disa #ramoth13 #the rings of power #rop #the lord of the rings #Dwarves #khazad dûm #Moria #jrr tolkien #tolkien lore #tolkien #Aulë #durin iv #durin #sophia nomvete #silmarillion #the unfinished tales #elrond #lord of the rings

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fandomblr · 2 years

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“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

Tolkien had Thorin say this in The Hobbit and now Amazon is making the Rings of Power. Amazon is literally the modern day personification of Smaug considering how much wealth it hoards, and it’s doing the exact same opposite as this quote. That kind of makes me think that Tolkien would be rolling around in his grave if he saw this happening to his precious legendarium.

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orionchildofhades · 1 year

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thorin being exited as they finally reach the mountain, seing after decades his home, his kingdom, bound to be his again and for his people to be safe anew,

his voice shaking as the light disappear, reading over and over the lines hiding the secret of the door, asking balin with fright what they missed for their mission to fail at the very last instant

shame and disappointment written all over his face as he gives up, the key dropping from his hand, and he walks away, dejected, angry at himself for he failed his company, his family, his people

and yet, he hears the voice of his fated burglar, half frightened half amazed, calling them back with hope

the silence is quiet, the wind soft in his hair as he finally open the door of his lost country, the final step of their journey, the beginning of the future and tears miss to fall down his cheeks as the caresses the walls of his home

#the hobbit #bilbo baggins #thorin oakenshield #bagginshield #the hobbit hcs #the hobbit brainrot #tolkien #tolkien lore #i said i was rewatching #and i am #i gave up on my crochet project to watch the gay unfold #im so sad tho #the dragon sickness hit right after this #orionwritesthingies

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camille-lachenille · 1 year

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Scattered thoughts about half-Elves and the Choice they have

I haven’t yet read any of Tolkien’s later works like history of ME or the likes even if I am slowly reading my way to it, but I have thought a lot about the Choice between immortality and mortality that the Half-Elves face in Tolkien’s universe. This post is based on the LOTR and the Silmarillion, so feel free to add textual evidences of what I say or correct any misconception I have.

As far as I remember, all the canon Half-Elves are:

Elured, Elurin and Elwing children of Nimloth (Elf) and Dior (mortal?)

Ëarendil, son of Idril (Elf) and Tuor (mortal)

Elrond and Elros sons of Elwing (Half-Elf) and Ëarendil (Half-Elf)

Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen children of Elrond (Half-Elf) and Celebrian (Elf)

I didn’t count Dior, son of Beren and Luthien, as a Half-Elf because Luthien became mortal in exchange of Beren’s life and, thus, I don’t think their son is considered an Elf. Anyways, he dies before being plot-relevant and it doesn’t change my theory.

Now, Elured and Elurin died as children in the second Kinslaying, and we don’t know if they were given a choice by Námo to go where Men go after their death or to be reborn in Aman.

What we know is that Elwing grew up and married Ëarendil, and they had twin boys together. After the third Kinslaying, they reached Aman and were given the choice between immortality and the fate of Men, and both chose immortality (Ëarendil for Elwing’s sake even though he wished to be mortal). But their sons weren’t automatically granted immortality and chose each a different path, Elrond to live as an Elf and Elros as a Man.

As far as I know and from what the canon implies, every single descendent of Elros was mortal even though they had an exceptionally long life. However, Elrond’s children had the Choice, and Arwen chose mortality to be with Aragorn, and their children were mortals too.

So, why is that when a Half-Elf chose mortality, their children are automatically counted amongst the Men, while the children of a Half-Elf who chose immortality still have the choice? And that’s when the Gift of Men becomes relevant. This Gift, granted by Eru to the Second Born is Death. And the wording here is very important: death is not something to be feared or avoided; it’s a gift.

So, my theory is that, when a Half-Elf chose the Gift of Men, he accepts it for all his children, because it is a gift from Eru and it cannot be taken back. While the children of the Half-Elves who chose immortality are presented with this Gift that their parent declined, because all should be able to receive this Gift is they wish so, no matter the decision of their parent. Eru doesn’t blame those who decided to be immortal, because they choose it from their own free will, but immortality can be a burden and their descendent should be able to chose for themselves what path is best for them. While mortality is definitive and should be embraced as the gift it is.

