Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 192 Location: Forlindon, an exiled elf..... Karma: 0
The Annals of Dafeth: the second age. book 2 « Thread Started on May 16, 2005, 2:15pm »
Prologue
Much can go wrong or change in the space of a year. Companionships can be made. And Broken. This is what happened the Company of Darfeth; nine travellers who set out to save Darfeth from Smirun the Dark. The Company consisted of four Boddits, two Men, Two Elves and a Dwarf to start out with. All this had changed; now there were two men, the Dwarf, three Boddits and one Elf. The fourth Boddit, Hallrath Moneybook, had been slain by the Slave-King of Dorfath-Willsmi whilst saving the life of another in the Company. The other Elf, Sil-Gathian, one of the Forior and the heir of Sil-Forior, had been wounded in the Great Forest. She had stayed there with the wood-Elves when the Company had moved on. Though she had left them, something she had said still followed the Company, and they thought about it ever since she had left them: ‘we will meet again.’ Did she mean in this life, or the next? The Annals of Darfeth The Second Age Book 2: The Jewels of Men.
***I am The Heir of Fingolfin. Any who fight for Morgoth and his servants fear me, wielder of Ringil, the sword of my Father.*** Fingondfin Anywien Sil-Gathian, High Queen of the Noldor (or should be.....)
Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 192 Location: Forlindon, an exiled elf..... Karma: 0
Re: The Annals of Dafeth: the second age. book 2 « Reply #1 on May 16, 2005, 2:15pm »
Chapter 1: The Road to Dordor.
A month had passed since the Company had left the forest. They were feeling pretty unhappy. From the original nine, only seven were left travelling. One was dead. One was still in the Great Forest. Gilrow had decided to move on from the forest and get closer to destroying the Gem. Only destroying it would destroy the dark Lord Smirun.
The camp on the edge of the spider’s pass was to be cleared up later that day: twenty days after the departure of the Company from the Great Forest. The Company of Darfeth now had an important decision to make: to take a risk down the Spiders’ Pass and probably face the spiders that dwelt there or to proceed to the Back Gate of Dordor and attack it. To make the decision, the seven stood and talked about it. The final decision fell to Gilrow: “I think we should head to that Man Fortress up north and plan an attack from there; however we will take the Back Gate. It seems the safest way.”<br>So the Company prepared to leave for a twenty-five day walk to the Back Gate of Dordor. It would have to be a walk because the Boddits could not keep up with the others at any other pace.
They set off late the next day. The Company only just made it past the Spiders’ Pass before dark; such was the slow pace they were going at. It soon became dark so the Company set up camp there. Gilrow thought he was dreaming, that night, when he saw a five-foot tall spider heading for him. He realised it wasn’t when he saw Rolfin and Haw-Illalkrun charging at it with their swords drawn. The spider put up a good fight but was eventually overpowered and killed. “You are lucky, young Gilrow,” commented Rolfin casually as he walked past where Gilrow was lying, his sword dripping with the sludge-green spiders’ blood, “That one was just a baby. We’d have needed Sil-Gathian back with us to take out an adult. These beasts can grow up to thirty feet tall!”<br>Gilrow was edgier than ever once he heard about thirty-foot-tall spider. They were his worst fear. Spiders.
The next morning the Company moved swiftly on, leaving the spider’s corpse lying where it had fallen. Everyone was eager to get away from that spot. They were everyone’s nightmares; Smirun’s Spiders. Everyone, except the Boddits, knew that it took at least five strong fighters to take out an adult spider. The Company tried to stop thinking of those things. Spiders.
Camp was set up. Night came. The Gem decided to give Gilrow another of its horrific, realistic nightmares. Involving spiders. Always those eight-legged servants of the dark-Lord. Spiders.
