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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.
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purposeful_glory
Well, then they can all turn into wolves, possibly not at will I'm unclear on that, and apparently they're stronger and tougher, and for all I know it sterilizes them or something.
Well, that's a mess. What was Eru thinking? Dump a bunch of ignorant, helpless innocents into a war zone, hope the Enemy doesn't leap at the chance to acquire an edge -
purposeful_glory
Believe me, this goes on my list of things to complain about if I ever secure an audience. If Thauron's driven back to Angband after this fight I may just take over his functions-as-described-to-me here.
Sounds fun. We'll send emissaries as soon as you have something such that it makes any sense for you to receive emissaries.
purposeful_glory
Neat. Do you think we should wait here for Huan and Thauron to be done - in case Thauron's not weakened enough to have to retreat - or go and I'll just come back later?
Not positive, Tyelcormo says, but I think they're fighting over how long Thauron's going to have to retreat, not whether.
purposeful_glory
That's promising. I hope my initial assault wasn't pointless there, however much briefer I kept on with it.
We'll have to ask Huan, but I very very much don't think it was pointless. I've never seen a Maia hurt that badly.
purposeful_glory
Excellent. Be right back, unless any of you want to meet the werewolves.
And in spite of all her stressing out she did not lose track of her notebook sliding along after her underground; it comes up when she fetches it. She steps back in. Have the werewolves gone anywhere?
And in spite of all her stressing out she did not lose track of her notebook sliding along after her underground; it comes up when she fetches it. She steps back in. Have the werewolves gone anywhere?
They have not. They've stopped working and gathered in the basement.
purposeful_glory
"So here's the deal," she says. "Thauron's in a bad way. He's been manipulating you towards ends which through no particular fault of your own you knew nothing about, so he has to go; but you didn't know any better so I have no quarrel with you unless you go around biting people who don't in full knowledge of the results want to be bitten. I have some errands to take care of but I will be back in a couple of days. I'm at least as good a healer as Thauron, probably better, haven't made a direct comparison, and I can teach you stuff, and while it sounds like he didn't make that much of a nuisance of himself directly to you I can guarantee you wouldn't be thrilled to hear how most people working for his faction are treated. I think this is a step up for you. Do any of you have any questions, comments, or complaints about this change of management?"
"People don't know what being a werewolf is like," someone complains, "but they also don't know what being a person who shrivels and dies is like. They don't get a choice with full knowledge either way. And being a werewolf is safer."
purposeful_glory
"If my guess about how quickly you shrivel is correct, I will be able to fetch you all a solution to that before any of you outright dies of old age," she says. "I'm from a place of incredible marvels well beyond anything Thauron may have shown you, and I'm well on my way to figure out how to get back there and fetch whatever's required and whatever experts can make it work for you. Failing that I will invent a way to do it myself. You should definitely worry more about other sources of death in the near term."
They nod silently.
purposeful_glory
"Anything else before I go notify some of the non-werewolf Men and the people in the forest of this eventuality?"
Silence. They're still mostly cowering.
"Can you bring back the people you killed?"
"Can you bring back the people you killed?"
"If we're very obedient, and finish the whole tower?"
purposeful_glory
"It's not a matter of how obedient you are, or the tower - frankly I am not sure I want a tower - but it takes me awhile to develop new magical powers. But resurrection's on my list. Tell me your dead friends' names. I will remember them."
So they do.
purposeful_glory
She transliterates into Asgardian because the Men don't have writing yet. She takes them all down. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I will be back in a few days. Behave while I'm away."
And she departs.
Would you like to go tell the Nandor what's going on while I talk to the Men? Faster that way.
And she departs.
Would you like to go tell the Nandor what's going on while I talk to the Men? Faster that way.
Happy to, but we're not gonna speak their language.
purposeful_glory
Oh, right, that. I'll do it, then.
She heads for the Nandor first; she'd like to give the Men an up to date report on what the forest demons are going to do.
"Hey," she says to the forest demons. "Thauron, or Gorthaur, whichever, was building up a base of operations very near here, turning the Men into shock troops. Did you know that?"
She heads for the Nandor first; she'd like to give the Men an up to date report on what the forest demons are going to do.
"Hey," she says to the forest demons. "Thauron, or Gorthaur, whichever, was building up a base of operations very near here, turning the Men into shock troops. Did you know that?"
They did not know that. They are horrified.
purposeful_glory
"Thauron is currently having a very bad day. He is likely to be absentee from here for at least a while. I am planning to move in, educate the Men so they're less vulnerable targets. I could use local help."