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milaaraq-blog · 2 years

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I really enjoy Galadriel’s portrayal in Rings of Power and here’s why

From what I’ve gathered so far many people dislike Galadriel’s portrayal in Amazon’s The Rings of Power series. Some people argue that her character doesn’t ally with the one they know from the movies, others say that she’s too aggressive, arrogant and/or moody.

I agree on all these things but for me, this is exactly how I envisioned her and how I would have portrayed her from my knowledge of the source material.

First of all, I don’t find it surprising that the Galadriel in RoP isn’t the Galadriel we know from LotR, because RoP takes place centuries before LotR and many important things involving Galadriel happened during this time. To me, it makes sense that all this had an impact on her as a person. She also acquires new titles, new knowledge and new power during this time, which would also have an effect on her character and believes.

But why portray Galadriel as arrogant?

Galadriel was born in Valinor as the only daugther of Finarfin and Eärwen which makes her a princess of the Noldor. Her grandfather is Finwë, at that time High King of the Noldor. This also makes infamous Fëanor her (half?)-uncle.

So she’s elven royalty and she was born in Valinor during the Age of the Trees which makes her very old, older then most elves in RoP. This could be why she seems arrogant at times when interacting with Gil-Galad, for example. Gil-Galad was very young when the Trees were attacked and he’s also one of Galadriel’s relative, but further down the family tree (which could also indicate that to her and the other house members, he’s further down the family hierarchy). Although I must say, that I didn’t really perceived her as being arrogant during these scenes with Gil-Galad. She was just more direct and familiar with him, which makes sense, since they are, as mentioned, members of the same house.

She seems more arrogant when interacting with the men of Númenor. And that, to me, makes total sense. To the elves of the Noldor, the Númenorians are like children, who were acknowledged by the Valar for their efforts in their fight against Morgoth. In the Noldor’s eyes, the Númenorians recieved a gift from the Valar. But for the Númenorians (and Tar-Míriel makes that very clear in this scene), their island, expanded lifespan etc. were earned through great sacrifice. Galadriel may have difficulties understanding that difference. She has always been immortal. She grew up in the land of the Valar. It is possible that she takes all these things for granted and to her, they are indeed, gifts. She fought Morgoth while being in the procession of these gifts already. She has probably never questioned them. So it is possible that she didn’t even mean to offend Tar-Míriel by saying that the Númenorians recieved a “gift” from the Valar. She probably doesn’t understand, that, to mortal men, there’s a huge difference between the “gift” the Eldar received and the privileges the Númenorians “earned” before other men. Because the Númenorians actually fought and died for it and her people did not.

Also, why wouldn’t she treat Tar-Míriel the way she treated her: direct and not very devote? After all, Tar-Míriel isn’t her queen. And there was a time when the Númenorians treated the Eldar with respect and kindness. In fact, I think that this scene with Galadriel and Tar-Míriel in the throne room illustrates the conflict within the society of Númenor very well. It gives us a glimpse at the fears and beliefs within the people of Númenor and on how they’ve changed over the years. I liked that a lot and Galadriels portrayal served it’s purpose well here.

But why portray Galadriel as aggressive?

Yes Galadriel was very kind in the LotR. She was the Lady of Light, very generous towards the fellowship and overall, peaceful. Yet still, we get a glimpse at her actual power in the LotR movies, when Frodo offers the One Ring to her. This may help to understand why she’s so aggressive (or strong-willed, probably depends on the viewer) in RoP.

Because: why wouldn’t she be aggressive? After all, she witnessed the attack on the tress. She witnessed the destruction of her home (as she mentions briefly in the first episode). She witnessed the first death in Valinor, which must have been extremely disturbing. And that first death was followed by many others, caused by her own uncle: Fëanor. Not only did her uncle turn into a traitor and murderer, he also attacked the kin of her mother, her other uncles, aunts and cousins. Imagine growing up in literal paradise and suddenly being confronted with so much destruction, grief and evil.