As the Company prepared to leave the next morning, Gilrow decided to tell Matlok his nightmare: “I saw a spider, greater than the one that was killed before. I saw Sil-Gathian. You remember her? The tall Elf with the brown hair. Well, they battled. During the battle I noticed my Gem upon the spider’s chest. Suddenly it was no longer a spider. It was a tall being with an iron mask that covered all his face, a shirt of mail and a great crown upon his head. He bore a great mace and he killed Sil-Gathian. All our greatest warriors stood up to him and were slain. You and Gallrath then tried and were killed. I stood up to him and he fell.”<br>“That thing you described was Smirun,” said Barolok, who had been listening in on Gilrow’s dream, “I have seen him before. And doesn’t a prophecy say that Sil-Gathian will destroy him!” The Boddits thought about this, and then gave up on the subject.
Nothing much happened for the next ten days. On the tenth day the Company reached a corner of the two mountain ranges that surrounded Dordor. All the Company could see that two of the mountains were a bit taller that the others, and upon the lower levels of one of the mountains was a hole. Above that was a weathered and worn, but still obvious, eight-point Forior star. “Those mountains, what are they?” asked Matlok, sounding a bit scared. “They have no official name in the geography of Darfeth,” replied Rolfin, “However we call them The Mountains of Kings and the halls within we call the Halls of the Damned. Every dead Forior King is laid under these mountains. All of them, after all, have fallen in this area of Darfeth. Several other kings, all Elves, are laid here. They are laid on top of stone tombs, for Elven bodies do not rot over time. Sil-Illolk has been here recently. I know that he came to collect the diamond of the Forior and, I suspect, the Forior crown as well.”<br>“Let’s carry on,” squeaked Gallrath, “this place scares me.”<br>“No,” replied Gilrow, “It is getting dark. We must stop here.”<br> The Company lay down. Gilrow, however, could not sleep. He started seeing things again. He saw Elves, all of them wearing the same bright crown, lying dead. The Forior kings, Gilrow thought; this camp was a bad idea. A wolf howled. Leaves rustled. Gilrow lay down, scared. Dawn came. The Company woke up and packed away. Gilrow was glad of this. The Gem was starting to affect him. He told Rolfin of what he had seen that night. Rolfin comforted Gilrow, telling him that many people who spent the night at the spot had seen what Gilrow had seen.
The Company carried on. They were now only eleven days from the Back Gate and the time had come to decide on a plan to get into Dordor. The Company carried on walking. On the fifth night Gilrow had another nightmare about Spiders and Smirun. He told it to the Company the next morning: “I saw Smirun sitting on a great spider. Thousands of spiders followed him. They all poured over a great castle and devoured it. Smirun just stood and laughed.”<br>“What did the castle look like?” asked Haw-Illalkrun hurriedly. “It was white, with gold gates. Behind the walls was a great keep. The stone was unmarked. It looked Elven.”<br>“Band-Haw, the Tower of the King,” interrupted Rolfin, “Most treasured of all the Elven-towers.”<br>This thought troubled Gilrow. Would this be what happened if he failed? Would he be responsible for the loss of thousands of innocent lives?
On the sixth night Gilrow saw something else in a nightmare. He saw a Spork. This Spork had a staff, and hanging off this staff were heads. Gilrow saw that the heads were Rolfin’s, Barolok’s, Gallrath’s, Hallrath’s, Haw-Illalkrun’s and his own. He then saw another Spork behind, bearing what looked like a bloodied banner, but as the Spork came closer to him Gilrow could see that it was Sil-Gathian, her throat cut. This was enough to wake him up, and Gilrow saw that it was dawn. He went round, waking everyone up, checking that they were all still alive. The Company, now fully awake, moved out of that camp and began day seven of the fifteen days that it would take to reach the accursed Back Gate. In six days they would have to attack an Eastron stronghold. The Company decided that it would not be wise to, so they went around it, taking an extra five days. Soon, however, the day of the attack on the Back gate dawned. The day of reckoning.
Standing before the massive black and gold-silver gates the Company could not help but wonder at what they were doing. Diving for cover behind a small hill the Company decided on how to attack the gate. The number one priority was to get the Gem through by whatever means necessary. The next few days were hell, with no fires for cooking or keeping the Company warm.
