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Tumunzahar makes Menegroth look like a contract project. Which, the Dwarves assure her, it was. The stonework is astonishingly careful and beautiful, silky to the touch up close while from a distance it gives the impression of stretching on forever above, a sky of stone with crystals for stars. Vast natural cave systems are connected by dozens of perfectly smooth, gently sloped broad stone pathways from which the fall, if she fell, would be several miles down. There are handrails. "We use those to move materials carts," someone explains to her, "we're not going to be reckless."
There's an amphitheater, a place where a hundred of the stone walkways twine around to create space for a hundred thousand people to sit in close proximity, and someone is giving a lecture or a demonstration at the base of it, the seats closest to him filled with eager, tiny, bearded Dwarf-children.
And they spiral down, and down, and down, past waterfalls and egg-sized gemstones left half in the rock and halls of crystal. Everything grows gradually more ornate and more perfectly maintained and the clang of hammers fades behind them. "People say," her guide says, "that we only have a council instead of a single King because there were nine winners of the competition to design the throne so we couldn't just select one person to sit it." And they push open the doors to reveal, indeed, nine thrones so elaborate it would be hard to choose between them, and nine squat bearded people sitting them.
Nolofinwë nods. "Why oughtn't you leave? Because we're overmatched? So is everyone else; if you think you're needed elsewhere, go."
purposeful_glory
"I don't know if the orcs have anything to worry about and there's a way to check without flying down to find them."
"Well. We can force a confrontation right now, easily enough, if time is pressing. I can storm down to Artanis's and demand to know why she met with Sarpalarë before she left, and you three can look for faces in the crowd, and I can then ask everyone to arrest both doubles of anyone we see with doubles. It'll get people killed but I think it would end this."
purposeful_glory
"Time may not be pressing. I have not seen more than one set of doubles at a time, nor do they have enough force to attempt to overwhelm instead of sowing haphazard discord. The orcs may be fine. I just want to ask."
purposeful_glory
Loki puts a dot of brown on the sole of (this) Artanis's shoe. Should look like a fleck of dirt apart from the fact that she'll be able to move it with her mind on demand.
I'm not crashing yet, but if I'm planning to sleep under guard where should I do that? she asks Irissë.
I'm not crashing yet, but if I'm planning to sleep under guard where should I do that? she asks Irissë.
Our place, probably.
These supposed-Feanorians say that the Feanorians have been notified, and that the orcs have been notified in turn, and that everyone is fine, Findekáno reports a minute later.
These supposed-Feanorians say that the Feanorians have been notified, and that the orcs have been notified in turn, and that everyone is fine, Findekáno reports a minute later.
purposeful_glory
Well, that's strictly better than not that, Loki says dryly to Findekáno. And then she goes and parks outside the family home to sit and watch things and do spellwork.
I'm well within range to hear Maitimo and I was worried, with all of this going on, so I told him about it, and to be careful, since he's alone and practically unarmed, and he was listening but not sending anything at all so then I just told him about the area, and the trial, and how if we'd just been more sensible in the first place we'd all know how to fight by now and we wouldn't be in so much danger, and he said, very - expressionlessly, which makes perfect sense - 'do you want another apology'? and I didn't say anything and he said 'don't do this again' and It think that's what I would have expected, if you'd asked me in advance. But.
purposeful_glory
I imagine there will be words exchanged about it somewhere between here and dropping him off with the Dwarves. I'll live.
Is he going to treat all Dwarves as personal avatars of Morgoth? Because they'll, one assumes, get tired of that.
purposeful_glory
I'll advise him against. I got him to agree to stop referring to the Enemy in the second person when referring to events before I got ahold of him, since he at least thinks I'm not Thauron nor personally Morgoth himself.
You aren't. It's a personal style thing. Even when Morgoth was pretending to be nice I don't think I ever saw him bring out the best in anyone.
purposeful_glory
Dwarves. The mess with Sarpalarë and how this would prevent me from immediately escorting him thereto.
purposeful_glory
Seems like a stretch, much as I like them myself. He'll have a more stimulating environment, anyway.