It is mentioned that Galadriel tried to defend her mother’s kin against Fëanor but ultimately, couldn’t stop him. He and his sons (her cousins) stole the ships of her maternal uncles, aunts and cousins, after they had slaughtered them and sailed off to Middle-Earth, leaving Galadriel and her brothers behind. On arrival in Middle-Earth, Fëanor burnt the ships (which the elves left behind in Valinor could see as the world was flat during that time) and at that point, everyone knew, that he wouldn’t come back to pick them up and bring them to Middle-Earth. He made off with their only means of transportation, meaning to be the only one to retrieve the Silmaril and thus demonstrating, that he considered everyone except for his own kin useless, weak, devote to the Valar and therefore unfit to fight Morgoth.

Galadriel wanted revenge for her mother’s kin. And maybe she also wanted to prove to Fëanor that he just couldn’t do all of that and get away with it. She wanted to prove that she wasn’t weak and in fact fit to fight the Evil that destroyed her home and killed her grandfather. Maybe she wanted to prove her worth.

And that, to me, explains, why Galadriel is so strong-willed/aggressive in RoP. She came to Middle-Earth to take revenge on her terrible uncle. She came to Middle-Earth to prove herself. And just because Fëanor is already dead and Morgoth is defeated during RoP, she won’t stop, at least not yet. After all, the Evil that destroyed and sullied her birthplace is not entirely destroyed (as we learn in the first episode).

But why portray Galadriel as moody?

Imagine her situation during RoP: she is the only surviving child of Finarfin. She has lost all her brothers in the war against Morgoth (and Sauron). She is one of the few (if not the only?) exiled Noldor left in Middle-Earth. She must feel very lonely (even though she has Celeborn, but he hasn’t been mentioned in RoP so far, so maybe they altered the story and she’ll meet him later on). I like the scenes with her and Elrond a lot because they really try to show their deep friendship. I like to imagine that Galadriel felt sorry for Elrond, the boy, who was captured by the Fëanorians after they’ve slain people close to him and made his mother abandon him. Maybe she felt close to him, because he too, experienced pain and grief caused by the Fëanorians. But maybe Elrond is her only true friend in Valinor. Maybe she feels like an outsider and after all, she is. She may be related to the High-King and be respected by him and his people. But after all, she isn’t really one of them. She has indeed seen the light of the trees and lived along with the Valar. But she left. Maybe the Sindar have a hard time understanding her and her motives.

So being the only survivor of four siblings, living apart from father and mother without a possibility to see them again and being a bit of an outcast among everyone else may make one be moody. Therefore I find this portrayal of Galadriel accurate, too.

I hope to see a character development in Galadriel during the RoP series because I think they created a nice set-up for that. And we need to see and understand how Galadriel became the Lady of Light and the gentle ruler that Frodo meets centuries later in LotR.

#galadriel #lotr rings of power #the rings of power #lord of the rings #lotr #rop #rings of power theory #tolkien #tolkien lore

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dinographs · 1 year

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#silvergifting #sauron #annatar #celebrimbor #tyelperinquar #tyelpe #annie #tolkien lore #tolkien art #laugh

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j0them0971 · 22 days

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#jrr tolkien #tolkien #the silmarillion #lore #elf lore #tolkien lore #should i do it #or is it a waste of time #polls #tumblr polls

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milesasinmorales · 1 year

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I’m not even joking, my brother just said that he thinks hobbits are more sexually liberated than elves, dwarves, and men. He said, and I quote, “they get down”

#lotr #the lord of the rings #lord of the rings #the hobbit #hobbits #j.r.r. tolkien #tolkien lore

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justpostsyeet · 11 months

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Continuing with my winners write the history and authorship bias

It's okay for Melian to enchant Thingol but when Eöl does it with Aredhel it's wrong. Noldors are always right and noble while outsiders are uncouth and primitive, savages who rapes and deceives people?