On the seventh day a Spork patrol entered Dordor, followed by some Sporok-Dri. This gave Haw-Illalkrun an idea of how to get into Dordor. A simple plan that may fail, but it was worth a try.
“Remember, Gilrow,” he muttered to the Boddit, “no matter what happens to us, you go ahead with that Gem.”<br>
***I am The Heir of Fingolfin. Any who fight for Morgoth and his servants fear me, wielder of Ringil, the sword of my Father.*** Fingondfin Anywien Sil-Gathian, High Queen of the Noldor (or should be.....)
Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 192 Location: Forlindon, an exiled elf..... Karma: 0
Re: The Annals of Dafeth: the second age. book 2 « Reply #2 on May 17, 2005, 2:05pm »
Chapter 2-The Back Gate of Dordor and The Mountains of the Dead.
More and more Spork and Sporok-Dri patrols were passing into Dordor. Haw-Illalkrun’s plans involved some of them.
One of these patrols passed right next to the hill which the Company was hiding behind. The Company attacked them. Every Spork and Sporok-Dri was killed. After all this the Company, except for Rolfin, put on the disgusting armour and face-shielding helmets of the Sporks and Sporok-Dri. Rolfin didn’t for two reasons. One reason was his pride. That was one of the reasons that the Dwarves hated the Elves. Another reason that Rolfin did not put on the Spork armour was that the Company decided that it would make sense to have a good archer prepared in case anything went wrong.
Another Spork and Sporok-Dri patrol passed the hill. The Company joined up with this patrol, however soon a problem arose. The three Boddits, dressed as Sporks, were separated from the others, who were dressed as Sporok-Dri. The Back Gate opened. The Sporks went through; however the Sporok-Dri were forced to line up for an inspection. A greater Sporok-Dri approached the patrol. He stopped at the first few, lifted up their helmets and looked underneath. He carried on wandering until he stopped at Barolok, Atar and Haw-Illalkrun. He lifted up their helmets. The helmets fell off them. The great Sporok-Dri fell down dead, one of Rolfin’s arrows through its throat. A furious, but short, battle followed between the Sporok-Dri and the three members of the Company. Eventually all the Sporok-Dri were killed and Rolfin came out of his hiding space. “We must change our plans. Shall we go to that strong fortress in those mannish lands?” he asked. “No, we must go through this gate,” replied Atar, who was removing the Sporok-Dri armour he was wearing. “No- to my city!” cried Barolok, already out of the Sporok-Dri armour he had worn and he was now starting a fire to burn it. “Whatever happens, we must do it quickly. I fear Smirun might miss two patrols in a row,” finished Haw-Illalkrun.
The three Boddits were in trouble. The Spork patrol they were travelling with had been told that three spies, dressed as Sporok-Dri, had tried to enter Dordor and that they had destroyed a Sporok-Dri patrol. Great, thought Gilrow, the others have been uncovered. These other two will have to help me.
His chain of thought was cut short by the rest of the Spork patrol moving on. The unfortunate Boddits soon found themselves entering the Dead Tower-the home of Smirun. This is just where the Boddits did not want to be with the Gem.
One of the Spork captains shouted something in Dormong (the Dark tongue-the language spoken by all Smirun’s servants) to the patrol. The lesser Sporks immediately straightened up. The same captain went through the Spork patrol and separated them into four divisions. The luck of Smodu the Great was with the three Boddits and they were all put into the same division. The Spork captain shouted something to the division the Boddits: “:uoy.era.ykcul::uoy.lliw.ton.eb.gniog.ot.yortsed.taht.hsinnam.rewot::uoy.era.ot.niamer.ereh.sa.pu-kcab:”<br>The other two Boddits turned to Matlok, who somehow knew a bit of Dormong; “well, what did the Spork captain say?”<br>“Something about lucky, not destroying a mannish tower and backup,” came the reply from Matlok. “We are lucky for not having to destroy a mannish tower and we are to stay here as back-up is my guess,” said Gilrow.
The Spork patrol moved swiftly on until they reached a deep chamber with just enough space for three to a room. The Boddits entered one, slammed the door, bolted it and looked around at the place they now had to call home.
Barolok, Atar, Rolfin and Haw-Illalkrun had decided to storm the gate and try to rescue the Boddits. It made the most sense, as the Boddits had a very little idea of what to do, they thought. Rolfin still thought that the four of them should go to Band-Brothe, the Strong Tower of men. There, it was claimed, lay the three jewels of men; one green, one red and one pure white. That seemed the most sensible idea, thought Rolfin; but men will be men and Dwarves will be Dwarves, and they will always want a fight. The four charged at the gate. It would not move. Sitting down in despair after the fiftieth try the four started talking about an alternative plan. Rolfin once more suggested going to Band-Brothe but the other three overruled, instead favouring an attack on the Spiders’ Pass. The four stayed by the gate, arguing about the course. They stayed a little too long. A single Spork patrol came out of the gates to deal with them. Only one of these Sporks survived. He fled back through the gate and the gate clanged shut. The four still argued. They moved away from the gate, back towards the Spiders’ Pass. It would be another long journey, in which time Gilrow might be killed or worse captured and the Gem returned to Smirun. It was a twenty-five day march to the Spiders’ Pass and then they would have to fight the dreaded spiders. The Company soon reached the five-day point; The Mountains of the Dead. They saw behind them at least five-thousand Sporok-Dri and fifteen thousand Sporks coming their way. The four had no choice. They ran into the Halls of the damned. There, amongst the dead bodies of the Elven-kings, the four made a temporary camp.
The Boddits heard a knock on their room door and a harsh growl of “wake up slimeballs”. The three Boddits got up and put on the Spork armour and helmets they used to disguise themselves. The three of them went down to the small courtyard outside the tower an assembled with the other Sporks. All of them were told that they would be going to the ‘Damned Elf Hill’ on the edge of the two mountain ranges and either slay the four people inside or capture them. The patrol was also warned that one of them was an Elf archer.
A harsh five-day march to the Elven hill- the three had worked out that it was The Mountains of the Dead and that the four were Rolfin, Atar, Haw-Illalkrun and Barolok and that they were heading to the Spiders’ pass to rescue the three of them.
The patrol arrived at the mountains on schedule. One of the larger Sporok-Dri leaders picked out the three Boddits and sent them into the mountains. Entering, the Boddits saw a high ceiling and around the edge several stone tables with the dead Elves lying on top, for Elf-corpses do not rot or decay so it became a custom to just lay the bodies on top of the tombs.
An arrow landed at Matlok’s feet. The three Boddits took off their helmets. Gilrow cried out, “Rolfin, is that you?”<br>“Yes, and you are?” came the reply, along with another arrow. “Rolfin, Atar, Haw-Illalkrun and Barolok; it is I, Gilrow Boatwing along with Gallrath Moneybook and Matlok Talkbear.”<br>“So it is!” exclaimed Atar, who had emerged from behind one of the Elven-bodies. The other three emerged, Rolfin lowering his bow. The Company started talking. Deciding a plan of action. Eventually a plan was decided. Putting on his Spork helmet Gallrath went out to the waiting patrol and announced that the four were dead, along with his two companion Sporks. The siege moved off leaving Gallrath behind. Turning back into the cave whilst removing his armour he cried out, “they have gone!”<br>The other Boddits had already taken off their armour and, as Gallrath entered once more, they helped him take his off. The Boddits, all three of them, took their personal belongings out of the sacks they had carried since that day at the Back Gate. Soon three well-dressed, if not dirty, Boddits, an Elf, two men and a Dwarf emerged from the Mountains of the Dead alive and unscathed. They had made up their mind soon after their chance meeting about where to go. The Company of Darfeth was to head across Greater Faroteh, towards Band-Brothe and warn them of the battle to come.