I have a full blown analysis(?) over it and I'll expand upon this later.

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leseigneurdufeu · 1 year

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Hey sorry to bother you but I got curious and googled the thing about Tolkien and the Beatles and like. How is this not known nerd lore, how do we not know this, what the fuck, this is astounding

You're not bothering me since you're basically telling me I'm right lol.

Yeah there definitely are some of Tolkien's relationships that should be more known. We all know that one student who'd keep showing up at his classes when all he wanted was free time to write Return of the King, but how come we don't talk about how he hated the Beatles' guts and refused a movie because they wanted to be the hobbits in it? How come we don't talk more about the fact Christopher Lee met him in the like 40's and Tolkien told him he should play Gandalf if there's ever a movie made out of his books?

#lotr #tolkien lore #jirt

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eloquentsisyphianturmoil · 29 days

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hm so I don’t know this lore but I can’t be bothered to look it up; I’ve seen suffix -ion used as ‘son of’ (uncertain if gender neutral?) and noticed telperion sort of means ‘son/child of silver’, possible laurelin means ‘daughter of gold’ where -in prefix is feminine? (In archaic Quenya mind)

long story short is it grammatically correct to call Galadriel finarfinin and can I do it anyway because it’s hilarious

#Silm #the silm fandom #the silmarillion #if I had any real interest I would solve this problem myself #No instead I’m here screaming into the vois #Silmarilion #the silm #silm fandom #artanis ig #Linguistics #tolkien #tolkien lore #Proper nerds help me out I’m like #A casual nerd #an amateur nerd

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ramoth13 · 2 years

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A few thoughts on Galadriel's Valor, Story, and "Girl-boss" energy

I've seen many things written about the "girl-bossification" of Galadriel, as though she 1. did not need anything extra given to her character, 2. she was diplomatically power hungry rather than vengeful, and 3. she was already Married and had her daughter by the time this show was taking place.

I'm not attempting to defend any creative choices or say why the show is "right" to portray them as they have, but I do think some things could be discussed with a bit more context and I do love some lore-diving and graceful discussions, so here goes.

To the first part (1.), she is recorded as not only engaging in the first kinslaying (she fought AGAINST Feanor, protecting the Teleri, but almost certainly killed other elves and elves aren't known for their weakness), but Tolkien himself said she was a "great warrior" in her youth. In the same vein, canonically she did initially go to Middle-earth to rule, but that is not clearly stated to be false here, merely that she is currently fueled by anger, pride, and vengeance, and rejecting the Valar's pardon which is canon for the most part (pg. 242 Unfinished Tales). Again, not defending, but I do think that this fits into established context as well as the next two points.

2. We're not given a clear reason as to why she, specifically, comes to Middle-earth in the show. There is a general reason why the elves go, yet not her. But I also realize that such logic goes both ways and I also understand that adapted stories are told by admissions AND omissions. However,

3. We know soooo little as to the intentions of the story yet. There's so much left to see, but the one thing I do think is the most important to bring up is the fact that this "character reversal" has been done before, by Peter Jackson and the character of Aragorn.

Aragorn in the books not only knows he's the king, but is downright giddy and excited to get going, reforging Narsil into Anduril before they even leave Rivendell. The rest of the trilogy is him slowly spreading his influence and making his grand "Return" Yet, in the movies it's the exact opposite. Movie Aragorn is not just reluctant, but almost hostile to the mere idea of reclaiming his throne, and slowly throughout the series he is pushed towards that reclamation of power.

In the RoP, we see Alatáriel/Artanis (Galadriel) as the daughter of a great Noldorin lord, single and alone in a quest for vengeance. Yet, we know she will become the most influential Elf in all of Middle-earth. The reason she doesn't fit that bill yet is because THAT is the story that I think they are telling. Literally the first episode is setting up the journey towards finally letting go of the sword, claiming the influential (but non-martial) power of her birthright and marrying (quite scandalously, I might add) a sindar elf that will unite the Noldorin and Sindarin Elves into a United people.