***I am The Heir of Fingolfin. Any who fight for Morgoth and his servants fear me, wielder of Ringil, the sword of my Father.*** Fingondfin Anywien Sil-Gathian, High Queen of the Noldor (or should be.....)
Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 192 Location: Forlindon, an exiled elf..... Karma: 0
Re: The Annals of Dafeth: the second age. book 2 « Reply #3 on May 18, 2005, 2:24pm »
Chapter 3-Greater Faroteh
The seven remaining members of the Company of Darfeth started to cross the flat lands that were Greater Faroteh. One night Haw-Illalkrun decided that it would be right to tell his Companions one of the stories of Greater Faroteh, for Haw-Illalkrun was the last in the line of the kings of that land: “Once, many years ago, the three kings of the Elves bestowed upon the men of Greater Faroteh three great gems. One was red, the Gem of the Hedrosior. One was green, the Gem of the Horifior. One was pure white, the greatest, the one of the Forior. All three of these gems released an unworldly light. It is said that they contain the light of the forest, the earth and the stars. “It is said that when these gems fade completely, when their light goes, that the lands of Men, Elves, Dwarves and Boddits will fall into the hands of the Lord of Darkness.”<br>The Company sat in silence after that, wondering if it was true, and if it would ever happen. Barolok was the first to speak after this: “By all the Gods, especially Smodu the Great, let this not be our doom.”<br>“We agree with you!” agreed the Boddits. “Aye!” added Atar. Rolfin stayed silent. He knew something else about these jewels. The fact that they would be turned to evil by Smirun if he got them and how the world would be worse than doomed from then on. These jewels were not just things of beauty. They were things of magic and power. Rolfin also knew something else that Haw-Illalkrun and Barolok knew but they, obviously, didn’t want to scare the Boddits by telling them. The three jewels were fading. Soon their light would be gone completely.
Day ten of the journey dawned. Gilrow awoke to find his Companions bound and several large men surrounding them. Barolok was standing free, talking to these men. A couple of them noticed that Gilrow was awake so they went over, roughly bound him and threw him with the others. From the position he landed in Gilrow could hear Barolok’s conversation with the Greater Faroteh captain leading the ambush. “You know I am with these,” Barolok argued. “We can not break our laws, Barolok. Even you are not exempt,” the captain contradicted. “But why arrest them?” Barolok argued back. “They might be spies,” the captain answered calmly. “They are no spies. I guarantee.”<br>“How do we know? They may have fooled you as well, brother.”<br>Gilrow gasped. The captain that had arrested them was Barolok’s brother. Why did they not trust each other? Gilrow’s thinking was cut short by Haw-Illalkrun’s voice: “Do you not know who I am? I am Haw-Illalkrun. You know what this means.”<br>The Greater Faroteh captain looked scared, then rushed over to untie The Wanderer’s bonds. “You, my Lord, we can free,” he said, “but the others we must take before the high Captain of the Joint Realms, Darolok.”<br> So the Company was forced to go for a thirty day walk to the tower of that land. The Boddits soon tired, but the men forced them to carry on. Rolfin was soon moaning about being bound for the journey. “Silence Elf,” the captain ordered. “I will be silent. If I find out your name,” came the reply. “I am Farolok, son of Darolok, and captain of Greater Faroteh. Now, Elf, be quiet.”<br> The Company walked on in silence, exhausted and humiliated. Soon they had reached the great tower of that land; Band-Brothe. The five bound were by now exhausted. The captain of the guard at the gate hollered something to Farolok who shouted something back. A dozen soldiers came out to meet the group and they led the bound people away. Haw-Illalkrun and Barolok were taken to see Darolok straight away.