I think the story we are going to see is Alatáriel, the sword-wielding daughter of Arafinwë, become the Galadriel, Queen of the Elves of Middle-earth.

(*POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR SHOW-ONLY WATCHERS*)

After all, when Sauron/Annatar does return and sway the Elven people, there are only two elves that find him untrustworthy and reject him (Galadriel and Elrond).... and the fact that no one listens to her has always been questionable and unexplained in the cannon narrative. If the most powerful and influential leader alive said someone seems sketchy and shouldn't be trusted, it doesn't make sense that you'd ignore those warnings off-hand, especially if she was regarded as one of the wisest elves alive.

But if it's a blood thirsty, vengeful war-leader who has spurned the commands of her king who is saying that this beautiful and gracious elf who has been kind and generous and infinitely helpful to all of her people is actually evil incarnate, perhaps she would not be given much credence and would instead be ignored. It might actually HELP explain a few things lol.

(*POSSIBLE SPOILERS CONCLUDED*)

In the end, we will simply have to wait and see. But I think she's (Morfydd Clark) bringing something to Galadriel we have never seen but always known about, and that's a personal history. Just like Aragorn, I'd bet my last penny that we will see the Galadriel we all know and love, but that's the journey she is on. And I am so excited to see it happen!

But perhaps I'm like Elrond and harbour naive hope for the future, only time (or perhaps a certain Elf's magical mirror) will tell.

In any case, I wish you all well!

Na lû e-govaded 'wîn, mellon nin!

~ Ramoth13

#ramoth13 #fandom #lord of the rings #silmarillion #the hobbit #rings of power #galadriel #jrr tolkien #tolkien elves #tolkien #histories of Middle-earth #tolkien lore #morfydd clark #noldor elves #Noldorin #Sindarin #sindar elves #the rings of power

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theblogofdurin · 2 years

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Cloaked in Green || Pt.2 || Chp.21: One of a number

word count: 1.9k

summary: the shadow is being unveiled.

warning(s): mentions of darkness, mentions of misogyny.

a/n: We're getting there people! please Like! Comment! and Reblog! to let me know how you all are liking this series so far!!

Thorin Oakenshield, Fem!Oc reader

Links: readers guide, series masterlist, chp.20

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They pushed on.

Aranea and Gandalf rode for 2 full day’s before they finally made it to the High Fells. As both of them dismounted, Aranea looked around puzzled.

"This way." She gestured to the wizard after she finished tying her horse to a small pine tree. The deep green grass providing a healthy meal to the stressed mare.

Walking up the small hill, was when Aranea finally spotted what she was looking for.

"Ragorn!" She yelled, scaring the lean general. Beside him was 3 other plainly dressed men, each of them jumping up from their position. Drawing their weapons before their general with wide eyes realized who was speaking to him. The Dúnedain smiled, gesturing to his men as he resheathed his sword.

"My Lady." He proudly stated, hand resting on his chest as he bowed slightly at Aranea. All the men stiffened and nervously replied the same. Never having met her before, they were clueless on how to perform in front of her. Bowing back, as they approached Aranea gestured to the field around them. "Where is everyone?" She questioned with a stiff brow.

"Evening march." Ragorm explained smugly, "it's a customary-"

"Customary Marches did not fall under stationery guards." Aranea questioned. Ragorn smiled.

"Yes, My lady but-"

"Did Halthron tell you anything about why I stationed you here?" Gandalf had to glance at Aranea, the tone she used was not one who was used to hearing from his friend.

Ragorn stiffened as he glanced nervously between the wizard and her. "Well he…he mentioned that ther- there was tracks and-"

"And you thought that 4 men could protect the Fells." Aranea spoked, "There were originally 18 stationed here before the tracks even appeared." Nodding, Ragorn continued stuttering, "Ye-Yes, my lady."

"So you still decided to break protocol. I may be a lady, General but I know what goes on during these marches and I won't hesitate to strip both you and Elfmond of your commands. If I hear of either abandoning your posts again, Am I clear?"

"Yes, Ma'm" Ragorn answered clearly with a swallow. Sighing Aranea, glanced over at the 3 other young men, who had their head low to their chest, staring at the ground. She shook her head as she spoke softer.

"You all are not in trouble." All of the men looked up at her. "The world is changing and new enemies are coming forward. " She gestured at the small group. "You all can not protect yourselves and do your duty at the same time. It's why I order for 2 companies to be stationed here. "

Nodding Ragorn bowed deeply again as he pressed a hand hard over his chest above his heart. "You are most gracious, Lady Aranea."

"I understand the misunderstanding, Ragorn. '' Aranea placed a calm hand on his shoulder, as she gestured for Gandalf to head up the larger hill to the left. "However-" she spoke slowly and hard as she looked at the 3 other rangers. "My Brother is not as forgiving as I and if he heard of any of you breaking orders in a state of emergency again.."

"We won't." Ragorn bowed again, and with a glance, Aranea left them, catching up with the wizard up the steep hill. Reaching him just as he was starting up a treacherous looking staircase up the sides of a massive cobblestone structure.

"The Men of the time were sure not to make this easy." Aranea giggled as Gandalf stumbled slightly into the wall of the building. "Every 15th step is a false-" she started just as Gandalf stepped on the trap step, causing him to stumble up to the next step.

Catching himself, he slowly turned to look down at the red faced woman. "I see that." He stated with an eye roll before walking back up the stairs. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me too late?"

Aranea nodded her head before realizing he wasn't looking at her. "Once we enter you might want to hold onto the walls, There is a long slope down to the entrance of the cavern."

Gandalf nodded, "Great to know."

After a couple beats of silence, the wizard broke the silence. “I never heard you take command like that before.” he looked over at her. “It was impressive.”

Letting a small smile rest on her face for a second, before a twinge of sadness rolled on her face, Aranea replied almost starkly “I’m a woman, Gandalf though I might not always act like one. I have to try harder than my brother to get orders across.”

There was a pause in Gandalf’s steps, “You are an impressive Lady, Aranea.” Gandalf turned with a hand still firmly pressed to the wall of the building to keep his balance. “Anyone can see that.”

“Don’t let the actions of others taint your confidence in yourself.” his eyes twinkled at her softly before he turned to walk back up the stairs.

Aranea nodded as she took in his words. “It's not my confidence that is faulty.” she whispered to herself quietly, and despite her silent wishes he heard her.

Upon sliding down the small slope to look down the vast darkness, Gandalf muttered into his staff crystal, causing a bright light to release from its tip. Peering over him with her torch to look down the cavern, Aranea's breath stopped.

"Gandalf…those bars shouldn't be open like that." One after the other, the metal cages securing the bodies in their tomb were blown out from within. Gandalf reached a hand behind him to try and calm the Ranger. "We still have to check inside, there still is a chance of this being the work of robbers."

"On all nine?" Eyebrows furrowed and adjusted her footing on the slippery rocks. "You can never know." Gandalf twitched slightly.

She tilted her head, that's a fair reason, she agreed but highly unlikely. When building this fortress, the men of the time made sure it was a near impossible task to both enter and exit. A robber would only be lost.

Ignoring her thoughts, and with a nod of her chin towards the bottom of the pit, she all but spat. "He's in the last one."

Gandalf then gestured to the one above the rest and closest to the top. "Do you know the order of the rest?"

Aranea shook her head, swallowing. "Not completely." She took another breath, glancing behind them, "Let's get this done."

"I'll lead." Carefully walking the tight ramp of the tower, Gandalf carefully worked the way down, his hands catching him against the wall. Aranea followed behind with a tight grip on her torch. Inching their way slowly, the pair finally made it to the first burial chamber.

Entering first, the grey wizard carefully pulled away at the thick cobwebs, revealing the broken stone. Sharing a look with Aranea as she entered, Gandalf swallowed hard before he bent over slightly to look into the dark case.