Whilst the five bound prisoners were hauled to the dungeons Farolok, Barolok and Haw-Illalkrun went up to a great chamber made of white marble. At the end was a golden throne, and to the left of that a grey stone chair. On that chair there sat a man dressed in the gold and red of that land. It was Darolok, Lord and High-Captain of all Faroteh. He was sitting looking at some paper when the men entered. Upon the sound of the party entering he looked up. At the sight of his two sons his serious face burst into a smile, however when he saw Haw-Illalkrun he looked puzzled. “Do our laws not say that, until thins improve and our King returns, rogues and wanderers are to be taken to the dungeons?” he asked, looking first at Haw-Illalkrun then at Farolok. “Aye, my Lord, but this is no mere wanderer. He is The Wanderer; Haw-Illalkrun son of Haw-Rololok; the son of the exiled lords,” Farolok replied. “Our King returns!” exclaimed Darolok. “Yes,” replied Haw-Illalkrun, “but not to take the crown just yet.”<br>“Why not?” asked Darolok. “I see that it is not time to,” replied Haw-Illalkrun. “But it is!” exclaimed Barolok. “Yes,” added Darolok, “A letter has just come from Smirun in Dordor telling us to gift our lands to him and to submit ourselves to his rule due to the loss of our King.”<br>“I cannot take the crown,” replied Haw-Illalkrun, “At least, not at the time.”<br>“Never mind that,” interrupted Farolok, “he travelled with five others. They are in the dungeons even as we speak.”<br>“What manner of beings are they?” Darolok asked. “An Elf, a Dwarf and three Boddits,” Farolok replied. “Bring them to me,” Darolok ordered. “At once, my Lord,” Farolok said, bowing and leaving the room. “So, Lord Haw-Illalkrun, why will you not take the crown that is yours?” Darolok asked. “Because…” began Haw-Illalkrun. “Because he does not want to,” interrupted Barolok.
The doors at the back of the chamber opened. The other five were brought into the chamber, surrounded by a dozen royal guards. “My Lord,” announced Farolok, “the prisoners.”<br>“Release them,” Darolok ordered. “But my Lord,” protested Farolok, “they may be spies.”<br>“If they travel honestly with my son and the rightful King of our land they cannot be spies,” replied Darolok, “and who are they anyway?”<br>“I,” said Rolfin angrily, “am Rolfin, son of Roldeth, nephew of Finhere the King of the forests.”<br>“Why did you not say so earlier?” asked Farolok, looking shocked and a bit ashamed. “You did not let me,” replied Rolfin, still angry. “Well, this is all the proof I need to show that they are not spies,” finished Darolok. “Now,” he aid, turning to the Company, “please accept my apology for all this; feel free to stay with us for a bit, if you wish to.”<br>“We will,” said Gilrow. So the Company were led to rooms in the great castle. “I think I am going to like it here,” commented Matlok once he had unpacked his things.
Later that day one of the royal guards went up to their rooms and gave them all back their weapons, that had been taken off them at their time of capture, and informed the Company that there would be a banquet that night.
That night the Company went to the banquet and, apart from the usual drunk-Dwarf-trying-to-kill-sober-Elf incident the night passed off without anything going wrong.
The next day, once the Company were all awake, Darolok himself offered to show them around his tower. They agreed to this, however Barolok wanted to stay behind and talk to his brother a bit more. Something about another member of the Company of Darfeth and the situations on the borders.
The Company members that wanted the tour assembled in the main square and awaited Darolok. He arrived in due time and started to look at the Company. “Do you want to see the city or not?” he asked, then walked off, the Company following.
***I am The Heir of Fingolfin. Any who fight for Morgoth and his servants fear me, wielder of Ringil, the sword of my Father.*** Fingondfin Anywien Sil-Gathian, High Queen of the Noldor (or should be.....)
***I am The Heir of Fingolfin. Any who fight for Morgoth and his servants fear me, wielder of Ringil, the sword of my Father.*** Fingondfin Anywien Sil-Gathian, High Queen of the Noldor (or should be.....)
AGDSAF Guest
Re: The Annals of Dafeth: the second age. book 2 « Reply #5 on Mar 10, 2009, 6:17am »
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