Chirp!

A small bird shot out of the empty coffin. Screeching, Aranea ducked as the bird headed straight for her head.

"Oh, it's you!" Gandalf sighed, taking a breath, as he saw the bird land in the brown wizard's hair.

Aranea scoffed, running a hand through her hair and she stood back up from the floor. "Damn wizards"

Radagast ignored them, shoving his hat back on his head. "Why am I here, Gandalf?"

"Trust me, Radagast. I would not have called you here without good reason." Gandalf reasoned, still looking through the broken case.

"This is not a nice place to meet." Aranea let out a snort, as she maneuvered around him.

“No. It is not.” Gandalf nodded his agreement.

“These are dark spells, Gandalf. Old and full of hate.” Radagast shivered as he peeked over his friend’s shoulder “Who's buried here?”

“The Undying, is what they called him.” Aranea answered, from the entrance, Radagast and Gandalf both spun around to look at her. “It’s said that he was the last to succumb to the wasting powers that eventually swallowed him.”

Radagast's head snapped up and questioned Gandalf, wide eyed and frazzled.

“If he had another name, it's long since been lost.” she growled, turning her head she waved her torch over the darkness of the cavern, lighting up the other eight broken chambers.

“I must go speak with my men.” Aranea breathed, “Aragorn needs to know this immediately. Elfmond and Ragorn have been guarding nothing.” she bolted up the slopes as Radagast and Gandalf both followed slowly.

“Why now, Gandalf?” Ragagast questioned, “ I don't understand.”

“The Ringwraiths-” Gandalf resigned “-have been summoned to Dol Guldur.”

“But it cannot be the Necromancer.” Radgast pointed out, “A human sorcerer could not summon such evil.”

Gandalf turned to look at him as they stopped at the exit “Who said it was human?” Radagast gasped as Gandalf turned back to head down the treacherous staircase outside, “The Nine only answer to one master. We've been blind, Radagast. And in our blindness…the Enemy has returned.”

“Sauron.” Radagast murmured, walking straighter

“He is summoning his servants.” Gandalf nodded as he continued. “Azog the Defiler...is no ordinary hunter.” They now reached the bottom of the fortress. Looking over the cliff edge.

“He is a commander… A commander of legions. The Enemy is preparing for war.”

Running up to the pair, Aranea looked frustrated . “The tracks pointed directly to Dol Guldor, 2 moon cycles ago.”

“It will begin in the East. His mind is set upon that mountain.” Gandalf rubbed a shaking hand over his beard.

“We must warn them!” Aranea exclaimed “ Thorin and the others know nothing of this.” Nodding, Gandalf and Aranea both started down the long path.

“Where are you going?” Radagast asked, confused.

Gandalf only answered him over his shoulder “To rejoin the others.”

“Gandalf.” Interrupting him, Gandalf turned to look at him, “I started this. I cannot forsake them.”

“They are in grave danger, Radagast.” Aranea added, looking back at their horses only a few feet away.

“If what you say is true.” The Brown Wizard spoke plainly,”-the world is in grave danger. The power in that fortress will only grow stronger.”

“You want me to cast my friends aside?” Gandalf asked slowly, non believing.

“You're not casting them aside.” Aranea thought out loud. “I can go warn them. Radagast is right. If the enemy is preparing for war, we need to know what we are up against.

Thinking for a second, Gandalf bit his lip as he looked between the two, Aranea was basically bouncing her feet, wanting nothing more than to rush towards the others. Finally, “I'll meet you at the mountain.” Gandalf pointed his staff at her, “You should be able to make it before Durin's day.”

Nodding, Aranea rushed down the small hill towards her horse, quickly untying it as Gandalf and Radagast came up behind her. “Do not let them enter that mountain without me.” Gandalf shoved a finger at her as she mounted her mare.

"Good luck Gandalf."

With nods, Aranea parted from the two wizards. Taking off in the direction of the others.

---

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The Nazgûl were they, the Ringwraiths. The Enemy's most terrible servants;darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death."

― "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"

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